Where I find new music: Part 11 - musicians

I have a few musicians that are friends and I usually trust their recommendations, but I've also had the opportunity to meet a few musicians at other concerts.  The most famous story my wife and I have is meeting Matthew from Young Empires a long time ago after the We Are Augustines concert at Wrongbar.  We didn't know Young Empires at the time, but have seen them since on numerous occasions and we're so happy for their success and the nomination for a 2012 CASBY.

After seeing Young Empires during NXNE, we were hopping on the streetcar home when we struck up a conversation with fan who turned out to be another musician - Shawn is the drummer for Fade Chromatic who we've also now seen play live.

You never know you're going to meet at a concert and the chance to discover some new music.

Concert updates - Spring 2011

I haven't posted upcoming concerts in a while and now we're past winter hibernation, the number and quality of visiting artists is on the rise.

Bigger gigs

• Peter Gabriel - June 22nd Molson Amphitheatre - heard rave reviews from my friend in NYC who saw him last year with same orchestral setup
• Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs - May30th Massey Hall - love his sound and my bro says he's brilliant live
• Paul Simon - May 7th Sound Academy - yes, you read that right, smallish venue
• U2 July 11th Rogers Centre - forgot they were coming back, if it's anything close to 2009 show it will be a knockout
• Adele - May 18 Air Canada Centre - recently moved from Kool Haus to accommodate ticket demand

Tempted to go

• Black Keys and Cage the Elephant - July 7th Molson Amphitheatre - should be a humdinger of a show - mosh pit action
• Dirty Vegas - April 24th Mod Club - easy-on-the-ear driving dance melodies
• Supertramp - June 12th Molson Amphitheatre - perfect lawn show

Retro Alley

• Journey and Foreigner - Aug 9th Molson Amphitheatre
• Echo & The Bunnymen - May 16th Phoenix
• The Cars - May 20th Phoenix or Sound Academy 
• Bob Seger - April 12th - one of my old favourites from the motor city
• Duran Duran - April 25th Phoenix

Highly acclaimed

• TV on the Radio - April 18th Sound Academy - new album is supposed to be very good, which is saying a lot for following up their brilliant 2008 release
• Tinie Tempah - May 2nd Wrongbar - massive Brit hip hop star plays small TO club
• My Morning Jacket - July 11th Kool Haus 

What I'm going to

• Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines - May 21st Kool Haus - seen the Monkeys twice and want more, seen hot Brits The Vaccines at the Horseshoe this past winter - sure to get the crowd going and give the Monkeys a run for their money
• The Boxer Rebellion - April 18th Horseshoe - they put on a fab show here last time around and looking forward to a repeat show now the new tracks have sunk in more
• Beady Eye June 20th Sound Academy - what mood will Liam be in ?

Friend and lovers love 'em

• James Blunt - April 26th Massey Hall
• Death Cab for Cutie - May 18th Phoenix

Full listing can be found on Now and Torontowide.com.

The Streatles @ Tranzac

The Streatles @ Tranzac - #70/365 a photo by PJMixer on Flickr.


Friends invited us to join them to see their children's guitar teacher Edward, perform with his Beatles cover band The Streatles.  Our daughter joined us for a great evening of Beatles songs and good times.  Click here for the full set of photos.

The Vaccines at The Horseshoe Tavern

(all photos by PJMixer)

The Vaccines, a new band from the UK performed at The Horseshoe Tavern last night.

I hadn't heard of The Vaccines when I first saw the concert listing. A few days later, while flipping through Q Magazine with my husband, we're reading about the 10 New Faces of 2011 where The Vaccines were mentioned. When I saw their name, I thought it might have been the concert listing I had seen. It turns out that it was. Edge 102's Nu Music Night had The Vaccines coming to Toronto before their album is released this spring.

We arrived to the venue in time to hear the last two songs by the opening band The High Dials from Montreal. I wish I had heard more because they sounded really good. I'm downloading some of their songs today. Their fourth album was just released last November. Here's their setlist as they wrote it:
The Horseshoe Tavern is one of the few venues that allow D-SLR cameras so my husband likes to get close to try to get great quality shots of the band.

Before The Vaccines went on stage, we met a guy who writes for VivoScene who flew in from Calgary for this show. He interviewed the band in the afternoon and will be posting a review on the VivoScene website later this week. That will be worth checking out.

The Vaccines are very hyped in the UK. I haven't seen a band with this much hype before their album release since Arctic Monkeys (unless I want to count Drake). Before their album is even released, they have been nominated for Critics' Choice at the Brit Awards. I was a little concerned that they wouldn't live up to the hype, especially after they cancelled a couple of shows last week because the lead singer Justin Young was recovering from throat surgery.

It seems like he has recovered well because there was no sign of it in their performance. They played a solid although short set. It was a good introduction of them to Canada and of Canada to them. Justin did mention that even their Icelandic band member had never been as cold as he was in Toronto.


I imagine they arrived on Monday because that was the really cold day. It was a balmy 2 degrees yesterday with rain and snow...but maybe it's the humidity that makes if feel even colder.

They opened the set with Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) a very upbeat song that was released as a single in November. Even with it being shorter than a minute and a half it gave a good representation of the energy that was to come.

It starts with the very singable:

Pretty girl, wreckin' bar,
Ra ra ra ra yeah you are!
Growin' up, I'm twice the man,
Yeah yeah yeah yeah, yeah I am!

This venue isn't the greatest for video taking. I like to relive the performances even when the sound isn't up to par so I record anyway, but I don't always upload them. This one was worth uploading just for the introduction.



It has a very catchy chorus:

But if you wanna come back it's alright, it's alright!
It's alright if you wanna come back!
If you wanna come back it's alright, it's alright!
It's alright if you wanna come back to me!

I was happy to get a close-up view of their concert because I'm sure the next time they come, I won't want to be too close when it is actually a mosh pit. Most of their songs are high energy and easy to sing to.

After the concert, I grabbed the setlist from the stage. I'm not sure whether they performed European Sun or Wet Suit which are marked with a question mark on the setlist. From the times on the videos I took, it's possible that they played one of them. Since they were not the songs I knew beforehand, I can't confirm.

Time will tell whether The Vaccines will live up to the hype, but I won't be surprised if they do.

Setlist:

Where I find new music: Part 6 - concerts

Well this sounds a little backward doesn't it ? Don't we only go to concerts by musicians we already know and like ?  Sure we do, but we may not always know all their material or perhaps the constant playing by our spouse has numbed our senses and we've lost our appreciation for their art. We may also stumble on a opening band that are new to us or we've only heard a small sample of their material.

I'll start with the later as an example.  I like the bad Travis.  I was never a huge fan, but went with the gang to see them live a few years ago.  This year, their lead singer Fran Healey released a solo album which has been getting pretty constant spousal airtime around the house.  In both occasions, I loved their live performances and has made me want to listen more attentively to their music.  Actually, now I've re-listened to Fran Healy's latest album, it sounds quite different to the bare bones acoustic performance (my preference) on Friday night.  However, his beautiful lyrics haven't changed.

I saw Elbow open for Coldplay a few years ago.  They had a few UK hits, but I didn't know a lot of their older material.  They put on a fantastic show, perhaps one of the best openers I've ever seen and as soon as I got home, I downloaded a few older tracks and listened with a new ear to songs I'd passed on the first time around.

And finally, there are the total surprises.  These are often smaller bands or local talent that I see opening for old timers or hot acts from the UK or US.  Some of these finds include: Carney who opened for The Boxer Rebellion; Von Iva who opened for Glasvegas; Diane Birch who opened for Mat Kearney; and our favourite local lads, We Are The Take who opened for fellow Canadians The Waking Eyes and The Arkells.

New concert listings

I can't say I've been really excited about of lot of concert announcements of late, but looking through this week's NOW magazine, I few new ones caught my attention.

On my shortlist:

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Fri Dec 3rd, Mod Club - my brother has seen them a few times and says they're amazing live
White Lies, Sat Jan 29th, Mod Club - new album due out in January

Blasts from the past:

Gang of Four, Fri Feb 4th, The Phoenix, yes - a new album in January (after 15 years away)
Grapes of Wrath, Fri Nov 19th, Horseshoe

Maybe of interest to some of our friends:

Interpol, Tues, Feb 15th, The Sound Academy
Fran Healy, Fri Nov 26th, Mod Club - we're going to this one
Pete Yorn, Sat March 5th, Opera House
Killing Joke, Tues Dec 7th, The Phoenix
Brandon Flowers, Sat Dec 4th, Sound Academy
Einsturzende Neubauten, Sat Dec 11th, The Phoenix and Sun Dec 12th, Lee's Palace
K.T. Tunstall, Tues Nov 23rd, The Phoenix
Lowest of the Low, December 3rd and 4th Lee's Palace
Kate Nash, November 13th at The Phoenix
Mumford & Songs sold out at Sound Academy November 13th

Song I ♥: Departure by Mt. Desolation

imported from My Life Is Like A Song

Mt. Desolation's album was released yesterday in the US and Canada. I am presently listening to it in its entirety for the first time. I first wrote about Mt. Desolation last April when I read that Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane was forming a supergroup. You can read that post here.

In June, Mt. Desolation offered a free download of one of the songs, State of Our Affairs so I know this one quite well, but it was a slow building love. It didn't immediately jump out at me, but the more I heard it, the more I loved it. It's now one of my favourite songs of the year.

I first heard Departure a few weeks ago when they released the video which I LOVED. I also immediately loved the song.




I'll be trying to listen to the album as much as I can before seeing them in concert at The Drake Hotel on October 28th. For me, a concert is always better when I know the songs.

(lyrics as copied from the Mt. Desolation forum)
I can sense departure in the air
Now it's only the past that we share
Divided at a parting of the road
Where I could ride on or lighten the load

I've been dreaming of a town
Where the lost and found
And wrongway round are bound
For departure
I've been comfortably numb
But a change is gonna come
Like a storm
Driving down through the streets
From mount Desolation's peak
To make you pure
For departure
For departure

Lover, we have fought and we have laughed
At every obstacle thrown in our path
The things have gotta change before I crack
Before I get so lost I can't get back

I've been dreaming of a town
Where the lost and found
And wrongway round are bound
For departure
I woke up at the mouth
Of a river in the south
Of this land
Where the tide and the stones
Strip the troubles from your bones
And make you glad
Of departure

I'll treasure 'til I'm dead
Everything that we have said and done
For the voice in my head
Is telling me I'd best be moving on
Cause the decent folk don't want me
Everywhere my missteps haunt me
But the fears that always stalked me
Seem to fade away

When I start dreaming of a town
Where the lost and found
And wrongway round are bound
For departure
I woke up at the mouth
Of a river in the south
Of this land
Where the tide and the stones
Strip the troubles from your bones
And make you glad
Of departure
Where the tide and the stones
Strip the troubles from your bones
And make you glad
Of departure

The death of love
The death of love
It's nothing to be scared of
It's just a light switching off

Gorillaz mixing it up

Gorillaz mixing it up Originally uploaded by PJMixer

The Gorillaz concert at The Air Canada Centre was everything I expected it to be - video and groove heavy, melodic at times, performing most of their hits with a large ensemble (25+ members, including rappers and hip hoppers, back up singers, Bobby Womack, Chicago horns, guest Arabic instrumentation, two drummers and a string section).  Clash guitarists Jones and Simonon were perfect stewards of rhythm with Damon moving between piano, guitar, melodica or just being a warm singing host and enticer.


The large video screen (see other shots) was in constant use, playing full length accompanying videos at times and comic book stills and animation with a splash of culture and historic footage.  It would have been nice to get some live action close ups of the performers.  And the backdrop logo added a strikingly colourful backdrop throughout the show for the varied sets and ensembles.  


The near capacity audience (1/2 ACC format) was enthusiastic throughout.  From my vantage point, the majority  of the audience were standing for the whole (almost 2 hour) show.


Damon didn't introduce all the performers, but I think I saw a few of them on the Demon Days DVD from their Manchester show.  I'd really like to see a DVD/BD released for this tour.


If you've read this far, you're perhaps of fan of the Gorillaz too, so If you still have an opportunity to see one of their shows on the remainder of their North American tour or world wide tour, I'm sure you won't be disappointed and you'll be singing and moving along to their wonderful beats, rhythms, raps and melodies for days afterward.


8.5/10

New concert listings

The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers will be performing at Sound Academy on December 4th.

Tickets go on sale this morning for the Live Nation presale and Friday for the general sale.

Dane Cook is coming to Air Canada Centre. So if you like comedy, tickets go on sale Friday September 24th.

New Concert Listings

Just a quick note to say that Mt. Desolation is coming to The Drake Hotel on October 28th. This is the supergroup formed by Keane members Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin. See my supergroups post for more details. Tickets go on today Friday September 10th. The album comes out October 18th. You can here a couple of songs on their website here. I have to say that I am liking Departure on first listen and State of Our Affairs has grown on me, so I am quite excited about seeing them.

KT Tunstall is coming back to Toronto. I have seen her twice and she is really great live. If you haven't seen her, you can catch her at The Phoenix Concert Theatre November 23rd. Tickets go on sale today.

Macy Gray is playing Mod Club October 2nd. Tickets on sale today.

Other interesting upcoming events:

Boxer Rebellion Sept 27 at The Horseshoe Tavern (we're going)
The xx September 29th at Massey Hall (just won Mercury Prize)
K'naan (with opening act Shad) Oct. 1 at Kool Haus (saw them both last year)
Temper Trap October 5th at The Phoenix (saw them twice last year)
Hot Hot Heat October 8th at Mod Club (I'm going)
Belle & Sebastian October 12th Massey Hall
Sufjan Stevens October 13th Massey Hall
The Dears October 13th, 14th and 15th at The Garrison
Gorillaz October 14 at ACC (PJ going)
OK Go October 14 at The Phoenix
Band of Horses October 21 at Kool Haus
Stars October 23rd at Massey Hall
Greg Laswell October 30th at El Mocambo
Florence and the Machine Nov 3rd at Sound Academy (saw them last spring)
Sara Bareilles November 8th at The Phoenix
Kate Nash November 13th at The Phoenix
Mumford & Sons November 14th at Sound Academy (sold out)

Toronto Concert Venues

While I've been adding some interesting concert dates, I thought I'd also take this (early Saturday morning) opportunity to rank the most popular venues in Toronto as the venue often dictates whether I'm willing to pay good money for a concert or not.

1. The Mod Club - perfect size, high stage, great sound, always a great atmosphere.  Lots of pre and post options in the Lil' Italy neighbourhood.
2. The Horseshoe Tavern.  Old, dirty, low ceilings, hot and often too loud.  But you can't beat the energy of the old place and they let me in with my DSLR camera.
3. Koolhaus - large, unseated, warehouse-like venue.   Large enough for some big name acts and decent light shows.
4. Lee's Palace - fun old joint, good size, good viewing angles and decent sound.  Seems to attract a lot of once great bands coming back for an encore.
5. Phoenix Concert Theatre - gets pretty jammed, pretty quickly, but hosts some great artists.  Sound is usually good, but security is very strict and lineups are often a problem.
6. Molson Amphitheatre - large outdoor venue.  Sound is pretty poor from the lawn, but can be very good in the closer seats and in the general admission area.
7. Air Canada Centre - large arena, ok sound if you're in the lower bowl or up front.
8. Sound Academy - this place gets a lot of good artists, but the layout is all just wrong and the sound is suspect.  Above all, difficult to get to if you're not driving and if you are driving, a nightmare parking lot.

It's about time...

We were talking last night and said we should use this blog to simply keep our friends informed on concert listings they may have missed or tips on bands that may be new to many people, but who we think you'll like.  We agreed for this blog, content is king and prose can wait for another day.  So we'll try and keep the content coming, especially as we head into cooler weather and perhaps a rush of end of year releases.


Concerts

• Gorillaz at Air Canada Centre, Oct 14th.  Really looking forward to this one - I'm going with my son and have lower bowl seats.  I have a DVD of their Demon Days concert and the performance is wonderful.  With all the guest musicians and singers and orchestral elements I have no idea what this Toronto show is going to be like, but it's a must-see for me.
• The Boxer Rebellion at Horseshoe, Sept 27th.  Getting some well deserved attention because of their inclusion on the Going the Distance soundtrack.  Pop melodies that could be compared to Coldplay.  We have tickets to this one.
• Katie Mulua at The Mod Club, Sept 8th.  I've always liked her soft tunes and songwriting.  Not for everyone, a little Kate Bush mixed with Carole King perhaps.  She hasn't played hear ever/for a long time and has a new album coming out.  Perfect venue choice.
• K'Naan and Shad at Koolhaus, Oct 1st.  By now, I hope you know you K'Naan is or at least have heard his massive hit Wavin' Flag.  We saw both K'Naan and Shad this year and they are now performing on the same bill in a few cities across Canada over the next few months. Highly recommended if you're into some local hip hop, strong songwriting and storytelling by some fantastic entertainers.  Unfortunately I'm out of town for this one.
• The Charlatans at Lee's Palace, Sept 17th.  Old time Manchest'or survivors have a new album coming out.  Should be a lot of fun at one the hottest (literally) small venues in town.

A quick mention to some others with upcoming concerts in Toronto that caught my eye - lots of great tracks from everyone: Hot Hot Heat, MIA, OK GO, City and Colour with Tegan and Sara, Kele (of Bloc Party), Vampire Weekend, Tom Tom Club, Simian Mobile Disco, The XX, The Scissor Sisters and The Foals.


I'm still a little disappointed I missed Buckwheat Zydeco last week.  It made one NOW Magazine's shows of the week, but it coincided with my Wed night ultimate game.  Priorities got a little tangled.  If Buckwheat is coming to your town, make sure you see him !

Spring concert notes

The new (and apparently last) LCD Soundsystem album, This is Happening is getting rave reviews this week and just in time for Tuesday night's gig at Kool Haus, tickets are still available - should be a great show.


Neo soul meets some electro beats with Jamie Lidell, new album has lots of collaborators and guests, including locals Zeus - June 12th Mod Club.


Iggy and The Stooges are back together for a world tour in conjunction with a re-release of Raw Power - free at Yonge Dundas Sqaure as part of NXNE - June 19th.


NXNE Festival - 650 bands over 7 days, all for $50 - June 14-20.

One of our all-time favourite jazz crooners Harry Connick, Jr. will be playing the Canon Theatre on June 27th as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival.

TorontoJazz Festival - tons of different venues and some good free options - June 25th - July 4th.


And last but not least, Rush - Molson Amphitheatre (July 13th) and ACC (July 17th).  This tour is coinciding with a documentary that just won the audience award at the Tribeca Flm Festival - and I have to give a plug here to a couple of old friends I met through ultimate - Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, these guys are on a fantastic hot streak of rock documentaries.


Also check out Concerts we recommend in the right hand column - something for everyone I'm sure !

Toronto Island Concert

The Toronto Island Concert is back this year after being cancelled last year.

There are more band announcements to follow. For now, the following are confirmed:

Pavement
Broken Social Scene
Band of Horses

There will be more bands announced in the near future.

Presale begins January 18th.

More Concert Announcements

Adding to pjmixer's post from earlier this morning...here are more concert announcements that have caught my eye:

Editors February 18 at The Phoenix
Muse with Silversun Pickups March 8th at Air Canada Centre (anyone with a GA ticket for me? lol)
Jamie Cullum March 9th at Massey Hall
Bedouin Soundclash March 12th Mod Club
Norah Jones March 23rd at Massey Hall (sold out)
Vampire Weekend March 30th Sound Academy (new album just released...thx JH)
Hot Chip April 20th at Kool Haus
Owl City April 27th at Sound Academy (daughter's new favourite)
The XX April 4th at Phoenix (tickets on sale Jan. 15th)
Hawksley Workman April 24th at Massey Hall
U2 July 3rd at Rogers Centre

Early 2010 Toronto concert announcements

The Cribs at The Phonenix this Friday, Jan 15th - still not sold out (good or bad?)

Timbaland at the Sound Academy on Jan 22nd - hoping to find hip hop co-pilot

Frank Turner at The Horseshoe on Jan 26th - new find from Kelly1122

Nouvelle Vague at The Opera House on Jan 27th - should be interesting lounge with retro twist

Clientele at The Horseshoe on March 19th - going to this one - smooth sounds of spring

Air at The Phoenix on March 23rd - would be nice

Nada Surf at Lee's Palace on March 29th - need to listen to more - CS is a big fan


And a few comedy shows that caught my eye:
An Evening with Kevin at Roy Thompson Hall on Feb 6
Steven Wright at Convocation Hall on Jan 30 and 31st

Quite the year for concerts...

2009 - 21 concerts - 31 artists, rated out of 5*


The Killers at Air Canada Centre (with M83) ****
Arkells at Horseshoe (with Waking Eyes and We Are The Take) - ****
Thievery Corporation at Kool Haus *****
Glasvegas at Mod Club (with Von Iva) ****
English Beat at Lee's Palace ****
Travis at Sound Academy (with Republic Tigers) ****
Gavin Rossdale at The Music Hall ***
Diana Krall at Massey Hall ****
Franz Ferdinand at Kool Haus ***
Coldplay at Air Canada Centre (with Elbow) *****
The Killers at Molson Amphitheatre (with Wolfmother) ***
Champion at Yonge Dundas Square (opening for Toronto International Film Festival) ****
U2 at Rogers Centre (with Snow Patrol) *****
K'Naan at The Phoenix Theatre ****
Arctic Monkeys at Kool Haus ***
Mat Kearney at Lee's Palace (with Diana Birch) ***
Psychedelic Furs at Kool Haus (with Happy Mondays) ***
Temper Trap at Horseshoe (and We Are The Take) ****
Thievery Corporation at Kool Haus *****
Champion at Mod Club *****
The Most Serene Republic at The Horsehoe (with Zeus and Still Life Still) ***

Nu Music Nite at the Horsehoe

I've fallen a little behind in talking music over the last few weeks, but wanted to get this one out tonight as it looks like Tuesday's Nu Music Nite (NMN) at the Horseshoe should be a good one.  Our first experience with NMN was last month's We are the Take and The Temper Trap gig and we're still talking about that show.  Tomorrow's gig showcases some interesting local sounds with The Most Serene Republic and Still Life Still.  I just spent some time on their MySpace pages and I'm immediately impressed with their creative edge and complex compositions.  In addition to hearing some great new music, the other hard-to-argue plus for NMN is that there's no cover charge.  Can't beat that kids.

On my music travels tonight I found that CBC Radio 3 site has info on both these bands and a really nice interface.  Missed that one, shame on me, apologies to CBC Radio 3.  I'm listening now.

The Temper Trap at the Horseshoe Tavern

Last night, The Horseshoe Tavern served up a gem.

The Temper Trap who played at the Glastonbury festival this past summer, who are currently on the A-List playlist on Absolute Radio UK (meaning they get played a LOT) and who will be performing on Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday night played at a free gig at The Horseshoe Tavern for The Edge 102.1 Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite.

The Horseshoe Tavern is one of the few good venues in Toronto who allow any kind of camera (without a photo pass), so with the D-SLR in hand, we managed to get some great shots.
I only found out about The Temper Trap during the last week. I downloaded some of their songs on Sunday. On Monday, I found out they were playing in Toronto the next night. Normally for me to love a concert, it helps if I know the songs really well but The Temper Trap are amazing live whether you know their music or not.

They are energetic and get the crowd into their music as you can see from these videos.






Here's the set list:


I look forward to seeing them when they are headlining. It's like we have seen them from their early days and there can only be great days ahead for them.

Concert announcements catching my eye - Oct 09

Browsing NOW magazine and a few concerts caught my eye that are not "hot" tickets per se, but are for bands whose music I like, the venue seems a good fit and I'd probably go if I had unlimited budget and lots of free evenings:

• Matisyahu - Phoenix, Nov 30th - Acidic Jewish hip hop - yes, you read that right
• Nitzer Ebb - Mod Club, Dec 1 - yes, das man ist bak (of Murderous fame)
• Devendra Banhard, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Nov 27th - haven't heard much, but Seahorse from a few years back was brilliant - psych retro at it's best
• Junior Boys - Lee's, Nov 6th - Hamilton Ontario amooth stylers
• Bill Bragg, Tues Nov 7th - a few mates going, working class hero always has a lot to say
• Sloan - Dakota Tavern Oct 19th War Child benefit and photo exhibit - good reasons to see a good rock band
• The XX - Mod Club Dec 2nd - worldwide tour date for alt chart toppers with lots of rave reviews, love their complex mellow sound
  
• Metric - Massey Hall Oct 20th and 21st - sold out, but likely worth scalper tickets, one of Canada's best alternative bands
  

And a couple that I'm going to:

• Thievery Corporation - Kool Haus Oct 23rd - smooth grooves, complex urban sounds and exotic vocal varieties, I saw them at the front side of the tour in the Spring and it was a highlight of the year, expecting similar set list enhanced by better looking date
• Champion - Mod Club Nov 27th - great band, better performers, best venue in the city, $15 tickets - no brainer