Quite the Show...

Sometimes I feel bad for opening acts, especially when an audience’s excitement for the headliner manifests itself in the form of non-acceptance. Such was the case at The Horseshoe on Saturday night, when The Hold Steady’s loyal and growing fan base was introduced to Sean Na Na. However, this was one band that I’m certain no one could feel any sympathy towards.

As opener for what is arguably the biggest indie band out there right now, Sean Na Na had the daunting task of combating the crowd’s ignorance towards them. They failed miserably.

The band’s set was mediocre at best. The vocals, a stark contrast to those of Craig Finn, sounded eerily similar to Death Cab For Cutie – way too ‘emo’ and littered with octaves far too high for their own good. The banter between songs was equally annoying. The whole ‘buy us a drink’ shtick wore thin after the first few minutes – as did the old ‘conservative crowd’ routine. The band was trying too hard to work the crowd, while also trying too hard to make fun of them…and it was something that didn’t go unnoticed by those in attendance. The response to the group was lukewarm. Nobody cared, mostly because everyone was waiting for what was yet to come.

By the time The Hold Steady hit the stage, the crowd had swelled many times over. The half-empty bar was now packed with patrons standing to catch a glimpse of group. Their calls were quickly answered head-on when the five band mates emerged, lunging directly into ‘Stuck Between Stations’.

The band seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves while tearing through both alcoholic beverages and tracks from their entire catalogue. Craig managed to sweat up a storm while keyboardist Franz Nicolay enchanted the crowd with his well-oiled moustache. It was a great show, and it converted me into a true fan (I was somewhat indifferent before this). My ears are still ringing from their incredible rendition of ‘Southtown Girls’.

If you ever have the opportunity to see a show at The Horseshoe, go for it. The venue is as intimate as they come. There couldn’t have been more than 500 people crammed into the back of the bar…far less than the capacity of Lee’s Palace, where the band played last time in Toronto. More importantly, if you have the opportunity to see The Hold Steady, don’t pass it up. Snatch up tickets as quickly as you can, and be prepared for one hell of a good time…regardless of how terrible the opening act is.

Check out the pics at chromewaves... they always have some great concert photos.

Another Preview of Things to Come

For an extra taste of what The Good, The Bad & The Queen's new album will sound like, check out the live recording of their performance a few days back...



The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Live @ BBC Electric Proms

More From Mr. Albarn

There's a new track from The Good, The Bad & The Queen streaming on the ol' internet. From the sounds of it, as well as Herculean, the album is shaping up to be... kinda chilled.

Is it bad for me to just want them to rock it out? Come on!

Check it out:

History Song (stream)

Raptors Preview...

The old saying “time heals all wounds” isn’t necessarily accurate when it comes to the NBA in Canada. The Vancouver franchise that once filled the west coast with excitement was given ample time to develop a winning strategy both on and off the court, but it proved futile. A year ago many Toronto fans would have filed their franchise next to Vancouver in their “precious memories” scrapbooks. These days, however, things are looking up. It would seem that we don’t need time to heal our beloved team’s wounds. We just need a little Bryan Colangelo.

On July 12th this year, the first day player signings could be officially announced, Colangelo immediately hit the button on a number of deals. The most significant obviously being the resigning of Chris Bosh to a three-year deal, with a player option for the fourth. With that taken care, Colangelo was able to focus on finding the building blocks needed to create a winner.

The first of these blocks came in the form of the first overall pick in this year’s draft. With Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors have an incredible talent that if nourished properly will be a star in the league. Although he hasn’t quite lit-up the scoreboard in either the preseason or the Las Vegas summer league, he has shown some flashes of brilliance.

The second block will be T.J. Ford. Often thought of as the fastest point guard in the league, Ford will be counted on to lead the Raptors’ run-and-gun offence. He is the first true pass-first point guard that the team has had since Mark Jackson in 2000-2001. Ford has never had the opportunity to show how good of a point guard he is – but he will in Toronto. And with an expiring contract, expect Ford to outperform expectations.

The third building block for Colangelo’s Raptors is… European talent. When Colangelo hired Maurizio Gherardini as the club's vice-president, he opened the doors for an influx of stars from overseas. Not only is the city attractive because of its cultural and ethnic diversity, Gherardini is well respect by European players thanks to his work with the Benetton Treviso club in Italy. This year, the parade to Toronto includes former Philly draft pick Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa (the Garbage Man). With the Garbage Man averaging over 13 points per game in the preseason, he may find himself in contention for rookie of the year. With more Europeans in the pipeline, the Raptors may be looking overseas for years to come.

Finally, the Raptors will continue to depend on Mo Pete to come up with stunning defensive performances night after night. He will also need to pick up where he left off last year, in terms of maintaining his scoring touch. Often times, the Raptors live and die by the performance of Peterson. This year, with the team’s added depth, there will be less pressure for him to perform. Expect big things from Mo, and the rest of the team... especially considering their undefeated run in the pre-season.

Lasr Year's Record: 27 Wins, 55 Losses (4th in Atlantic Division, in Eastern Conference)

CNNsi Prediction: 2nd in Atlantic, 10th in the East
ESPN Prediction: 3rd in Atlantic, 10th in the East
thewhitebarry Prediction: 2nd in Atlantic, 8th in the East

A Little Late On This

Well, I know that I'm probably the last blog on the web to post about this, but I just can't help myself.

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen is the new band from Blur frontman, Damon Albarn, sort of. You see, the group as of yet has no name, but the title of their upcoming album has already been established as The Good, The Bad, & The Queen. Expectations are especially high when you consider the calibre of the musicians involved. The group is comprised of The Clash's former bassist, Paul Simonon, ex-Verve guitarist Simon Tong, and drummer Tony Allen - drummer for Fela Kuti. If that's not enough, their debut album will be produced by hero-of-the-moment DJ Danger Mouse.

For more on the group, visit their website.

Check them out, let me know what you think:

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen - Herculean

Note: Link will only be available for 7 days...

Things That Make You Go, "Hmmmmm..."

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but the ol' blog has been added to the mailing list of BMG... meaning the company is now peddling its trash to me in hopes that I'll post it for my faithful readers.

The way I see it, it's good because it means people are paying attention. If I recieve a free MP3 every now and then it's fine by me. It could also be bad, because it indicates that I'm now on the radar screen at the major labels.

I really have no quams with this whatsoever, as it could expose me to new and talented artists with whom I'm not familiar. But if the first email I recieved is any indication, the bulk of these artists will be absolute crap.

Let me introduce you to who BMG is pushing on us now, KIM KLINE...

If you're a guy, you're probably thinking what I'm thinking - I'd totally do her. But seriously, she's terrible. I can't begin to tell you how bad she is. I won't even waste your time with links to her web page, or a sample of her music (because trust me, you don't want to hear it).

I can, however, say this: BMG - if you're gonna send me music, make sure you check out what I've posted in the past first. This isn't a pop blog, or a new country blog, or anything like that. The only way you'll get positive press for this piece of trash is by sending me more (provocative) pictures of her.

The end.

Something new... [FIXED]

Three months before the world was expecting it... the new album from The Shins is here.

Wincing the Night Away is another great album from a band who's mandate must be to create records that are nothing short of outstanding.

Yours to check out... but remember to purchase it when it arrives on shelves in January.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Get it while it lasts...

Not too sure how long this may stay online.

It's some links to music from Peter Bjorn and John.

Writer's Block (2006) (or try here) [Buy it]

Falling Out (2004) [Buy it]













I've been away on business - neglecting the site and your musical needs. I'll try to find some new stuff for all you faithful out there.

A Sad Day for Canadian Cinema

Its reign at the top had to come to an end eventually.

After 25 years as the highest domestic-grossing Canadian feature of all time, Porky's has unfortunately lost its crown. Box office receipts for Bon Cop, Bad Cop, a buddy-cop flick about a murder on the border between Ontario and Quebec, climbed past the $11.3 million dollar mark yesterday - leaving Porky's $11.2 million in its dust.

Interestingly enough, 90% of all tickets for Bon Cop, Bad Cop were purchased in Quebec. The fil focuses on the wacky misadventures of a hard-nosed English-speaking detective from Ontario, and a French-speaking officer who polices his streets with only one rule: there are no rules.

Hopefully Trailer Park Boys: The Movie can reclaim the title for English-speaking Canada.

On the Solo Tip... [FIXED]

Albert Hammond Jr.'s new release, Yours to Keep, almost can't be called a "solo" album. The guitarist for The Strokes borrows heavily from his main gig when penning the 10 tracks that comprise the album. Even the vocals sound eerily similar to those of Julian Casablancas. Although echoing The Strokes isn't necessarily a bad thing, the album is at its best when Hammond works to move outside his comfort zone.



Albert Hammond Jr. - Yours to Keep

[Buy it]

Technologically Impaired

When Hi-Tek's first album Hi-Teknology Vol. 1 was first released, the producer was at the top of his game. Having crafted tracks for Blackstar and being one of the genius behind the incredible Reflection Eternal LP, he really had nowhere to go but down. Although Volume 1 had its moments, expectations for the second installment certainly can't be high. In his work leading up to Hi-Teknology Vol. 1, Hi-Tek has failed to replicate the success of those soulful masterpieces of his past. But he has had his moments, such as "Dream" from The Game's debut disc. And it's in these moments that his fans are reminded of the potential that sits within Hi-Tek's fingers. Volume 2 will hopefully keep fans eagerly awaiting the much-rumoured return of Reflection Eternal.



Hi-Tek - Hi-Teknology Vol. 2

[Buy it]

2007's First 'Must-See'

It just hit the web yesterday, the trailer for Zack Snyder's film 300. Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is poised to steal my movie-going dollars next year. Check out the trailer, it looks amazing...

300

Utter k-os.

k-os is an artist who can, on rare occasion, seem like a musical genius. At other times though, he can be a major disappointment. On average, he lands somewhere in the middle. Mediocrity is the name of the game here, folks. His latest album, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco is little more than a re-hashing of his previous effort, Joyful Rebellion. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, since that album propelled him to Canadian superstardom - he now bathes himself in toonies while munching on an unlimited supply of Timbits. He wakes up in the morning, takes a look at his Junos and Muchmusic Video awards and says, "I have made it."

But to get back on track, his new album - despite its lack of any original musical thoughts - is a pleasure for the ears.

Check it out...



k-os - Atlantis: Hymns for Disco

[Buy it]

What a Season...

Well, it's finally over. The Blue Jays 2006 campaign came to an end today on quite the high note. The team clinched lone possession of second place, finishing ahead of the internationally hated Boston Red Sox (but still far behind the equally loathed Yankees). Rookie Adam Lind belted the game winning home run in the 9th inning.



And perhaps there was no better ending to the year then Josh Towers earning his long awaited second win. Although the pitcher wasn't given the start, his four innings of relief (in which he struck out five) were enough to remind fans of his 13 wins only two seasons ago. It will be quite the battle for a starting spot this spring among the Jays' young hurlers - Towers, Marcum, Janssen and McGowan.

Things are looking up. Let's just hope the curse of Jimmy Fallon sticks with the Red Sox for another eight decades, and that the Yankees mysteriously run out of money. Go Jays Go!

What's next for professional sports in Toronto? Well the city's beloved Maple Leafs begin this week, Toronto FC season tickets are going on sale soon, the Argos are in the playoffs, and the Raptors have new jerseys and plenty of new European talent.

Pitchfork's Most Hyped...

If you read Pitchfork at all - and let's face it, most of us do - then you know that The Hold Steady's latest album is garnering an incredible amount of attention. Does it deserve it? That's something you'll have to decide for yourself. As for me, the words "not impressed" come to mind. Don't get me wrong, the album is good. But I think calling it brilliant may be going a little Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell - as in going 'Overboard'.



The Hold Steady - Boys & Girls in America

[Buy it]

A Little Help Here...

If anyone could provide me with either of the following it would me much appreciated:

1. An invite to OiNK

2. Information on Yahtzee (ie. a link to it)...

Thanks everyone, more posts and good music are on their way.