Sure, they are still young, but they’ve got old musical souls. B.C. band Current Swell are turning heads following the release of their fourth studio album, Long Time Ago, last October, and then winning a PEAK Performance Project prize in December. The band checks into the Phoenix Concert Theatre on Saturday night opening for Charlie Winston.
Celebrations for the Lunar New Year kick off this weekend, and Toronto is a-roar with festivities to ring in the Year of the Dragon. So go on and get outside, because regardless of when you traditionally celebrate New Year’s, by the third week of January we all need an excuse to party. Gung hay fat choy!
Local media attack environmental groups
New play set in Chinese restaurant showcases Toronto actor’s versatility
Try something different to usher in the Year of the Dragon by taking in Roland Schimmelpfennig’s spicy concoction of a play about a Chinese restaurant’s kitchen staff that is hiding a young illegal immigrant.
Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Avenue, 416-531-1827. Jan. 18 – Feb. 19.
Do you love show tunes? Can’t help but sing along with the radio? Do you ever wish that real life included spontaneous dance numbers? No? Well, for three nights this February, anyone who said yes will be closed up together in a dark room when Sing-a-long-a Grease comes to the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
“It’s time to get my ass kicked by a Canadian winter,” comedian Demetri Martin says of his aptly titled tour, Telling Jokes in Cold Places. His first official tour of Canada includes a stop in Toronto tonight at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. If his sweeping locks and nonchalant attitude aren’t enough to convince you to see the show, he’s also a very accomplished poet, creating a 224-word palindrome poem.
Have you ever wondered what might happen if the characters from Sesame Street actually grew up and moved away? Chances are, they would escape to Avenue Q, the block where humans mix with puppets and monsters. But instead of singing about numbers and letters, the residents here sing about Internet porn and how everyone’s a little bit racist.
Great Lake Swimmers are readying the release of their new album, New Wild Everywhere, set to be released on April 3. A new single, “Easy Come Easy Go,” is out and available for your listening pleasure. If the first song is evidence, the new album could be a great folk-rock record, with front man Tony Dekker sounding more confident and, dare I say, happy. A tour, including a June 2 date at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall, is imminent, with red-hot singer Cold Specks pegged as the opening act.
If you’re one of the many cinephiles who thinks that there haven’t been nearly enough Nicolas Cage movies lately, this is your year. Not only does it seem like Cage will star in just about every movie of 2012 (even a Ghost Rider sequel is necessary, apparently), but TIFF Bell Lightbox is launching a new midnight series this month: Bangkok Dangerous: The Cinema Of Nicolas Cage.
This Saturday night, the rockin’ Lee’s Palace will get in full girlie-rumble mode with the return of professional pillow fighting league Bedlam: All Girl Pillow Fight Revue. We caught up with one of the founders of the new league, Crystal Clear (yes, that’s a stage name) to get the inside scoop on all the queen-sized action.
It’s looking to be a good year for concerts in Toronto, and here are 10 shows to prove it. And yes, The Black Keys will be here on March 14, and yes, you should go. Our other good bets below.
