School Damage walk a well-beaten path in terms of method: light-speed guitar, punishing drums and bouncing bass are the backdrop for snotty lead vocals, angry lyrics and sugary-sweet harmonies. But sometimes there’s no point in trying to expand on something that’s been tried and tested. Guitar, drums, bass, attitude: there’s really not much room for improvement there. Throw in a decent hook and you’ve got the formula for the best songs of the last 70 years or so.
The Polaris Music Prize is awarded to the best Canadian album of the year independent of record sales, genre or popularity. In recent years it’s become one of the premier incentives for, and promotions of, Canadian music. On Sept. 19 the winner will be named, and this year’s may be a surprise for being, well, a little unsurprising. Here are the shortlist nominees, along with a selected track from their albums, plus, a highly unscientific estimate as to their chances of winning.
“Is this a donut which I see before me? D’oh!” Blending William Shakespeare’s text while impersonating no less than 50 of Springfield’s infamous residents, Rick Miller presents a unique theatrical experience for those who prefer Bart over the Bard.
Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst Street, 416-504-9971. Sept. 13-25
Wilco (September 16-17 @ Massey Hall) will love you (wait for the chorus). The indie/alt-country godfathers will greet you with open sonic arms and no trace of bitterness, even though they haven’t quite managed to release an album of the seminal Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s extraordinary caliber.
T.O.’s Ohbijou at Trinity St. Paul’s this month to release new album
New book chronicles comedy business with which yours truly was intimately involved
With the 8th annual The Beach Celtic Festival happening at Kew Gardens this weekend, everyone will be asking one question: “what’s worn under your kilt?” The answer, of course, is “nothing,” but seriously, what’s up with the kilt? Here’s an explanation of how the traditional attire of Scotland — now catching on around the world — is more than just a plaid skirt for men.
TIFF is here, and the question on everyone’s mind is where the best parties are (aside from what the best movies are, of course). Here, we’ve conveniently grouped the parties into the ones anyone can get into and the ones that, if you haven’t heard about them yet, you’ll probably need some serious negotiating skills to take part in. Below, 10 of TIFF’S best parties.
It’s been said that attending the opening night of a play is much like attending a wedding: with everyone dressed to the nines, eager to say “I do,” it’s a bit difficult not to get swept up in the magic of it all. I’d have to agree. At curtain’s fall, Soulpepper’s rousing revival of Arthur Miller’s The Price made me want to raise my glass in a celebratory toast.
So the big T word is coming to town this week. You know, that event with all the big movies and big fancy celebrities. But for movie-goers who like to keep things a little more obscure, there’s another film fest opening this week: the fifth annual Toronto Urban Film Festival, a nine-day event of short silent films that promises, literally, to keep its films on the down low by screening on TTC platforms. Here’s how the two fests square up.
The Stables are the type of band that thrive within their collective limitations. Sure, their bass is made out of a bucket and a hockey stick and they use a suitcase for a kick drum, but it’s not about what those items can’t do, it’s about what they can. The Stables circumnavigate whatever drawbacks might be contained within those instruments to find the powerful and unique tones they offer, using them to lay the foundation for their music.
Earlier this year, Eddie Vedder put out an album of ukulele songs, ingeniously titled Ukulele Songs, but if you’d prefer to hear the “golden baritone” atop, y’know, electric guitars and whatnot, then Pearl Jam (September 11 @ Air Canada Centre) is swinging by Toronto this week.
