Just after Boys Who Say No loaded in their gear at Sonic Boom for their in-store performance, I met up with the guys at a local restaurant/bar. The location was chosen because, as they told me, they had spent countless nights there in their “teenhood” years. And that’s sort of when the band started. 3 […]

Date of show: February 16, 2012 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo The Indie Machine curated a showcase at Rancho Relaxo last Thursday that brought together 4 great up-and-coming bands, including their January Artist of the Month, James and Blackburn. James and Blackburn headlined the show. No one in the band is actually named James, or Blackburn […]

For Valentine’s Day, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with 3 of the 7 members of The Strumbellas – Simon Ward, Izzy Ritchie and Darryl James. While most of the band’s roots are based out of Lindsay, Ontario, 5 of 7 to be specific, the band was actually formed in Toronto out […]

Date of show: February 10, 2012 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo On one of the coldest nights of the year thus far, winter finally decided to show its face. If you happened to be at the Silver Dollar, however, you would have had no idea snow was falling outside as Jane’s Party brought a breath of […]

Date of show: February 9, 2012 Shot of choice: They asked to be surprised and were given Jager. Before the doors even opened, a line was formed to get the last of the limited tickets available at the door. Not surprising, the Arkells played to a packed house at Elements in Kitchener. Starting off with […]

Date of show: February 7, 2012 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo Will Currie and the Country French From the moment the 3-piece brass section stepped on stage, joining the core six members of the Country French, it was obvious that the Horseshoe was in for a real treat. And that’s exactly what they delivered. Fronted by […]

Band: The Darcys Album: AJA Shot of choice: Jameson While it seems like it would be an impossible task, The Darcys took on Steely Dan’s Aja and set out to record the album in its entirety. Fortunately, the task wasn’t impossible for the band, as the album is exactly what I expected it to be […]

When I spoke with Dean Marino of Papermaps, the band was gearing up for CMJ Music Marathon in New York and Halifax Pop Explosion. Papermaps was originally called EX~PO. “Not to be confused with The Expos, which is a completely different band,” Marino clarifies. “EX-PO was always more of a solo project of mine. I […]

Date of show: January 13, 2012 MUSI Artist Development officially launched and threw a big party to celebrate. With a stellar bill, MUSI packed the Horseshoe Tavern, sealing the deal on a successful launch. Congrats, MUSI! Tiny Danza Brett Caswell & The Marquee Rose Jane’s Party Sound of Lions

Note: Apologies for the out of focus photo. Date of show: December 16, 2011 HONHEEHONHEE Montreal-based HONHEEHONHEE gathered friends and, alongside Two Way Monologues, put together a great bill to celebrate the release of their debut album Shouts. Topanga PKEW PKEW PKEW (gunshots) Atom Division