Date of show: April 25, 2014 Toronto-based Teenage Kicks celebrated the release of their debut full-length album, Spoils of Youth, to a lively crowd at the Horseshoe Tavern. Since Teenage Kicks formed 4 years ago, the band has always had a special quality – perhaps it’s frontman Peter van Helvoort’s raw, enthralling vocals, or perhaps […]

Date of show: April 4, 2014 Walking into The Great Hall early on a Friday evening, I was greeted with a low-lit room set up with chairs, each adorned with a flyer for Martel, filling the intimate evening with an air of class and richness. A hush fell over the already entranced audience as Jay […]

Date of show: March 25, 2014 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo The Darcys were greeted by an enthusiastic sold-out hometown crowd when they took the stage. The band’s atmospheric art-rock vibes and frontman Jason Couse’s elevated falsetto on set opening “Hunting” held us in rapture, and the possessed nature to Couse as he switched from guitar […]

Date of show: March 4, 2014 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo Carleton Stone celebrated the release of his latest album Draws Blood with a stripped down simple and intimate affair at the Dakota Tavern. An early show with no opener, Stone took the stage with just his acoustic guitar and East Coast charm to accompany him. […]

Date of show: February 8, 2014 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo It was a packed Horseshoe by the time Vancouver’s The Belle Game graced the stage. The first heavy strands of blanketed baroque beauty from the quintet echoed through the hushed crowd before frontwoman Andrea Lo (vocals) picked up the tambourine, breaking the spell momentarily before […]

Band: Jay Malinowski & The Deadcoast Album: Martel Written by: Chiara DiAngelo Jay Malinowski’s latest effort, the introspective Martel, delves into the historical and imagined life story of Malinowski’s ancestor, sailor Charles Martel. A double concept album, there are 9 songs on the “Pacific” side and 9 on the “Atlantic” side with the album’s storytelling […]

Date of Show: January 29, 2014 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo Niagara’s Kaptur is the project of multi-instrumentalist Riley Jensen. Formerly a solo endeavour, he recently expanded to a full four-piece band to include Andrew Grierson (guitar), KC Floyd (bass), and Justin Jennings (drums). Their set began with a looping sampler recording introduction, “Hello, we’re Kaptur […]

Band: Hands & Teeth EP: Before the Light Written by: Chiara DiAngelo After being relatively quiet throughout 2013 following the departure of a founding member, the now four-piece Toronto band, Hands & Teeth are back with their latest EP, Before the Light. More melodious and less extravagantly experimental than their 2012 LP, Hunting Season, the […]

Band: Mike Trask and the Precious Memories Album: One Big Happy Family Written by: Chiara DiAngelo East Coast singer-songwriter and blues rocker Mike Trask’s latest release One Big Happy Family is the culmination of a collaborative effort with local artist Benjamin Allain. The tracks are based on a collection of artwork by Allain inspired by […]

Date of show: November 30, 2013 Written by: Chiara DiAngelo On a cold November night, Montreal’s Half Moon Run took the stage in front of a sold-out crowd and instantly the chill in our bones was melted away by their spectacularly atmospheric synth-pop. From the simple yet heavy harmonica-laden ballad “Unofferable” to the swelling entire […]