Looking for Toronto-specific memorabilia

A series of short films are in the works that tell the story of Toronto's music scene. The people behind this are looking for pictures and memorabilia from the 90s and, currently, are eager to get their hands on anything about the former Ultrasound Show Bar.

It's actually much more than a series of short films... it's interactive and portable! In their own words:

"City Sonic is a new, multi-platform music series that delivers these stories straight into the hands of todayʼs music fans, wherever they are: online, on TV, and on their mobile phones.

Itʼs a backstage, all-access pass to 24 revealing short films featuring contemporary music stars such as K-OS, Broken Social Scene, Sarah Slean and more.

Each film tells the story of one musician and their shared history with a legendary Toronto music venue. City Sonic creates a new level of engagement with the city through location-based storytelling and a gaming component built around the new generation of mobile phones."

If you can help them out, contact Jason @ 416 703 5580 x224. Their soon-to-be-released website is: www.citysonic.tv

The Canadian Music Forum

It was recently brought to our attention that Darrin Cappe is building a new site that all fans of Canadian indie rock (and Canadian music in general!) should check out: thecanadianmusicforum.com is still under construction, but check back regularly for updates!

Darrin also runs the following fan sites: rheostaticslive.com
bourbontabernaclechoir.com
thomastrioandtheredalbino.com

Keep up the good work Darrin!

Strange no more

I'm a decade ahead of myself again, but I can't help but tell anyone who cares to listen (or read) that someone (a saint or guardian angel, perhaps?) has posted the L'ETRANGER video for "One People." L'ETRANGER featured Andrew Cash on guitar and vocals (who was later the first Canadian to be signed to Island Records, won a Juno for "Boomtown," and was a member of Ursula and currently, The Cash Brothers) and Chuck Angus on bass and vocals (who was later the leader of The Grievous Angels and is now NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay).

Indie Northern Pikes

Although the Northern Pikes were indie back in the 1980s, I can't help but post this great video for their early song, "Public To Notice." Truthfully, I didn't even know a video existed for this song. As you can see the band is different from the later version of the Pikes (although still including Merl, Brian, and Jay) and a little more punk-influenced. Great video, great song!

An Open Letter To Sloan

Dear Members of Sloan (and all Sloan fans, past and present),

Recently curiosity got the best of me, and I looked up "underwhelm" in the dictionary. According to the 1989 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (published three years before the release of the Peppermint EP or Smeared), "underwhelm" is indeed a word. I know this, 'cause I looked it up.


under'whelm, v.

joc.

[f. UNDER-1 10a, after OVERWHELM v.]

trans. To leave unimpressed, to arouse little or no interest in. Chiefly as under'whelmed pa. pple. and ppl. a., and under'whelming ppl. a.

1956 T. K. QUINN Giant Corporations viii. 61 He wrote..commending the action of one of the giant corporations for a..price reduction at a time when prices were rising. I was underwhelmed, and investigated. 1968 Punch 17 July 81/2, I agree that the wretched parents are not to be penalised till 1969 and I'm sure they are under-whelmed with gratitude. 1970 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 3 July 47/1 Victoria Fair got off to a quite underwhelming start..with a concert in the University of Victoria gym. 1972 Times Lit. Suppl. 29 Dec. 1569/4 Both the prose and the play are underwhelming. 1978 Ottawa Citizen 2 Mar. 3/3 The Sparks Street post office ran out of applications..but a survey of other post offices..showed the public was generally underwhelmed. 1984 Observer 15 Jan. 9/3 He was..fluent in speech and crashingly dull. If there was an opportunity to be underwhelming, he unfailingly seized it.

SOURCE: OED Online


Sincerely,
A Disillusioned Fan

Plumtree GO!

I rarely watch Global TV, but last night, as I was flipping the channels, I by chance paused during a Global TV ad when I heard the familiar sounds of Plumtree's opening number, GO!, from their album Predicts the Future. GO! was featured during the promo ad for Global's soon-to-be-debuted new (Canadian, imagine that!) series, The Best Years.

15 Years Later...

...Moncton's very own, The Monoxides, on 15 years of RAWK!


This is from "Sessionswith": A video netcast featuring interviews and performances with the best independent musicians and bands across Canada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA8Gkoc-b9o


I fondly recall a Monoxides show at York University's Winters College Pub (which was known for bringing in the greatest acts the university would see while I was there). They played with Tristan Psionic and Chix Diggit. All great acts but the Monoxides completely took the evening in a radically different direction. What an absurdly loud performance! Of all the bands that I didn't prepare for (i.e. stuff my ears full of something) I'd say that these guys and the Supersuckers did the most damage to my poor ears.