A lot of people woke up today wondering who won the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. And when they saw the name of the winner, some may have gone “who?” Haviah Mighty, the rapper from Brampton, took home the big prize of $50,000 cash for her 13th Floor album. She beat out nine other shortlisted artists. [&hellip.. more
Just a couple of days after we lost Eddie Money, Ric Ocasek is gone, too. His estranged wife, former supermodel, Paulina Porizkova, found him unconsciousness and unresponsive–he appeared to have died in his sleep– in his bed at his NYC townhouse in Gramercy Park on East 19th Street at around 4:14 pm Sunday afternoon. He [&hellip.. more
Fear Inoculum was the big album story of the release of August 30. When the smoke cleared, Tool had the #1 record in Canada, the US, and a whack of other countries around the world. Taylor Swift’s Lover got smoked, despite the best efforts of the Swifties. A nice victory for rock, for sure. But [&hellip.. more
Do you buy vinyl? Interested in reading an old-fashioned printed book? Flipping through a glossy magazine? Maybe (okay, definitely) not as much as you used to. And you’ve probably (okay, definitely) heard all kinds of pronouncements that these formats are dead, dead, DEAD. But maybe not entirely. Or ever. Check out this article from The [&hellip.. more
The reason HMV still exists in the UK is because the financially-distressed chain was rescued by Doug Putnam, the head of Canada’s Sunrise Records. He enjoyed turning things around in this country so much (he bought up most of the HMV leases from coast-to-coast and turned then all into Sunrise Records location), that Doug believes [&hellip.. more
Artist: S Y Z Y G Y XSong: “Ultra Doll”Album: SingleBand location: Washington DC Why I like it: Dark and pulsating music. Watch: Artist: The New Pornographers Song: “One Kind of Solomon”Album: SingleBand location: Vancouver Why I like it: Fun and upbeat. Listen: Artist: Surf CurseSong: “Disco”Album: SingleBand location: Los Angeles, California Why I like it: [&hellip.. more
Again, apologies for any erratic posting schedules this week, but I’ll do my best to keep things on track. Here’s what’s going on for September 17, 2019. Weekly Canadian music sales and streaming stats vs. where things were at this time last year: Total album sales, -24.0%; CD sales, -28.5%; digital albums, -21.5%; digital tracks, [&hellip.. more
Back in May, Bad Religion (est. 1980), released their 17th studio album, Age of Unreason. It’s also their first record to come out of the Age of Trump. Naturally, they have something to say about all that. There’s now a documentary on the record. Take a look.. more
A couple of weeks back, I moderated an EntertainmentTO panel on the subject of AR and VR. There was much enthusiasm in the room for how these technologies could be exploited for music. One of things we talk about was Marshmello’s insanely successful DJ set inside Fortnite. Some ten million people took part. We spoke [&hellip.. more
Two things I know for sure: (1) Join up with the Trump administration and you will eventually be fired. And (2), it could be hard finding a new post-Trump gig. Witness Sean Spicer. The Donald’s first chief liar press secretary. After being dumped, he wrote a book which didn’t do so well. And now he’s [&hellip.. more
Reclining on a couch backstage before a show in Toronto, Noel Gallagher looks relaxed, happy and content. Partly it’s because he’s feeling good about his beloved Manchester City doing well in this year’s Premier League (he tours with a club flag that’s hung first in the dressing room and then onstage) but mostly because he’s [&hellip.. more
Any movie and TV fan knows how invaluable the International Movie Database can be. Looking to cross-reference anyone or anything in those industries? Chances are the information is there. It’s fantastic. I’ve often thought it would be great to have something similar for music. Allmusic.com comes close but lacks the incredible granularity of the IMDb. [&hellip.. more
Really, Rider Nation? Really? Via Tom.. more
Everyone needs a hobby, I guess. Not sure about the toilet, though.. more
*Still on a road trip, which makes for some…less than ideal writing conditions. Please pardon the brief song descriptions this week!* Artist: Neal Francis Song: “Changes” Album/EP: Changes Calming, moody, and soulful. Sizzles spectacularly, would fit perfectly with an open-top ride down neon-lit main street after an early evening summer storm. Watch/Listen: Artist: Stolen Jars .. more
Apologies in advance for what may be an erratic posting schedule for the next couple of days as I will be indisposed, a state involving propofol for a few hours today. But I will do my best to stick to the usual schedule, staring with music news for September 16, 2019. The Beatles: Back together [&hellip.. more
[This appeared in the Financial Post this weekend. If you’re wondering why the Canadian music festival scene had a rough summer, read this. – AC] Tim Potocic has had quite the eventful summer. The director of the long-running Supercrawl Festival in Hamilton has been constantly working against the clock to transform 18 downtown blocks into [&hellip.. more
After knocking Taylor Swift’s Lover out of the top spot on the album charts throughout the world, Tool continues to dominate pretty much everything with Fear Inoculum. As of this weekend, all ten songs on the album–yes, including the wordless ambient interludes–are in the Top 25 Billboard’s rock songs chart. Six songs are in the [&hellip.. more
How old is too old to rock? The answer depends on whether or not you believe that rock musicians should have a mandatory best before date on their foreheads. New music is expected to come from the young. But what about older artists who are still hoping to break through? Is there a bias against [&hellip.. more
[Mike Carr has created a catalogue/reference work featuring all kinds of Canadian rock and alternative releases from the past few decades. Check out his a massive volume on Canadian music history entitled Canadian Alternative & Indie Reference and Collector’s Guide. It’s an incredible discography of hundreds of bands. – AC] David Gogo (born March 18, [&hellip.. more
PETE is most upset at a brand of mousetrap called Tomcat because–well, mousetraps tend to either maim or kill mice. This new ad isn’t going help this relationship. However, if you’re a headbanger with a rodent problem, you may appreciate this commercial. Via Revolver.. more
I can already hear a lot of you saying, “Wait, Meridian Hall, where the heck is that?” If you’ve been to anything at Toronto’s landmark 1 Front Street East location in the last dozen years, like…oh I don’t know, Jack White’s 2-night stand there in 2012, you probably still know the venue as Sony Centre. [&hellip.. more
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