One of my other projects is Geeks and Beats, a weekly podcast I do with co-host Michael Hainsworth. This Friday, we’re going to be recording the podcast live at Black Lab Brewing at 818 Eastern Avenue. Basically, we’re going to be there to beg. We’re hoping to mount a big expedition to CES in Las [&hellip.. more
EntertainmentTO – August Edition – How VR/AR are changing the way we consume art & entertainment.. more
Ever been to a concert with a sign language interpreter helping hearing-impaired people get deeper into the music? They’re especially popular at rap shows where lyrical content is everything. Take the case of a recent show by Twista, a guy who has been tagged as the fastest rapper in the world when he had a [&hellip.. more
Phish, the jam band, has a problem with their upcoming annual Labour Day weekend gig in Colorado. For the past eight years, Phishheads have shown up for a few days of music, camping, fellowship, and drugs. But this year, there’s a problem. The site of the festival, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce, Colorado, is [&hellip.. more
I’m with Neil Young on this. Since the advent of the MP3, people have quietly accepted (if not fully embraced) music with audio quality that is far, far, inferior to what was enjoyed in the 70s and 80s. Back in the day, people spend huge dollars on stereo gear in an effort to have the [&hellip.. more
The hit by the manufactured (animated!) band designed to cash-in on this new demographic called the “teenager” just turned 50. We talk to Andy Kim, the singer-songwriter behind the 1969 hit “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies. Yummy goodness. Coming to this week’s live podcast event? You should. Check out the G&B archive here. Subscribe: Android | Email | G.. more
Remember how Canada’s Sunrise Records bought what was left of the bankrupt HMV chain in the UK? The next stage of that takeover involved giving British indie bands a chance to show off their stuff. Sunrise, headquartered in Ancaster, Ontario, believes it can revitalize all those UK HMV stores by once again making them destinations [&hellip.. more
Apple’s purchase of song identification tool Shazam has resulted in a new global chart ranking what people are searching for using the app. The Shazam Discover Top 50 takes a look at “up-and-coming songs from breaking artists” with app query data from eleven countries: Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, [&hellip.. more
Cars have always inspired songs. In fact, one of the earliest true rock’n’roll songs was “Rocket 88,” a 1951 song recorded by Jackie Brensten and His Delta Cats (actually Ike Turner–Tina’s ex–and his crew). It sung the praises of an Oldsmobile engine. Since then, there have been songs about various Fords and Chevys (think Mustangs [&hellip.. more
[Mike Car 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] KENmode is comprised of Jesse [&hellip.. more
Much of hip-hop and rap culture isn’t about selling out. It’s about cashing in and making it big. This is why many rap artists love load up their music videos with serious bling, competing to with each other to have the blingy-est clip of all time. This is where the BlingDex chart comes in. The [&hellip.. more
On this day in 1911, a Louvre employee stole the Mona Lisa. They got it back, obviously. On to music news for August 21, 2019. A dog walker chased off some rapists at a Foo Fighters show. A grizzly bear killed a French-Canadian musician who was just out gathering sound. Record mogul Russell Simmons showed [&hellip.. more
Ten days from today, Tool’s fifth album, Fear Inoculum, will arrive over 13 years after the last album. When official word started seeping out from the band, we assumed that the record would look like this. But hang on, bubba. Tool has something else in mind. Guitarist Adam Jones says that artwork designer Alex Grey [&hellip.. more
The Foo Fighters have a reputation for involving fans their shows at a level that continues to surprise and delight. At a show in Belfast last night (August 19), Dave Grohl picked a 5-year-old boy named Taylor onstage to dance during a rendition of “All My Life,” allegedly because he was named after Foos drummer [&hellip.. more
Even a casual flip through Netflix reveals that music documentaries continue to be a very big deal these days. But at least one filmmaker isn’t interested in having his work seen by…well, almost anyone. Chad Stockfleth is a fan of Elephant 6, a collective of musicians who operate a record label that’s been in business [&hellip.. more
Ever hear of Post Media Systems? Me, neither. But they’re in the process of raising hell with Google/Alphabet, Apple, and Pandora (owned by Liberty Media, which also owns SiriusXM) over the technology they use to stream music–technology that they say they own. Four separate suits have been filed in Illinois that alleged patent infringement against [&hellip.. more
Nielsen Canada publishes an annual report on the state of music in this country. The final bit of this year’s report (via FYIMusicNews.ca) takes a look at Canadians habits when it comes to streaming. Here are some highlights: Canadians who listen to music spend 33% of their time with streaming. That’s up from 28% last [&hellip.. more
What does an artist do with merch left over from a tour? In the case of The 1975, they’re planning to recycle unsold t-shirts. Fans planning to attend dates on the band’s Notes on an Unconditional Form tour will be able to bring their old t-shirts to have them refreshed with new artwork. Meanwhile, new [&hellip.. more
Artist: RaritySong: “A Numbness”Album: SingleBand location: Hamilton Why I like it: Quick-paced post-hardcore. Listen: Artist: The Drew Thomson FoundationSong: “Barbed Wire”Album: SingleArtist location: Toronto Why I like it: Catchy and filled with hooks. Listen: Artist: Off With Their HeadsSong: “No Love”Album: Be GoodBand location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Why I like it: Aggressive h.. more
Why do most people who insist on backing into a parking space at the mall are the worst at backing into parking spaces? Moving on to music news for August 20, 2019… Weekly Canadian music sales and streaming stats vs. where things were at this time last year: Total album sales, -25.0%; CD sales, -30.5%; [&hellip.. more
We all have regrets about how we misspent our youth. That bad haircut. Those terrible clothes in which you wouldn’t be caught dead today. That relationship you thought was true love but turned out to be a crazy person nightmare. What about music? Surely there’s an act or two you used to love when you [&hellip.. more
Chances are that when you go into work today, you’re going to see a number of people wearing headphones, listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks, or whatever. Studies have proven that this can boost productivity and at-work satisfaction. A survey of 800 people conducted last month discovered the following: 72% of those who work in an [&hellip.. more
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EntertainmentTO is led by Alan Cross, best known nationally and internationally as host of the syndicated radio series The Ongoing History of New Music, The Edge, Q107, and more.
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