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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Who knew 2013 would end up as the year of the Macklemore? After releasing the novelty rap song “Thrift Shop” (choice lyric: “I’m in this big ass coat/ from that thrift shop down the road”), the Seattle-based rapper struck back with a surprisingly sensitive song on same sex rights (“Same Love”), and a partying anthem […]
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Young Galaxy
Young Galaxy might be a celestially-inclined dream pop band from Montreal, oft-compared to Galaxie 500 (fitting) and Pink Floyd (I don’t understand), but their Polaris-nominated, synthesizer-studded album Ultramarine was a sublime descent into the dark side of doomed ‘80s new wave. As frontwoman Catherine McCandless lets her soaring Kate Bush vocals fly, she sings of […]
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Hand Cream
What kind of band names themselves after a male masturbation aid? Hailing from Montreal, two girl adorables Meghan Merrigan and Crystal McNorton, joined forces with one shirtless dude drummer (currently Christian Simmons) to shred all over riotously loud punk anthems with dork-lit titles (“Potion Control,” “Fingercult”). Opening for other loud, dorky punks like No Bunny […]
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Cloud Nothings
With songs crafted in his Cleveland bedroom, 18-year-old Dylan Baldi collaborated with producer Steve Albini on his record Attack On Memory and swiftly became one of the most hotly-tipped acts of SXSW. Recorded with a thick cloud of depression, Baldi engages in poppy futility rock, making memorable riffs out of tracks titled “Cut You” and […]
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The Skatalites
If anything is going to take you back to your high school rasta phase, it’s going to be this show with famed Jamaica outfit the Skatalites. Instrumental in forming the rude-boy sound by collaborating with iconic artists including Prince Buster, much of the band’s original lineup (they have a four-piece brass section) still rocks steady […]
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Odonis Odonis
Tonight at Glasslands, Toronto label impresarios Odonis Odonis show off their impressive Daps Records roster: Included on the bill are Moon King (culled from ex-Spiral Beach members Daniel Woodhead and Maddie Wilde), Brooklyn experimentalists ERAAS, and Toronto sweethearts Hooded Fang, a group who has recently turned in a frothy surf rock direction. Meanwhile, the trio […]
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Rich Aucoin
Halifax’s Rich Aucoin is known for his ingenuity. For his first coast-to-coast tour, he biked across Canada to raise money for charity, performing an album designed to screen alongside How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 2011’s We Are Going To Live, meanwhile, employs 500 Canadian musicians on aspirational tracks that tease out vocoder-electro and contemplative disco […]
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The O’Jays
Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductees The O’Jays have seven gold discs to their name and were honored with BET’s Life Time Achievement Award in 2009. Operational since 1958, the current trio of Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, and Eric Grant unifies elements of ’60s Motown into their timeless Philly soul, starting love trains and […]
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Lucy Wainwright Roche
Loudon Wainwright III has produced so many musical progeny that perhaps they should start crossbreeding him. Brooklyn’s Lucy Wainwright Roche (the daughter of Wainwright and singer Suzzy Roche) has a lovely voice and a talent for soft acoustic arrangements. Last year she released a self-titled debut full of introspective travel songs (“i-35,” “Statesville”) and dueted […]
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Stephen Merchant
As the Laurel to Ricky Gervais’ Hardy in the cult series Extras (as well as the co-founder of The Office), Stephen Merchant has built a stealthy reputation as a loveable twat. Tonight, he steps into the comedy spotlight for his one man show Hello Ladies (a live DVD was released in November) in a supposed […]