The Texas trio Khruangbin brought their unique blend of Thai influenced funky psychedelic music to Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall for a sold out show on Thursday, November 29. As the venue was filling up, Ginger Root opened the show with their self-described aggressive elevator soul. After a short pause, Khruangbin calmly took the stage to an enthusiastic audience weaving elements of hip-hop, soul, and surf-rock into their unique mostly instrumental sound that made for a most memorable evening.
Category: International
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Walk Off the Earth release ode to New York City with “Fifth Avenue”
Walk Off The Earth, the indie-pop band from Burlington, Ontario have released the new single, “Fifth Avenue,” ahead of their upcoming US tour this November. As percussionist Joel Cassady explains, “New York has been the source of many important milestones for us on our journey as a band, and it felt like the right time to create a song honoring this amazing city that for us and so many others has helped turn dreams into reality.”
Billboard describes the track as “Exploring the wonders and challenges of living in the concrete jungle, the upbeat, New York-inspired tune narrates both the coming of age and the constant epiphanies brought by the chaotic — but endlessly inspiring — life in the city.” Comprised of five multi instrumentalists (Sarah Blackwood, Gianni Luminati, Marshall, Joel Cassady, Beard Guy), Walk Off The Earth originally gained massive public attention when their interpretation of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.”
Since then, the band has released a string of successful original songs including “Fire In My Soul” and “Rule The World,” both of which went platinum in Canada and have supported Keith Urban, Snoop Dogg and Steve Aoki, as well as winning the Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for “Group Of The Year”
After a summer in Canada and Europe, Walk Off The Earth return to the US in November 2018. Watch video of their performance of “Fifth Avenue” on Good Day New York from October 2.
Tour Dates
Nov. 1 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
Nov. 2 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
Nov. 3 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Nov. 4 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
Nov. 6 – Charlotte, NC – Fillmore
Nov. 7 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Nov. 10 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
Nov. 11 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room
Nov. 13 – Austin, TX – Stubbs
Nov. 14 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Nov. 16 – Houston, TX – House of Blues -
Experience Phish: Riviera Maya this February for a luxurious, tropical concert vacation
Time to start stocking up on sunscreen and swimsuits. Phish will be returning to Mexico this February for their Riviera Maya concert vacation. With a variety of packages to choose from, family and friends alike can enjoy Mexico’s Caribbean coastline while immersing themselves in cultural foods, tequila tastings, and classic Phish performances. The four-night, all-inclusive event will be taking place February 21-23 on the gorgeous clear beaches of Barcelo Maya where fans can also be shuttled in from five other select hotel resorts.
The activities for anyone attending are seemingly endless with each resort boasting a variety of quality restaurants, upbeat bars, and lounging by the beach or pool. Off-site adventures are just as plentiful with exploring the nearby town of Tulum, magnificent barrier reefs, and breathtaking views. After long days of soaking in the sun, concertgoers will be entertained by authentic Fire Dancers, Mayan Warriors, and be catered to with complimentary drinks as they are led to the main stage on the beach for an electrifying set of Phish music.
As the unforgettable weekend concludes, you will also have an opportunity to purchase One-of-a-kind custom event merchandise. That being said, Revenge of the Return of Phish: Riviera Maya will truly be a spectacle for all attendees as well as an exotic vacation.
For more information on Phish: Riviera Maya in February 2019, visit the event website here.
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King Buffalo Announce Fall Release of New Album ‘Longing To Be The Mountain’
Hot on the heels of their EP Repeater, King Buffalo has announced their sophomore full-length Longing To Be The Mountain, which drops Oct.12. The Rochester psych rock trio has returned to the states after a second summer touring Europe and entrancing audiences at some of the continent’s most renown music festivals. They’re currently on a trek across North America, ending with a stop in Toronto on Sept. 15.
Digital and vinyl preorders are being taken now for Longing To Be The Mountain. (Tip: King Buffalo’s vinyl records tend to sell out quickly. The test presses and deluxe editions are already sold out. There are only 250 Standard Editions being pressed, so if you’re contemplating a purchase, just go ahead an smash that ‘buy’ button. You can thank me later.)
King Buffalo Tour Dates:
Aug. 22 – 5 Star Bar – Los Angeles, CA
Aug. 23 – Tower Records – Fresno, CA
Aug. 24 – Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA
Aug. 25 – Holy Diver – Sacramento, CA
Aug. 27 – The Loading Docks – Salt Lake City, UT
Aug. 28 – The Shredder – Boise, ID
Aug. 29 – The Pin – Spokane, WA
Aug. 30 – High Water Mark Lounge – Portland, OR
Aug. 31 – Highline Bar – Seattle, WA
Sept. 1 – Astoria Hastings – Vancouver, Canada
Sept. 2 -The Grind House Café – Kamloops, Canada
Sept. 4 – The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club – Calgary, Canada
Sept. 5 – Bohemia – Edmonton, AB, Canada
Sept. 6 – Capital Music Club – Saskatoon, Canada
Sept. 7 – Cloud 9 Live – Regina, Canada
Sept. 8 – The Handsome Daughter -Winnipeg, Canada
Sept. 9 – The Aquarium – Fargo, ND
Sept. 11 – 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
Sept. 12 – Cactus Club – Milwaukee, WI
Sept. 13 -The Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
Sept. 15 -Bovine Sex Club -Toronto, Canada -
On The Cinder Plans Fall Foray Into Canada
On The Cinder hits the road again this fall with stops as far as Canada. The run starts off Sept. 5 in Buffalo, where the trio formed the band in 2012. They head west to Detroit on Sept. 6, then have a run of five shows north of the border, including Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal before circling back to the states for a Sept.13.
The fun-loving crew recently released a music video for their song “Soap Box,” in which drummer Tyler Rzemek gets fed up with being in the background and kidnaps bandmates Jason Wright and Mike Jacobs. Hilarity ensues as the antics and props grow more and more incredulous.
On The Cinder Great Lakes, Eh? Tour
Sept. 5 – Hotel Dalmatia – Buffalo, NY
Sept. 6 – The Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
Sept. 7 – Probably House – London, ON
Sept. 9 – Doors Pub – Hamilton, ON
Sept. 10 – Bovine Sex Club – Toronto, ON
Sept. 11 – Black Squirrel Books – Ottawa, ON
Sept. 12 – L’Esco – Montreal, QC
Sept. 13 – The Town Shop – Syracuse, NY
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Hearing Aide: Florence and the Machine’s ‘High as Hope’
Florence and the Machine released their newest album High as Hope on June 29 and it feels like a blast from the past, still holding that classic Florence and the Machine sound known and loved by fans. This fourth studio album by the them was released by Republic Records and Virgin EMI Records. Being a big Florence and the Machine fan, like many others, I waited to see what this new album would hold with a slightly skeptical eye. Not having been as impressed with their 2015 album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful as much as I would have hoped, I wasn’t sure how the new album would sound, but to my delight it didn’t disappoint in the slightest.
Florence Welch courtesy of Florence and the Machine’s Instagram. The ten song album, which was produced by Welch herself along with Emile Haynie, had a very minimalistic feel to it that grounded it. The album started with the song, “June” which has these lines that say, “And you’re so high, you’re so high, you had to be an angel/ And I’m so high, I’m so high, I can see an angel” which immediately tells the listener what this album is about. It’s about struggle, it’s about belief or lack thereof, it’s about love, it’s about drugs. The song then moves on to one of its singles, “Hunger,” which focuses on all these points. It talks about Welch’s struggle with an eating disorder and has the lines saying, “We all have a hunger” over and over, showing that every person has some struggle in their life. For her, it was an eating disorder but it could it be something different for someone else. Her voice leaves the listener with this aching feeling of knowing that’s what pain suffered in solitude feels like. It’s a pain we all know but seldom talk about.
I could talk about each song in this much detail but then you would be left with a very long article so I’ll just talk about two more songs. The first song is “Big God” which was the other single off of the album and has the iconic lines, “You need a big god/ Big enough to hold your love/ You need a big god/ Big enough to fill you up.” This song really pulls into this minimal feeling of the album, having having the bass notes of a piano following it for half of the song before the rest of the ensemble comes in. But even this ensemble is a minimal one. This song, just like the others, has this continued theme of struggle and belief or lack thereof.
The other song which needs to given some proper attention is “No Choir” which is the last song on the album. It starts by saying, “And it’s hard to write about being happy/ ‘Cause the older I get/ I find that happiness is an extremely uneventful subject/ And there will be no grand choirs to sing/ No chorus will come in/ About two people sitting doing nothing,” which really stuck out to me as a listener. The song has this very melancholy emptiness to it which I believe is this acceptance that the whole album rounds back on. It’s an understanding that happiness doesn’t feel as great as sadness feels awful. That struggle, belief or lack thereof, love, drugs – they all make an impact on us and it’s what we do with that impact that matters.
Overall, I thought this was the best album Florence and the Machine has had since Between Two Lungs. It manages to keep an authentic Florence and the Machine sound with a more grown up set of topics. And it does this well, keeping itself well rounded between upbeat and mellow songs. The minimalist tracks throughout builds on this authenticity of the lyrics. It doesn’t need to be big and flashy to get it’s point across. In fact, being flashy would most likely only distract the listener from the main messages. You can listen to the entire album on Spotify.
For more information visit Florence and the Machine’s website.
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Hudson Taylor release video for “Old Soul,” featuring Gabrielle Aplin
Hudson Taylor, an Irish-Americana Pop duo of brothers Alfie and Harry Hudson Taylor have released the video for “Old Soul,” off their recent EP Feel it Again, which charted in the Top 5 on the Irish album chart. The video was filmed during the band’s homecoming show at Dublin’s legendary Olympia Theatre and features guest vocals from Gabrielle Aplin.
The duo recently toured the United States for the first time, supporting Aplin, and returned to Ireland where they performed to sold out crowds, as they did in Europe and the United States. Hudson Taylor will play summer festivals in Ireland, the UK and continental Europe, including high-profile spots at the UK festivals Leeds/Reading, Latitude and Isle of Wight, as well as Benicassim in Spain. The brothers will return to the UK and US for headlining tours in the fall.
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Arkells Release Video for “People’s Champ,” Featured in This Year’s Stanley Cup Finals
Arkells have released the video for “People’s Champ” via Last Gang Records. Directed by renowned photographer & creative Matt Barnes, the video brings the optimism sought within “People’s Champ” to life. Shot in the band’s hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, the video aims to find the joy at the at the heart of every-day, mundane surroundings. The song is set to debut this week as a key theme to the NHL’s Stanley Cup final.
“‘People’s Champ’ is a political song, but also a joyful one,” says frontman, Max Kerman. “There’s a pulse to the song we wanted to capture. We wanted to see images of different kinds of people coming to life through music and the company of their friends and surroundings.” Arkells’ vision was realized through the direction of respected collaborator Matt Barnes. “Matt Barnes has a style of photography that is uniquely HIM. He always casts interesting subjects and is able to create a world within its own. We jumped at the opportunity to make a video with him – his effervescence makes for an amazing time on set,” added Kerman.
“People’s Champ” is the first single to be announced off the upcoming fifth studio album from Arkells, set for release later this year. Written and recorded in Toronto by Arkells, produced by their previous collaborator, Eric Ratz (“Knocking at the Door” and “Leather Jacket”), and mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, The 1975), “People’s Champ” is an upbeat, horn-infused, politically-charged anthem that is resonating deeply with listeners. CBC calls the song a “top contender for the title of 2018’s protest song of the year.”
Earlier this year, Arkells announced “The Rally” on June 23, an official kick-off to the summer, live at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, with special guests Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs and Elevator. Due to popular demand, the hometown show was shortly upgraded to a full stadium affair of up to 26,000 tickets, making it the band’s biggest headline show to-date, surpassing their 2017 summer show at Budweiser Stage in Toronto which sold out in three days. In partnership with PLUS 1, Arkells have already raised over $20K through ticket sales for “The Rally” that will be donated to Refuge: Hamilton Centre for Newcomer Health. More info and tickets can be found here.
Notable Upcoming Shows and Festivals:
June 23 – Hamilton, ON @ Tim Horton’s Field: The Rally w/ Special Guests Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs
Aug 25 – Cleveland, OH @ INCUYA Music Festival
Aug 31 – Seattle, WA @ Seattle Centre – Bumbershoot Festival
Oct 12 – Austin, TX @ Zilker Park – Austin City Limits
Full tour schedule at arkellsmusic.com -
Toronto’s Common Deer premiere “Mistakes” Video, Announce Northeast shows
Fresh off their first ever SXSW performances, Toronto indie group Common Deer have debuted the video for “Mistakes,” and have announced additional April dates in the Northeast of the U.S., including April 17 at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC.
Common Deer formed while in college, centered around the harmonies of Graham McLaughlin (guitar, violin) and Sheila Hart-Owens (keyboards), with Sheila’s brother Adam Hart-Owens (guitar, cello, synths) and brothers Liam Farrell (drums) Connor Farrell (bass). The group developed their sound and eventually worked with producer Laurence Currie (Wintersleep, Hey Rosetta!) to release EP I, released in January, followed by II released in September and produced by Gus Van Go (Arkells, The Stills).
Guitarist/violinist Graham McLaughlin shared his thoughts on “Mistakes,” stating “Performing “Mistakes” live is always cathartic. It’s a very personal track about mental illness, specifically depression and anxiety in our current climate, and we hope that others can find the same release listening as we do playing it.”
Tour Dates
March 24 – Vancouver, BC – Biltmore (JUNOfest)
March 27 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Temple
March 29 – Calgary, AB – Palomino Smokehouse
March 30 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigos Cantina
March 31 – Winnipeg, MB – Good Will Social Club
April 2 – St. Paul, MN – The Amsterdam
April 3 – Madison, WI – The Frequency
April 5 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s Music Joint
April 6 – Pontiac, MI – Pike Room
April 7 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Room
April 8 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
April 12 – Hamilton, ON – The Casbah
April 17 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall
April 18 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
April 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Smiling Moose