Friday, July 29, 2016

Hiatus Kaiyote @ The Phoenix, Friday

Check out Hiatus Kaiyote's update of the track Boom Child off their 2012 debut Tawk Tomahawk.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Marvin Gaye vs. Donald Byrd

Two stellar versions of Where Are We Going? arranged/produced by the mighty Mizell Brothers.


Saturday, July 23, 2016

UNITY Fest w/ DaM-FunK @ Yonge-Dundas Square, Saturday, 9:30pm-10:15pm

Los Angeles DJ/producer Damon "DaM-FunK" Roddick takes you on a tour of his record collection below. 

Friday, July 22, 2016

Wayhome Fest w/ Femi Kuti & Positive Force @ Burl's Creek, Friday

Afrobeat star Femi Kuti hits the WayBright stage at 2:45pm followed by Nathaniel Rateliff at 4:30pm. 

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Whaddya mean you don't know Marc Hamilton

Before picking up the sitar, Les Monstres' Marc Hamilton was the sharpest guitar slinger in Matane, Quebec. 

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

The Mystery Lights @ The Silver Dollar, July 20

Although the Night Beats had to cancel, the Mystery Lights are still playing tonight – watch their Melt video below. 


Patrick Topaloff vs. Randy Newman

French cut-up Patrick Topaloff put his own nutty spin on Randy Newman's Mama Told Me Not To Come in 1971. 


Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Super Furry Animals @ The Opera House, Tuesday

Gruff Rhys and his golden retrievers of Welsh rock showed a more sensitive side for a KEXP broadcast below.  


Monday, July 18, 2016

Gap Mangione Quartet @ Hugh's Room, Monday

Hopefully Gap's performance will include his Dilla-sampled classic Diana In The Autumn Wind. 



The Yawpers, Dead Broke @ The Horseshoe, Thursday

The Yawpers get down 'n' dirty Denver-style at the Horseshoe Thursday. Watch their KEXP performance below.

Check out the Yawpers' American Man debut on Bloodshot Records

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Bryan Ferry @ Massey Hall, Tuesday

Watch Bryan Ferry discuss teaching pottery classes, meeting Brian Eno and the formation of Roxy Music.




Saturday, July 16, 2016

Zion We Want To Go by Sons Of Negus reissued by Dub Store

You can order a reissue of the Sons Of Negus rare 1968 single directly from Tokyo's Dub Store right here


Friday, July 15, 2016

Happy Birthday Joe Harriott

Remembering the great saxophonist with a couple of stellar performances for Argo. 


Hampaté & Sahel Blues @ Roy Thomson Hall Patio, Friday, 5pm

Don't miss Senegalese guitar ace Mapathé Gaye play a free patio show at Roy Thomson Hall today at 5 pm.

Jessy Lanza, DJ Taye @ Lee's Palace, Friday

Hamilton's own Jessy Lanza discusses the sampling sources for her new album Oh No out now on Hyperdub. 




Thursday, July 14, 2016

Marissa Nadler @ The Drake Hotel, Thursday

Watch Marissa perform a few songs from Stranger on KEXP before her show at the Drake Hotel tonight. 

Robert Forster live in London 2015

Here are a few memorable tunes the Go-Betweens co-founder performed solo at Bush Hall last December. 




Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Whaddya mean you don't know Bob Prince

After this 1956 split album with Teo Macero, Bob Prince scored numerous TV classics through the 60s & 70s. 

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

JD McPherson @ The Horseshoe, Tuesday

JD McPherson and pals like to get back to the woods and knock out a few tunes for the chipmunks.

Monday, July 11, 2016

Grandmaster Flash @ Velvet Underground, July 23



As a pioneering DJ and founding father of the largest non-religious cultural movement in history, Grandmaster Flash has been featured in the Smithsonian Institute and VH1 Hip Hop Honors. He's performed for Queen Elizabeth II, toured with the likes of Rick James and The Clash; and appeared in the classic 1983 film Wild Style. Flash was also inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame back in 2007, even though The MC 5, Dick Dale, Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'n' Roll Trio, Love, The Cramps, New York Dolls, Captain Beefheart, Television, The Guess Who, The Replacements, Can, Motörhead, T.Rex, Hawkwind, The Zombies, Doug Sahm, Thin Lizzy, Hüsker Dü and Link Wray among many other historically important figures remain overlooked.

in 2016, Flash will add another notch to his belt with the premier of the new Netflix series "The Get Down", on which he serves as an associate producer and advisor. Developed over a 10 year period by Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, Romeo & Juliet), "The Get Down" chronicles life in New York City during the 1970's, with an emphasis on the birth of the hip hop movement. Hopefully it'll be better than HBO's hugely disappointing Vinyl. Check out the trailer below.




Helskinki-Cotonou Ensemble @ Lula Lounge, Tuesday

Sample Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble's captivating Finnish-Beninese blend at Lula Lounge Tuesday.  




Sunday, July 10, 2016

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds @ Echo Beach, Sunday

Judging by this recent NGHFB soundcheck, The Jam's Town Called Malice may figure into the encore tonight. 




Saturday, July 9, 2016

Orlando Julius & The Afro Soundz @ Harbourfront Centre, Saturday

Don't miss this free show with Nigerian Afro-funk legend Orlando Julius tonight at 9:30 pm.  


Friday, July 8, 2016

Nite Jewel survives Secretly Canadian to rock The Garrison, Friday

After a 4-year hiatus, Ramona Gonzalez is back with a new Nite Jewel album Liquid Cool on her own Gloriette label.



Ramona and DâM-FunK's Nite-Funk project have a new EP out July 1 which you can pre-order via iTunes.


Rob Thomsett's rare 70s Oz fusion curios reissued by Now Again

Yaraandoo (previously reissued by Roundtable) and Hara are part of the Now-Again Reserve subscription service.
Originally privately pressed in tiny numbers in Canberra in the mid-‘70s, Australian guitarist Rob Thomsett's Yaraandoo & Hara LPs have become sought after examples of the best in progressive jazz/rock, due, in part, to the enthusiastic support of Archdrude Julian Cope.

“Taking in impressionistic hazy instrumental jazz … muscular fusion moves, solo Mellotron pieces as heavenly as anything Beethoven or Handel ever concocted, extremely loose-limbed ethno-fusion soundscapes of the Don Cherry/Pharoah Sanders variety, film soundtracks … and electronic experimentalism … hair-raising, soul-searching beauty – with an overall dreamy, hazy quality that perhaps could only be written by an Australian fully conversant with the “Dreamtime” cultural feel for the myths and legends of the Outback.” – Julian Cope’s Head Heritage.


Tweeted Now Again label mastermind Egon: "LP #4 in the Now-Again Reserve subscription series: Australian guitarist Rob Thomsett's 'Hara', the second in a 2 LP set. The Reserve series has gone so well I'm extending it (at least) another year. I'll announce album #5 later this year. Hint: it's from America's Midwest and is previously unreleased." Listen to Rob Thomsett's explorations below.



Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Elida Almeida @ Roy Thomson Hall Patio, Thursday

Soulful Cape Verdean singer Elida Almeida performs songs from her Ora doci Ora margos debut at 6:30pm & 8pm. 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Roaring Girl showcase w/ Harrow Fair, Liz Stringer, Abigail Lapell @ Dakota Tavern, Wednesday

Check out performance clips of Harrow Fair, Liz Stringer and Abigail Lapell below.



Maxwell @ Massey Hall, Tuesday

Along his tribute to Prince, Maxwell's appearance at the BET Awards will be remembered for this popular meme.   


Monday, July 4, 2016

Happy Birthday Jeremy Spencer!

Here's a B-side gem which Jeremy wrote and recorded with his Fleetwood Mac pals as Earl Vince & The Valiants.

Brian Wilson performs Pet Sounds w/ Al Jardine @ Massey Hall, Monday

You can watch Brian Wilson's entire performance of Pet Sounds in London from 2002 below. 


Sunday, July 3, 2016

Moonwalks @ The Silver Dollar, Sunday

Expect to hear Detroit's Moonwalks performing their well-amped odes to geraniums, sequins and such.



Saturday, July 2, 2016

The Hot Sardines @ The Horseshoe, Saturday

The Hot Sardines' new French Fries and Champagne album features guest vocals from Alan Cumming (see below).

Friday, July 1, 2016

Céu @ Lee's Palace, Friday

Celebrate Canada Day Brazilian style with São Paulo's Céu who'll be ending her Tropix tour with a bang tonight.