This summer, Broken Social Scene will perform for the first time since they went on hiatus in late 2011 (a hiatus which readers may recall was accompanied by a torrid onslaught of retweets by band leader Kevin Drew). The occasion: the Field Trip Music and Arts Festival, a one-off event at Fort York and Garrison Common to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Arts and Crafts, the label Drew co-founded with Jeffrey Remedios to release BSS’s breakthrough album You Forgot It in People.
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QUOTED: Rufus Wainwright on his musical family’s trademark asset
(Image: Craig Barritt/Getty Images Entertainment)
Yeah! We have nice asses.
—Canadian pop icon and newlywed Rufus Wainwright tells Vulture about his famously musical family’s resemblance to the von Trapps (full context: sister Martha had just remarked that the family looks good in lederhosen). The two Wainwrights were at a New York screening of Sing Me the Songs that Say I Love You, a concert film documenting their tribute last year to their mother, the late and very great Kate McGarrigle. [Vulture]
Spotted: Kelly Clarkson, lunching like a lady at La Société
Kelly Clarkson, La Société’s French Onion Soup
Kelly Clarkson, the American Idol winner turned actual pop star, was spotted eating lunch today at Bloor Street’s La Société. The intrepid spotter (OK, the restaurant’s spokesperson) reports that Clarkson, who’s in town for a concert tomorrow at the Molson Amphitheatre, ordered the French onion soup, and declared to the wait staff that it was the best French onion soup she’d ever had. Apparently, she sat at table 45, which places her squarely (and appropriately) in Ladies who Lunch Lane.
(Images: Kelly Clarkson, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; soup, La Société)
Bathurst Street’s Trane Studio shuts down
After nine years on Bathurst Street, The Trane Studio, the little neighbourhood jazz club that could, has decided not to renew its lease. As owner Frank Francis explained to NOW, the venue was taking too much time away from his main work as a theatre director and writer (he also has twin daughters he’d like to spend more time with). In his parting words of advice, he said that one of the things Toronto is missing is a strong connection between landlords and people who run arts venues like the Trane: “If we can pull people together who are interested in purchasing buildings, it makes it a lot easier for arts organizations to make it. Venues that do well and have a long legacy are places [where] the owners of these buildings have a commitment to the arts and are dedicated to it.” If he ever reopens the Trane in a new location, Francis said he’d like to run it with a partner who’s more “hip to hospitality.” [NOW]
Feds inject $7.5 million into Royal Conservatory to further world-domination plans
(Image: Canuckistan)
Thanks to some help from the federal government, thousands of young’uns from across the U.S. will soon be able to participate in the parental disputes over practising and pre-exam anxiety that are an essential part of a musical education with the Royal Conservatory of Music (okay, there’s also the joy of making music). Yesterday, Labour Minister Lisa Raitt announced that the feds would fork over $7.5 million to help the RCM export its curriculum and assessment regime around the world (the program started last year in a joint initiative with Carnegie Hall, which has already ensnared 6,000 students in exams). Canada’s centralized music exam service has always struck us as one of those “socialist” concepts that could never take off in the States. But then again, you can’t really argue with a list of alumni that includes Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson and, um, David Foster. [Toronto Star]
Irie Music Fest pulls Yonge-Dundas Square shows following gun violence worries
(Image: Phil Marion)
The recent spate of shootings on Toronto’s streets has prompted differing reactions from the organizers of the TD Irie Music Festival and the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival, one of which is perhaps a mere annoyance and the other of which is a total buzz-kill.
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New Order to perform in Toronto for the first time since 2001
U.K. post-punk outfit New Order hasn’t performed in North America for seven years, but the band has just announced some shows over here for this October, including one in Toronto on October 23 at the Sony Centre (the band hasn’t performed in Canada since 2001). There are only seven stops in total, and Toronto is the last leg of the tour, so there’s a good chance this show is going to sell out in record time. We just hope we’ll get to dance to this. [Rolling Stone]
Short list announced for Polaris Music Prize, Toronto well-represented
The short list for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize was revealed this afternoon at The Drake Hotel, and of the 10 finalists, half are from Toronto. Previous Polaris winner Fucked Up’s David Comes to Life; Etobicoke “doom soul” artist Cold Specks’ I Predict A Graceful Expulsion; and half-Montreal/half-Toronto Pan-Asian-psychedelia (among other influences) fusion duo Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s YT//ST are all in the running for the $30,000 grand prize. Not surprisingly, indie darling Feist and actor-cum-rapper Drake also made the list for their fourth (Metals) and second (Take Care) albums, respectively. This means Toronto now has a 50 per cent chance of bringing home the prize (even more if you count the Ottawa-born, but Toronto-based Kathleen Edwards). Those are way better odds than the 25 per cent chance the Big Smoke had when the long list was announced.
Alexisonfire to reunite for one final tour
After much speculation, a spokesperson for Alexisonfire has confirmed that the original band members—Wade MacNeil, George Pettit, Dallas Green, Chris Steele and Jordan Hastings—will be reuniting for a final tour. The band called it quits last year, and since then MacNeil has dedicated his time to his other bands Gallows and Black Lungs, while Green has toured with his project City and Colour. No official dates or tour stop details have been announced, but a Toronto concert or two is a safe bet.
How one Toronto musician fooled Starbucks into shilling his songs
Struggling musicians have traditionally had to endure a lot of hardships: working at a coffee shop (Starbucks, for example) to make rent, living skint until that big break that may or may not ever happen, and as we learned in Josie in the Pussycats, stretching one pack of ramen pretty far. But the resourceful—and super-smart—Toronto indie musician Gavin Slate has decided to take his singing career into his own hands by scamming Starbucks consumers. Slate printed fake—yet very convincing—single download Starbucks Song of the Week cards and put them in front of legit cards from, we assume, Norah Jones and Hawksley Workman. Then, in a vain and brilliant marketing strategy, he recorded the entire process, complete with pointing out MuchMusic for not playing his songs and, of course, a lot of free Starbucks advertising. Slate printed 1,000 cards and he has already received close to 200 downloads.
Radiohead’s tour is on hold due to Toronto disaster
Radiohead announced in a release that it will have to cancel a number of shows due to the damages created by the collapsed roof at Downsview Park last Saturday. In addition to mourning the loss of drum technician Scott Johnson, the band notes in the release that there are “practical considerations to deal with” like restoring the tour’s unique light show which was damaged when the roof collapsed. Radiohead has cancelled its shows in Italy, Germany and Switzerland and won’t resume touring until July 10. Read the entire story [Pitchfork] »
Polaris Music Prize announces long list, and it’s 25 per cent Torontonian
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Earlier today, the Polaris Music Prize announced its long list of the 40 Canadian bands and musicians eligible to win this year’s award. Over the past six years, the Polaris Prize has honoured Canadian artists with a monetary prize (to the tune of $30,000) for creating the album of the year, based solely on artistic merit. This year’s list boasts 10 Toronto-born and/or -based nominees, which means this city’s musicians represent 25 per cent of the list. Sadly, that makes Toronto less worthy than in 2011, when the list was 30 per cent Torontonian.
Jaclyn Genovese joins a band, because why not?
Jaclyn Genovese (Image: Stefania Yarhi)
We found out today that Jacflash owner and Jaclife star Jaclyn Genovese has joined the band Dolly Shot. Genovese studied classical singing at Dalhousie, so she has a pretty impressive voice, but after listening to Dolly Shot’s new album Other.Things.Exist, we’ve determined she’s wasted some of her schooling on this venture. This isn’t music you could dance to, but it also isn’t exactly music you’d want to cry to while, say, watching the final scene of a Dawson’s Creek or Grey’s Anatomy episode. It’s just one girl with a fairly decent voice singing along to unambitious instrumentals. Why not go for broke and go solo?
Drake announces who will perform at this year’s OVO Festival
Drake (Image: Amber)
Drake has announced that his third annual OVO Festival (October’s Very Own, for the uninitiated) will take place on August 5 at the Molson Amphitheatre, and A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz and The Weeknd will be performing. The festival has been known to have surprise visitors (Jay-Z, for example), so perhaps we can expect similar famous friends to show (maybe Rihanna, Nicki Minaj or Azealia Banks to add a female to the card?). Surprise guests or not, it is sure to sell out, so fans would be wise to participate in the pre-sale. (YOLO. Which, for the uninitiated, is another acronym Drake likes to use.)
