Indie rock’s premier songwriter hits the road in support of his 6th studio album. Josh Tillman seems past his hilarious trolling days where anyone and anything, himself included, was a target. Cracking the indie singer/songwriting mold with Fear Fun in 2012, he shattered it with humour, raw emotion and honesty, clever wordplay and instant-classic melodies three years later with I Love You, Honeybear. Tillman put, well, everything under his scornful gaze and lashing words with Pure Comedy in 2017. Then, fans sadly shadowed Tillman’s emotional and existential decline with the 2018’s heartbreaking God’s Favourite Customer before he found his footing…
Author: Aron Harris
Early 2000s singer/songwriter shows how he’s every bit the vital artist 25 years later My personal connection with David Gray’s music occurred during the explosion of White Ladder in 2001. Chockful of hits like Please Forgive Me, Babylon, Sail Away, This Year’s Love and My Oh My, these songs were heard everywhere, from TV shows to shopping malls. I met my wife in mid-2000, and this album soundtracked the nascent days of our relationship. Sail Away’s lyrics mirrored my own feelings at that time (and still today, almost 25 years later ). My personal story with White Ladder brings feelings of innocence gained and lost.…
The biggest tour of the decade (so far) rolls up closer to its end in Toronto. Announced back in June of 2023, for Taylor Swift fans, the long wait ended with the first of six shows kicking off on November 14th at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. To say the city made these shows a priority understates the impact. With ticket demands prompting fans to travel the globe, the Eras Tour resembles a travelling Super Bowl in terms of economic impact. Bars, restaurants, hotels, stores, and destinations embraced these shows to make Swifties feel welcomed in Hogtown and to take…
Words and Photos by Joyce Jiang Been Stellar supported Fontaines D.C. as the opener for their Romance tour during North American shows this fall. The NYC quintet delivered an electrifying performance that left the crowd roaring on Friday, October 11, 2024, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto. Kicking off the night with Scream from New York, NY, followed by additional tracks from their discography including All in One, Sweet, and Pumpkin, all resonating with raw energy that captivated both new and loyal fans. The crowd was ecstatic, nodding to the hard-hitting riffs and soaring vocals. Been Stellar’s gritty sound set the stage…
Back in the dark days of 2021, I wrote a lot more about fitness, nutrition, physical and mental health. Although that was three years ago, this journey never stopped. While I’ve diverged off the path at times, I always seem to find a way to get at least a few toes back on it. Keeping both feet moving forward has forever been a challenge but I no longer attack myself for this and instead celebrate the ways I’m still on it. When I do get knocked off the path, generally due to mental health, I find that educating myself on…
Connecticut quartet releases their sophomore album showing a different side Music generated from the jam band scene has an uphill battle breaking through to the mainstream. The progenitors of the scene, the Grateful Dead, didn’t pursue chart success and didn’t need it. However, 22 years after their formation, the clever, catchy Touch of Grey spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking into the top ten and forcing the band into performing in stadiums for the remainder of their career. Modern bands of the genre may be breakthrough-challenged due to density, long musical explorations prioritized over vocal excellence, often…
30 Years Young and Stronger Than Ever Almost twenty years after their inaugural performance at Massey Hall, Wilco returned with a seasoned vigour that belied the band’s and members’ age and demonstrated their musical journey. Never a band that relies on arena-scale production, Wilco celebrated entering their fourth decade with a musical and lyrical prowess that attached them to legions of fans over this stretch. Direct from their 8th biannual Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA, Wilco kicked off their first of two Toronto shows on July 2 with Via Chicago. Despite Massey Hall’s reputation…
Gamer and content creator turned indie singer/songwriter kicks off his My House Is Not A Home Tour at the Danforth Music Hall. The sold-out tour opener had a line that spread west along the Danforth before turning down Broadview Ave. Luckily, by the time d4vd took to the stage along with drummer Devan Monroe and guitarist Mike Zara, the house was packed without a soul left on the street. d4vd began making music to soundtrack the Fortnite montage videos he originally became known for, releasing many on SoundCloud. After Romantic Homicide went viral on TikTok, it eventually rose up the…
Multi-genre trio brings their slinky grooves to History For a band with a hard-to-pronounce name and songs with almost no lyrics to sing along to, Khruangbin had little problem selling out three straight nights at History in Toronto. These two anecdotal points mean little when stacked up against the sheer immaculate vibes the Houston trio produces. Beyond not working within a genre of music, the band blends Eastern influences to spice up the grooves. In support of their 4th full-length album, A La Sala, Khruangbin began the tour of the same name in March with three shows at the Bowery…
Phish frontman brings a sharp crew to get Toronto dancing. Best known for his work with perennial Vermont jam band, Phish, guitarist and vocalist Trey Anastasio began leading his namesake band back in 1998, which featured drummer Russ Lawton and bassist Tony Markellis. Over the years and through Phish’s three-year hiatus, Trey continued to modulate the lineup of TAB by adding percussionists, keyboardists and rotating horn sections. The most consistent Trey Anastasio Band included Lawton, keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, Cyro Baptista on percussion, Dezron Douglas (who replaced bassist Markelis after he died in 2021), Natalie Cressman on trombone, vocals and…
The 30th season of Budweiser Stage opened this past weekend. My first show at one of my favourite venues was in the sophomore season of 1996. Back when it was named Molson Amphitheatre, I caught the Allman Brothers and had my first experience of a welcomed lake breeze cooling down a hot summer night. Two nights later, I caught a fine Steely Dan show. Setlist.fm, where I try to track all the shows I’ve attended, tells me I’ve seen 37 artists at Bud Stage. Digging deeper through the concert list, there were many more I wish I had attended. David…
Luther: Never Too Much The Hot Docs Festival wrapped up on May 5 and featured 168 documentaries from 64 countries with 83 world and international premieres. The topics of these documentaries were sorted under the umbrellas of Culture and Creativity, Ideas and Issues, People and Perspectives and Stories From Around the World. As a whole, these documentaries are fascinating glimpses into the people and places on the planet, bringing stories from a ten-kilometre view down the 35mm. Hot Docs was founded in 1993 by the Documentary Organization of Canada (formerly the Canadian Independent Film Caucus), a national association of independent…
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story The Hot Docs Festival is taking place in Toronto from April 25 to May 5 and features 168 documentaries from 64 countries with 83 world and international premieres. The topics of these documentaries are sorted under the umbrellas of Culture and Creativity, Ideas and Issues, People and Perspectives and Stories From Around the World. As a whole, these documentaries are fascinating glimpses into the people and places on the planet, bringing stories from a ten-kilometre view down the 35mm. Hot Docs was founded in 1993 by the Documentary Organization of Canada (formerly the…
While Canada is rarely excluded from the big tours, only Toronto, Vancouver and/or Montreal tend to get a stop. Being a hop from a variety of large eastern cities, Toronto seems to benefit the most. But smaller cities in the Prairies or the Maritimes haven’t historically been locations of the big shows. However, Canadian tours are normalizing as international touring acts are hitting the minor league ice barns in Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Truro with regularity. Distances mean fewer shows in as many days as a US East Coast routing offers, but clearly, the value of playing bigger venues in smaller…