From my blog: My Aimz is True

What a strong year for music! I've had a hell of a time narrowing down my list this year. Once I got it down to my top 30 albums, it took me forever to parse it down to ten. One thing that I noticed about my particular list is that it really leans heavily towards the country/folk-ish albums. I'm usually a big indie rock geek, but for some reason none of the rock releases that professional critics are lauding this year really did anything for me (e.g. Grizzly Bear, Phoenix, Animal…

Thu 3 Dec – A.A. Bondy

From my blog: My Aimz is True

I have to admit that I was half loaded before I even arrived at the El Mocambo to see A.A. Bondy on Thursday night, December 3. I had dinner earlier that evening with the CEO from an organization with which I do volunteer work, and the wine was following freely. Weeee! So the first thing I do when I walk into the El Mo is tell Bondy's merch dude that he is selling his CDs too cheaply ($10 CND) and he should be selling them for way…

From my blog: My Aimz is True

This may be a news flash to some of you, but I am not cool. I have serious envy of bloggers who are better writers than I am, who have their shit together enough to post every day, who get lots of free CDs, tickets, backstage passes, and other swag. Most of the people who solicit me for a review for their new album clearly don't even read my blog. My most recent e-mail solicitation was from an Australian group who describes themselves as a "blend of hip-hop and electro-pop." I have nothing…

From my blog: My Aimz is True.

Carolyn Mark is my new hero. I'd never seen her live before she and NQ Arbuckle played a double, actually triple, bill at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto on Thursday, October 22. The Dakota is exactly the kind of place you want to see this show. Its like a dusty Texas saloon, only downtown in a major metropolis. The capacity is maybe 200, and it was only two-thirds full that night, the second night of their CD release party for Let's Just Stay Here.

The show started with the Vancouver-based Mark doing…

Tue 20 Oct – Lucero, Amy LaVere, Cedric Burnside

From my blog: My Aimz is True

There has been a lot of hoopla among Lucero fans such as myself over the new album 1372 Overton Park about Lucero's use of horns on much of the album. My first impression was that lead singer/songwriter Ben Nichols has been spending way too much time with Craig Finn and The Hold Steady, but after several listens the album has really grown on me and I would say its just about as good as anything that Lucero has done. It sounded even better…

Wed 30 Sep – The Avett Brothers
from my blog: http://myaimzistrue.blogspot.com/

The Avett Brothers played a sold out Horseshoe Tavern on Wednesday, September 30, the day after the official release of their new album I and Love and You. I couldn't believe how packed the 'Shoe was! When they toured Toronto in support of their 2007 release Emotionalism, there were maybe 60 people in the audience.

The Avett Brothers are some talented dudes. Brothers Scott and Seth Avett alternated on lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, and keyboards, while Scott also played drums and banjo. Bob Crawford rounds…

Sun 27 Sep – The Hold Steady, Still Life Still

There are so many reasons why I love The Hold Steady. One, the band members are my age, so they are old enough to know better. Second, the lead singer/songwriter and lead guitarist grew up in the upper Midwest and often reference their geography in their songs. I also grew up in the upper Midwest, so I get the references. Thrice, their music is obviously highly influenced by 1980s college radio, which I listened to obsessively as a teenager. Combine these facts and you can see why I love…

Fri 29 May – Justin Rutledge

Rule number one when headlining a live gig: don't let the opening band upstage you.

NQ Arbuckle opened the early show at the Mod Club in Toronto on Friday, May 29, with some serious country-rock. Lead by raspy-voiced Neville Quinlan, the band rocked through eight songs spanning all three of their Six Shooter Records releases. They opened with a smoking version of Huntsville Affair from the fantastic album XOK, which made many alt country music bloggers best-of lists for 2008. In fact, I first learned about NQ Arbuckle last year from a 24-year-old…

Sat 23 May – Joel Plaskett Emergency, Ana Egge, Rose Cousins, Bill Plaskett

Massey Hall is arguably the most famous stage in Toronto. The acoustics are spectacular, and the majority of the seats have excellent site lines. Opened in 1894, and designated as a Heritage Property in 1975, Massey Hall has hosted such venerable performers and dignitaries such as King George V and his wife Queen Mary, Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, Luciano Pavarotti, George Gershwin, Oscar Peterson, and Bob Dylan among many, many others. Many famous live albums have been recorded there, including Charlie Parker-…

Thu 30 Apr – John Doe And The Sadies, John Doe, The Sadies

Concert Review: John Doe and The Sadies
Sonic Boom and The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Thursday, April 30, 2009

From my blog: http://myaimzistrue.blogspot.com/

You know how when you read a really good book, and then see the movie and the movie didn't quite live up to your love of the book? Or when you are at a restaurant and you eat some apple pie, but its not nearly as good as your mom's apple pie? Its not a completely fair comparison - your interpretation of a novel verses…