I had a whole thesis on U2, about Bono and relationships, and how everyone’s in a bad relationship because they can’t communicate and Bono’s lyrics in, say, With Or Without You perfectly articulate that inability not only to name your own feelings but also the feelings of your loved one,... More
Arriving at Koerner Hall I was excited as all hell even though I didn’t know much about who or what was I was about to see. I did know for certain that Koerner Hall is perhaps Toronto’s most incredible music venue. The building and the room isn’t just stunning, but... More
If I could have one wish come true, I would wish for the time I spent trying to “get” Tom Waits back. Tom Waits isn’t a musician – he’s an actor. And acting is a noble pursuit, except when the actor writes their own scenes. If Tom Waits didn’t put... More
“The art music of the West has developed throughout its history by means of individual geniuses, and out of the soil that supports them; non-Western musicians were born, and grew like the grasses of the field.” – Toru Takemitsu Fujii Percussion and Voices, held this past week in Koerner Hall... More
There are a lot of band names that are dumber than Metallica, but most of them aren’t worse. Hoobastank is worse, sure, but what makes Metallica such a bad band name is the smugness. It thinks it’s an amazing band name. When Metallica chose “Metallica”, they thought “This is the... More
Imagine you went to an all-you-can-eat buffet, but the restaurant forced you to eat all of the food on a single plate. Every course. No matter how full you are. That is the best way to think of listening to a song by Wings. Paul McCartney has put all of... More
The house lights are down at Koerner Hall. Two figures appear on either side of the balcony behind and above the stage. Their Silhouette turns to spotlights and two women begin to sing what, to the untrained ear, sounds like a mix between a Gregorian chant and a call to... More
On a recent crisp winter’s eve, I settled in with a pint at The Tranzac for a tête-à-tête with Minotaurs frontman Nathan Lawr. What ensued took the form of a salon-style discussion of political philosophy. Nathan recently partnered with The Canadian Civil Liberties Association in a joint initiative called Canadian... More
The departing sentiment on Minotaurs’ first album, The Thing, is that “There is nothing new… out here… anymore;” a melancholy feeling that seems to echo through the production, not just in Nathan Lawr’s lyrics, but the tone of his vocals as well. It’s done in such a way that the... More
A good rule of thumb is, if people tell you that a band created a “sonic blueprint”, it means the band is annoying to listen to. Also annoying to listen to? Some guy at your New Year’s party telling you he’d rather be listening to Kraftwerk just when you put... More
Guns N’ Roses (G’n'F’n'R) aren’t the worst band of all time (Wings hold that title), but they managed to accomplish such horrible music in such a short period of time that they must be close to the top of the list. What makes them so bad? Never was there a... More
The Velvet Underground is supposed to have changed rock music forever. Although I’m fairly certain that “changed rock music forever” or even just “changed rock music” actually means nothing. Basically all anyone has ever done is change rock music. That’s all rock music is: Pretending to change rock music over... More
I had a whole thesis on U2, about Bono and relationships, and how everyone’s in a bad relationship because they can’t communicate and Bono’s lyrics in, say, With Or Without You perfectly articulate that inability not only to name your own feelings but also the feelings of your loved one,... More
Arriving at Koerner Hall I was excited as all hell even though I didn’t know much about who or what was I was about to see. I did know for certain that Koerner Hall is perhaps Toronto’s most incredible music venue. The building and the room isn’t just stunning, but... More
If I could have one wish come true, I would wish for the time I spent trying to “get” Tom Waits back. Tom Waits isn’t a musician – he’s an actor. And acting is a noble pursuit, except when the actor writes their own scenes. If Tom Waits didn’t put... More
“The art music of the West has developed throughout its history by means of individual geniuses, and out of the soil that supports them; non-Western musicians were born, and grew like the grasses of the field.” – Toru Takemitsu Fujii Percussion and Voices, held this past week in Koerner Hall... More
There are a lot of band names that are dumber than Metallica, but most of them aren’t worse. Hoobastank is worse, sure, but what makes Metallica such a bad band name is the smugness. It thinks it’s an amazing band name. When Metallica chose “Metallica”, they thought “This is the... More
Imagine you went to an all-you-can-eat buffet, but the restaurant forced you to eat all of the food on a single plate. Every course. No matter how full you are. That is the best way to think of listening to a song by Wings. Paul McCartney has put all of... More
The house lights are down at Koerner Hall. Two figures appear on either side of the balcony behind and above the stage. Their Silhouette turns to spotlights and two women begin to sing what, to the untrained ear, sounds like a mix between a Gregorian chant and a call to... More
On a recent crisp winter’s eve, I settled in with a pint at The Tranzac for a tête-à-tête with Minotaurs frontman Nathan Lawr. What ensued took the form of a salon-style discussion of political philosophy. Nathan recently partnered with The Canadian Civil Liberties Association in a joint initiative called Canadian... More
The departing sentiment on Minotaurs’ first album, The Thing, is that “There is nothing new… out here… anymore;” a melancholy feeling that seems to echo through the production, not just in Nathan Lawr’s lyrics, but the tone of his vocals as well. It’s done in such a way that the... More
A good rule of thumb is, if people tell you that a band created a “sonic blueprint”, it means the band is annoying to listen to. Also annoying to listen to? Some guy at your New Year’s party telling you he’d rather be listening to Kraftwerk just when you put... More
Guns N’ Roses (G’n'F’n'R) aren’t the worst band of all time (Wings hold that title), but they managed to accomplish such horrible music in such a short period of time that they must be close to the top of the list. What makes them so bad? Never was there a... More
The Velvet Underground is supposed to have changed rock music forever. Although I’m fairly certain that “changed rock music forever” or even just “changed rock music” actually means nothing. Basically all anyone has ever done is change rock music. That’s all rock music is: Pretending to change rock music over... More
