 TIMA 2012 On October 6, 2012 the Toronto Independent Music Awards (TIMA) will showcase the best in independent music with awards in 21 categories and 11 live performances, including Juno-nominated producer Rich Kidd featuring a collaboration with Famous, and Karina Es, whose Dancing in the Stars video recently had airtime on MuchMusic. TIMA was created in 2004 as a platform to recognize independent artists and help them attain the tools for success. The show has built an impressive following and is supported enthusiastically by a strong network of industry partners who lend their time and expertise to help new artists navigate the quickly-evolving music arena. TIMA nominees and winners are chosen by the Grand Jury, a panel of experienced insiders, including successful recording artists Bif Naked and Jully Black, and industry heavyweights such as Eric Alper and Barry Haugen, to name a few. Full list here: http://torontoima.com/new/awards/grand-jury/. Industry-sponsored prize packs are designed to give winners tools to further their careers. 2012 prizes include: promotional band photo shoots; mentoring sessions with Eric Alper, Director of Media Relations and Label Acquisitions for eOne Entertainment; a full marketing package with advertising from Urbanology magazine; and national radio distribution from DMDS/Yangaroo. This year, TIMA is proud to announce that all proceeds from the show will go to MusiCounts, a charity dedicated to keeping music education in Canada's public schools. When: October 6, 2012, doors at 6:30 PM Where: Phoenix Concert Theatre Tickets: $15 in advance all proceeds going to MusiCounts (http://www.musicounts.ca/)NOMINEESSome category winners already announced! Click Here
MUTEMATH took the stage at Phoenix Concert Theatre last night, packing the venue all the way back to the second floor balcony. Singer Paul Meany kicked off the show in style, jumping off his piano and into full rock-out mode. The band has been around since the early 2000's and are currently on a Headlining Fall Tour across North America, scheduled to complete in Baton Rouge, LA on October 23, 2012. Paul told the crowd that the band doesn't get to play Toronto very often, and that "Canadian fans have been following us all over the states. This one guy in Boston greeted us and said he would bring bodily harm to us if we didn't play in Canada soon. So here we are at last [crowd cheers] and this is a special show with a set list just for you." The band played to a mesmerized crowd, featuring songs from as far back to their debut album, Reset. A flawless delivery every person in the building couldn't help but appreciate and bop their head to at the very least. MUTEMATH’s latest album, the critically-acclaimed Odd Soul, was released on October 4th on Teleprompt/Warner Bros. Records. Since its release the band have rocked venues nationwide on two U.S. headlining tours, appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live! and were selected as a VH1 “You Oughta Know” artist. Alternative Press has praised Odd Soul as "brimming with raw, bluesy riffs and psychedelic guitar squeals” going on to add that “MUTEMATH explore emotional depths both sonically and lyrically, bringing a new sense of urgency to their music. 4 ½ stars." _ by Matt Vardy
BANDS: We Came As Romans, Abandon All Ships, The Flatliners, Silverstein, Gob, Set Your Goals DATE: September 15, 2012 VENUE: Downtown Kitchener (various) PHOTOG: Amy Buck
 Stars has wrapped up their sixth full-length album released September 4. Produced by Graham Lessard & Marcus Paquin and recorded in Montreal’s RCA Victor Studios, The North is about to get more joyful than their previous albums. Every song takes on a different mental ride. With each song change, a different part of the journey takes a stop in a new location speaking of love and experiences of passing time. The beat from song to song skips around a lot and wakes all senses. The changes from soft sways to head-bopping make this album versatile for whatever mood you happen to be in. The upbeat tempo that starts off the album shows the listeners that this indie pop rock band mean good times and right arms. This album begins in dance-party mode with tracks The Theory of Relatively and Backlines, which is no surprise as Amy Millan, singer and guitarist, quotes on their aim for this album in a recent interview. “We really wanted to dance, so there are quite a few beautiful dance-party tracks on this album," said Millan. Many lyrics speak of romance, crafted carefully by this band that knows their way with words, having been together for 14 years. Love-story lyrics are quite common for Stars, especially in their previous album, The Five Ghosts. Do You Want to Die Together? speaks that “it’s always true / ain’t I here with you?” reminiscing of a love that is forever. Then switching to Lights Changing Colours we “remember how I held your hand” for another notice of the continuing struggles of losing love and finding your way back to a state of sanity. The 400 is one of the most memorable and repetitious songs in the album, sounding much like Death Cab for Cutie. Slowing down the album for a clean finish, the ultimate set up for a lost love lyrics; “It has to go right this time,” repeats multiple times showing the hopes of a promising relationship. Or in other interpretations, Stars could be hoping that for the sixth time around “it has to go right.” The North has got it right this time. Ending with Walls we’re asked to “tell me how I sleep / tell me how I wake up / tell me how I dream” – a perfect lyrical finish that confirms this album gives an abundance of excitement for a band that has given an abundance of changeability. The North is an album worth listening to and enjoying in your spare time for whatever past time you may have. I encourage you to go pick up a copy for a mix of dance-party, relaxing and inspirational tunes. You can catch Stars at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto rocking alongside Metric November 24. Prices start at $59.50 and go to $64.50. That is, if you’re ready to bob your head, move your body and stomp your feet. _ by Rebecka Calderwood
Green Day guitarist/vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong has checked himself into rehab following his verbal attack on producers of the iHeart Music Festival in Las Vegas over the weekend. Video footage can be seen above.
Green Day took the stage about 30 minutes late and performed a truncated set. In an attempt to create enough time to play a song from the band’s forthcoming album ‘Uno!’ Armstrong cut the band’s classic track ‘Basket Case’ short. Unfortunately, to Arsmstrong’s bereavement, he then noticed that the prompter facing the front of the stage showed that the band had just one minute set time remaining. This was the final straw for Armstrong.
“Give me a … break. One minute left? One minute … left? You’re gonna give me … one minute? Look at that … sign right there. One minute,” he bellowed. “Let me tell you something, I’ve been around since 19-f***ing-88 and you’re gonna give me one f***ing minute? You’ve gotta be f***ing kidding me! You’re f***ing kidding me. What the f**k! I’m not f***ing Justin Bieber, you mother***ers.”
Armstrong then destroyed his guitar, gave the camera the middle finger and told the crowd, “God love you all, you’ll see us again,” before exiting the stage.
It has since been revealed that Armstrong has checked himself into rehab for substance abuse.
Green Day issued the following statement on the matter: “Billie Joe is seeking treatment for substance abuse,” the statement read: “We would like everyone to know that our set was not cut short by Clear Channel and to apologize to those we offended at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas.”
The band added: “We regretfully must postpone some of our upcoming promotional appearances.”
While Green Day did not elaborate on which promotional appearances would be axed, a performance on Monday for Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM (106.7) has been postponed.
Green Day was set to appear on a host of talk shows this week, including ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ and ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show,’ and was also to appear Wednesday at Burbank’s surf-and-skate shop Tilly’s for a fan signing.
‘Uno!,’ the first of three upcoming albums from Green Day, is out now...
...more than just a coincidence? Share your comments!
Catch the 9 min. video that focuses on the guitar, bass and drum parts for the 12 song album on Metal Sucks, who deem a "masterpiece" and Revolver Magazine said The Parallax II "includes some of it's freshest material yet..."
Between the Buried and Me have not made a name for themselves through playing it safe. Pushing the envelope of heavy music with each successive release, they have continually evolved in thrilling new directions while maintaining the honesty and integrity that has connected with so many listeners. With The Parallax II: Future Sequence, the first concept album of their career, the North Carolina based unit have delivered their most complex, ambitious, and accomplished work to date. "We're certainly not the average metal band - we write what we want to write, and we've never really tried to fit in anywhere," states guitarist Paul Waggoner. "With this record we held nothing back. We were excited to experiment and see where it took us, and working with a concept was a really interesting new challenge."The concept was first introduced to the band's fans with 2011's The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues EP, which established the narrative's two characters, Prospect I and Prospect II, the story commencing with the events of Parallax II. Separated by millions of light years, the two men exist in ignorance of the other yet are intrinsically connected by a shared soul, which ultimately brings them together. "Both men exist in isolation, one because he runs away from the life that is his and the other when he leaves his dying planet in the hope of creating new life elsewhere, through the planting of souls," explains vocalist Tommy Rogers. "As the story progresses you realize they are actually the same person, and at the end of the journey they're responsible for destroying all life as they know it, reinforcing the idea that humanity is a destructive species, and that there's some kind of innate flaw about us that causes us to destroy everything we touch." While the story is very much based in fiction and grounded in the imagination of Rogers, it was important that the vocalist was able to emotionally connect with it, and relate it to his own life, thereby making it relatable for listeners. "That was probably the hardest thing for me, making sure I could find that connection. The main thing that these characters go through is confusion and isolation, and I think that's something every person deals with in their lives at some point. As a musician you spend a lot of time with your own thoughts, so despite the science fiction of it all it is still a very personal record." Also check out www.metalblade.com/btbam
Following the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), cinemas across Canada today screen, through Front Row Centre Events, the digitally restored and remixed 1986 film "Hungarian Rhapsody - Queen Live in Budapest", rock legends Queen at their best on the band's "Magic" tour, the very last they would play with Freddie Mercury.
Eagle Rock will be releasing the DVD and Blu-Ray of the film and the special editions, including the soundtrack CD, through Universal Music in November, but has also begun re-issuing the Queen visual catalogue. Randy Lennox, President and CEO, Universal Music Canada said "Universal Music Canada has a long standing and vibrant relationship with Eagle Rock and are the proud Canadian home to the legendary Queen. These two deep rooted synergies will make for an incredible re-issue of a classic concert, 'Hungarian Rhapsody - Queen Live in Budapest'".
Mike Carden, President Operations North America for Eagle Rock, said "It gives Eagle North America a great feeling of pride to add the visual catalog of Queen to our current line-up of Queen releases: "Queen Rock Montreal", "Greatest Video Hits", and "Night at the Opera" classic album. We look forward to bringing further previously released and never before released titles to the North American Market".
Geoff Kempin, an Executive Producer of the film, and with Terry Shand, co-founder of Eagle Rock Worldwide, said "Queen have always been a banner rock band for the visual world of music - and Queen have always thought the world of Canada, hence the launch of the deal and the film here in Toronto today".
"Queen and Eagle are building on their already established television representation in North America by launching Queen's audio visual catalogue on Eagle with the 'Hungarian Rhapsody' film on DVD and Blu-Ray. We are delighted to be working with Eagle on this wonderful concert film and look forward to the future releases from the Queen audio visual catalogue that will be coming on Eagle," said Jim Beach.
Brian May and Roger Taylor said "The concert looks fantastic on the cinema screen in all its digitally re-mastered glory and the documentary does a great job of setting the scene - it really was an extraordinary time in the band's history".
 “One Hit Wonder” will not likely be associated with Carly Rae Jepsen much longer with the release of her highly anticipated sophomore record Kiss (2012). After blowing up internationally with sweet-hearted toothache sensation “Call me Maybe”, Jepsen caught the attention of Justin Bieber, and the rest is history. We may not remember her appearance on Canadian Idol season 5, or her lackluster debut album Tug Of War (2008), but her new material is a surprisingly exciting guilty pleasure. In spite of occasionally confusing lyrics, Kiss is armed with electric synths of decades past that will instantly ignite the D-floor of any club/ bar / bedroom dance session. Jepsen has an all-star cast of producers at her disposal, and it shows. Not only do big names Josh Ramsey of Marianas Trench, LMFAO’s Redfoo, and Owl City’s Adam Young make appearances, but so do more seasoned pop producers from eastern Europe. One being Max Martin who has spoon fed us every popular hit in the last number of years from Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Cyndi Lauper, and Pink, just to name just a few. Let’s also not forget his engineering of Britney Spears’ near-entire discography from her first three albums to her latest releases Circus (2009) and Femme Fatale (2011). "I always wanted to be known as a songwriter and not just a songbird,” said Jepsen in an August 2012 interview. With lyrics like- ‘I don’t care about my lipstick / I just wanna drive you / To love love love’- or -‘When you say that your heart is true / It's just an invention / But not your intention no no’, we may surmise that she contributed to most of the user traffic over at thesaurus.com the month she wrote Kiss. The record is riddled with nonsensical lyrics like the perplexing ‘Boy you came into my life / I missed you so bad’-type that we saw within “Call Me Maybe”. For instance, ‘If you cut a piece of guitar string / I would wear it like it’s a wedding ring / You know what I mean?’ Honestly Carly Rae, I in fact do not know what you mean. But it is no matter, because the paradoxical meanings in Kiss are like a black hole full of candy; sucking you in, without making sense, but you savor it, until you are sick, simply because it is Carly Rae Jepsen. The mold Kiss emerged from could not be more overused or over-explored, however something about Jepsen’s bright eyed ’n bushy tailed Canadian approach is endearing. The naïve innocence transcends her image and is absorbed into her vocals. This innocence makes such dramatic stories of being swept off one’s feet during a whirl of bursting confetti on disco-infused track “Tiny Little Bows” a genuinely enjoyable effort. Her teasing, unprovocative hooks are age appropriate, yet still fun. Each track could essentially be a single, imitating that same ridiculously catchy attitude of her breakout hit. Jepsen weaves a strangely appealing combination of vocals on “Your Heart Is A Muscle” that echo both a sultry Jessica Simpson, and the raspy whispers of Lykke Li. But aside from this ballad and her underwhelming duet track “Beautiful” featuring Bieber, the main stage of the album is propped up with dancefloor bangers. Songs like “Wrong Feels So Right”[found on the Kiss Deluxe Version], “This Kiss” (both produced by Redfoo) and “Tonight I’m Getting Over You” (Martin), are among the throng of pulsing 80’s inspired jams that will get you twerking. As hard as it is for some to admit (not me, as I love a great tooth ache brought on by over produced monosaccharides in the form of pop music), Jepson’s Kiss is shaped to be a real mainstream contender. With three singles getting frequent radio play respectively, Jepsen is casting off her “One Hit Wonder” status and sprinting straight towards being a legitimate Canadian export. Top Tracks: Wrong Feels So Right [Deluxe Version], This Kiss, Tiny Little Bows Both Original and Deluxe versions of Kiss are available for digital download as of September 18th Carly Rae Jepsen plays @ Rogers Center in Toronto, December 1st 2012. Beware, the Beibs will also be there. _ by Michael Natale
THE ALBUM FEATURES CLASSIC KYLIE TRACKS, ALL WITH BRAND NEW ARRANGEMENTS WITH MANY FEATURING A FULL ORCHESTRA. THE ALBUM ALSO INCLUDES THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACK “FLOWER.” Kylie Minogue releases her brand new album The Abbey Road Sessions on Parlophone Records on October 30, 2012. The album features 16 tracks, all radically reworked, spanning Kylie’s incredible 25 year career. The album was recorded in London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios with Kylie’s band and a full orchestra. Nick Cave re-recorded his vocal on the famous duet, “Where The Wild Roses Grow,” especially for the album. Other highlights of the album include a wonderfully poignant “Better The Devil You Know,” the ever-amazing “Confide In Me,” a sultry “On A Night Like This,” a joyous “All The Lovers,” the beautiful “Finer Feelings” and a version of “The Locomotion” which swaggers with true 1950’s panache. Over all 16 tracks one thing becomes very clear – stripped of her high end pop production, the emotional resonance of many of Kylie’s songs has never been clearer, nor has her voice ever sounded better. Kylie will perform most tracks from the album with the BBC Symphony Orchestra this Saturday, September 8 at London’s Hyde Park, headlining Proms In the Park. The track-listing for the album is: ALL THE LOVERS ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW HAND ON YOUR HEART I BELIEVE IN YOU COME INTO MY WORLD FINER FEELINGS CONFIDE IN ME SLOW THE LOCOMOTION CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW FLOWER I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT NEVER TOO LATE The Abbey Road Sessions will be available in the following formats: CD DIGITAL LIMITED EDITION DELUXE CD LIMITED 12” VINYL WITH CD – ONLY AVAILABLE AT WWW.KYLIE.COM
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