Every Monday, we round up the most exciting music news happening in Toronto. In this edition, Mounties are Canada’s newest supergroup, Skydiggers celebrate their 25th anniversary, The Sadies are featured on Hockey Night in Canada and more.
As far as supergroups go, it doesn’t get more Canadian than Mounties. Earlier this month, Hawksley Workman revealed that he would be teaming up with Steve Bays (of Hot Hot Heat) and Ryan Dahle (of Limblifter and Age of Electric) to form a new band. They’ve been very mysterious so far, but this weekend Mounties dropped what is probably one of the best music videos of all time for their debut song, “Headphones.”
It’s been a big year for Montreal’s Half Moon Run. Their debut full-length, Dark Eyes (think Radiohead meets My Morning Jacket) has garnered international attention and has landed them opening gigs for Metric and Patrick Watson. Last week, the band confirmed that they will be touring Europe with Mumford & Sons, and they were just named a top band to see at SXSW. Don’t worry, they’re also playing closer to home, at the Horseshoe Tavern, on March 8.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blur, Wu-Tang Clan, The Stone Roses, Moby — no, you have not stepped out of a time machine. It’s Coachella. The lineup for the annual music fest in California was recently announced, and we have to admit, it’s a tad dated. Fortunately, some Canuck talent made the roster, hopefully salvaging the seriously prehistoric catalog of bands. Okay, so it’s not all that bad, but here’s hoping fellow Canadians Divine Fits, Japandroids, Stars, Grimes and Purity Ring will make that road trip worthwhile.
There’s some new music from local bands to check out this week: Born Ruffians’ “With Her Shadow,” Young Galaxy’s “Pretty Boy,” and Ra Ra Riot’s “Beta Love” (below).
This year marks the 25th anniversary for Skydiggers, Toronto’s resident roots rock band. To celebrate, they will be dropping four sets of seasonal releases this year. First up will be All of Our Dreaming: Skydiggers Live, 1988, 2000 and 2012, slated for release on March 5. The triple-disc package includes live versions of Spadina Hotel and There & Back, as well as a DVD of a Glenn Gould Studio set.
Sadly, the New York Rangers dominated the Leafs this weekend. But, local alt-country group The Sadies were featured on Saturday night’s episode of Hockey Night in Canada. This inspiring video for “Whispering Circles” almost makes up for such a devastating loss. Almost.
