Death comes knocking
When a band's reunion show at SXSW causes a riot, people talk. And it wasn't long before Toronto band Death From Above 1979 was the talk of the festival circuit, bringing their unique brand of mayhem to stages from Coachella to Lollapalooza. Toronto's biggest show this week (month? YEAR?) is surely the raging return of legendary duo Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler (MSTRKRFT) to their hometown for two nights at Sound Academy. The glorious noise produced by a bass guitar and drum kit is something to behold. And although the gigs are officially sold out, there are tickets available from the usual suspects at the usual inflated prices. But it should be worth it.
The Chad
Chad VanGaalen is as quirky as all get-out, and apparently he's digging his new studio space in Calgary, because the singer-songwriter has cranked out eight albums that are only available from the merchandise table on his current tour. And, conveniently, he checks into the Mod Club tonight. In a previous interview for his current album, Diaper Island, VanGaalen said that when he and his wife bought a house, he converted the garage to a roomy two-storey studio space. “I overdosed on roomy,” he said. “And I got to geek out with my microphones. It is easier to get pretty much any sound I want.” Explains a lot, right?
Here is a sample of the cassettes on VanGaalen's label, Flemish Eye.
Paperbaggin’ it
Toronto-based record label Paper Bag Records has just released a fall music sampler available for download here. The album features Cuff the Duke's cover of “Always Looking” by Dum Dum Girls, and a few sweet remixes by Young Galaxy along with Paper Bag stalwarts such as Rural Alberta Advantage, Elliott Brood and PS I Love You. It's cool and it’s free.
Meet your Paisley!
Heard the name Doug Paisley? Don't worry if you haven't, there's still time. Paisley is a singer/songwriter of a bygone era. As he puts it, he is “in service to the song.” In a relatively short period of time since his first album in 2008, Paisley has garnered serious acclaim from both critics and fellow musicians alike. He has received glowing reviews from Rolling Stone and The New Yorker, and his latest album, 2010's Constant Companion, was one of Mojo magazine's top 10 albums in 2010. He checks into the Glenn Gould Studio this weekend on Oct. 29. Tickets are still available, so go and check him out. You won't be disappointed.
Doug answered a few of our questions for us below:
Not quite out of the gate, but early on in your career, you've garnered significant critical acclaim, and acclaim from other musicians. What does it mean to you to have that sort of respect from your peers?
Recognition from peers is wonderful and edifying. To be open to acclaim is to be open to vitriol, so in that respect, to that I try to remain as cloistered as the ego allows.
Who were you listening to as a young musician and who inspired you to go into music?
Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, John Lennon, Lucky Dube, Kenny Rogers.
What does success mean to you?
My goals are always shifting. I've got a great job for however long it lasts. It makes a lot more sense to me as it unfolds that I would imagine great material success does for those who are bathed in it. I'm not done yet but I already feel successful.
What inspires or feeds your songwriting?
Judging by my lifestyle: coffee, sleep, alcohol, walking, movies and record collecting.
And what can we expect from your show on Saturday?
The band is sounding great and Glenn Gould Studio is a sonic microscope, perhaps as GG would've wanted it. It's going to be a crystal clear rendition of our current songbook.