So here we go. This is something I’ve been working on with my comrades in blogging at You Ain’t No Picasso. My Old Kentucky Blog, Gorilla Vs Bear, Largehearted Boy and Rock Insider for the last while and which we’re finally ready to unveil – The Hot Freaks!

It’s an event we’re putting on at SxSW this year and it’s looking pretty bad-ass if I do say so myself. We’ve got 32 bands playing over two days and three stages at Fhe Mohawk and Club DeVille in Austin on March 16 and 17 and we’re talking some top-notch talent – mostly hand-picked (or begged) by us. Can you guess who mine were? Probably. There’s names both new and familiar in the mix, and over the next month as I get acquainted with or excited about various acts participating I’ll be posting my thoughts here – de facto content. Gotta love it.

Also kind of loving the idea of not having to run all over downtown Austin for those two days (if not nights). But I’m very happy to be able to announce all this today because I’ve been sitting on it for over a week now while we got some stuff hammered out, and it’s been driving me a little nuts. And this might not be the end of it!

But enough jabber – check out the sched… and maybe a little musical accompaniment… And check out the flyer from San Francisco’s Andy Hawgood.

MP3: Guided By Voices – “Hot Freaks”

Friday, March 16

Mohawk (outside):
12:00 pm – Catfish Haven (MySpace)
1:00 pm – Thunderbirds Are Now! (MySpace)
2:00 pm – Apostle of Hustle (MySpace)
3:00 pm – Imperial Teen (MySpace)
4:00 pm – Annuals (MySpace)
5:00 pm – Shearwater (MySpace)

Mohawk (inside)
12:30 pm – Briertone (MySpace)
1:30 pm – Sea Wolf (MySpace)
2:30 pm – St. Vincent (MySpace)
3:30 pm – Midnight Movies (MySpace)
4:30 pm – Bishop Allen (MySpace)

Club DeVille (Insound stage)
12:30 pm – Apes and Androids (MySpace)
1:30 pm – The Black Lips (MySpace)
2:30 pm – Walter Meego (MySpace)
3:30 pm – Shout Out Out Out Out (MySpace)
4:30 pm – Pelican (MySpace)

Saturday, March 17

Mohawk (outside)
12:00 pm – The Early Years (MySpace)
1:00 pm – Malajube (MySpace)
2:00 pm – The Ponys (MySpace)
3:00 pm – Viva Voce Asobi Seksu (MySpace)
4:00 pm – Menomena (MySpace)
5:00 pm – Special guest headliner from Dallas, TX.

Mohawk (inside)
12:30 pm – White Denim
1:30 pm – Page France (MySpace)
2:30 pm – Twilight Sleep (MySpace)
3:30 pm – Young Galaxy (MySpace)
4:30 pm – RJD2 (MySpace)

Club DeVille
12:30 pm – Prototypes (MySpace)
1:30 pm – Land of Talk (MySpace)
2:30 pm – The Young Knives (MySpace)
3:30 pm – The Rosebuds (MySpace)
4:30 pm – Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s (MySpace)

And that’s not all – on Thursday the 15th, I’ll be co-presenting, along with My Old Kentucky Blog and An Aquarium Drunkard and in conjunction with LiveDaily and Spaceland, another day show at Antone’s. The lineup for that one is as follows:

Blonde Redhead (MySpace)
Annuals (MySpace)
Mando Diao (MySpace)
Datarock (MySpace)
Dirty On Purpose (MySpace)
Tally Hall (MySpace)

So as you can see, my SxSW 2007 is looking pretty damn busy. But if you’re in Austin that week and happen by one of these shows, do say hello.

Bradley’s Almanac has got a live Shearwater set from Boston last September up for downloading. Needless to say, I’m ecstatic about their headlining our Friday show.

And just so that the hometown doesn’t feel too neglected today, I’ll point out that Frog Eyes have booked a show at Sneaky Dee’s for May 24. Pitchfork talked to Carey Mercer about their new album Tears Of The Valedictorian, also due out in May.

Also, The Long Winters, The Broken West and Stars Of Track And Field are at the El Mocambo on March 27 (via For The Records). On one hand, Long Winters and The Broken West are guaranteed to turn out some ass kicking power pop. On the other hand, March will already have killed me five times over.

And finally, the new album from Feist is indeed called The Reminder and will be out May 1 in North America, the week before in the rest of the world. Grok the album art at All Things Feist.

NxNE and CMW have the fancy acronyms, but it’s the grassroots Over The Top Festival (which you could call OTT if you really wanted but it hardly rolls off the tongue) that’s arguably the best or at least most interesting week of music in Toronto every year. Now in its sixth year, the festival has always brought in interesting, unexpected and eclectic lineups, from both Toronto and abroad, and making a point of catering to all-ages crowds – in other words, a fest that’s for the fans first, not the industry.

While this year will see incorporate for the first time film, theatre and art components, the meat of it is still music and the first batch of performers who’ll be in town from May 3 to 6 has just been announced. The big name would be Austin singer-songwriter legend Daniel Johnston who closes things out on the 6th with Mount Eerie, but also coming to town (or already here) that week will be Michael Gira, Matt & Kim, Japanther, The Explorer’s Club, Julie Doiron,The Hylozoists, The Meligrove Band, Clipd Beaks, Ecstatic Sunshine and Peter & The Wolf with more, as well as the actual schedule, still to come.

The official launch party for this year’s festival goes down on March 8 at the Tranzac – performing will be Harry & The Potters, Germans and Brent Randall & The Pinecones. Tickets are $10.

The Los Angeles Times talks to Peter Moren of Peter, Bjorn & John. The domestic edition of Writer’s Block is out today with a bonus disc to punish the import buyers and AOL has got the whole thing up to stream. Not sure if that includes the bonus stuff, though.

Stream: Peter Bjorn & John / Writer’s Block

They’re also streaming the new Bloc Party, if that’s more your speed. It’s also in store today.

Stream: Bloc Party / A Weekend in the City

So Billboard is reporting that Apple and Apple have buried the hatchet and are making nice, possibly paving the way for the Beatles catalog to find its way into the iTunes store. I have a question. Who cares? I mean, all respect to The Beatles – the best band I never listen to – but is there really a market for the Beatles catalog online? Surely everyone who wants Revolver on their iPod could have found a CD copy to rip sometime in the past five years, probably at higher quality than the 128kbps version that Steve Jobs would like to sell them at a buck a pop. The bitrate, by the way, is why I laugh when I hear that the digital versions will be remastered versions of the original albums – that’s all well and good, but if you’re going to compress it that much before you sell it, why even bother? I’m not saying they’re not going to sell, surely they will. I’m just wondering who the hell is buying it.

And speaking of reissues, Pitchfork reports that Okkervil River will be putting out a double-disc “definitive edition” of 2005’s Black Sheep Boy which will contain both the original album, the Appendix EP, a b-side from the “For Real” single and a couple of videos, one of an alternate version of “No Key No Plan”. I’ve got all this material in various formats but the promise of an expanded liner note booklet and a fancy-pants gold-embossed sleeve has my attention. I like shiny objects. Look for it in stores March 6. The band are currently working on their new album, due out later this year, but are taking a break while Will Sheff re-finds his voice. They’ve also confirmed a couple of SxSW appearances, one day show on March 15 at Bourbon Rocks and that night at Mohawk.

So the Concert Photography Show at the Embassy on Sunday night went off really well, if you discount the subarctic temperatures. The kids still came out and all the photos really looked great, though I kind of wish I’d gotten some nicer frames for mine. But anyways, they’re up so if you’re in Kensington in the next couple months, stop by and have a look – The Embassy is on Augusta just south of Baldwin. You can buy the prints as well – either the ones on display or I can make prints of anything I’ve got in my own galleries. Never done that before a couple weeks ago and dang if they don’t look nice in physical form. And oh – I got photos of the musical performances from Woodhands, The Rural Alberta Advantage and dd/mm/yyyy because what’s a concert photography show without some concert photography? The Rural Alberta Advantage really impressed me – will definitely be investigating them further in the future.

Photos: ddmmyyyy, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Woodhands @ The Embassy – February 4, 2007

24: I’m noting a pattern here in regards to the fates of the men who get involved with CTU women – Kim’s boyfriends lost limbs, Chloe’s have relatives die of radiation poisoning. But this week was all about the Bauers. “Josh doesn’t know anything and he doesn’t need to know” – methinks Marilyn wasn’t talking about what Graem has been up to… nudge nudge, wink wink. It amuses me that people still get aken back to CTU for protection because as history has shown, it’s pretty much the least safe person in Los Angeles for, well, anyone. But really, all the familial subtext in the dialogue is a bit thick – I’m rather doubting that Jack and Graem’s childhood was as interesting as they hope to make it sound, though it was nice to see Dad stop Jack’s torture session with a stern, “go to your room” glare. But really, who was surprised that Papa Bauer would be the big bad? And that it would be revealed through an awkward, overly expository exchange between he and Lobot? Yeah, me neither.

np – Bloc Party / A Weekend In The City

For some time now, people have been telling me I need to see The Golden Dogs. And not just the same people, different people. The pitch is generally kind of vague, along the lines of “they play pop-rock music and are a lot of fun” – not exactly an irresistible PR spiel. But this past Friday certain stars converged and I did manage to make it out to see them play their first hometown show in a good while.

The first act on the bill were locals Paso Mino, who are largely known as the defacto backing band for any number of local performers (Jason Collett, Amy Millan). Left to their own devices, they played a set of proficient if generally uninteresting bar-rock with rather questionable funk and soul undertones. A little archive digging shows that I’ve actually seen them play before, yet neglected to write anything about them at all in the reviews – guess that’s why.

I called These Are The New Old Times (iTunes link only, sorry), the debut from Vancouver’s The Yoko Casionos, “loud, brash and hooky with the right balance of sweet and snotty” and now having seen the live version, would like to add “polished” to the adjective list. It was clear to me that the band had learned a thing or three from their Fall cross-Canada tour opening for Sloan because though still young, they carried themselves like seasoned pros. Maybe a little too much considering the show was a homecoming of sorts for the band (they were based out of Toronto a few years ago) – their stage banter and personality seemed a bit more rehearsed than I’d have expected in the company of friends (rather than, say, and industry showcase). But there were no complaints about the same amount of polish in regards to their music – the guitars were a little low in the mix but that did allow you to hear their three-part harmonies wonderfully. Their power pop was tight, punchy and impressive with a handful of really catchy, standout songs.

I’d been told that The Golden Dogs have a very rabid hometown fanbase and it seemed they were out in full force for this show – Lee’s was well and truly packed and the stage decked out in artificial fauna flora for the occasion. It’s a little hard to describe them without conveying the impression that they sound a bit generic, which really isn’t fair or accurate. They blend classic pop and rock with a dose of new wave and… well it mostly just sounds like pop-rock, with great energy, fun lyrics, infectious melodicism and the occasional barnburning guitar solo (see the 70s arena rock of “Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five”) – simple in concept but tremendous in execution. I had sort of thought that the frantic energy onstage would get exhausting before long but I was right into it for the whole show. I don’t really know how else to put it but to say, if The Golden Dogs come through your town anytime soon, you should check them out – they play pop-rock music and are a lot of fun.

The UWO Gazette talks to The Golden Dogs and two-thirds of the bill from Friday night will be playing the Horseshoe on March 10 as part of Canadian Music Week – the full lineup being The Golden Dogs, In-Flight Safety, The Yoko Casionos, Jenn Grant, Two Hours Traffic and The Ryde. I can personally recommend half the lineup (Dogs, Yokos, Grant) so I think that’ll be a fine rocking and rolling option.

Photos: The Golden Dogs, The Yoko Casionos, Paso Mino @ Lee’s Palace – February 2, 2007
MP3: The Yoko Casionos – “Loose Cannon”
MP3: The Yoko Casionos – “Cameras On”
Video: The Golden Dogs – “Never Meant Any Harm” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Golden Dogs
MySpace: The Yoko Casionos
MySpace: Paso Mino

And speaking of Sloan (as I was earlier), Never Hear The End Of It has been released in the US and to celebrate, their American label Yep Roc is running 30 Days Of Sloan – a daily video podcast via YouTube that will lead up to the band’s appearance at this year’s SxSW (details of their performance in Austin here). Further for you Sloan freaks out there (hi Beth), Bradley’s Almanac has the whole of their show in Boston last month available to download and AmpCamp has got an exclusive MP3 of a song that somehow didn’t make the cut for Never Hear The End Of It – apparently they liked the other 30 songs that DID make the album better…

MP3: Sloan – “Even Though”
Stream: Sloan / Never Hear The End Of It

Rob Dickinson ponders the legacy of Catherine Wheel for Chart. Dickinson is in town at Lee’s Palace tonight.

Check out a stream of the title track from Son Volt’s new album The Search, out March 6, and there’s some more samples from the record streaming on their website They’re at the Mod Club on April 12.

Stream: Son Volt – “The Search” (QuickTime)

And the reason that Elvis Perkins canceled his April 9 show at the Mod Club is that he’ll now be opening for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on their Spring tour, including the April 14 show in Toronto… AT THE KOOL HAUS. That’s just… yeah. I hope CYHSY have learned how to keep their guitars in tune by now.

np – Midlake / The Trials Of Van Occupanther

Denton, Texas’ Midlake has had a hell of a time trying to come to Toronto – they were originally scheduled to open for The Hold Steady in July of last year, but begged off that gig for whatever reason but arranged a make-up date opening for The French Kicks in September. But they then bailed from THAT date in favour of an engagement as the opener for Keane on a ritzy theatre tour. Can’t fault them for that, except it didn’t really work out – Keane singer Tom Chaplin turned out to be more the rock’n’roller than anyone might have suspected and canceled the tour in order to check into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse.

The net outcome of this being, simply, the fact that Midlake still hasn’t made it to Toronto (I think) to perform selections from last year’s highly regarded, soft-rocking opus The Trials Of Van Occupanther. Until now. They’ve got a date scheduled at Lee’s Palace for Monday, February 12 and assuming they don’t get an offer to support Van Halen’s reunion tour, I’m expecting they’ll be there. And courtesy of Against The Grain, you can be there too – I’ve got three pairs of passes for the show to give away.

To enter, leave a comment with what generally-disdained 1970s act is deserving of a critical re-evaluation (or at least an effort to make indie-hip, a la America). Be sincere or ironic, I care not. Be sure to use your correct email address so I can contact the winners and mock those who nominate Foghat. And if you don’t live in Toronto but still want to chime in, please do so – just make a note in your post that you’re not entering or eligible for the giveaway. The contest closes at midnight, February 8.

MP3: Midlake – “Roscoe”
Video: Midlake – “Roscoe” (YouTube)
Video: Midlake – “Young Bride” (MOV)
MySpace: Midlake

Know what the best thing about MySpace is? Having friends like Tanya Donelly who leave surprise bulletins saying “Demos that eventually made up most of Star are now up on the website”. No, the message didn’t come from Tanya herself, but as promised, Slumberland now hosts ten demo versions of songs that would go on to form the bulk of Belly’s 1993 debut, Star.

As Tanya notes in the accompanying notes, the songs were originally meant for the second Breeders record so Kim Deal plays guitar on a couple of the tracks. The tracks are naturally rough and Tanya’s vocals mixed pretty low, but the dark charm that drove me to wear out my original copy of Star (it was a cassette, this was physically possible) are wholly evident even at this stage. An unexpected and welcome treat from the past.

Here’s a couple of the demos with the accompanying videos for the completed versions. Be sure to head over to Tanya’s site grab them all and hit up the tip jar if you feel so inclined. There’s also some demos from her first couple solo records up for grabs. As for what she’s up to now, The Phoenix mentions that she just wrote a handful of songs for Boston tween girl-group Girl Authority, of whom her daughter Grace is a fan. Awwww.

MP3: Belly – “Feed The Tree” (demo)
MP3: Belly – “Slow Dog” (demo)
Video: Belly – “Feed The Tree” (YouTube)
Video: Belly – “Slow Dog” (YouTube)

Hour.ca talks to Grizzly Bear, in town at Lee’s Palace on Tuesday. Congrats to Paul, Lana and Erik for winning my contest for passes and for the record, the consensus is that Paddington, Pooh and Tenderheart are all evenly matched so they’d likely agree to collectively turn on Boo Boo and feast on him like a small, furry picinic basket.

The Age talks to The Shins.

Some reasons to be at Sneaky Dee’s in the near and distant future – Chin Up Chin Up and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin bring some indie pop action to the club on February 16 and looking ahead to June 8, Voxtrot and Au Revoir Simone will be gracing the corner of College and Bathurst (full tour dates at BrooklynVegan). I have to say – Sneaky Dee’s was pretty crowded when Voxtrot played there last April – for them to be playing the same club again when their star has risen considerably in the intervening 14 months (their debut full-length will be out May 22) is just… well, let’s just say that if you want to go to this, when tickets go on sale you better move FAST.

And finally, I’m taking part in a Toronto concert photographers exhibition at the Embassy in Kensington tomorrow evening. Full details at Stille Post, but basically a bunch of us who hog the front row at shows in town will be displaying (and selling) prints of some of our Canadian indie subjects. There’ll also be acoustic sets from Woodhands, The Rural Alberta Advantage and dd/mm/yyyy. Doors at six, music at 7, over by 10.