So the final lineup for Toronto’s Virgin Festival was supposed to be announced yesterday but by the end of the work day, no press release from the organizers had appeared. But there was one from Universal Music which probably explained why the official announcement hadn’t come – as many had expected, Amy Winehouse had cancelled her Fall North American tour on account of her burgeoning career as a cautionary tale.

So as with last year when Massive Attack’s festival-closing slot was cancelled on account of visa issues, V Fest is again left scrambling to replace a high-profile act though the three weeks they have this time around is far better than the two days they had last time (Broken Social Scene were tapped last year, to the delight of some and the dismay of others). I’m also sure that feelers were put out for a possible replacement after Winehouse ODed a couple weeks ago. The most logical place to look for potential subs would be the Osheaga fest, happening that same weekend and just up the highway (well, six hours up the highway). I’d put money on Feist if she wasn’t scheduled for the Saturday in Montreal so maybe… Macy Gray? Or, possibly/hopefully a certain Brooklyn three-piece who it’s just come to my attention will be in town for a private sort of thing the night before… Who? Antonym up the post title for a hint. Also unclear is whether Paulo Nutini, who was going to be around on account of being the tour opener for Winehouse, will be in attendance.

But the rest of the show must go on and so looking at the Virgin Festival website, even though they haven’t announced it as such, it looks pretty final. A number of smaller acts have been added in the past week so if there’s still anyone yet to be announced, it’ll probably be of that stature. Those who are still hoping for someone like Radiohead to be a last minute addition – and they’re out there, I’ve seen them – will certainly be disappointed but if you live in a world where you honestly believe that Radiohead would be added to a festival lineup at the eleventh hour, you’re probably used to being disappointed.

So here’s how it’s looking:

A whole lot of unknown names on that list, but having done a very quick sampling while gathering website links there’s a good mix of styles represented so there’s a good chance of finding something new and interesting no matter what a given festival-goer is into. Now even if the lineup is final (Update: obviously it’s not, as it’s been changing via various sources throughout the day, tracked above), there’s still the question of scheduling – there’s plenty of opportunity for conflicts between must-sees there. Hopefully that makes its way out soon and finally, since I won’t be posting this with the show review, a song from and for Ms Winehouse.

MP3: Amy Winehouse – “You Know I’m No Good” (featuring Ghostface Killah)

One of day two’s big acts – Stars – is gearing up for the physical release of In Our Bedroom After The War on September 25 by offering bonus goodies with the CD – a bonus 55-minute documentary feature on DVD called Are We Here Now?. Pitchfork has details and a trailer. And speaking of Stars goodies, make sure to swing back here later this week, I’ve got some good stuff to give away. In the meantime, watch their new video.

Video: Stars – “Take Me To The Riot” (MOV)

And if you clicked through the Feist link above, you may have found instead of her website a handwritten note announcing that she’s abandoned it for the time being for fear of robots, opting to use MySpace as her sole internet presence. She talks about many things in this interview with The Sydney Morning Herald but not the robophobia – maybe it’s still too delicate to discuss.

The New Pornographers finally released Challengers yesterday. New York Magazine, Dose, The Phoenix and The Globe & Mail talked to Carl Newman about the new album as well as his recent nuptials.

Check out the second video from Rilo Kiley’s Under The Black Light, centering around a plot wherein Jenny Lewis realizes just how short Blake Sennett is. Metacritic is being far kinder to the record than I’d expected.

Video: Rilo Kiley – “Silver Lining” (Flash)

Billboard has details on Neil Young’s next studio album and, in true Neil fashion, it’s a sequel to an album that was never released in the first place. Chrome Dreams 2, out October 16, is the follow-up to the original Chrome Dreams which was shelved in 1977 though many of the songs intended for it trickled out on subsequent releases. I had an MP3 version of it cobbled together from bootlegs, live recordings and outtakes and while it was near-unlistenable due to the crap audio quality, if released it would have possibly been Neil’s greatest record. I mean, look at the tracklist. INSANE. Here’s hoping the follow-up is even a patch on the original.

Ryan Adams discusses kicking his various drug and alcohol additions with The Sydney Morning Herald. Maybe someone should forward that link on to Amy Winehouse?

The AV Club’s Permanent Record Hall Of Fame is on a roll recently, with the latest inductee being The Wedding Present’s very worthy Seamonsters.

Billboard reports that REM will release their first live album, R.E.M. Live, on October 16 in a 2-CD/1-DVD package. Just in time for Hallowe’en!

Mercury prize nominee Bat For Lashes has a date at the El Mocambo on September 28, an unfortunate date because that’s the same night Bloc Party are going to be at Ricoh Coliseum and The Brunettes and Ferraby Lionheart are at the Horseshoe. The Sydney Morning Herald talks about the ’60s with Brunette Heather Mansfield. Hot Hot Heat is at the Kool Haus October 8 with Sebastien Grainger and De Novo Dahl, Spoon’s October 15 show has been moved from the Phoenix to the Kool Haus and Jesu is at Lee’s Palace on October 25. Adam Franklin is also at the Drake Underground on October 25. Check out the goods from his new album Bolts Of Melody below:

Stream: Adam Franklin / Bolts Of Melody
MP3: Adam Franklin – “Seize The Day”
MP3: Adam Franklin – “Syd’s Eyes”

And finally, Shout Out Out Out Out are at Lee’s for a two-night stand October 26 and 27. JAM! talks to the band about playing V Fest in Baltimore a couple weeks ago.

And we come topical full circle! Woot!

Shut up. I make my own fun.

Within the last month, I’ve been to a number of festivals around Southern Ontario which could lay claim to the title of “most laid back music fest in the province” – first Hillside, then Wolfe Island and finally this past Sunday, one to out-mellow them all, Dog Day Afternoon.

Less a festival than a backyard party on a farm just outside of Guelph, Dog Day has been going on for some eight years (give or take?) and slowly growing each time but based on this year’s, at a very slow pace. The show is perennially headlined by The Sadies and a lineup of local talent to cater to a wider breadth of taste and genre than you might expect.

Opening things this year was Shannon Lyon, a Kitchener-Waterloo native whose name I remembered from my university days when he was fronting an outfit called the Shannon Lyon Pop Explosion. I don’t really remember what they sounded like but the name is probably some indication… anyways, it seems in the interim he’s given up on the exploding pop and taken up the mantle of raspy troubadour. Superficially reminiscent of Steve Earle, Lyon’s slow set was a good fit for the warm, lay in the grass afternoon.

Photos: Shannon Lyon @ Dog Day Afternoon – August 19, 2007
MP3: Shannon Lyon – “Carry Me Down” (live)
MP3: Shannon Lyon – “Naive” (live)
MySpace: Shannon Lyon

The next act was meant to be Rolf Klausener of The Acorn playing solo but unfortunately he was caught in traffic east of Toronto (a snarl which would come back to cause problems later on) so Gurf Morlix stepped up instead. I’d never heard of Morlix before but I had heard him and so, probably, have you. The Austinite, who spends Summers on Georgian Bay, produced and played on Lucinda Williams’ best records. He also proved himself an impressive singer-songwriter in his own right, his weathered voice and persona radiating experience and authenticity. Watching him perform a set of originals and covers, you knew you were in the presence of greatness.

Photos: Gurf Morlix @ Dog Day Afternoon – August 19, 2007
MySpace: Gurf Morlix

When I first saw the DDA lineup and saw We’re Marching On in it, my reaction was, “Really? WAMO? Really?” They were not an act I’d expect to play a farm setting such as this one or to the audience that I’d expect to attend… but here they were, the first loud act of the day and, well, I think my initial instincts were right. Their twitchy spaz-pop didn’t seem to connect at all with the lawn chair set and the applause was definitely more polite than enthusiastic. It didn’t help that the band probably felt just as awkward and came across both a bit hostile and defensive. Just not their crowd.

Photos: We’re Marching On @ Dog Day Afternoon – August 19, 2007
MP3: We’re Marching On – “1800s”

Far more crowd-pleasing were The Midways, who specialized in ’50s-era Farfisa-driven, good times rock’n’roll. Certainly not challenging or even especially memorable, but well-executed and perfectly suited to the barbeque circuit vibe. And they got the little kids dancing. You can’t fault anyone that gets the little kids dancing.

Photos: The Midways @ Dog Day Afternoon – August 19, 2007
MP3: The Midways – “A Lot Like Me”
MP3: The Midways – “Seven Little Numbers”
MySpace: The Midways

I’d been meaning to see The Bruce Peninsula a few times this Summer but hadn’t gotten the chance till now. Comprised of a slew of Toronto musicians who split their time amongst numerous other gigs (how novel!), Bruce Peninsula stood out for how they utilized most of them – rather than hand everyone a guitar and jam it out, the five ladies in the band were acted as a choir though not of angels – more like ghosts. When combined with the raw field holler of bandleader Neil Haverty, they evoked a blend of deep gospel and blues and Southern Gothic that was unexpected and mesmerizing. They’re working at committing their songs to wire recorder and play next at the Tranzac on September 5.

Photos: Bruce Peninsula @ Dog Day Afternoon – August 19, 2007
MySpace: Bruce Peninsula

Guelph’s Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy got the penultimate slot of the night though that turned into an extended engagement as by 7:30, The Sadies still hadn’t shown up. They were delayed by the same traffic that derailed The Acorn’s performance and so the Tacomas had to fill up time which they did handily with their hard-edged country rock. Armed with a shit-hot guitarist who certainly liked to play as much as possibly while staying on the right side of tasteful, they tore it up as long as they could, eventually running out of tunes and leaving everyone left to wonder what was going to happen next.

Photos: Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy @ Dog Day Afternoon – August 19, 2007
MySpace: Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy

What did happen is that a fair bit of the audience called it a day and headed home. Too bad for them, as it turned out, as The Sadies rolled in around a quarter past 8, set up their gear, changed into the Nudie suits and by 8:30 were ready to go. Hallelujah. I was a bit shocked to realize that I hadn’t seen The Sadies live since last February when they recorded their live album. Granted, that was a night that could keep me going for a good while but that’s still a long time to go Sadie-free. Happily, they were still as amazing a live act as ever, even as flustered as they surely were after arriving some four hours later than planned.

Watching The Sadies work is something to behold – simultaneously whirlwind chaotic and surgically precise, they tore through their set with old faves like “Sixteen Mile Creek” (which I’m especially fond of because a) its namesake ran next to where I grew up and b) it rocks hard) as well as new material from New Seasons, due out September 18 and some choice covers including Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”. The experience was only heightened by the fact that they were playing to a crowd of surely less than 100 people in a wide-open field. It wasn’t a concert, it was a barn dance. It was a hoe down. It was excellent.

The Gauntlet talked to The Sadies about growing up in such a musical household.

Photos: The Sadies @ Dog Day Afternoon – August 19, 2007
MP3: The Sadies – “Why Be So Curious?” (live)
Video: The Sadies – “The Horseshoe” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Sadies

Many thanks to Brendan for the invite to the party and to Erin for the ride to the party. And to the party. It wouldn’t have been a party without the party. As I mentioned in the opening, it’s been pretty cool doing all these small and cozy day-long shows over the past month. No in-your-face advertising, drunken boors or absurdly-priced food to deal with. So what’s next on the calendar… Virgin Fest. Riiiight. Actually, I kid – I’m really looking forward to V Fest. For reals.

And on a completely different note, behold – the trailer for Harold & Kumar Go To Amsterdam, aka the BEST MOVIE OF 2008.

Trailer: Harold & Kumar Go To Amsterdam (YouTube)

So hey, I’ve talked about how much I like Barrie, Ontario’s Fox Jaws both on record as well as live, but I don’t really expect you to take my word for it. After all, who the hell am I? Some mook with an internet connection and too much time on his hands. You need to make up your own mind about these things. I understand. I want to help.

Fox Jaws are celebrating the release of their new album Goodbye Doris at the Drake Underground this Friday night and courtesy of Stage Fright Publicity, I’ve got two prize packs to give away – each consisting of a pair of passes to the show, a Fox Jaws t-shirt and a copy of the CD. Fun, yes? To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Fox Jaws” in the email subject and your full name and mailing address in the body. You may pick up the goods at the show or they may get sent, not sure yet, but either way, you’ll be a winner and isn’t that the important thing? Contest closes at midnight August 22.

MP3: Fox Jaws – “Karmonica”
MP3: Fox Jaws – “Quarantine Girl”
MySpace: Fox Jaws

Was out all yesterday so I shall dispense with preamble. Local faves The Airfields have been hard at work this Summer recording their first full-length record and took the opportunity last Thursday night at The Boat to stage-test some of the new material.

The new stuff sounded good and established that there’s a definite Airfields sound and songwriting style in place – classic-sounding pop built on gentle vocals, jangling fingerpicked electric guitar and whirring keyboards with a muscular rhythm section and occasional bursts of white noise to keep things from getting too comfortable. The execution was a little spotty – inter-song tuning breaks dragged into awkward silence territory and for having just recently committed the songs to tape, they sounded rather hesitant on the new stuff. They compensated by leaning extra-hard into the older material, which sounded great with the bonus energy. I’ve seen them play and sound better, but it did make me more anxious to hear the forthcoming record. Hopes are to have it out by the end of September.

Playing before the Airfields were Feed The Ghost, a three-piece from Montreal. On the down side, their bassist had a five-string bass and played barefoot (pure irrational distaste on my part) and the singer sounded like he was trying to blend Thom Yorke’s angst with Kurt Cobain’s rage and succeeded only in making it sound like he was trying. But on the plus side, their songs were surprisingly effective at creating a moody and evocative atmosphere. I think they could be onto something if they stop trying to ape obvious influences and be themselves a little more. And get some shoes.

Photos: The Airfields, Feed The Ghost @ The Boat – August 16, 2007
MP3: The Airfields – “Nowhere Left To Go”
MP3: The Airfields – “Lonely Halls”
Video: The Airfields – “Red Fox” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Airfields

Gothamist talks to John Vanderslice about Emerald City and his recent blog tour.

Jens Lekman discusses his forthcoming Night Falls Over Kortedala, out October 9, with Line Of Best Fit. No MP3s available yet but two of the tracks are streaming below. Both are wonderful. So is the record. If you were wondering.

Stream: Jens Lekman – “Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo” (Flash)
Stream: Jens Lekman – “The Opposite Of Hallelujah” (Flash)

Those who like The Hives but don’t like Maroon 5, which is to say rational people, rejoice – the dapper Swedes will be playing their own headlining show at the Phoenix on October 3 the night before opening up for Maroon 5 at the ACC. The Black And White Album will be out October 9.

PopMatters interviews Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

My Brightest Diamond will be at the Drake Underground on September 11 November 9, Time Fite supports.

MusicOMH gets James Buckley, author of Celebrate Myself, billed as the first shoegazing/high finance novel (though you wouldn’t know it from the Amazon writeup), to pen a short essay on the shoegaze revival. Bankers Ball has an interview with Buckley about the book, which I simultaneously want to read and disavow the existence of. I’ll probably end up reading it. Seems like much less trouble.

And Under The Radar talks to Ulrich Schnauss, who will tour his new album Goodbye through the Rivoli on September 29.

MP3: Ulrich Schnauss – “Stars”

I wish there was some sort of search on Facebook that would allow me to see how many people, since Friday, have changed their status to “So and so is McLovin”. The zeitgeist is nothing if not predictable. Like many others, I went to see Superbad this weekend and it was pretty damn – if not super – good. It carries on the Judd Apatow MO (he produced) of mixing raunch and sweetness in turning out a worthy addition to the teen sex comedy film canon. Uber-dorks Michael Cera and Jonah Hill are determined to get some action before going to college and to that end, try to be the ones to score the booze for a year-end party. Hilarity, of course, ensues. Obviously, there’s nothing new here plot-wise but Hill and Cera (and Christopher Mintz-Plasse – he who is McLovin) are so excellent as the awkward, desperate but still endearing dorks that it rarely feels stale or cliched, even when it is. It does run a bit long as it insists on giving every character as much screen time as possible and dragging out every bit of comedic potential from a situation but again, you don’t mind too much. Films like this always make me nostalgic for high school, even though my high school experience was nothing like what they portray. I am a little irritated, however, that popular culture has now decided that geeks are cool and are allowed to get the girl, a decade too late to do me any good. Alas.

Trailer: Superbad (YouTube)

And speaking of dorks, I’m probably not doing myself any favours buying shirts like this one but I couldn’t resist.

Hey, I got a Last FM account. Not at all accurate in tracking my playlist – neither my iPod at work nor stereo at home, where I do the bulk of my listening – but it’s kind of interesting. Mostly it’s reporting what comes up in my iTunes random play.

And again hey to the photogeeks – Canon 40D. I’m not convinced to upgrade anytime soon – still want to see what’s next as far as full-frame goes but nine cross-type AF points and double-sensitive centre point and (allegedly) improved noise control from the Digic III… that’s some kinda tempting.