Archive for the ‘Contests’ Category

Saturday, December 7th, 2013

CONTEST – Charles Bradley @ The Kool Haus – December 12, 2013

Photo By Frank YangFrank YangWho: Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
What: “The Screaming Eagle of Soul”, whose remarkable story is captured in film and whose career renaissance of bringing old-school funk and soul plays out on stages around the world
Why: Bradley basically lives on the road, and is on a second North American leg in support of his second album No Time For Dreaming, released in the Spring. “He comes to town too often”, complained no one, ever.
When: Thursday, December 12, 2013
Where: The Kool Haus in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Brooklyn rock’n’soul combo The Jay Vons open up
How: Tickets for the show are $25.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Charles Bradley” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, December 10.
What else: Bradley released a 7″ for Record Store Day, which teamed Bradley up with his old backing band The Bullets and which Spin has to stream. The Isthmus also has an interview.

Video: Charles Bradley – “Strictly Reserved For You”
Video: Charles Bradley & The Bullets – “Ain’t It A Sin”

Friday, December 6th, 2013

CONTEST – The Kills @ The Danforth Music Hall – December 11, 2013

Photo By Frank YangFrank YangWho: The Kills
What: Trans-Atlantic rock’n’roll duo of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince who, together, embody the spirit of rock’n’roll’n’sex’sweat, though not necessarily in that order.
Why: They haven’t released a new record since 2011’s Blood Pressures – which they toured through town twice, last in February 2012 – but an invitation to open up for Queens Of The Stone Age in New York was enough to get the band out of the studio.
When: Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Where: The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto (19+)
Who else: American-born, Toronto based Meghan Remy – aka U.S. Girls – opens up.
How: Tickets for the show are $24.50 to $29.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to Kill” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, December 9.
What else: Mosshart talks to The Detroit News about how the new record is coming along, and if you missed it, their Live At L’Olympia live film is available to watch below.

MP3: The Kills – “DNA”
MP3: The Kills – “Future Starts Slow”
Video: The Kills – Live At L’Olympia

Saturday, November 30th, 2013

CONTEST – Howe Gelb @ The Drake Underground – December 7, 2013

Photo By Frank YangFrank YangWho: Howe Gelb
What: Prolific and unpredictable Giant Sand leader, singer, songwriter, and producer, equally adept at evoking the close-quartered intimacy and wide-open expanse of desert life.
Why: Gelb’s new solo record The Coincidentalist will bring him back to town for the first time since he led his gospel-backed ‘Sno Angel Like You project here in December 2006.
When: Saturday, December 7, 2013
Where: The Drake Underground in Toronto (19+)
How: Tickets for the show are $17.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Howe Gelb” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, December 4.
What else: Under The Radar has an interview with Gelb.

Stream: Howe Gelb / Coincidentalist

Wednesday, November 27th, 2013

We Let The Shadow In

Review of Kashka’s Bound and giveaway

Photo By Jason GordonJason GordonFans disappointed by the disbanding of Toronto folk-pop stalwarts Forest City Lovers last Spring didn’t have long to mourn; frontwoman Kat Burns stepped out of one project and straight into another, assuming a new identity as Kashka and coining the term “folkpoptronica” in describing her debut album Vichada, released mere weeks later. It was a decidedly synthetic and dance-friendly offering, transporting Burns’ warm vocals and songwriting strengths into a sleekly futuristic landscape like a musical version of Tron.

Her second album Bound, released earlier this month, continues to spend quality time immersed in 0s and 1s with a more overt New Wave flavour, but also returns to its forest and city roots in incorporating more organic instrumentation into the mix. But the semantics of genre are secondary to the fact that the evolution of Burns’ pop instincts over the course of three Forest City Lovers album and the Kashka debut continues unabated here. The likes of “Never Had It” and “Lamplight” boast some of the finest melodies Burns has written to date, and their buoyancy coexists with the shadowy, introspective numbers she’s always been strong at. It’s far too early in her career to declare a record a summation of all that’s come before… but Bound rather is. It sparkles and smoulders and is a strong reminder that, whatever name she trades under, Burns is one of this city’s brightest talents.

Kashka plays a record release show for Bound at The Great Hall on December 5, supported by Warm Myth and Kelly McMichael & The Gloss and courtesy of the artist, I’ve got a pair of passes to the show to give away, along with a copy of the new album on your choice of CD or vinyl. To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want to see Kashka” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me by midnight, December 3. And as a bonus, I’ve also got a pair of passes to give away for the Ottawa show at Raw Sugar on December 6, so if you’re reading from the nation’s capitol and want to go, same deal as above but put “I want to see Kashka in Ottawa” in the subject line.

Video: Kashka – “Never Had It”

It was as much a given as the new year itself, but The Sadies have confirmed their annual New Year’s Eve soirée at The Horseshoe on December 31; tickets $25.

Stream: The Sadies / Internal Sounds

They’ve been teasing its existence for a while, but The Hidden Cameras have finally announced details of their new album Age, which will be out on January 21. And to make up for the wait, they’ve announced a hometown record release show at Lee’s Palace on February 15, tickets $15.

Video: The Hidden Cameras – “Gay Goth Scene”

Their self-titled debut came out so long ago (2009) that it appears to be out of print, but Ottawa by way of Toronto rock machine The Balconies have finally gotten their second album together while expanding from a trio to a quartet; it’s called Fast Motions and will be out on January 28. Exclaim has details as well as some tour dates, including a February 1 local date at Lee’s Palace on February 1, tickets $10.50 in advance. They’re interviewed in the Victoria Times-Colonist and The Ottawa Citizen.

Video: The Balconies – “The Slo”

Chart takes Shad dollar bin-diving at Toronto’s Sonic Boom; The Winnipeg Sun also has an interview. He plays The Danforth Music Hall on January 31.

Interview gets to know Alvvays, whose debut self-titled album will be out in the new year.

Born Ruffians have premiered another new video from Birthmarks via Indie88.

Video: Born Ruffians – “6-5000”

Evening Hymns have released another video from last year’s Spectral Dusk.

Video: Evening Hymns – “Cabin In The Burn”

The Edmonton Journal, Metro, 77 Square, The Daily Tarheel, and 85-26 all talk to Basia Bulat.

NPR has a World Cafe session with Memoryhouse.

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013

CONTEST – Hayden @ The Danforth Music Hall – November 30, 2013

Photo By Frank YangFrank YangWho: Hayden
What: Hayden Desser, beloved Toronto-based singer songwriter of the slow cadence, homespun lyrics, and gravely voice who broke a four-year hiatus this Spring with the release of Us Alone.
Why: Even though he’s played a lot of shows since the album came out, they’ve largely all been either super-intimate or festivals, nothing that was properly-sized for his audience and just Hayden alone. Until now.
When: Saturday, November 30, 2013
Where: The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto (all ages)
Who else: Support comes from highly-recommended and rootsy Doug Paisley and Reuben & The Dark
How: Tickets for the show are $36.50 in advance but courtesy of LiveNation, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Hayden” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, November 28.

MP3: Hayden – “Old Dreams”
Video: Hayden – “Blurry Nights”
Video: Hayden – “Oh Memory”
Video: Hayden – “Rainy Saturday”