One of the greatest musical memories of my life: Dakota Tavern, June 2022, perhaps the first show I’d seen since contracting Covid, the band is Cuff the Duke.
I’d just published Hearts on Fire, where the longest chapter is about personal friends in Three Gut Records, the label where Cuff the Duke got their start. Their brilliant 2002 debut still stands as one of my favourite records of all time. That June night, with plague in the air and most of us still wary about any social interactions, a room full of (mostly) masked people sang this song together at the top of their lungs:
That night Cuff the Duke was possibly better than I’d ever seen them play. This month they put out their first album in 12 years.
Cuff the Duke – Breaking Dawn
(Cardinal)
The current music biz model, as suggested by Spotify’s CEO, is to release a constant stream of new “content” to maximize revenue in the attention economy. Unless your name is Prince—and even if it is—that’s a likely recipe for an early demise, creatively or otherwise.
OR: you could spend 10 years after your debut making a name for yourself, then take 12 years off and live a life and then make a rock-solid return with a rejuvenated band and a set of songs that sound like greatest hits.
Cuff the Duke’s Wayne Petti chose the latter. “I’m not sure who I am anymore / I keep going anyway.” “I don’t see the point in crying anymore.” Breaking Dawn is an astounding comeback. (And don’t judge this album by its cover image.)
Cuff the Duke are often incorrectly pegged as an alt-country band, at one point a baby Blue Rodeo. But, like those elders, not to mention Wilco, Cuff the Duke has never been a one-trick pony. And most of their songs are in minor keys, haunting even at their most jaunty.
Right from the debut, their songs have had epic stretches, at times psychedelic, at times cinematic, often intense. This time out is no exception: there are some tasty, twisty guitar workouts between Petti and Francois Turenne (the epic, inevitable set-ender “Stranded Here”) and, on “Ballad of the Breaking Dawn” (above), a brass breakdown that sounds like a martial lament.
Petti has, for several years now, worked for the management team that has represented the National, Broken Social Scene and more. That gave him a bit of impostor syndrome: compared to those artists, what did he have to contribute? Thankfully he ignored the devil on his shoulder, because this is the band’s finest work since the first three albums.
Thom Hammerton (Bry Webb, Minotaurs) is an essential component on keyboards here, in ways I don’t recall in CTD’s past discography. Some of the most effective songs here happen when bassist Paul Lowman picks up a fiddle (“Seasons Come, Seasons Go”). There’s some nice extended doom-twang at the end of “Keep Going Anyway.” Even at their most ambitious, CTD pack a lot into songs that don’t stretch past the five-minute mark. They also deliver tiny, perfect pop songs in under three minutes, like “Half of It.”
Canadian comeback of the year? Hands down.
Here’s a song from the file labelled “I can’t believe it’s not Blue Rodeo” (which is a compliment):
Cuff the Duke play Longboat Hall on November 30. Other Ontario dates here.
All news no snooze
Aaaaaaand… scene. Right? Please?
Canadian hero Jack Long has died at age 95. In 1956 he founded what became Long & McQuade (McQuade split in 1965, the name stuck), which became a national chain of music stores known for generous lease-to-own policies on musical instruments and P.A. equipment (with even better rates for students). The impact of that can never be overstated: Jack Long is a principal factor in how generations of Canadian musicians got their start and continue to develop. He’s a member of the Order of Canada, but he should be getting a state funeral. The CBC has an obit here. There’s a bit of company history here.
Longtime readers will know how evangelical I am about Canadian country/torch singer Tami Neilson. A huge part of her stunning live show is her brother Jay on guitar, an incredibly tasteful player. He recently suffered a severe brain injury, was in an induced coma, and must now learn how to walk and talk again on a long road to recovery. There is a GoFundMe organized by his sister and his wife here.
The Revue Cinema has been saved! Well, the Roncesvalles movie house itself was never threatened—its current board and ace programmers were. But they’ve come to an agreement with the landlords for a five-year lease. Tonight they’re premiering a Wu-Tang concert movie. Tomorrow they are, naturally, showing Friday the 13th. Hairspray is next week. Schedule here.
If you’re a big Prince fan (ahem) and/or concerned about the state of modern biography (AHEM), you absolutely need to read this New York Times Magazine piece about a nine-hour documentary that’s likely to be shelved because the estate thinks there are too many warts that threaten a lucrative legacy. Will Netflix fight for truth? Unlikely. And why would they want to edit a 9h cut they’ve already paid for down to 6h? Any true Prince fan is going to be in for a penny, in for a pound. As for the NYT story itself, you don’t see this kind of note underneath a byline very often: “Sasha Weiss reported this article for a year and a half and interviewed more than 20 people. She is one of a small number of people to have seen the Prince film.”
The mighty
writes eloquently about the Pogues’ Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, one of my favourite records of all time. It’s the kind of piece I immediately shared with friends from decades long ago when we were all learning how to play these songs. And yes, Hermes does compare Shane MacGowan to Lou Reed; Hermes is the latter’s latest biographer.Sonic Unyon, the little ’90s record label that could, is now primarily co-founder Tim Potocic and a new team that runs this weekend’s Supercrawl festival in their hometown of Hamilton. They also manage rock goddess Terra Lightfoot. Their newest venture is a venue in my old stompin’ grounds of Guelph: Sonic Hall, located on the 2nd floor of the NE corner of Wyndham and Macdonell. For current shows and future listings, follow here and here.
Have Not Been the Same readers: That book has a chapter about the ways in which k.d. lang messed with the conservative country music establishment in the 1980s, a story that seems to be erased in newer histories about the queering of Nashville. This month she’s reuniting with her country band, the Reclines, for an appearance at the Canadian Country Music Awards. Hope it turns into more than a one-off: the timing couldn’t be better.
Whatever happened to K’naan? The rapper between K-OS and Drake who had an enormous international hit in 2009-10 put out one follow-up album and then disappeared. He actually spent years working on developing an HBO show about the Somali community of Minneapolis, which didn’t get picked up after the pilot. He then channelled his energy into a new film, Mother, Mother (no relation to the band), that debuted at TIFF this year. Though he has been spotted at a handful of Canadian festivals, and says he has two albums’ worth of new material, he’s not itching to get back into the music biz. The Canadian Press talks to him here.
Self-promotion: Kyle Mullins at the CBC wrote this piece about the 20th anniversary K-OS’s Joyful Rebellion, in which I’m quoted briefly. I didn’t think anyone read the hip-hop chapter of Hearts on Fire, and yet this is the second time I’ve been called for comment about this album in particular (not complaining, just curious). The G&M was the first. No one has called about the 20th anniversary of Arcade Fire’s Funeral this week—interesting.
Finally, on the topic of anniversaries, this week also marks the 25th anniversary of the Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs, a record that’s haunted me every goddam day since, for better and worse.
says just about anything I’d want to here:T.O. SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW
An entirely subjective and by no means comprehensive look at Toronto’s concert calendar, tailored to musically curious people who are probably (but not necessarily) over 40. My strong recommendations in bold.
Suggestions welcome. So are advertisers! Each post gets approximately 1K unique views. Drop me a line.
Don’t live in Toronto? Most of these artists are on tour, so check your local listings. Just kidding! There are no local listings anymore. Check the artists’ websites.
JUST ANNOUNCED (mark your calendars):
Cadence Weapon’s “The Entertainer”: salon series of conversation, performance and DJ sets at Standard Time (Geary Ave.) every Thursday in October, featuring Debby Friday (Oct 3), Jacques Greene (Oct 10), Owen Pallett (Oct 17) and Lido Pimienta (Oct 24)
Honeymoon Suite, A Flock of Seagulls, Men Without Hats, the Spoons: Nov 23 at History
Pat Metheny: Nov 26 at Massey Hall
Zoobombs: Nov 28 at Monarch Tavern (also Nov 21 at Casbah in Hamilton)
Great Lake Swimmers: Dec 12 at Longboat Hall. New acoustic retrospective out next month.
Dream Theater: March 11 at CNE Coliseum
Refused, Quicksand: March 23 at History
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: April 23 at Meridian Hall
Tonight and every night!:
The Tranzac and Drom Taberna, the two venues closest to my heart, boast several acts a night and have the most eclectic lineups — just go! The equally busy Cameron House has mostly roots vibes; jazz is always happening at the Rex Hotel. Jazzintoronto.ca’s Instagram page has daily jazz listings at various venues. For the best in Toronto’s Latin and Caribbean scene, check Lula Lounge. Are you an east-ender? Always something on at Castro’s or Sauce on the Danforth.
Coming this week:
Nicolette & the Nobodies, Falcon Jane: Sept 12 at Monarch Tavern. Wrote about them here.
Dave Clark’s Western Slang: Sept 12 at Sellers & Newel. #HaveNotBeentheSame #TheNeverEndingPresent
Jim White: Sept 12 at Hugh’s Room. The singer-songwriter, not the Dirty Three drummer.
Paul Weller: Sept 13 at History
Spookey Ruben: Sept 13 at Bsmt254
Buzzcocks: Sept 13 at Opera House
Darius Jones’s fLuXkit Vancouver: Sept 13 at Guelph Jazz Festival
Supercrawl Hamilton: Sept 13-15. Featuring Explosions in the Sky, Matt Andersen, Danko Jones, the Sadies, Rich Aucoin, the Dears, Kaia Kater, Moonriivr, Peter Dreams, Charlotte Cornfield, much more. Details here.
Mia Sheard sings Joni Mitchell: Sept 13 at Hugh’s Room. Sept 14 show cancelled.
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story: Sept 14 at Barbara Hall Park (Church/Gloucester streets), 7 p.m., free outdoor screening. Wrote about the film here.
St. Vincent: Sept 14 at Massey Hall
D.O.A.: Sept 14 at Horseshoe #HaveNotBeentheSame
New Future City Radio (Rob Mazurek, Damon Locks): Sept 14 at Guelph Jazz Festival
Boy Golden: Sept 14 at Opera House
Explosions in the Sky: Sept 14 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Cat Power: Sept 14 at Fallsview Casino. That’s right, ’90s weirdos, you’re in your casino years now.
The Dears: Sept 15 at Great Hall. #HeartsOnFire
William Prince, Cris Derksen: Sept 15 at Bluma Appel Theatre
The Hives: Sept 16 at History
Tom Waits Appreciation Society: Sept 16 at Linsmore Tavern
Kyp Harness, Alexandr Mikitenko: Sept 16 at Handlebar
Polaris Prize Gala: Sept 17 at Massey Hall. Featuring 8/10 of these people.
Jessica Pratt: Sept 17 at Great Hall the Phoenix
Amen Dunes: Sept 17 at Concert Hall Great Hall
Mo Kenney: Sept 17 at Baby G
El Khat: Sept 17 at the Burdock. Yemeni band who was in town for Ashkenaz, back for an encore. I heard very good things. New album out on Glitterbeat.
Charlie XCX, Troye Sivan: Sept 18 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
Phosphorescent: Sept 18 at Great Hall
Jane’s Addiction, Love and Rockets: Sept 18 at Ontario Place Ampitheatre
Hans Zimmer: Sept 19 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
Carole Pope: Sept 19 at Hugh’s Room
Too Many Zooz: Sept 19 at Lee’s Palace
Feist: Sept 19 at Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton #HeartsOnFire
Frank Turner: Sept 19-22 at Great Canadian Casino (Woodbine Racetrack). Support acts: Henry Rollins on Sept 19, Nobro on Sept 20, the Dirty Nil on Sept 21 and Bedouin Soundclash on Sept 22.
Coming sooner than later
Tom Wilson’s TEHÅHÀHAKE Trio: Sept 20 at Hugh’s Room
Shovels & Rope: Sept 20 at Lee’s Palace
The National, War on Drugs, Lucius: Sept 20 at Ontario Place Ampitheatre
Wanda Sykes: Sept 20 at Meridian Hall
Unplugged North feat. Fraxinus Prime (USS), Timerity (Protest the Hero), Carmen Elle (Diana), and the Indiana Drones: Sept 20 at Cameron House 8 p.m.
Keane: Sept 20 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Idles: Sept 20 at CNE Coliseum
Blue Hawaii: Sept 20 at Drake Underground
Big Sugar: Sept 21 at Concert Hall
Mr. Pharmacist (Fall cover band), Psychic Weapons: Sept 21 at Linsmore Tavern
Ladom Ensemble: Sept 21 at Hugh’s Room. Klezmer/tango/Persian chamber group.
Pansy Division: Sept 21 at Monarch Tavern.
Sting: Sept 20-22 & 24-25 at Massey Hall.
Peaches: Sept 22 at the Phoenix #HeartsOnFire
Princess Superstar: Sept 22 at Horseshoe Tavern
Micah Barnes sings Leonard Cohen: Sept 22 at Hugh’s Room
Vampire Weekend, Cults: Sept 24 at Ontario Place Ampitheatre
Bad Religion: Sept 24 at Danforth Music Hall. Cancelled.
Korn: Sept 25 at Ontario Place Ampitheatre
Sheesham, Lotus and ’Son: Sept 25 at Hugh's Room. Old-timey group normally seen backing up Lil Andy in his Hezekiah Proctor persona.
Petunia & the Vipers: Sept 25 at Horseshoe Tavern
Michael Kiwanuka, Basia Bulat: Sept 25 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
PJ Harvey: Sept 25-26 at History
Dropkick Murphys: Sept 26 at Great Canadian Casino (Woodbine Racetrack)
Claire Rousay, Rempitt Goddess, Karen Ng: Sept 26 at Monarch Tavern. Part of Venus Fest.
Evicshen, Ahya Simone, Kat Estacio: Sept 27 at It’s OK Studio (Queen & Augusta). Part of Venus Fest.
Neko Case: Sept 27 at Danforth Music Hall.
Kaytranada: Sept 27 at Ontario Place Ampitheatre
U.I.C., the Wabi Sabis, Bloodshot Bill with Gerard Van Herk (Deja Voodoo): Sept 28 at Horseshoe #HaveNotBeentheSame
Isabella Lovestory, Rempitt Goddess, We Turn to Red: Sept 28 at It’s OK Studio. (Queen & Augusta). Part of Venus Fest. Lovestory is the Montreal reggaeton artist long-listed for the Polaris prize in 2023.
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame: Sept 28 at Massey Hall, featuring Sarah McLachlan, Tom Cochrane, Keelor/Cuddy, Diane Tell.
Luna Li, Mother Tongues: September 28 at Danforth Music Hall
Daniel Lanois: Sept 28 at the Phoenix #HaveNotBeentheSame
Homeshake, Freak Heat Waves: Sept 28-29 at Lee’s Palace
The Way We Feel: annual Gordon Lightfoot tribute: Sept 28-29 at Hugh’s Room. Final shows for this long-running concept.
The Marley Brothers (including Ziggy, Damian and Stephen): Sept 29 at Ontario Place Ampitheatre
Herbie Hancock: Oct 1 at Massey Hall
Kings of Leon, Phantogram: Oct 1 at Ontario Place Ampitheatre
Mk.Gee: Oct 1 at History
Julien Baker: Oct 1-2 at Concert Hall
Billie Eilish: Oct 1-2 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
Marcos Valle: Oct 2 at Opera House. Exceedingly rare appearance by this now-80-year-old bossa nova legend.
David Sedaris: Oct 2 at Massey Hall (in addition to sold-out April 7, 2024 date)
Tegan and Sara: Oct 3 at OCAD Auditorium #HeartsOnFire
Project Nowhere festival feat. Lightning Bolt, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Lee Ranaldo, Population II, La Sécurité, Pelada, Yoo Doo Right, Badge Époque Ensemble, Sam Jr., Zoon, Bambara, Luge, Motherhood, Patriarchy, more: Oct 3-5. Holy shit, psychedelic weirdos, look at this lineup. Looks like Motherhood and Patriarchy do not share the same bill—go figure.
Stars: Oct 3-5 at Concert Hall. #HeartsOnFire 20th anniversary of Set Yourself on Fire. All shows sold out.
Fred Again: Oct 3-4 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
David Wilcox: Oct 4 at the Phoenix
Death From Above 1979: Oct 4 at History
Ron Hawkins: Oct 4 at Rivoli. #HaveNotBeentheSame
Get Up Kids, Smoking Popes: Oct 4 at Danforth Music Hall
Nilüfer Yanya: Oct 5 at Phoenix
The Surfrajettes: Oct 5 at the Horseshoe. Album release.
Raffi: Oct 5 (2 shows) at Massey Hall
Lemon Twigs: Oct 5 at Lee’s Palace
Social Distortion, the Bellrays: October 5 at History
Kelly McMichael: Oct 6 at the Burdock
Atarashii Gakko: Oct 6 at History
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World tribute concert: Oct 6 at Lee’s Palace
Yard Act: Oct 7 at Axis Club Concert Hall
Fidlar: Oct 7 at Phoenix
Rex Orange County: Oct 7-9 at Massey Hall
The Supersuckers: Oct 8 at the Horseshoe
Nada Surf: Oct 8 at Great Hall
JD McPherson: Oct 8 at Concert Hall. Last seen in town opening for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
The Psychedelic Furs, The Jesus and Mary Chain: Oct 9 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Chromeo: Oct 9 at History
Sepultura: Oct 9 at Rebel. Farewell tour (apparently).
Mdou Moctar, James Brandon Lewis & Messthetics: Oct 9 at Concert Hall
The Black Keys, the Head and the Heart: Oct 11 at Raptors/Leafs Arena Cancelled
Nia Archives: Oct 10 at Danforth Music Hall
Roger Clark Miller (Mission of Burma): Oct 10 at Horseshoe Tavern
Billy Bragg: Oct 11 at Massey Hall
Fontaines DC: Oct 11 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Illuminati Hotties: Oct 12 at Longboat Hall
La Luz: Oct 12 at Horseshoe Adelaide Hall
Air: Oct 12 at Massey Hall. Playing Moon Safari. And completely sold out.
Hanson: Oct 13-14 at Danforth Music Hall. Oct 13 with Matthew Sweet, Oct 14 with Phantom Planet.
Johnny Marr w/ James (the band, you know, “Laid”): Oct 14 at History. In the words of one friend, “Marr plays a pile of Smiths songs in his set, sounds great, won’t cancel at random, and won’t make you feel like you’re supporting fascists if you go to his show.”
Low Cut Connie: Oct 14-15 at Horseshoe Tavern
Anohni and the Johnsons: Oct 15 at Massey Hall. This artist never tours. Their last record was one of their best. This will be a treat.
Kokoroko: Oct 16 at Opera House
Fake Fruit: Oct 16 at Baby G
Grlwood: Oct 17 at Horseshoe Tavern. Last seen in town opening for Man Man in 2019, highly recommended.
Pokey Lafarge: Oct 17 at Great Hall
Justin Timberlake: Oct 17-18 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
Beat: (’80s King Crimson performed by Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, Danny Carey): Oct 18 at Massey Hall
Julie: Oct 18 at Concert Hall. Just Julie. From L.A.
Jake Xerxes Fussell: Oct 18 at Longboat Hall
MJ Lenderman: Oct 19 at Lee’s Palace
Xiu Xiu: Oct 19 at the Velvet Underground
Dream Serenade (10th anniversary): Oct 19 at Massey Hall. Tickets here. Artists TBA.
Looking ahead
Cyndi Lauper: Oct 20 at Raptors/Leafs Arena. Farewell tour (apparently).
Slift: Oct 20 at Lee’s Palace. Super heavy French psych rock band who make King Gizzard look like lightweights. Can we get Montreal’s Population II on this bill?
Maggie Rogers: Oct 22 at CNE Coliseum
The The: Oct 22 at Massey Hall. First album in a quarter-century out this fall.
Drive-By Truckers: Oct 22 at Danforth Music Hall. Playing Southern Rock Opera.
Richard Thompson (full band), Kacy & Clayton: Oct 22 at Concert Hall.
Tokimonsta: Oct 23 at Opera House
Vince Staples, Baby Rose: Oct 23 at History. Do not miss the opener! Maybe she’ll have locals BadBadNotGood in tow, as they just released an amazing EP together.
Clairo, Alice Phoebe Lou: Oct 23-24 at Massey Hall
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets: Oct 24-25 at Allied Music Centre (Massey Hall)
David Cross: Oct 25 at Danforth Music Hall
Tom Rush: Oct 25-26 at Hugh’s Room
Sisters of Mercy: Oct 26 at History. Yes, five days before Hallowe’en, and no, Public Enemy will not be opening.
Dwayne Gretzky: Oct 26 at Massey Hall
Iron Maiden: Oct 26 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
Tenille Townes: Oct 26 at Danforth Music Hall
Arc du Soleil: Oct 27 at Great Hall Phoenix
Jon Langford: Oct 27 at Horseshoe Tavern
Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn: Oct 27 at Lula Lounge
Leon Bridges, Hermanos Gutiérrez: Oct 27-28 at Massey Hall
Ben Caplan: Oct 29 at Allied Music Centre (inside Massey Hall)
Carolyn Mark: Oct 29 at Sellers & Newel
Sunset Rubdown, Sister Ray: Oct 30 at Concert Hall. New album coming. #HeartsOnFire
Fucked Up: Oct 31 at Great Hall #HeartsOnFire
Thee Sacred Souls: Oct 31 at History
Devonté Hynes with Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Nov 1 at Roy Thomson Hall
Patrick Watson with Orchestre FILMharmonique: Nov 2 at Meridian Hall
Mickey Guyton: Nov 2 at… the Velvet Underground? That’s an odd choice for an Opry artist.
James Vincent McMorrow: Nov 3 at Danforth Music Hall
Carsie Blanton: Nov 3 at Hugh’s Room
Destroyer (solo): Nov 3 at the Casbah in Hamilton #HeartsOnFire
King Diamond, Overkill: Nov 3 at Great Canadian Casino (Woodbine, in Rexdale)
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band: Nov 3 & 6 at Raptors/Leafs Arena. Rescheduled from Nov 14 & 16, 2023.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Kee Avil: Nov 5 at Concert Hall History. #HeartsOnFire
Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story: Nov 5 at Royal Cinema, with Q&A and performance by Eugene Hütz and Sergey Ryabtsev
The Dip: Nov 6 at Concert Hall
Engelbert Humperdinck: Nov 6 at Massey Hall. FWIW this is “The Last Waltz” for Mr. Humperdinck (not his real name).
Kacey Musgraves, Lord Huron, Nickel Creek: Nov 7 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
Jerry Leger, Lori Yates: Nov 7 at Hugh’s Room
Jayhawks: Nov 7-8 at Great Hall
Ducks Ltd., Ratboys: Nov 8 at Lee’s Palace
Elisapie: Nov 8 at Opera House
The Jitters: Nov 8 at Hugh’s Room
Chantal Kreviazuk: Nov 9 at Massey Hall. Celebrating 25 years of her second album, Colour Moving and Still, to be re-released on vinyl.
Haley Fohr (Circuit des Yeux), Bill Nace: Nov 11 at Standard Time
Danny Michel, Steve Poltz: Nov 11 at Great Hall. Together again—they’re the new Steve Martin and Martin Short!
John Francis Flynn: Nov 12 at Monarch Tavern
La Femme: Nov 13 at Opera House
Suzie Ungerleider & friends: Nov 14 at Hugh’s Room
Tycho: Nov 14 at History
Joel Plaskett: Nov 14-15 at Great Hall #HeartsOnFire
Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams: November 14-16, 21-23, 2024 at Skydome. Good luck! Death to Ticketmaster!
Menno Versteeg (Hollerado, Anyway Gang): Nov 16 at Monarch Tavern
Life is a Carnival: Last Waltz feat. Mike Campbell, John Medeski, Don Was, Benmont Tench, more: Nov 16 at Meridian Hall
Rich Aucoin: Nov 16 at Longboat Hall
Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief): Nov 16 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Sparta: Nov 17 at Axis Club
Modest Mouse, Black Heart Procession: Nov 17 at History
Pond: Nov 19 at Danforth Music Hall
Morrissey: Nov 19 at Fallsview Casino
Rufus Wainwright: Nov 20 at Koerner Hall
Reuben & the Dark, Housewife: Nov 20 at Great Hall. Presented by No Music on a Dead Planet campaign.
Sturgill Simpson: Nov 20-21 at Massey Hall
Geoffroy: Nov 20-21 at Drake Underground
The Watchmen, Kane/Potvin (Grapes of Wrath, Northern Pikes): Nov 23 at Danforth Music Hall #HaveNotBeentheSame
The Songs of Nick Drake: Nov 23 at Hugh’s Room
Caribou: Nov 23 at Massey Hall. Never underestimate how good Dan Snaith’s Caribou band is live. #HeartsOnFire
Caribou: Nov 24 at History #HeartsOnFire.
Jane Siberry: Nov 26-27 at Hugh’s Room #HaveNotBeentheSame
Jim Cuddy: Nov 27 at Massey Hall. Non-Torontonians: He’s also playing every possible town in Ontario this year, to promote sixth solo album. #HaveNotBeentheSame
Tokyo Police Club: Nov 27-29 at History. Final shows.
Bibi Club: Nov 28 at St. Anne’s Lower Hall. Wrote about them here.
Women’s Blues Revue: Nov 29 at Massey Hall. Featuring Diana Braithwaite, Tanika Charles, Kellylee Evans, Rebecca Hennessy, Meghan Parnell, Crystal Shawanda, more.
Women’s Blues Revue: Nov 29 at Massey Hall
Le Couleur: Nov 29 at Velvet Underground
Sloan plays Smeared: Nov 29-30 at Concert Hall #HaveNotBeentheSame
Cuff the Duke: Nov 30 at Longboat Hall.
Shakira: Nov 30 at Raptors/Leafs Arena
54-40, Limblifter: Nov 30 at Danforth Music Hall #HaveNotBeentheSame
Sister Sledge: Nov 30 at Living Arts Centre, Mississauga
Donovan Woods: Dec 5 at Massey Hall
Alvvays: Dec 5-7 at Concert Hall
Snotty Nose Rez Kids: Dec 6 at Opera House
The Dead South: Dec 7 at Massey Hall
The Trews: Dec 7 at Danforth Music Hall
Dead Letter Office: Dec 13 at Horseshoe Tavern. R.E.M. tribute band celebrates 40 years of Reckoning.
Choir! Choir! Choir!: Unsilent Night: Dec 21 at Massey Hall (2 p.m. & 8 p.m.)
Sum 41: Jan 28 & 30 at Raptors/Leafs Arena. Final shows of final tour.
Porridge Radio: Jan 28 at the Garrison
Frank Black: Jan 29 at History. Celebrating 30 years of solo debut Teenager of the Year.
Soccer Mommy, Tomberlin: Feb 4 at Concert Hall
Branford Marsalis: Feb 8 at Koerner Hall
Travis: Feb 12 at Concert Hall
Apocalyptica (Metallica string quartet): Feb 13 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas: Feb 14 at Koerner Hall
Molchat Doma: Feb 19 at History. Big in Belarus!
Rosanne Cash: March 7 at Koerner Hall
Los Lobos (acoustic): March 8 at Koerner Hall
Big Smoke Brass: March 11 at Allied Music Centre (Massey Hall)
Anoushka Shankar: March 25 at Massey Hall
Angélique Kidjo: March 25 at Koerner Hall
Bright Eyes: April 10 at History
Chilly Gonzales: April 22 at Massey Hall. #HeartsOnFire
Joseph Arthur: April 23 at Horseshoe
Max Richter: April 29 at Massey Hall
Talib Kweli: May 2 at Living Arts Centre, Mississauga
Bruce Hornsby with yMusic: May 3 at Koerner Hall
Oscar Peterson at 100: feat. Joe Sealy, Thompson Egbo-Egbo, Robi Botos, Caity Gyorgy, Colleen Allen, much more: June 14 at Massey Hall
July 3: OMD at History (postponed from Oct 8)
Be kind to each other.
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