tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206991982009-03-18T17:54:42.702-04:00A web log of some of the great performances at Toronto's live music venues, a critique of those that flopped, and some general commentary on Toronto's evolving music scene.Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-81436186456955095452009-03-17T15:41:00.005-04:002009-03-18T17:54:38.742-04:00

We hope you all enjoyed Canadian MusicFest 09 (CMF), and made use of your wristbands to the max. It's unfortunate that the organizers boosted wristband prices from $30 to $50 this year, because it was clearly unjustified. There were also problems with "guaranteed admission" advance tickets as well, which we'll discuss later.As usual, I'll walk you through how I traversed the festival this year...

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-19902700872775186052009-02-06T13:12:00.002-05:002009-02-06T13:43:28.601-05:00

Mark your calendars... Canadian Music Fest 2009 is coming up soon (March 12-14). Formerly called Canadian Music Week, the new name seems to be far more appropriate.First of all, it was always a 3 day event (unless you count a few peripheral events the day before and the day after), not a week; and I suspect that people parsed the old name as (Canadian Music) Week, as opposed to Canadian (Music

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-81132473670320943972008-12-30T11:06:00.007-05:002008-12-30T11:43:34.607-05:00

The Christmas tree is still up, so let's keep celebrating with some live music all over town.We confess, that in our own seasonal hedonism, we've been a little lax with updates here lately. All the same, we've been packing in shows for a variety of musical interests for this week. We just need to fill out the January calendar more. Stand by.Naturally New Years Eve is the big night this week,

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-59796895728739900212008-12-18T11:03:00.009-05:002008-12-18T12:23:54.868-05:00

SEASONS GREETINGS to all visitors to Toronto Live! Club Hub !We hope you've had an enjoyable year at the clubs over 2008 and are looking for more of the same in 2009.We've found the year-end extravaganza of live performances (especially November/December) just outstanding, and it's not over yet.If you're wondering about not seeing enough evidence of this here in the Chronicles, stand by.The more

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-24032362371593937482008-11-07T13:45:00.002-05:002008-11-07T14:02:17.882-05:00

We're MAJOR Die Mannequin fans, so we're looking forward to an upcoming documentary on the band directed by Bruce McDonald (Highway 61, Hard Core Logo). It runs on IFC on Tuesday, November 18 at 8pm (EST). Here's a trailer...The "Rawside of... " is a mini-series of documentaries on up-and-coming Canadian bands, so if you get that channel on cable, you might want to watch it every week while it

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-75078180036814181822008-10-21T18:47:00.006-04:002008-10-21T20:05:40.263-04:00

Although I don't get up there as often as I used to, Rancho Relaxo is a great place to be if it isn't packed solid, as it can be at times.Last night (Monday) was ideal. It's cozy enough that it's like being in someone's living room at a house party. You meet fellow music fans, and the musicians performing that night are just wandering around the room too, when they're not on stage. What could

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-41918315733437618142008-10-07T11:49:00.006-04:002008-10-07T13:58:17.607-04:00

Indie Week 2008 kicks off this week on Thursday with a launch party on Wednesday at Tattoo Rock Parlour.Visit http://www.indieweek.com/canada/index.html for the details on artists, venues, tickets and wrist-bands.

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-5167043006756943022008-08-24T14:13:00.003-04:002008-08-24T14:36:47.221-04:00

Brian Eno and David Byrne have collaborated on a project together for the first time in 30 years... Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.Aside from it being a great album, it is a masterpiece in terms of 21st century marketing. You can stream the whole album for free, or buy it in a variety of digital and physical formats.David Byrne tours with the project this fall with a stop in Toronto

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-9283739237249730482008-06-18T09:27:00.004-04:002008-06-18T19:43:05.029-04:00

While not formally part of the North by Northeast Festival, Six Shooter Records has been holding a backyard BBQ for the past 5 or 6 years on the Saturday afternoon of NXNE week. There's free food, cheap beer and soft drinks and a free 4-5 hour showcase of talent on their temporary stage. It's literally a festival within a festival, where you can even work on your tan (or in my case burn) at the

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-70791860007004866352008-06-17T17:20:00.003-04:002008-06-17T18:32:16.557-04:00

I hope you all enjoyed NXNE 2008 as much as I did. Actually, now is a good time to take a few notes based on a "post mortem" analysis. Did it work out the way you planned? Did you see enough great acts to offset the lame ones? Was getting around a problem?I think you get the idea. Tucking away a few notes now for next year's event will help you plan the next one better.Here are some of my "

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-44453778059891233392008-06-12T15:30:00.004-04:002008-06-13T17:14:50.193-04:00

The time has come. Starting tonight.. 3 nights of mayhem with 500 bands to choose from spread across 50 venues. I hope you've done your homework. If not, grab today's NOW and get busy! Or just wing it! Buy a wrist band and go with the flow. With so much great talent in town, you're sure to find some groups that will really get you pumped up, even with a random club crawl.If you're lucky enough

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-29327443322102418342008-06-05T13:14:00.004-04:002008-06-05T13:43:03.177-04:00

This one should be a classic afternoon for the memory books. An afternoon of music in Grange Park (between Dundas W & Queen W on McCaul. It's outdoors, so bring an umbrella with the current forecast holds.Here's a backgrounder and the schedule from the press release....Hot off the heels of last year’s wonderfully successful “Summer of Love” celebration of Toronto’s 1960’s Yorkville, Luminato

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-72490926395793129252008-06-04T09:24:00.002-04:002008-06-04T09:27:02.123-04:00

We don't often talk up cover bands, but these guys are good!They're playing up at the Fox & Fiddle at Laird & McRae (near Eglinton) this coming Friday, June 6.Check them out, if you're in the 'hood.

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-90941792086254290652008-04-23T14:43:00.004-04:002008-04-23T14:52:47.653-04:00

Toronto has no shortage of great music festivals and North by NorthEast is among the best.Expect over 300 bands to be playing at over 40 clubs during an intense three days.Unfortunately, although the selection process has been over for quite some time, the final schedule isn't released until very close to event time. All the same, check out the NXNE web site occasionally for updates.

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-69545602954283171202008-04-11T11:39:00.003-04:002008-04-11T12:04:00.894-04:00

I've always wanted to see what goes on behind the scenes in the making of a rock video, so I couldn't resist the opportunity to sign up as an "extra" at the shooting of a new Hunter Valentine video last Sunday, for their song "Break This". Hunter Valentine is an awesome up-and-coming Toronto band... a rock chick trio with a great new album.I knew I had to show up for 11am on Sunday, but little

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-89945882309465142622008-03-06T11:04:00.003-05:002008-03-06T11:46:29.708-05:00

Tonight's the night! I hope you all have your wristbands ready. I won't repeat what I've already said in the previous few posts.Robert Everett-Green and Carl Wilson, entertainment writers for the Globe & Mail have picked these acts as their Top 10 Must Sees...Gary Lucas (Thurs)Krista Muir (Thurs)Jenn Grant (Thurs & Sat)Corb Lund (Thurs)Kyrie Kristmanson (Thurs)The Burning Hell (Fri)Slim Twig (

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-2083349264488178592008-03-03T14:19:00.004-05:002008-03-03T14:54:06.093-05:00

Sadly, blues guitarist Jeff Healey died yesterday after a life-long battle with cancer. He will be missed as a TO-treasure. Why not pay tribute by visiting his club during Canadian Music Week? His is one of about 40 venues participating in this annual event. I'm sure his spirit will still be in the room.We put quite a few details on CMW in our last post, so we won't repeat them again here.We

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-53748010534233413202008-02-22T15:08:00.003-05:002008-02-22T16:09:42.494-05:00

It's coming up fast so be prepared for it.Canadian Music Week brings together 500 Canadian and international srtists, who will play at roughly 40 venues (mostly in the downtown core). Get your wrist-band for $30 + tax. It's the only way to take in as many performances as you can. Use this TICKETBREAK link to order online. You'll still need to pick up your wristbands in person, but the

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-27300364124175898162008-01-22T12:12:00.000-05:002008-01-22T12:20:08.935-05:00

They're finally airing the invite-only gala Polaris Award 2007 show on a TV screen near you.Here are the dates/times announced so far...MuchMusic -- January 25 @ 12 a.m. ETMuchLOUD -- January 27 @ 7 p.m. ETCFTK TV in Terrace, B.C. -- Jan. 20 & 27 at 11:30 p.m. PTCJDC TV in Dawson Creek, B.C. -- Jan. 20 & 27 at 11 p.m. MTACCESS -- Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. ETCLT -- Feb 3 at 8 p.m. ETThere are links to

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-36109288847324714122008-01-09T13:00:00.000-05:002008-01-09T13:06:23.570-05:00

We're transitioning our homemade video clip player on the Flix page to the new YouTube player. Please bear with us during the move.The Flix 2 page has the new player, which I think you'll find more attractive than our original one.If all our previous video clips were in YouTube format, this process would be much quicker, but unfortunately many are not. When we're done, you'll just see one Flix

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-72734462011446439662007-12-08T14:44:00.000-05:002007-12-14T12:57:38.437-05:00

Normally, promotional material ends up on our PromoZone page, but every now and then you'll see a "heads-up" for stuff that we especially care about here in the Chronicles.In this case I want to draw your attention to the Light of Day Benefit at the Cadillac Lounge this coming Saturday, December 8. The Light of Day group travel the world, organizing events like this in aid of a cure for

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-46435625679594483522007-11-06T12:25:00.000-05:002007-11-07T09:22:24.664-05:00

The photo captures The Sadies' lead singers (and brothers), Dallas Good (right) and Travis Good (left) being joined by their mother (middle), doing backup vocals.The Sadies are quite unique in their bizarre blend of country/surf/garage music.They're heavy on guitar work, and perhaps a little too reluctant to do any serious singing.That's not to say that they're poor singers (they're not)... they

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-71573423407831338342007-10-22T13:13:00.000-04:002007-10-22T14:36:48.911-04:00

Although we haven't promoted this before, we do have a social networking side to Toronto Live! Club Hub.We tried a User Forum a year or so ago, and it was a disaster... for couple of reasons:People were slow to get on board. This is normal. No one wants to be the first to comment on a topic, whether it's their own or not.Spammers were not so slow to get on board. In no time, there were penis

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-51190060631899719162007-10-04T13:41:00.000-04:002007-10-04T14:25:42.220-04:00

Alas, our material -- reviews, photos, video clips -- is accumulating, but it's taking a while to add it all to the site. That means that you might want to view the "Previous Posts" list to the right now and then for new postings. We think that it still makes more sense to keep the events chronological as opposed to when they are entered.Meanwhile, here's a brief update on things happening here

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20699198.post-17322725521182808312007-08-21T14:38:00.000-04:002007-08-25T12:41:15.688-04:00

I know this isn't in keeping with the Toronto club-life theme of this site, but your roving reporter headed out to the wild west to sunny Alberta to take in the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (and visit relatives) earlier this month. At least the music was live and produced by about 70 great bands from around the globe.Gallagher Park is a Natural Amphitheatre in the River ValleyThe festival is 28

Charles Whaleynoreply@blogger.com0