One of the best parts of working at the Halls is getting a sneak peek and enjoying great music by some of this country’s greatest songwriters. We’re pleased to share the experience with you with the video, below, we filmed early this Fall of Whitehorse performing an acoustic version of the track “Killing Time is Murder” from their debut self-titled EP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qq0a5AvbAE

Whitehorse (featuring Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet) perform at Winter Garden Theatre on February 24, 2012 with very special guest Amelia Curran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkk5wViJo-I

JUST ANNOUNCED
We’ve had lots of exciting new Massey Hall show announcements in the past week or so. Daughtry will be stopping in at Massey Hall with their Break the Spell Tour on March 24. The band will be showcasing tunes from their latest album Break the Spell including “Crawling Back To You” and “Renegade.”

Then in April Death Cab for Cutie hits the Massey Hall stage on April 19. The concert should be pretty special as the band will be performing on stage with members of The Magik*Magik Orchestra. Magik*Magik Orchestra is, in fact, a modular orchestra who love collaboration and whose mission it is to “attract new listeners and participants to the orchestral experience.” As you can imagine, we think this is pretty cool – and obviously so does Death Cab For Cutie. You can get a feel for the kind of activities the Orchestra gets up to by checking out the “Watch and Listen” section of their webpage here.

At the end of April, Just for Laughs brings us the hilarious John Pinette to the Hall with his show Still Hungry. If you can’t wait ‘til April, check out his YouTube feed here.

And Snow Patrol will be at Massey Hall for not just one show as previously announced but for two shows – both with rising star Ed Sheeran as special guest. Snow Patrol perform on April 17 and 18 – you can get all the details and buy tickets here.

An important announcement regarding two highly anticipated recitals at Roy Thomson hall. Firstly, due to the recent announcement of German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff’s retirement from the concert stage, Mr. Quasthoff will no longer perform as part of the duo recital planned for Friday, March 30, 2012 with Michael Schade. At the recommendation of Mr. Quasthoff and Mr. Schade, the duo recital will continue as scheduled with the Canadian debut of Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni as replacement. In addition, due to scheduling difficulties the piano recital from YUNDI for March 23, 2012 has been postponed and a new date will be announced once the tour has been rescheduled.

PERFORMANCES
Chicago (Tonight – Tuesday and Saturday): It’s finally here – our two-night-stand with superband Chicago. Some quick (mind-boggling) facts about the band – Chicago have enjoyed an astonishing 11 number one hit singles, 5 consecutive number one albums, and sales in excess of 100,000,000 copies worldwide. On the bands blog, they’re offering fans a free download of the track “Hard Habit to Break” recorded live on their 2011 tour. You can check it out here.

WEB WATCH
To start, we’ve got two seriously creative music videos for you this week. The delightful and utterly charming Jenn Grant has a new video for “Baby’s Been Away” from her current album Honeymoon Punch (via Chrome Waves) featuring fun times with split screens. And as you may have seen on the SoundboardTO Twitter feed, Wilco has a raucous new video which also, incidentally, is the first Popeye cartoon in thirty years. You’ll have to check it out over on AUXtv to see what we mean.

And, as you know, the Buzz loves when the worlds of science and music intersect (recall our wee dissertation on robots) so we were ecstatic to read about Feist and her band making their way to the McGill music lab to learn about and participate in some experiments. You can read all about their adventures from the perspective of Daniel Levitin on the McGill Reporter.

Finally, Rolling Stone magazine is reporting that Massey Hall fave Neil Young is recording a new album with Crazy Horse. Apparently, the time between their last play in 2004 (in Massachusetts) and their current recording project is the “longest time Young has gone without performing with the group since their formation.” They also report that “[t]here’s word of a spring release for the album.”

AUDIO FILE
Tracks from the legendary Aretha Franklin are available for your listening pleasure over on Spinner’s First Listen – they have available for streaming her album Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin. And National Post is pointing us to Leonard Cohen’s latest album Old Ideas streaming in its entirety over here.

Stefania Paterak is Programming Associate at Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall

This week Massey Hall was in the headlines with the exciting news of the revitalization of the Theatre Block, the block on Yonge Street, north of Queen that includes Massey Hall and the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre. Toronto developer MOD Developments Inc. announced on Monday the purchase of 197-201 Yonge Street, a 20,000 square foot parcel of land that includes the historically designated CIBC bank building. The land, which has been owned by Parasuco Jeans of Montreal since the early nineties, extends to Victoria Street and MOD Developments will be generously donating to Massey Hall the portion directly south of Massey, from the backstage area to the back of the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre.

What this gift of additional land permits us to do is now expand Massey Hall, a project we have been working on for years. Numerous studies have been done: planning, architectural, heritage, mechanical — all with the objective of improving operational efficiencies, patron and artists amenities. But until now we were unable to proceed due to the limitations of our existing property.

The “Grand Old Lady of Shuter Street” was built in 1894, a time when the current day’s uses could not have been foreseen. The concert hall, which hosts over 100 public events each year in its 2,753 seat auditorium, has been renovated on several occasions throughout its history.  Extensive alterations last took place in 1933 reducing the number of seats from 3500 to 2,753. In 1948, several operational renovations were undertaken rebuilding the stage and adding an annex to the backstage. In the last 60 years, there have been no significant architectural improvements.

With the addition of property behind the Hall, we are now looking forward to addressing the modern day needs of Massey Hall, while protecting the Hall’s concert intimacy so beloved by artists and patrons. We will be sharing news with you about the project as our planning unfolds. Stay tuned!

Heather Clark is Director of Marketing and Development at Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall

DNA. These songs are in all of our DNA. I love the Rubber Soul / Revolver time period. It was like something was rumbling. We knew change was coming and The Beatles lit the flares.

Here’s a quick selection of my 5 favourite songs from Rubber Soul and Revolver. Please note, I could change my mind an hour from now.

NOWHERE MAN
The vocal intro freezes you in time. The guitar solo sounds like space travel. John sings like a young man who realizes he’s getting smarter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfWEPu0w-7w

MICHELLE
This is Paul being Paul. An instant sing along. This song makes me put the kettle on and prepare tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKvee-w0uBc

TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS
I would easily fist fight anyone who doesn’t like this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a3NcwfOBzQ

ELEANOR RIGBY
Clearly Paul had now become the greatest composer ever to walk the face of the earth. There is empirical data to back up this claim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LOgMWbDGPA

NORWEGIAN WOOD
We all love the sitar, but listen how hard John is attacking the acoustic on this one. The most perfect 2 minutes known to mankind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGufQk9QOdM

Craig Martin is director of Classic Albums Live which performs The Beatles ‘Rubber Soul’ and ‘Revolver’ in their entirety, note for note, cut for cut at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall, Friday, January 27, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdqIpYhM6PE

PERFORMANCES
Jim Gaffigan (Saturday): Jim Gaffigan hits the Massey Hall stage this weekend in what’s sure to be a very funny evening. You may know Gaffigan from his appearances on late night shows with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien but my personal fave was his guest appearance as the loveable, if odd, best friend to Murray on Flight of the Conchords (recall his initial introduction to Murray’s “newly added friends” Bret and Jermaine over barbeque). Check out the embedded video above for some of Gaffigan’s more classic stand-up, this time on the topic of camping from his perspective (he notes that he is “what you would call indoorsy”).

Spencer Wells, Deep Ancestory: Inside The Genographic Project (Monday): The third presentation in this year’s new National Geographic Live series, Spencer Wells is a Population Geneticist who is currently taking it upon himself to create a “detailed, genetically-based map of human migration.” Seriously impressive stuff, right? (Makes your victory dance about the accomplishment of finally cleaning the attic this weekend seem a bit lacklustre, doesn’t it?). You can read all about the project here and learn about how you can participate by doing a cheek swab to “reveal your deep ancestry” here.

WEB WATCH
As you may have read on our Twitter last week, David Myles has a new music video. You can check out the video on the theme of being on the road here and check out his performance in person at Glenn Gould Studio on March 24.

If, after experiencing Myles’ life on the road, you want to nestle in to your hometown, check out The Grid’s look at music inspired by and about Toronto neighbourhoods. Groups like Metric, Rush, Lowest of the Low, and the Barenaked Ladies are covered giving shout-outs to Parkdale, North York, Leslieville, and the Danforth, respectively plus more. [And thanks Mr. Kiggins, we now see a]  Sadly, no mention of the Spadina Bus.

And just for fun, check out this article in The Toronto Star about how the Beatles’ Abbey Road was once again the highest selling vinyl album in the U.S. More interesting perhaps, is why it’s the highest selling Beatles vinyl recording (hint: it’s probably not why you think). And for an evening celebrating the music of the Fab Four, check out Classic Albums Live taking on both Revolver and Rubber Soul at Roy Thomson Hall next weekend.

AUDIO-FILE
The good folks over at NPR Music have been kind enough to share Rodrigo y Gabriela’s latest, Area 52, via First Listen. The Mexican-born, Ireland-based duo hit the Massey Hall stage April 16.

And CBC Concerts on Demand also has some good stuff for your ears this week. The 2011 Women’s Blues Revue (which took place at Massey Hall this past November) is now available and features Shakura S’Aida, Suzie Vinnick, Kat Danser, Ada Lee, Emma-Lee, and Treasa Levasseur.

ACCOLADES
The BRIT Awards nominations came out last week and we are delighted to see that Feist made the cut with a nomination in the category of International Female Solo Artist. Additional shout-outs go out to recent Massey Hall performers Bon Iver (for nominations in International Male Solo Artist and International Breakthrough Act) and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (for a nod in the category of British Male Solo Artist) as well as to Ed Sheeran (who performs with Snow Patrol at Massey Hall in April) for his mega-sweep with nominations in British Male Solo Artist, British Breakthrough Act, British Single, and Mastercard British Album of the Year. You can check out the full list of nominations here.

Stefania Paterak is Programming Associate at Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwTXwJg6_VE

JUST ANNOUNCED
We’re thrilled to relay that multi-platinum, Grammy nominated UK band Snow Patrol will perform their first Toronto headline gig in over 3 years when they play at our very own Massey Hall on April 17. The band will be in town to support their new album Fallen Empires which is available from your favourite music retailer beginning today! Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, January 13 at noon and to FriendsFirst members tomorrow at 10am. Special guest is the fantastic Ed Sheeran. If you haven’t yet heard him, watch “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” or the Rupert Grint approved video for Sheeran’s song “Lego House” here.

WEB WATCH
Speaking of new albums, RollingStone.com recently posted that digital music sales have surpassed physical album sales for the first time in history, making up 50.3% of all music sales in 2011. With that in mind, here is a nice healthy list of new releases we can look forward to in 2012.

We’ve talked a few times over the past months about concerts live streaming (be it on YouTube with Coachella or Lollapalooza or the 73-hour uStream of Chilly Gonzales‘ World Record solo-piano-a-thon). This week, we’re excited about the potential as Twitter confirmed they’ll host and stream a live concert on one of their branded pages. The cool thing will be to see how they accomodate the discussions that no doubt will ensue not only leading up to the event but during, in real-time. This could be a whole new way to experience live music online and it will be fun to see how it goes and where it goes next!

This was kind of a neat story courtesy of the New York Times about how Peter Frampton (whom you’ll recall we presented last season at Massey Hall) reunited with his favourite guitar after 31 years (which he thought burned in a plane crash!). This, the very guitar he used not only with Humble Pie but to record his infamous Frampton Comes Alive album.

AUDIO-FILE
Lots to flag for you this week in music listening, so I’ll cut to the chase:

CBC Concerts on Demand are streaming new full concerts including The Jim Cuddy Band recorded live from Halifax. Jim Cuddy, who performs at Massey Hall on Valentines Day also graces the cover of our current issue of Performance Magazine (with a nice photo taken by our friend Lorne Bridgman).

Herbie Hancock in Calgary with Calgary Philharmonic is posted here. Featuring a similar repertoire to what we presented recently to kick off our Jazz @ Massey Hall series.

In addition, a Soundboard favourite, Doug Paisley recorded live during our presentation of him with his band from Glenn Gould Studio this fall. You may also remember last season, Doug Paisley was special guest to Massey Hall’s presentation of Bahamas at Glenn Gould Studio – Bahamas (aka Afie Jurvanen) is back with a new album called Barchords due February 7 and he recently posted a glimpse into the making of this album, in video form. You can watch it here or on PasteMagazine.com

Kathleen Edwards‘ gorgeous new album Voyageur is streaming in its entirety at NPR.

And with all this Audio-Filing, how can I not link to the new Jay-Z track posted on his website titled “Glory” – The track, reportedly celebrating “the child (he) made with the child from Destiny’s Child” was posted shortly after the birth of his new daughter Blue Ivy Carter (whose voice is also heard on the track). As a father myself, I can appreciate the sentiment and the creative birth announcement.

And finally, in one last look back at 2011, I thought it would be a good idea to check in with the (now annual?) Stereogum Bands We Lost in 2011 memorial video which sadly, to some of us, includes R.E.M., Sonic Youth, The Stills, White Stripes, among others. Given last night’s Coachella 2012 announcement (including a reunited Pulp and At the Drive-In) Stereogum perhaps could put together a resurrection video too!

Let us know what you think if you check out any of the above links. Have a good week everyone.

Stephen McGrath is Media Relations Manager at Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall and Soundboard Editor. Follow along and talk to us on FB and Twitter @soundboardTO

Hello Canadian comedy lovers;

Well, 2011 was an interesting year to say the least. A great year to be Canadian. A terrible year to be a dic…tator.

The new mayor of Toronto provided all the fodder a comedian could ask for. The new majority Prime Minister is quick to shun tyrannical leaders (and no one sees the irony in this). The most heated debate in the house of Commons was whether or not to keep the beaver as a national symbol. And we left the Kyoto protocol in our greenhouse gas emissions proving that the new Canadian mantra is “we’re here for a good time, not a long time.” Heck, if Charlie Sheen can get his citizenship, maybe there’s a Senator post for him?

I’ll be talking about all this and more in the New Year’s Eve Comedy Extravaganza with some of the funniest comics in Canada and the absolutely incomparable Andrea Martin. I guarantee there’s not a funnier place to be to end the year on a high note! And that’s not debatable.

Steve Patterson is host of CBC’s The Debaters and headlines the 11th Annual Massey Hall New Year’s Eve Comedy Extravaganza. Here is a clip of Steve performing at the Halifax Comedy Festival

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNInsQEKkiE

JUST ANNOUNCED
Just yesterday afternoon we announced that comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White will be heading to Massey Hall on April 12, 2012 as part of his Moral Compass Tour. Ron White has been a busy fellow with a New York Times Best Seller, I Had the Right to Remain Silent… But I Didn’t Have the Ability, two Grammy Award nominations, and three of the top-rated one-hour TV specials in Comedy Central’s history. Tickets for FriendsFirst members are on sale today and for the general public on Friday.

PERFORMANCES
In addition to Justin Bieber’s hugely anticipated Home for the Holidays TV special being taped tomorrow at Massey Hall, Toronto’s own The Canadian Tenors bring their own, Home for the Holidays Tour to Roy Thomson Hall for two nights this week (Thursday, December 22 & Friday, December 23): The Canadian Tenors, who were recently called by the Washington Examiner “a perfect partnership of classical and pop,” perform two shows this week in celebration of the festive season. For a taste of the music of which these four gentlemen are capable, check out this CBC Concert on Demand from their 2009 benefit concert in Vancouver for the Bulembu Foundation. The concert included a version of their now-classic take on “Hallelujah” made famous in their performance of the tune on this year’s Emmy Awards. And to get an idea of the Tenors feeling festive, here’s a video for their “O Holy Night.”

The Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto’s 22nd Annual Christmas Eve Service (Saturday, December 24,2011): This past August – which seems like both a lifetime ago and no time at all – Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, C.M. and the Choir of this church played critical roles in the State Funeral honouring Jack Layton, Leader of the New Democratic Party. The Church now returns to Roy Thomson Hall for its annual Christmas Eve Service. This year’s special concert features guest singer, Julie Michels, noted jazz/r’n’b/Brazilian samba singer.

New Year’s Eve Comedy Extravaganza! (Saturday, December 31, 2011): This year marks the 11th annual edition of our New Year’s Eve Comedy Extravaganza! at Massey Hall and we are counting down the days in excitement. The evening, which starts at 7:30pm (leaving plenty of time to get to where-ever you may be ringing in 2012), features some pretty serious talent including the delightful Andrea Martin as host. The evening will also feature the host of CBC’s The Debaters and Canadian Comedy Award winner, Steve Patterson as well as Ryan Belleville, Claire Brosseau, Trixx, Jay Brown, Graham Chittenden, Kyle Radke, Darrin Rose, and the return of musical guests Bonzai Suzuki.

Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits New Year’s Eve 2011 (Saturday December 31, 2011): Bravissimo! Returns to its annual slot on New Year’s Eve here at Roy Thomson Hall and we are delighted to welcome a cast of international stars including Canadians Wallis Giunta (mezzo-soprano) and David Pomeroy (tenor).

Salute to Vienna (Sunday, January 1, 2012): An annual tradition here in Toronto, welcome the new year with this special concert based on the famous Viennese “Neujahrskonzert.” The concert features 75 musicians, soloists from Budapest and Vienna, and dancers from the Kiev – Aniko Ballet of Ukraine. Once again, the program features favourite Strauss waltzes (of course) as well as polkas and famous Operetta pieces. What a beautiful way to welcome 2012. For a taste of what you are in for, check out the video on our event page.

WEB WATCH
The rumours are true! The Beach Boys are reuniting! Just in time for the legendary group’s 50th anniversary, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Brian Wilson (fun fact: Wilson performed at Massey Hall this past June) will be touring together starting in February (via CBC News).

And this week from the bureau of Arcade Fire related news, the supergroup has just come out with two versions of a music video for their track, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” (one of my personal faves from The Suburbs). You can check out all the details on Pitchfork including both the standard version of the video and an interactive version (which is optimized for web camera but still works with your mouse).

Somehow I missed this fun feature on NPR Music’s site: “Talk Like an Opera Geek” Giving you the Coles’ notes on all things opera starting with vocal ranges. This week’s edition explains the plight of the baritone (so often typecast as villains) but you can check out the entire “Confessions of an Operaholic” section for more.

SAD NEWS
As you have likely heard by now, writer Christopher Hitchens died last week. Hitchens recently appeared at Roy Thomson Hall as part of The Munk Debates who had made the video from his debate with Tony Blair available over the weekend in tribute to Hitchens’ lifetime. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, the opening statements of both Hitchens and Blair are still available here. For more on Hitchens, British novelist and screenwriter Ian McEwan shares his thoughts and appreciation for him in the Globe and Mail.

Singer Césaria Évora passed away over the weekend. Evora, who had performed at both Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall in years past, had retired recently from performance after having suffered strokes in 2008 and September of this year, according to the Globe and Mail, which has a lovely article on her life and great success here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsH4qe_Dwjc

Stefania Paterak is Programming Associate at Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07feeZIGkqQ

PERFORMANCES
Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Creole Christmas: (Thursday): Preservation Hall Jazz Band returns to Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday night with their special holiday concert, Creole Christmas. The legendary band is celebrating its 50th anniversary in style in the new year with a special concert at Carnegie Hall featuring the likes of My Morning Jacket, Allen Toussaint, Blind Boys of Alabama, and Mos Def (via Consequence of Sound) – that’s some fine company. Check them out at Roy Thomson Hall this week and also be sure to read this LA Times article on the musical influences of band leader Ben Jaffe.

Toronto Children’s Chorus: A Chorus Christmas – Mystery of the Season (Saturday): An annual tradition at Roy Thomson Hall, the voices of the Toronto Children’s Chorus fill the Hall to the brim with joy this weekend. This year’s concert features the premiere of a Maori song with percussion and special guests True North Brass accompanying the chorus. You can hear (and see) a group of 35 of the 300 singers this Thursday afternoon at 4:20pm when they perform live (and video stream) at The New Classical 96 FM.

JUST ANNOUNCED
Last week we announced two shows coming up in the spring. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings will perform at Massey Hall on Wednesday March 21, 2012 in their show titled, Kings and Queens Live. The show will include appearances from and collaborations with a variety of women (or “Queens”) including Holly Cole, Amy Helm, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Serena Ryder and more. The Rodeo Kings new album, Kings and Queens, released in June 2011 features duets from the likes of Lucinda Williams, Roseanne Cash, Serena Ryder, to name a few. You can stream the tracks on the band’s site.

Also announced last week is a performance from Dala (in celebration of their forthcoming album, Best Day) with special guest Kevin Fox. Dala, comprised of duo Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine, are JUNO Award nominees and winners of the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year. Tickets for this one are on sale right now – you can pick some up and check out the video for the duo’s song “Horses” on our site. And don’t forget to check out Kevin Fox’s website too which includes all sorts of good stuff not least of which is this stellar cover of Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”.

WEB WATCH
I think my most favourite thing that I have read on the internet this week is this headline: “Want a career in opera? There’s an app for that.” In the Globe and Mail, Robert Everett-Green reviews the app that London’s Royal Opera House has available through iTunes: The Show Must Go On. Everett-Green reports, “For $1.99 at the iTunes Store, anyone with an iPad or iPhone can play, solving a series of backstage crises at the ROH. There are four shows to save, or make worse, depending on your skills: The Marriage of Figaro, Swan Lake, Carmen, and The Nutcracker. Each is harder than the last. All require you to do a series of jobs under strict time limits, from costuming dancers to dashing over rooftops in search of missing sheet music.” Fun!

And a PSA from the world of online music journalism: as the year-in-review lists start to roll in (Rolling Stone and Stereogum) so too do the year-end readers polls. You can check out Pitchfork’s reader’s poll here and Exclaim!’s version here.

And finally, just for fun, the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards were recently announced which brought to my attention a music video for Said the Whale that I somehow missed along the way. NXEW has a summary of the awards bestowed including the award for Best Video going to the aforementioned video for Said the Whale’s track “Lines.” Back to the Future fans take special note: totally worth checking out.

AUDIO-FILE
The annual Women’s Blues Revue took place at Massey Hall last month and once again was a fantastic evening of entertainment. CBC Concerts on Demand now has the live recording of the concert featuring tunes sung by Treasa Levasseur, Emma-Lee, Suzie Vinnick, Kat Danser, Ada Lee, and Shakura S’Aida.

Stefania Paterak is Programming Coordinator at Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0_h3AAn7Pk

PERFORMANCES
Brian Skerry, Ocean Soul: Photographing the Underwater World for National Geographic (Tonight-Tuesday): National Geographic Live returns to Roy Thomson Hall for the second in this series of four speaker events. Canadian photographer Brian Skerry, has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater learning and photo-documenting this mysterious world. Like the last presentation at Roy Thomson Hall from National Geographic (by photographer and filmmaker, Mattias Klum), the evening features prepared remarks and a showcase of the speaker’s work as well a Question and Answer session. Just last month, Boston Magazine had the opportunity to ask some questions and get some answers in this interview – check it out.

Bon Iver (Tonight-Tuesday & Wednesday): Bon Iver, who was just nominated for no less than four Grammy Awards (see Accolades, below) returns to town this week with two shows at Massey Hall. Lianne La Havas also performs on these nights – if you’re one of those do your homework in advance types, check out her website for a snapshot of her lovely music. We’re very much looking forward to a proper introduction (i.e. from the stage of Massey Hall) tonight and tomorrow.

Tori Amos (Thursday): Tori Amos performs at Massey Hall this week and we’re excited to see and hear what she’s been up to with her latest recording, Night of Hunters. You can read all about the project, a bit of a departure from the pop world and into the classical, in this weekend’s Globe and Mail. Rolling Stone has a review of her December 3 performance at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan which enthusiastically declares, “The new arrangements, which Amos devised with longtime collaborator John Philip Shenale for the Apollon Musagète quartet, skipped the bombast and schmaltz typically associated with adding strings to pop songs. Instead, the group provided subtle texture and unlikely rhythmic flourish to numbers “Suede” and “Cruel,” while casting the strong melody of her Boys for Pele ballad “Hey Jupiter” in a new light.”

WEB WATCH
So my holiday list (the one where my beloved friends and family buy stuff for me, not the one where I have to trudge through the snow shopping for same) has just grown exponentially with this fantastic list curated by Rolling Stone magazine. Send your rich uncle this link and dream of sugar plum fairies, Bluetooth speakers, gramophone iPod docks, box sets, e-readers and iPads – you know, the usual stuff.

And just for fun, check out this exploration from The Grid where “Glenn,” the 1999 statue outside of Glenn Gould Studio at the CBC building is explained as “a fitting tribute to one of the city’s most beloved and respected icons.”

AUDIO-FILE
The lovely concert we presented at Glenn Gould Studio by Diana Panton is now available for your listening pleasure over at CBC Concerts on Demand. If you missed it or want to re-live all the good times, the link is here.

ACCOLADES
It’s a big week for the Accolades section. Both the Grammy Award nominations and the Canadian Folk Music Award winners were announced. Here’s a quick round up on both.

Congratulations to all those superstars nominated for Grammy Awards. Special kudos goes out to:

- Bon Iver (see Performances, above) for their four noms for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Alternative Music Album

- Dream Theater (who hit Massey Hall in October) for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance

- Jeff Beck (who also performed at Massey Hall in October) and Wilco (who paid a visit to Massey Hall for two shows in September) are both up for Best Rock Album

- Levon Helm and Lucinda Williams (who were at Massey Hall in March) each receiving nominations for the Best Americana Album

- Fleet Foxes (who took to the Massey Hall stage in July) for their nomination for Best Folk Album

- Ladysmith Black Mambazo (who performed at Roy Thomson Hall in February) for being nominated in the category of Best World Music Album

- And Weird Al Yankovic (who was at Massey Hall in July) for two nominations – Best Comedy Album and Best Short Form Music Video.

And congratulations as well to the following winners of Canadian Folk Music Awards:

- Bruce Cockburn (who was at Massey Hall in March) for both Contemporary Album of the Year and Solo Artist of the Year

- And Suzie Vinnick (who performed as part of Women’s Blues Revue just last month) for her win in the category of Contemporary Singer of the Year

Stefania Paterak is Programming Associate at Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall