In anticipation of their headlining debut at Massey Hall on March 2, Whitehorse and Six Shooter Records released a new live album, ‘The Road To Massey Hall,’ a series of cover songs that you’ll see here in video form. In their words, ‘The Road To Massey Hall’ is “a celebration of the venue’s history and a tribute to those legends that have made the iconic stage their own.” In this video series Whitehorse honour the greats and premiere each track off the live album.
Third in the series is the treasured tune by the great Bob Dylan, “It Ain’t Me, Babe.”
In anticipation of their headlining debut at Massey Hall, Whitehorse and Six Shooter Records released a new live album, ‘The Road To Massey Hall,’ a series of cover songs that you’ll see here in video form. In their words, ‘The Road To Massey Hall’ is “a celebration of the venue’s history and a tribute to those legends that have made the iconic stage their own.” In this video series Whitehorse honour the greats and premiere each track off the live album.
Second in the series is “Strawberry Blonde” from the fantastic Ron Sexsmith album Other Songs from 1997. A true Toronto classic.
We love Whitehorse, the musical and real life married duo of Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet. We are proud to present them in their Massey Hall debut on March 2, 2013 and pleased to have the opportunity to send two lucky Massey Hall ticket holders to an exclusive album release concert being held at The Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Ave.) on the evening that their new album The Fate of the World Depends on this Kissis released, this Tuesday, August 28, 2012.
Two winners will each recieve passes (2) by random draw on Monday, August 27, 2012 at noon and contacted directly via email. Those who have already purchased a ticket will be automatically entered. If you have purchased a ticket and CONTINUE READING >
In this inaugural Massey Hall Soundboard Podcast we hear from Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet of the group Whitehorse about, well, their new group called Whitehorse.
There is something so natural and effortless about Luke Doucet’s guitar playing. It’s as though it’s an extension of him. As inherent as breathing, walking or talking. Match that with equally effortless vocal harmonies, combined musicianship, and clever wordplay-song-smithing and the husband and wife duo of Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet, better known as Whitehorse, cast a pretty impressive spell on its audience.
Massey Hall is pleased to present them (along with special guest, Amelia Curran) when they perform at the Winter Garden Theatre next Friday, February 24, 2012 at 8PM.
If you can tell us in the comments section below, the title of the song they recently performed acoustically for our Soundboard video (*hint, the video is embedded below), you’ll be entered into a draw to win a CD and a pair of tickets to the show. CONTINUE READING >
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.
Whitehorse (Featuring Melissa McClelland & Luke Doucet) with Special Guest Frazey Ford (Wednesday): We are super excited to showcase to you all that is Whitehorse. Everybody’s talking about them – NXEW.ca called the newly released album “assured and excellent” and called the band a “marriage of songbird and falcon.” The Grid said they “might just be the Can-Con answer to She & Him.” After getting praise from both Spinner and BlogTO for their play to music supervisors and other industry types at last week’s Festival Music House (an invitation only event that was part of TIFF) the pair are ready to hit the Glenn Gould Studio stage. Of course, if you were unable to buy tickets to this sold out show, we’re presenting them again at the charming Winter Garden Theatre in February. Their GGS set will be preceded by a performance by Frazey Ford, a founding member of band The Be Good Tanyas – you can check out some of her tracks here.
An Evening With Bill Maher (Saturday): Bill Maher takes the stage at Massey Hall this weekend. Maher’s popular HBO show Real Time just returned to airwaves last week for its ninth season. Looking for a little more Bill Maher in your Tuesday in advance of his appearance this weekend? A catalogue of other videos is available at HBO Canada, his podcast is available here, and his Twitter here. Of course, much of this is NSFW, so use viewer/listener discretion on some of these pieces of content.
Today, Whitehorse’s debut self-titled album is released for your listening pleasure. If you haven’t been paying attention, Whitehorse is the musical marriage of real life married couple Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet. The pair play an already sold out show at Glenn Gould Studio on September 21 but, lucky for you, you have another chance to catch the pair in their new incarnation on Friday, February 24, 2012 at the Winter Garden Theatre. In the meantime, Exclaim offers this interview and you can check out their first music video embedded above.
And be sure to also check out these videos of Doug Paisley’s in-store performance at Soundscapes last June. This was in advance of the Canadian release of his album Constant Companion which we presented at the Rivoli. This October you can catch Doug Paisley at the Glenn Gould Studio.
Folks are getting pretty stoked for Wilco’s latest album, The Whole Love (which Billboard is calling one of the top 25 most anticipated albums of the Fall), to land on brick-and-mortar and digital store shelves on September 27. Wilco, who hit Massey Hall’s stage September 16 & 17 , recently released a ‘behind-the-scenes video’ – you can check it out here and read the full article about the project on SPIN Magazine’s site. Fun fact: pre-ordering the album allows you the chance to win all sorts of good stuff like a 1955 single speed bicycle, a band-signed vinyl test pressing copy of the album, or perhaps most mysterious and therefore alluring, the “Surprise Grab Bag of Wilco Items.” Check out the weekly giveaway prize list here.
Tori Amos will be paying a visit to Massey Hall this year – she performs on December 8. L.A. Times reports that her next album, Night of Hunters, is set for release in September by Deutsche Grammophon. It also reports that the tour announcement describes the album as “a 21st century song cycle inspired by select classical pieces spanning the last 400 years.” Tickets for this one go on sale to FriendsFirst members tomorrow (Wednesday) and to the public on Saturday.
Larry King will also be hitting the Massey Hall stage this coming November where he’ll be sharing stories of his incredible experiences from his 50-year broadcasting career. The clever (and funny) promo for this tour promises you’ll see “Larry King like you’ve never seen him before. Standing up.” The Tickets for this very special event go on sale to FriendsFirst members today (Tuesday) and to the public on Wednesday. And if you’re simultaneously a Harry Potter fan and a Larry King fan, check out this video – When Harry Met Larry.
PERFORMANCES
Craig Ferguson (Friday): Craigyferg returns to Massey Hall for another hilarious night of his signature comedy this Friday. He’s been a busy fellow with his show taking a trip to Paris (the shows air next week) and the release of Winnie the Pooh, his latest voice-acting gig. In this new imagining of Winnie the Pooh, he voices wise ‘ol Owl– you can read an interview with Ferguson about the film and catch the charming trailer for the movie, here. Ferguson makes time for Toronto this Friday night at 7pm with an all-new show of stand-up comedy.
OVATION:Celebrating Classical Music at the JUNO Awards (Tonight, Tuesday): JUNO Week is here in Toronto and we’re helping to celebrate 40 years of the JUNO Awards tonight and tomorrow. Tonight promises a very special concert indeed where classical musicians and fans of classical music will gather to celebrate the remarkable achievements and outstanding artistry of our Canadian musicians. The eclectic program includes presentations from JUNO Award nominees past and present Amici Chamber Ensemble, soprano Measha Brueggergosman, violinist Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà, Duo Concertante, Gryphon Trio, pianist Anton Kuerti, violinist Lara St. John, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and cellist Winona Zelenka and is hosted by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, Peter Oundjian.
Juno Songwriters’ Circle (Wednesday): Juno Songwriters’ Circle is another special event of JUNO Week – it takes over Massey Hall on Wednesday night. Hosted by Johnny Reid, the six other songwriters taking the stage to share their stories and their songs are the accomplished Dan Hill, Randy Bachman, Luke Doucet, Lynn Miles, Royal Wood, and Sylvia Tyson. Storyteller extraordinaire, Sylvia Tyson (check out the video embedded above!) was just featured in the Globe and Mail as she recently released her first novel, Joyner’s Dream. The book “follows a family of musicians and thieves from Southampton, in 1788 England, to present-day Toronto, their stories passing through multiple generations in a common family journal kept by the heirs to Old Nick, their ancestral fiddle.” You can also check out this article on the Juno Songwriters’ Circle specifically over at NOW Magazine.
Mississauga Children’s Choir (FREE! Thursday): Did you know that Roy Thomson Hall offers Free Noon Hour Choir & Organ Concerts? It’s true and it’s great! If you’re in the neighbourhood this Thursday, stroll over to the Hall to check out Mississauga Children’s Choir (celebrating its 30th anniversary season) conducted by Thomas Bell with Michael Bloss performing on the Gabriel Kney Pipe Organ. You can read more about our Free Noon Hour concerts here.
JUST ANNOUNCED
Just yesterday we announced that Sam Roberts Band is coming to Massey Hall this June. The show is in support of Sam Roberts Bands’ new album Collider which, according to Chartattack, hits stores on May 10. Last week, the National Post featured the album in their “opinionated list of the best culture headed this way” and noted that joining Roberts on the recording are “members of introspective art-rockers Califone, Afrobeat revivers Antibalas and jazz-influenced indie band Land of Talk.” The guys keeps good company. Speaking of which, CONTINUE READING >
Soundboard is the official community of musicians, music fans, and friends of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada. It’s your behind-the-scenes source for related music news, recommendations, and rewards.
