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Polaris Music Prize

City & Colour, Sting, and Waging Heavy Peace
in The Buzz: Sept 27-Oct 3

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  September 27, 2011

JUST ANNOUNCED

We’ve just announced that City & Colour will be returning to Massey Hall this winter. By now you know that Dallas Green has officially left Alexisonfire to focus on all things City & Colour so we assume that this can only mean good things for the February 10 Massey Hall show. Tickets for the event go on sale to FriendsFirst members on Thursday and to the general public on Friday. For details on the full tour (as well as on limited edition tour merchandise), check out Exclaim. Above, you can watch a recent video of Dallas Green, of the group, performing an acoustic version of “Fragile Bird” at CFOX in Vancouver.

And great news for Sting fans – we’ve announced a second date of his Back to Bass tour at Massey Hall this November. For a really excellent profile and interview with Sting, check out this article from The Guardian.

PERFORMANCES

Canada’s Walk of Fame Festival (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday): Canada’s Walk of Fame Festival takes Massey Hall by storm this weekend with performances from Burton Cummings, Chantal Kreviazuk (with Symphony Orchestra and special guest Raine Maida), K’naan (with very special guest Bedouin Soundclash), and Comedy Night in Canada featuring Jessica Holmes, Carla Collins, Jon Dore and more. If that’s not enough to get your Canuck groove going, the Festival has a tonne of programming next door to our own Roy Thomson Hall in David Pecault Square including movies and music featuring a set from Lindi Ortega (who opened for Doug Paisley at the Rivoli in June). You can check out the full list of performances and events here. This year the Walk of Fame will welcome inductees Dr. Roberta Bondar, Burton Cummings, Daniel Nestor, Sandra Oh, Russell Peters, and Mordecai Richler.

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Whitehorse, Bill Maher and Congratulations to Arcade Fire in The Buzz: Sept 20-26

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  September 20, 2011

PERFORMANCES

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.

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Weird Al Performs This Way In the Buzz: June 28-July 4

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  June 28, 2011

AUDIO-FILE

Weird Al Yankovic (who performs two shows at Massey Hall on Saturday, July 16) has a new album and it’s available for your streaming pleasure over on Spinner’s First Listen. The first track of Alpocalypse, entitled “Perform This Way” is a creative take on Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” in Yankovic’s signature parody format. The video, also available on the Spinner site is tonnes of fun (he may even out-Gaga Gaga with some of the costumes) and technically pretty impressive – I don’t want to spoil it though, so you’ll have to see for yourself.

If you haven’t heard about Rave On Buddy Holly yet, you’re in luck, because I’m about to tell you about it. A star-studded album paying tribute to Buddy Holly is set to hit record store shelves today (!) but you can stream before you buy (at both Twentyfourbit and NPR First Listen). The album has some serious pedigree: the interesting takes on the catalogue from Mr. Holly’s short but impressive career include contributions from everyone from She & Him, Modest Mouse, Lou Reed, Cee Lo Green, and Paul McCartney. What’s perhaps most special is the genre and generation crossing of the contributors. For me, who often wonders what would have been if the music hadn’t died that day, this is an impressive and loving acknowledgement of a young man’s talent and ambition cut short too soon.

WEB WATCH

Neil Young (who performed at Massey Hall last month) is the subject of a new photography exhibit CONTINUE READING >

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Jeff Beck, Zucchero, & The Mormon Tabernacle Choir tops the charts In The Buzz: June 21-27

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  June 21, 2011

PERFORMANCES

Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Monday): The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is recognized internationally and is one of America’s most beloved ensembles. As of Friday of last week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir had not one, but two top ten spots on the Billboard Classical Charts with their recordings This Is The Christ (which debuted at Number 2) and Men of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (which has been on the charts for an impressive 26 weeks and now sits at Number 9). The Choir, joined by the Orchestra at Temple Square, will put over 300 performing artists on our Roy Thomson Hall stage this Monday in a concert that is sure to be something very special. You can preview the concert program on the event page and if you haven’t seen the compelling video introduction to the Choir yet, you should. It’s here and embedded above.

JUST ANNOUNCED

Today we announced two fantastic shows taking place at Massey Hall this October. Jeff Beck will be performing at Massey Hall on Tuesday, October 18 Jeff Beck, who played lead guitar with the Yardbirds after Eric Clapton, has a seriously impressive resume – you can read all about his time with the Yardbirds, his jazz-fusion albums, his awards and achievements in rock instrumental music, his experience touring with B.B. King and more in the bio on his website. Tickets for this one go on sale to FriendsFirst members on Wednesday and on sale to the general public on Friday at 10am.

A Zucchero concert was also announced this week for October 15 at the Grand Ol’ Lady of Shuter Street. Zucchero keeps some fine company including Bono, Sting, B.B. King, and Soloman Burke – don’t believe me? Check out the fantastic video over on the event page  (just click “video” in the photo at the top of the page). Zucchero released Chocabeck last Fall and folks are pretty excited about it – Allmusic.com declares that on this one, “he fully reaches an understated grandeur.” See the magic for yourself in person this October – FriendsFirst have access to tickets today and the general public can purchase their tickets on Friday starting at noon.

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The Buzz: Sept. 28-Oct. 4

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  September 28, 2010

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pib8eYDSFEI

PERFORMANCES

The xx (Wednesday): This one is a hot ticket, friends. In fact, at the top of the month, The xx were honoured with the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize. Now The xx are touring their debut album, for which they won the prize, across North America and it sounds like it will be their last tour for quite some time. Tickets to Wednesday’s show just not enough to satiate your need for all things xx-related? CultureMob recently wrote about the group and their auctioning off of their signature X lightboxes for charity. You can check it out for yourself on eBay.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

If you’ve been following us on Twitter (@soundboardTO), you may have seen the recent tweet about the time change for the Mayoral Arts Debate coming up tomorrow (Wednesday, September 29 – new schedule: Doors open at 5:00 pm and debate itself is from 6:00 to 7:30 pm). All of the leading mayoral candidates will be there and the event is moderated by John Tory. This municipal election is an important one and if you’re an artist, an arts worker, an arts supporter, or a fan of the arts in the T-dot – you’ll want to be well-advised of the candidates’ platform on arts in this city in advance of election day on October 25. Also worth checking out: ArtsVote has a great Councillor Report Card.

ACCOLADES

Just last Monday, the fifth annual Polaris Music Prize Gala took place in Toronto featuring performances by each of the ten shortlisted bands, of course, culminating in a grand jury emerging to crown Karkwa the winners of the 2010 award. You can watch the awards show over on Much Music.

Meanwhile, you may recall us having mentioned here on the Buzz NxEW’s 2nd annual Shadow Polaris Prize – a concurrent awarding process to the Polaris Prize (as the name would indicate) with the winner determined this time by reader vote (but once again decided solely on artistic merit and not on album sales). Congratulations go out to The Wooden Sky for taking home the virtual hardware on this one! The Wooden Sky is currently touring across Canada with Yukon Blonde and performs in Toronto on November 6 at Lee’s Palace.

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Welcome Back, Toronto Symphony Orchestra!

Posted by Stephen McGrath in  The Scene  on  September 23, 2010

TSO Music Director, Peter Oundjian and soprano, Isabel Bayrakdarian

I’m not going to lie, there is a noticeable energy that enters the backstage area of the Hall when it’s inhabited by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra musicians. Particularly evident after working through an entire summer without their presence. One of the greatest perks of the job here is having these talented players not only perform regularly throughout their season at Roy Thomson Hall but rehearse about 3 days a week. Imagine being able to hear an internationally renowned orchestra rehearse in the “other room” at your office! Its pretty surreal, to say the least, and the excitement is absolutely contagious, in my opinion, whenever live music surrounds.

Tonight, as I type this, the TSO return to the Hall and celebrate their 89th season. The concert, or should I say ‘party’ – is an extended one that will be repeated on Saturday too. They perform Gustav Mahler’s massive / epic Resurrection Symphony with an extended cast which includes the Mendelssohn Choir, and soloists such as the enchanting Isabel Bayrakdarian (UPDATE: Isabel Bayrakdarian will perform as part of Bravissimo! on New Year’s Eve at Roy Thomson Hall.) A fittingly grand 90-minute masterpiece by a composer who, I’m told, pushed through the transformation of modernism in the early 20th century.

If you’ve read this blog over the past few months, you’ll know that I admit to being a classical music novice. I love it and my mind has exploded with new music since joining the team at the Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall- but am not nearly as familiar with the composers, pieces and performers as I am with say groups like The xx or Bahamas (who we also have performing in our Halls in the coming weeks) but one thing I can say, hands down, is that the TSO just might be, in my CONTINUE READING >

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The Buzz: Sept 14-20

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  September 14, 2010

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZtACc4P0s4

PERFORMANCES

Chilly Gonzales Piano Talk Show (Tuesday): Any Chilly Gonzales show is bound to be something really quite special and tonight’s is no different. We’re particularly excited because today is the day Chilly’s new album Ivory Tower is released AND this particular event will also see singer-songwriter-producer extraordinaire Howie Beck join Gonzales on stage. Gonzales’ music is entirely likely to make you bop (“I AM EUROPE” or “Working together”) or chuckle (“Never Stop Rap,”) then in an instant have you thinking about what it is to be an artist (“overnight.”) Check out his myspace here and all the deets on the film he produced and stars in here. And if you didn’t see it the first time, here are just some of the reasons Why We Like Chilly Gonzales.

TIFF (Thursday to Next Saturday) – TIFF took over Toronto last week and that’s just fine with us! As you may recall from our coverage of “the festival of festivals” last fall, Roy Thomson Hall is a serious focal point of the fest. The opening of the Bell Lightbox is pretty exciting stuff but that doesn’t mean that the gala festivities here at Roy Thomson Hall get any less exciting. Starting with last week’s opening night screening of Score: A Hockey Musical (which we’ve been following since February when it was shooting here in Toronto) the Hall is filled with all sorts of ritz and glitz until the closing night at Roy Thomson Hall this Saturday, September 18. You can check out the schedule for all the films and all things TIFF over on the official website.

WEB WATCH

The LA Times recently featured an article about Jac Holzman (founder of Elektra Records). The article includes a video clip of Holzman discussing Bob Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival and the importance of letting musicians evolve, on their own terms. Dylan, you may recall from our Decade Panels played Massey Hall later that year and similar to his experience at Newport, his electric set at the grand ol’ lady of Shuter Street was also not met with a warm welcome, instead receiving “jeers.”

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The Buzz: July 13-19

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  July 13, 2010

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLfM5iQmjKM

PERFORMANCES

Jimmy Cliff (Monday): is a very significant figure in the world of music: he is a Grammy award-winner, and is only the second Reggae artist (after Bob Marley) to have been inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s also a very significant player in the world of film: he starred in The Harder They Come as well as 1985’s Club Paradise. He also re-recorded Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Cleary Now” which was featured on the Cool Runnings soundtrack. All of this is to say, this is one important music legend and if you don’t have a ticket, you should.

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The Buzz: June 22-28

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  June 22, 2010

JUST ANNOUNCED

We’re pretty excited that the new album from Stars, The Five Ghosts, hit the streets yesterday but we’re even more excited that yesterday also brought with it the announcement that Stars will be hitting Massey Hall on October 23. Stars currently has a pretty sweet contest where they are asking you to remix their song “We Don’t Want Your Body” (the single off the new album) with “complete artistic freedom” and then post it on the world wide web (on Stars’ site, of course) for all to hear, enjoy, and vote on their favourite. All the details are here.

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The Buzz: June 8-14

Posted by Stefania Paterak in  The Buzz  on  June 7, 2010

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgohBw0hL-k

JUST ANNOUNCED

This has been a very exciting week for show announcements as Belle and Sebastian , Lyle Lovett and Peter Frampton announced visits to our own Massey Hall.

It’s been a while since we saw the fine folks that make up Belle and Sebastian – they last played Toronto in 2006 at the Sound Academy and before that it was 2003 at Massey Hall and now, come October 12 they return to what Chrome Waves calls “the only room where they belong.” Until they arrive in said room this October, we’ll be spending A Summer Wasting or waiting, rather, for the album that is predicted to be dropping in the not too distant future.

It is always a delight to welcome back Lyle Lovett to Toronto and this occasion is no different. On August 10, Mr. Lovett takes the stage at Massey Hall with his Large Band. Take in some classic Lyle Lovett with a few of his videos here.

Remember Homerpallooza? Well according to BBC, it’s one of the most memorable episodes of the Simpsons and I tend to agree. That’s no doubt in large part to the stellar line-up on the festival bill including Peter Frampton, who performs at Massey Hall this summer on July 22.

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