Toronto Uncovered

Posts Tagged ‘Music’

Toronto has a great live music scene.  On any given night, Torontonians can pick and choose from a number of concerts, genres and venues. On Tuesday night I ventured to Lee’s Palace to see Brooklyn’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Because their latest (self-titled) album had been stuck on my iPod’s repeat list for the last week, I couldn’t wait to see them live.

Any band that mans their own merchandise table before the show gets an instant nod of respect. It shows that they are truly down to earth, and happy to socialize and talk with their fans. As they took the stage, the energy (and temperature) of the Palace rose. Over the next hour they played songs from their last album, as well as a new one called 103 which is set to be released on Slumberland Records this summer. For those not familiar with the POBPAH, the style is very much a mixture of indie rock and dream pop. It’s fun, light-hearted and easy to dance to music that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. I danced to the entire show with a perma-smile plastered to my face, and joined the crowd’s enthusiastic demand for an encore.

Post show, I contacted the band’s PR rep to ask a few questions – I wanted to know a little bit more about the POBPAH and was happy to get a quick response.

Question 1: What do you like most about Toronto?

Kip (guitar and vox): People in Toronto were so awesome. It’s hard to say what “one thing” about their awesomeness was most awesome, but everyone was inviting us to stay at their place or help us out in any way we needed. Each time I’ve been to Toronto I’ve always wished we could stay longer and just hang out more.

Peggy (keys and vox): People in Toronto buy merch!!  And the ones who do are sooooo nice. Seriously. We’ve played Lee’s Palace twice now and I always make sure to hang out at the merch table the whole time.

Question 2: Brooklyn seems to be busting with great bands lately (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio) – do you attribute this to any specific subculture or movement taking hold in Brooklyn?

Peggy: Yeah, it is cool though because there’s never a shortage of good shows.  And all our friends are in awesome bands.  There’s like, at least 3 shows a week!

Question 3: Peggy admitted to having a slight obsession with Degrassi High (as it’s also one of my own guilty pleasures, this only made me love her more ). Does she have a favourite character?

Peggy: Rick is my favorite, but he was only on like 6 episodes.  I also love Lucy’s style, and I find Snake really endearing, the way he’s so awkward around girls.

Tuesday’s show kicked off their tour. The band is now South of the border for a couple of months before heading overseas. If you’re in the area, and can spare ten bucks to catch one of their gigs, you won’t be disappointed. The POBPAH are defintely a band to watch out for – It’s only be a matter of time before I utter the phrase “I remember seeing them when…”

If you’re into this type of music check out Rob Manne’s blog Soundtrack2 for weekly audiocasts and reviews.

Young Adult Friction – I can’t get enough of this song right now!

Elliott BROOD at Dakota Tavern: Picture by Rock Paper Pixels

I received an urgent text from one of my good friends Wednesday night. It read “You have to come to the Dakota Tavern! Awesome!” This was following two missed calls from the same friend, and one barely audible voice mail. Intrigued, I called back and was told by my fairly inebriated, but nonetheless musically reliable, friend that Elliott BROOD was about to take the stage for a Ride to Conquer Cancer charity event at Dakota Tavern, and that, “this would be the last time to see them in such an intimate venue”.

I had seen the post on BlogTO earlier in the week announcing the concert, and had decided that since I already had a networking commitment that night, I would have to miss it. Maybe it was something in my friends voice and all the noise and excitement in the background, or maybe it was just because I was already a few drinks in and my little voice of reason had piped down, but I decided to make an appearance.

Cover was a little steep for Ossington – 20 bucks – but easily justifiable (especially for a good cause). There were  a number of raffles going on inside as well to support the ride. Inside: the bar was packed, dance floor was moving, and the three piece band was really givin’ ‘er. The music was a mix of rock, folk, and alternative. It had a steady beat that made even the most reluctant dancer give in to the head-bob-two-step. I have since downloaded all of their albums, and would recommend them to anyone looking for some good, easy flowing, summeresque tunes. And, the icing on the cake, they got their start right here in Toronto.

If youre still looking for a reason to support them – give them a listen. According to their MySpace page they won’t be back in Toronto for a while, but are defnitely worth the download, and keeping your eyes out for any upcoming dates they might squeeze in!