Win a Steam Whistle Unsigned 23 Prize Pack!

Well, you know what guys? Summer’s pretty much over. As the French say, quel bummér. But wait! There’s one more fun thing you can do before it’s over!

Steam Whistle Brewery is presenting Unsigned 23 – featuring Odonis Odonis, Indian Handcrafts and Young Mother – on September 21st! That’s the day before the Fall Equinox! Technically still summer!

And even better news? I have a Steam Whistle prize pack to give away for it – and it includes (among other glorious things) free admission for Unsigned 23! All YOU need to do is convince me that your summer wasn’t quite good enough. How much do you NEED one more crazy night?

Tell me the thing you DIDN’T get to do this summer that you wanted to do, and the most pathetic person wins! It’s a race to the bottom, folks!

Ready, set, GO!

All ticket proceeds from Unsigned 23 go to the Artists’ Health Centre Foundation,
which is involved in outreach, education, and prevention services for the over 20,000 professional artists who live in the Toronto area.

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TO DO LIST: Tonight – S.S. Songs with DJ Andy Rourke of The Smiths

Songs, A Dance Party was supposed to have rocked its last dance floor back in August… but when The Smiths’ Andy Rourke decided to come aboard, it seemed like a good reason to bring it back for one final encore. Only this time, it’s not your regular land-lubber’s dance floor – no, this one is ON A BOAT. 

(Artist’s Conception)

TONIGHT, you’ll find me getting nautical to the tunes of Stella Ella Ola,

Dwayne Gretzky‘s awesome covers,

and of course, whatever Mr. Rourke chooses while we cruise the shores of Toronto.

There are still tickets left for this voyage – you don’t even have to gamble for them, Leonardo DiCaprio-in-Titanic style! And also the boat is unsinkable! AND EVEN IF IT ISN’T, WE’RE LIKE RIGHT BESIDE TORONTO SO IT’S FINE AND IT’S STILL WARM OUT ANYWAY SO IT’LL TURN INTO A FUN SWIMMING PARTY! Come out and celebrate the end of summer!

Go find out all the details for tonight RIGHT HERE. Ahoy, matey!

It’s all brought to you by the wonderful Young Lions Music Club, purveyors of fine unconventional events.

(Oh, and although this has been completely overdone – I can’t let an opportunity like this just slip by. And, anyway, we all know that SOMEONE is going to drunkenly try to sing this tonight:)

TO DO LIST: Tonight – Brews Willis @ Parts & Labour

Just because it’s the end of August doesn’t meant that summer is over. In fact, summer can last forever, if you get Brews Willis‘ new LP Nerped By A Zircon into your music library right now. 

And what better a way to kick off our new Forever Summer than going to see Brews Willis themselves at Parts & Labour TONIGHT? Don’t put away those flippy-floppies or that pastel coloured tank top or those short shorts yet… they have at least ONE more sweaty, beer-filled, random-person-makey-outey night left in ’em! I mean, with songs called “Sun Burn Boner Boy” and “Turbo Babe Acid Hammer,” how could this not end up being one of the best nights of your life?

To get you in the mood, here’s the video for their new song “Ride The Island Baby.” You LOVE the Island, remember?! YES YOU DO!

They’ll be hitting the stage at 11:45pm at Parts & Labour, followed at midnight by Invasions, who are definitely worth sticking around for. If you’re a fan of messy fun, beachy punk music, Black Lips, PBRs, wet hair, colours, life and spilling your drink on strangers and having them hug you instead of punch you, then you should probably be there.

Check out more at brewswillis.com.

RAIN’S WORLD #12 – POOR YOUNG THINGS

Poor Young Things enjoy sitting together

This video was recorded during NXNE. I had made some unwise choices the previous evening and had a pretty terrible hangover when it was shot.

When I had arranged to film this video of Thunder Bay boys Poor Young Things and I playing Quarters, several days prior, I didn’t realize that Quarters was a drinking game. I don’t know how this happened. But it did. Here are the results:

Poor Young Things make rock music. If you’re a fan of Teenage Kicks, you’re going to like these dudes. Here’s the video for their song “Blame It On The Good Times”, which shows Toronto a lot of love:

If you dig it, comment below – I’ve got a an autographed copy of their 7″, Let It Sleep (as well as the CD of the same) – to give away to one of my readers. You can also buy the record now on iTunes.

Comment for your chance to win!

And please… DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

The Dirty Nil: Free Music For Sticky Hot Summer Drunk Sex

It’s hot. It’s sticky. It’s the dog-days of summer, as they say, and it’s exactly the right time for this mixtape from The Dirty Nil.

They make dirty, fun rock for dirty, fun people. Do you like getting drunk? This is really good music for that. Here, just listen:

So, download the mixtape here – it’s available for free download until September 24th and then, they say, “will be gone forever.” (No, really, that’s what it says on THEIR BANDCAMP.)

If you’re not convinced, here’s the video for their song, “Fuckin’ Up Young,” which can be found on that mixtape:

It’s like someone took the Black Lips and then injected them with 90s alternative rock, gave them a couple 40s of OE and turned the volume up to 1,000,000.

And I have no problem with that.

NEW ALBUM ALERT: Bravestation

The first time I heard Bravestation was a couple years ago when they had just released their 2010 E.P. Their music caught me right away.

My exact quote on the subject: “If New Wave had started out in the Canadian wilderness, the result would probably resemble this Toronto-based band’s dreamy, complex sound.” I mean, just listen to this track, “White Wolves”, from 2010:

Bravestation is back, this time with a full-length called Giants & Dreamers, and boy, is it appropriately titled. It’s big, soaring, and- forgive the redundancy- dreamy.

From the new album, here’s “Signs of the Civilized.” I hope you’re ready to get a little dark while dancing in the forest.

You can buy Giants & Dreamers starting today on their Bandcamp or on iTunes. Go! Do it! Do it now!

Wayne Coyne’s Pre-Game Show

I finally have my computer back! It’s fixed, with a shiny new power supply. And more posts are forthcoming, I promise… but first, to celebrate, here is a video I took from sidestage at the Flaming Lips show at NXNE last weekend.

It’s Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne warming up his twirling arm before the show. You can hear us talking in the background. There’s a reason we’re so giggly – which I will explain in full later this week when I write about how incredible that show was.

In the meantime, feel the good feelings:

Check back soon for interviews from the Pack AD, Boxer the Horse, Reversing Falls, Parlovr and MORE…