Graffiti, electronica(rt), haircuts, DJs, vogueing ninjas... ah, yet another weekend festival in Toronto. Club beats and street breaks intersect at Queens Quay West this weekend as part of the Harbourfront's World Routes weekly summer festival series. There's a full event listing here, but we've picked and panned out a few points of interest for your pleasure at the pier. Ladytron, Woodhands, Thunderheist, Crystal Castles―it's all here. Normally this kind of thing would set you......

If you have a few million bucks lying around, perhaps you'd consider buying 50% of Ashley MacIsaac's future music revenues? If you like the odds—note that MacIsaac declared bankruptcy in 2000; that his most successful album, released thirteen years ago, sold half a million copies; and that the auction contains the sorta ominous note that "the annuity will expire upon my death"—go for it. But thanks to the Reuters article, which notes that 1.5 million......

They could be the next big thing, if only they could get a gig. This humorous online series follows Matt and Jay—Nirvana the Band—and their ongoing efforts to break into Toronto's music scene. Five episodes and various extras are currently online, with a sixth episode presumably in the works. First the Rivoli, then the world! Illustration by Kevin McBride.......

Singers, singer-songwriters, comedians, rappers, and good-deed-doers came together Tuesday night at the Drake Hotel for It’s Always Something Else, an evening aid of Gilda’s Club Toronto, the organization named for Gilda Radner that offers free cancer support to those afflicted by the disease. For $25 a pop (or $45 including eats), guests were treated to no less than three floors of solid Canadian entertainment. In the infamously-packed Sky Yard, comics Sean Cullen and the......

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Photo of Alice Glass of Crystal Castles by jean hambourg. Used under a Creative Commons license. Have you been following the most recent Crystal Castles controversy? Broken well over a month ago (but only shortly after the Trevor Brown incident, covered here by David Topping), the claim is that Crystal Castles knowingly broke Creative Commons copyright licenses by misappropriating samples for several of their early songs. The most famous case is the track "Insecticon,"......

If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, then there's probably no easy way to write about dancing choreographed to music composed about architecture. Except, perhaps, by making comparisons to movies.......

After a barrage of bands and countless bottles of cheap beer, the only survivors of a noisy weekend at NXNE are the photos. Our first two nights were spent hopping between the Reverb, the Silver Dollar, and El Mocambo, while Saturday night brought many oversold tickets, overpacked venues (ah-hem, Wrongbar), and a few unimpressed fans. Alas, the cheap wristband held its worth—the proof is in the pictures.......

Spiral Beach have found themselves in a spot of trouble. As detailed a week and a half ago in both NOW and Eye, the band got hit with a $1470 bill [PDF] from EcoMedia Direct for putting up eight posters for last month's Opera House show on eight of the company's "SilverBox and Heritage Box Recycling Bins." Again, that's $1470 for eight small posters, like the one above made by Spiral Beach singer/keyboardist Maddy......

It's halfway into Bike Month, and Mother Nature's unpredictable weather has already tempted you to take the TTC. Starting today, ditch the bike for the weekend and take the ferry to Toronto Island instead to watch other people pedal for the 16th annual Cycle Messenger World Championships. Unlike traditional bike tourneys, the various events—including skids, bike jumps, and a cargo race—seem designed to test adrenaline as opposed to endurance. Testing the true skills of......

BBQ. Beer. Bands. Can you think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon? Six Shooter Records is gearing up for NXNE with their annual NXNE Back Lot BBQ on Saturday, June 14, co-sponsored by XM Satellite Radio, Steamwhistle Brewery, and the girls at Damzels in this Dress. This afternoon of grilling and chilling takes place in the lot behind their store at 1118 Queen Street East (near Pape) and features a stellar......

Photo of White Cowbell Oklahoma at last year's festival from Word Freak What comes from twenty-five different countries, takes over fifty hoppin' clubs, twelve lush city parks, two airport terminals, an island, a subway station, a central city square and a city hall in just three days? No, it's not a virus with the half-life of thirty seconds. Fear not; it isn't a swarm of blood-thirsty, West-Nile-carrying mosquitoes. We'll give you a hint: it's......

He writes about going to town in Paris, Barcelona, and Tulsa. The American-born, Canadian-raised operatic-pop-piano-rock singer says he loves Iceland, Greece, and Costa Rica. But the one place that he can't stand? Deny the claim all you want, Torontonians, but it's us. Although he grew up in our French sister city, Wainwright blacklisted our city as his least-favourite in Sunday's Q&A in the Guardian. Hurt? Shamed? We kid you not. When asked where he'd never......

Luminato is upon us, fair citizens. If you're wondering what to do, what to see, or what's Luminato?, Torontoist is here to play festival guide. We've randomly drawn carefully chosen ten must-not-miss events: one for each day of the city's massive annual "arts and creativity" smorgasbord, which runs from June 6–15. Our staff's picks are after the jump.......

If you can complete that lyric, then you need to be at the Royal Cinema next Tuesday to unabashedly sing along to a special screening of The Sound of Music. The CBC is hosting the event to celebrate next weekend's debut of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, the new series that seeks to cast the lead role of Maria von Trapp in the upcoming staging of The Sound of Music, produced by......

If you're coveting a secret fetish for adventure novels, now's your chance to live one out. Grab your flashlight and your keen intuition and head to Extermination Music Night VII (half the fun is finding it!) While the plot of an adventure novel might lead you to that secret, special cave to call your own, this night of music, visual art, and performance will take you to an undisclosed location that may or may not......

Planning a trip in the next little while? Better make sure you don't have any illegally (or even legally) downloaded media on your laptops or MP3 players when you're crossing the border—if you don't want a hassle, that is. The Vancouver Sun is reporting that the Feds are "secretly" negotiating an agreement (known as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement [ACTA]) with other like-minded countries, including the U.S. (surprise!), Japan, South Korea, and members of the......

From Napster to Morpheus, iTunes to .torrents (not to mention the popularity of indie-kid and kid-at-heart collector's favorite record shops), CD sales are on the decline. While this isn't exactly a news-making statement today, it becomes one when the retail giants finally decide to step up and er, face the music. HMV (His Master's Voice, inspired by the 1899 Francis Barraud painting of his dog listening to a gramophone) announced yesterday that the new......

In the barter section of Craigslist's Toronto classifieds, some people are content to trade a small pot of "slowly cooling American fiddleheads, marinating in Gay Lea salted butter" for one or two "nice rounded goblets" of Stella. And some, like this gentleman, want more:UNLIMITED LOVE AND MUSIC FOR newMAC LAPTOP (TORONTO) Reply to: sale-694042090@craigslist.org Date: 2008-05-24, 11:49PM EDT Aspiring composer of symphonies needs new Mac laptop for composing purposes and in return I pledge my......

We hope your package is ready. You know, your application to be one of the few, the elite, the highly trained, and (hopefully) strangely attired TTC Subway Musicians. Today marks the first day that applications will be accepted for aspiring banjo/didgeridoo/french horn virtuosos who plan to entertain (and likely make a small fortune from) the warm and receptive commuters who patronize the TTC's subway system. The Subway Musicians program has grown considerably since the......

Photo of the cast of A Hand of Bridge rehearsing courtesy of Toronto Chamber Opera Productions. Always eager to reach new audiences, local opera companies have been pretty innovative in their offerings recently. First, the well-established Canadian Opera Company and Royal Conservatory of Music teamed up to throw turntablism and improvisation into the opera mix for the Hip Hopera. For busy people who are interested in opera but don't have three and a half......

Photo of Tony Dekker by Trinh Nguyen This week the Music Gallery, Carl Wilson, and a handful of musicians/composers want you to celebrate concrete. Paying homage to the iconic concrete architecture that sprout in Toronto between 1950 and 1970 (and to Michael McClelland and Graeme Stewart's book Concrete Toronto), such musicians as Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers), Sandro Perri (Polmo Polpo, Glissandro 70, ex-Great Lake Swimmer), and Knurl (noise artist Alan Bloor) will perform......

Big news! According to MuchMusic's (quite reliable) blog, Led Zeppelin will be in Toronto in August to play (and, we assume, easily sell out) four dates at the Rogers Centre. No other details have yet been leaked. Since tickets for London's show on December 10 of last year were resold easily online for more than $3,000; since tickets are to be available via Ticketmaster; and since, according to MuchMusic's blog, there will be "no fancy......

It's May 24 long weekend, and you know what that means: clash of the mega-parties. On Sunday, the Guvernment complex will be hosting Freedom 08. Two-time DJ Mag anointed No. 1 DJ Paul Van Dyk will be rocking the Koolhaus. Electro lovers should not miss Chicago's Felix da Housecat and local favourite Nasty Nav spinning at The Drink. The Guvernment will feature house icons Bad Boy Bill and Erick Morillo. For people that prefer their......

Fool’s Gold Records, known for their dirty, cut-up, fidgety electro artists, recently signed Atlanta-based Treasure Fingers. Tomorrow, May 15th, Treasure Fingers teams up with rising bloghouse master Kill The Noise for the "School's Out Forever Tour" at Wrongbar, courtesy of the boys at Dopplehertz. Plus there is the added treat of a DJ set from local favourite Vaneska. Which reminds us, somebody really needs to make some clearer subgenres for electro. From the gritty,......

Photo of Tyr Jami and Todd MacDonald of The Winks by Jasa Baka Vancouver-born, Montreal-settled The Winks will be passing through Toronto this Sunday, May 18 (with Vancouver's Secret Mommy Quintet) at Sneaky Dee's. The cello- and mandolin-fused band welcomed 2008 with the end of a "63 shows in 71 days" tour of North America to promote the release of their EP Chours Girls, and this coming Toronto stop is one of many on......

Canada's talented children have gone unexploited for far too long, an injustice that Universal Music has finally seen fit to remedy. According to Hollywood Reporter, the label has "joined the search for Canada's version of Miley Cyrus," and, with YTV, has created a new TV talent competition called The Instant Star, designed for children 15 and under. The winner gets a record contract, fame, and, presumably, a shot at pubescence. If the name of the......

Parkdale is most definitely in the house this weekend. On Friday, the Elizabeth Shepherd Quintet will be playing a CD release show at the Gladstone Ballroom. Parkdale (at right) is the follow-up to Shepherd's acclaimed debut Start to Move and is being released by Do Right! Music. John Kong has acquired an eclectic label roster and the label is top notch. They've already promoted Parkdale with a making-of video and a podcast. It's worked too,......

Photo of the Toronto Centre for the Arts by selosa On Thursday, Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of My Fair Lady makes its long-awaited Toronto debut. Just as significantly, however, its arrival brings a new lease on life for one of the city's finest major theatres.......

It’s been a while since the Okay Player collective have celebrated a release for anyone other than The Roots (yes, they just released their 10th full-length Rising Down last week, yes that is worthy of celebration). But this year, the collective is also celebrating Erykah Badu. After a 5 year hiatus following the release of a very underwhelming Worldwide Undergroud, the release of New Amerykah (part one of two EPs—the other scheduled to be released......