Results tagged “thewoodensky”

FILM: It seems rather shocking that up until 2008, the senior prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi was racially segregated, despite classes and other school activities being integrated. It wasn't until Morgan Freeman offered to foot the bill for the prom (for the second time, as he was denied the first time in 1997) that anyone in the town considered a racially integrated prom. Prom Night In Mississippi is a documentary by Toronto-based filmmaker Paul Saltzman that follows high school students, parents, and teachers as they navigate their way through senior prom preparations, highlighting the racism that is still evident in the community. All proceeds from tonight's opening night benefit screening will benefit Moving Beyond Prejudice, an organization that will distribute Prom Night in Mississippi's educational DVD package to Canadian schools that cannot afford them. Morgan Freeman will be in attendance for tonight's event, which will commence with a red carpet entrance, followed by an introduction by the filmmaker. Stick around after the screening for a Q&A session. Varsity Cinemas (55 Bloor Street West), 6:30–9:30 p.m., $100 (available online).

Why is Jonas Bonnetta so damn disarming? His debut full length as Evening Hymns—essentially a fleshed-out version of his real-monikered earlier release—oozes a level of granola that could cause discomfort for hyper-aware, self-conscious indie rock fans; the album is called Spirit Guides and much of the lyrical content is about the forest and there's a full track just of a rain storm and have you seen that eerie, foggy mountain on the cover? Somehow, though, there isn't a pretentious note on this record.

We're cheating this week; The Wooden Sky's sophomore effort, If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, isn't out via Black Box Recordings until August 25, but we're excited about it, and there are lots of great upcoming releases to plan around. Throughout the vagrant Montreal-to-Toronto creation of this dense record of guilt, innocence, and wonders both abstract (God) and tangible (life), The Wooden Sky have bloomed into a resolute musical force who stand poised to carry the weight of much indie-rock respect.

A couple of years and handfuls of shows can do wonders for a band with the potential that the Great Bloomers were oozing when Torontoist first saw them fill a sweaty Drake basement more than a year ago. Today, the Great Bloomers release their full-length debut, Speak of Trouble, on MapleMusic. A continuation of the danceable indie roots-rock from their self-titled 2007 EP, Speak of Trouble demonstrates a marked musical maturation and an embracing of eras past, complete with narrative lyrical recollections of youthful hope and exploits and an already-classic sound reminiscent of warm AM radio textures.