Toronto-based new-wave rock band THE FRAMEWORK’s highly anticipated sophomore album ‘Before Tonight’ will be released August 4th.

THE FRAMEWORK formed in late 2006. At barely 3 months old, the band garnered national attention as a result of winning runner-up in the Toronto Mix 99.9’s 2007 RadioStar Songwriting Contest, for the song, “She Thinks I’m Famous”. The combination of buzz from the contest and the band’s catchy synth-rock epics instantly set The Framework up with an extensive online international fan base and sparked the interest of media outlets such as Metro and InsideE Magazine who describes the band’s new record ‘Before Tonight’ as “A confidently cool synth-rock assault that strikes a nonchalant medium between happy pop and stadium rock”. International attention has ensued with the band scoring invites to perform at the coveted Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, packed shows in New York City at the Canal Room and the North by North East music Festival in Toronto (being named one of 5 top acts at NXNE 2007).

The Framework – Upcoming Dates ::
June 13th School of Rock – Molson Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON
June 19th The Rivoli – Toronto, ON
June 25th London Music Club – London, ON
June 26th Seventy Three – St. Catherines, ON

Here’s an update for you: If you haven’t yet seen Royal Wood in concert, do yourself a huge favour and make sure to be at Hugh’s Room on August 14th (that’s Thursday, folks) or at the Peterborough Folk Festival on August 22nd. If you missed my glowing recommendation of Royal Wood the first time around, be sure to check it out. And, as further convincing – check out the video above. How can you resist that voice? (…and that pretty face? Heh.)

Upcoming shows:
14 Aug 2008 20:00 Hugh’s Room with Laura Barrett Toronto
22 Aug 2008 12:00 Peterborough Folk Festival Peterborough

Taking its name from a religious tract, The Burning Hell has been slithering around in the muck in one form or another since the dawn of the millennium. Fronted by the moderately agoraphobic songwriter and occasional history teacher Mathias Kom on electric ukulele, The Burning Hell currently features between one and twelve people, depending on the night.

The variable lineup promises a very different show every time: sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes rock, sometimes roll. Always folk, never anti. Quirky? Maybe. Cute? Never.

The latest Burning Hell album, ‘Happy Birthday’, celebrates the beauty of age, the joys of decay, the possibility of dating after death, and the inevitable repetition of mistakes. Combining happy little melodies and depressing Old World fatalism, the music of The Burning Hell is sure to make you smile and want to give up.

(and if you want a good laugh, check out these boys doing an impromptu cover of Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’)

Upcoming shows:
31 Jul 2008 21:00 Ampersand Charlottetown, Prince Edward
2 Aug 2008 20:00 Sappyfest Sackville, New Brunswick
15 Aug 2008 21:00 Rancho Relaxo Toronto, Ontario
21 Aug 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Peterborough, Ontario
25 Aug 2008 21:00 Solo at Bread & Circus Toronto, Ontario
27 Aug 2008 21:00 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario
28 Aug 2008 21:00 Times Change(d) Winnipeg, Manitoba
1 Sep 2008 21:00 The Club (at The Exchange) Regina, Saskatchewan
2 Sep 2008 21:00 Ottoman Lounge Medicine Hat, Alberta
3 Sep 2008 21:00 The Slice Lethbridge, Alberta
4 Sep 2008 20:00 Tubby Dog Calgary, Alberta
5 Sep 2008 21:00 Little Mountain Studio Vancouver, British Columbia
6 Sep 2008 21:00 Hermann’s Victoria, British Columbia
9 Sep 2008 21:00 Deux Soleils Vancouver, British Columbia
10 Sep 2008 19:00 Meow Records Prince George, British Columbia
11 Sep 2008 21:00 Likwid Lounge Edmonton, Alberta
12 Sep 2008 21:00 Amigos Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
14 Sep 2008 21:00 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario
16 Sep 2008 21:00 Solo at The Spill with Al Tuck and Black Molly Peterborough, Ontario
18 Sep 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Peterborough, Ontario
10 Oct 2008 20:00 Aufsturz Berlin
13 Oct 2008 20:00 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival Nancy
14 Oct 2008 21:00 Le Sirius Lyon
16 Oct 2008 20:00 Mistral Palace Valence
17 Oct 2008 20:00 De Nieuwe Anita Amsterdam
19 Oct 2008 15:00 DB’s Utrecht
28 Oct 2008 20:00 West Germany Berlin
31 Oct 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Halloween Party Peterborough, Ontario
1 Nov 2008 21:00 The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, Quebec
11 Nov 2008 20:00 Gus’ Pub Halifax, Nova Scotia
12 Nov 2008 20:00 Struts Sackville, New Brunswick
13 Nov 2008 21:00 Baba’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward
15 Nov 2008 21:00 Grumpy’s Montreal, Quebec

Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains is not really a band, it’s the idea of a band. When Grainger set out to make his first solo record he weighed his options- in one hand he held a guitar and a microphone and, in the other, he held everything else. For the last year, amidst sporadic emergences onstage, he’s been in his studio working and reworking a set of songs that have become the content of his numerous debut releases.

Touring as a four piece band, songs that were originally written alone in the stillness of night, became energized. Made livelier, these songs were brought back to the studio to be given Grainger’s layered, “wall of sound” production. The outcome is a new sound that followers of his previous musical endeavors may be surprised to hear- this is a clear melodic statement. And while his new songs may have an affinity for the the balladry of days gone by, Grainger manages to remain contemporary.

While Grainger will modestly tell you “every song is a problem, or an equation that I have to resolve,” it’s obvious that the outcomes are richer and more soulful than mere resolvability. Feeling like he is finally expressing himself on these new recordings, Grainger is eager to return to the road and entwine himself in the cultural fabric. Although he’s a self-described ‘domestic person’, Grainger’s penchant for singing loud, performing and getting sweaty is real- as real as people’s enthusiasm for him to keep doing so.

And with a 7″, a digital EP and a full length all slated to drop in the next couple of months, the world will undoubtedly be seeing a lot more of Sebastien Grainger. And with regards to the new full length, he comments, “this record is an opening statement but in no way do I think it’s a map of things to come…it’s a ‘jump off’…hopefully a solid step back into the world.” He’s quick to add “I still haven’t written my Thunder Road” and, like all craftsmen enamored with their craft, Sebastien Grainger wouldn’t stop even if he did.

3 Aug 2008 22:00 Oshega Festival Montreal, Quebec
9 Aug 2008 20:00 Rock The Mill Festival Cambridge, Ontario

On Friday I sat in and participated in a very cool conference entitled “Ain’t Nobody Dope as Me: The DJ on Display with Jay Devonish as moderator and panellists Nasty Nav from NastyMix/Play De Record, Egon from Stones Throw, Lil’ Jaz who is an artist who also tours with Nelly Furtado, P-Plus, and DJ Grouch.
The topic of the panel was what successful DJs do to stake out their turf as trendsetters and tastemakers. They also swapped ideas about how new technology – computers, digital software, mp3s, podcasts and of course blogs – are changing the DJ culture and where things will go from here.

For your listening pleasure, I’ve brought the panel to you through the magic of the internet and a digital audio recorder. Enjoy!

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