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

Title: Stars
Location: Toronto
Link out: Click here
Date: 2008-12-08

In my other life, I cover the mobile technology scene, and happened to be in Toronto for Telus’ launch of the BlackBerry Storm. You wouldn’t expect to find one of Canada’s most preeminent bands at such an event, but Stars were there to rock the house and seriously up the cool factor. I was able to snag a few videos before my camera died. You can see the rest after the jump, and I’ve posted Stars upcoming shows below.

Thursday December 11th, 2008 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Friday December 12th, 2008 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Saturday December 13th, 2008 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre

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

(Want to hear? Pick up The Young and Passionate Days Of Carpedia from CDBaby right now)

With Neil White captaining the Argo like ship, instructing the infused bass and synths with a focus akin to that of a Scientist, Jahmal Tonge plays the drums with the passion of a black baptist preacher, and sings & screams with the soul of the sweating young singer in the neighboring Juke Joint.

Marketing companies would say: It’s Punk Rock with a Gun to R&B’s head. And somehow in the midst of the exquisite smorgasbord of sounds, they manage to convince us all that Soca music and New Jack Swing makes for good company.

The Carps have played to Enthusiastic crowds in their hometown of Toronto, and across North America and Europe with friends The Cool Kids, The Hives, Datarock and MIA.

The Carps can be consumed in Genre defined parts, according to your stylistic preference. The Carps however, feel better when taken whole.

Upcoming shows:
16 Jul 2008 20:00 Salt Lounge London, Ontario
19 Jul 2008 20:00 Phog Lounge Windsor, Ontario
20 Jul 2008 11:00 Rogers Picnic Toronto, Ontario
11 Oct 2008 20:00 Prinzenbar Hamburg, Germany

It could just as easily be 1967. But no matter the year, Edmonton, Alberta’s the Whitsundays certainly have a knack for writing yellowed, reverb-wrapped pop music, borrowing from the grand tradition of English psychedelia, garage, and vintage organ rock. With reverent nods to the flower-picking whimsy of the Zombies, the red-faced bluster of the Animals, and the delightful inanity of Syd Barrett, the Whitsundays’ self-titled debut is a vintage gem, and a charming hodgepodge of ’60s musical ephemera.

The main Whit, Paul Arnusch, who also logs time with starry post-rock supernauts Faunts, called on his ever-expanding collection of vintage gear (from archaic guitars to Rhodes and Wurlitzers) to document a loose, passionate love letter to the past 40 years of “timeless music.” And if the haunting Beach Boys outro on “It Must Be Me” or the lithe vocal melody and gentle propulsion of “Already Gone” are any indication, this is one hell of a letter. Of course, none of this backward-glancing praise is to say that Arnusch’s first offering with the Whitsundays sounds all that old. On the contrary, he manages to transport the antiqued sounds of the ’60s: walls of dreamy harmonies, straight-away drumming, boney guitars, whirring organs — across the same updated palates employed by bands like Dressy Bessy, Apples in Stereo, The Shins, and Belle & Sebastian. And while this is quite the departure for Arnusch, who is more used to pounding out labyrinthine experiments behind the kit for Faunts and 80’s-minded melodrama with the Floor than such lovely sock-hop simplicity, his experimental sensibilities still peek through on the Whitsundays– self-titled debut album. In fact, these curiosities and quirks are perhaps the album’s strongest suit, tugging a set of super-sweet diner pop through the ages, and somehow updating it along the way.

The Balconies — Rest Up
Politique — Old War Cold War

Just because we ran around Toronto for a week covering Canadian musicians doesn’t mean that we can’t find great acts in our hometown of Ottawa! I was at the legendary Zaphod Beeblebrox to catch two fairly new O-town bands: The Balconies and Politique.

The Balconies

First up was The Balconies, a band that has only been around for 6 months, but performs with a polish and intensity far beyond that short time frame. I believe this is due to the fact that each member performs in a myriad of other Ottawa-area bands, notably Jetplanes of Abraham and the now (sadly) defunct For the Mathematics. Battle-hardened by the experience of larger venues and adoring crowds, The Balconies already seemed too big for the small Zaphod’s stage.

The balance to The Balconies’ music is quite fitting for the brother-sister-boyfriend trio. Each member contributes to the songwriting duties, and you’ll often find all three singing during their most catchy tracks. This fact, along with their small number of songs to date, has prevented The Balconies from establishing any sort of ’sound’, which I consider a total bonus. Each new track is a pleasant surprise that promotes a new element of their music: from power pop to harder rock to oddly trip-hop sexy-time music.

Hi-light of the show: witnessing lead singer Jacquie Neville’s vocal range and power as she strutted and stomped around stage with Telecaster.
Low-light of the show: their EP only has two tracks!!

Politique

It was Politique’s night, however, who were celebrating the release of their self-titled album. Apparently, Politique has been 3 years in the making, which explains how excited the band was to be performing. The excitement quickly spread to the crowd however, because of Politique’s upbeat style of music. Politique rest firmly in the seemingly trademarked Canadian movement of indie-rock electro-pop (see: Metric, Stars), with guy-girl vocals, whirling synths and hyper-dancy beats. Although Politique was celebrating their first release, it was clear that they had already won over the crowd, as many upfront were singing along to every song about the politics of relationships.

Hi-light of the show: lead singer Mallory Giles’ semi-choreographed yet super-cut dance moves.
Low-light of the show: poor EQ’ing on the vocals made it hard for Politique virgins to sing along.

Check out photos from the show on the next page!

Little Foot Long Foot, born out of necessity. This two member Toronto-based band was conceived from a tribute act. Isaac Klein (drums) bought his second tom to bash like Bonham, and Joan Smith (guitar and vocals) did her best to carry off Plant’s feminine machismo without stuffing her pants. After discovering that the smartest business decision for a tribute band is to add as many midgets as possible, Joan accepted her inability to shred wicked solos, strapped on a fat loud guitar and dug out her originals. Isaac put away the second tom so that Joan’s amp would fit in his car, and they journeyed towards a new horizon where White Stripes comparisons were lush and unavoidable.

Being a two piece band is all Little Foot Long Foot has in common with The White Stripes – musically they couldn’t be further apart. Joan’s voice is hard to put to words, there are moments when you can picture her chugging back JD straight from the bottle, channeling Joplin herself. From a light Billie Holiday to a Dylan feel. Be sure to check this Toronto Blues-Rockn’ duo with their injections of sarcastic prose at one of these great venues.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

June 17th 9pm Mercury Lounge, Ottawa with Bible All Stars
June 18th 9pm Brasserie Lafontaine, Riviere Du Loup
June 20th 9pm The Capital, Fredericton with Chris Colepaugh
June 21st 8pm Summer Solstice Festival, Saint John’s
June 25th 10pm Tribeca, Halifax
June 28th 9pm Brennans, Charlottetown
June 30th 8pm The Mersey House, Liverpool
July 4th 8pm Chuggles, Antigonish
July 5th 8pm Seahorse Tavern, Halifax
July 8th 10pm Gus’s Pub, Halifax
July 10th 9pm The Capital, Fredericton
July 11th 8pm Duncan’s Pub, Amherst with Jon McKeil
July 12th 8pm JB’s Pub, Springhill NS with Nicknameless
July 18th 8pm A Khord, St John’s
July 19th 8pm Doc Dylans, Moncton
July 23rd 9pm Divan Orange, Montreal
July 24th 9pm The Rainbow, Ottawa
Aug 14th 8pm The Supermarket, Toronto
Aug 15th 9pm PepperJacks’s, Hamilton