Essential Listening for today(haven't done one of these in a while) is Thornhill, Ontario band Courtesy Blush and their stellar album Sweet Modern Fairy Tales(2004). This band are already veterans of European touring(another Euro jaunt is scheduled for May, according to their website), and through a masterful amalgam of musical styling(think the amazing vocals of Dead Poetic but with more harmonies, the breakdowns and smooth production of From Autumn to Ashes and the poppy guitar patterns of Mae smashed into one Bionic Super Rock Band), they have won me over for months now. Check out the song 'The Video Is A Tightly-Kept Secret' and tell me you don't swoon for this. CB recently played Canadian Music Week in Toronto as part of the Bad Samaritan Records showcase as part of what appears to be their rise to world-takeover status. Great band.
Phenomenal singer-songwriter Derek Webb is headlining a month-long tour with his wife, Sandra McCracken and Steven Delopolous(Burlap to Cashmere) as opening acts; any of their websites will have the itinerary, and I just wanna say how sad I am that they'll never ever come to Canada. [renown]
...then again, slam poet Bradley Hathaway just did a mini-tour here in Ontario. So I guess anything's possible.
I really like Ion Dissonance, and so it follows, then, that this is good news: they've signed with rising metal-ish label Abacus Recordings, who'll release their label debut this summer, produced by Pierre Remillard(Cryptopsy). Yay Quebecois shredding metal attack!! [hxc]
Hey, kids, if you think you missed Bane and Comeback Kid on their current tour, check out these added dates!
3 28 West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
3 29 Bakersfield, CA - Jerry's Pizza
3 30 Henderson, NV - Roadhouse Casino
3 31 Fresno, CA - Big Game Studios
4 01 San Francisco, CA - Pound SF
4 02 Portland, OR - Davey Jones Locker
4 03 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
4 04 Moscow, ID - Sub Ballroom
4 05 Salt Lake City, UT - Club Sound
4 06 Denver, CO - Rock Island
4 07 Kansas City, MO - El Torreon
4 08 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground
4 09 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
4 10 Arlington Heights, IL - Knights Of Columbus