The New Music

Canadian Music Week or Canadian Music Fest, as the festival part is now being called, has always been a platform to bring awareness to what Canada’s music scene has to offer. I have to admit though, I’ve really been enjoying how over the past few years, the annual conference/festival has been luring more and more international acts into its roster. I know, I know, this is supposed to be a week of celebrating CANADIAN music, but if you’re a regular gig-goer, especially in the city of Toronto (of which there will be many), this worldwide inclusion brings some much-needed variety and let’s face it, bigger names at bigger venues.

So I present to you my list of bands - both Canadian and otherwise - you’ve gotta check out if you’re hitting the bars this week. Ta-da!

PARALLELS

From: Toronto, ON

Recommended if you like: Glass Candy, Donna Summer & Giorgio Moroder, Little Boots

Why you need to see them: Well, singer Holly Dodson is a sight to see herself, but some people still like dancing these days and Parallels make dreamy, bubbling disco that you can indeed lose yourself to.

Fun fact: Drummer Cameron Findlay used to be the live drummer for Crystal Castles (good choice!).

Tester song: “Find the Fire”

MySpace: myspace.com/parallelsfm

Wednesday March 10, 2010 @ 11:00PM, The Roosevelt Room, 2 Drummond Place

DIAMOND RINGS

From: Toronto, ON

Recommended if you like: Patrick Wolf, Handsome Furs, Owen Pallett

Why you need to see them: Well, John O is quite the performer and looker, just check out his video for “Wait and See”.

Fun fact: When he isn’t caked in makeup John O’Regan is the lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist for post-punk band The D’Urbervilles.

Tester song: “Wait and See”

MySpace: myspace.com/diamondringsmusic

Friday March 12, 2010 @ 12:00AM, Silver Dollar, 486 Spadina Ave.

NEON INDIAN

From: Austin, Texas

Recommended if you like: Todd Rundgren, Animal Collective, Cut Copy

Why you need to see them: Alan Palomo recently showed off his stuff on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and proved his bedroom, pop synthphonies are actually now ready for an audience.

Fun fact: Neon Indian formed as a sort-of apology by Palomo when he was a no-show for a scheduled acid trip with a friend.

Tester song: “Should Have Taken Acid With You”

MySpace: myspace.com/neonindian

Thursday March 11, 2010 @ 10:30PM, Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. West

BRASSTRONAUT

From: Vancouver, BC

Recommended if you like: Grizzly Bear, The Sea & Cake, Radiohead

Why you need to see them: As their name suggests, there is plenty of brass horn action, plus they make the notion of jazz cool… no really!

Fun fact: Frontman Edo Van Breeman owns his label, Unfamiliar Records.

Tester song: “Slow Knots”

MySpace: myspace.com/brasstronaut

Friday March 12, 2010 @ 11:00PM, Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. West

MEMORYHOUSE

From: Guelph, ON

Recommended if you like: Washed Out, Small Black, Memory Tapes

Why you need to see them: Because Evan Abeele and Denise Nouvion have just put together a live band and you’ll have bragging rights to say you saw them first when they blow up.

Fun fact: The duo are giving away their debut EP free! You can grab it here.

Tester song: “To the Lighthouse”

MySpace: myspace.com/wearememoryhouse

Sunday March 14, 2010, Wrongbar, 1279 Queen Street West

HARVEY MILK

From: Athens, Georgia

Recommended if you like: Melvins, Torche, Floor

Why you need to see them: They’re long-time veterans on the metal scene and they might just perform an entire set of Hank Williams covers.

Fun fact: It’s pretty obvious, but they took their name from the real Harvey Milk, the gay politician Sean Penn portrayed (and won an Oscar for) in the film Milk.

Tester song: “War”

MySpace: myspace.com/harveymilk

Thursday March 11, 2010 @ 10:20PM, Annex Wreckroom, 794 Bathurst Street

LITTLE DRAGON

From: Gothenburg, Sweden

Recommended if you like: Sia, Portishead, The Knife

Why you need to see them: Frontwoman Yukimi Nagano, whose constant movements are a bona fide showstealer.

Fun fact: The band appear on two tracks from the new Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach: “Empire Ants” and “To Binge.”

Tester song: “Fortune”

MySpace: myspace.com/yourlittledragon

Thursday March 11, 2010 @ 11:30PM, Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. West

MALE BONDING

From: London, England

Recommended if you like: Vivian Girls, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Sonic Youth

Why you need to see them: They’re the coolest band in England right now and sing “funny songs about werewolves, pirates and getting high in the cinema.”

Fun fact: The band’s slogan is “we put the harm into harmony.”

Tester song: “Carrying”

MySpace: myspace.com/malebonding

Wednesday March 10, 2010 @ 11:00PM, Wrongbar, 1279 Queen Street West

WOODS

From: Brooklyn, New York

Recommended if you like: Kurt Vile, Mount Eerie, Ariel Pink

Why you need to see them: Their ability to deliver harmonies as well as experiment on stage with knobs and tape-loops is both aurally and visually arresting.

Fun facts: Woods also perform/record under the name of Woods Family Creeps, another variation of the band. They also release their music on Woodsist, the indie label owned by member Jeremy Earl.

Tester song: “Sunlit”

MySpace: myspace.com/woodsfamilyband

Sunday March 14, 2010, Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. West

METZ

From: Toronto, ON

Recommended if you like: Pissed Jeans, The Jesus Lizard, Drive Like Jehu

Why you need to see them: They make the kind of scraping racket that will make you froth at the mouth and lose your shit entirely… plus make you go deaf, so where earplugs.

Fun fact: Umm… they’re name sounds like the Mets (as in New York) but spell their name with a “z”. Sorry, that’s not actually very fun.

Tester song: “Dry Up”

MySpace: myspace.com/metztheband

Friday March 12, 2010 @ 12:00AM, The Garrison, 1197 Dundas St. West