Photos of Dragonette and The Presets at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Ontario on May 10, 2013.

Dragonette

The Presets

Young Benjamins release the perfect summer record.

If you love bands like Said the Whale, Library Voices and Rah Rah, if you’re looking for something new to add to your soundtrack to the summer, this is it. Less Argue is an album full of snappy love songs that are perfect for playing both loud at the cottage and on your personal device in the dappled shade of a sunny urban park.

The album opens with the very moody “The Colonial Pt. I”. The organ playing and vocals by Veronique Poulin are haunting and beautiful, backed by Kuba Szmigielski ’s light-handed percussion that permeates the entire record. This song will make for a great stage entrance some day, with the crowd going wild.

What follows is an album that has been beautifully crafted. Every song has its own distinct sound, combining guitar, bass, percussion and violin, for the most part. The lead vocals of Neusha Mofazzali betray his British up-bringing and provide a little extra intrigue to the overall sound. This is a band that does not have a formulaic approach to song structure; instead, each song follows it’s own meandering path, as if the band has pieced together what sounds right as opposed to what should happen next.  This mentality may explain the anti-mainstream inclusion of a sweet 58 second song as well as a minute and a half instrumental.

The album is very upbeat, with poetic lyrics about love and its inherent struggles. Only one song, the title track, has an entirely different palette. With a prominent bass line by Brynn Krysa and deliberate abruptness to the vocals, “Less Argue” can subliminally make you feel very angry. This song and “Common Thief” do, however, showcase the organ playing of Poulin. Hopefully future albums will maintain the easy flow of the loose song structure but will feature even more of Poulin’s vocals and keys.

On the cusp of being “discovered”, Young Benjamins have scored themselves a much-coveted position at this year’s Hillside Festival. If you’re not amongst the lucky ones headed to Guelph late in July, no worries. Young Benjamins will play 3030 on Thursday, August 1st. This gives you plenty of time to pick up the album and fall in love with these songs.

Win a Steam Whistle prize pack including two tickets to see Beliefs, The C'Mons, and Hussy on May 24, 2013.

On May 24th, Steam Whistle will be hosting the 25th instalment of their Unsigned Indie Music Series - a series that, after quickly becoming a staple of the Toronto indie music scene, has now branched out to Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary to feature Canada's favourite up and coming acts in some of Canada's largest cities.

With 24 events under its belt, Steam Whistle’s Unsigned series has featured more than 70 acts on their way to big, big things (including Austra, Rich Aucoin, and The Rural Alberta Advantage) and has raised more than $75,000 for music charities across the country. Now, for the 25th show and series anniversary, local acts Beliefs, The C’Mons, and Hussy will take the stage at the brewery’s Beer Hall for a modest five bucks a head at the door, with ticket proceeds going to the Artists’ Health Alliance.

If you’re sold, Sticky Magazine would like to send you along with a friend, compliments of the folks at Steam Whistle themselves. One lucky winner will be walking away with a prize pack featuring some great Steam Whistle swag, some drink tickets, and a pair of tickets to Friday’s show. You can enter up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet the following message exactly as it appears below (do not retweet someone else's tweet):
   WIN tickets to Steam Whistle Unsigned on May 24. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and tweet. See: http://bit.ly/163VAOo
2. Go to Sticky Magazine on Facebook and click the "Like" button (if you haven't already). Then add a comment to the event poster in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "Beer and music, music and beer" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to 19+. You must be available to pick up the tickets in person on the day/evening of the concert, picture ID will be required. Contest closes Wednesday, May 22 at 12:00pm and the winner will be notified by Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 24 hours.

And remember, if luck isn't on your side, you can still get in for no more than five whole bucks at the door, so chin-up!

Just last February Instagram announced that they had 100 million active users a month. Your sister has it, your best friend has it, your local boutique has it. So does your favourite band. Theres no debate that Instagram is one of the most important social platforms out there. The real question is: how do you (and your fans) get the most out of Instagram?

Use it as a backstage pass

Let Instagram become a backstage pass into your 'extravagant' musician lifestyle. When you think about it, it is pretty cool that you get to travel across the province. Let them see you at different pit stops. The fans will love it. Just remember to take quality photos and not just spam your fans' feeds.

Like it!

Do you remember the feeling you got when your crush first liked your new Facebook profile picture? The fan is now you and you are their musical crush. Follow your fans and occasionally go through your feed and like photos you genuinely like. Your fans will be thrilled and talk about it on other social platforms. Trust me, one of my favourite rappers occasionally likes my Instagram photos and I tell anyone who will listen.

Connect

When you upload a photo to Instagram, it allows you to connect it with other social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Use this to your advantage. If you have a super kick-ass photo share it through Instagram on all platforms. Fans will see that you have an Instagram, see that they get that backstage pass, and follow you.

Make it about them

Take a photo of the crowd before you perform. Give them a sneak peak of your new album cover. Upload group shots of you with your fans. Make a thank you sign and take a picture holding it up. Hold contests specifically on Instagram. There are many ways you speak right to your fans. Get creative!

Bonus: Statigr.am

Statigr.am is a free app that provides Instagram statistics such as number of followers, likes, and comments. This app will give you a better understanding of your reach and give you an idea of what you need to improve on.

Audio Blood is a Canadian music marketing, publicity, and promotions company specializing in full-service national and regional artist and brand development campaigns for artists, labels, and events.

Al Tuck, the inimitable story-teller, releases seventh album on Cameron House Records

Settle in. It’s going to be a good ride. Al Tuck, with his odd, straggly voice and sparse arrangements, has reached into what surely must be a massive chest of creations and put together an album that reveals the fascinating mind of a genius in our midst. Every song tells a story that somehow manages to be very straight-forward, yet full of cryptic images and puzzling observations. It is political, it’s spiritual and at times, it seems awfully personal.

The album is book-ended by several verses each of a song titled “There Is A God”, with just a few songs between them. Each part of “There Is A God” reveals a different spiritual aspect: criticism, discovery, temptation and acceptance. All four parts of the song are sung a cappella and recorded in a chapel in PEI. The final part, after ending with an angelic “Amen”, has 30 seconds of silence, giving you the chance to mull things over as the record comes to an end.

The first track after the first part of “There Is A God” is the trippy jazzed up song “There Is A War”. The war is on all things natural and good, and Tuck rambles through, in spoken word, all sorts of examples of good things and things we should stop. There are references to Buck 65, Charlie Mingus and Snowmageddon. It’s followed by “Five-O”, perhaps the most catchy song on the album with a bit of a surf rock feel. Even listening to it the first time, you’re singing along and listening intently to the story of a convicted criminal.

The title track is more than 10 minutes long, but again, it’s the story-telling that holds your attention. Whose wake is it? Why is he there? Guitar, fiddle and piano back up Tuck’s conversational singing as the song shuffles along

The mid-section of the album is comprised of more stories and more genres. There’s a Celtic piece about married life. “Let It Go (Over Yonder)” is a 50’s style rock tune that is possibly the most vague on the album, lyrically. “Paid In The Middle Of The Night” has a bluesy rock vibe and fun sing-along choruses.

The album closes with a couple of covers. “Walking By The River” is a languishing, swaying cover of a hit from 1941. Aptly leading into the final section of “There Is A God”, “Be Ready When He Comes” is an obscure B-side by one of the original Delta bluesmen, Skip James. Tuck adds his own accents with sax and a distinct metered time signature.

Although the first impressions of this album may be the messages and the variety of musical styles, the longevity of this album will be its story-telling. Every time you listen, you stumble upon a lyric that impresses. One of my personal favourites is “I can’t believe it’s just coincidence these incidents that coincide.” There are stories told in each song, and there’s a greater story arching over the breadth of the album, as well. Al Tuck is a fascinating man and we’re fortunate he is sharing these pieces of himself with us.

Raine Maida's words on his latest release, on his history as an artist, and on a couple of minds that have moved him.

My mother introduced me to the most influential band of my formative years on my fifteenth birthday, when she returned from a trip to Sam The Record Man, beaming and holding a CD she wasn't sent for - Our Lady Peace's Clumsy. It wasn't the cd I'd wanted, but I hadn't yet reached the rude and obnoxious stage that my murky teenaged future had in store, so I accepted her fumble with fake excitement and secret disappointment and added it to my modest collection of discs.  As you'd expect, though, the album had to find its way into regular rotation (it was an era when the size of a kid's music collection rested on the flexibility of his allowance and how often his neighbours needed their lawns mowed), and I quickly fell in love - a love that snowballed with the succession of releases to come from the band.

Even now, at 31 years old, I can still revisit those older OLP albums and inevitably always hear them with the cliched wide-eyed wonder that I had at half my age, when the intricacies of making music were still a mystery to me.  So you can understand how it felt when I found myself talking with the band's front-man Raine Maida this past month and heard him talk with that same level of excitement and sincerity about music and his industry history, especially when sounding off on his latest solo release - an album whose title itself is a very big nod to a very influential figure for the artist.

Performing at a spoken word festival in the unlikely city of Calgary, the musician was on the bill with John Giorno, one of the original beat poets who stood alongside men like Burroughs and still stands as a legend to many - even to someone as accomplished as Raine Maida. And so, not unlike the countless fans that he himself has entertained, he couldn't hide his awe for the author and had him sign a copy of his collection “Subduing Demons in America” , receiving an inscription including the phrase “Everyone gets lighter” - words that struck a chord with the artist and influenced the direction of his work in no small way.

“The whole concept [of the piece by Giorno] is being able to understand that at some point we're all going to turn to dust and leave this planet, and especially coming from a man his age, he's got so much wisdom, and it was just a profound moment.”

So Maida put care into putting Giorno’s concept into the creation of We All Get Lighter, making an effort not to look too hard for the meaning of life (and for lofty ideals in every facet of his work), in fear that that very life will pass by during the search.

“That's really what ties the record together - not that there's a concept, but that inscription is what kept this record together for the last 4 years.”

With that four years committed to its creation, nobody can deny that We All Get Lighter has been a hell of a long time coming, but it wasn’t the only project on the 43 year old artist's plate. With commitments Our Lady Peace, his other producing efforts, his well-publicized political and social causes, and all of those routine parts of living that the famous and not-so-famous have in common, his solo efforts often weren’t able to be a priority. So, when all was said and done, the record was finally sealed in cellophane a whopping six years after his first solo effort, 2007’s The Hunter’s Lullaby  (in the interim, Maida released two mix-tapes last summer, about which he voiced a certain clarity: “I think those for me were kind of like a cleansing thing; they allowed me to figure out what this record was trying to say.”).

Smaller installments aside, though, when asked to stand his two full-length solo works side by side, Maida believes there isn’t the kind of chasm between the pieces that time could have potentially caused, considering the latest “a good extension” of what he’d created before. Of course, he seems genuinely proudest of the latest effort, and with good reason.

“This sounds silly, but in the production of it... I think there's a lot of care taken. I really took care when I was mixing and making this record that you can hear the real timbre of the violin or you can hear what a horn is doing - how it just kind of descends and decays - and you could hear the real intricacies. Chantal [Kreviazuk], my wife, sings all over this record. There's never a wall of sound; in my head, I don't think anything's ever cluttered. You can, as a listener, really get inside each instrument. The opening song, "How to kill a man" is probably... I don't want to sound like an asshole, but I think it's my best work ever, just that song alone."

That best work sits at the top of the tenth full-length release from a musician whose pieces span more than two decades and resonate with fans worldwide, eight of which are under OLP's umbrella, where he takes the role of lead vocalist and the most identifiable member of the band. Through the course of the band's history, there is often a clear and collected testament to Maida's ongoing evolution as an artist, and there’s been a massive change between where he began with taking part in the creation of Naveed and where he’s come with We All Get Lighter. So, it makes you wonder, would 1993 Raine Maida like the artist he’s become?

"No, but I don't think any of us are the way we were 20 years ago, for better or for worse,” is Maida's response to what is probably a pretty obvious question. “My whole mantra on Naveed, I remember telling the rest of the guys, ‘I don't want any fucking keyboards on this record.’ It had to be as raw and as rock and roll as possible. But that only lasted a record, then all of a sudden Clumsy came and we were experimenting with pianos and synths, then that just kept going further and further with Spiritual Machines and Happiness... But, I mean, that's the joy of being an artist. For whatever reason, as OLP right now, it kinda feels like we're getting closer back to Naveed, which is great. I love that. It's almost like you have to get far enough away from yourself to realize what the most authentic part of yourself was. So, you know, it's a work in progress. We're all so proud of Curve [the band's recent release] and playing that record live ...it’s just a massive record for us; It was really another benchmark.”

Lying somewhere in the middle of that evolving discography sits one of OLP's most critically-acclaimed works (and likely the most influential album of this writer's youth) - the 2000 release, Spiritual Machines, a collection of songs spurred on by the work "The Age of Spiritual Machines" by author and futurist Ray Kurzweil, a man arguably considered one of the great minds of our time. The monumental bestseller is an analysis of the potential for computers to exceed human intelligence, a study so lending to spiraling imagination that the band created the concept album in the wake of reading the book, even bringing in the writer himself for intros and key quotes from the book after getting to know him and finding out he was a fan of their take on his ideas, to their surprise.

"I think a guy like that is always somewhat humbled when you get a bunch of dumb musicians taking to a pretty heavy concept. That record was so important to us, because of Ray and because anyone that may be listening dug into that record and, even if they didn't read the book, they had an idea of what Ray was talking about. Look what's happened over the last 15 years - that's just all coming true. You're talking about a guy that really... I mean, he's a giant. His thoughts are gigantic, but it's reality and I think it is so fulfilling as an artist to be a part of that and to attach ourselves to a man like that and having the chance to get to know him. That record was so important and, in a weird way, we feel like fans as well with that record, you know? It was important to us.”

Lucky for anyone asking the questions, Maida doesn't mind musing on his work with Our Lady Peace, even at a time when his solo projects are at the forefront.

“They're all happening at the same time. It's not a separate thing anymore and we're always making music. I played a show in Saskatoon with OLP last Saturday, and that helps the way I think of my stuff, but I love how they've been able to co-exist.”

Of course, as a solo artist, there are certain liberties taken that just wouldn't work when OLP is in the mix, and he's always careful not to get the wires crossed when writing music with the band.  

“It's a respect thing for OLP. I make things just a little bit more universal and make it so it's about the band rather than me on the solo stuff, where I just say what I want to say and I don't have to filter and I don't have to change things to make them feel more universal. I guess it's a selfish thing - I can be a little more selfish and just not worry about it. I'm a little bit more aware when it's OLP stuff.”

Just because he can take those liberties with his own work, though, it doesn't mean he's happier to stand alone in the recording studio and on-stage; Maida doesn’t see his solo work as something he’s more happy creating, but instead more as two separate parts of his identity as a musician.

“I'm just really trying to enjoy them both. I don't want to have to choose, and I think they're separate enough that they're just different sides of me. I think it's a worthwhile thing as an artist. They're both very authentic. Obviously, my solo stuff is one hundred percent me, so I can stand behind it more. I write a lot of the songs [for OLP] and the lyrics, but there's a compromise always, and not in a bad way - just in the way that it's a collaboration. I totally love that and respect it and love the guys for that, but I think it's a great thing that I can do both.  I'm pretty fortunate.”

With both efforts combining to result in nearly a dozen albums that have brought him success beyond question, fortunate is a very modest way of putting it. And now, with We All Get Lighter freshly released and with the artist still reaching millions of listeners after twenty years of making music, Raine Maida has no doubt made countless people look at him just as he has looked at the startling genius of Kurzweil or the poetic stylings of Giorno. As a fan and a recipient of the kind of influence that an artist like Maida can have, it's grounding to be reminded that wide-eyed wonderment isn't exclusive, and that someone who has spent his life earning admiration can be moved by greatness in the very same way.  It seems that everybody is somebody’s fan.

Check out the links below to see more of what Raine Maida has been doing to keep himself out of trouble, including the first single from We All Become Lighter, "Montreal".

Talented electro-teen Le Roi Crocodile leaves much to the imagination.

All the public seems to know about him is that he is 16 (possibly 17 by now), from Vancouver, and super skilled at making “bedroom music” - that is, essentially, music to lie in your bedroom to.

You know, music for when you lie on your bed at four in the afternoon, school is out, the sun is high, and it’s summertime, but your curtains are drawn and you just can’t force yourself to get up. You feel alright, but it’s just not your day. You’ve fed your turtle and there’s nothing else to do; you’ve cancelled plans, called in sick to work. Listen to this. Stop trying to find Elvis’ face in the ceiling and listen.

This is music to stay indoors to.

With lyrics half-sung and half-rapped, along with a great sense of rhythm, Le Roi Crocodile has captured us inside the cocoons of our houses. Soft bass creates a lo-fi sound that’s almost pop-like, but drawn back with the slowness of several of the tracks, then brought back with the fast-tempo hook on “Youth Decay”.

Though he only has four tunes out on his SoundCloud now, we’re promised a new EP soon (as soon as Le Roi recovers from losing his voice).

If “Battles” and “Youth Decay” are anything to go by, the EP should be incredible, and I can’t wait to see what Le Roi Crocodile comes out with next. If you’re a fan of chillwave electronic, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re not, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Win two tickets to see Bravestation at The Drake Underground on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

 [CONTEST HAS ENDED] 

This coming Tuesday, we're pretty sure you're going to find yourself with something else that has to be added to your shopping list, because Toronto's own Bravestation is set to put some new studio work on store shelves once again. 

To mark the occasion, The aptly-titled IV (which includes a few tracks that you can nab for free right over here) will be ushered into the world at The Drake Underground on May 15th as part of the J.D. Originals series, and some pretty important people have told us that they'd love to see your smiling faces in the audience.

To make your move through the doors a little easier, we have a pair of tickets to give away to the show, courtesy of Live Nation Ontario. You can enter up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet the following message exactly as it appears below (do not retweet someone else's tweet):
   WIN tickets to Bravestation on May 15. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and tweet. See: http://bit.ly/147Stjz
2. Go to Sticky Magazine on Facebook and click the "Like" button (if you haven't already). Then add a comment to the photo of Bravestation in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "Roman numerals are confusing" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to 19+. You must be available to pick up the tickets in person on the day/evening of the concert, picture ID will be required. Contest closes Sunday, May 12 at 11pm and the winner will be notified by Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 2 hours.

Win two tickets to see Youngblood Hawke at Lee's Palace on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

 [CONTEST HAS ENDED] 

In less than twenty-four hours, indie pop rockers Youngblood Hawke will be live on-stage at Lee's Palace, which means that you really have absolutely no excuse for not already having a ticket.

But, if you DO have an excuse, then we want to hear it, and we might just send you along to the show for free (your reason won't really weigh into the random draw - we just like hearing those sad sad stories). 

With help from Universal Music Canada, Sticky Magazine has one pair of tickets to give away. You can enter up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet the following message exactly as it appears below (do not retweet someone else's tweet):
   WIN tickets to Youngblood Hawke on May 9. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and tweet. See: http://bit.ly/10c4rsn
2. Go to Sticky Magazine on Facebook and click the "Like" button (if you haven't already). Then add a comment to the photo of Youngblood Hawke in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "I woulda bought a ticket, but..." in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to 19+. You must be available to pick up the tickets in person on the day/evening of the concert, picture ID will be required. Contest closes Thursday, May 9 at 9am and the winner will be notified by Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 2 hours.

Win two tickets to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Kool Haus on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

 [CONTEST HAS ENDED] 

There are a thousand ways to show you why a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show shouldn't be missed, and we'd love to dig into that bottomless list if we had the time. But, somewhere around a day or two from the time you really should be reading this, BRMC will be making their way down to the lakeshore to perform in support of their March release Specter At The Feast, so we're gonna save some time and let the band's reputation speak for itself. 

Now, while there are still a few legitimate ways left to get your hands on some tickets to join the audience at Kool Haus this Thursday (Rotate This, Soundscapes, and Ticketmaster are all pretty solid bets) we think we may have just figured out the best way of all: for free.

Compliments of our friends at Live Nation, Sticky Magazine has one pair of tickets to give away. You can enter up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet the following message exactly as it appears below (do not retweet someone else's tweet):
   WIN tickets to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on May 9. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and tweet. See: http://bit.ly/17KLOOf
2. Go to Sticky Magazine on Facebook and click the "Like" button (if you haven't already). Then add a comment to the photo of BRMC in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "Wild Hogs" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to all-ages. You must be available to pick up the tickets in person on the day/evening of the concert, picture ID will be required. Contest closes Wednesday, May 8 at 11:00pm and the winner will be notified by Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 12 hours.

Win two passes to the S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival in St. Catharines on Sunday, June 9th, 2013.

 [CONTEST HAS ENDED] 

S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival is back for its 18th year and will feature over 140 performers across multiple stages and venues. Festival attendees can look forward to experiencing the chaotic market square music community, with two main outdoor stages and participating local venues, it's just a quick hop to a variety of shows all within a 2-minute radius! As an official media sponsor of the event this year, Sticky Magazine contributors will be onsite enjoying the fun and (hopefully) some sun, and we want you to be there too.

Sticky Magazine four pairs of passes to give away (a $64 value per pair). You can enter up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet or retweet the following:
   WIN tickets to SCENE Festival on June 9. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and retweet. See: http://bit.ly/11PhVbF
2. Like Sticky Magazine on Facebook and add a comment to the S.C.E.N.E. Festival poster in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "In The Milieu" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to all-ages. You must be available to pick up the passes in person, in St. Catharines, on the day of the festival, ID may be required for proof of identity. Contest closes Sunday, May 12 at 11:00pm and the winner will be notified Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 24 hours.

Passes are still available for purchase online and in-person. See the S.C.E.N.E. Festival Tickets page for details.

Dave Bookman’s Nu Music Nites have been going strong every Tuesday night at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern for 19 years and there’s plenty of reasons you should go.

If you are a purveyor of the Toronto live music scene, you’re probably aware of Dave Bookman’s Nu Music Nite at the Horseshoe Tavern every Tuesday night.  But have you gone?

Enough has been written about the Horseshoe Tavern to make it legendary already.  On top of the shows that are the stuff of legends, a visit to the Horseshoe Tavern encompasses more than just an immersion in history and ambiance.  You can soak that in by browsing the well-thought-out and beautifully presented collages along the wall of the front bar.  But the Horseshoe is also the home to some of the best bar staff in the city, serving up plenty of pints of beer, but also able to whip up a cocktail or pour you a decent glass of wine.  In the back room, the Horseshoe Tavern has invested in a high quality sound system and recently swapped out bulky and wandering chairs and tables for small, light stools and bolted down tables that are the perfect width for a couple of pints.

On almost any Tuesday (the odd tribute or big deal band charging a cover disrupt the pattern infrequently), you’ve got the chance to really soak in what the Horseshoe Tavern is all about.  Supporting live music; that’s what it’s all about.  The Horseshoe does this by opening up Tuesday nights to relatively unknown bands from out of town, and local bands who have just started to develop a fan base and need to prove that they’ve got what it takes to play such a legendary venue.  If the band draws listeners and dancers, if everyone is drinking and having a great time, chances are, that band will grace the Horseshoe stage again.

Because of this fairly open policy on Tuesdays, you just never know what you’re going to get.  You might catch a successful rocker from Australia who has decided to move to Canada and is just testing the waters with a new ensemble.  You might catch a European band who are used to big crowds and aggressive tour schedules who are completely unknown here.  You might catch the greatest band you’ve never heard from a small town in the Maritimes.  Or you might stumble upon a local band that has only been together a short time.

Your next opportunity is Tuesday!  On Tuesday, May 7th, you can catch a buffet of colours and styles.  Castle River is a duo reminiscent of 60’s folk but with a modern twist to the syncopation.  Smokekiller, a.k.a. John Antoniuk, is touring the new album that was reviewed here on Sticky and you'll find a link to the latest video below.  Songwriter/lead singer/guitarist Antoniuk and his band will be sure to have everyone migrate to the storied checkered floor in front of the stage.  The Human Orchestra are a ten-piece band from Hamilton that are just starting to get some momentum going.  Meeko Cheech are a young band from Toronto who play many instruments and sound pretty trippy.  Wrapping up the evening, The BoneDevil is a band comprised of four odd-balls, playing hard rock and raising eye-brows.  Where else can you find folk and hard rock on the same bill?

Come on down to the Horseshoe Tavern on a Tuesday night.  You owe it to yourself.  It's free.   And you just never know what you’re going to get.  Hey, maybe the legendary Bookie himself will be there to introduce the bands.

Exploration is an important thing in general, but it's especially true if you’re a musician. And who better to attest to that than Patrick Krief, a member of critically acclaimed bands The Dears and Black Diamond Bay, as well as a music producer and a pursuer of his own solo projects.

Growing up and tweaking his musical prowess in Montreal, Krief is a sound chameleon, consistently changing roles and seeking out new avenues for expression. Now, with the release of his latest self-recorded and produced album Hundred Thousand Pieces, we are given a gateway into his personal triumphs and struggles, about which Krief is heartbreakingly honest.

Joining us for a chat, Sticky sat down to pick his brain and discuss juggling these multiple pursuits while still keeping sane. Or something close to it.

Sticky: When did you know that you wanted to make music your career?

Patrick: I always knew. I just kind of always pictured myself performing in front of people. I think I had a moment of doubt in my early twenties just thinking, “Oh, maybe I should go to school or get a real job.” But that was short lived.

Sticky: You’re a member of both The Dears and Black Diamond Bay, now Krief, and have contributed to a bunch of albums as a musician and producer. How has this been beneficial?

Patrick: You can come in just as a guitar player or as a producer or a writer; it’s just always a new perspective. And sometimes it’s not songs I had anything to do with - like I just mixed somebody’s record, and I wasn’t there for the recording of it or any of that stuff, so it’s completely like hearing a bunch of tracks and turning it into a mix, which was really fun. As long as there’s room for creativity, I’m interested in it.

Sticky: Is it difficult to balance each pursuit?

Patrick: I’ve been kind of lucky in my timing, but I foresee in my future a big scheduling disaster. As things are slowly starting to show up at the same time, I’m like “Uh oh, I don’t know how this is going to work.” But I’d much rather be busy than waiting for something to do.

Sticky: Speaking of being busy, you self-produced your latest album Hundred Thousand Pieces at home, and have produced for other bands. What have you taken from each experience?

Patrick: It’s less personal [to produce for others]. So when I’m working on someone else’s music, I’m able to be just a bit more objective because I’m not afraid of any particular vulnerability. Like, I can be like, “That’s great where you hit that wrong note because it’s got character”, whereas if were my thing, I’d be like “I’m not sure if that wrong note is cool or if it sucks.” And it’s not because I don’t care as much, it’s because there are no irrelevant neuroses based elements coming into the path of the right decision. When you’re putting stuff out in your name, you’ll overthink it. But nothing a little bit of Jameson can’t take care of, just to shut it down.

Sticky: While writing Hundred Thousand Pieces, you’ve talked about being in a dark emotional space. Was it cathartic to write the album, and is it difficult to listen to now?

Patrick: No, I love it. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, but when I play those songs, or I think about how they were written, there’s nothing dark about it to me now. Some songs have lyrically taken on new meanings to what I’m going through now in my life, and then I think “Wow, that’s so crazy how this still applies.” I’ll be on stage singing it, and I’ll think about this new way the song makes sense.

Sticky: I guess sometimes it’s a matter of perspective.

Patrick: It’s more like a “Holy shit, I don’t want to examine that too much because I can’t believe how weird that period of time was.”

Sticky: Are you in a different headspace now from when you were writing it?

Patrick: I am in a different headspace, but it’s a different manifestation of… Life is very different for me now than it was then, just life in general. I wasn’t very busy then, I was completely consumed by it, and now I have a million and one things to do. But I’m slowly approaching the reality of making another record and so hopefully it doesn’t take me into a dark place again. It usually does.

Sticky: You’ve done both EPs and full length albums. How do you know if something is meant to be an EP vs. album?

Patrick: Honestly, I’ve never set out to make an EP. The first Krief EP was the only EP I really made, and it wasn’t because I thought I should make one. When I went in to record that, in my mind it was album, and then the people I was working with kind of said “I don’t think you have an album here, I think you have an EP.” In retrospect, I wish I had made that an album because the songs that didn’t make it are great songs, and I wish I’d put them on there.

So it's been a while since Sigur Rós passed through Toronto on the band's latest visit, but can’t we just chalk up the tardiness of this article to the timelessness of the music itself?

You know, there actually is some truth about the band somewhere in that lame excuse. Of course, I’m not talking about the timelessness of a Frank Sinatra song that gives you a flash of some golden era that's always welcomed - I’m talking about music that's more or less detached from time. And I know that I might eat those words in twenty years when I'm thinking about how violin bows on guitars are soo 2002, but for now, Sigur Rós is still managing to create a sound that's independent of most popular conventions... even conventional weirdness.

Their performance at Air Canada Centre earlier this month was as great a showcase as ever of that timeless sound, but the performance itself was about as conventionally Sigur Rós as anything could be. Don’t worry, that's not a bad thing. The half-bowl set-up of the giant centre offered up surprisingly good sound and a fair amount of intimacy (I'm surprised by both of these facts pretty much every time I see an ACC half bowl show), and Sigur Rós took as much as advantage as they could of the space, in the same way they'd taken advantage of the stage at Massey Hall, Echo Beach, and likely a thousand other venues in their past. A few songs played while silhouetted behind a towering screen, a load of songs played so happily and passionately that they shine a grade-school beauty on the world (think the hand-holding highs of "Glossoli" in the encore), and a load of tracks played so darkly that you’d swear you’d died and suddenly been struck by the Christian repercussions of a sinful life (think the slow sombre march of "E-Bow" or the chaotic closing "Popplagið" that follows you to bed long after the show is over).

In short, like every other time they’ve made an appearance, Sigur Rós’ show was a rollercoaster. Definitively epic. I know this is what's in store whenever the ticket makes its way to my hands and whenever one of their albums rears its head on my itunes, yet there are times that I forget they're one of my favourite groups. I mean, I know the fact when it occurs to me to think about them, but that inherent knowledge seems to fade, because listening to them can sometimes require a lot of effort. It’s not easy to be so emotionally moved too often. But, when they take the stage and romance their instruments, I’m always left wondering why I’d ever waste my time listening to anything that doesn’t make this kind of impact. Sure, there’s a certain lightness that you get from watching silly movies and listening to effortless tunes, but when this life thing all comes to an end, I’ll probably be left wondering why I didn’t spend my money more freely, why I didn’t always roll down the windows in the car on sunny days (bad hair be damned), and why I didn’t spend a year or two following Sigur Rós on tour (or at least spin their records more when I was sitting around doing nothing). So listen to my very obvious words, readers: Dance like no one’s watching or something, choose chocolate over plain, and go back in time to see Sigur Rós’ show at the ACC.

There are some nights when you need to blow off a little steam. Honestly, just a little steam was my plan when I took all-around-interesting-person-and-great-photographer, Ronnie Fung, up on his offer to see his new band Motor Goat at The Silver Dollar. One reason is that Motor Goat is an hilarious band name, but more importantly, I get a huge kick out of being connected with Ronnie Fung on Facebook and Instagram. So why not? No, I'd never heard a Motor Goat recording and didn't even know what kind of music it was, but I did know it was Ronnie.

For better or worse, the night turned into a bit of a blowout in terms of excess. Not only did I enjoy two sets at The Silver Dollar with Jonny Debt and Motor Goat (along with accompanying drinks), I also ended up at the Horseshoe Tavern for some crazy wild dance party where people crowd surfed on stage (sorry, no photos, although I did manage to squeeze out one Instagram), and then ended off the night at the Rivoli with Mary Stewart. Well, actually, I really ended up the night passed out on the basement couch. And that's what I mean with the title of this article... I didn't just blow off some steam, I boiled off all the water, and burned the kettle. Ahh, rock and roll, sometimes you hurt me.

Motor Goat

Jonny Debt

Mary Stewart

Win a prize pack from Acres of Lions, including tickets to their May 3rd Mod Club show.

To support their recent release Home(s), Victoria's Acres of Lions have once again taken to the road. And, as luck would have it, Toronto has a few roads of its own, so we're pretty sure the act won't have much trouble making their way to the Mod Club stage on May 3rd to appear alongside Kingsfoil and Thunderhawks.

While tickets are still available, you can score yourself a sweet spot on the floor for the show at a pretty modest price. Or, if you'd rather make a few keystrokes than spend a few bucks, you can win our Acres of Lions prize pack, including a pair of tickets to the show, an Acres of Lions t-shirt, and a copy of their latest CD.

You can enter up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet or retweet the following:
   WIN an Acres of Lions live show prize pack. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and retweet. See: http://bit.ly/ZLFdAL
2. Like Sticky Magazine on Facebook and add a comment to the photo of Acres of Lions in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "All them kitties" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to all-ages. The winner will be required to pick up tickets on the night of the show. Contest closes Tuesday, April 30th at 11:00pm and the winner will be notified by Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 24 hours.

Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster, Soundscapes, and Rotate This.

Win two tickets to The Grove Music Festival featuring Phoenix, Girl Talk, Hot Chip, and The Gaslight Anthem in Toronto on Saturday, August 3, 2013.

 [CONTEST HAS ENDED] 

The Grove Music Festival is a one-day musical experience created by a partnership between promoter Goldenvoice and Arts & Crafts that promises a diverse, world-class festival inside the Fort York Garrison Common. The carefully curated lineup includes indie giants Phoenix and Hot Chip along with mashup king Girl Talk and blue collar rock heroes The Gaslight Anthem. Additional acts are Odd Future , standout Earl Sweatshirt, breakout Swedish DJ duo Icona Pop, garage buzz bands Wavves and Palma Violets, and local exports Young Empires and Nightbox. 

Sticky Magazine has two pairs of tickets to give away. You can enter up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet or retweet the following:
   WIN tickets to The Grove Music Festival on Aug 3. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and retweet. See: http://bit.ly/12zggcL
2. Like Sticky Magazine on Facebook and add a comment to The Grove Music Festival poster in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "I want to be a Grover" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to all-ages. The winner will be asked to provide a mailing address so that tickets can be sent. Contest closes Wednesday, May 1st at 11:00pm and the winner will be notified Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 24 hours.

Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster, SoundScapes, and Rotate This.

"Geddy Lee!" shouted Matt Bellamy, the front man of Muse, name-checking our beloved Canadian trio midway through the Devonshire trio’s first of two sold-out sets at the Air Canada on Tuesday night.

His testament to Rush, their prog-rock forefathers, didn’t generate a completely appropriate response; it was met with shades of confusion from the new-rock obsessed crowd around me: What did he say? What song is this? Like a Michael Bay film, the mindlessly overblown spectacle was a show without substance. The visual artistry was admirable, amongst the lights and lasers was a diamond shaped set of lights that formed like a pyramid above the stage, but the content lacked.

Muse have been doing this thing for 19-years. One of the trickiest bits of their performance was magnifying in on the blurry definition that "this thing" is. For the better half of their career, Muse started as a band that stretched their mental capacities to create absurdist, mind-melting instrumentation that failed to meet significant North American recognition. They crafted music that felt honest and then, like many talented bands starving for stadiums, they found themselves influenced by the U2 effect after opening for them.

Bono's influence to international exposure can be seen across the board: The Killers, Coldplay, and Kings of Leon. Similar to Muse, they garnered praise overseas before shaping their sound to satisfy the atmosphere of an arena to open North American ears. See Muse's fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations – those grandiose choruses, radio-friendly hooks, and self-indulgent solos that chew audiences apart. It became their first record to crack the top ten and their breakthrough single "Starlight" remains a fixture of alt-rock radio today.

Bellamy, along with Dominic Howard (drums) and Christopher Wolstenholme (bass), seem to have lost sight in that. While their keen musicianship is inevitably intact, their definition of success has aimed in a new direction as suggested in their song, "Undisclosed Desires".  It is easy to draw comparisons to Bellamy's personal life as an argument for fame, but the show felt more like a misguided experimentation of sound.

Unfortunately, the first half of their catalogue was largely ignored and a majority of the set was drawn from their most recent, overblown album The 2nd Law and 2009's The Resistance. In hindsight, their last appearance in Toronto, when all three members ascending and descending on skyscraper-shaped towers, served as a farewell to their innovative take on modern rock and their old catalogue. This proved true as they only pulled out two pre-American success songs, the singles "Stockholm Syndrome" and "Our Time Is Running Out" on Tuesday night.

With a sold-out crowd, they have little reason to change. Their high-tech stage theatrics had the RPG-loving crowd in hysterics. Even with all the pyrotechnics, sax-playing aliens, and purple ogres on screen, Bellamy's presence came across as somehwat forced. He's a modern guitar hero and he spent a majority of the night without a guitar! Instead, Bellamy relied on pre-recorded background vocals and impersonated what felt like a checklist of clichés that included high fives and indulgent manipulations of the cameras. His sonic manipulation of the fret board has received praise in several guitar magazines and he is probably the only performer that I've seen, next to Jack White and Prince, that has wielded his guitar so proficiently, as though it were an extra appendage on his body. And those vocals, a shade of Thom Yorke with vibrato and falsetto ranging to arena-rock standards set previously by an artist that I will not mention, only because I believe Bellamy doesn't quite deserve a direct comparison (but you can probably guess to whom I am referring).

There was irony to witness the crowd passionately chanting along with Bellamy: "They will not force us / They will stop degrading us / They will not control us / We will be victorious" as they blindly stood in the grasp of Muse and the technological spectacle. But they manipulated, they festered, and took over.

Rather than ravish it in on their own efforts, respect was paid with nods to the riffery of classic rock staples throughout the evening. Bellamy and company resolved "Map of the Problematique" with a few bars of Led Zeppelin, trickled some Rage Against the Machine into "Stockholm Syndrome", and closed their set with The Guess Who's "American Woman".

Set List
Supremacy
Map of the Problematique / Heartbreaker (Led Zeppelin Cover)
Supermassive Black Hole
Resistance
Panic Station
Knights of Cydonia
Monty Jam
Explorers
Follow Me
United States of Eurasia
Liquid State
Time Is Running Out / YYZ (Rush Cover)
Undisclosed Desires
Stockholm Syndrome / Freedom! (Rage Against the Machine Cover)
The 2nd Law: Unsustainable
Uprising / American Woman (The Guess Who Cover)

Encore
Starlight
Survival

Win two tickets to see Young Rival at The Rivoli on April 17, 2013.

 [CONTEST HAS ENDED] 

We know April 17th less than a week away, but if you've got plans, cancel em, because we're gearing up to send you and a friend to see J.D. Originals Presents Young Rival at The Rivoli.

If you don't know what you're getting yourself into, don't worry. We do our best to see Young Rival on stage whenever the stars align, and believe us when we say they put on one hell of a show. Trust us? Then get your entries in quick (or at least before the deadline).

Sticky Magazine has one pair of tickets to give away. You can enter up to three times - once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet the following message exactly as it appears below (do not retweet someone else's tweet):
   WIN tickets to Young Rival on Apr 17. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and tweet. See: http://bit.ly/171v8jl
2. Go to Sticky Magazine on Facebook and click the "Like" button (if you haven't already). Then add a comment to the photo of Young Rival in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "A healthy rivalry" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to 19+. You must be available to pick up the tickets in person on the day/evening of the concert and picture ID will be required. Contest closes Monday, April 15th at 11:00pm and the winner will be notified by Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 24 hours.

Tickets are still available at Rotate This, Soundscapes, and through Ticketmaster.

Win two tickets to see Shrimp Daddy Reid at Ringside Blues on April 19, 2013.

 [CONTEST HAS ENDED] 

This is it! This is your chance! Win two tickets to a truly unique experience in the city, recently highlighted in the latest installment of Lee's Little Outliers. Two tickets include a full buffet dinner (including delish vegan dishes) catered by one of Toronto's finest restaurants, Sliced Gourmet, served between 8:00 and 9:00pm, and three sets of live music by Toronto's own Shrimp Daddy Reid, who just recently made it to the semi-finals of this past year's Annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.

You can enter to win up to three times, once for each entry method (repeating any single entry method does not increase your odds):

1. Follow Sticky Magazine on Twitter and tweet the following message exactly as it appears below (do not retweet someone else's tweet):
   WIN tickets to Ringside Blues on April 19. To enter, follow @StickyMagazine and tweet. See: http://bit.ly/12OuXuZ
2. Go to Sticky Magazine on Facebook and click the "Like" button (if you haven't already). Then add a comment to the photo of some pretty intimidating fighters in the "Contests" photo album.
3. Send an email to contests@stickymagazine.com with "Blues in the boxing ring!" in the subject. Include your full name in the body of the email.

Contest is open to 19+. The winner will be asked to provide ID at the door. Contest closes Monday, April 15th at 6:00pm and the winner will be notified by Twitter, Direct Message, Facebook Message, or email within about 24 hours.

Combining world-class blues music with an unusual venue, Ringside Blues provides live music fans with a unique experience.

Emile Awe Reed is a boxer, coach and the owner of a boxing loft. With a couple of years of “house” concerts organized at the loft, and a vested interest in house music, Reed is expanding his horizons to include the origin of all modern day music, the blues. It’s a match that’s meant to be; both blues music and boxing have long and storied pasts, both developed by individuals facing adversity.

The Boxing Loft takes up the better portion of the lowest level of an old manufacturing building in what used to be the Fashion District and what is now known as the Entertainment District. Once you enter and go down the stairs, you’re in the midst of a full-fledged gym. A boxing ring grabs your attention: the thick ropes suspended from heavy springs and the canvas-covered padded floor.

Though the ring is normally occupied by the compact, powerful bodies of boxers, one Friday of every month, the boxing ring will be the stage for the powerful force of live blues music. Each month, one blues artist will perform three 45 minute sets, following a mouth-watering buffet. The April show will feature award-winning Shrimp Daddy Reid. Shrimp Daddy has a great sense of humour and an even greater growly blues voice which he accompanies with some of the best harp playing in the city. Future acts will include blues guitarists, vocalists and bands from across Canada and the US.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance  by emailing the promoter or by paying online through PayPal. At $40 a ticket, the monthly events have been designed to juxtapose an elite type of experience with the stereotype of a sweaty, working class gym. Recognizing that younger music fans may be more into the music than the gourmet bites, folks between 19 and 25 years of age can get in after 9 pm for only $15, a steal considering the level of talent that will be booked each month.

When I first set out to photograph and review the alt-J show, I thought I would have to start this review explaining who this band is, but a sold-out crowd at the Sound Academy clearly indicated that they have already made a name for themselves in Toronto.

I'm not quite sure how so many people found out about alt-J, but unique and interesting music always seems to find its way around the social networks. I suppose winning the U.K.-based Mercury Prize for their album An Awesome Wave certainly didn't hurt either.

If you're familiar with the album, you know the innovative sound is also quite calm, moody, and layered with soothing melodies. Creating a concert experience to match the music makes a lot of sense, but in this case, I was a little concerned their show may come across a bit flat; however, with a backdrop of their album cover, and a stage filled with sparse lighting, they somehow managed to pull it all together in a way that kept the crowd's interest. Yes, it was low energy, but the band's stage presence was not uninteresting and the simple and effective lighting really added to the character of their unique music.

Songs that were immediately recognized by the crowd, like "Matilda", were the ones that started the room of fans to sing along. At the back a chorus of tall, swaying bodies could be found, and some songs such as "Breezeblocks" acted as a catalyst for little pockets of hipster dancing. It was actually quite amazing to observe the wide variety of people at the show, different styles, ages, and likely with different base musical tastes, all there to calmly enjoy a show of really well performed and eccentric music.

The only complaint I overhead was about the briefness of the set, lasting just under an hour, but with An Awesome Wave being the band's only body of work, that should have been expected. I personally had no complaints, and in fact, their performance served the important purpose of making me feel even more connected to their music.

Lee's Palace hosted some great talent at The Buzz Factor Series Showcase on CMF Saturday.

Decades

Taking the first slot of the night, Toronto’s alternative and introspective band Decades offered a solid presentation that grew in confidence with the collecting crowd. Lead vocalist Mike Kaminski supplied dreamy, Robert Smith-style vocals that at times got lost in the overpowering mix of instruments. Drummer Peter Gosling was clean and accurate in percussion delivery, and the crowd seemed to warm to their appreciative interactions.

Valleys

A male-female duo from Montreal, Valleys concocted a sweep of psychedelic tunes that fell somewhere between the soundtrack for a video game and a hazy, teenage circle toke. Heavy on the keyboard, synth, and minor keys, the low key group remained fairly lethargic, perhaps modest, on stage. As part of the electronic music world that Montreal has generously donated to in the past few years, Valleys bring a respectable addition.

Lioness

Toronto-founded Lioness overtook the Lee’s Palace crowd with raw, fervent musical authority. Combining the powerhouse vocals of Vanessa Fischer with the heavy percussion beats of Jeff Scheven, this band commanded - and kept – widespread attention. Crafting a cool, pick-me-up sound that resembled Stevie Nicks, this group gave an underdog highlight performance that heated things up for the following artists.

Savages

Stepping out as time travelling members of a ‘70s post-punk band, the four-piece and entirely female Savages packed a powerful performance rife with hard chords and tough vocals. Based in London (UK, not Ontario), these ladies required few stage lights as they jammed their way through songs with lead vocalist Jehny Beth kicking verbal, no-nonsense ass. The audience quickly absorbed the calculated notes of introverted members Gemma Thompson and Ayse Hassan. The genius in this band is their purity, their “this is it” attitude that leaves the crowd feeling privy to having experienced all they’ve got to offer. These gals are going places.

Suuns

Montreal’s Suuns arrived in casual style for the Saturday night CMF rock showcase at Lee’s Palace. Headlining the evening, the four t-shirted members provided a moody, looping set that induced an atmospheric musical coma with their languid mix of vocals (courtesy of Ben Shemie), guitars, and synths. Standing out as much for originality as evoking mystical vibes through recurring sounds, their performance was all-encompassing and highly memorable. Definitely worth checking out.

So you've got a band, a new album, and a lineup of gigs. What now? Of course music should be the number one priority of musicians, but you should also learn how to market your band effectively. And one of the best ways to do this is by creating a signature look for your band. Creating a fashion statement can help generate new fans, shape your identity, and improve your brand.

In the history of music, all of the greats created signature looks; Michael Jackson had his glove, Elvis had his pompadour, David Bowie had his makeup, and Elton John, his eyewear. All are considered amazing artists and iconic fashionistas. While becoming an image-maker does not directly sell music online or in stores, it does help distribution and recognition. In the end, there is a better chance you will sell more music to those who remember your band.

Fans associate your band with the accessories and clothing a musician wears, and it quickly becomes a part of a group's musical experience. A Soundgarden concert wouldn't be right without the jeans, leather pants, and flannel shirts, nor would a ZZ Top concert feel like a rock show without the famous beard. Not all musicans have mastered this, but many greats, who have played throughout the ages, are recognized primarily by sound and sight. As a new band or artist you are able to develop a fashion statement now and start the branding process, which in the end will help you sell your music and build a fan base.

How to create an image for your band:

A decision like this is subjective and you will need to come to an agreement as a band. Just like how you develop your sound and lyrics, your fashion statement should match your personality. Look at yourselves analytically, as a whole, and as individual artists. As a group you should never try to intentially match each other. Beyond having a typical "band look", choose something signature for each artist and don't be scared to stand out. Everyone's personalities will be different, so let your signature item or look fit you, personally.

How fashion sells music:

You might be wondering, "How will clothes help my band gain exposure and sell music?" First know that attire is only one factor in the music distribution process. Other important ways of improving your brand include proper use of social media, joining a reputable PR agency, and setting up a slew of gigs. But keep in mind, fashion has become another form of communication. Artists are able to speak to their listeners through their apparel. By creating your own personal styles it creates a brand for your band. Think about it. The most successful products, regardless of the industry, that have well developed brands are consistently identified.

Audio Blood is a Canadian music marketing, publicity, and promotions company specializing in full-service national and regional artist and brand development campaigns for artists, labels, and events.

The Drake Underground proved a perfectly suited venue for CMW’s Music From Ireland Showcase.

Though lightly attended during the earlier acts, the crowd sufficiently grew as the night went on, and aptly so for a collection of talented (and punctual) Irish musicians. Sláinte!

Frank Ryan

Opener Frank Ryan  gave an earnest performance that was developed and mature. Still in his early twenties, he possessed a Buddy Holly charm and appeal that humbly supported his assortment of electric and acoustically-backed love songs. Offering jazzy chords and smooth, strong vocals, he presented himself with strong potential to become a well-established singer/songwriter.

Kool Thing

Next up was Kool Thing, a three-piece electronic rock group with an eclectic mix of vocal and instrumental sounds heralding a Kate Bush eighties vibe. Female fronts Julie Chance and Jon Dark provided haunting, icy vocals that stretched each song into the next and were accompanied by interpretative onstage motions. Audibly reminiscent of stark, open arctic tundra, they gave as much a visual performance as musical.

Heritage Centre

Heritage Centre took the stage next, a gaggle of five adorable lads from Dublin. Creating catchy, upbeat sounds complemented by the melodic strokes of a keyboard, this group gave an energetic show worthy of a few drinks. Though struggling with a few technical issues, the front man’s repertoire of quirky vocals afforded the band enough of an edge to remain memorable.

Delorentos

Another Dublin export, the four-piece Delorentos delivered an awesome, jet-fuelled set that highlighted the evening. Obvious veterans of the stage, the band powered through “Did We Ever Really Try” and “Little Sparks”, split vocally between band members, Rό and Kier. Creating commanding hooks and harmonies, this group summoned a quick-paced, electric indie band sound, while keeping distinct. A nod to the night’s camaraderie, they were also aided by Heritage Centre when in quick need of a guitar.

Funeral Suits

Last up was Funeral Suits, a band that has burst into the music world with an artistic and alternative fury. Visually reminiscent of an early ‘90s grunge kid meeting a bucket of Jackson Pollock, the foursome ended the showcase with a collection of moody and evocative songs, swayed by off tempo beats. Lead vocalist, Brian James, brought a stylized sound that balanced the shrill, electric tempos of the guitars, bass, and synthesizers. These guys provided a diverse, live powerhouse that blew the crowd's hair back in a mighty good way.