Back in Black

There’s always talk about the “The New Black,” but who are we kidding? There is only ONE Black. And there’s a reason we love it…it’s dark, it’s ominous, it’s sexy and has a sort of mystery to it.

And besides, black suits these bands: The Pink Lips, The Pink Keys – that just doesn’t have the same ring to it as The Black Lips and The Black Keys now does it?

So you know why Black is the right way to go, but this is why you should love these bands:

THE BLACK KEYS

hometown: The best thing to ever come out of Akron, Ohio (sorry LeBron, they got you beat)  the members: Vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney know exactly how to sing to us sweetly and also make our bodies move to the beat.  the sizzle: Sixth album Brothers nabbed them a few Grammys. Not bad for two guys in a blues-rock band.  say their name: Pharoahe Monch tells you on “Dollaz & Sense” from Blakroc, the album they collaborated on: “F**k the white ones, The Black Keys got so much soul.” ‘Nuff said.

THE BLACK LIPS

background: Punk band from  Atlanta, Georgia  sound: The most fun mishmash of blues, rock, doo-wop, country, and punk you ever hear. If you haven’t heard them you are in luck because they are on tour.  must-hear: Be sure to sure to check out ‘200 Million Thousand’ and their new album ‘Arabia Mountain’, due out June 7, will be perfect summertime frolicking and fun.

BLACK DUB

origin: The coolest land in music  sound: Sultry, sexy, and oh silky, kind of just like a perfect little black dress.  mood: Leading lady Trixie Whitley‘s smooth jazzy vocals might just put you in the mood to…well, hey, it is spring now, isn’t it?  cred: It also doesn’t hurt that super producer Daniel Lanois jumped on board.  must-listen: If you don’t know about this band just take one listen to “I Believe in You” and you’ll be hooked.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES

hometown: Hollywood, California (yeah, for real)  sound: Loud, dark and everything you expect from their haunting name. These boys are known for their looks, which pay tribute to Kiss’ infamous stage persona.  fan type: If you like to scream and shout this is the band for you. We’re talkin’ post-hard core glam at its finest.  must-hear: ‘We Stitch These Wounds.’ best tour name ever: 2011 God Save the Scream.

THE BLACK ANGELS

hometown: Austin, Texas  style: Their name alone makes you think of lost souls trolling the underworld. The music is ominous, dark and full of tormented emotion.  black back story: This psychedelic rock band that brings up memories of Jim Morrison and The Doors got its name from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song.” 

April 4, 2011 – 3:41 pm Categories: Editor's Picks, Spotlight, Top Sellers, urMusic | Comments Off

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2011 JUNO Awards Winners


While this year’s JUNO Awards lacked a certain teen idol’s gleaming hair, the absence of Justin Bieber didn’t slow the 2011 JUNO Awards down much. Whether you were in Toronto to catch the show live in the flesh or you watched it on TV, Canadian audiences and musical stars alike were out in full force last night with the JUNO Awards and Canadian artists trending globally. With Drake doing hosting duties, Shania Twain inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and Arcade Fire and Neil Young walking away as the night’s big winners, there was really a little something for everyone.

First off, let’s talk about the night’s host. Drake charmed it up on stage, looking sharp in a tux and wearing his infectious smile. Sadly, that gleam didn’t get anywhere near a JUNO, and Drizzy was shut out of all six of his nominated categories. As for his cold opener – in what bizzaro world is sticking Drake with CTV newsman Lloyd Robertson a good idea? Thankfully, that awkward gag was saved in the hilarious exchange between Drake and the Biebs following. If you were wondering what that sound was when they harmonized to Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You,” it was the sound of doves crying.

Dance Recording of the Year winner deadmau5 brought his iconic mouse ears to help present while Buck 65 brought his CBC radio announcer voice. Bryan Adams, Randy Bachman, Rush, Shad, Buffy Sainte Marie and Feist all took to the stage to help out with awards and introductions. Jimmy Shaw and
Emily Haines, half of Metric (last year’s big winners), also played a part, introducing close friends and co-collaborators Broken Social Scene.

Performance wise, Down With Webster rocked the opening with an energetic, flag waving performance. Broken Social Scene’s “World Sick” saw the Toronto-based band bring nine members up on stage, only to be bested a little while later with Arcade Fire’s ten-piece section for “Rococo”. Up on stage with them was 2006 Polaris Music Prize winner Owen Pallett. We can only wonder what it’s like to have friends that cool.

Hedley, winners for Video of the Year, also rocked the Juno stage with a performance of “Perfect”. Although Tokyo Police Club brought the indie cool, it was the 40th Anniversary performance that really shone. City and Colour, Sarah Harmer, Jim Cuddy, and The Sadies were just a few of the acts covering classics from Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, The Band and Neil Young.

Award wise, Arcade Fire held unsurprising JUNO domination, taking home four awards (Album of the Year, Group of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Best Alternative Album of the Year). Meaghan Smith beat out stiff  competition from Basia Bulat, Caribou, Bobby Bazini, and Hannah Georgas to take home New Artist of the Year while K’NAAN’s ubiquitous “Wavin’ Flag” snagged Single of the Year. Shania Twain’s acceptance speech for her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame was sweet, heartfelt, and passionate about Canada, but if we were her, we’d probably rethink ever saying “I love our bush” again. (For the record, she meant Canadian forests – or so she claims.)

Neil Young was awarded the Allan Waters Humanitarian Prize, the Adult Alternative Album of the Year, and the Juno for Artist of the Year, to which he quipped: “In what year is this?” And don’t worry Bieber fans, your boy took home some serious hardware as well, picking up two for Pop Album of the Year and the Juno Fan Choice Award (clearly indicating Bieber fans know how to use the Internet).

March 28, 2011 – 4:31 pm Categories: Editor's Picks, Spotlight | Comments Off

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Rockstars, and models, and designer wannabes! Oh my!

So it’s Fashion Week up here in the Great White North. Did you know that young fashion assistants get sent to concerts to vibe out new trends? Now that’s a gig I’d like to have! Music and fashion have always had some pretty hot chemistry – and it’s just gotten hotter over the years.

Hot news, hot combos, hot style:

• He stole the spotlight at the Balmain Ready To Wear show during Paris Fashion Week and Kanye has signed up at the prestigious Central St. Martin’s College in London to pursue a Master’s degree in fashion. The man is an artist – let’s see what he can do with fashion.

• Lady Gaga graced the cover of the Spring fashion Vogue, and walked the runway for Thierry Mugler in the Paris shows sending little monsters and fashion editors (sometimes called big monsters) alike into a tizzy.

• Speaking of Vogue, Rihanna‘s got the April cover. The question is – who rocked the cover harder, redhead Riri or bleached-blond Gaga?

• Though he’s been linked to numerous beauties, Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine brought girlfriend and Russian model Anne Vyalitsyna to the Grammys and put her in his last vid.

• When you marry a musician like Jack White, expect to enjoy the spotlight no matter what your talent level. Karen Elson sure looks pretty with a mandolin, though. (Anyone see her play the El Mo last year?)

• Previously a model, Carla Bruni dated Mick Jagger, and Eric Clapton, is now France’s First Lady, and somehow still finds time to drop an album. Mrs. Sarkozy’s third album is due out this year.

• Ah, remember how rehab regular Lindsay Lohan was picked as creative director for Emanuel Ungaro? Well, the venerable French fashion house really wishes you didn’t.

• To confound us all, Taylor Momsen is an actor, musician and has modeled for Madonna’s new Material Girl line.

• deadmau5 spun while Eleanor Waldorf’s new line debuted on Gossip Girl and he also dates a model: Lindsey Gayle, Miss October 2009.

• Bob Marley and Beauty Queen Cindy Breakspeare illegitimately produced Welcome to Jamrock singer Damian Marley.

• Rumours abound that Agyness Deyn is heading toward a music career. She always seemed pretty rock ‘n’ roll to us. Can’t wait.

• He unleashed his Marky Mark-ness (and very, very impressive abs…) on the world in the 90s and wore his jeans slung low to impress Kate Moss in a Calvin Klein campaign. Oscar-nominated producer and actor Mark Wahlberg continues to ride the wave of success.

• Kate Moss has had the common sense not to become a solo musician. Instead she leant her back-up vocals for then boyfriend Pete Doherty.

• Is there a secret to their coupledom success? Heidi Klum and Seal, Iman and David Bowie, Yasmin and Simon Le Bon have made the Rockstar and Model cliché a match made in heaven.

• Spurred by then boyfriend Adam Clayton from U2, Naomi Campbell made a forgettable album called BabyWoman in the mid-90s.

• Multi-talented Milla Jovovich started out as a teenage model, made some pretty poetic music (remember her as the cool girl with guitar in Dazed and Confused?), and launched clothing line Jovovich-Hawk. But she’s mostly known for her ass-kicking character in the video game-turned movie franchise Resident Evil.

March 25, 2011 – 10:32 am Categories: Editor's Picks, Spotlight | Comments Off

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Rogers Ringbacks 411

You’ve always wondered, but you don’t need to ever again. Here’s the 411 on Ringbacks: what they are and how to get ‘em.


Cheat-sheet:

1. Text “ringbacks” to 555

or

2. Head to rogers.com/ringbacks

March 21, 2011 – 4:16 pm Categories: Editor's Picks, urMusic | Comments Off

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JUNO AWARDS 2011: Just How Hot is Canadian Music?


Break out the ballot sheet, assume the position on the couch (unless you were smart and got tix to the live show), and prepare to celebrate the best of Canadian music. The 2011 JUNO Awards hit Toronto Sunday, March 27, and national broadcast on CTV 8pm EST. With Arcade Fire, Down With Webster, Hedley, and Chromeo among the ridiculous (in a good way) performer list, we bet you’re shaking in your headphones already. Between the lists of performers and nominees, it’s kinda obvious our friendly big country has been experiencing a huge upsurge in musical talent and general awesomeness. This is more than apparent in the show’s host (and hometown boy), Drake. The international superstar is just one of the many up for awards.

HIGHLIGHTS

Drake – Go chill in Greenhouse or one o’ your other NYC haunts Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, Drake’s got an award show to host. He’s also nominated for six awards thanks to the success of “Thank Me Later”. Boy, Jimmy’s come a long way from Degrassi.

Justin Bieber – The Stratford, ON, native continued his reign of the pop charts and teenage hearts. Up for four awards (including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year), we’re guessing Bieber fever will play a big part in who takes home the Fan Choice award. Nevertheless, don’t count out stiff competition from Drake, Hedley, Johnny Reid, and Michael Bublé (who’s won twice in the past).

Hedley – According to Hedley, The Show Must Go. And the JUNO Awards are going to be doing a lot of that thanks to the British Columbia band’s performance and five nominations.

deadmau5 – If deadmau5 picks up Dance Recording of the Year, the win would mark his fourth in a row. They may as well change the name to Deadmau5 Recording of the Year at that point.

Arcade Fire – While both Drake and Bieber got snubbed at the Grammys, Arcade Fire – nominated for six JUNO Awards – looks to bring their award-winning year across the border. We hope that’s duty free.

March 21, 2011 – 4:15 pm Categories: Editor's Picks, Spotlight, Uncategorized, urMusic | Comments Off

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One-Hit Wonders: The Blink of An Eye (of the Tiger)

Everyone knows “Eye of the Tiger”, “Funkytown”, “She Blinded Me with Science” and that ole party fave “Tainted Love”, but chances are you don’t know who sings them. Welcome to the lightning bolt that is the one-hit-wonder band. The songs stay around because they are good, catchy in fact, but the bands seem to fade to black in record time. They came out of the gate too fast, and forever live in the shadow of that one great song that becomes their biggest accomplishment and their biggest darkest shadow. But it’s all for the collective good. Just think of the great nights you’ve had screaming the lyrics of “We’re not Gonna Take It.” (By the way, that one’s Twisted Sister.)

For a fast good time, check out more of our fave one-hit wonders.

March 14, 2011 – 2:24 pm Categories: Spotlight | Comments Off

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March Break Survival 101

Music makes everything bearable. So, a few other tips to get through vacation with the fam: First, make sure you have headphones. Next, download your survival music and set up a playlist. Whatever you do, don’t forget your charger.

CHEERLEADERS

Grenade Bruno Mars

Rich Girl$ Down With Webster (Who’s gettin’ down with DWW live?)

We R Who We R Ke$ha

*on tour* What’s My Name Rihanna ft Drake (Junos)

Firework Katy Perry

F**kin’ Perfect Pink

What The Hell Avril Lavigne

Born This Way Lady Gaga

GANGSTAS

Throw Em Out! Traphik

Black and Yellow Wiz Khalifa

H.A.M. Kanye West and Jay Z

Aston Martin Music Rick Ross ft Drake and Chrisette Michelle

6 foot 7 foot Lil Wayne ft Cory Gunz

EMOS / HIPSTERS

*on tour* Tighten Up The Black Keys

The Cave Mumford and Sons

*on tour* The Real Song for the Deaf Queens of the Stone Age

*on tour* Ladder Song Bright Eyes

Sing My Chemical Romance

Catching a Tiger Lissie

THE, er, CHILLERS

One Love Bob Marley

Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix

*on tour* Anything by Femi Kuti

*on tour* Jeff Tweedy again…and again…and again….

*on tour* Morcheeba on repeat

JOCKS

Riot Three Days Grace

Burn It To The Ground Nickelback

Waiting for the End Linkin Park

Give It All Rise Against

*on tour* Undead Hollywoood Undead

OUR FAVE TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL GIRL

*on tour* I Got Mine The Black Keys

Friday I’m in Love The Cure

London Calling The Clash

Rebel Rebel David Bowie

Crazy Gnarls Barkley

Mr. Rager Kid Cudi

Soundtrack 2 My Life Kid Cudi

Black Dog Led Zeppelin

Smells like Teen Spirit Nirvana

Sympathy For the Devil Rolling Stones

A-Punk Vampire Weekend

Basket Case Green Day

So. Who did we forget?

March 14, 2011 – 2:18 pm Categories: Spotlight | Comments Off

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Battle of the Bands: And the WINNER IS…


So you voted. And we counted. And now it’s now time to find out which band left the rest in the dust. The Rogers Battle of the Bands 2011 Grand Prize WINNER IS:

Good for Grapes from Vancouver, BC.

Congrats. You guys totally deserved it. What did the rest of you think?

Check out more on Good For Grapes. And get our *free* playlist and the full list of rockin’ bands that dueled it out.

March 14, 2011 – 2:17 pm Categories: Editor's Picks, Spotlight, urMusic | Comments Off

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The 80s Are Hot


What’s so great about the 80s, you ask? It’s not just our aunts who drudge up 80s style for 80s top-40 dress-up parties, but we “Just Can’t Get Enough” of the music either. This year, not only are Echo and The Bunnymen touring, but INXS, OMD, Duran Duran and Roxette have put new music out, and there’s a whole new wave [sic] of new bands that sound suspiciously like they could have been born in the 80s.

And let’s face it: those hard synth beats, that keytar and androgyny were the well-deserved epitome of cool back in the day. The 80s were the archetype of brash style and big sound — and if anyone can define the sentiment it’s The “Material Girl” herself, who ruled the airwaves not only in lace gloves and neon, but then into the 90s and the 00s too… all while pushing the envelope. The nudity, the cone bras, the sex – she still has yet to be unseated as Queen Shocker — maybe because she truly broke new ground.

But I digress (plus Madonna hasn’t dropped a new album in two years). The bands most responsible for kicking off the wave of new 80s-influenced bands were the original new wavers themselves, mostly Brit groups like New Order and Depeche Mode. Their innovative synthesizer-based sound inspired new wave and electro-infused bands like The Virgins, One Night Only and Toro Y Moi — throwbacks to the days of teased hair and giant bows with tracks like “Rich Girls”, “Say You Don’t Want It” and “New Beat” (respectively). Personally, I think that the essence of the 80s and the take-no-prisoners mantra is timeless, and the freedom of the music allows present-day artists to get lost in the far-reaching depths of possibilities. And La Roux is an artist that embodies all of these aspects, whether in music, fashion or ideologies. Her synthpop beats and red quiff hair draw strong parallels to the Eurythmics and Depeche Mode. And don’t forget 80s-obsessed Hot Chip and that Swedish babe we love Robyn — go ahead, mash up her “Who’s That Girl” with our lady Madonna’s original and hear for yourself.

So who else should we credit for bringing the synthpop sound from a niche underground movement to mainstream craze? Probably David Bowie and his two albums ‘Heroes‘ and ‘Low‘, which subsequently influenced many electro artists of his generation and ours. Indie and small label bands like, M83′s “We own the Sky”, Bat for Lashes’ “Daniel”, Cut Copy’s “Take Me Over”, or Chairlift’s “Bruises” have obtained mainstream popularity, perhaps not because of the bands’ notoriety, but because of the transcendence of the music.

The way I see it, if it was good enough for MJ it’s good enough for me.

May the 80s never RIP – and may new bands keep rippin’ those synth beats.

The List

80s bands to check out: Tiffany, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Run-D.M.C., Pixies, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Joy Division, The Ramones

80s acts with upcoming tour dates:

Stevie Nicks

Pixies

Prince

Mötley Crüe

Duran Duran

Rod Stewart

Blondie

u2

Sting

Salt-N-Pepa

Rush

NKOTB

Metallica

Echo and the Bunnymen

Cyndi Lauper

Roxette (no date, but she’s got new music out)

March 7, 2011 – 12:46 pm Categories: Editor's Picks | Comments Off

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Battle of the Bands: Rock the Vote


Well, Canadian music fans, it’s a wrap. Now make sure you VOTE. We need our winner. Who’s gotten props so far?

Edmonton - Tyrant
Gibbons, AB

Montreal – Adrenaline
Montreal, QC

Barrie – Brittney Fulton
Barrie, ON

Montreal – Random
Montreal, QC

Kitchener – Truman
Waterdown, ON

Hamilton – Illusion Avenue
Hamilton, ON

Toronto – Kilroy Was Here
North York, ON

Calgary – The Saucy Wenches
Calgary, AB

Vancouver – Good For Grapes
Surrey, BC

Ottawa – Hooked On Karma
Ottawa, ON

London – The Phusion
London, ON

Halifax – Dali Van Gogh
Eastern Passage, NS

Check out our playlist and the full list of bands for a memory refresh.

March 7, 2011 – 12:43 pm Categories: Uncategorized | Comments Off

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