HITTING THE ‘HIGHS’ NOTE
Toronto band in town
HIGHS
When: July 15 Where: Amigos What: There’s something about July 15. Nearly every show I feature this week is on that date. I hope you’re up for some tough decisions. Just promise me you won’t do what I would do in this situation (crawl under a blanket with three different kinds of chips and only come out when there are no hard choices to make). First up is HIGHS, an “alt-pop” band from Toronto. The five-piece released its debut album Dazzle Camouflage in April. This is a total tangent, but wouldn’t you love to read a graphic novel about a character named Dazzle Camouflage? It would be about a drag queen superhero who can transform herself to blend in anywhere. She stands out while she blends in! (Sorry, I got excited.) HIGHS recently released the second single from the album I Do, Do You? It kind of reminds me of another great band, Saskatoon’s own Close Talker.
S E AWAY
When: July 15 Where: Louis’ What: I was 11 going on 12 when Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill came out. I distinctly remember feeling very grown up purchasing that CD. I also remember dancing to Ironic on repeat for 45 minutes with my cousin. Apparently the members of Seaway had similarly formative experiences with the album because the band recently recorded a cover of Hand In My Pocket. “Jagged Little Pill is an album that we grew up on and an album that is constantly played in our van on tour,” guitarist Andrew Eichinger said in a release. “It’s such an important record for not only Canadian music, but rock music in general, so we decided to have some fun with Hand In My Pocket.” The Oakville pop-punk band is touring with Coldfront, another group from the Ontario town. Coldfront just released its third EP Is This Where They Found You?
RORY VERBRUGGE & THE RUCKUS
When: July 15 Where: Underground Cafe What: If alt-pop and pop-punk aren’t your thing, might I suggest Winnipeg’s Rory Verbrugge & The Ruckus? Their PR describes their sound as a “rich, rootsy sound, rocking juke-joint blues, heartbreaking homegrown country and blistering bluegrass.” The band released its debut album Dead Man’s Dance in June. (Does that title make anyone else think about Disney’s awesome Skeleton Dance cartoon?) The six-piece is led by, you guessed it, Rory Verbrugge. Putting that much sound and energy in an intimate venue like the Underground Cafe should make for some fun.
And now for something a little different ...
SOUNDS LIKE
When: July 13-17 Where: PAVED Arts What: What’s the different between music and sound art? I’m not always totally sure, but the Sounds Like Festival is a good place to do some learning. This year, the PAVED Arts event is curated by Eric Mattson and is titled Echoing (silent) Machines. This a new format for the festival, which features 10 multidisciplinary artists. Here’s a little description of the project if you want to get deep with it: “Visitors are exposed to mechanical sculptural processes which generate sound, sometimes in relation to images. The presented works are the result of hybridization between analog and digital production techniques. These creative attitudes, which break with the agreed upon or familiar use of artistic tools, allow us to explore and discover unknown or inaccessible spaces.” The festival features artist talks, performances and exhibitions. A full schedule can be found at soundslikefest.com. A new feature for 2016 is Sounds Like At Nite, three evening shows that feature experimental performances by local performers.