Toronto's latest and greatest multi-day music festival, Toronto Urban Roots Festival or TURF, had a whizbang inaugural campaign last summer despite some seriously annoying weather. Today, it was made official that TURF will return to Fort York’s Garrison Commons for another year. The festival is scheduled to take place July 4-6 on three stages and will include 44 artists. Last year’s highlights included Zooey Deschanel’s band She & Him, the Arkells, Fitz and the Tantrums, Frank Turner and many more. Watch the TURF website for announcements in the coming months.
Justin and The Hip
Toronto musician Justin Rutledge has announced a new album slated for release on April 22 via Outside Music. Daredevil is a little something different from the musical chameleon. The album is “an ode to one of Canada's most popular and enduring bands, The Tragically Hip.” Rutledge chose 10 songs from the band’s period from Road Apples to Phantom Power including classics such as “Grace, Too” and “Courage” alongside lesser known songs such as “Put It Off.” “I chose songs that resonated with me in my youth,” says Rutledge. “It was a little like memory lane, at times. As Canadians, I think we all share a connection to these songs—the Hip bind us together the way Gordon Lightfoot does.”
Old Man and Joel
Toronto native and acclaimed musician Old Man Luedecke is releasing a new EP dubbed I Never Sang Before I Met You. The release marks the first collaboration between Luedecke and fellow East Coast musician Joel Plaskett. “I had actually been dreaming of the use of Joel's wondrous drum machine,” says Luedecke. “Since it started popping up on his records and I had thoughts of him to produce the track for quite a long time, it just made sense.” Check out OML with Jordie Lane singing “A&W Song” from his last full-length album.
When Timber falls
Toronto band Timber Timbre released a new video for the title track to their long-anticipated new album Hot Dreams out April 1 via Arts&Crafts. Hot Dreams follows on the heels of the band’s 2011 release Creep On Creepin' On, which was short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. The video was produced by Scott Cudmore and Michael LeBlanc.
Best Canadian Music Week ever
Canadian Music Week has never gotten us as excited as it has leading into the 2014 festival/conference/music thing happening in May. Yesterday, a few of the major festival guests were announced with M.I.A. leading the way. Other seriously notable and cool acts include City and Colour, Neko Case, The Dodos, Television, Ellie Goulding and Tegan & Sara. That's pretty darn good. But, what really has us excited is a band far, far down the list: Jr. Gone Wild. This is a band that was ahead of its time, leading the alt-country style movement in Western Canada and on-par with other bands of the their ilk such as Uncle Tupelo. And we all know what happened to them. Canadian Music Week runs May 6-10.
