Steely Dan: November 25, 2009–Massey Hall, Toronto

If it was up to the capacity crowd last night, Steely Dan’s performance would have lasted well-beyond the just over two hours that partners in crime Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and their 11-piece band performed. It was that good.
As advertised, it was Aja night, with set one being a performance of the classic 1977 [...]

Canada loses a powerful voice

Just a few short weeks ago I blogged about the return of Haydain Neale and Jacksoul. You can read it about here. Now comes word that this past Sunday, Haydain lost his battle with lung cancer at the age of 39. The Canadian music scene has lost a very talented performer. He will be missed.
[...]

Download Music for Free Legally? Interesting….

Check this out:
Variety is reporting that Universal Music Group, home to a massive roster of artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, U2, Weezer, Kanye West and Nickelback have apparently inked a deal with an Australian based company called Guvera to allow folks like you and I to legally download music for free from the [...]

Good news for Springsteen fans

While the current tour ends this coming weekend in Buffalo, all is not lost. According to Rolling Stone, there are plenty of goodies on the way to tide fans over until the next album of new material. First up, a DVD of the current tour is scheduled to come out just after Christmas. No details [...]

The Who to play 2010 Super Bowl?

In 2005, it was Paul McCartney. Then came the Stones, followed by Prince (in the rain, natch) Tom Petty and last year’s great performance by Bruce Springsteen. I have to admit, I’m not a big football fan (I prefer hockey and basketball), but like millions of others I usually jump on the Super Bowl bandwagon [...]

The RnR Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concerts

The new issue of Rolling Stone provides a comprehensive look at the two recent RnR Hall of Fame concerts held in New York City at the end of October. By all accounts, the two shows featuring the likes of the three kids pictured above plus Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, CSN and a whack of other [...]

John Mayer set to tour behind “Battle Studies”

John Mayer will be hitting the road in February to support his upcoming album, Battle Studies. The winter/early spring tour launches February 8th and will make several Canadian stops:
February 13 – Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
February 16 – Ottawa, (Scotiabank Place)
February 17 – Montreal (Bell Centre)
April 1 – Vancouver (General Motors Place)
April 3 – Calgary (Pengrowth [...]

Elvis Costello Finally Makes a Spectacle of Himself

I’ve been a fan of the musical chameleon otherwise known as Elvis Costello for a long time. Not that everything he’s ever released has appealed to me but for the most part I’ve been happy to be along for the musical ride for the last 30-plus years.
In his first season as TV host with the [...]

Blue Rodeo: New CD, Grey Cup Performance, New Tour

A true class act, and one of my favourite Canadian bands, Blue Rodeo have a busy schedule ahead. Up first, their new cd The Things We Left Behind, hits stores November 10th. From what I’ve heard, this one sounds like everything you’d expect from these guys. In other words, s’all good.
The band is [...]

The Return of Jacksoul

Toronto-based R&B and soul outfit Jacksoul, led by Haydain Neale, are set to release their first album of all-new material since Neale was seriously injured in the summer of 2007 after being hit by a car while driving a scooter in the city.
According to their official website, the band’s fifth disc titled “SOULmate” will hit [...]