FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Now, I won’t say I’m a die-hard Gwar fan, but I’ve certainly seen them live a few times over the years. Their tongue-in-cheek, politically-incorrect lyrics are matched only by their over-the-top stage show, featuring plenty of blood, guts, and mutilation of popular political figures. But of course, you probably knew that already… unless your name’s Heino Døssing.
I’ve been living and attending concerts in Toronto for over seven years now, so it’s safe to say I’ve seen a few local bands who got big well before they were known commodities. But now, I can even say I’ve seen a band from Hamilton go from the Toronto scene to the national stage. That band just happens to be called Monster Truck.
If stoner doom legends Sleep have never played Toronto, it’s not due to any sort of security issues. In fact, two-thirds of the original Sonic Titans will be in town within the next eight days…
You gotta give it up for Small Stone, one of the few labels out there still specializing in stoner rock on these shores. Tonite, some of their finest wares are on display at the Radio club in Somerville, MA, with names like Gozu, Lo-Pan, Roadsaw and Freedom Hawk on the bill. Mind you, a last-minute flight from Toronto to Boston will set ya back about $620…
When Witch Mountain first came to town in June, playing on a killer bill with Castle and Blood Ceremony, it went down as one of, if not the best gig I’ve seen in Toronto this year. At the time, Rob Wrong had said something about them coming back in the fall, and thus I was pleased, if not entirely surprised, when I found out they’d be making a return trip in October. But, truth be told, the excitement of seeing them the first time wasn’t equaled by the return visit–and neither was the turnout at the second gig, for that matter.
I’m not sure there’s been a better week for female-fronted doom in this city than the forthcoming seven days. Between tour stops by Royal Thunder, Witch Mountain and Castle and a headlining gig by Toronto’s own Blood Ceremony, ’tis a trippy time for those who like tritones and plaintive female vocal-tones, indeed!
I’ll admit that when I was 10, KISS was one of my favourite bands. Hey, it’s hard for an impressionable young child not to…
As I’ve previously remarked, The 460 might not be El Mocambo, but it’s the next-door thing. This evening, the hole-in-the-wall bar is hosting a couple instrumental psychedelic-rock outfits that’ll expand yer mind–and they’re both from right here in yer backyard!
I hate to self-plagiarize, but this line is good enough for me to recycle: “This was my third time seeing Accept in the last three years, something which, had you told me I’d be saying come 2012 back when I was, well, 12, I’d probably have assumed they’d just invented time travel by then or something.”
Saw Jello Biafra at Lee’s the other night. Round One of my mid-week madness, if you’re keeping track at home. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, though I’d sorta been tipped off ahead of time that he wouldn’t be playing a whole buncha Dead Kennedys covers…