Amanda Putz Returns to Bandwidth

For those of you who miss Fuse and/or Waking Up With a Putz the good news is that Amanda Putz has returned to the CBCs airwaves, hi-lighting Ontario Music on Bandwidth. The bad news is that it only airs in Ontario and not in Toronto. The good news is that you can listen to it via streaming radio at 5 pm Eastern Time on Saturdays. The bad news is that if you miss it, you miss it. CBC Radio doesn't archive these shows and doesn't podcast local programming.

But someone has gone renegade, ripped and uploaded the program - the bastard.

That means that you can listen to yesterdays episode of Bandwidth - where Amanda talks all about friends in Bellwoods, interviews Casey Mejia and talks to the Wooden Sky about their new album, as well as playing some great music and talking about local music events.

To listen just hit play


Or Download it Here.

Oh...Amanda also talks with and about Jeremy Fisher at one point...here's a sample of Jeremy's work

Friends in Bellwoods 2 Live Recordings.

If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance that you're not living in Toronto. That being the case, you probably missed out on the Friends in Bellwoods celebrations at the end of August. Maybe you're read some of the reviews of those shows, or purchased the compilation for yourself. (You should: it's great!) Now, you can pretend like you were really at the Toronto parties with this free compilation of live recordings from the two release shows!

One of the best shows I've been to this year was the Friends in Bellwoods release party at Lee's Palace in Toronto a couple Fridays back. I told you about it earlier. You can read my fellow blogger---bloggist?---Joe's take on this event and the one that happened the next day (part 1, part 2) over at his blog, Mechanical Forest Sound. He's a great live reviewer, but his blog comes with exclusive bonus features: live song recordings! He posts tracks from the shows he goes to, the intention being to capture some of the excitement of the Toronto scene for posterity's sake. He's put together a compilation of his own to compliment his coverage of the Friends in Bellwoods celebrations. You can download the full hour and a half of music here.

Here's the full rundown on what's in it:

Lee's Palace, Friday night:
1. Sylvie Smith, "On Our Own"
2. Evening Hymns, "Broken Record"
3. The D'Urbervilles, "Magic Arrow (Timber Timbre cover)"
4. Forest City Lovers, "Waiting by the Fence"
5. Ohbijou feat. John O'Regan, "The Otherside" (watch a video of this performance here)
6. Ohbijou & friends, "Staten Island Waltz" (watch a video of this performance here)
7. Ohbjijou feat. Nils Edenloff, "The Rest in Peace on Righteous Tides"
8. Ohbijou feat. Reg Vermue & Kelly McMichael, "Heartbeat"
9. Bocce, "Disco Juan"

Tranzac, Saturday:
10. Sebastien Grainger, "By Cover of Night"
11. Canadian Wildlife, unknown.
12. The Phonemes, "Pain Perdu"
13. Samir Khan (solo), unknown
14. The Low Notes, unknown
15. The Cutting Edge, unknown
16. The Dinghies feat. Casey Mecija, "Barkskin"
17. Kite Hill, "Gathering"
18. Bellewoods, unknown
19. Lisa Bozikovic, "Teacher"
20. Kids On TV, "New New Keith Cole"
21. Emma McKenna, unknown
22. Germans, "Sunny Weather Ahead"
23. Snowblink, "Rut and Nuzzle"
24. The Acorn, "Misplaced"

(Joe wasn't sure of all the song titles, but I've filled in some more details.)

Live Video: Ohbijou + John O'Regan

From the Friends in Bellwoods II CD release party at Lee's Palace in Toronto, Ohbijou is joined onstage by John O'Regan (D'Urbervilles, Diamond Rings) to perform 'the Otherside' (Via Colin Medley)

D'urbervilles, Evening Hymns take Friends in Bellwoods to Guelph and Waterloo

According to Out of This Spark the D'urbervilles and Evening Hymns will be doing CD Release parties for Friends in Bellwoods II in Guelph and Waterloo in Mid September.

The OOTS blog did not provide locations or times but the Guelph party will be on September 17 with Bocce joining the D'urbs and Evening Hymns. September 18 will take the D'urbs and Evening Hymns (whose full length debut Spirit Guides will be out on Out of This Spark in late fall on CD and Vinyl) to Waterloo.

Keep an eye on outofthisspark.com for details.

Port Hope by Evening Hymns

Review: Friends In Bellwoods 2 release party @ Lee's Palace, 28 Aug.

On Friday night I went to one of the best shows I've been to all year. At Toronto's Lee's Palace I and several hundred others were treated to an excellently put together and performed show to celebrate the release of the Friends in Bellwoods 2 compilation. The evening featured Waterloo-based electro dance group Bocce, hometown favourites Ohbijou, the lovely Forest City Lovers, and the expanded band version of Jonas Bonnetta's solo project, Evening Hymns. I have seen all these bands before (though not Evening Hymns as a 7-piece), and went into the show expecting to have a nice time. I did not expect the musical spectacular that it turned out to be. Silly me.

I missed the first song or two of Evening Hymns' set, and when I got there the venue was already pretty busy. A good sign. Jonas was still playing that sparkly silver guitar I saw him use during a solo performance a few months back---good. The addition of Sylvie Smith (The Magic) on backing vocals, James Bunton (Ohbijou) on drums, Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky) on guitar, Andrew Wyatt (The Wooden Sky) on bass, and others made for an impressive lineup. Mid-way through their set, Sylvie Smith took over lead vocals, singing her contribution to the compilation, "On Our Own." On the record, her voice is strong and clear; live, it was even better. A real standout track. Another inspired moment was when most of Jonas' band cleared off, making way for the members of The D'Urbervilles, dressed up to mimic their friend Taylor Kirk (Timber Timbre), whose song "Magic Arrow" they covered for the album. And so they performed it for us. Great stuff.

Jonas recently arranged for Out of This Spark records to release his next album, coming out on 3 November. Promises to be a good one. Listen to "Dead Deer" on his MySpace. Or just watch this live video, taken by Colin Medley at a Wavelength show a while back:

Next up was Forest City Lovers, one of the top local folk-pop acts. This band had fewer tricks up its sleeves, but did bring in extra strings for a few songs (Jenny Mecija and Anissa Hart from Ohbijou). More importantly, the band performed a strong set with their full lineup. It was nice to see them sound so good and seem so confident in their set. Good! I like this band a lot, but the stars never fully align whenever I see them live. Friday night, they did. They played their track off the compilation---"Minneapolis," which also kicks off the preview podcast I did last week---as well as songs from their recordings. Look for a new 7" from the band sometime in the next few months.

The biggest draw of the night was Ohbijou, a band that's had a lot of successes over the past year, building on a longer history of community involvement and strong musicianship. I missed out on their CD release show earlier this summer, so tonight was my chance to get up to speed on how the band's been doing. And, well, they were great. I've sometimes found Ohbijou's recorded output hard to really get into. I am a fan of the folkier indie rock out there, but for a some reason Ohbijou never did it for me as much as it does for so many other people. Friday night was the moment when things clicked between me and the band. Casey Mecija and the rest of her bandmates seemed really excited for the event, and their energy added sparkle to their quiet songs. The didn't play too many of their own songs, calling up guests---Nils Edenloff (The Rural Alberta Advantage); Reg Vermue and Kelly McMichael (Gentleman Reg); Basia Bulat; and others---to sing and play with them, and it all made the set more festive. Consider me now much more firmly in the fan category.

At this point things could have ended, but no: the event's organizers had one more band for us. Bocce took to the stage ready to get the real party started. And my oh my did they ever. The dance floor was hopping and the guys seemed not at all phased to be playing to such a large crowd after such brilliant sets of music. I hung back near the soundboard, but it gave me the perfect sightline to witness the craziness of Casey, Kat Burns (Forest City Lovers), and Greg Santilly (The D'Urbervilles) rapping. During the encore, seemingly everyone who had performed that night, and even some who hadn't, piled on stage, jumping up and down and having a blast. So was everyone in the audience. Take a look for yourself.

What a great night of music. You can purchase a copy of the 40-song double-disk compilation from a variety of actual and virtual stores. All proceeds go to the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank. Details here.

[Photo credit: staceymccool.]

Zygiella Podcast 52 feat. James and Casey from Ohbijou.

And we're back! Jen and Tyler met up with Casey Mecija and James Bunton at the Bellwoods house to talk about the Friends in Bellwoods 2 charity compilation, just out this week in stores and online. With two disks, the compilation includes songs by 40 different bands and artists, including Mecija and Bunton's own Ohbijou, Gentleman Reg, Basia Bulat, Final Fantasy, Great Lake Swimmers, Sebastien Grainger, and tons (well, 34) more. We've got 6 of the songs on this podcast: Forest City Lovers ("Minneapolis"), Canadian Wildlife (AKA Jenny Mecija, "Winter's Moon"), Hooded Fang ("Highway Steam"), The Low Notes ("Glory Glory"), Sylvie Smith ("On Our Own"), and Ohbijou ("An Ode to an End").

For more info on the compilation and the release parties this weekend, click here. It's out now in record stores and online. Information about the Banff residency program that Casey and James talk about can be found here.

Listen at Zygiella
Download the podcast
RSS (subscribe / download this and past podcasts)
iTunes (subscribe)

And see you Friday at the release party at Lee's Palace! (Assuming you're in Toronto, of course.)

As always, check my blog for my Toronto show listings and other goodies.

Friends in Bellwoods 2: All Day All Ages CD Release in Toronto (and a Velvet Underground Cover)!

Via the Ohbijou Myspace Blog: The schedule has been released for the all day, all ages Friends in Bellwoods II Release Party at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue) on Saturday, August 29. Jen has already done a really good writeup so I won't go into detail about Friends in Bellwoods (you can read Jen's piece here.. I will though remention the samples available:

Jen posted these three:
The D'Urbervilles, "Magic Arrow" (Timber Timbre cover)
The Phonemes, "April, Let’s Send His Colleagues An Email"
Tusks, "New To Old Money"

and over at Chromewaves there is an MP3 of Bry Web from the Contantines and Casey Mecija of Ohbijou covering Oh! Sweet Nothin by the Velvet Underground... You should definitely go grab that!.

Back to the main event though, Saturday at the Tranzac - I don't have the price at the door (on edit, apparently it's $8 at the door) but the lineup is all like

ALL DAY, ALL AGES AND A BBQ!!!!!!!!

12:10 – Bruce Peninsula

12:45 – Kate Rogers

1:20 – Great Bloomers

1:55 – Sylvie Smith's Country Band

2:30 – Sebastien Grainger

3:05 – The Low Notes

3:40 – The Phonemes

4:15 – Tusks

4:50 – Canadian Wildlife

5:25 – The Cutting Edge

6:00 – Dinghies

6:35 – Kite Hill

7:10 – Bellewoods

7:45 – Lisa Bozikovic

8:20 – Kids On TV

8:55 – Emma McKenna

9:30 – Germans

10:05 – Snowblink

10:40 – The Acorn

Friends In Bellwoods 2 out soon!

On 25 August, Out of This Spark records will be releasing the Friends in Bellwoods Compilation 2, a double disc of musical treats featuring some of Toronto's---and the country's---best bands and musicians. The compilation was edited by Casey Mecija and James Bunton from the band Ohbijou, and many of the tracks were recorded at Casey's bungalow near Toronto's Trinity-Bellwoods Park.

The big parties happen next weekend (details below), but pre-release celebrations for the discs are happening tonight (Wednesday) at the Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). The weekly Granny Boots series is hosting the free party, starting at 7:30pm, with a promised end time of 11pm, so you can get home and into bed and back out to work tomorrow morning without losing any sleep. (Isn't that nice of them?) The show will feature performances from Gentleman Reg and Katie Sketch ("delicious duets"), Diamond Rings (AKA John O'Regan from OOTS band The D'Urbervilles), and Casey Mecija, Ohbijou's frontwoman. There will be video screenings, too. Look for new videos from Ohbijou, Diamond Rings, Kids on TV, and Katie Stelmanis.

To get you in the mood for the parties tonight and next weekend, here are a few tracks from the compilation:

Download: The D'Urbervilles, "Magic Arrow" (Timber Timbre cover)
Download: The Phonemes, "April, Let’s Send His Colleagues An Email"
Download: Tusks, "New To Old Money"

Some of the other rare, unreleased, and new songs on the discs include ones by some of my favourite acts: Forest City Lovers, Basia Bulat, The Acorn, Timber Timbre, Gentleman Reg, Great Lake Swimmers, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Hooded Fang... and so much more! There are some great new finds in here for me, and some great tracks from these and other bands I already know and love. The songs tend toward the folky, rootsy, acoustic-y, though there are plenty of more rocking tunes. Proceeds from the compilation's sale go to Toronto's Daily Bread Foodbank, so you can feel charitable in your purchase. Copies are available from iTunes, Sonic Unyon, or Zunior. Head over the Friends in Bellwoods website for more info and links.

The compilation will get some fitting release events. The big party is next Friday, 28 August, at Lee's Palace in Toronto. The lineup includes Bocce, Ohbijou (special set w/ guests), Forest City Lovers, and Evening Hymns. Promises to be a great night of music. Tickets are $12 in advance (from Soundscapes and Rotate This) or $15 at the door. I predict a sell-out. Special guests include Sylvie Smith (from The Magic), Rolf Klausener (The Acorn), Nils Edenloff (The RAA), Gentleman Reg, and The Wooden Sky.

On Saturday, 29 August, there's a full day of music starting at noon at the Tranzac. Tickets are $10 (or $8 with a non-perishable food donation), and the event is all ages. The lineup is crazy-good, beginning with Bruce Peninsula and ending with The Acorn. This event is also a BBQ. Awesome.

Here's the full track listing for the compilation:

Disc One

1. Forest City Lovers – Minneapolis
2. Le Pigeon – Freezing Rain
3. Basia Bulat – My Heart Is A Warning
4. The Acorn – Slippery When Wet
5. Canadian Wildlife – Winter’s Moon
6. Double Suicide – Touch The Sun
7. Great Bloomers – Find My Way
8. Lisa Bozikovic – The Letting Go
9. Bellewoods – Kneel On The Apron
10. Kate Rogers – The Same Party
11. Timber Timbre – Water
12. No Kids – All That Heaven Allows
13. Snailhouse – Don’t Go Anywhere
14. Final Fantasy – Red Sun (Demo Version)
15. Sylvie Smith – On Our Own
16. Bruce Peninsula – In Parallel
17. Gentleman Reg – For Trust
18. Evening Hymns – Cedars
19. Kite Hill – Tom Thumbtack
20. The Bellwoods Crew – Staten Island Waltz

Disc Two

1. The Dinghies – The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
2. Bocce – Inspiration Bellwoods
3. Kids On TV - Poison
4. Katie Stelmanis – Believe Me
5. The D’Urbervilles – Magic Arrow
6. Sebastien Grainger – Home Is The Light
7. Violence – Living Off The Land
8. Ohbijou – An Ode To An End
9. Great Lake Swimmers – Send Me A Letter
10. The Low Notes – Glory Glory
11. Snowblink – When Pushed From A High Branch
12. lice - yggdrasil
13. Emma McKenna - Happiness
14. Richard Laviolette – Media Song
15. The Adam Brown – Joy Rider
16. The Phonemes – April, Let’s Send His Colleagues An Email
17. The Rural Alberta Advantage – Rough And Tumble
18. Tusks – New To Old Money
19. Hooded Fang – Highway Steam
20. The Wooden Sky – My Old Ghosts