Catl's Boffo Bon Voyage Blast @ Castro's Lounge, Sunday

Catl is knocking out a sweaty matinee soiree at Castro's on Sunday from 3-6 pm before their European tour. Expect the unexpected!

Catl may be playing an E.U. date near you! Follow 'em on Instagram right here: https://www.instagram.com/catltheband/.

Happy Birthday Dave "DJ" Bingham of the Ugly Ducklings!

Raising a glass to Dave Bingham with some clips accompanied by The Screwed feat. Steve Koch, Cleave Anderson, John Borra and Gordie Lewis.

One For The Weekend: Dany Laj and the Looks

Here's the latest from Dany Laj & The Looks... check out "We're The Freaks" off their new album If Looks Could Kill.  

If Looks Could Kill by Dany Laj & The Looks

"I started writing this record out of pure necessity. I wasn’t sure what was happening with the band, and we had just completed our first tour of Western Canada in years - it was a long one, but it felt right at the time. It gave me inspiration. Something, to be quite frank, that was hard for me to grasp for a while. It gave me a way out, possibly a way out of feeling like I’ve been getting suckered into doing things I don’t want to be doing in life. Maybe a way out of agreeing to do things I didn’t want to do. A way out of having to listen to everyone’s politics about this and that and the other thing.

"I fell in love with the guitars that were around me again - it reminded me of why I always made sure to buy a guitar that felt right when I played it. I still feel that, for me, the only way to measure if a guitar is actually any good is if I can easily write a song on it - some catch some lightning, some don’t. The price doesn’t matter. Kind of like a hockey stick: “The only good hockey stick is the one that puts the puck in the net”. A friend of mine’s father told me that when I was young and it stuck with me. In a way, the only good record is one that moves you. Perhaps style shouldn’t matter so much, perhaps where you make it doesn’t matter, perhaps where you listen to it doesn’t matter. What others think of it doesn’t matter. What should matter most is if it moves you or not.

"In a time where a lot of us are struggling, I don’t think I feel any different than anyone else. The world has changed immensely in the last little while; some people have made it through and some haven’t. Some fuckers can’t get their heads out of their own asses, and it takes all kinds of what seems to be wasted energy to simply just run away from them. I guess I have some strong feelings about stuff. In the last little while, I cried, I lost, I mourned, I loved, I learned, I ate, I drank, I fried, I aged, I made another long player. I tried to make this record about me but I couldn’t; I tried to make this a solo record but I couldn’t. Like anyone who may have been there before, I needed help. I asked Jeanette to help. She rescued me. She played bass, she sang, she played a toy piano, she engineered, she made me sing things over and over again, she produced.

"That wasn’t it, though. I hate to admit it but I had to ask for more help. I needed to do this, so I asked David if he could hop on the rescue bus too. I needed to get this stuff out of my head. He made his way over. He drummed, he played some percussion, he laughed, he sang, he got mad at himself a couple times. He conquered. I never told them it was a solo record. IF LOOKS COULD KILL. I really hope you enjoy this record, hope it moves you. I’m sure Jeanette and David feel the same way." 

Peace and love,

Dany Laj

Get a copy of If Looks Could Kill by Dany Laj & The Looks via Bandcamp right here. Watch the video for "We're The Freaks" below. 

Dany Laj & The Looks play Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern with Screamin' Rebel Angels and The Shook Boys on Thursday, July 2. Advance tickets are $21.82... get 'em right here. 

John Edwards' second soul album for Aware being released by Ace Records

Although tracks from John Edwards' second Aware album have surfaced, Tin Man compiles them all in one place. 

John Edwards - Tin Man: The Unissued Second Aware LP  

John Edwards’ early releases, mainly at Aware Records under the tutelage of Floyd Smith, thrilled soul lovers with his consummate vocals and impressed the multi-million selling Spinners enough to hire him to replace their revered vocalist Philippe Wynne.

Edwards’ first Aware hits, such as ‘Stop This Merry-Go-Round’ and ‘Careful Man’, led to his eponymous debut LP. As the label’s major male artist, the company followed up by recording a second album and were probably anticipating a further hit. But Aware collapsed thanks to the label owner’s criminal activities, putting paid to that proposed disc. When the master tapes were uncovered in the ’90s, the tracks were issued on the 1996 Kent CD ‘Careful Man’ and handful of singles were issued to great acclaim.

At last, we have collected the tracks on vinyl and the beauty of ‘Tin Man’, ‘How Can I Go On Without You’ and ‘Cold Hearted Woman’ can be enjoyed as they were originally intended. Modern soul fans will be able to sleep easily again. 

You can pre-order a copy of John Edwards' Tin Man LP directly from Ace Records UK right here. It's scheduled to ship on August 1st. Check out a few tracks below. 

B-Side Wins Again: Freddy Fender

Remembering Freddy Fender on his birthday with his B-side psych whumper "El Pastel" you may have missed. 

Remembering Mikey Dread on his birthday

Raising a glass to Mikey Dread on his birthday with some interviews, shows and his African Anthem LP. 

The Artwork of Runt @ Mallo Coffee Bar, June 8 to July 31

Toronto artist Runt will be showing some new work at Mallo Coffee Bar in June & July with the opening reception on Tuesday, June 9th from 7 pm to 11 pm.

Writes Runt...

"So l have a new show of artwork at the Mallo Coffee Bar at 785 Bathurst Street. It’s up till the end of July, but we are having the opening reception Tuesday, June 9th between 7pm and 11pm. So come on out and have a drink and buy some art."

Really like this new piece for my upcoming show at Mallo Café which will include many new pieces.