Stephanie Johns

Wear your comfy shoes on Friday, February 29, to Bearly’s Bissextile (AKA leap year) Bluegrass Bonanza (8pm, $8/$5 sliding scale). This “flat-pickin’, boot-kickin’ good time” features the music of The Smokin’ Contra Band, The Strangeboys and Oh Dinah. All proceeds support the Save Lincolnville Campaign. A contra dance, explains Dave Ron (mandolin, guitar, banjo, vocals), […]

Musicians for Farmers (Feb 23, 6pm at North Street Church) fuses food, speakers and music with the admirable goal of trying to “raise the level of awareness about problems and successes,” says organizer Jeff Torbert. Part of the event’s proceeds will go to sustainable farming organization Heliotrust and the benefit features a locally sourced dinner, […]

Mic Boyd wrapped up a 30-date tour last Saturday just in time to release his new album Lost in the Woods (Half Life Records) on February 26. Boyd is off to a good start supporting the album. “My new video for ‘Guess Who’s Back’ has just started playing on MuchMusic and we’re applying for another […]

There aren’t many bands like Journalists, Wolf. They write “songs about celebrities, the devil and Timmy Connors, Rayden from Mortal Kombat, Ian Hanomansing, DJ Fresh Phil and Oprah” and rock a particularly stellar ode to Patrick Swayze (“Patrick Sleazy”). The band—made up of 10 or more shirtless people covered in fake blood—are marking the release […]

Torontonian MC Nolan Natasha is ready to party this weekend. A male identified, queer identified, feminist MC and former member of the queer punk band Scandalnavia, Nolan Natasha’s rhymes are introspective, humorous, captivating and full of attitude. The Coconut Grove plays host to Girl-ish Productions’ notoriously rad Valentine’s party, The Heart On. On Saturday February […]

Fredericton is popping some Alka-Seltzer after enjoying a lively weekend with the 2008 ECMAs (The “s” stands for corporate sponsors—there’s a separate sponsor for every award! We’ve had to abbreviate the award names for space.) The Joel Plaskett Emergency and its Ashtray Rock album ran away with the night, winning six awards in all: Recording […]

When Gilbert Switzer broke up in October 2007, they left in their wake a prolific body of work (including releases on mini-disc, floppy disc, cassette and vinyl) and lots of very disappointed fans. But please don’t completely blow your wad over the fact that they’re playing again this Thursday, February 7, at Gus’ Pub (with […]

The aptly named Poseidon’s Trident Sound System are playing a brief but powerful stint at the Seahorse, filling in for Verbal Warnin’ on their RockSteady night for the next two Wednesdays. DJs Jeremy Hawkins and Matt Mills, with Verbal Warnin’ percussionist and Youth Club Records founder Andy March on melodica and mixer, have grand musical […]

The newly formed Mount Uniacke Society for the Arts have three fundraising concerts planned in as many months, starting this Saturday with Mir, at the Fire Hall (8pm, $20). Founders Moka Case and Barry Kent have a considerable amount of experience in the music community between them: Kent is a former EMI rep and Case […]

Take On Me, a featured band in our November New Music issue, are calling it quits, to much sobbing and gnashing of teeth from the all-ages community. Their final show is taking place this Saturday, at The Pavilion, with some of the bands that the group has shared bills with in the past. 
 The […]

Here’s where I play the stupid friend who ruins the birthday surprise by telling the guest of honour, like Uncle Junior did with Carmela’s dad: The Joel Plaskett Emergency have announced a “super secret show,” planned for March 29 at the Marquee (tickets are $30, ticketpro.ca). The show was announced online only, to the JPE’s […]

One mighty shout-out is due to Thom Swift, who won the Canadian Maple Blues Award for new artist of the year. Swift also took the Galaxie Rising Stars CBC Award at the same time, for his debut album Into the Dirt, also nominated for an ECMA this year. You might remember Swift from his band […]