Pat Blythe – Indie Week…..Julian Taylor….podcasting……and music

I’m missing the live music, the clubs…..but most of all the people. It’s been two years now since I’ve trolled Toronto’s club scene, traveled with the ONES show and visited the many stages of the various festivals in Ontario. I loved it all….every second of it! I met some of the most incredible people, heard some fantastic music, and was honoured to a part of a scene I had been away from for so long. I made new friends (and lost a few), learned new skills, and was gifted with the opportunity to write this column…..it was a whirlwind six years. Then Covid decided to rain on our parade. The Pandemic Interviews allowed me to stay connected to many of the musicians I met during those five years.

Pat Blythe – Indie Week wrap-up Part I…..and music

It’s been a whirlwind week with so many events happening. The big one and closing out music festival “season”…..Indie Week. Heralding five days of entertainment from all over the world, the launch bash was held at Revival this past Wednesday, Nov. 13. The following days and nights were filled with the sounds of music, cheers and stomping feet, all leading up to the wrap-up party at the Mod Club on Sunday, Nov. 17. With a 4am last call, thousands of ears were filled with international sounds emanating from the participating Toronto clubs salted all over the city

Bob Revisits Indie Week for 2019

In today’s climate, even in this era of (seemingly) instant fame via a television show, or releasing an album recorded in your mother’s kitchen before you have ever played a gig, even when your self-penned ditty gets a million hits on You Tube without so much as buying a real instrument, let alone learning how to play it, there is hope for kids who still feel the urge to roll the rock, write tunes, and spend days on end in a van that smells of wet socks and KFC.. There are still dreamers. There are still Road Warriors, still people who want to rehearse and write, and play and play, and drive all night and eat KFC out of the bucket, solely because they believe in the life, believe in the music, and believe in themselves and the dream. These kids are out of their minds just like we were.

Which brings me to Indie Week.

Tickets and Schedule HERE

Peter Plies the Indie Tides

Funny how symmetrical Life is. Nearly a year ago, in a column about indie music, I mentioned how ubiquitous the genre is, and stated that someone would probably send me a video of a North Korean death metal group. “indie week” 2018 has just ended…….and a South Korean pop band won “Best Of The Fest”. Eerie, I would say.

Pat Blythe – A little BoRap, More Indie Week …and Music!

Well this is going to take a while. A full six days of Indie Week including a fabulous launch party  and a very private event at a very secret location, three days on the road with ONES, Horseshoe and Hideout gigs, an MCN Open Mic farewell and move, Pretzel Logic at the Orbit Room….and I’m sure I’m forgetting something in there….. I know I won’t get this all in one fell swoop but needless to say it’s been a non-stop roller coaster ride. Going back to front, let’s start with…. Oh but first…….

Peter (Beer) Barrels through CMW 2018

Armed with my “media” credentials, my guidebook and my Metropass, I took on Canadian Music Week. (Note that all of the bands/artists that I mention in this column have Facebook pages, and are well worth further study, should you feel so inclined. It was a very busy week!)

Peter Prepares for Indie Week

Mainstream music is omnipresent. From your laptop to your ringtone, your doctor’s office to your local athletic barn, it surrounds you. Even a casual glance at billboards or bus’s will show you that mainstream music looms large in modern society.

Pat Blythe: So Much To See, So Much To Do and Listen To….

I have so much to write about I don’t know where to begin. Clubs, pubs, bars and halls, from one end of the city to the other. Late nights, early mornings, a thousand pictures, private functions, VIP soirees, opening night galas and closing festivities. It’s been a whirlwind of activity and will be impossible to cover in a single column. Lots of sharing to do….

IT’S INDIE WEEK!!!!

Segarini: The Kids Are Alright – Updated!

Editor’s Note: The overworked and dedicated Jaimie Vernon gets a rare day off today and rightly so. Enjoy the respite, my friend, it’s back to the grind next week.

In place of Jaimie’s well written weekly column, I offer up this article from October 11th, 2011. It touches on today’s generation, Indie week, Musical Dreamers, and a rather spirited debate about Apple products in the comments section. For those of you who are new readers, enjoy, For the rest of you, either enjoy it again or maybe your memory is going and it will seem new to you too. Roxanne’s column appears tomorrow in it’s usual place. YAY! Roxanne!                                          Pictured: Jaimie Vernon

Nadia Elkharadly: Indie Week 2012 – That’s a wrap

It’s been a lazy Monday for me today as I recover from yet another multi-day music festival in Toronto.  This Sunday night (or Monday morning if you want to get technical) marked the end of Indie Week 2012.  It’s only the second Indie Week that I’ve attended and taken part in, but it’s rapidly becoming my favourite music festival in our fair city.

If you haven’t heard of Indie Week, you probably haven’t been walking around downtown Toronto with your eyes open; the intrepid indie week volunteer team has been diligently postering the city for weeks leading up to the launch party.