http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/parties Upcoming events in Toronto Fri, 16 May 2008 15:44:07 -0400 http://www.martiniboys.com/rss PHP/4.4.8 en-us http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5721.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5721.html Wed, 14 May 2008 10:57:44 -0400 Toronto art-chaos provocateurs, Spiral Beach, continue their altruistic imperialism with this Opera House show. Expect freneticism, bright colours, and crowd guest spots. Don't expect sand. -S.T. Tickets are $12 @ Rotate This The Opera House, 735 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5724.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5724.html Thu, 15 May 2008 10:30:45 -0400 Like Dick Van Dyke, but without the ottoman, Mary Tyler Moore, the Dick, and the 'e' - well, nothing like Dick Van Dyke. East Berlin (is that term archaic yet?) trance megastar, PVD brings his signature stares to the Kool Haus. -S.T. Tickets are $30 - $45 @ Rotate This Kool Haus, 132 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5725.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5725.html Thu, 15 May 2008 10:31:22 -0400 Have you ever gotten blackout soused in a foreign country during some sort of bright-colour festival, lost your friends, wandered into a club where a shambolic band played native beats mixed in with disparate hair-guitar lines and semi-ironic nods to mid-90s hip hop, but you couldn't really figure out the words because the singer's mic got kicked over so the chatter of the ebullient crowd of locals became the lyrics, as you danced with a gorgeous stranger whose sweat smelled like erotic adventure? With revamped Brazilian quartet, Bonde Do Role, it's kind of like that. Kind of. I know this show snuck up on you, but the best adventures usually do. -S.T. Tickets are $10 @ Rotate This and Soundscapes The Social, 1100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5738.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5738.html Fri, 16 May 2008 11:00:21 -0400 Contributing to brain tumor treatment and research has never before been such a fabulous time. Sure, it made you feel all warm and generous on the inside, but did you leave the donation deal with a diamond pendant and the promise of fresh flowers at your homestead for three months? Surely not. The Gerry and Nancy Spencer Brain Trust know how to get people excited about contributing to an important cause: they throw a party to remember. The event has been labelled the Noir fundraiser and is slated to be the hottest party to hit Toronto this year. The Artifacts Room at the Liberty grand is being decked out with all the bells and whistles to ensure guests’ get all their senses accosted. There will be dancing, food, drink and atmosphere galore. The highlight, however, will be the silent auction. Toronto’s elite in the markets of jewellery, fashion, home design, travel and fine dining have generously donated coveted goods and packages to be auctioned off at Noir. It would be no hard feat to walk out of this party with a new Chanel wallet, an Hermès Scarf, a dinner at Joso’s and a full vacation package for an exotic dream journey through India. Oh, the perils of the good-hearted debutante. Help destroy brain tumors. -J.T. Doors at 7:30pm. Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, Exhibition Place, Artifacts Room 25 British Columbia Road, Toronto, ON Tickets are $300. For more information call: 416-923-2999]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5720.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5720.html Wed, 14 May 2008 10:57:16 -0400 Not all ebullient, 60s-infused post-post-punk, post-Libs, post-whatever, the Blondes have a literary bent and pop hooks aplenty ("Once and Never Again" may be the catchiest song ever written). Expect vintage girls with fabulously chipped nail polish, seductive bang twitches, and me. -S.T. Tickets are $15 @ Rotate This and Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5566.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5566.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:32:03 -0400 She's tiny but loud and lots of fun in the Big Easy. Tickets are $28 @ Ticketmaster, 416-973-4000 Danforth Music Hall, 147 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5601.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5601.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:56:12 -0400 I always liked this singer. I remember how you were the one who told me that her name was either Mia or M.I.A." –from "MIA" by Emmy the Great. By now, almost everyone, including the divine Ms. Great, knows that the singer in question is named M.I.A. The Sri Lanka-via-London superstar melange provocateur returns to Toronto. Expect a mixture of world-rap with socio-political leanings, funk-ish grooves, cash-register melodies, kitchen sink song-smithing, and ebullient coolness. Incidentally, if you haven’t yet heard Emmy the Great, you need to get on that. –S.T. Tickets are $33.50 @ Rotate This, Soundscapes, and Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Sound Academy, 11 Polson Street, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5570.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5570.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:08:25 -0400 Alicia was such a good girl until she started to conspiracy theorize about Tupac's death, gangster rap as a government device to get black people killing each other and AK47 necklaces. We thought she was pretty badass in Smokin' Aces though so we'll pretend her insanity of late is just a faze and continue to love our caged bird unconditionally. -J.T. Tickets are $55 - $125 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., Suite 400, Toronto, ON ]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5137.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5137.html Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:46:56 -0500 I am so happy these guys are coming back. Go see them, trust me; you’ll be happy you went. But funny story, I saw them once before and there was this reeeaaalllyyy drunk guy in the audience who for some reason had brought a giant drum with him, and decided that he wanted to play with the band. The venue was tiny with no security, so he just jumped up on stage. The band stopped playing and just stood there staring at him. Finally the violinist starting whispering to him, obviously trying to get him to leave. And the guy blurts out “I don’t care if I look like an idiot.” The band didn’t know what to do so they just started playing. The guy tried to play along but was too drunk and couldn’t get it right. Eventually he got bored and left after a few songs. Tickets are $12.00 @ Ticketmaster Doors @ 9pm Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5602.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5602.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:23:35 -0400 Unlike its behemoth cousin, the Virgin Festival, this Olympic Island gig eschews corporate fellatio in favour of a music-first dogma. Sad-kid heroes, Death Cab for Cutie co-headline, so expect pathos and Ben Gibbard’s trademark whinny. Also, Montreal’s Stars and Vancouver’s Young Galaxy fill out the almost-annual festival’s Arts and Crafts requirements. Rogue Wave round out the bill. Even disregarding the solid line-up, any show on the island is worth the ferry trip. Go. –S.T. Tickets are $56.50 @ Rotate This and Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Olympic Island, Lake Ontario, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5603.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5603.html Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:41:58 -0400 You can’t fully appreciate the heat unless you’ve felt the cold. As summer wears on, try not to forget the yin/yang paradigm of weather enjoyment. Mogwai’s catalogue is the perfect accompaniment to the aforementioned dogma. Like other atmospheric bands, from God Speed You Black Emperor to Explosions in the Sky Mogwai's post-rock ditties typically build from chilly beginnings to heated crescendos. You'll start cool but end sweaty. Perfect. –S.T. Tickets are $25.50 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 The Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne Street, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5567.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5567.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:44:10 -0400 Do you smell that? It's...it's horrible. Terrible. Absotively, posilutely awful. Why, it stinks of...who knows?...but it's Rancid. -D.M. Tickets are $24 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Kool Haus, 132 Queen's Quay E., Toronto, ON ]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5564.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5564.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:19:31 -0400 I could say so much about this Napanee native, but it’s just become too easy. I do agree with her hatred of people making things more complicated than they need to be though. This singer has gone from a raccoon-eyed, sock-on-arm wearing punk to a shiny glam rocker with a wedding ring. Ah, they grow up so fast, don’t they? Check out the blond babe as she belts it out like she’s still 16. After all, you know how the saying goes: you can take the girl out of Napanee, but you can’t take the Napanee out of the girl. –D.C. 40 Bay Street Toronto, ON Tickets are $30 - $75 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5571.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5571.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:18:23 -0400 Hot on the heals of their infamous digital "pay what you can" album release, Radiohead is touring he world with their distinctive band of creative and depressing rock and roll. The band probably peaked in the 90s with OK Computer and Kid A, but that doesn't change the fact that they are still one of the most exciting and experimental bands around. Hopefully you already bought tickets to this concert, because it sold out within minutes. So unless you feel like paying retarded scalper prices, you ain't seein' this show baby! -P.B. Tickets are $69.50 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Molson Amphitheatre, 909 Lakeshore Blvd. West, Toronto, ON ]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5568.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5568.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:49:08 -0400 Is it a wig or isn’t it? A somewhat reasonable price to watch an over-the-hill pop-rocker, still a few years shy of qualifying for the senior’s discount, question the audience “Da ya think I’m sexy” – an inquiry upon which he surprisingly does not receive a resounding “NO” but rather the heavy-hearted sighs of a 60+ crowd. I sincerely hope he does not believe the hype. -E.J. Tickets are $70 - $275 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Molson Amphitheater, 909 Lakeshore Blvd. West, Toronto, ON ]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-4952.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-4952.html Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:08:31 -0500 Celine Dion is on the loose! Run, my friends, while you still have intact eardrums! Even those high-tolerance residents of Los Vegas have a breaking point and they’ve unshackled Dion to save themselves. The Quebecois diva has announced a continent-wide tour months in advance, so all you die-hards can make sure her shows sell out. At this point you have to wonder if she still works for her love of the craft, because we all know she doesn’t need the money. I personally think she works so hard to avoid changing Rene’s diapers at home. Leave that to the poor hired help. –J.T. Tickets are $63.25 - $195 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay Street, Toronto, ON ]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5604.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5604.html Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:16:45 -0400 Though it’s your last opportunity to wear white, all-day Island shows can prove exigent for your apparel; perhaps you should go with clothing that doesn’t pick up grass stains. Foo Fighters are on top of the marquee for day one, but look for Bloc Party to steal the festival. The zeitgeist-capturing, post-punk dynamo seamlessly roves form sonic booms to regal snail builds and Mayan pyramid layering to resonant, sad-kid weep-induction. Spiritulaized, Wintersleep, the Constantines, and MGMT round out the day’s stellar line-up. Day two is an anglophile’s wet dream with Oasis headlining and Paul Weller and Stereophonics supporting. The Brit-theme continues with the Wombats and the Pigeon Detectives, but incorporates palpable Canadian talent by way of one of the greatest socially/politically conscious literary rock outfits of all time: the Weakerthans. –S.T. Single day tickets are $87 and weekend passes are $159 @ Futureshop and Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Toronto Island Park, Toronto Islands, Toronto, ON]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5716.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5716.html Mon, 12 May 2008 10:17:21 -0400 The freak of nature formerly known as Esther is going on tour for the umpteenth time to promote her newest album, Hard Candy. Seriously, this woman does not age. You should go just for the level of suspense that Madonna brings to the show. Will she use a British accent? Will she make out with another girl on stage? (I think the count is at 3 right now.) The surprises are endless. Plus she is a perfectionist with a ton of cash and some great tracks, so you know you will get your money's worth. -C.S. Tickets are $55-165 @ Ticketmaster Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay Street, Toronto, ON ]]> http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5569.html http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/party-5569.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:56:53 -0400 Whether in club backrooms, in Parisian flats, or on hallowed hall stages, Broken Social Scenesters have become ubiquitous. Good. Ms. Feist pimps her latest swirl disc, "The Reminder," at the Orpheum. You know that you've made it when you play a folding seat venue. -S.T. Tickets are $40 - $50 @ Ticketmaster or 416-870-8000 Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., Suite 400, Toronto, ON ]]>