I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

Tattoo Rock Parlor was the destination du jour on April 16th if what you were looking for was an exciting, fun night combined with stellar music.  AfterpartY, Senor Kasio and The Framework were the perfect line up, proving they are all great songwriters, musicians, and entertainers.

First out was AfterpartY, an up and coming pop rock quartet out of Toronto. Throughout the whole performance my eyes were peeled on lead singer Kristina who I feel is destined to become a pop rock icon with her confidence and stage presence. I can just picture it… instead of every little girl emulating Avril and Gwen Stefani, in a couple of years they will be singing AfterpartY songs at the top of their lungs, pretending they are Kristina. Not only did she have a great energy, she also had a powerful voice, not necessarily unique in any way, but boy could she belt out a ballad. The sound mirrored the punk/pop music of the moment – non pretentious, just catchy and fun. Everyone in the band looked like they were having a great time on stage, but hands down the lead singer stole the show for me. If the stars align, they will be the next Paramore in a couple of years.

What can I say about the next band that hit the stage? There are a lot of words to describe Senor Kasio, but I’m going to have to go with FUN, FUN and more FUN! This trio from Toronto was one of the most exciting bands I’ve seen… ever!  Their energetic stage show paired with their eccentric musical stylings made for a great time that transcended to the audience. I had one huge grin on my face throughout their whole set and I know I wasn’t the only one. Their music is indescribable – you cannot pinpoint or categorize it into a genre and there are no words to describe it other than it’s a little bit new wave, with a hint of musical theatre, mixed with a whole lotta love. Their groovalicious dance moves combined with their unique and sometimes outrageous tracks like “I love it,”  “I Wanna F,” and a song about Febreze that could make anyone fall in love with Senor Kasio.

Last, but certainly not least, was headlining band The Framework who finished off the night with an amazing, high-energy set. This band has major star quality, they looked the part and, more importantly, their songs are comparable to (and in some cases even better than), some mainstream music out there. It is definitely catchy with some major radio-friendly tracks, but don’t be fooled, they are not your average pop group – they have depth and substance, which is seen in their song “Wasted”, which is a personal favourite of mine.  The melody and lyrics combined with the mysterious yet soothing sound of Chris’ voice equals pop at its finest. If I had my way, it would be a single off their new album. Musically, they remind me of The Killers and Bloc Party with a little bit of ’80s Prince goodness. It’s the music I would put on at 3am on a Saturday night, inebriated with a bunch of friends to keep the party going and to dance like no one is watching. All in all, this band is a must see! Their high-energy performance and up-beat dance tracks will make you want to boogie down… I know I will next Saturday night!

reported by Kristen Tignanelli

photography provided by Carl Heindl

There have been some amazing acts hailing from Ireland that have passed through Toronto and knocked the Canadian talent out of the water. Well, Walter Mitty & The Realists are no exception. Having won Indie Week in Toronto in the Fall, these boys came back to showcase their talents once again during Canadian Music Week. The band consists of Niall MacTaidhg (vocals/guitar), Conor MacTaidhg (guitar), Colin Bartley (bass) and Paul O’Shaughnessy (drums). iheartthemusic caught up with them during their first show in Toronto at the Horseshoe and they explained why Canadian crowds rock.

iheartthemusic: Welcome back to Canada boys! You were here in the Fall and walked away winning Indie Week. How did you find out about that?

Niall: We knew someone who won it the previous year and so we applied and kind of got invited over and that was it. 

iheartthemusic: Did you get to explore the city at all?

Paul: We were here for five days and ended up playing six gigs so we didn’t get to see much that time.

Colin: We got up to the CN tower and that was about it.

iheartthemusic: That’s too bad that you couldn’t see more of 

Toronto!

Conor: We have a few days off this time so we are really looking forward to seeing a bit more of Toronto and Canada. Hopefully we will get to see Niagara Falls and all the tourist stuff.

iheatthemusic: Are there any bands that you are hoping to check out this week?

Niall: I want to see Holy Fuck and Bloc Party for sure.

Conor: We are looking forward to celebrating St. Patty’s day in Toronto as well. The parade is on Sunday and that should be good. I’ve already bought green skinny jeans for it!

iheartthemusic: You must have played at some amazing venues last time you were here. What was your favourite?

Niall: Probably Reverb or Rok Boutique.

Conor: We really enjoyed playing in Toronto the last time. Every single venue we played in the crowd was brilliant, which made it exciting to play and the crowds seemed to be really interested. It was very exciting to see everyone out and so we are really looking forward to playing again in Toronto.

 iheartthemusic: Is there anything that you notice about Canadian crowds that is different than back home?

Niall: They’ve got Canadian accents!

Colin: They enjoy it a lot more and it seems to be more full-on over here. You play a gig in Ireland and the crowd is sometimes tough but here everyone is really into it right away. I suppose it is a bigger city, so more people will come out and in Limerick there is only a select crowd that will come out.

iheartthemusic: How would you define your sound?

Colin: I don’t know how I would define our sound really. Some people say James Brown [laughs].

Niall: I listen to a lot of fucking rock and dance so it’s always varied.

iheartthemusic: You have an album coming out in the Spring as well, right?

Niall: When we go home we will be getting a fully mastered copy. We recorded it with Fergal Lawler from The Cranberries before we left. We got a call from them today, actually, so it will be ready when we come back. 

iheartthemusic: Have you come up with a title for it yet?

Niall: Green Light Go is what we are thinking at the moment because it’s our debut. There is going to be about 11 songs on the album.

iheartthemusic: After you release the album what’s next for you guys?

Niall: We are thinking of doing some more touring in Ireland and the UK and then we are back over here in October for Indie Week again.

Conor: We are headlining Indie Week as a part of what we did last year,  so will be happy to get back here and play for the crowds again!

If you didn’t get a chance to check these boys out while they were in Toronto, don’t worry they will be back and in the meantime check out their MySpace: www.myspace.com/waltermittyandtherealists

 Photography provided by Matt Vardy