Step into the pit as we talk to Canadian documentarian, punk rock frontman, and proud atheist Justin Ludwig about his film ChristCORE and how he learned to have a better understanding of the world of Christian punk and metal despite not being a believer himself. We also talk about the crossover success of Christian rock, how the bands politically believed a lot of the same things he did, and how to potentially really screw over Chik-Fil-A.
In honour of our special teen themed week here to celebrate the release of The Perks of Being a Wallflower on DVD and this weekend's TIFF Next Wave Film Festival for teenagers, Dork Shelf has assembled a crew of writers from both inside and outside the site, a special celebrity guest, and actually teenagers on the Next Wave committee to talk about something near and dear (and sometimes embarrassing) to all of us: what we listened to when we were younger.
Music and games came together on Friday's Long Winter showcase, as the Hand Eye Society presented Dyad and They Bleed Pixels alongside Toronto bands.
Sound Shapes and Dyad are leading an evolution of music in games.
Get to know Snowblink in this interview with member Daniela Gesundheit, which features talk of traditional Chinese medicine, connecting with environments, and what it’s been like to be an addition to the Toronto music scene.
Evening Hymns' front man and songwriter Jonas Bonnetta's father passed away before his first album, Spirit Guides, was released three years ago. Now as the band releases Spectral Dusk, we are invited into what Bonnetta and his family have gone through since. Read our interview with Bonnetta about the album, their sound, and what's to come.
You know how it's been so humid lately? It's so hazy in Toronto these days, as storm clouds tempt to thunder and then don't really come at all, hair frizzes to a scary level and the sun looks down on you with the biggest smirk. If you're looking for something to calmly lift you into a comfortable zone, then new Toronto band Dusted's new album, Total Dust, will do the trick.
Stella Ella Ola make the kind of music that embodies good times, friends, and sunshine. Picture rollerblading down a boardwalk, flippin' burgers, hanging out in someone's basement eating popsicles while reflecting on yearbook memories. It's a simple joy that they've captured. We talk with pals Jake and Nixon Boyd, Anne Douris and Vince Rice about the band, their planned BBQ musical,, and their favourite Muppets.
They've been around town for a few years now, but it seems Wendy Versus are experiencing a real refreshing and colourful new beginning before they release their first album, Crayon Wars, next month. We spoke to the trio about how Luke Skywalker got involved, how their music would be classified as X-Files, and what kind of hats they wear in this band and all their other bands.
In this month's Band of the Month showcase, we take a look at indie pop rockers The Elwins about playing shows for kids, recording, and selling their own special brand of underwear.
All throughout Toronto, musicians, music fans and journalists are gearing up for Canadian Music Week 2012. Starting on Wednesday, we'll pretend like our schedules are as gruelling as they were for those who went to South by Southwest last week. It takes some work going through the schedule to figure out what's worth your time, so let me do it for you. Here are my picks for this year’s Canadian Music Week.
In this interview with guitarist Steve Canning of The Fires Of, he explains all the growth the band has gone through to get to where they are now musically and the recording process. He highlights what it's like in the indie scene here and how to make the most of it, and we find out that they have a pretty impressive general collection of whats on their Dork Shelves.
Julie Doiron has been a familiar name within the Canadian indie folk-rock scenes for decades. In this interview with Doiron, we discuss her residency at Saving Gigi, living in Toronto, working on her next album and connecting with her audience.
Heartbeat Hotel and its cohorts are no strangers to Dork Shelf. We’ve listened to their sound grow over the last year from the late-night basement ponderings of Fetus Dreams to the hazy glow of waking realizations found on their latest piece of work, a six song-long album titled Intae Woe, which was released at the end of November. By doing such, this Toronto four-piece has led 2011 into a blissfully sweet ending.
When the air gets crisp, when the leaves turn colours and start to fall, the atmosphere noticeably changes. Generally around this time, I find people like to make a bit of a switch in the kind of music they listen to. Gone are the poppy summer hits and in come the warm and majestic folk-rock tunes. If you find that you're one of these people, then Toronto’s Parks & Rec will snuggle right in.
