Make Some Noise - Toronto Public Library | Local Music Collection

Katie Stelmanis is ready to make noise at Bloor Gladstone Library!

The best reason to go out tomorrow night and see Katie Stelmanis play at Bloor Gladstone Library is that her music will fill you, stir you, and make you feel all right.

CBC Radio 3 says: "Armed with a keyboard and backed by a wall of pre-assembled midi madness, Katie Stelmanis' music is endlessly evocative, with strong and scattered beats riding alongside dense synth melodies and vibrato-laden vocal swoops. On top of being a talented beat-maker, Stelmanis possesses one mean set of vocal chords, with a tone that falls somewhere between opera-house class and punk rock crass."

 
Katie Stelmanis

A second reason to go to the show--as if you need one!--is to see the beautifully renovated Bloor Gladstone Library . It has an elegant glass cube beside the original Carnegie building and feels airy, light and cozy all at once. 

Katie Stelmanis in Concert / Bloor Gladstone Library / 1101 Bloor St. West / Friday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m.

In the middle of Making Noise

We're halfway through our Make Some Noise events after two amazing concerts and one workshop. Timber Timbre played a haunting set to a room of over 300 enraptured people sitting cross-legged at North York Central Library. That same crowd got to its feet to dance like mad when Bruce Peninsula took the stage. 

Timber Timber, Nov. 7, 2009

Bruce Peninsula , Nov. 7 2009

Bruce Peninsula, Nov. 7, 2009

Thanks to everyone who has come out and been part of our great audiences. We're looking forward to seeing you at one more concert--Katie Stelmanis --and two more workshops-- Colin Medley  and Steve Jordan . 

Grand Analog in the Stacks!

 

Walking past College Shaw Library last night, this is what passersby saw when they looked in the window. Inside, straight from the kids' area, Grand Analog was playing their hip hop, soul, reggae beats to a very happy crowd. See what the Torontoist has to say about the night of Stacks of Tracks (In the Stacks)!

If you missed the show, you can meet the band at College Shaw Library on Tues., Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. for a free workshop on The Art of DJing.

Grand Analog, Nov. 5, 2009 - College Shaw Library

Fans in the stacks, Nov. 5, 2009 - College Shaw Library

Make Some Noise - First Concert Tonight!

Tonight's the night!

Come see Grand Analog at College Shaw Library at 8 p.m. You will have fun!

This is the fourth year TPL has put on free concerts featuring some of Toronto's finest local bands. Check out what writers around the city are saying about our concerts and the general greatness of Toronto Public Library. (Though we know we're biased when we mention greatness.) Our friends at exclaim! show us some love, Peace magazine  gives us a nod and The Toronto Star says libraries are like your living room!

November's Recommended CDs

Mountain Meadows by Elliott BROOD

A Mountain is a Mouth by Bruce Peninsula

Metropolis is Burning by Grand Analog

Join Us by Katie Stelmanis

Timber Timbre by Timber Timbre

November's Recommended Books

Black Postcards: A Rock and Roll Romance  (2008)
Dean Wareham 
A memoir from the founding member of Galaxie 500 and Luna, Wareham writes with style and humour as he recaps the highs and lows of his music career and his personal relationships, and the difficulty of keeping them separate. 

Digging for Dirt: The Life and Death of ODB (2008)
Jaime Lowe
One of the founding members of the Wu Tang Clan, Ol’ Dirty Bastard (aka Russell Jones) died tragically in 2004 from an accidental drug overdose. Written from the perspective of a fan, this biography mixes personal narrative with first hand accounts from the family, surviving members of the Wu Tang Clan, and others who knew ODB.

Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste  (2007)
Carl Wilson
Author Carl Wilson documents his journey towards identifying his inner Celine Dion fan. He also explores how people’s views of good and bad and love and hate affect the way we define ourselves.

Crazy Diamond  (2008)
David Chojewitz, translated by Doris Orgel
As a kid, Mira escapes from Croatia in a Marshall amp road case in the rear of her uncle’s van. A musician, he hands her the key to her future: a guitar. At fourteen, she meets three stowaway teens from Ghana. They share everything on the way to the musical fame that all of them covet -- except Mira.

 

Bruce Peninsula and Timber Timbre at North York Central Library on Nov. 7th

Bruce Peninsula and Timber Timbre take the stage in a free, live performance, the second of the library's Make Some Noise concerts. Both bands had their most recent albums long-listed for this year's Polaris Music Prize. These musicians make exciting, innovative music that will haunt your dreams. 

The talented ensemble of Bruce Peninsula.

Bruce Peninsula and Timber Timbre at North York Central Library
Sat. November 7, 2009, 8 - 11 p.m.
5120 Yonge Street (north of Sheppard, at North York Centre subway)
Auditorium

Free. All ages. No ticket required. Don't miss it.

Timber Timbre (a.k.a. Taylor Kirk)

Limited time offer from Arts and Crafts! Until midnight on Saturday October 31, 2009, you can download the self-titled album, Timber Timbre, for FREE !!! 

Grand Analog at College Shaw on Nov. 5th

Our fall array of Make Some Noise concerts and music workshops is about to begin! 

Starting off our concert series, we're excited to have Grand Analog  play at the College Shaw library next Thursday night, Nov. 5th. The band is going to perfrom right in the children's area, but it won't be like any story-time you've ever seen. We suspect it might get noisy.

Grand Analog  at College Shaw Library
Thurs. November 5, 2009, 8 - 10 p.m.
766 College Street (east of Ossington)

Free. All ages. No tickets required. You should come!

After the Grand Analog concert, your head still full of excellent rap and soul beats, you'll ask yourself, "Could I ever do that cool DJ thing?" Toronto Public Library answers, "Yes! You can!" Grand Analog will offer a free workshop on the Art of DJing on Nov. 10th, 7 p.m. at College Shaw Library. No registration. Just show up and lay it down.

October's Recommended Books

All Known Metal Bands  (2008) 
Dan Nelson
A list of--yes!--the band names of all known metal bands. The book contains over 50,000 band names and the ear-splitting volume is cranked to max.

Punk Rock Etiquette: The Ultimate How-to Guide for DIY, Punk, Indie and Underground Bands (2008)
Travis Nichols
No stranger to rock and roll, Nichols taps his insider knowledge for a wide audience in this witty yet sincere look at how to do the whole band thing up right. There are pros and cons, dos and don’ts, comics, and plenty of solid advice to get you started or keep you going.

Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling (2007)
Andrea Stolpe
Songwriter Andrea Stolpe describes techniques for commercial songwriting. Her process is broken into steps that will help you write lyrics that reach out to your audience.

Debbie Harry Sings in French  (2008)
Meagan Brothers
When Johnny completes an alcohol rehabilitation program, his mother sends him to live with his uncle in North Carolina. There, he meets Maria, who seems to understand his fascination with the new wave band Blondie, and he learns about his deceased father's youthful forays into "glam rock."

October's Recommended CDs

Country Club by John Doe & the Sadies

The Chemistry of Common Life by Fucked Up *winner of the 2009 Polaris Music Prize

Yes! by k-os

Fantasies by Metric

The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin