May's Recommended Recordings

Saidah Baba Talibah
(S)cream (2011)

This loud and seriously sexy album is the first full length release by Toronto songstress Saidah Baba Talibah, who's been rocking dance floors across the city (backed by a tuba!) to critical acclaim.

Sweatshop Union
United we Fall (2005)

Vancouver's Sweatshop Union have been producing mind-blowing hip hop for over a decade. Their latest EP, "Bill Murray" was released in 2011, and is definitely worth picking up. In the meantime, for a little splash of nostalgia, check out SU's 2005 album, United We Fall.

memoryhouse
The Years (2011)

Guelph's memoryhouse combine stunning vocals and lyric space pop instrumentation into the beautiful 5-song EP, The Years.

 

Want more great Canadian music? Type "Local Music" into the search box at the top of this page.

Meet The Noise: Five Questions for Mike McKeown of Cameron House Records

photo credit: Jesse Kinos-Goodin

Standing at the corner of Queen and Cameron St., The Cameron House is a Toronto music institution. For the last three decades, its flamboyant murals and eclectic decor have witnessed a parade of the Who's Who of Canadian music cross the stage, with artists like Ron Sexmith, Molly Johnston, Jane Siberry and The Meligrove Band cutting their teeth in the bar's 60-seat back room.

In 2010, Mike McKeown, fresh out of a business degree, was invited by longtime friend Cosmo Ferraro to help him run the bar. Within months, Mike and Cosmo decided to expand the sounds of the Cameron House beyond its walls by launching Cameron House Records. Providing a home for an expanding roster of some of Toronto's best folk, country, roots and rockabilly acts, CHR is a vital and exciting young addition to Toronto's already vibrant music scene.

A few weeks ago, Mike took a few minutes to answer a couple of our questions.

What’s the best part of running your own recording company?
The Best part about it, I'd say, is getting to work with artists, whom I admire. I'd rather be working with people in this profession, which I believe to be noble, rather than dealing with members of the corporate world or organized system as Paul Goodman, author of Growing up Absurd may say.

What’s your most memorable Cameron House concert experience?
I think that the Cameron's 30th birthday celebrations take the cake. We had some artists on the label: Devin Cuddy, Kayla Howran, Tarantuela share the stage with the likes of Greg Keelor, Jim Cuddy, and Andy Maize. Nice to see people of The Cameron's past and present come together and put on a world class show. 

What advice would you give an up-and-coming Canadian artist looking to score a record deal?
Decide if being a musician is really what you wan to do. If it is go for it 100% and work at it. Remember it's a 27 hour drive to winnipeg. 

What’s the last GTA artist/band’s record you’ve listened to?
I'm currently listening to The Silver Hearts. They'll be playing at The Horseshoe as a part of Tarantuela's cd release on May 18th.

If Justin Rutledge and Greg Keelor had a pie-eating contest, who would you put your money on?
I believe Keelor is a diabetic, so I'll take JR on this one.

 

May's Recommended Books

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

(2007) Oliver Sacks

Neurologist and Physician Oliver Sacks is best known for his engaging books and collections of stories about the human mind. In Musicophilia, Sacks explores the extraordinary effects of music on our grey matter, and the ways that music shapes our interpretations of the world around us. (He also explains why you can't stop humming that #@?& LMFAO track over and over to yourself...).

 

The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl

(2010) Trevor Schonomaker (ed.)

Most of us think of records as a way to record and replay music. In a fascinating art exhibit at Duke University's Nasher Gallery however, records were reimagined as more than vessels for music transmission, but as actual physical objects meriting examination themselves. The Record is the catalogue that accompanied this super cool show, and examines installations by a range of artists including Lauri Anderson and David Byrne.

 

Got another great book to recommend? We'd love to hear from you! Write us a comment below.

April's Recommended Recordings

Miracle Fortress 
Was I the Wave? (2011)
Was I the Wave? is the sophomore album by Montreal's Miracle Fortress (aka Graham van Pelt) Replete with lush samples and moody ambient textures, Was I The Wave? is one of the best alt rock albums of 2011.

Little Scream 
The Golden Record (2011)
Another great recording from Montreal, The Golden Record by Little Scream is a genre-busting tour de force, combining haunting vocals, a huge range of instrumentation, and a who's who of guest performers from La Belle Province's music scene.

The Pack A.D. 
Unpersons (2011)
West Coast rockers The Pack A.D. write the kind of abrasive rock-n-roll your mom absolutely hates. Unless your mom is Joan Jett. In which case your mom is crazy jealous of how freakybadawesome The Pack A.D. is.

 

Want more great Canadian music? Type "Local Music" into the search box at the top of this page.

Meet The Noise: Five Questions for Saidah Baba Talibah

What happens when you take a little bit of Public Enemy, a little bit of Radiohead, add a splash of soul, a blast of tuba, and put it through a hard rock blender? The result is the joyful sonic explosion that is Saidah Baba Talibah. Daughter of Salome Bey, Canada's First lady of Blues, Saidah has had no trouble striking out and proving herself as powerful and innovative as her progenetors. Since her debut album (S)cream dropped last year, Saidah has attracted a seriously impressive amount of critical acclaim, both as a talented musician and a wildly entertaining performer.

We on the Make Some Noise crew were thrilled when Saidah took a minute to answer a few questions for us.

What’s your most memorable Toronto concert experience?
One? Here's a few that made a huge impact on me:  Living Color at Lee's Palace.  Skunk Anansie at Lee's Palace.  King's X at Reverb.  Fishbone at Masonic Temple.  Royal Canoe at Rivoli. Nikka Costa at El Mocambo.
 

What Greater Toronto Area musician/band’s album do you think everyone should be listening to?
Here again are a few:  Donna Grantis Electric Band - Suites.  Hill & The Sky Heroes - 11:11 Emma-Lee - Backseat Heroine.  Zaki Ibrahim - Eclectica (Episodes in Purple).

What advice would you give someone trying to break into the Toronto music scene?
First, love what you do.  Like REALLY love what you do, unconditionally.  This  being an artist is a serious relationship, because there are major ups and downs and tests that can be potentially beautiful lessons.  And those lessons lead you to who you truly, essentially are.  And that would be my only other piece of advice, be authentic.  Be you without exceptions.  Be bold.  Dream big.  Throw doubt out, you're an artist, your job is to create whatever YOU want.

You’re a member of the cast for b current and Theatre Archipelago’s production Obeah Opera. How does the experience of treading the boards as an actor compare to rocking a stage as a musician?
Well, I approach singing and acting the same way by asking myself what is my intention?  Because in both scenarios I am the storyteller, right?  Rocking the stage as a musician, I'm in my stage outfit with my band, singing songs that either I wrote or songs that I am connected to and telling that story versus being an actor onstage in costume with a cast, singing songs that I have to find my character's connection to in order for it to be believable -- making it personal and my own.  The foundation and common thread of both of those settings for me remain, intention.

If you could sing a duet with any Canadian musician (living or dead), who would you choose to sing with, and what song would you perform?
Mark Sultan (King Khan & The BBQ Show) and/or Dallas Green (City & Colour/Alexisonfire)
Hmmm… song?  Mark, Dallas and I haven't written the songs yet.

 

Photo Credits: megaphone, Katherine Fleitas: b/w, Anna Keenan

April's Recommended Books

Ripped: t-shirts from the underground

(2010) Cesar Padilla (ed.)

1000 Indie Posters

(2011) John Foster

Popular music produces a wide range of ephemera, from customized guitar picks to Gene Simmons Bobbleheads. For artists and graphic designers, this range of products and promotional materials provide a fertile ground for their creative talents. Some of the more inspiring of these creations can be found in Ripped: t-shirts from the underground and 1000 Indie Posters.

 

Got another great book to recommend? We'd love to hear from you! Write us a comment below.

March's Recommended Recordings

Timbre Timbre
Keep on Creepin' On (2011)

Make Some Noise alumni Timber Timbre put together a seriously creepy/amazing album in 2011. Fans of Bela Lugosi inspired folk can't afford to miss Keep on Creepin' on.

Moonface
Organ music not vibraphone like I'd hoped (2011)

Doesn't the title just say it all? At least it wasn't kazoos.

 

Hey Rosetta
Seeds (2011)

St. Johns-based Hey Rosetta just keep getting better, as their third full length recording, Seeds attests. Plus, they have a cello in their regular lineup, which appeals to certain classically trained music-nerd bloggers...

Want more great Canadian music? Type "Local Music" into the search box at the top of this page.

March's Recommended Books

Nocturnes

(2009) Kazuo Ishiguro

In this short story collection, five tales of love, loss and redemption are set against a decidedly musical backdrop. In each story, Kazuo Ishiguro (author of Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go) casts music as a central character in between his protagonists, winding around their elation or emotional tumult.

RUSH: Rock Music and the Middle Class 

(2009) Chris McDonald

Few bands are as simultaneously loved and derided as Toronto's very own Rush. Founded in the snowy depths of Willowdale, Rush's extravagant musicality and fantastical references (to the Lord of the Rings and Star Trek amongst others) both pack stadiums and earn them poo-poohs from snobby music critics. Cape Breton academic Chris Macdonald's book RUSH: Rock Music and the Middle Class examines the rise of one of the worlds most potent rock groups, and their profound musical ability to articulate the experience of middle-class suburbia.

On the subject of Rush, like them or hate them, the musical ability of Lee, Lifeson and Peart is pretty undeniable. For proof, check out this video... 

Got another great book to recommend? We'd love to hear from you! Write us a comment below.

February's Recommended Recordings

Destroyer (2011)
Kaputt
Finding its way onto pretty much every 'best of' list of 2011, Kaputt is the ninth album by sometime New Pornographers collaborator Dan Bejar.

BRAIDS (2011)
Native Speaker
Montreal-based BRAIDS' debut album's combination of arresting vocals and catchy electronic hooks earned it serious critical acclaim and a Polaris Prize nomination. 

The Two Koreas (2011)
Science Island
Self proclaimed as "Toronto's finest purveyors of Glacial-Garage beat muzik", The Two Koreas' fourth album Science Island will shake your brain all up. 

Want more great Canadian music? Type "Local Music" into the search box at the top of this page.

February's Recommended Books

Writing Gordon Lightfoot: the man, the music and the World in 1972

(2011) Dave Bidini

How do you write the biography of someone who refuses to speak to you? This is the challenge that Dave Bidini faced when he set out to document the life of legendary Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. An artistic slight a decade ago has made Bidini a persona non grata in Gord's books; undeterred, the former Rheostatics singer has created a one-sided epistle to Lightfoot, discussing his life, the Toronto music scene during the legendary 1972 Mariposa Festival, and the general state of the world in those tumultuous times.

 

Canadian Railroad Trilogy

(2010) Gordon Lightfoot;
Illustrated by Ian Wallace

From words about the man, to the words of the man himself. The Canadian Railroad Trilogy presents the lyrics of Lightfoot's legendary song against the stunning paintings of acclaimed children's illustrator Ian Wallace.

 

 

Got another great book to recommend? We'd love to hear from you! Write us a comment below.