Name:

Jackie and her brother

Genre:

Dreampop, New Wave, Pop-Rock

Founded:

January 2024 but we’ve been siblings my whole life;)

# of Albums:

We’ll be releasing our first album this year.

Latest Single:

“You’ve Changed”

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Granddaddy, Depeche Mode, New Order, Aaliyah, Christina Aguilera

Favourite musician now:

It’s so hard to pick a favourite but I’m really enjoying these artists lately: Nation of Language, Mount Kimbie, Black Marble, Chromatics

Guilty pleasure song:

Mr Boombastic – Shaggy

Live show ritual:

Getting to know the other performers and showing lots of support. If possible, a pre-show bowl of ramen.

Favourite local musician:

Katie McBride, Calvin Love

EP or LP?

LP

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl

Road or studio?

Studio

Any shows or albums coming up?

We’re releasing new music in the Spring and an album in the summer.

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Bandcamp | SoundCloud | Linktree

***

Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

The Hole in the Wall (buck a shuck Tuesdays)

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

Roxton Road because it brings back a lot of memories of being a bit younger and weird and joining a band for the first time. I used to practice in my room for hours and my roommates didn’t hate me for it. Good times.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

High Park. It’s big, really nice to walk through the full park, and there’s a lot of cute dogs boppin’ around.

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

The Monarch Tavern. I’ve played at this venue many times and I’ve attended some really special shows here. One of my favourite shows was Dougie Poole. He is awesome live and his band is incredible.

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Vinegar Syndrome (399 Roncy)

The post Five Minutes With: Toronto-based Duo Jackie and her brother appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Name:

Sonority Sisters: Kelly Zimba Lukić, flute & Clare Semes, violin

Genre:

Classical

Founded:

2020

# of Albums:

None so far – but hopefully not for long!

Favourite musician growing up:

Kelly’s was James Galway, after hearing him perform live in Pittsburgh when I was in 8th grade. Clare’s was Hilary Hahn – she would buy her CDs as soon as they came out and would listen to them on repeat (and still does).

Favourite musician now:

Too many to choose!

Guilty pleasure song:

Kelly’s is All Star by Smash Mouth (Astro Lounge was the first CD I ever owned).

Live show ritual:

Usually taking a selfie.

Favourite local musician:

Anh Phung. She plays so soulfully and I envy her improvisation abilities!

EP or LP?

LP!

Early bird or night owl?

Naturally early birds, but harder with late Toronto Symphony concerts!

Road or studio?

Road! Travelling is one of the best perks of being a musician.

Any shows or albums coming up?

We are currently working on a super exciting commission/performance project with five Toronto-based composers. More on that soon – follow us to stay up to date!

Where can we follow you?

Instagram is our main platform. You can also visit our website.

***

Rapid Fire Toronto Qs

What is your favourite local restaurant?

Kelly’s is Ice n Spice. Clare’s is Raku on Queen Street.

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

Kelly’s is Baldwin Street. I randomly stumbled upon it one day and think it’s so quaint. Clare’s is Palmerston Ave – since she always incorporates it as part of her running route it’s become very comforting!

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

Trinity Bellwoods. It’s where Sonority Sisters got its start!

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

Rooftop Revue in the Junction. It’s an outdoor concert series that is super local and a great way to spend a summer evening.

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Remenyi & The Sound Post.

The post “Five Minutes With” flute and violin duo Sonority Sisters appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Throughout their storied career, Splash’N Boots have created a global community dedicated to making every child feel seen, heard, and loved for exactly who they are.

On television, they have appeared daily in over 8.5 million homes across Canada with their number one TV show on Treehouse TV and Disney Jr. Canada and recently wrote and produced an episode for Sesame Street.

Splash’N Boots believe in a world where music can be enjoyed across all generations and has recently collaborated with Alice Cooper, Brett Kissel, Johnny Reid, Alan Doyle, Simon Ward of The Strumbellas and The Wiggles, and Sharon and Bram. Their original music is enjoyed around the world, with millions of streams on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and other international digital markets.

They are committed to using their voice to raise awareness for important causes, supporting and working with Sick Kids Hospital, Camp Ooch, Plus1, MusiCounts, Kids Up Front and the Starlight Foundation. They are the creators and stewards of a uniquely powerful pen pal program geared towards children with autism, called Lucas’s Letters, which encourages children of all ages and abilities to connect through letter writing.

Name:

Splash’N Boots (Nick Adams aka Splash)

Genre:

Children’s Music

Founded:

2003

# of Albums:

14

Latest Album:

I Am Love

Latest Single:

“B R A V E”

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Great Big Sea

Favourite musician now:

The Avett Brothers

Guilty pleasure song:

“Home For a Rest”

Live show ritual:

Visualization of the entire show

Favourite local musician:

Dani Nash

EP or LP?

LP

Early bird or night owl?

Early Bird

Road or studio?

Oooo BOTH!

Any shows or albums coming up?

Our album I Am Love was released on October 28, 2022. Our upcoming shows in the area are:

Feb. 19 – Oshawa, ON – Regent Theatre

Mar. 14 – Richmond Hill, ON – Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts – 11:00 am

Mar. 14 – Richmond Hill, ON – Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts – 2:00 pm

Where can we follow you?

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

***

Rapid Fire Toronto Qs

Favourite local restaurant:

The Oakwood Hardware

Favourite street in your city:

Bloor West – Love the vibe, shopping and restaurants.

Favourite park in your city:

Cedarvale Park – lots of green space and trails for my dog 🙂

Favourite music venue in your city:

Dakota Tavern

Favourite music store in your city:

Long and McQuade on Bloor

The post “Five Minutes With” Children’s Music Duo, Splash’N Boots appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Name:

Queens & Kings

Genre:

Rock / Garage Rock / Garage Punk / Post-Punk / Alt Rock / Indie Rock

Founded:

2017

# of Albums:

Almost ready to release our debut album!

Latest Album:

Coming soon! But four singles from the album have been released.

Latest Single:

Testify

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Alissa: Depends on when exactly we are talking about, haha! I always listened to quite a bit. When I was a kid of about 12, I loved Led Zeppelin and had every studio recording of theirs on cassette, but also loved Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith and a lot of rock, punk, blues, jazz and more…I was all over the place. I’ve always been most drawn to female-fronted rock, I’d say.

Brendan: I guess I’d say Jimi Hendrix. One of my major inspirations as a guitarist.

Favourite musician now:

Alissa: I don’t know if I have just one, but I’d say PJ Harvey if I had to choose I think. I’ve been listening to her since the beginning of her career. I can say the same for Yeah Yeah Yeahs who is also a favourite.

Brendan: There isn’t just one but STP has always been one that is at the top of the list for me.

Guilty pleasure song:

Brendan and I have a ritual to the Vandalism remix of “Rolex Sweep.” It’s a whole thing we do that includes fairly embarrassing dance moves.

Live show ritual:

We do 1980s-style aerobic warm-ups and tell each other that we are doing it for us.

Favourite local musician:

We love some of our friend’s bands like Neon Bloom, Cigar Club and Joan Smith and the Jane Does…We have so many friend-favourites in this city!

EP or LP?:

We are both fans of sitting down and listening to a full album but both are good!

Early bird or night owl?

Alissa: I’m a nocturnal person for sure! Brendan goes back and forth. I think as musicians, we both lean more towards night owls.

Road or studio?:

We love both, but we’d both say road because we love road-tripping adventures in general and this band is really about the live show, so it’s great to play for different audiences in different places and meet new people.

Where can we follow you?

Instagram | Facebook

***

Rapid Fire Toronto Qs

Favourite local restaurant:

Via Mercanti (on Augusta)

Favourite street in your city:

Queen Street is a good one because it houses a lot of our favourite venues. Augusta is also great because we play on the One Fire Movement stage there and that’s the street Via Mercanti is on…

Favourite park in your city:

We end up at Dufferin Grove a lot because I live nearby and we love the farmers market there. It’s peaceful and it’s nice and open with a lot of beautiful trees. High park is also great.

Favourite music venue in your city:

We’ve had a lot of faves, but for ones that are still open, we love the Bovine and the Horseshoe and Hard Luck and Sneaky Dee’s…it’s hard to choose!

Favourite music store in your city:

Long & McQuade!

The post “Five Minutes With” Toronto-based rock duo, Queens & Kings appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Basset brings a deep love of the natural world to their gorgeously meditative and assured debut album, In The Clay, released on September 30th, 2022. Produced by Joshua Van Tassel (Sarah Slean, David Myles), the ten songs on In The Clay explore various themes of life in change, Shelton and Clark’s travels around Northern Ontario, the Canadian and American prairies, their lives in Toronto, and the many characters who have crossed their paths. With comparisons to The Milk Carton Kids, Hozier, and Bon Iver, their inventiveness shines on fiddle and intricate harmonies, with Shelton and Clark’s voices wrapping around each other like twin flames in a warm fire.

In Spring/Summer 2022, Basset performed at NXNE in Toronto, and as an Official Showcase Artist at Folk Alliance International. They took part in a 15-stop Canadian East coast tour and will be performing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival Youth Stage. In 2021 they performed at Boston-based Club Passim’s virtual Campfire Festival and the Honey Jam developing artist showcase (Nelly Furtado, Jully Black, Haviah Mighty) in Toronto. They’ve performed across Ontario and Quebec promoting their self-titled EP and are looking forward to touring their Debut Album, In the Clay, in the Northeastern USA in Fall/Winter 2022.

Name:

Basset

Genre:

Indie Folk

Founded:

2017

# of Albums:

1 EP

Our first LP came out September 30th

Latest Album:

Basset EP

Latest Single:

“In the Clay” July 8th, 2022

Latest Video: 

Favourite musician growing up:

Probably Queen and my favourite solo musician were probably Florence Welch, but man, that is a crazy hard question.

Favourite musician now:

Maybe Hozier? But maybe still Florence Welch.

Guilty pleasure song:

4 Non-Blondes – “What’s Up.” And I 100% put the song on and sang along while answering these questions.

Live show ritual:

It varies by how panicked I am. Sometimes it involves deep breathing, sometimes shadow boxing, and sometimes just wolfing down dinner.

Favourite local musician:

Benjamin Dakota Rogers

EP or LP?

I think LP but it really varies. I like getting to sit down and listen for a good long while, but sometimes with an EP every single song blows your mind and you get 25 minutes of heaven.

Early bird or night owl?

Night Owl. I think I like mornings better but the waking up part is too painful. Plus I’m a procrastinator so I consistently end up having to get stuff done at 1 am.

Road or studio?

We haven’t toured or recorded enough to really know. So far I’ve really enjoyed both.

Where can we follow you? 

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube | Tiktok

***

Rapid Fire Toronto Qs

Favourite local restaurant:

La Chingada

Favourite street in your city:

Very hard question. I think Queen St. W, which is maybe a lame answer but I love the street art, I love Trinity Bellwoods Park, I love the beautiful houses and seeing all the people dressed up and enjoying the city.

Favourite park in your city: 

High Park. I grew up close to High Park and it feels like home. There’s a pond, and there are areas where it feels like a forest in the city.

Favourite music venue in your city:

I love the Opera House. It’s beautiful on the inside and has such charm.

Favourite music store in your city:

I have to go with Long and McQuade. Having tried to rent instruments in the US has made me so incredibly grateful to L & M (Specifically the Bloor and Ossington location).

The post “Five Minutes With” Indie Folk Duo, Basset appeared first on Toronto Guardian.