Blast Toronto is out there discovering your music for you. All you have to do is read these articles to get a sense of who is playing out there.  We see well over 100 shows each year and then at the end of the year, we put together a top ten list of the best out there. This is a very difficult task to accomplish since we have this much talent playing in our city every day of the year.

I have made mental notes over this year when I see a show that blows me away with their sound, their visual or their message that happens to seep into my soul during their performance.

I have taken out personal shows because I usually leave my entire equipment home just to enjoy the show.

10. Astaroth at TD Hall

What made this concert stand out was the fact that all 4 bands on the bill are in the Toronto Heavy Metal Community. These bands all are still playing clubs and growing as a live act. This show is meaningful because Sam from Astaroth organized a show that was built to bring these bands to the next level of their career. It was a show meant to bring in all the fans of the other bands and to introduce them to 3 new acts. This was a risky move, and I was glad to see it becoming successful as new fans were cheering a brand-new band.

I loved that Td Hall has this giant screen at the back of the stage where the band cam project whatever visuals that they could come up with. The bands that were lucky enough for this bigger break was, The Android Meme, Phantom High, A Primitive Evolution, and Astaroth.

It was really exciting to see these bands in a larger environment and watching them work even harder to make this an unforgettable show.

Well, it was unforgettable for me because they made the top ten!

9. Goodnight Sunrise

I caught Goodnight Sunrise as a part of Bitchfest this year which is run by a promotion company called Save Toronto Music Venues. They are an important component to the punk scene in Toronto.

In simple terms, the band came out and kicked ass! I walked away feeling revitalized by their show. I had to go back and see them again a few months later at their record release party at the Dance Cave. This isn’t so much about seeing one great show, but seeing a band that you would go back and see time and time again.

Their high energy show will have you singing and dancing and rocking out. It is a good time to exhaust yourself.

8.TU Jazzfest

This festival happens at the end of the summer at Mel Lastman Square. What makes this an important event is simply that we have a full weekend of jazz music from all kinds of different artist. We have young musicians who are developing their musical skills on a well-established stage. This stage gets to see even more talent from jazz musicians from all over the world. By the evening, we are hitting some serious names that make Toronto look good. The Saturday night was lucky to have the Jeremy Ledbetter Trio show up and get the young musicians all fired up. After the show, the stage was rushed by a lot of the earlier musicians who stuck around to exchange a few words with this band. I loved the moment when a teenage boy showed his dedication to Jeremy Ledbetter by bringing a big sign to his show about a train. This usually only happens at Rock shows. This is the weekend where you can get sucked into a whole weekend of original music.

7.Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost is one of those bands that brought their sense of Goth Rock to Lee’s Palace. They are one of the architects for this style of music. I made it to the front of the stage and got stuck there for the entire show, because Lee’s Palace was completely packed.

The audience was fully focused on this band whose career goes back to 1988. These are dedicated fans that will be back time and time again. Hailing from England, this band continues to bring the fans exactly what they want. When I posted the video of them the next day, it became one of my most watched videos this year.

6. Toronto Rocks

This was a very important show for Toronto on many levels. First it represented the hard work of August Knight an artist/Musician whose woodworking talent paid homage to some of Toronto best talent. I saw the work of Nash the Slash, Carol Pope, Neil Young and Jerry Leger.

Secondly, nearly 20 of the artists that were part of August’s collection actually walked onto the El Mocambo stage and played a couple of songs each. Some of these artists have never played together, so it was a bit of a Hail Mary hoping these combinations worked out.  Well, they did beautifully, and to see these artists that make this city tick, on one stage together made the entire evening magical. We had people like Sandra Bouza, Tim Bovaconti, Paul Reddick, Steven Stanley, just to name a few who graced this stage.

Thirdly, the ElMocambo recently changed owners, and the new man with the keys was very excited to celebrate Toronto and the new ElMocambo. This was a perfect show to kick off this new chapter for an old dear club.

My hope is that August creates more Wood portraits and does this again in the future.

5.Acid bath

After 28 years, Acid Bath with their two albums decided to get back together and see if they could create something new. The good news is if you are a dedicated fan, there are plenty more here in Toronto. You would think that after 3 decades people would forget about you. Well, Toronto did not and showed up in droves to Rebel and nearly sold the place out.

It was pretty cool watching all these young people show up, some of them with their parents who are also fans. I stood by the side of the stage as young people went crowd surfing for most of the show. It is funny that this band is bringing in fans that were not even born yet when they broke up 28 years earlier. It is just a testament that great music can live with all kinds of generations.

I didn’t know any of their material, but their epic version of “Dr Suess is dead”, was absolutely epic!

4. A Taste of Quincy

Larnell Lewis should be a name on everybody’s tongue here in Toronto. Personally, I consider him to be the best drummer in Canada today. That is just my opinion that I share with plenty of other people. Larnell was the man behind a show that honoured the great Quincy Jones.  He put together a stellar cast of the best Rock and Soul Players in Toronto. They could only touch on his huge catalog of music, but what they chose was fabulous. They went with the obvious songs by Michael Jackson, but they also did a few deep dives for real Quincy Fans. I loved it when they played a part of his solo album “The Dude”. Every player brought their A game and just had the audience exactly where they wanted them. Let’s just say they everyone left dancing.

So, Larnell is not only the best drummer around, but he can also organize an incredibly classy show. This happened in the summer at Harbourfront Centre.

3.Eivor

This was a true treat! The Great Hall was host to two incredible vocalists from the other side of the world. Sylvaine who hails from Norway went on stage with just a guitar and won over new fans with her angelic voice. Eivor, who came all the way from The Faroe Islands brought a mystic element to Toronto. Her voice is built on pure emotion, and it will seep inside of you. Once she has charmed you, she then transports you to a different realm of possibilities. From there you can experience this ethereal performer with nothing but your open soul.

Her use of traditional instruments from her land just enhanced the whole otherworldly experience. This is an artist that I will see again and again when she comes to our city. I walked away feeling like I just took a vacation from a different dimension.

2.Gussapolooza

For me, this is the festival of the year for many reasons. One, it celebrates all the great indie talent around Ontario. Two, when these bands hit the stage, they know who they are up against, so they put in a full effort to get noticed. Third, every person there needs to be there. They become friends and colleagues and people you just want to treat well. It is the modern-day hippie commune.

This is where I am a kid in a candy store, hearing and seeing all the best up and coming acts.

The sense of community is tight. And lastly, it is not expensive.  Most festivals can run hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a weekend of music. This is a festival where you will not have to put a mortgage on your house.

If you are reading this and have that love for discovering new music, this should be on your list of must see shows. I guarantee you will come back year after year.

1.Steven Wilson

I do not have any photos or videos of this show. That is because the band politely asked us to sit back put away your phones and just enjoy the show.

I enjoyed the show so much, that I bought a pair of tickets to the show the next day and brought my son to witness this exhilarating production.

Between a great backdrop with detailed graphics, a killer light show and complete surround sound done perfectly, you walked out of this show completely speechless.

The tightness of the musicians was almost unreal. If you are a drumming geek like me, seeing Craig Blundell was like watching the Hulk Smash!

For me, Steven Wilson is the guy who is flying the Progressive Rock flag very high.

So, if you are a Prog fan, you should know this is a show you never want to miss.

Bonus Show

If you read yesterday’s article, you will understand why I threw in this bonus show. The year is not over, and I went to see Dr Draw at Hugh’s Rooms on Sunday night. With his energizer bunny energy and the two guest he brought on stage with him, (Scott Jackson and Fire Sax), this show was pure fire! The lightning-fast performance with top tiered players and a mix of true emotional states, you cannot walk away dissatisfied.  Dr Draw puts his heart and soul into every one of his performances. This one just seemed more intense and emotionally cathartic. I walked away emotional drained in a beautiful way. Make sure you check him out when he is playing anywhere. Hugh’s Room just seems to bring out the best of him.

Next Year

So there you have it: my top ten shows out of about 150 this year. I hope this can inspire some of Toronto’s best underground acts, that there are ways to get noticed and things you can do to find a bigger audience. Stay creative, think outside of the box, and invite Blast Toronto out in the future, so you can be part of this list next year.

So, Toronto- Go out and DISCOVER YOUR MUSIC!