Live Music Reviews and Photographs / NYC, Buffalo, Toronto, Pittsburgh
Vial released their sophomore studio album Hellhound back on March 20th. I know you're thinking that can't be right since they've been prolific in releasing new music the last few years. After their well-received debut full length LP Loudmouth, they've released an EP burnout as well as a re-recording of their debut EP Grow Up, …
Continue reading "Vial stops in Toronto in midst of Hellhound tour – May 10, 2026"
We've been following mxmtoon (aka Maia) since we photographed her at the Paste Studio in 2019, after the release of her debut studio album "The Masquerade". We then caught her at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto in 2022 after she released her second album. Now that she has released her third studio album "Liminal …
Continue reading "mxmtoon stops in Toronto on Liminal Space Tour – Mar 31, 2025"
As R&B singer/songwriter JoJo (aka Joanna Noëlle Levesque) embarked on her "Too Much to Say" Tour in 2025, it seemed like she has been around forever and maybe that's because she was only thirteen when her 2004 debut single "Leave (Get Out)" hit number one on Billboard's US pop chart. While her first three studio …
Continue reading "JoJo captivates Toronto at the Danforth Music Hall – Mar 19, 2025"
The last time we saw Katie Gavin, she was blowing the roof off at History with her band MUNA. That persona was a bundle of non-stop energy bounding around the stage. On her first solo album “What a Relief”, released on October 25th, Gavin goes full singer/songwriter, putting out an album of mostly folk songs …
Continue reading "Katie Gavin gets close and personal at Opera House – Dec 16, 2024"
Hinds, the indie band from Madrid, has gone through a lot of change over the last few years. It's not surprising since their third studio album "The Prettiest Curse" was due to be released in April 2020, followed by an extensive tour. The record release was delayed until the summer and even thought they toured …
You might have heard about The Last Dinner Party . . . ok, there's probably no way you haven't heard about them already. They are the hottest indie band right now and, yes, I've also heard the complaints. They're an industry plant, living off their rich parents, and pretentious as hell. But they write their …
In the early mornings, when I'm staring out of the window with a coffee cup in hand, the silky voice and chill vibe of English singer/songwriter Arlo Parks (aka Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho) is the perfect soundtrack to those mornings. She was well on her way to success with her first single "Cola" in 2018, …
Seventeen years ago, Silversun Pickups released “Lazy Eye”, the first single off their first full studio album “Carnavas”. The success of the single and video, plays on a number of TV shows/movies, and inclusion in the hot Rock Band and Guitar Hero:World Tour video games brought the band immediate success. I’ve seen them perform ten …
Continue reading "Silversun Pickups rock Toronto – Mar 5, 2024"
It's been almost eight years since the Kills embarked on a major tour. After touring in support of their fifth studio album "Ash and Ice" in 2016, it makes sense that the duo, made up of Alison Mosshart (vocals) and Jamie Hince (guitar), are finally back on the road after releasing their sixth record "God …
Continue reading "The Kills return to Danforth Music Hall – Feb 20, 2024"
This year wasn’t quite as productive as last year but I was fortunate to attend and photograph some major events, including Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. That being said, it was also disappointing to be denied for some of my favorite bands like Depeche Mode (twice!!) and the Cure. A nice surprise towards the end of …
It's been six months since the Japanese House (aka Amber Bain) released her sophomore LP "In the End it Always Does". Keeping in line with the somewhat depressing lyrical topics of her first album, the most recent record somehow makes these sad songs more upbeat and dance-able. "Sad to Breathe" is a perfect example. It …
Continue reading "The Japanese House hit a sold out Danforth Music Hall – Dec 6, 2023"
The last time Nation of Language visited Toronto, they played to a packed Lee's Palace in April of last year. Just One More Concert was there to cover that show and it was a raucous affair. In March 2023, the band released "Sole Obsession", the first single off what would be their third studio album …
Continue reading "Nation of Language wrap up their 2023 tour in Toronto – Dec 2, 2023"
Gayle (aka Taylor Gayle Rutherfurd) is having quite a year. The Nashville based nineteen year old pop rocker released her fourth EP, toured with Taylor Swift and Pink, and had a Grammy nomination for her viral TikTok hit "ABCEDFU". So why not wrap up this amazing year with a solo tour! Added to the tour …
Fans have been grooving to the synth-pop tunes of Scottish band Chvrches for the last decade. Two years after their last studio album, lead singer Lauren Mayberry is taking a turn on the solo circuit. She’s been working on her first solo album, releasing the first single “Are You Awake” the beginning of this month. …
Continue reading "Lauren Mayberry celebrates anniversary at the Horseshoe Tavern – Sept 20, 2023"
Bully’s (aka Alicia Bognanno) music may technically be classified as alternative rock but it’s not the alternative rock of the 2020s. Rather it’s a throwback to the alt rock of the 90s, a bit harder hitting, fuzzy guitars, and an in-your-face punk style that makes you want to mosh. The Nashville-based Bully’s fourth studio record …
Continue reading "Bully blows the roof off Lee’s Palace – Sept 19, 2023"
Electronic pop band Cannons can be a bit of an enigma musically. On the one hand, it's wonderful to listen to them poolside, letting Michelle Joy's soothing voice put you into a relaxed mood. On the other hand, while you're relaxed, somehow your feet start bouncing and you want to dance, your body not quite …
Continue reading "Cannons partied with Toronto at the Danforth Music Hall – Sept 6, 2023"
On the heels of her sophomore studio album "The Good Witch" debuting at number one on the UK charts, Maisie Peters embarked on a two month tour of North America. A week after the kickoff in Minneapolis, she played History in Toronto on Aug 14th. With just two albums under her belt, she is already …
Continue reading "Maisie Peters enchants Toronto – Aug 14, 2023"
What an incredible couple of years it’s been for British/Japanese pop star Rina Sawayama. After her critically acclaimed debut album “ Sawayama” in 2020, she’s not only released her second hit album “Hold the Girl” last September but also started in the lates John Wick movie opposite Keanu Reeves! Could her star get any brighter? …
Continue reading "Rina Sawayama ignites Hold the Girl Tour in Toronto – Aug 9, 2023"
As conservative movements globally try to turn back to a time when women had fewer rights (eg. The US Supreme Court invalidating Roe vs Wade), and the music industry continues to struggle with misogyny and regular sexual assault allegations, riot grrrl music pioneer Kathleen Hanna has brought her messages back, first with Bikini Kill touring …
Continue reading "Le Tigre brings the riot grrrl message back to Toronto – July 21, 2023"
Ever since the original members of Veruca Salt got back together, released a new record “Ghost Notes”, and toured North America. We’ve been eagerly awaiting more news from this incredible band and, while we don’t have a new Veruca Salt record, vocalist/guitarist Louise Post has released her first solo LP “Sleepwalker” and is touring North …
Continue reading "Louise Post brought 90s memories back to Toronto – July 18, 2023"
Indie singer/songwriter Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum) last played in Toronto in January opening for Suki Waterhouse at the Axis Club. Since then, she has released her self-titled debut album, been featured in Rolling Stone magazine, Billboard and many others, and performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon! Not too shabby! At the end of …
Continue reading "Blondshell crushes her first headlining show in Toronto – July 14, 2023"
NOTE: All photos are copyright of JYP Entertainment What do you think Canadian reactions were when K-pop girl group TWICE (consisting of Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu) announced a stop in Toronto as part of their "Ready to Be" tour? Their fan club, called ONCE, and their fans ONCEs have …
Continue reading "TWICE are “Ready to Be” dominant in Toronto for two nights – July 2, 2023"
A week after Tears for Fears kicked off part two of The Tipping Point Tour, the iconic band from the 80s landed in Toronto to play at the Budweiser Stage. I was lucky enough to also catch Roland Orzabal (guitar/vocals), Curt Smith (bass/vocals), and crew in Cleveland for the first leg of the tour (see …
It’s been a busy couple of years for Tegan & Sara (Tegan and Sara Quin) , the twin musicians from Calgary. They signed with Mom and Pop records, released their latest studio album “Crybaby”, debuted “High School”, a TV show based on their memoir, toured North America supporting “Crybaby”, and recently released a graphic novel …
Continue reading "Tegan & Sara play make-up show at Danforth Music Hall – June 15, 2023"
This past Sunday saw the first Lavender Wild Festival, focused on the 2SLGBTQ+ community, comprised of a pure 2SLGBTQ+ lineup, and provided a safe space for queers and friends. I was privileged to attend and photograph the festival on a beautiful afternoon at Echo Beach in Toronto. While there were two stages, I primarily focused …
When Seal's self-titled debut album came out in 1991, it took the world by storm! With his incredible vocals that dare you not to listen and hit singles "Crazy", "Killer", and "Future Love Paradise", he was on his way. That album garnished Seal awards left and right. When he released his sophomore album and also …
Continue reading "Seal brings it on at Massey Hall – May 15, 2023"
It’s been quite a busy year so far for LA indie pop band MUNA. They started off with some shows in Australia before taking a two week break, played Coachella, then embarked immediately on their North American tour. This is their second tour supporting their third studio album, the self-titled MUNA, released in June 2022. …
Continue reading "MUNA celebrates with Toronto at History – May 14, 2023"
Indie pop singer/songwriter quinnie from New Jersey exploded onto our collective consciousness via her viral hit "Touch Tank" on TikTok, like many young artists these days. Yes, she had previously released music when she was just a teenager but it was that snippet of a song that finally made her known to a larger audience. …
Continue reading "Feeling all kinds of emotions with quinnie at the Drake Underground – May 6, 2023"
After kicking off their North American "Take Back Your Life" tour in Montreal a few nights ago, heavy metal stalwarts Disturbed stopped by ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto to start the month of May in proper fashion. The band had released their eighth studio album "Divisive" on November 18th of last year, with both the record …
Continue reading "Disturbed had ScotiaBank Arena shaking – May 1, 2023"
Last night, pop star Jake Wesley Roger’s stopped by the Opera House in Toronto as his “Peace Love and Pluto” tour hits the Northeast. I say “pop star” even though he’s still a young man, having released just four EP’s, the latest “LOVE” last year. However, his dynamic personality already flags him as a star …
Continue reading "Exuberant joy followed Jake Wesley Rogers to the Opera House – Mar 30, 2023"
Four years is much too long to not see Muse on tour. Granted, we had a little hiccup with the pandemic but it's wonderful to have Muse hit North America on the fourth leg of their "Will of the People" tour. Even better, American rock band Evanescence was tagged as a support act. I can't …
VÉRITÉ (aka Kelsey Regina Byrne) stopped by Longboat Hall in Toronto on Friday as the opening night of her Love You Forever Tour. The record of the same name was released just a week ago and I’ve been playing it on repeat ever since. Her lush music and honest lyrics always spoke to me, although …
Continue reading "VÉRITÉ, Love You Forever! Signed, Toronto – Mar 3, 2023"
As a fan of Alvvays, Phoebe Bridgers, and indie rock in general, it was a no brainer to cover The Beths at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre as they continued to tour in support of their third studio album “Expert in a Dying Field”. If you haven’t heard the songs and have been following popular music …
Continue reading "The Phoenix Concert Theatre welcomes The Beths – Feb 26, 2023"
It's been three years since Swedish pop star Tove Lo (aka Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson) graced Toronto with her presence. Still in the early days of the tour supporting her latest studio album "Dirt Femme", released in October 2022, she arrived at History to a sold out venue. Walking around the before Tove Lo came …
Continue reading "Tove Lo returns to Toronto with a bang – Feb 16, 2023"
It's been almost exactly five years since I was last able to cover a Lights (aka Valerie Ann Poxleitner-Bokan) show. That's pretty much the time between "PEP", her fifth studio album, released in April of last year and "Skin and Earth", her previous record that coincided with the release of her comic books and a …
Continue reading "LIGHTS hits Hamilton with PEP party at Bridgeworks – Feb 11, 2023"
A model and/or actor wanting to become a musician has become a cliche. That’s not to say they can’t be incredibly successful but it’s often times an immediate strike with critics. Suki Waterhouse has been an exception to this rule, with her 2022 debut LP “I Can’t Let Go” garnishing relatively positive reviews. On the …
Continue reading "Suki Waterhouse packs the house at the Axis Club – Jan 24, 2023"
It's been quite a hectic three months for Alvvays even though there was a period of time where I wasn't sure if they would be back. But after a long hiatus and, on the heels of their well received latest studio album "Blue Rev" on October 7th, the band hit the road for twenty three …
Continue reading "Alvvays close out 2022 with two hometown shows – Dec 15, 2022"
It's been quite a year for beabadoobee (aka Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus). She has been touring non-stop since April with stops globally, during which she also released her sophomore studio album "Beatopia". On Thursday, she stopped at History in Toronto just prior to wrapping up her tour tonight in Boston. After a well deserved rest, …
Continue reading "beabadoobee and her Beatopia tour play a full house at History – Dec 1, 2022"
The multi-talented twenty four year old bassist Blu DeTiger hit Toronto on Saturday just in time to bring her party beats to the Axis Club. I first noticed her when she was playing bass and her brother playing drums for alternative band Kitten, as well as other NYC acts. She's gained a huge following as …
Continue reading "Blu DeTiger parties with Toronto at the Axis Club – Nov 5, 2022"
LA rockers Starcrawler stopped in Toronto this week in support of their third studio album “She Said”. Known for their high energy outrageous shows, they make every performance a must see, making you wonder what's going to happen next! Their latest record is a bit more polished than their previous two, although the rawness of …
Continue reading "Starcrawler rock Adelaide Hall – Nov 4, 2022"
An hour before doors opened at HISTORY Toronto on Monday, October 24th, the line for entry had already wrapped all the way around the block. This didn't even include the 250 or so fans on the separate VIP line! Taylor Swift? Maybe Harry Styles? Nope. Korean band, the Rose, had hit Toronto as part of …
Continue reading "The Rose had their fans swooning at History Toronto – Oct 24, 2022"
NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2022 Moroccan born Canadian singer/songwriter Faouzia (aka Faouzia Ouihya) took her Citizens Tour to a rainy Toronto evening at a sold out Opera House on Wednesday, October 19th. Fans had been waiting in the rain for hours before doors, eagerly awaiting the show. While the name …
Continue reading "Faouzia has Opera House Toronto bursting at the seams – Oct 19, 2022"
Take a look at music over the last forty years and it’s hard to even count the number of bands that were either influenced by Roxy Music or were influenced by a band that was influenced by them! One major act that we covered recently, Duran Duran, drew heavily on from Roxy and the New …
Forty one years after the release of their self-titled debut album, Duran Duran is still going strong. Besides their well deserved election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they released their fifteen studio album “Future Past”, released last October. The record sounds very retro, reminding me of past records from the 80s and …
Continue reading "Duran Duran celebrate Future Past at Budweiser Stage in Toronto – Aug 22, 2022"
As the “it” band of the last year, Wet Leg has been selling out venues faster than you can say “Isle of Wight”! Toronto was no exception as they stopped by the Phoenix Concert Theatre on Tuesday, even though there were at least four other amazing shows that same evening: Glass Animals, Cage the Elephant, …
Continue reading "Wet Leg sells out Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto – Aug 2, 2022"
It's been six years since Warpaint headlined the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. Returning to a full house at the Opera House, the band saw eager fans packed into the beautiful venue. Personally, I saw the quartet of Emily Kokal (guitar/vocals), Theresa Wayman (guitar/vocals), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass/vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums) at the Music …
Continue reading "Warpaint makes triumphant return to Toronto – July 27, 2022"
Back in 2017, when Lo Moon was signed to a major label and was touring extensively, it seemed like the band was ready to explode. It didn’t happen, with differences in marketing strategy between the label and the band. Matt Lowell, formed the band, is the lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, and wrote much of the …
Continue reading "Lo Moon lays down some serious mood at Drake Underground – May 28, 2022"
It was the afternoon of November 19, 2019 when I peeked out the door at the Paste Studio in NYC to see if the next band had arrived yet and I saw two kids sitting on the floor in the hallway like they were in high school. It turns out those “kids” were Lili Trifilio …
Continue reading "Beach Bunny wraps up tour with triumphant return to Toronto – May 27, 2022"
Tokyo Police Club frontman Dave Monks has been a busy man. After recording TPC with the band in 2017, he was already taking those first steps towards his second solo record "On A Wave" which was released on October 18th. Monks stopped by Paste Studio to play some songs and talk about the new record. …
Continue reading "Dave Monks goes solo at Paste – Nov 12, 2019"