Metric plays a free outdoor concert on Sunday, July 1 at 6 p.m. in Whistler Village as part of the Red Bull Elevation BMX dirt competition weekend. The Toronto band is underground no more after opening for the likes of the Rolling Stones at New York’s Madison Square Garden. That was followed by a 2006 Juno nomination.
The Canadian New Wave indie rock sound slams cranked guitars with sassy lyrical sneers from front gal Emily Haines, who isn’t afraid to wear left-leaning politics on her sleeve.
Hits such as Monster Hospital and Police and the Private, from the band’s double platinum album Live It Out, are familiar beats on primetime television with inclusions on Grey’s Anatomy and CSI: Miami.
The TO team is currently working on a new album, tentatively
set for release in October 2007. However, the band’s label, Last Gang Records,
recently released Metric's previously unreleased first album,
Grow Up and
Blow Away.
The free concert follows Elevation finals in the afternoon at the bottom of Whistler Mountain.
Music to wag a tail at
Too Soon to Tell rocks out a four-legged cause Saturday, June 16 at Merlin’s.
A Merlin’s doorman famously known as Griz is raising funds for a dog he rescued from Mount Currie who needs surgery.
“He’s a close friend and we want to help him out,” said Downtown Jay Brown, frontman of the new band Too Soon To Tell. “He got a dog from Mount Currie and (the dog) has always had problems and it turns out the dog was born with no Achilles tendons in the backs of his legs, so it’s having problems with its hips.”
Too Soon to Tell tunes into the cause and plenty of local businesses have donated prizes.
The Too Soon to Tell boys came together over Jam Nights every Tuesday at the Longhorn Saloon six months ago. The local troupe now performs every second Friday at Tapley’s Pub; next show is June 22.
“Our drummer plays heavy metal, our guitar player plays a lot of classical stuff on his own and our bass player is into rock,” Brown said. “Basically we didn’t know what direction to take with the project so we came up with Too Soon to Tell.”
Cover tunes are always on the map, ranging from Tom Petty, Pearl Jam and Neil Young to Queens of the Stone Age, Lenny Kravitz and Tragically Hip.
Admission to the fundraising event is by donation.
Turntable talent times three
Kid Kenobi’s studio partner joins the Summer Kick-Off Series on Thursday, June 21 at Tommy Africa’s.
Hook n Sling is one of Australia’s top three producers. He first put his sound on the tracks with the single Vegas Heat in 2006. He is also the remix master behind Sarah McLeod’s Doesn’t Love You, which blew up to an Aria Club Chart No. 1 hit. However, the Ministry of Sound Recording artist’s biggest release to date is The Bump, a 2007 collaboration with fellow Aussie Kid Kenobi.
Hook n Sling will dish out house, electro and breaks for the Kick-Off Series, followed by Erick Decks of Germany on June 28 and Krafty Kuts of England on July 8.
Hook n Sling tickets are $8 and are available at The Mix, The Hub Creekside and Tommy’s.
