Are local chip-pop darlings Crystal Castles a couple of common crooks? If you ask Belgian producer Lo-bat, the answer could surprise you.

It would appear that local duo have raised hackles within the Creative Commons community, who allege that the Toronto musicians violated Lo-bat's rights when they sampled his song "My Little Droid Needs a Hand" outside the provisions of Creative Commons licensing.

The song in question, "Insecticon," is currently listed on the band's label's MySpace page as CC vs. Lo-Bat, but that wasn't the case when the track first surfaced, and to many this doesn't go far enough.

A couple of years ago, in a land not too far away, four high school boys decided they'd form a band. Sure, it wasn't the most original idea in the world, but these guys seemed to make it work. Rather than seeing the band as a get-laid-quick scheme, Tokyo Police Club concentrated on creating two-minute miracles of infectious post-punk power-pop that soon earned them massive critical acclaim and a legion of diehard fans.

Two years after their debut EP, the incredibly punchy A Lesson in Crime, TCP has hit the road in support of their latest release, Elephant Shell. After two years of relentless touring, the band sounds tighter and more self-assured. Gone is the endearing sloppiness that made their earlier work so charming, but in its place is a solid sense of songcraft that one wouldn't expect from such a young ensemble. "[Guitarist] Josh [Hook] is 20 right now, turning 21 in May," says drummer Greg Alsop. "[Vocalist/bassist] Dave [Monks] and [keyboardist] Graham [Wright] both just turned 21 and I've just turned 23."

The second annual Toronto Freedom Festival is happening this Saturday (May 3) in Queen's Park North, with a jam packed program including the local celebration of the tenth annual Global Marijuana March. And somewhere in the middle of all the pot revelry you'll find a lot of free music.

The "Live Free" main stage cranks up the generators at 11:30 AM with lots of local acts like live hip-hop crew Down With Webster, reggae collective House of David Gang, Ko Kapches, God Made Me Funky, disco revivalists King Sunshine, instrumentalists Chameleon Project, deadheads Gratefully Dedicated Soundsystem and the incomparable Whitey Don, as well as a surprise special guest (you'll just have to wait and see). Indie rockers Robotman from Scarboroough, recent winners of a contest at sonicbids.com that would allow a lesser known local a chance to play the festival, will play the last set of the evening.

In honour of Elephant Shell, the new album from Newmarket's Tokyo Police Club, blogTO is giving away some choice swag to 5 lucky readers.

For everyone who's had to make due for the last two years with the 16 minute 8-song wonder of their debut, A Lesson in Crime, and the small handful of killer singles they've put out in the meantime, Elephant Shell delivers more of the glorious post-punk power-pop the band is know for, with eleven killer tracks clocking in at just under a half hour.

Well, music fans, it's that time of year again; the 22nd annual Toronto Jazz Festival has just announced the lineup for this year's festivities. With a solid stream of events running from June 19 to 29, there's something there for just about every musical taste.

But wait, you say you don't like jazz? There's actually way more going on than just jazz. There's a night with soul legend Al Green, Louisiana gris-gris master Dr. John, funk giant Maceo Parker, Grammy-winning gospel singers The Blind Boys of Alabama, Philly-based turntablist RJD2, and electronic artists like The National Parcs and Grand Analog.

Updated @ 12:32 PM, 16 April, 2008

So what's the deal? For the last couple of weeks, there have been little snippets of "pirate" video sneaking their way into MuchMusic television broadcasts, which has people all abuzz wondering if someone is actually hacking into a live broadcast.

Credit for the "heist" is being taken by one Phreak615, who is telling the world how brilliant he is in his own blog, literally referring to himself as "the second coming." He claims to play guitar in a band called The Nunnery, but they appear to be the only local act without a MySpace page.



So, how does one hack into a televised broadcast? According to Phreak615, you have to have access. That's right; it's an inside job. "I have direct access to our digital media server," he boasts in his blog, allowing him to hack in with a WIFI laptop from his car when he's not at work.