All the excitement leading up to Sonic Youth's show on Tuesday nearly gave me an aneurysm. As I'm somewhat prone to do, I'd been deliberately panicking since my photo pass was approved the week before. Why? Because it's f@&^ing Sonic Youth.

Massey Hall is an odd choice of venue for these guys, but once the show started, I figured it out - the acoustics blew my mind... and my eardrums as well.

Mark Seymour, former front man of successful Australian band Hunters & Collectors, has been playing some intimate solo gigs around Toronto lately.

I saw him during his North By North East gig at The Rivoli last week. I caught up with him before his gig Friday night at the Balmy Beach Club, of all places. We chatted about touring around Toronto, a song about Mississauga, and the transition of performing with his old band in front of 80,000 adoring fans to intimate, acoustic shows for audiences of 150.

Every memory I have of seeing Ohbijou play live is a good one. Before Thursday night, the show that stuck out the most was last year's co-headlining performance with the Acorn at Lee's Palace. (Incidentally, that was the experience that really piqued my interest in covering live music. I blame you, Ohbijou, for all the late nights in muggy clubs, and for the constant stream of ink stains on the back my right hand that never seem to wash off.)

I'd been looking forward to this show for months. The band was originally slotted to play in April, but the show was rescheduled for June 25th as part of the CD launch for their new album, Beacons. It was worth the two-month wait, however; visually, artistically and musically, Ohbijou never disappoints.

The Shuffle Demons, famous for a brassy mid-eighties pop song called 'Spadina Bus', are up to some Canada Day shenanigans this week as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival.

The band is celebrating their 25th anniversary, a remarkable milestone considering the transient nature of the Canadian music industry. This Wednesday they are attempting to break a Guinness World Record for the largest saxophone ensemble...ever.

Our fair city held the previous record in 2004 (also orchestrated by the Shuffle Demons) but it was broken by a group of Taiwanese sax players last year.

For about three years, Modernboys Moderngirls (MBMG) have been a constant presence on the Toronto circuit and have received nothing but positive reviews for their energetic efforts.

Last year, they (kind of) released their debut LP, I Might As Well Break It, so that they could book summer festivals, like Edgefest '08, and so that they would have something to put on their merch table at shows. This summer they are officially releasing a reincarnated version of the album and I decided that it was high time we had a chat.

The participants: Akira Alimeny (guitars, vocals), Brett Millius (drums, backing vocals) and myself (beer drinker extraordinaire). The venue: The Red Room.

If you haven't seen The Parlor Mob play live before, you'll get the chance tonight as they open for Theory of a Deadman at the Sound Academy. In a word, their live performances are legendary. Expect straight-up, no holds barred rock and roll when they hit the stage.

A little bit of history on these guys: the Jersey-born five-piece got their start back in 2004 as What about Frank, before changing to their current incarnation as The Parlor Mob. Their debut album, And You Were a Crow, was released on May 6th, 2008 and contains twelve energetic and progressive tracks.

I recently had the chance to chat with bassist Nick Villapiano about the band, future albums, fantasy venues... and Paula Abdul.