Live music picks for WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 through TUESDAY AUGUST 25, 2009

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 / WOMBAT WEDNESDAYS ft I AM ROBOT AND PROUD / TRANZAC CLUB (MAIN ROOM) / 292 BRUNSWICK AVE / $5 / ALL AGES
The Tranzac's Wombat Wednesday series continues to spotlight some of the brightest sparks in downtown Toronto's music scene, with guest curator THOM GILL assembling a fantastic lineup of local bands including the fuzzy feel-good electronica of I AM ROBOT AND PROUD as well as indie-pop groups CIRCUS SCHOOL, GINGER & IRENE, GRAVITY WAVE and RADIUS & HELENA, with DJ MATT BLAIR of Everyone's A DJ holding it down.
www.myspace.com/iamrobotandproud
www.myspace.com/gingerandirene
www.myspace.com/gravywave
www.myspace.com/radiushelena

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 / DO MAKE SAY THINK / POLISH COMBATANTS HALL / 206 BEVERLY ST / $22 / ALL AGES
The kick-off party for the ninth annual Bicycle Film Festival, which brings together Toronto's music, film and art communities in a celebration of all things two-wheeled and motorless, features a rare performance by hometown heroes DO MAKE SAY THINK, who helped define the atmospheric post-rock sound popularized by bands like EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY and MOGWAI over the past decade.
www.myspace.com/domakesaythink

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 / CAROLYN MARK / HORSESHOE TAVERN / 370 QUEEN ST W / $8 / 19+
Alt-country singer/songwriter CAROLYN MARK's home in Victoria, BC is the centre of a whirlwind community of musicians and artists, collaborating and carousing in a similar fashion to Toronto's own Bellwoods House. Having performed for years alongside friends such as NEKO CASE and the GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS, Carolyn's reputation for hosting the best party in town is well-deserved.
www.myspace.com/carolynmark

THURSDAY AUGUST 20 / FOXFIRE and THE GHOST IS DANCING / TIGER BAR / 414 COLLEGE ST / $5-$8 / 19+
Toronto's smallest music venue hosts two of the city's physically largest bands, future-glam-disco ensemble FOXFIRE and indie-pop collective THE GHOST IS DANCING. These two groups have performed numerous times together, and with a combined total of around 15 members, will have the room packed in no time. Sure to be one of the hottest parties around - dressing with a tropical theme gets you in on the cheap!
www.myspace.com/foxfireforest
www.myspace.com/theghostisdancing

THURSDAY AUGUST 20 / STOP DIE RESUSCITATE / DRAKE HOTEL UNDERGROUND / 1500 QUEEN ST W / $5 / 19+
STOP DIE RESUSCITATE put on a multi-media video/music spectacle to preview their forthcoming album "The Gloom", mixing eerie instrumental hip-hop and electronica with zombified vocals and lyrics that embody the darker side of a night out on the town. With MADRID and CHRIS DERKSEN.
www.myspace.com/stopdieresuscitate

THURSDAY AUGUST 20 / SANDMAN VIPER COMMAND, PANTS & TIE and MONNAKOE / EL MOCAMBO / 464 SPADINA AVE / $5 / 19+
Three of the city's best kept secrets go head-to-head in an indie-rock battle royale, with garage-rock quartet SANDMAN VIPER COMMAND (originally from Burlington, ON) up against electro-indie duo MONNAKOE and bizarro-brilliant spazz-pop group PANTS & TIE. No reason to think there has to be a loser here...
www.myspace.com/sandmanvipercommand
www.myspace.com/pantsandtie
www.myspace.com/monnakoe

FRIDAY AUGUST 21 & SATURDAY AUGUST 22 / MODEST MOUSE / SOUND ACADEMY / 11 POLSON ST / $30 / ALL AGES
Over sixteen years of recording and touring, MODEST MOUSE have become one of the biggest groups in the world to fly the "indie" flag, with undeniable cred (originally signed to influential Seattle label K records; Smiths guitarist JOHNNY MARR joined the band in 2006) and commercial success (#1 Billboard hit "Float On") as well as fantastically emotive songwriting and musicianship, making for a thrilling live experience.
www.myspace.com/modestmouse

FRIDAY AUGUST 21 / THE BURNING HELL / SNEAKY DEE'S / 431 COLLEGE ST / $7 / 19+
Two Way Monologues moves to Sneaky Dee's for a jam-packed night of great bands; Peterborough's THE BURNING HELL mix irreverent wit with carnival-country party tricks, while Montreal's THE UNSETTLERS up the ante even further with a ten-member alt-folk onslaught. Be sure to catch openers THE QUANTUM JITTERS for a blast of psych-garage pop.
www.myspace.com/mathiaskom
www.myspace.com/theunsettlers

SUNDAY AUGUST 23 / DE LA SOUL / THE PHOENIX / 410 SHERBOURNE ST / $33.50 / 19+
DE LA SOUL have always held the torch for original Golden Age-era hip-hop, with a fun, lighthearted aesthetic that favours clever rhymes and innovative sampling techniques over bluster and bravado. With their 1989 hit "Me Myself and I", the group became one of of hip-hop's most beloved groups, and their success continues to this day, including a Grammy-winning collaboration with GORILLAZ in 2005.
www.myspace.com/delasoul
MONDAY AUGUST 24 / HELLALUYA / DRAKE HOTEL UNDERGROUND / 1500 QUEEN ST W / FREE / 19+
HELLALUYA are brand-new group formed over the summer by THE MILES' ALEX LAURENCE, GORE's KAROLINE LEBRUN and (ahem) YOURS TRULY. The band was created to represent the extremes of both positive and negative energy, mixing absurdist, often violent lyrics with upbeat themes (holidays, woolly mammoths, etc) and music that brings to mind to a steamroller crushing a broken computer monitor filled with baby mice.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113852679863

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Photo by becks festival bar on Flickr.