Find out what's new and hot with our our bi-weekly local music roundup.

ZEUS / COVER ME / APRIL 2ND

Let's cut the bullshit. We all like covers. It's super interesting to hear what a band does with other people's songs. A cover can really loosen a band up giving them the chance to explore things they would never dare with their own material. Other times the quest to do justice to a sacred song gives the artist a chance to hardworking acts a break with some mainstream exposure.

Then you have cover albums, which usually stink to high heaven. How many of your favourite artist's one black eye is because of a cover album? Mates of State, I'm looking at you. (Commenters: If any of you say anything else against Mates of State I'm going to delete your comment so fast you'll get skid marks on your fingertips). And so, it is very wise of our beloved Zeus to release a cover E.P. for their upcoming remaster of Busting Visions. Containing the likes of Zepplin, STP and Micheal Jackson it will surely please everyone.

*Obviously the craft of the cover has been perfected by "Weird" Al Yankovic with his Polka melody series.

THE MESS / STATES / MARCH 30TH
This Mess "States" is available NOW via digital download or cassette. And no, cassette is not a misspelling of Cassavetes. I'm talkin about a real, honest to god, cassette tape. Now don't be so quick to judge these boys. It's actually not as impractical as you assume.
The cassette tape (as we already know but indulge me for humour's sake) was the last great analog format involving a length of tape with music on it contained within a plastic rectangle.

These days they are regarded as anachronistic as their bigger flashier brother the VHS, but they still remain popular in certain genres (such as punk rock) for their unique sound quality. Plus, if you're one of those people who don't like to pirate music a cassette tape is your cheapest option for portable music, particularly if you're a Prince fan. So maybe lay off This Mess, huh? If a cassette is not (or no longer) your bag just listen to States online, yeesh.

HΛRRISON / PROM KING / MARCH 15TH
Fake quotes about HΛRRISON:

• "MAN, rap music is WAY more relaxing without all those nasty words" -Your Mom
• "With these beats most of the struggle of producing rap music is taken care of. Now I can just focus on making raps" - Rapper DT-10-Hundred
• "Finally a strut for ME" - Some goofball
• "Boy, if could make something as quality as this when I was 17 I would probably be in better place than I am right now." - Derek Boshart

BLUSH BEAT RED / BOYS AND GIRLS / MARCH 19TH
This track from Blush Beat Red has a certain sexy underwater quality to it. This is not a statement of chagrin, I rather like it. As someone who spent his childhood on a lake I can't tell you how many times I've gazed into the blue depths of mighty Huron and felt a touch melancholy as I imagined a ripping underwater party involving the cooler fish and mermaids doing all sorts of tricked out dancing and shit.

Of course, as a man I've given up such foolish notions. After all, what sort of mermaid would a fresh water lake produce? Most likely a SUPER SKETCHY one, only emerging to bum smokes and then get mad at you because they aren't waterproof even though water proof smokes don't even exist. Like WTF freshwater mermaids!?!

COOL VIDEO CORNER

SNOWBLINK / INNER MINI-MISSISSIPPI / MARCH 27TH
Hula Hoops are one of the few ways that ladies can gyrate their hips in public without it being sexualized. As a ponched man I could easily take for granted the fact that I can gyrate pretty much anywhere without fear of suggesting to some mouth breathing creep that he should take the act and my identity completely out of context and apply to it a context involving his dick. But I don't take it for granted: my life as a straigt white man born in Canada is easy as fishing. That's why I leave Hula Hooping to those without my gyrating social advantage.

HI, one last thing? You got cool new toronto music? Send it to your old pal Eric at eric boshart (AT) BLOG TO (D)(O)(T) COM