Boy, do we have a doozy for you this week. With the end of summer a little over a month away, festival organizers are pulling out all the stops and jamming August with more concerts than you can shake a stick at (whatever that means). To find out which ones are right for you, check out Exclaim!'s top picks for this week's must-see shows from August 8-14 below and enjoy the sunny weather while you can.
ALL CAPS! Island Festival
It's been five years since artist-run, not-for-profit Wavelength hosted the first ALL CAPS! music festival on the Toronto Island, but like all good things, the pastoral concert/camping adventure has come to an end. At the fifth and final installment of the back-to-basics music festival, you can catch performances by Shotgun Jimmie, Hooded Fang, Rich Aucoin and more. To really get into the festivities, you'll have to ferry over to Gibraltar Point on Friday afternoon; this year's event offers an extra night of camping in honour of the concert series' swansong.
8/10-11 Toronto, ON - Toronto Island
Heavy MTL
If last week's Osheaga was a little light for your tastes, head on over to Montreal's Parc Jean Drapeau for the 2013 edition of the aptly-titled Heavy MTL. Featuring the créme de la créme of aggressive rock and metal, this year's weekend-long event features one of the most stacked lineups yet, including sets from Baroness, Black Label Society, Indian Handcrafts and Rob Zombie, who will be playing his sole Canadian date of the year.
8/10-11 Montreal, QC - Parc Jean Drapeau
Mudtown Music & Arts Festival
Who says big cities have all the fun? Taking place Friday and Saturday in Ontario's picturesque Owen Sound, the Mudtown Music & Arts Festival (formerly OTHERfolk) offers visitors urban indie-rock with a small-town feel. Daniel Romano, Stars, Young Galaxy and Zeus are all making the trek for this year's festivities, but if you needed any more reason to attend, Mudtown will also be offering a night market featuring work from local artisans, creative art installations and a bounty of 100-mile food vendors, for all those socially-conscious foodie-type concertgoers.
8/9-10 Owen Sound, ON - Various Locations
Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival
The Maritimes and folk music go as hand-in-hand as hitting the tiles after an evening on George Street. With that in mind, don't miss out on the 37th annual Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival, which features three nights of performances from acts like Spirit of the West, Hey Rosetta!'s Tim Baker, and Joel Plaskett, who will be joined by his father (and Atlantic-folk hero) Bill for a special collaborative set Friday evening.
8/9-11 St. John's, NL - Bowring Park
Paul McCartney
Wherever you stand on the Lennon vs. McCartney debate, no one can deny Sir Paul's legendary status as a live performer. Catch Macca play hits from across his illustrious back catalogue during a pair of dates in the Prairies as part of his Out There 2013 tour.
8/12 Winnipeg, MB - Investors Group Field
8/14 Moose Jaw, SK - Mosaic Place
Shambhala Music Festival
From its humble beginnings as an eco-friendly farm festival to its first sold-out season in 2011, the Shambhala Music Festival has been generating good vibes and good tunes for over a decade. This year's incarnation promises to be no different, with dance-heavy sets from the likes of Rococode, Five Alarm Funk, People Under the Stairs and Montreal-born turntablist A-Trak, who will be performing a headline set at the all-night music festival early Saturday morning.
8/7-12 Salmo, BC - Salmo River Ranch
Squamish Valley Music Festival
There's a reason the Squamish Valley Music Festival is the largest contemporary music festival of its kind in the Pacific Northwest (and probably one of the few hosted in a rural logging community). Acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Band of Horses and Childish Gambino will all get their chance in the spotlight, but don't miss out on indie-rock supergroup Divine Fits performing their first ever set in band member Dan Boeckner's native BC.
8/8-10 Squamish, BC - 42099 Loggers Lane
Summer Slaughter
This week, worldwide annual metal festival Summer Slaughter drives north of the border for a pair of Canadian tour dates. Expect lacerating performances from the likes of Norma Jean, Cattle Decapitation and Revocation, as well as a headline slot from math-metal vikings Dillinger Escape Plan, who will be playing two of their first shows since founding guitarist Ben Weinman broke his hand back in June.
8/8 Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
8/9 Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Wolfe Island Music Festival
Located off the coast of Kingston, ON and nestled at the opening of the St. Lawrence River, the Wolfe Island Music Festival offers attendees the chance to step away from the city for a weekend full of camping and Canadian indie-rock. AroarA, Born Ruffians, DIANA and the Wooden Sky are all making appearances at the 2013 incarnation of the festival, but for something a little different, catch CBC MC Buck 65 do his thing as he performs in preparation of his upcoming U.S. tour later this summer.
8/9-10 Marysville, ON - Wolfe Island
For more shows headed your way, click over to Exclaim!'s new Concert Listings.
ALL CAPS! Island Festival
It's been five years since artist-run, not-for-profit Wavelength hosted the first ALL CAPS! music festival on the Toronto Island, but like all good things, the pastoral concert/camping adventure has come to an end. At the fifth and final installment of the back-to-basics music festival, you can catch performances by Shotgun Jimmie, Hooded Fang, Rich Aucoin and more. To really get into the festivities, you'll have to ferry over to Gibraltar Point on Friday afternoon; this year's event offers an extra night of camping in honour of the concert series' swansong.
8/10-11 Toronto, ON - Toronto Island
Heavy MTL
If last week's Osheaga was a little light for your tastes, head on over to Montreal's Parc Jean Drapeau for the 2013 edition of the aptly-titled Heavy MTL. Featuring the créme de la créme of aggressive rock and metal, this year's weekend-long event features one of the most stacked lineups yet, including sets from Baroness, Black Label Society, Indian Handcrafts and Rob Zombie, who will be playing his sole Canadian date of the year.
8/10-11 Montreal, QC - Parc Jean Drapeau
Mudtown Music & Arts Festival
Who says big cities have all the fun? Taking place Friday and Saturday in Ontario's picturesque Owen Sound, the Mudtown Music & Arts Festival (formerly OTHERfolk) offers visitors urban indie-rock with a small-town feel. Daniel Romano, Stars, Young Galaxy and Zeus are all making the trek for this year's festivities, but if you needed any more reason to attend, Mudtown will also be offering a night market featuring work from local artisans, creative art installations and a bounty of 100-mile food vendors, for all those socially-conscious foodie-type concertgoers.
8/9-10 Owen Sound, ON - Various Locations
Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival
The Maritimes and folk music go as hand-in-hand as hitting the tiles after an evening on George Street. With that in mind, don't miss out on the 37th annual Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival, which features three nights of performances from acts like Spirit of the West, Hey Rosetta!'s Tim Baker, and Joel Plaskett, who will be joined by his father (and Atlantic-folk hero) Bill for a special collaborative set Friday evening.
8/9-11 St. John's, NL - Bowring Park
Paul McCartney
Wherever you stand on the Lennon vs. McCartney debate, no one can deny Sir Paul's legendary status as a live performer. Catch Macca play hits from across his illustrious back catalogue during a pair of dates in the Prairies as part of his Out There 2013 tour.
8/12 Winnipeg, MB - Investors Group Field
8/14 Moose Jaw, SK - Mosaic Place
Shambhala Music Festival
From its humble beginnings as an eco-friendly farm festival to its first sold-out season in 2011, the Shambhala Music Festival has been generating good vibes and good tunes for over a decade. This year's incarnation promises to be no different, with dance-heavy sets from the likes of Rococode, Five Alarm Funk, People Under the Stairs and Montreal-born turntablist A-Trak, who will be performing a headline set at the all-night music festival early Saturday morning.
8/7-12 Salmo, BC - Salmo River Ranch
Squamish Valley Music Festival
There's a reason the Squamish Valley Music Festival is the largest contemporary music festival of its kind in the Pacific Northwest (and probably one of the few hosted in a rural logging community). Acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Band of Horses and Childish Gambino will all get their chance in the spotlight, but don't miss out on indie-rock supergroup Divine Fits performing their first ever set in band member Dan Boeckner's native BC.
8/8-10 Squamish, BC - 42099 Loggers Lane
Summer Slaughter
This week, worldwide annual metal festival Summer Slaughter drives north of the border for a pair of Canadian tour dates. Expect lacerating performances from the likes of Norma Jean, Cattle Decapitation and Revocation, as well as a headline slot from math-metal vikings Dillinger Escape Plan, who will be playing two of their first shows since founding guitarist Ben Weinman broke his hand back in June.
8/8 Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
8/9 Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Wolfe Island Music Festival
Located off the coast of Kingston, ON and nestled at the opening of the St. Lawrence River, the Wolfe Island Music Festival offers attendees the chance to step away from the city for a weekend full of camping and Canadian indie-rock. AroarA, Born Ruffians, DIANA and the Wooden Sky are all making appearances at the 2013 incarnation of the festival, but for something a little different, catch CBC MC Buck 65 do his thing as he performs in preparation of his upcoming U.S. tour later this summer.
8/9-10 Marysville, ON - Wolfe Island
For more shows headed your way, click over to Exclaim!'s new Concert Listings.
