Festival season is here. Sprinkled amongst the standard concerts are summer festivals, which gather impressive line-ups of artists, all in one place. Our Can't Miss Concerts roundup for June 12 to 18 certainly doesn't contain every show (and of course, festivals aren't the only important avenue to see live music), so check our complete Concert Listings to find everything happening this week in the Great White North.
Banff Summer Arts Festival
Banff Summer Arts Festival's claim to fame is its title as the longest-running arts festival in Canada. Of course, without substance that likely wouldn't have happened, nor would it have mattered, but the nearly summer-long festival pulls in Exclaim! favourites such as Shad, Holy Fuck, A Tribe Called Red and Coeur De Pirate. The events this week include a dance by Louise Lecavalier, a seminar with Banff International Literary Translation Centre faculty and the performance of a Schumann "Piano Quartet."
06/14-08/23 Banff, AB – Various Venues
Destroyer
New Pornographer Dan Bejar's sights are no longer exclusively set on erotic art; instead, the Vancouver musician now aims to raze his hometown under his Destroyer moniker. With an impending New Pornographers album on the way, it won't be long until he has to switch his focus. Plus, he puts on a hell of a show, which can only be amplified by comfortable home surroundings.
06/12 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Initially backing Will Smith as the former part of the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince equation, DJ Jazzy Jeff joined the starring prince in his televised journey to Bel-Air. With the recent addition of the show to Canadian Netflix, a booming interest in DJs and an upcoming reunion with the Prince, now is the perfect time to catch "dis" jockey live.
06/12 Toronto, ON - UNIUN Nightclub 06/14 Winnipeg, MB – Union Sound Hall
Ottawa Explosion Weekend
An explosion is loud and results in chaos, which explains the name choice for punk-leaning festival Ottawa Explosion. The auditory shrapnel includes METZ, Steve Adamyk Band, the Marked Men, Alaskan, the Creeps, Hashed Out and many more. Some bands are even coming from out of the country (some from the U.S., Germany's Latex Squad and New Zealand's Dad Jokes), so surely you can make it when it's within your own!
06/12-15 Ottawa, ON – Various Venues
Rick Ross
Hip-hop boss Rick Ross is touring in support of new album Mastermind. While he (and Jay Z) proclaim "The Devil is a Lie," fortunately Ross is the real deal.
06/15 Toronto, ON – Kool Haus
06/16 Calgary, AB – BMO Centre
06/18 Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Expo Centre
Timber Timbre
Timber Timbre are living out their Hot Dreams on this tour. While the album they're touring behind was released on April Fools' Day, the only fool would be a folk fan missing this band (barring, of course, extraneous circumstances). If a Timber Timbre plays a concert, but there's no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound? Absolutely.
06/12 Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room
06/13 Calgary, AB – Republik Nightclub
06/14 Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre
06/16 Winnipeg, MB – Union Sound Hall (Winnipeg Jazz Festival)
Winnipeg Jazz Festival
A main tenet of jazz is the inclusion of improvisation, leading to eclectic performances. Winnipeg Jazz Festival has certainly done its titular genre justice with a lineup featuring not only jazz (Ellis Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval), but also acts as diverse as Timber Timbre, Shad, St. Vincent, John Legend and more. The varied festival will be as unique as a jazz show, based upon the genre but never too stuck in its own ways.
06/12-22 Winnipeg, MB – Various Venues
For more shows headed your way, click over to Exclaim!'s Concert Listings.
Banff Summer Arts Festival
Banff Summer Arts Festival's claim to fame is its title as the longest-running arts festival in Canada. Of course, without substance that likely wouldn't have happened, nor would it have mattered, but the nearly summer-long festival pulls in Exclaim! favourites such as Shad, Holy Fuck, A Tribe Called Red and Coeur De Pirate. The events this week include a dance by Louise Lecavalier, a seminar with Banff International Literary Translation Centre faculty and the performance of a Schumann "Piano Quartet."
06/14-08/23 Banff, AB – Various Venues
Destroyer
New Pornographer Dan Bejar's sights are no longer exclusively set on erotic art; instead, the Vancouver musician now aims to raze his hometown under his Destroyer moniker. With an impending New Pornographers album on the way, it won't be long until he has to switch his focus. Plus, he puts on a hell of a show, which can only be amplified by comfortable home surroundings.
06/12 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Initially backing Will Smith as the former part of the DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince equation, DJ Jazzy Jeff joined the starring prince in his televised journey to Bel-Air. With the recent addition of the show to Canadian Netflix, a booming interest in DJs and an upcoming reunion with the Prince, now is the perfect time to catch "dis" jockey live.
06/12 Toronto, ON - UNIUN Nightclub 06/14 Winnipeg, MB – Union Sound Hall
Ottawa Explosion Weekend
An explosion is loud and results in chaos, which explains the name choice for punk-leaning festival Ottawa Explosion. The auditory shrapnel includes METZ, Steve Adamyk Band, the Marked Men, Alaskan, the Creeps, Hashed Out and many more. Some bands are even coming from out of the country (some from the U.S., Germany's Latex Squad and New Zealand's Dad Jokes), so surely you can make it when it's within your own!
06/12-15 Ottawa, ON – Various Venues
Rick Ross
Hip-hop boss Rick Ross is touring in support of new album Mastermind. While he (and Jay Z) proclaim "The Devil is a Lie," fortunately Ross is the real deal.
06/15 Toronto, ON – Kool Haus
06/16 Calgary, AB – BMO Centre
06/18 Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Expo Centre
Timber Timbre
Timber Timbre are living out their Hot Dreams on this tour. While the album they're touring behind was released on April Fools' Day, the only fool would be a folk fan missing this band (barring, of course, extraneous circumstances). If a Timber Timbre plays a concert, but there's no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound? Absolutely.
06/12 Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room
06/13 Calgary, AB – Republik Nightclub
06/14 Saskatoon, SK – Broadway Theatre
06/16 Winnipeg, MB – Union Sound Hall (Winnipeg Jazz Festival)
Winnipeg Jazz Festival
A main tenet of jazz is the inclusion of improvisation, leading to eclectic performances. Winnipeg Jazz Festival has certainly done its titular genre justice with a lineup featuring not only jazz (Ellis Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval), but also acts as diverse as Timber Timbre, Shad, St. Vincent, John Legend and more. The varied festival will be as unique as a jazz show, based upon the genre but never too stuck in its own ways.
06/12-22 Winnipeg, MB – Various Venues
For more shows headed your way, click over to Exclaim!'s Concert Listings.