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Matt Murphy

Matt Murphy

NXNE Part 3: The Super Friendz

I was surprised by a friend when she handed me two North By Northeast wristbands. I promptly started scouring the NXNE schedule, these are the stories. The Super Friendz 15 June 2013, 12am The Great Hall The last time I saw The Super Friendz perform in Toronto, I left the show with such a high that lasted me for a whole week, and no it was no artificially induced. It was teh first time I saw The Super Friendz live, and I expected it to be the only time I’d ever see that classic ’90s Halifax rock band. Fate seems to want to correct me. Fate seemed to have a… Read More »NXNE Part 3: The Super Friendz

Mike O'Neill

NXNE Part 1: Mike O’Neill

I was surprised by a friend when she handed me two North By Northeast wristbands. I promptly started scouring the NXNE schedule, these are the stories. Mike O’Neill 14 June 2013, 10pm The Great Hall Mike O’Neill doesn’t play Toronto often. I don’t think he plays all that often, period. Mike O’Neill was, once upon a time, the bass player and songwriter for The Inbreds. The Inbreds were signed to Sloan’s Murderecords record label in the 1990s. Since then, over the past 13 years, O’Neill has released three solo records. Celebrating the release of a new book released by Sloan about the 7″ singles released by Murderecords, Mike O’Neill opened… Read More »NXNE Part 1: Mike O’Neill

Nostalgia Machine

Last night at Lee’s Palace, The Super Friendz reunited and brought the house down. Holy shit. That was truly one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. I had never seen The Super Friendz in the ’90s, or during their first reunion tour in 2003 or 2004. When they announced they would be playing Halifax Pop Explosion in October, I debated going… all the way to Halifax… for a single band. Fortunately they announced a Toronto date, and those two shows were the entirety of this tour. I’m very happy they decided to come to Toronto. While I had never seen The Super Friendz, this is… Read More »Nostalgia Machine

#Rocktober 30 volume 14: Rob Benvie, Matt Murphy, Different Skeletons, and Queen’s Park

This month I turn 30. To mark such a remarkable event, I’m spending every day of October drenched in awesome-sauce. Last night I went to a weird alley in Kensington which in turn led to a staircase up to a strange bar I’ve never been in.  It was a packed house where Rob Benvie of Thrush Hermit fame was to be reading from his new novel. I didn’t quite understand why the place was so packed, but I quickly found Natalia and Tim and hung out with those two for a while. After hanging around for a while, we spotted Val, in the audience, and chatted with her. Turns out… Read More »#Rocktober 30 volume 14: Rob Benvie, Matt Murphy, Different Skeletons, and Queen’s Park

Ben Gunning (with Matt Murphy)

A long time ago, in the mythical 1990s, there were a couple bands who took my heart by storm. The Flashing Lights and The Local Rabbits. The two bands would frequently play shows together around Toronto. Sunday night the frontmen from those two bands played two sets at The Drake Hotel to kick off Ben Gunning’s residency. Matt Murphy started off the night, he who was formerly in The Flashing Lights, was playing along with his acoustic guitar, and though I’ve seen this man perform countless times and in many different genres and band setups, I had never before seem him performing alone, with a guitar. Murphy started off the… Read More »Ben Gunning (with Matt Murphy)

Top 50 Albums of the Aughts

1) Sleater-Kinney – The Woods (2005) 2) The Magnetic Fields – i (2004) 3) Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003) 4) The Flashing Lights – Sweet Release (2001) 5) Neko Case & Her Boyfriends – Furnace Room Lullaby (2000) 6) The Joel Plaskett Emergency – Down At The Khyber (2001) 7) Julie Doiron – Woke Myself Up (2007) 8) Neil Young – Live At Massey Hall 1971 (2007) 9) Valery Gore – Avalanche To Wandering Bear (2008) 10) God Help The Girl – God Help The Girl (2009) 11) Wilco – A Ghost Is Born (2004) 12) Joel Plaskett – Three (2009) 13) Neko Case – Fox Confessor… Read More »Top 50 Albums of the Aughts