City Sonic
Encyclopedia
City Sonic is a documentary series
about Toronto
-based musicians and the places that influenced their music. The first five City Sonic films were previewed at Toronto's 2009 North by North East Music and Film Festival
.
, each City Sonic film features one artist and one Toronto location that influenced them and their work.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based musicians and the places that influenced their music. The first five City Sonic films were previewed at Toronto's 2009 North by North East Music and Film Festival
North by Northeast
North by Northeast is an annual five-day live music and film festival and music conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, held each June....
.
Films
City Sonic is a series of 20 short film films about places where music happens. Directed by Canadian filmmakers and produced by White Pine Pictures and Kensington CommunicationsKensington Communications
-Background:Kensington Communications is a Toronto-based production company that specializes in documentary films and television series. Founded in 1980 by president Robert Lang, Kensington Communications Inc. has produced over 150 productions from documentary series and films to performing arts...
, each City Sonic film features one artist and one Toronto location that influenced them and their work.
- Cancer BatsCancer BatsCancer Bats are a hardcore punk/sludge metal band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Background:Cancer Bats originated in May 2004 with singer Liam Cormier and guitarist Scott Middleton, former member of Toronto heavy metal band At the Mercy of Inspiration...
at Adrift Clubhouse - Care Failure (Die MannequinDie MannequinDie Mannequin is a punk rock band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are fronted by 23-year-old guitar player and singer Care Failure . They played the "Next Big Thing" Stage at Edgefest 1 in 2006, have toured across Eastern Canada several times on their own as well as opening for Buckcherry on...
) at 102.1 The Edge - Barenaked LadiesBarenaked LadiesBarenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
at Ultrasound Showbar - Brian Borcherdt (Holy Fuck) at Sneaky Dee'sSneaky Dee'sSneaky Dee's is a bar on the south-east corner of the College and Bathurst intersection in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its original location was on Bloor Street west of Bathurst, but it moved to its present location in 1990....
- Danko JonesDanko JonesDanko Jones is a Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Danko Jones and JC...
at Maple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the... - Jason CollettJason CollettJason Collett is a Toronto based singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums, and is a member of Broken Social Scene. His latest album, Rat a Tat Tat, was released in March, 2010.-Early life:...
in Kensington MarketKensington MarketKensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington... - Justin RutledgeJustin RutledgeJustin Rutledge is a Toronto-based alt-country singer-songwriter signed to Six Shooter Records.Rutledge's musical style is often compared to that of American alt-country singer Ryan Adams. His influences, both of the literary and music world, include Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Richard Brautigan...
and Bazil Donovan (Blue RodeoBlue RodeoBlue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987...
) at The Cameron House - Damian Abraham (Fucked UpFucked UpFucked Up is a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Canada. The band won the 2009 Polaris Music Prize for the album The Chemistry of Common Life.-History:The band formed and played their first shows in early 2001...
) at Rotate This - D-SisiveD-SisiveD-Sisive is the stage name of Derek Christoff, a prolific Canadian rapper, best known for his Juno Award-nominated EP The Book, his hit single "Nobody With A Notepad" and his 2009 Polaris Music Prize-nominated album Let the Children Die D-Sisive is the stage name of Derek Christoff, a prolific...
at Planet Mars - Serena RyderSerena RyderSerena Ryder is a Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter raised in Millbrook, Ontario.Ranging musically between folk, roots, country, and adult contemporary music, Ryder possesses a five-octave range...
at the Dakota Tavern - Geddy LeeGeddy LeeGary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
(RushRush (band)Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
) at Massey HallMassey HallMassey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765.... - Tony Dekker (Great Lake SwimmersGreat Lake SwimmersGreat Lake Swimmers is a Canadian band built around the melodic folk rock songs of singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. Originally from Wainfleet, Ontario, the band is currently based in Toronto....
) at Spadina Subway StationSpadina (TTC)Spadina is a station on the Yonge-University-Spadina and Bloor-Danforth lines of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Out of all the interchange stations, this one is the least-used with approximately 47,570 people using both platforms each day... - Laura BarrettLaura BarrettLaura Barrett is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter, best known for incorporating the kalimba into her music. In addition to her solo work, Barrett has also performed as a member of The Hidden Cameras, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables, Woodhands and Sheezer....
with Martin TielliMartin TielliMartin Tielli is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was a member of the Rheostatics, and has also released material as a solo artist and with the side project Nick Buzz. As well, he has appeared as a guest musician on albums by Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Hearn, The Waltons, Jane Siberry, Ashley...
at the Art Gallery of OntarioArt Gallery of OntarioUnder the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg... - WoodhandsWoodhandsWoodhands is a Canadian electro-pop band. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band currently consists of musicians Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt . They work closely with producer Roger Leavens at Boombox Sound in Toronto...
at the Don Valley Brick WorksDon Valley Brick WorksThe Don Valley Brick Works also known as Evergreen Brickworks is a former quarry and industrial site located in the Don River valley in Toronto, Ontario. Currently the buildings sit mostly unused while the quarry has been converted into a city park which includes a series of naturalized ponds... - Sarah SleanSarah SleanSarah Hope Slean is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and occasional actress from Pickering, Ontario. She has released eleven albums to date .-Major recordings:...
at The RivoliThe RivoliThe Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario. The club originally earned a reputation as one of Canada's hippest music clubs, and many major Canadian comedy and musical performers have played on its stage, including The Kids in... - LionessLioness (band)Lioness is a Canadian indie rock dance band formed in January 2007 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History:The band was formed by Ronnie Morris and Jeff Scheven, former rhythm section of controller.controller and No Dynamics' vocalist Vanessa Fischer...
at the Masonic TempleMasonic Temple (Toronto)The Masonic Temple, also known as the CTV Temple or the MTV Temple, is a six-storey building on the north-west corner of Davenport Road and Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.... - Divine BrownDivine BrownDivine Brown , previously known as Divine Earth Essence, is a Canadian rhythm and blues and soul singer and theatre performer....
at The Rex Hotel - Brendan CanningBrendan CanningBrendan Canning is a founding member of Broken Social Scene and a veteran indie rock performer who has been a member of various notable bands including By Divine Right, Blurtonia, Valley of the Giants, Len, and hHead....
(Broken Social SceneBroken Social SceneBroken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
) at the Drake HotelDrake Hotel (Toronto)The Drake Hotel on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada near Parkdale, was opened in 1890 as "Small's Hotel". At the time, the area was a major Canadian Pacific Railway hub near what was then one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city.... - Colin MunroeColin MunroeColin Munroe is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer originally from North Gower, Ontario, who now resides in Toronto.-Biography:...
at the Revival Bar - Sebastien GraingerSebastien GraingerSebastien Alexandre Grainger from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada is a Canadian singer and musician, best known as drummer and singer of the dance-punk duo Death from Above 1979 and the singer and guitarist for his current band, Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains...
(Death From Above 1979Death from Above 1979Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
) at the El MocamboEl MocamboThe El Mocambo Tavern is a live music and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Spadina Avenue, just south of College Street, the bar played an important role in the development of popular music in Toronto since the 19th century...
Directors
- Anita Doron
- Peter LynchPeter Lynch (director)Peter Lynch is an Canadian filmmaker, the director and writer of Project Grizzly and Cyberman.Lynch won a Genie Award for his short film Arrowhead, starring Don McKellar.He attended York University in Toronto, Canada.-Early life:...
- Robert LangRobert LangRobert Lang is the name of:*Robert Lang , Czech hockey player in the NHL*Robert Lang , cricketer*Robert Lang , British swimmer at the 2007 World Championships.*Robert J...
- Bruce McDonald
- Charles OfficerCharles OfficerCharles Officer is a Jamaican-Canadian writer, actor, director and former professional hockey player in the United States.-Director:Officer’s directorial debut, When Morning Comes, premiered at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival...
- Rob Pilichowski
- George Vale