Who is Nick Glover?!

Nick Glover, hailing from Oshawa, Ontario, is an indie artist who spends his time writing and recording a heart-felt brand of Indie Folk Pop. Producing lyrics that clearly come from his own experiences throughout his 20-something lifetime, Nick delivers each verse with a deeply emotional vocal performance on each tune he lays upon us. I sat down with Nick in efforts to figure out what's behind his emotional, song-writing prowess.

indie now: Who are your greatest influences musically?
Nick Glover: I've always been into a lot of folky indie bands/musicians. The one man that made me want to pick up the guitar for the first time was Matthew Good. I'd heard Apparations for the first time and it just inspired me to start writing. Also bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Our Lady Peace were huge inspirations for me. Naveed, in my opinion, was one of the best albums of the '90s. I remember hearing it back in elementary school and thinking, "This is the best band I've ever heard." That's when I started thinking seriously about music.

indie now: When did you finally realize you wanted to be a musician?/Have you always wanted to play music growing up?
Nick Glover: "Ever since I was a kid I liked singing and writing. Although, at that point I never let the two coincide with each other. It wasn't until I was 14 when I started hanging around my good friend Matt Sutherland that I started writing music. We ended up writing a song together, the first song I ever wrote called Temple of Mirrors, and it really helped get a lot of things that were bothering me off my chest. Ever since than I just always used music to get tough times and even the good times."

indie now: Who affects you today musically?
Nick Glover: "My friends and family have always been a major impact on my music. Ever since I started writing, I always felt a sense of gratitude from people when they hear me play. Right now I feel as though the people who affect me most though, are the other musicians I hang out with. From playing with them I've adapted somewhat of a variety of different styles that I can play around with."

indie now: What Cd is in your car stereo right now?
Nick Glover: "At the moment I've been really into this new band called "Fun." They're fronted by the former vocalist of The Format and they have this extremely catchy indie rock sound. What really gets me about them is their very instrumental heavy sound with everything from piano, to trumpets and accordions."

indie now: What makes a good musician? What are the unique qualities a person must have to succeed in this field?
Nick Glover: "A good musician must have passion. If you're not passionate in what you're doing or what you're playing, than why are you doing it? I've always been very passionate about every song I write and even every song I cover. I make sure that every line means something to me. You also have to be able to write songs, but that all comes with practice."

indie now: Do you have to get into some kind of zone when you write or does it just come naturally?
Nick Glover: "Usually I'll come up with something out of no where and I'll just love it so I'll write something to it. It really all depends on my mood; some nights I'm just not in the mood to write so it makes it difficult for me. Other nights I could start writing 2-3 songs out of no where. Writing for me comes in random intervals. I try not to force it so I get the best result I can."

indie now: What's in the near future musically for Nick Glover?/Are we going to see a record soon?
Nick Glover: "At the moment I'm recording my new album or maybe EP. I haven't really decided where to go with it yet. It's going to be called "A Road Too Steep"...but there's no set release date. I have a few August shows coming up though. There's one at the Thornton Arms on the 7th of August and another at Isabella's Chocolate Cafe on the 21st."

indie now: Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
Nick Glover: "Right when I read this question I instantly though of Metric's "Gimme Sympathy" haha. I'd definitely have to say The Beatles. I was raised listening to the Beatles and they've always been one of my inspirations. I remember the first time I heard "Eleanor Rigby" I fell in love with their music."

If you want to get a good idea of who Nick is and don't have a lot of time to listen to all of his tunes, I suggest you listen to "The Letter" on his MySpace or Facebook. Easily my favorite song. You can find Nick on MySpace, Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. His link on the left brings you to his Facebook which has links to all of the above.

The Rural Alberta Advantage: Hometowns

Quite typical, but absolutely fantastic, Rootsy Canadian Indie Rock is the only way I can describe this band/album. I know this blog is supposed to feature indie bands from Toronto but after listening to what Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole, and Nils Edenloff of The Rural Alberta Advantage put in to their first full-length album (Hometowns) I could not stick to the norm.

Hometowns, released July 7, 2009, keeps your feet tapping and head bopping through it's entirety, thanks to the constant and catchy drumming, captivating lyrics, and addicting melodies. I kind of want to sit around a camp fire and listen to these tunes...it's just that kind of vibe.

If you're cheap, and you'd like to give your ears a little taste of what I'm talking about, just pan your eyes over to the left and click on The Rural Alberta Advantage. The link will take you to their MySpace where you can sample two of the songs from Hometowns. If you're reading this on Facebook, log on to indienow.blogspot.com and click the freaking link.

If you're like me, and still enjoy headin' to the record store (can you even call HMV a record store?.....i didn't think so)...ahem....if you still enjoy going to an entertainment store then you can pick up the most recent offering from HMV for $14.99 - TOTALLY worth it!

OR, come check them out with me July 30, 2009 at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto! For a list of other dates around North America you can find them on MySpace.

Let me know what you think!

Blind Witness, Cedardale, and more @ The Reverb!

Thursday May 14, We Got The Movement presents: Blind Witness, Oxford Street Montage, Destain, Cedardale, Your Last Sunrise, and Of Soldiers and Saints at the Reverb. (651 Queen St. West, Toronto)

Doors are at 6pm and it's only $10! You can't buy tickets in advance, so make sure you get there early enough before they're sold out!

Blind Witness, and more, at the Reverb on May 14 - you DO NOT want to miss this show!

Title Track Recordz and Machine Gun Dolly!

Machine Gun Dolly, a punk rock band from Ottawa, has recently signed on with independent label Title Track Recordz.

The three-piece band, consisting of guitarist and singer Johnny Duflicker, Jesse Strokes on bass guitar and Mac Simpson on percussion, have recorded 15 brand new songs that will all be featured on their upcoming release with Title Track Recordz. The album, entitled Nuclear Generation, is set to be released this summer. (When I know the date, you'll be the first...well second...or wait....fourth to know!)

The band has flat out said that this album, which has been two years in the making, is a masterpiece. That's a lot to back up, but if you ask me, the three boys from Ottawa are not messing around.

They'll be promoting the release in the coming months with a slew of shows in Ottawa and the GTA, along with the release of their music video for the single One Shot, One Kill. (I will definitely be keeping you up-to-date with shows)

The band recorded Nuclear Generation with brand new equipment and are very eager to let their fans hear the quality of their new tracks. Machine Gun Dolly has always been true to staying original in terms of their sound, and this album is nothing short of original.

Stay tuned, as I learn more about this exciting news from Title Track Recordz! For now, check out the left panel for your TTR and Machine Gun Dolly fix!

Tired of Ticketmaster?

As most of you may know, Ticketmaster blows goats. Period. If you're looking for tickets to independent artist shows, Ticketmaster is not the place to go..neither is TicketWeb, whatever, same crap.

If you're looking for tickets to shows for indie artists and some bigger name artists check out Rotate This! They have tickets that Ticketmaster would never even think of selling, because Ticketmaster wouldn't know a good thing if it smacked them in the face. Rotate This! service charges are only %10 of the base ticket price, rounded down to the nearest $0.50, and will never exceed $3.00. The service charge is NOT refundable but if a show is cancelled they will replace those tickets with tickets to another show and waive the service charge. The only catch is, you cannot purchase the tickets online; you have to go down to 801 Queen Street W. in Toronto and visit their shop to purchase any ticket. I'd walk from Sault St. Marie to buy a ticket from Rotate This! before purchasing another ticket off of Ticketmaster - Cheaper service charges, better tickets, and not Ticketmaster/TicketWeb, how can you go wrong?

Not only do they sell tickets, they sell new released vinyl (Cd's too) from indie bands from Canada, U.S.A, England, and all around the world. Genre wise, they sell anything and everything (minus classical and nu-country).

They even stock used vinyl, although it's tough to keep it around for very long, they have it. If you've got some old vinyl kickin' around, feel free to bring it by their shop and they'll give you some dollars for them.

So if you're interested in buying some tickets to an upcoming indie show, NXNE, Edgefest, or looking to purchase some fresh vinyl, stop by Rotate This! at 801 Queen Street West in Toronto. Their link is on the left side of this blog, cheeecck itt!

The Perpetrators

Another great band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Perpetrators bring their rocky blues with a hint of punk n' country, or as they say, "Blues for people who hate blues," to the Eaglewood Folk Festival, which takes place August 28, 29, and 30, 2009. I have never seen them live, but I am definitely looking forward to this year, as I have heard very good things about these boys - no matter the venue and no matter the number of people, they'll put on the best show they can for whoever's there.

Check them out at the link for them on the left under indie artists

The Undesirables - quite desirable

For the past four years I've been going to the Eaglewood Folk Festival in Pefferlaw, Ontario, to experience the best in independent folk music. The one band that stood out to me the most was The Undesirables. Completely independent, The Undesirables are made up of Corin Raymond on lead vocals and Sean Cotton on guitar and harmony. Their songs are very mellow but so very powerful that they get you groovin' with them with the first track on their album. Check out their website, listed on the left side of this blog, under indie artists.

If you're interested in the Eaglewood Folk Festival their website is also listed on the left side, but under indie biz.