Besides being an excellent name for a roller derby team, Toronto’s Lipstick Junkies exist solely to blend the yesteryear sound of funk with modern indie rock, all the while soaking it that neon-district downtown vibe. The rhythms are an appealing combination of bouncy, smooth and grooving. As evident in tracks such as Desire and Lighthouse, the melodies are infectious, and the sexual spirit of funk is effectively captured and expressed through the music and lyrics. In an age where traditional genres are becoming more manufactured, The Lipstick Junkies have retained the essence of funk-rock, and have achieved their own genuine sound. In a nutshell, The Lipstick Junkies are a band perfectly suited to the small-club-in-a- big-city environment. If you feel like getting your groove on, you can satisfy those urges by taking in The Lipstick Junkies @ The Cavern Bar on July 30th. – Chris PJ D

Hailing from the Greater Toronto Area, a 6 piece psycadellic-garage-pop-rock band, The Auras. I recently found a copy of their EP2 from 2014 and was thoroughly impressed with their catchy tripped out jingles. Listening to the 5 song EP takes you on a ride through the solar system of your mind. It keeps your attention as much as it makes you completely zone out. More recently they have released another EP alongside singer Tess Parks for the track "I Believe In Everything" and her lazy vocals in this track fits the Auras…aura. You won’t be able to keep up with all the noise action that comes around so beautifully together. If you’re into the whole shoegaze thing you’ll dig the Auras and you can see them LIVE at Lee’s Palace tomorrow opening up for Ringo Deathstarr.                    – Kris ‘Big City’ Gies

You may recognize his voice if you’re familiar with Hamilton’s indie rock heroes Young Rival. Aron D’alesio has released his debut solo material in the form of a 4 song cassette. Much like his work with Young Rival, his tunes have come with some interesting music videos. Most recently released is a video for my personal favorite track on the album "Diamond Ring". Looks like Aron was able to pick apart some scenes from an obscure oldies movie to go along with the sad nature of the song….in love with a girl but she’s wearing a ring…we’ve all been there before. The vibes of the tune are great. Like an oldies AM radio. Peaceful tone with thoughtful lyrics. Watch the video for "Diamond Ring" then you’ll be looking at his other videos right after. Do it. -Kris "Big City" Gies

The Naked Wild is a folk/indie rock band out of Toronto. I think it’s also the website I was watching late last night…but that’s a different story. Their tunes are pretty chilled out but they can fire it up when they have to. They have a bunch of live tunes available for stream on their soundcloud. The first tune I listened to was "Neighbour". The acoustic rhythm guitar gets you in a very campfire like setting. The lead licks over top bring you to the point when your buzz kicks in and you’re ready to drift away. The walking bassline keeps the party going and the drums are thumpin away giving you reason to stomp. So that pretty much sums up most camping trips…in the wild….naked. Canadian folk rock for sure. I’m interested in hearing what they come up with in the studio. The Naked Wild play the Rivoli on July 16th.-Kris "Big City" Gies

Dan Boeckner, shows us there is no stopping him with his latest project Operators. Their latest track “True” is a sleek, synth-pop digital dance track with rousing vocals that will have your body swirling. The official video shows of some sneaky spy moves to this “True” track. See them live tonight 7/9 @ the Garrison.

Perfect by Tearjerker is a shoegaze-ish summer anthem. The beauty and melancholy of the track is evident in every aspect of the song. The circular synth line, floating up and down as the song moves along, combined with the myriad of slow, softly droning instruments all providing a bed that makes time feel like it isn’t moving at all. The spacy, distant vocals put the listener right into the middle of the whole thing, a walk down the beach into the sunset. With so many different little things happening, the song demands repeated listens, feeling just a little bit different with each playthrough. Raising the tension and volume just a hair for the ending, and coming to a relatively abrupt ending, is a fresh feeling on an ambient track. It builds and builds and builds through the whole song, a conversation of something deep and personal that builds until the truth is revealed, and ends on a high note. Every little bit of Perfect is necessary, and feels just that. Perfect. Look for Tearjerker to drop their new album, Stay Wild, July 17th. I certainly can’t wait to get my hands on it. – Cody Wright

The Bends call themselves surfadelic garage rock. Which I say is most excellent. This 5 piece group just released a new EP called "Bikini Grandma" which sounds fun. The first tune "I Don’t Want To Fight" makes me not want to fight, believe it or not. Trippy guitar opens it up and carries the tune along while the bass goes for the odd walk. The vocals remind me of Wayne Petti from Cuff the Duke although the music behind them is quite different. Total Hawaiian party music right here. Heyoo. This EP is just a taste of what you’ll hear from their sophomore album due out sometime this month. So hit up their bandcamp and get used to the lovely sounds of the Bends. It’ll get you mucho excited for their new record. You can also go see em at the Rivoli tonight 7/3! – Kris "Big City" Gies

It’s a gorgeous day in Southern Ontario. So what better way to enjoy then to listen to some new tuneage. Big Frasier is a 4 piece rock outfit based in Toronto. They released their latest album "Tussle" in July 2014. I jammed out to "Love is a Paperback" first. It’s a pretty greasy blues based tune. Solid rhythm laying the foundation for some slippery guitar licks over top. I particularly liked the line about "woman is a danger cat"….paying homage to one of my idol’s Dean Murdoch. So clearly Big Frasier knows how to giver and probably shotguns Pilsners on the reg. There’s definitely some Black Keys/White Stripes influence except they have a bass player. So it’s pretty bad ass to say the least. They’ll be playing Porcelain Records in Hamilton on Saturday July 4th so I suggest you go get good n’ sloppy.- Kris "Big City" Gies

This Barrie four-piece knows how to rock n’ roll ! Fun, honest and good vibes all around, The Alpacas are @ the Horseshoe 7/3. They have a underlining twang and undeniable harmonies that pop, and will have any party going! Check out their new EP “Good Luck” out next week July 10th. Right now we are listening to “Comb My Hair” a heavy track with an entry yell and a loud guitar that frees itself with a “hey” of harmonies that have us singing.

Teen Violence is a really cool power pop group from Kitchener. We got to hear them rockin the Painted Lady for NXNE. I fired up their latest tune "Misery, Let Me Go" and I know for a fact I’ll be singin this greasy pop jingle in my head all day tomorrow. They have popiness like Chris Murphy Sloan songs with some of that garage Andrew Scott Sloan songs mixed in. It could really be from the 60s. I’m actually listening to it again back to back. On tour see them 7/8 @ the Smiling Buddha w/ Kiss Me Deadly.- Kris "Big City" Gies

Soft, Sweet and Sexy Rock n’ Roll- Coyote Black, take claim to "Slop Rock". This Hamilton three piece has stories to tell with a warm inviting vocal and unforgettable musical elements, just like skipping stones over lake Ontario. Describing themselves as music "your mom will love" we couldn’t agree with them more, Coyote Black vibes for all ages. Take a listen to their self titled EP and groove to the opening track "Ocean Black" it makes your body sway with a wholesome vocal, guitars that strum and pluck aromatically to a homegrown whistle. See them tonight @ the Baltimore House with Aukland and Boy With An Atlas. 

Psychedelic pop rock from Halifax, Nova Scotia, that’s  Walrus. Super lo-fi no nonsense chord bangin’ rock. The good stuff! Fresh off an NXNE performance of their own, these fellas are hittin’ the road for the next month goin all the way around the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario and New York. The first tune on their EP "Glam Returns" is called "Banger" which is is through most of it until it drops into a total maxin’ n relaxin’ shoegaze. They have some early Tame Impala influences I’d say. Lucky for us they’re back in Toronto on July 7 at the Burdock.-Kris "Big City" Gies