In a city that hosts ACL and South by Southwest, it's easy for smaller, more genre-targeted festivals to get overlooked. Not that people aren't taking notice of Chaos in Tejas, though. This year's iteration of the punk/hardcore/noise festival is its seventh, and features more bands than ever before swarming into the Red River district. Timmy Hefner has curated the festival's strongest lineup yet, replete with big names in the scene from across the globe. more ›

Attendees who caught the California band Crystal Antlers at Fun Fun Fun Fest this year were privy to something weird and special. Loud but comforting, the band's engaging set was one of the weekend's most wacked-out. more ›

Charged with the bittersweet task of christening the orange stage at Fun Fun Fun Fest, The Laughing - whom many still remember as a band with a fetish/fondness for plush toys and neon - did their best to disabuse audiences of that recollection, playing up beat-based compositions lacking in either face paint or saxophone. The band is sharper this metamorphosis around, with a heavy emphasis on drums. more ›

After the dreary, drizzling Thursday, day two dawned sunny and beautiful in Toronto. Having missed the explosive rock of Austin's Ume the previous evening due to a schedule conflict, we made it a point to catch the trio's taping for a few blogs at some very interesting locations near the intersection of Spadina Ave. and College St. First up, the band performed a couple of songs in the basketball court of a nearby school, eventually amassed a crowd full of enthusiastic kids very eager to learn more about what was going on. "Who do you work for?" quipped one inquisitive girl. Another brought her guitar down to the court and started mimicking Lauren Larson's guitar chords. The boys were content in teasing their female classmates but eventually garnered enough courage to join in, dribbling the basketball in unison to the beat. more ›