The Audio Recording Academy of Toronto (TARA) & Aux TV announce Part 1 of Secret Sessions @ TARA. Every Saturday beginning June 6th to August 29th, the public will be invited to the cozy Queen East TARA Toronto hang out for a special performance from your favorite bands.
<p>
The Secret Sessions are open to the public – so come and join us in person every Saturday at 5:00pm!
Stay tuned to our podcast – we will be giving you the recordings from each session!
visit www.secretsesssionstara.com for more info!
Though you will probably never catch these two bands sharing a bill again, Arietta’s folky post punk and Gravity Wave’s electro dance came to TARA for a secret session, and it was great fun!
Arietta, who have just released their new album Migration, played a ton of new songs at TARA. The 6 piece band incorporated tons of harmonies, guitars, and clap-a-longs into their acoustic renditions of their normally rock and roll cuts. One of their songs “Northern” particularly stood out with its way-too-catchy chorus and extremely honest lyrical content. The whole set was a chilled out and humbling affair, as Arietta led us through a sea of emotions alongside their memorable songs. Visit the band’s Myspace and download the session below!
Fuzzy Logic Recording artist Gravity Wave is a performer of many types! He went back and forth between acoustic guitar romps and electronic dance ragers. Visually the event was anything but boring, costume changes and choreographed dance routines took over the small TARA space! Musically, Gravity Wave offers forth diverse theatrical tunes that are catchy and fun, yet thoughtful and honest! Download the session below and check out Gravity Wave on Myspace.
Barrie, Ontario’s Final Thought usually play loud and raging rock pop. Today front man Dustin Dopsa took us to the roots of his heartfelt songs. Proving his vocal range is nothing to joke around about, this young and talented songwriter spilled it all. Final Thought will be touring around Toronto and Winnipeg over the next few months so be sure to check out them out! Download the session below and visit them on Myspace!
Windsor’s Michou have a really delicate way of writing songs. What start as flimsy acoustic ballads turn in to full out pop orchestra’s by the time the band is through. AT TARA they played a number of tunes of their forthcoming album. Trumpets, keys, and clap-a-longs included! Check out the band on Myspace and be sure to download the session below.
Two of Toronto’s finest indie rock bands played their acoustic sessions at TARA a few weekends ago. Clothes Make the Man with their edgy garage-rock melodies, broke a few hearts with their sonically perfect vocal blending. Much different then their severely amped up and intoxicating live incarnation, it was great to see them in a different light. And as the truly talented musicians they are, their songs translated wonderfully! Download the session below and check out the band on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/clothesmaketheman
New Last Gang signee’s The Framework, have a sound that’s huge in a Coldplay-esque manner. They stuffed their monstrous songs into our cozy small studio and managed to sound completely comfortable! Pianos cascading off of dark and catchy lyrics, the songs really came to life at TARA. Playing mostly cuts of their newly released album… if you haven’t heard of the Framework just yet, rest assured you will very soon. Download the session below or check out their Myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/songsintheframework
The Artist Life brought everything they got last weekend for the Secret Sessions @ TARA. It wasn’t their usual pop-punk act but it’s a new thing they’re really into. Want me to explain? Their last EP “Let’s Start A Riot” was such a success to the band, they decided to re-release it all accoustically and name it “Let’s Start A Campfire” A great idea and their skills showed through! Download the sessions right now for free! Subscribe To The Secret Sessions @ TARA Podcast
This week we had the pleasure of having Brampton’s Black Hat Brigade play Secret Sessions @ TARA. The session wasn’t their normal modestly loud and invigorating live set that has created a buzz for them in Central Ontario – but their lyrics and multi-musician skills still dropped our jaws. They’re in the works of putting together their first Eastcoast tour! Download their acoustic session below for free! AND check out the AUX TV video coverage! Subscribe To The Secret Sessions @ TARA Podcast
AUX TV in part with the Audio Recording Academy of Toronto (TARA) announces Part Two of the series Secret Sessions @ TARA. Every Saturday for the summer the public is invited to the cozy Queen East TARA Toronto hang out for a special intimate acoustic session with a number of artists. The sessions are all ages and open to the public for FREE. Each session will start at 5pm unless otherwise indicated. We have decided to expand the sessions for part 2 and have more than one session every Saturday. The line up is announced below. Sessions are recorded by the TARA students and available for free download. Past sessions with The Ghost is Dancing, Great Bloomers, Oh No Forest Fires, Josh Reichmann, Barzin, and more are available for download here: http://www.secretsessionstara.com. The sessions are also available on iTunes in a podcast. AUX TV provides exclusive coverage of the sessions and feature interviews and footage each week. Videos from past sessions can be viewed here: http://www.aux.tv/secretsessions.
PART TWO
August 1
THE FRAMEWORK
CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN
August 8
FINAL THOUGHT
MICHOU
August 15
THE JUNCTION
THE MOST SERENE REPUBLIC
August 22
GRAVITY WAVE
ARIETTA
August 29 (**Session starts at 8pm. 19+)
THE BOOKS ELUSIVE
THE BALCONIES
MODERNBOYS MODERNGIRLS
Weewerk recording artist, Barzin, brought his folky soft melodies to TARA last weekend. Akin to great Canadians like Hayden or Jason Collett, Barzin really has a way with words and a sound that’s just as refreshing. His full band was in tow, including an accordion player, an occasional lapsteel, stand-up bass, and more. Stay tuned for the video footage from AUX! Below download the audio, plop it on your iPod, and listen intently! Subscribe To The Secret Sessions @ TARA Podcast
Last weekend we had the pleasure of having 3 members of Toronto band, Oh No Forest Fires come hang out at TARA. Yes, the band that is often known for their blistering live shows, filled with spastic guitar wailing and triumphant group sing-a-longs…. yes the band that is often referred to as “guitarded”… well guess what, they can strip down too! And pleasantly well! Underneath all the distortion and fuzz of a live show, are some extremely well written pop songs. Front man Rajiv Thavanathan played them with his eyes closed. Their set featured acoustic versions of tunes off their 2008 debut EP, The War on Geometry, and they threw some new tracks in to the mix as well. Their set was entertaining from beginning to end! Download the session below, AUX TV footage coming soon, and visit the band on Myspace here! Subscribe To The Secret Sessions @ TARA Podcast
To celebrate the annual return of North by Northeast Festival, we invited 3 NXNE performers into TARA on a rainy afternoon to record their live sessions. Holler, Wild Rose! started off the afternoon with their home baked folk. The room was dead silent as the New Jersey band stripped down (instrumentally of course) and played some of their most honest songs. More info on the band here or download the session below!
Next up were Toronto up and comers, the Paint Movement. With their new album, Our Eurythmy, out now on Nevado Records – the band played their chilled out jazzy indie rock saxophones and all! This band is a band to see live. Though the recordings hint at how magical a their live set is we highly encourage you experience it for yourself. Visit the band on myspace here or download the session below!
Last but certainly not least, was mister Josh Reichmann and his all-star backing band. Rock and roll at its edgiest and most melodic, Reichmann played tons of new cuts off his new Paper Bag Records release. Well known for his integral former musical roles in the Toronto music community (leading Jewish Legends) the seasoned musician played a tight and dymanic set of songs. For more info on him click here or download the session below! ya!
Hot off the heels of their new cbc approved release, Speak of Trouble, The Great Bloomers played the second session @ TARA. Their home baked folk rock, in the same vein as Wilco or the Band, rings true in acoustic form. The band will be touring across the country later this summer. Download their acoustic session below! FOR FREE! AUX TV video coverage is also below! And some great photos of the session by Ryan O’Shaughnessy.
Remember to catch tomorrow’s NXNE Session @ TARA with Holler, Wild Rose!, The Paint Movement, and Josh Reichmann! Starts at 3:30pm. All ages and free to the public!
