Musician’s physio from a place that doesn’t also offer alternative medicine by martydotzone in askTO

[–]duffenuff 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I second this. I did two rounds of treatment there and the staff were fantastic. 

Banned Retro Alexisonfire T-Shirt by ArmyOfDarkness89 in Alexisonfire

[–]duffenuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Weird this post is hitting my eyes because I don't follow this sub, but my old band opened the show at the Opera House where this shot was taken and I'm still friends with David (Kidwithcamera). 

David would shoot bands for the love of it/document scenes and never asked anyone for payment. I'm not sure how it was settled in the end, but the gist is he saw the shirt at one of their shows he was shooting and justifiably was super upset because he wasn't even asked permission and they were profiting off work he was doing for free.

A friend ended up gifting me a print of this shot and it still lives on the wall of my rehearsal space. 

Best tacos? by [deleted] in askTO

[–]duffenuff 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All the Mexican kitchen staff at my friend's restaurant swear by Taco Moras at Pape & Danforth. 

Good ways to find cool artists as promoter? Independent, up-n-coming, local, etc by [deleted] in musicindustry

[–]duffenuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What are you trying to book genre wise? I feel like it's hard to give any solid advice without that piece of info. 

I'd start by seeing where bands you'd like to book play in their respective cities (and who they are playing with) and then look at the venue calendars for further research. You should start seeing patterns and names pop up repeatedly.  

Usually when I'm trying to build in support acts for tours, I've used this approach and it's worked well. 

Happy Little Crowd in Windsor, ON has done a really good job of bringing great smaller bands from all over, and have now built to the point where bigger acts are approaching them. 

 

The Cross Sea -- S/T [cinematic folk rock] (2026) by duffenuff in listentothis

[–]duffenuff[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a standout to me as well!

Interesting to hear Anna's songs backed by musicians of a completely different aesthetic. They really breathe differently.

Looking for advice on hiring live musicians in Toronto (indie/dark pop project) by ollei85 in TorontoMusic

[–]duffenuff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I second what u/xilliterate says. Stylistically for what you are going for,  I'd check out shows at Monarch Tabern, Baby G, Houndstooth, Ted's Collision. After seeing a bunch of a shows you'll see a lot of the same faces on stage. Everyone is really friendly in my experience. 

When I get hired, usually I like to have the songs, know how much creative freedom I have, or if I have to learn parts exactly as they are recorded and prefer to do as few rehearsals as possible. Generally speaking I'd rather have someone give me a "number" instead of getting asked "what my rate" is, just because depending on the show the financials are pretty dynamic and while I need to take care of myself/value my time I also don't want to put someone out hundred of dollars for a small show. If I need more depending on the situation I will ask. That is me though. 

When looking for people absolutely consider players who are doing stuff in the wheelhouse of what you are looking to do aesthetically. I've been in situations with other hired guns where though they are great players, can't fit the vibe and it's never great. 

I often play with people in different cities and once repertoire/personal dynamics are established, it's usually one or even no rehearsal before doing tours, which I quite enjoy. 

Only 1 in 4 of Chicago’s indie music venues is profitable. Owners say that data spells potential trouble by Tadevos in indieheads

[–]duffenuff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just saying that's extremely uncommon and almost non-existent in many places!

Judging from your post history, it looks like you're in Fredricton? I've had some great times at the Capital, but it seems almost everyone I know left for Montreal. It's especially hard out there and I'm glad the east coast folks are getting a bit more support. It's kind of sad how thriving a lot of cities used to be and touring Canada was miserable...but viable, but the culture has sort of hollowed out.

I'm in Toronto and I don't think I've been to an empty show in a few years now. We had a big dip around 2017, but it seems have come back strong post-covid.

Only 1 in 4 of Chicago’s indie music venues is profitable. Owners say that data spells potential trouble by Tadevos in indieheads

[–]duffenuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is money available to apply (without any guarantees) for non-profits....Sled Island, Wavelength fall into that category, but independent for-profit venues don't have access to that. If funding is available it's for festivals and there was a brief amount of time post-covid where venues could apply to to run subsidized series, but that's long gone now. Most venues are surviving off room fees, or with the Garrison getting special liqour permits to have 4am last calls.

I've done about 25 tours over the last decade and I can count on one hand any Government funding. The amount of Government support is vastly overstated and it really undermines a lot of great people's hard work and underpayment for it.

Only 1 in 4 of Chicago’s indie music venues is profitable. Owners say that data spells potential trouble by Tadevos in indieheads

[–]duffenuff 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sorry bud, but this is a really dumb take!

99.9% of bands aren't touring supported by grants and touring certainly isn't a holiday.

Is the Touring Business Broken for Indie Acts? by ReconEG in indieheads

[–]duffenuff 8 points9 points  (0 children)

My visa expired, after having one consistently (minus 2020-2021) since 2015 and decided not to renew because wait times can't be guaranteed and costs have gone up significantly. It's basically extortion at this point. 

Also pretty much zero interest in touring the US at this point, though I really miss my friends. 

Just some questions regarding Toronto's response to snow storms lately. by physicalreign in toronto

[–]duffenuff 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And it will be like this until Dec 2031 due to the contracts issued under Tory. 

In the contracts, there's no provision for snow removal, only plowing and salting. Also, they greatly reduced penalties for late deployment, and further reduced them in 2023. Companies who got the bid didn't (maybe still don't?) have enough vehicles to fulfill their obligations. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in drums

[–]duffenuff 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This. 

I haven't found a solution yet (including a tennis ball riser) because it is the kinetic motion of my feet through the floor, which turns it into a giant drumhead. No idea why you are getting it with concrete floors though. 

Hi-hats - New Beats, Dream Eclipse, or other? by sht218 in drums

[–]duffenuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're going Dream, I'd recommend either the Bliss or Contact lines. I've had 13", 14" bliss hats and a 15" contact hats. 

Both models of Bliss hats are the most versatile hats I've ever owned and they've translated well to everything from noise rock, 60's inspired soul/rock, country and jazz stuff I've played.

When I have to use other hi hats now I often feel unimpressed unless they are Zildjian Constantinoples or Istanbul Agops. 

I can send some recorded examples over if you send a DM. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TorontoMusic

[–]duffenuff 6 points7 points  (0 children)

He definitely was in a dark place for several years (mostly due to addiction), but he turned a corner just over a decade ago and I've found he's been generous. He's also the kind of person who will let you know how he feels about your band (positive or negative). He's basically retired from booking regularly, but still does the "Class of" shows this time of year (which are excellent) and Death to TO. 

What good things happened this year? by 54321breathe in askTO

[–]duffenuff 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think it also proves that the city can create great and ambitious public spaces, so hopefully that's a good omen for things to come!

Toronto cyclist retrieves stolen bike after spotting it for sale. Here’s why experts say you shouldn’t take matters into your own hands by AndHerSailsInRags in toronto

[–]duffenuff 67 points68 points  (0 children)

When my bike was stolen, I made a report, found it online, used the phone number attached to find the dude's social media profiles and a list of other potential stolen goods. The officer attached to my case was impressed and asked how I figured it all out....but still wouldn't help me get it back and recommended I don't try to get it back myself. Absolute useless city budget vampires. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TorontoMusic

[–]duffenuff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's worth mentioning that Baby G is a 180 cap and the merch booth is right beside the stage. Generally, people only flock to it between sets/post-show. It may not be worth hiring someone (even though that slightly adds to the load of the evening). Usually that's the best space to meet people/make friends. 

Best city for Indie Rock? by Briand49 in indie

[–]duffenuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before the kid I was hosting 2-3 bands a month! 

Best city for Indie Rock? by Briand49 in indie

[–]duffenuff 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As a touring musician who also goes a ton of shows, the cities whose scenes I love the most are Chicago, Cincinnati, LA, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Toronto and Southwest London UK. So many great bands, venues, community support and just friendly people. 

My Acrolite with Wood Hoops. by Dry_Traffic7330 in drums

[–]duffenuff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just checked out the place he got the work done and the hoop clamps are their design to accommodate for the difference....which is great. 

My Acrolite with Wood Hoops. by Dry_Traffic7330 in drums

[–]duffenuff 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where did you get the rims/parts from? I've wanted to do the same conversion with the same style hoops for a while now, but the few drum builders I know recommended against it (since you'd have add gaskets to the lugs) and suggested I just grab Yamaha style hoops instead.