WESTBOUND TRAIN. On Saturday, Laura & I leave for Vancouver, riding the rails for three and a half days while we play some music for the folks and possibly solve a murder. I think that’s how it works… We’ll be playing two shows in Vancouver: Wed May 29 at Cafe Deux Soleils (2096 Commercial Dr, Vancouver) with Sheree Plett and Pitre. Music at 8pm, tickets $5-$10 (sliding scale) at the door. More details here. Thu May 30 at The Main (4210 Main St, Vancouver) Music at 10pm, no cover. More details here. And then heading back home to Toronto the…    read more.

Winter is lovely, but spring is the thing, and with that in mind I would like to introduce an idea that we’ve been batting around here at Young Novelists HQ. We’re going to start telling folks about the music we’re listening to, bands we’ve played with, bands we love, and we’re going to start today. Without further ado, let me introduce: THE BAND OF THE WEEK: Rachael Cardiello. The first installment is apropos because Rachael and her band are releasing an album this Thursday (at the Tranzac) titled “Warm Electric Winter”. Laura & I had a chance to play a…    read more.

From classical and jazz to pop, we pick our favourite Toronto concerts every month. This May, Jill Barber plays Massey Hall, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique is at Roy Thomson and Randy Bachman takes over the Wychwood Barns with The Sadies and Melanie Fiona. Graydon James and the Young Novelists Maybe there’s something in the water, but Toronto has a weird ability to keep producing unerringly classy country-rock bands who know their way around four-part harmonies and Gretsch hollow-body guitars. James and friends have been together for four years, releasing In the Year You Were Born, their first proper album, last fall….    read more.

In case you hadn’t heard, I’ve been working hard to make the band name slightly less ironic. That means: I’ve finally finished my first full-on novel, “The Mall of Small Frustrations”, and it’s now out in the world! I’m a young novelist…if you consider that the median age for novelists is 53. The book launch is less than two weeks away at Hugh’s Room on Thursday, May 2nd! Call (416-531-6604) and get tickets now, make a dinner reservation, and join us for a night of literature, folk music, and tea. For those who can’t make it to Hugh’s Room for…    read more.

Remember taking road trips back in the days before portable DVD players? I went on a family trip to the east coast when I was twelve. We went for two weeks. I believe I brought about a dozen books. My parents got mad at me and my brother for missing all the beautiful scenery. What can I tell you, we were full-on book-loving nerds. Well this time, Laura & I are heading to the east coast and it will be slightly more surreal, because the books we will be bringing along are books that I wrote! By this Thursday (March…    read more.

Stock up on 5-Hour Energy and plot the best route between venues, because Canadian Music Week is underway. Graydon James & The Young Novelists The Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Avenue) Tuesday, 12 a.m. Graydon James and his The Young Novelists bandmate Laura Spink spent last month playing an intimate weekly residency at the Cameron House. For tonight’s showcase set, the roots-rock and folk band is back at full strength, playing songs off of last year’s In the Year You Were Born. Go if: You want to see one of Toronto’s best live roots-rock outfits, in one of the city’s best…    read more.

What disparate and random acts of creative whatchamacallit are we working on these days? Graydon has been putting the finishing touches on his novel, titled “The Mall of Small Frustrations”, which will be launched at Hugh’s Room on Thursday May 2nd! The night will be hosted by David Newland and will feature a songwriter-in-the-round with Ron Hawkins, Stephen Stanley, and Andrea Ramolo as well as a performance by the now-ironically-named band in one of the best listening rooms in the country.  We’re very excited about this show, and hope that you’ll be able to join us! But before that happens,…    read more.

Starting on Monday February 11th, Graydon and Laura will be playing the front room of the Cameron House as a duo every Monday in February at 10pm as a prelude to their upcoming east coast tour in April and VIA Rail west coast tour in May. They’ll be joined by special guests Shawna Caspi (Feb 11th), Joel Battle (Feb 18th), and Scoop Trumbull & the Wrong Notes (Feb 25th). Check out the Facebook event here!

We’re excited to be playing as part of the The Big Smoke Music Festival on Thursday January 24th at 9pm.   It’s a three day music festival happening at Tallboys – Craft Beer House (838 bloor St W, just East of Ossington) in Toronto, and it features some pretty great bands like Sorry Ok Yes, DIANA, Moon King, Harlan Pepper, Omhouse, Paula Perri, Delta Will and Kira May.  For $5 you can drink beer from very tall cans and listen to good music.  I can think of worse ways to spend an evening.  The music starts at 8pm every night, so…    read more.

The only way 2012 could have been better is if we had played a concert on Mars.  What a year!  We traveled to the east coast a couple of times, made many new friends, recorded and released an album, played more shows, grew funkadelic mustaches, and also managed to play with a few of our musical idols (check out a great review and photos from our December Horseshoe show with the Lowest of the Low!).  The only reason any of that was possible was due to the fact that real, live human beings give a sweet crap about indie music.  That’s you!  And we are mightily…    read more.