Contest: Santogold/A-Trak/Lets Go To War - THIS WEDNESDAY

Wednesdays get absolutely no more exciting than this one upcoming.  Neither do contests, for the record.  Read on, young lads and lasses.

Philadelphia's Santogold, arguably the title-holder for most emergent artist of 2008 is coming to the Guvernment for her first headlining show in Toronto.  I first saw her at Osheaga in 2007, and have been spinning her s/t debut album constantly since it hit the streets this past April. 

Alongside Ms Gold (actually Ms White) comes Fool's Gold records founder and Kanye's former DJ A-Trak, and local electro-lites Lets Go to War.

In a very kind gesture from the ladies and gents at Live Nation, we've got 5 (yes 5!) pairs of tickets for this eye-popping lineup.  All you have to do is email us with the subject line "this is one Santo-Golden contest!" for your chance to get one of them.  But since the show is so soon, you best get on it.  Contest closes at noon on Wednesday, aka the day of the show.

But, since I'm sure we'll get a serious response and you basically need to be at this one, I won't take it personally if you were to run out to secure your pair just in case.  Last I heard, there were still a handful left at Rotate This and Ticketmaster.  Your $25 plus charges couldn't possibly be better spent.

Because I'm currently very sick of shitty electro remixes (gasp!), here are a couple tracks straight from what is a fantastic album.

Santogold - Say Aha 

Santogold - Shove It (ft Spank Rock) 

Herv & A-Trak ft Cadence Weapon - Roll With the Winners

Contest: Calvin Harris, August 29th - Circa Nightclub, Toronto

All you bright-coloured hipster dance party-types take note, looky here.

One of the UK's biggest producer/DJ names is hitting the decks at Toronto's biggest dance club. The combo of the two is certainly going to result in a party and a half. Though he's not even close to old enough to live up to the claim, Scotland's Calvin Harris, whose 2007 debut album I Created Disco spawned a couple of massive tracks (moreso in the UK), is doing the ultra-hype DJ set thang at Circa nightclub, next Friday, August 29th. Aaaaand, thanks to Sony BMG friends, we've got a pair of tickets to dish out for the event.

If you've been here before, you know the drill: hit us with an email with the subject line "I Created Calvin Harris". Do so prior to noon o' clock on Thursday, August 28th, at which point we'll pick the winners. it's really that simple.

Cut Copy - Hearts on Fire (Calvin Harris Remix)

Dizzee Rascal - Dance Wiv Me (Calvin Harris extended Mix)

- bbbykmbrly.

Contest: TIME festival ft. SOULWAX, A-Trak, others - August 10th, Toronto

This is a whole new kind of Remix Sunday.

I love to dance. With such an admittance, I'm expecting to be in good company this coming Sunday at Toronto's Sunnyside Pavilion at the first-ever TIME Festival. While the event hours are pretty unconventional for an event of its ilk (it's a daytime-to-evening event, starting at 1pm), the lineup may calm the nerves of anyone worrying if this formula can work.

Belgium's Electro fathers SOULWAX (aka 2 many DJs) head a roster that also includes Fool's Gold man-in-charge A-Trak, UK remixer and DJ Erol Alkan, plus a ton of others with heavy local Toronto and Canadian support: Jokers of the Scene (Ottawa), as well as Torontonians Mario J, Fritz Helder & the Phantoms and Nasty Nav, among others.

Courtesy of Embrace, BTA has three pairs of tickets to give away to the electro-fest to three lucky readers. If you're interested, hit us with an email with the subject line "This ain't your gramma's daytime electronic dance fest". Since the festival is this weekend, get your entry in by Saturday, August 9th at 5pm.

Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want (Soulwax Remix)
Kanye West - Stronger (A-Trak Remix)
Thunderheist - Jerk It (Jokers of the Scene Remix)

- bbbykmbrly.

Festival Season: Contest - Osheaga, Aug 3 & 4 - Montreal

Yesterday, Osheaga announced their final lineup additions for their fall festival, happening August 3 & 4th at Parc Jean Drapeau in Montreal. The new heavy hitters are clearly Metric and N.E.R.D., but the new supporting cast is pretty solid in its own right. Sebastien Grainger (of DFA1979 fame) and the Mountains have been added to the lineup, as well as my personal Toronto alt-folk favourites The Wooden Sky.

BTA will be on the grounds covering the entire festival, and we've also got a pair to give away, all courtesy of Gillett. If you'd like to spend your August long weekend in Montreal checking out a slew of fantastic local, Canadian, and International talent, just send us an email with the subject line "Osheaga, son!". Contest closes Sunday, July 20th at Noon.

N.E.R.D. - My Drive Thru (ft Santogold and Julian Casablancas)
The Wooden Sky - Darker Streets Than Mine
Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains - American Names

- bbbykmbrly.

Festival Season - Contest: Roger's Picnic, July 20th - Toronto

It's always been a dream of mine to curate a music festival. Though I haven't yet had the chance, I can't help but think that REMG and Embrace Productions created this year's Roger's Picnic with me in mind. And now, to make matters even better, Embrace is coughing up a pair of passes to the one-day festival to one lucky faithful BTA reader.

Admittedly, I've never been a City & Colour fan, who is the listed headliner in 2008. However, I can look past such things when the rest of the lineup boasts such glory as Cat Power, Chromeo, Tokyo Police Club, Dizzee Rascal, Animal Collective, and others. Despite these draws, the two bands I'm most looking forward to are Vampire Weekend and Born Ruffians, both of whom I wallowed in sorrow when I couldn't snag tickets to their Toronto shows earlier this year.

Vampire Weekend's only Toronto stop to-date was at a packed Horseshoe Tavern; because I couldn't get tickets, I held a wallowing party at my apartment while the show was going on across town for anyone else who was in the same boat as I. It was a bittersweet evening to say the least.

Likewise, Born Ruffians, whose debut LP Red, Yellow, and Blue is taking rank on the "top played" in my iTunes over the past few months, sold out Lee's Palace before I could grab a ticket. To rub it in, the reviews from the show were ridiculously positive.

Needless to say, I shant be missing this valuable opportunity to correct two of my biggest mistakes of 2008 in one shot at Fort York on July 20th. If you, too, want to be checking out all the action, send us an email with the subject line "Roger and Me are going on a Picnic". Do so before Noon on July 18th, as that's when the winner will be chosen.

Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance
Born Ruffians - Little Garcon
Cat Power - Theme From New York, New York

- bbbykmbrly.

Contest: Calexico, July 6th, Mod Club

On behalf of Canadians nation-wide, I want to thank Calexico for running the Canadian festivals gamut this summer with stops at fests in Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Calgary on this, their bazillionth tour during a very lengthy and successful career. The band will be roadtesting material from their upcoming album Carried to Dust, due out in early September.

Apart from the festival frenzy, they'll be making a stop in Toronto at the Mod Club on July 6th, and Le National in Montreal the night after. And, thanks to ATG, we've got a pair of tickets to give away for the Toronto date. To enter, email us before 12 noon on July 5th with the subject line "Carried to Calexico".

Given their reputation as an eclectic and electric live performance, I suspect that this one just may sell out. So get your emails in, kiddies.

Calexico - Sunken Waltz (from 2003's Feast of Wire)

Calexico w/ Iron & Wine - Sixteen, Maybe Less (from 2005's collaborative EP In the Reins)

Calexico - Lucky Dime (from 2006's Garden Ruin)

- bbbykmbrly.

Contest - Times New Viking, July 1st - Horseshoe Tavern

Times New Viking aren't everyone's cup o' tea. But if maintaining your ear drums isn't high on the list of this month's priorities, then I certainly suggest checking the lo-fi three-piece when they come celebrate Canada Day like only a group of Ohians (Ohio-ians?) can, July 1st at the Horseshoe. Their third album (and first with Matador), Rip it Off, came out at the beginning of the year and has a lot of people excited about the return to fuzz rock.

ATG has given us two pairs of tickets to dish out to the boys and girls who read our blog. So send us an email with the subject "Times New Viking are in my head". Do so before noon on June 29th.

I, for one, am particularly anxious to hear what they sound like when they're not recording music as though they're hanging out in cold basement apartment with a tape recorder from 1961.

I suspect it might sound something like these Daytrotter sessions, recorded in May.

Times New Viking - Mean God (Daytrotter Session)
Times New Viking - The Apartment (Daytrotter Session)

- bbbykmbrly.

Contest: Tokyo Police Club w/ Ruby Coast, April 18th - Ottawa

The fact that Tokyo Police Club are BTA's pick for world domination in 2008 should come as a surprise to basically nobody.

Their debut full-length, Elephant Shell, is due out two Tuesdays from now (April 22nd) on Saddle Creek, they're headlining the upcoming Exclaim! spring Canadian tour, selling out venues across the globe, and (perhaps most importantly) they're getting interviewed by the most influential music e-journalists on the globe (again).

On the topic of BTA/TPC synergies, we've got a pair of tickets for the (SOLD OUT!) Ottawa Exclaim! stop, April 18th at Barrymore's. To get 'em, email us with the subject line "it's about damn time you jerks had an Ottawa contest" before noon on April 17th.

The Ottawa and Montreal dates also feature the most exciting new band I've seen in quite some time, aka Aurora's Ruby Coast. Keep glued to BTA in the coming days, as we will be providing a much more formal introduction to these youthful indie-poppers, likely to be your new faves.

In the meantime, do check out the recent interview MF Blaz procured with Greg from the TP Club here.

Tokyo Police Club - Tessellate
Tokyo Police Club - Listen to the Math

-bbbykmbrly.

Contest: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, April 18th - Toronto

Boris Yeltsin spent the nineties building a legacy of corruption, poor economic policy, and an affinity for the wobbly pops.

A decade later, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is building their own reputation; slick, instantly enticing indie pop. Their sophomore album, Pershing, was released this past Tuesday on Polyvinyl and embraces everything that made their 2005 debut, Broom, a sweeping success, all the while tightening up their hooks and surpassing already heightened expectations.

Like any smart, hard-working young band, the Springfield, Missouri quartet has launched a very ambitious North American tour in support of their new disc, which includes stops in the three usual Canadian suspects:

April 18 - Toronto - El Mocambo
April 19 - Montreal - Jupiter Room
May 19 - Vancouver - Media Club

Thanks to ATG, we've got a pair of tickets for the Toronto stop. And, as an added bonus, the kind young men and women at Polyvinyl are throwing in a couple copies of Pershing; one for the winner of the tickets and one for a runner-up. So, if you're not in the Toronto area, don't let that discourage you from entering to get your hands on the disc. Email us with "this someone still loves SSLYBY" in the subject line. And do so before noon on April 17th.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - I Think I Wanna Die
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Boring Fountain

- bbbykmbrly.

photo credit: Colleen Boerner

Contest: Jay Reatard, April 17th - Silver Dollar, Toronto

Jay must be the hardest working Reatard in the game right now.

In the midst of his 7" release spree with Matador records (releasing 6 singles in rapid-fire succession throughout 2008), hyperactive post-punk wunderkind Jay Reatard is also plowing through an insane amount of live shows across North America and the UK.

The first of these super limited edition 7" singles, See/Saw b/w Screaming Hand, is released today, conveniently the day we feel like talking about his upcoming Canadian dates with Montreal's CPC Gangbangs:

16 April - Ottawa - Babylon
17 April - Toronto - Silver Dollar
18 April - Montreal - La Sala Rossa

Thanks to ATG, BTA has a pair of tickets to the Toronto show up for grabs. If you're interested, email us with your contact info with the subject line "I'm the biggest Reatard I know".
Contest closes at 5:00pm on April 16th.

Also, be sure to check out video of a live Jay Reatard performance on the newly launched (and fucking excellent) Pitchfork TV.

Jay Reatard - See/Saw
Jay Reatard - Let it All Go

- bbbykmbrly.

Contest: Fool's Gold Tour (ft: A-Trak, Jokers of the Scene, and others), April 11th

Fool's Gold Records exemplifies exactly how fast music is moving in the internet years. Launched in April of last year by super DJ's A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs, the electro/hip hop/mega party label has already boasted super singles and EPs, thrown killer parties at SXSW and others, and has quickly built a reputation that whatever they touch turns to... well, gold.

To (perhaps inadvertently) mark their 1st anniversary and all the successes that have already come, Fool's Gold is hitting the road with a full roster of beat breakers and party makers. The line-up for the Canadian dates, which includes stops in Montreal, Toronto, and Van-City, boasts a very impressive mix of international and homegrown talent: A-Trak himself, UK club DJ Sinden, Brooklyn mixtape master (and one-half of Certified Bananas) Sammy Bananas, as well as Ottawa heroes Jokers of the Scene and Toronto faves Nacho Lovers, and the promise of surprise special guests.

Good guys A.P.E. have hooked BTA up with a pair of passes for the Toronto version of this certified shit show, April 18th at the State Theatre, 69 Bathurst street. To enter, email us with the subject line "Gimme the Gold!" before noon on April 10th.

The Toronto show already has about 7 zillion people confirmed on its facebook page, so if you want to guarantee admittance, I suggest ticket purchasing immediately. They're $15 early-bird, which is such a steal it rivals that time O.J. Dingo held up your local CIBC at gunpoint.

Jokers of the Scene - Juggle It (William Russell remix)
Count and Sinden - Beeper ft Kid Sister (A-Trak remix)

- bbbykmbrly.

Contest: Dragonette - April 3rd, Toronto

Despite defecting to the UK, Canadian electropop outfit Dragonette obviously have a soft spot for their homeland. Their most recent cross-Canada tour kicks off this evening in sunny Calgary, AB, marking their second extensive excursion of the country in less than 6 months.

Their attentiveness to our home and native land is seemingly paying off, however, as they're up for a Juno for Best New Group on April 6th, also in Calgary. They seem to stand a legitimate chance, too, as the competition in the category is anything but fierce. From a blogosphere perspective (which probably holds negative weight when considering the Juno winners), Dragonette's big tracks "I Get Around" (which has at least a couple palatable-to-excellent remixes), and their gender-swapped Calvin Harris cover "the Boys" put them in a two-horse race with Halifax's Wintersleep.

Just before jetting off to the awards, Dragonette is in Toronto on April 3rd at the Phoenix. And, thanks to our new friends at Emerge Entertainment, we've got a pair of tickets to the show to give away. Simply email us with the subject line "Puff the magic Dragonette", along with your contact info, to enter. Contest closes on April 2nd, at noon.

The bill also boasts two of Toronto's most talked-about acts, Fritz Helder & the Phantoms, and Sweet Thing. Fritz Helder is known for their flashy, keytar-driven live show that they've brought on the road with the likes of Chromeo and others. Sweet Thing is infectious power pop, reminiscent of Queen meets the Killers, whose major label debut (on EMI) is in the works.

Dragonette - I Get Around (Fisher Preyes remix)
Dragonette - The Boys (Calvin Harris cover)

- bbbykmbrly.

CONTEST: Sons and Daughters, March 26 - Toronto

Though it's only March, Scotland's Sons and Daughters' January release this Gift already has numerous writers in the blogosphere ramblin' on about year-end lists. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself (who knows what the future may hold), but I can safely say that it's very very solid.

And, after having spent the past few years opening for the likes of Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Throwing Muses, Editors, and others, the band (which consists of sons - David Gow, Scott Patterson, and daughters - Adele Bethel and Ailidh Lennon) are taking their headlining tour to our side of the pond, including a stop at Lee's Palace on March 26th.

ATG Concerts has hooked us up with two tickets for this show to give to you, our lovely readership. If you want em, email us with the subject "Sons & Daughters & BTA, Oh My!" As always, please include your full name and contact info. Contest closes at noon on March 25th.

Sons and Daughters - Gilt Complex
Sons and Daughters - Goodbye Service

- bbbykmbrly.

Contest: NO SHAME Anniversary - the Winks, XYZ Affair, & Green Go

NO SHAME has spent an entire year bringing some stellar musical entertainment to us very greatful Torontonians. Bands such as Woodhands, Republic of Safety, Plants and Animals, Spiral Beach, Forest City Lovers, Amos the Transparent and trillions of others have rocked the Tiger Bar, and more recently the Drake Hotel thanks to the mysterious girl known to her many fans only as "Lauren Schreiber".

The bands on the bill for the anniversary party, March 21st at the Drake Underground, aptly demonstrate the amount of fun which has become synonymous with the NO SHAME showcases since their birth. Those bands are Montreal's the Winks, Brooklyn's XYZ Affair, and my new favourite band, Guelph's Green Go!

Thanks to the afforementioned Ms Schreiber and her NO SHAME empire, we've got a pair of tickets to give away to one very lucky BTA reader. To enter, send us an email to contact@bridgingtheatlantic.net with "I have absolutely NO SHAME" as the subject line. Please include your full name and contact info. Contest ends Thursday, March 20th at noon o' clock.

As for the show - show up by 8pm. Do not miss Green Go! That's basically an order.

XYZ Affair - All My Friends
the Winks - Ohio

- bbbykmbrly.

MGMT/Yeasayer Ticket Giveaway

Today is an exciting day in BTA land. It marks the first-ever contest that we've hosted, and I personally can't think of a pair of bands that I'd rather be sharing this monumental occasion with than MGMT and Yeasayer.

Thanks to our friends at Red Ink, we've got a pair of tickets for their February 9th show at the El Mocambo in Toronto, as well as a copy of MGMT's debut album, Oracular Spectacular, due out January 22nd in Canada.

This news comes on the same day that MGMT is making their major television debut, performing on David Letterman tonight, January 8th. Tune in and check it out.

So, to enter this inaugural BTA contest, email us with "MGMT/Yeasayer tickets!" in the subject line, and answer the following question: which song did MGMT perform on Letterman? Also include your full name and contact info. We'll be drawing a winner from successful entries on Friday, February 1st.

MGMT - Weekend Wars

Yeasayer - Sunrise


- bbbykmbrly.