Browsing Tag

music

98 Degrees is Back!

 

Image Source: MTV
Image Source: MTV

Millennials, rejoice: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, as well as Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons from 98 Degrees are making a comeback!

During their spring/summer tour, the boy band will be joined by New Kids on the Block and Boys II Men. With 12 musicians scheduled to perform, they’ve named the tour The Package, and what a good choice! Looks like it’s time to create another 90s playlist and play it on repeat.

According to Ticketmaster, seats are selling fast for the following Canadian tour dates:

June 4 – Ottawa: Scotiabank Place

June 6 – Montreal: Bell Centre

June 7 – Toronto: Air Canada Centre

July 10 – Vancouver: Rogers Arena

July 28 – Toronto: Air Canada Centre

If you live in Toronto and can’t get tickets to see them at the ACC, perhaps you should make a road trip to Buffalo! They’re playing at the First Niagara Center on August 2, conveniently on a Friday night – perfect for a fun-filled weekend of live music and shopping.

98 Degrees’ first album in over a decade will be released on May 7 – get excited for 2.0!

In the meantime, let’s go back to 2000:

April 26, 2013 by

Behind the Band: Two Hours Traffic

Two Hours Traffic
Some Western students may have missed Two Hours Traffic’s last local concert to attend Homecoming festivities instead. Thankfully, the Canadian band is returning to Call the Office on Tuesday to promote their new album Foolish Blood.

Their latest tour began at the end of February and recently included a stop in Texas for the SXSW festival. No matter where they perform, Liam Corcoran, lead vocalist for Two Hours Traffic, emphasizes he values his eastern Canadian heritage.

“The sound we have is kind of reminiscent of the Halifax pop sound,” Corcoran remarks. “I think between the way we write songs and the way we sound, I think we belong to a kind of family of bands that started out in Halifax. Also, [it seems] we must have an accent, although I don’t really notice it.”

Two Hours Traffic is content living in Prince Edward Island, but Corcoran has his eye on Toronto as his future home. Corcoran admits America’s song-writing capital Nashville, Tennessee is a particularly appealing alternative too.

“We have a lot of friends [in Toronto] and family as well. We know the city really well,” Corcoran says. “I’ve never seriously thought about anywhere other than Toronto, [but] I daydream about a few places.”

Recognizing concerts with major headliners are relatively rare in Canada’s remote areas like the Northwest Territories, Corcoran likes playing there because everyone truly appreciates the opportunity to see them play live.

The band’s catchy hit song “Jezebel” has been featured on many film and television soundtracks, including in episodes of popular teen shows like One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. Eager to interact with fans that discovered them on such TV shows, Corcoran and his fellow band mates tend to hang around the merchandise table after concerts.

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March 15, 2013 by

Favourite Super Bowl Commercials

Like everyone else born in the 90s, I can’t wait to hear the upcoming new releases from the recently reunited Destiny’s Child, but I was unimpressed by Beyonce’s halftime show at tonight’s Super Bowl overall. Was it fun to see “Single Ladies” performed live? Sure, but I’d much rather see Shania or Madonna perform at the annual event again.

Watching the Super Bowl ads and reading my friends’ live tweets sure made me crave a cold drink – specifically a Budweiser beer or Pepsi. I settled for a cold bottled Starbucks’ Frappuccino and browsed YouTube to narrow down my top picks from the 2013 Super Bowl TV spts. Sit back and enjoy!

Oreo – “Whisper Fight”

Only indoor voices are used for a fierce argument about cookies. After the cops come, an Instagram campaign is announced.

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February 3, 2013 by

Urban Outfitters’ Grand Opening in London

After Blockbuster closed its doors, Urban Outfitters seized the opportunity to open its first London, Ontario location. Transforming the former video rental store into an urban shopping paradise required over eight months of construction followed by final touches done by the chain’s visual display team.

Their extensive preparations certainly paid off and district manager Sarah Leising is more than pleased with how the 8,000 square foot space looks now. Eager to see London’s students visit and shop with friends and family, she’s confident that the store’s uniquely “eccentric” environment will make it a hot spot on Richmond Row.

Although Urban Outfitters has grown to become an international chain, Sarah emphasized that they make an ongoing effort to be “culturally relevant,” such as through collaborations with local designers and organizations.

To connect with London’s music lovers, the store is hosting a grand opening party on Thursday February 7. The Elwins, Eternal Summers and Richie Blackz will perform on the second level from 6-8 PM. Get there early!

Sales associate and MIT classmate Stephanie Edwards is excited to work there, knowing that she can be herself and have fun on the job. Her co-worker Monique told me she’s equally jazzed about her part-time job because she likes the store’s alternative vibe and the flexible dress code for employees.

I’ve shopped at Urban Outfitters in Washington, Las Vegas, New York, Montreal and Toronto, so I can attest that Urban Outfitters has a great selection and I’m excited to monitor new arrivals at their London store.

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January 30, 2013 by

iPhone Transition and Recommended Apps

After my last exam of the semester, I took the earliest train to Toronto the next morning, eager to finally pick up a new phone. Though my excitement was interrupted by a transportation-related delay, the shopping experience that followed was unlike any other. I finally got to browse though Yorkdale’s new extension, including Canada’s first Microsoft store, which was great because I’m a PC.

Photo Source: Mashable

Buying a black 16 GB iPhone 5, which’ll be protected by a black OtterBox Defender, was a fantastic way to start my winter break. The case is so mightily thick that my friends have been teasing me about how the phone looks, but having peace of mind makes it worthwhile. During the initial activation of my phone, it was immediately apparent that using it is as intuitive as people say. Once my contacts were transferred from my BlackBerry Tour 9630 (3 years old, with a trackwheel!), I could proudly call myself an iPhone owner.

I’ve had a lot of fun downloading and testing out apps. Here’s a list of 20 apps I recommend, sorted categorically:

Social Networking & Photo: Twitter, Facebook Messenger, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Skype

Entertainment & Music: Flixster (w/ Rotten Tomatoes), GetGlue, Cineplex, Shazam, IMDB

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December 30, 2012 by