Day three of TURF brought fans the stylings of a hillbilly jack-of-all-trades five-piece formally known as The Felice Brothers. Switching off on vocal duties and instrument responsibilities, and ranging in sound as a result, The Felice Brothers showed Toronto what a democratic Americana act from Catskills, NY can do to […]
Author: The Ontarion
TURF reviews: Hannah Georgas at Fort York – July 6, 2013
After releasing a self-titled record in 2012 that distanced itself from her previous acoustic work in its pursuit of a more atmospheric synthpop, singer-songwriter Hannah Georgas followed suit at TURF, sticking to her newer material, even if it meant ignoring the inaugural urban roots festival’s designation. Not that it – […]
TURF reviews: Larry and his Flask at Fort York – July 6, 2013
Those who know Larry and his Flask can expect to witness a wild and crazy stage party when they see the band live. Playing adrenaline fueled bluegrass folk music with a gypsy punk ethos, the group is known for members that refuse to stay put; even their drummer refuses […]
TURF reviews: Arkells at Fort York
If you’ve never been to Detroit, the Arkells have. And when they played Toronto Urban Roots Fest on July 5, they brought enough of Motor Town for everyone to share. Closing out the regular portion of their TURF set with the Detroit-referencing “Where U Goin” from their 2011 LP Michigan […]
TURF reviews: Fitz and the Tantrums – July 5, 2012
Filling in the slot just preceding the Arkells’ set, Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick and the Tantrums transported a TURF audience that had so far in the day only been treated to (albeit updated) antique music forms like JD McPherson’s ’50s nodding rockabilly and Justin Townes Earle’s country western music to an […]
TURF reviews: Justin Townes Earle at Fort York – July 5, 2013
Footnoting most of his songs with words of country wisdom (e.g. “Any good country song should be a good blues song,” and “If you can take care of your mama and you don’t, you’re a bastard. Unless she was terrible”), Justin Townes Earle brought his twangy Nashville Americana to a […]
TURF reviews: JD McPherson at Fort York – July 6, 2013
Supplying Toronto Urban Roots Fest with nostalgia-satisfying rock music that turns down the guitar while letting saxophone, upright bass, piano, and percussion take the spotlight, JD McPherson’s band was a reminder of a time when people could call a band rock and say it without summoning images of guitar heads […]
TURF reviews: She & Him at Fort York – July 4, 2013
Zooey Deschanel is still the new girl. What was at first perceived as an innocent request to curb the over-documenting culture that concert-goers have become hyper aware of in recent years soon revealed itself to be a draconian approach to image control when a strict no camera policy demanded by […]
TURF reviews: Joel Plaskett Emergency at Fort York – July 4, 2013
“I was looking forward to playing this in Calgary until it actually happened,” Joel Plaskett told the crowd at TURF while taking a break to introduce his band’s “Natural Disaster.” The song took on a new personal meaning for the singer-songwriter when heavy rainfall and flooding in Calgary forced […]
TURF reviews: Camera Obscura at Fort York – July 4, 2013
“We don’t usually wear sunglasses onstage,” Camera Obscura guitarist Kenny McKeeve told the crowd at TURF amid a break in their July 4 set. “We’re not pretentious, but we’re not used to this; we’re British. Scottish identity crises aside, it is indeed so that the Glasgow twee-poppers have been […]
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The Ontarion publishes independent, student-produced news, opinion, and commentary for University of Guelph students so that they can make informed decisions in their lives. To do this, The Ontarion provides learning opportunities and training in journalism, media production, leadership, board governance, and other aspects of nonprofit news.
The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.