Toronto music fans would do well to keep tabs on a few key Twitter accounts in order to stay apprised of the latest that's happening in this city's music scene. Want to keep up to date on shows, gear, record releases and the bowel movements of your favourite musicians? Look no further. Here's a list of 10 Twitter accounts worth following for local music fans. As always, your suggestions are warmly welcomed in the comment section below.
Just Shows: Toronto - @JustShowsTO / Tweets: 582 / Following: 25 / Followers: 1,374
Mark Pesci is a booker at Parts and Labour and the man behind Just Shows — a concert listings site which has now expanded to include Halifax, Vancouver and Montreal. Following both will keep you privy to the latest show announcements, secret shows and more.
@SoundscapesTO / Tweets: 1,799 / Following: 453 / Followers: 5,861
One of the more active Twitter accounts of Toronto record stores, they tweet about contests they're holding, special events, new releases and other news items. They're great about updating their followers on what tickets they've sold out of and how many they have left in stock.
Owen Pallett - @owenpallett
Tweets: 5,142 / Following: 699 / Followers: 71,104
A seemingly limitless talent that goes beyond music, his dark humour permeates his Twitter feed so stylishly it could be a Twitter turned Tumblr turned coffee table book. I'd buy it.
Kevin Drew - @KevinSelection / Tweets: 821 / Following: 3,873 / Followers: 6,626
The former Broken Social Scene member is a Twitter prophet-mystic. He writes vague, poetic (?), sometimes foreboding sentiments interspersed with Toronto musical happenings. Bonus: great picture.
Sebastien Grainger - @sebby_g / Tweets: 5,542 / Following: 285 / Followers: 6,628
Half of DFA1979, he's "been online since the day you were born!" Grainger gets quite personal — lots of dog pictures and talk of BMs. My kinda guy — and maybe yours, too!
Holy Fuck - @holyfuck / Tweets: 2,147 / Following: 2,232 / Followers: 11,359
The gentlemen in Holy Fuck exploit those who don't understand hashtags and mistakenly use @holyfuck rather than #holyfuck to underscore the high drama of their tweets. Hilarity ensues.
Young Lions Music Club - @YoungLionsClub / Tweets: 1,477 / Following: 679 / Followers: 1,167
Get updates on card-carrying member bonuses and other free giveaways. They really do just want you to have fun and their Twitter account just pushes that project. Tune in and get happy.
Paul's Boutique - @paulsboutiqueto / Tweets: 701 / Following: 513 / Followers: 1,036
I don't want to say "gearheads," but I what else do I call them? They use Twitter to announce recently stocked gear and they're very good about answering any questions directed at them. In the middle of Kensington Market, musicians in and out of Toronto — you know, folks like Beach House — know this is the place.
NXNE - @nxnefest / Tweets: 6,040 / Following: 3,017 / Followers: 13,536
Sure, the festival only comes once a year but they keep everyone updated year round re: submissions, NXNE-endorsed shows, Toronto-related music news, etc.
Embrace Presents - @EmbracePresents / Tweets: 4,579 / Following: 395 / Followers: 3,513
Toronto-based promotions company that is probably responsible for bringing a lot of your favourite artists to the city. They're really good with recently announced shows, set times and contests to win tickets.
BONUS
@Drake / Tweets: 1198 / Following: 543 / Followers: 9,181,002
You can thank Drake later for tweeting about how much more fun he has. Sigh.
20 OTHER ACCOUNTS WORTH FOLLOWING
- Rotate This
- Damien Abraham
- Show Gopher
- The Dakota
- Graham Wright
- Alan Cross
- Dine Alone
- Sonic Boom
- Arts and Crafts
- Southern Souls
- Polaris Prize
- CBC Radio 3
- Brendan Canning
- Killbeat
- Collective Concerts
- THUGLIMUSIC
- Exclaim!
- Chart Attack
- Denise Benson
- Frank Yang (Chromewaves)