Hey there! Sorry I fell off the blogging bandwagon there for a second! Things got hectic!

But good news, I’m back and also we have a new AB website in the works for you that will be so blogged-out you won’t know what to do with yourself.

Speaking of which, in this blog post I get really hippy about over analyzing how people are receiving information these days. Here goes…

How many times have you caught yourself face to face with a colleague/client/friend talking about something and telling them to “email it to me”. “Yeah, just Facebook it to me,” or, “Just put that in a email please.” I fall into it all the time.

Shouldn’t we just really be saying, “I don’t want to try and remember what you’re saying”?
“I don’t like the sound of your voice, just deliver this in text”?
“I don’t care enough to actually have a conversation with you and remember this in 4 seconds”?
“I have too many other emails coming in on my blackberry that I can’t even hear what you’re saying to me”?

Probably.

I have fallen in to this habit and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Heavily relying on digital delivery instead of human interaction is the common thing to do. In fact, going as far as evading human interaction and translating it into digital is the norm. I realized that this might not be the best thing for my business a few months ago and have tried aggressively to reverse this. It occurred to me that when I’m talking to my clients or staff they want to hear from me. Not me inside their computer screen. They want feedback, they want me to show I care and am interested, they want to bounce ideas back and forth. These interactions almost seem foreign in this day and age where we’ll quickly choose email over a call or meeting.

Well I’m going to take a stand. I want people to know when they tell me something I AM going to remember because I DO care. This is hard though. My response? Email it to myself. I do this anywhere from 50-100 times a day. Sending myself small tidbits of things to remember or ideas. It works though. When I sit at my desk I actually put these things in to action.

But it leads to another issue. Whenever I am around human beings and we are making plans and hanging out and discussing things I am sending myself notes on my little blackberry screen to my larger desktop screen. It’s not a big deal because most of the people I’m around have their face buried in their little screens themselves. We barely look at each others faces anymore, we’d rather look at our small silly screens in our hands.

Now why do we prefer this message of communication so much more than speaking one on one?

It could be our obsession with control. On a email or text you can decide whether or not to answer, you can research something before you reply, you can fake it when you don’t know what to say… Now that’s security. Email/texting has given us the security that being a real life human being dealing with another real life human being never left room for. God forbid someone were to turn to you and ask you a question you totally didn’t understand or you didn’t want to answer. Then you would have to say “I don’t want to answer that question” or something even more awkward.

Some might say it is a matter of efficiency, but don’t let them fool you. Let’s break it down with a anecdote from my youth:

Sari: “Hey Mom, can I borrow the car on Friday?” (4 seconds)
Mom: “You’ll have to email me about it Sari” (3 seconds)
Sari: sits down and sends email (10 seconds)
Sari: “Hey Mom, did you get my email about  borrowing the car tomorrow?”  (5 seconds)
Mom: “Oh did you send it? Can you forward it again?” (3 seconds)
Sari: forwards email (2 seconds)
Mom: replies (3 seconds)
= 30 second exchange spanned over 4 days.

vs the alternative:

Sari: “Hey Mom, can I borrow the car on Friday?” (4 seconds)
Mom: “Yep” (1 second)
= 5 second exchange spanned over 5 seconds

Another reason why we might be obsessed with emails is because we always want to have a paper trail. You never know when you might need proof from some contents in an email that you are in the right. If everything is on paper you can always prove someone wrong. This also means that the slim-sters out there have learned that not emailing something and making deals over the phone or face to face will benefit them hugely because if you don’t have an email to prove the deal was made then it must not have been. Here say now holds no weight, only emails can be trusted.

If we trained our brains to retain information I think we would be truly surprised at how much they could hold. Instead we treat them like babies (our brains) and rely only on the several screens we have surrounding our day to day life. Now, I’m no hippy, I understand how important these screens are to aspects of my life and everyone I love’s… but I think somewhere along the way we let them actually become us and we stopped knowing how to talk to people. And I miss talking to people and relying on my brain to remember things.

We’re just waltzing around with small screens by our side at all times to remind us who to be and what to say. When we actually do have to talk to people (I’m sure there won’t be much of that in 200 years from now) we are staring at our screens the whole time anyhow. When we’re at concerts, on the subway, everywhere…  Soon our screens will meet up for lunch and go out for coffee dates with each other.

Now this leads me to my next concern. If we’re all so screen obsessed are we enjoying where we are? Are we seeing the small beauties of our hometowns? Are we paying attention to the art and the people around us? Probably not as much as we used to. Will this result in people caring less or only working hard at projects they can filter through screens to be delivered effectively to people. Well, it’s already happening. If it’s not digital, it’s not profitable.

In the workplace, it’s common that you work with people daily and you’ve never even seen their face in real life. Of course you’ve seen their Facebook profile pics but you’ve never seen them smile. You would call these people your work buds or acquaintances but wouldn’t recognize them if you were standing beside them in a line up. That’s some huge disconnect. You can sit alone in a room all day staring a screen and feel like the most popular person in the world thanks to social media. Are you the most popular in the world though? Probably yes. We’re at a crossroads where people who used to be called popular because they actually knew a lot of people are replaced by people who actually don’t KNOW that many people, except for on twitter.

So we see how this affects our work relationships but what about our romantic ones? They’re not off the web. Most of them live in cell phone text message conversations. We’ve all been there… daring-ly texting at 4am the things you didn’t have the balls to say in person. Can you fully fall for someone after just texting and IMing them a lot? Probably. You could probably have a whole relationship without ever meeting. Well you would need to have sex.

Which brings me to my final conclusion…
Thank god for sex. Sex is the only thing you can’t do via digital screens (at least not properly). So we’ll always have that, I hope.

So there we have it, we are turning in to our computers. How do you feel about it? Okay? Not so Okay? leave your comments below friends!

Thank you for reading!
- Sari

**TO READ SARI’S OTHER BLOG POSTS CLICK HERE

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s amazing how much love is going around today! And we’ll continue to dish it out tomorrow, next week, and well through the years so stay close to us!

We think Valentine’s Day should be celebrated because it’s the one day of the year we actually stop and think about all the beauty and wonder in the world. We’re surrounded by such inspiring art and music everyday that we deserve to admire it once in a while! Enjoy Yourselves Today! You’ve earned it!

We’re having a great 2012 so far, and we want to share some upcoming good times with all of you! We’ve got some amazing plans for this month and the year as a whole, so keep your eyes on us - you’ll be glad you did.

First off, if you like free music, then stroll down to one of your favourite local coffee shops and pick yourself up a free download card from Audio Blood. The pick of the month is Ben Caplan & the Casual Smokers and you don’t want to miss out. He is making appearances all over including Canadinan Music Week, as well as a show at South By Southwest. If you love his music, then be excited because he is playing every Wednesday in Kensington Market at Supermarket for all of February (well only 2 more Wednesday’s left! Check him out! http://bencaplan.ca/

For more info on the Coffee Shop Project, and a list of participating coffee shops, visit our site here: http://csp.audioblood.com

This month is a big deal for another of our great bands: The Balconies. They have a fresh new video of their single Kill Count in anticipation to their EP to be released February 28th, 2012 via Coalition/Warner. It’s an amazing mess of raw Rock’n’Roll. Watch the video here. The Balconies will also be making appearances in Canadian Music Week and South by Southwest, as well as Edgefest 2012!

Photo by: Courtney Lee Yip

Check out The Balconies on their website for news on tour, music, art and media. http://thebalconies.ca!

We are working closely with Canadian Music Week and we are happy that many of our artists will be featured as part of the impressive festival line up! Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers, The Archives, The Balconies, Carleton Stone, Gabrielle Papillon, Brett Caswell, JF Robitaille, Hands & Teeth, The Love Machine, Revelstoke, Sandman Viper Command, and The Stanfields are our artists performing at CMW. You can see all the artists and get a festival pass at: http://cmw.net

Now that Hands & Teeth have released their LP Hunting Season, they’re getting ready perform at Austin’s SXSW Music Festival and Canadian Music Week in their hometown. Be sure to catch them in March and catch their new tunes! http://handsandteeth.com

Don’t forget! EdgeFest is also sneaking up on us! The line up is mega stellar! http://edgefesttoronto.ca!

Thanks for reading friends! Until next month!
- #TeamAB

@audiobloodmedia

Located at the corner of College St. and Bathurst St. Sneaky Dee’s has been a cultural staple of downtown Toronto for more than 20 years. Shrouded in music history, the likes of Broken Social Scene and The Arcade Fire have graced the stage with their presence upstairs while fans, locals, and not-so-locals have packed graffiti-splattered booths below. Hot off the tails of the announcement of their signature hot sauce line now available for purchase, (your choice of Cayenne, Jalapeno, Habanero or Chipotle for only $5 a bottle), Sneaky Dee’s is pleased to be offering Daiya cheese as vegan-friendly option to their devoted clientele.

With more options and diversity than ever before Sneaky Dee’s menu has a little something for everyone. Vegan items are highlighted below but remember any item on the menu can be altered to include Daiya cheese for no additional cost.

VEGAN MENU ITEMS
Guacamole Con Fritas - homemade guacamole served with a large basket of chips
Avocado Spring Rolls - pico de gallo, jalapenos & avocado
Vegan Nachos - salsa, onion, mixed peppers, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce & jalapenos
Vegan Tofu Scramble (Saturday & Sunday Brunch - served to 4pm)
Vegetable Fajitas
Veggie Burger - served with fries or salad
Veggie Tofu Wrap - guacamole, onions, tofu, cucumber, tomato, lettuce & roja salsa
Black Bean, Guacamole & Tofu Wrap

For all media inquires kate@audioblood.com

The ever-talented singer-songwriter Charlotte Cornfield isn’t one to let a few months of cold, snow and rain turn her away from life on the highway. Cornfield will set out on an extensive Canadian tour following her trip to South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas and will perform in Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown in March (http://hadestown.com/). She’ll join Rose Cousins, The Weather Station, The Wooden Sky and others on this cross-country ramble. And, this week she’ll be performing a surprise set at the Supermarket in Toronto on Wednesday night!

Cornfield is combating the winter blahs these days with “Charlotte on Demand,” a weekly songwriting challenge. Every week she takes fans’ suggestions on Facbeook and writes a new song. Check out the results at http://facebook.com/cornfieldmusic and http://youtube.com/charlottecornfield. And keep sending your ideas - share your experiences, favourite tunes, or even whistle a melody to Charlotte online.

On the drumming side, Charlotte’s all-female jazz quartet, TAKK, released its debut album in November (you can stream the album here http://takkmusic.bandcamp.com/). In the coming months Charlotte will be touring with TAKK, as well as backing Halifax troubadour Ben Caplan at South By Southwest Music Festival and appearing regularly on the kit with Richard King Rigby (Lake of Stew), The F in Fresh and her own side project Charred Cardboard, among others.

Cornfield released her stunning debut LP Two Horses in October 2011. Media have sung her praises across the country. RoverArts.com said, “This is one of the richest collections of contemporary folk songs out there, featuring commanding arrangements and lyrics that sparkle with the perspective of a young woman who has grown wiser, sharper and more confident with age and experience.” The McGill Daily wrote, “Cornfield’s raw musical talents are varied and authentic: a unique voice, proficiency on too many instruments to mention, and an undeniable skill for songwriting.”

WATCH Charlotte Cornfield’s new video for “All of the Pretty Mistakes”:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7dl5lf6aP8

TOUR DATES
Feb. 10 @ Il Motore, MONTREAL
Feb. 15 @ The Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 29 @ Casa Del Popola, MONTREAL
Mar. 5 @ La Sala Rossa, MONTREAL (w/ The Wooden Sky)
Mar. 14 - 18 @ SXSW, AUSTIN, TX
Mar. 21 @ The Arden Theatre, EDMONTON AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 22 @ The Arden Theatre, EDMONTON AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 23 @ The Esplanade, MEDECINE HAT AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 24 @ The Ironwood, CALGARY AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 25 @ The Banff Centre, BANFF AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 30 @ The Haven Social Club, EDMONTON (w/ Rose Cousins)
Apr. 24 @ Baba’s Lounge, CHARLOTTETOWN (w/ The Weather Station)
Apr. 25 @ Red Herring Pub, ST. ANDREWS, NB (w/ The Weather Station)
Apr. 26 @ Plan B, MONCTON
Apr. 27 @ The Company House, HALIFAX
Apr. 28 @ Wilser’s Lounge, FREDERICTON (w/ The Weather Station)
May 4 @ The Ship Inn, ST. JOHN’S, NFLD

LINKS
 http://charlottecornfield.com

htttp://facebook.com/cornfieldmusic

Even though the days are still short and chillier than we’d like, here at AB, we try to keep everyone singing and dancing and keeping warm by having our clients rocking out all over Canada!

After playing all over Ontario in January, Ben Caplan is setting up shop in Toronto for residency at Supermarket during February - catch him every Wednesday! Then he’ll head home to the east coast for a few gigs before packing up and making the journey to South By Southwest and Canadian Music Week in March. The Balconies are gearing up to release their Kill Count LP February 28th and have a ton of dates announced, including in the Maritimes, in Texas for South By Southwest and in Toronto for Canadian Music Week!

Charlotte Cornfield is spreading the love in Montreal with some solo dates, then heading out to the West Coast as a part of Hadestown Folk Opera before trekking back out east for some more solo shows! Sandman Viper Command will share the stage with the Inbreds at CMW and a big spring tour is currently being routed! We guarantee that if you head out to your local venue and support any of these bands, they’ll show you a great time in return!

TOUR DATES
The Archives
Feb. 10 @ Homegrown Hamilton, HAMILTON
Feb. 25 @ Horseshoe Tavern, TORONTO (w/ Brett Caswell & The Marquee Rose, Amos the Transparent)

The Balconies
Feb. 9 @ The Historic Red Dog, PETERBOROUGH (w/ U.S.S.)
Feb. 10 @ The Blind Duck Pub, MISSISSAUGA (Rock for a Breast Fundraiser)
Feb. 11 @ Casbah, COLLINGWOOD, ON
Feb. 16 @ Jimmy Jazz, GUELPH
Feb. 18 @ The Sanctuary, RIDGEWAY, ON
Feb. 21 @ Casbah Lounge, HAMILTON
Feb. 29 @ Seahorse Tavern, HALIFAX (w/ The Town Heroes)
Mar. 1 @ Plan B, MONCTON (w/ The Town Heroes and Ben Caplan)
Mar. 2 @ Hunter’s Ale House, CHARLOTTETOWN (w/ The Town Heroes)
Mar. 3 @ Governor’s Pub, SYDNEY, NS (w/ The Town Heroes)
Mar. 8 @ The APK Live, LONDON **NOT CONFIRMED YET
Mar. 9 @ The Mansion, KINGSTON
Mar. 15 @ The 512, AUSTIN (**SXSW Let’s Get Messy Day Party)
Mar. 16 @ Trinity Hall, AUSTIN (**SXSW Showcase)
Mar. 21-24 @ CMW, TORONTO (dates TBA)
Jul. 14 @ Edgefest (Downsview Park), TORONTO

Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers
Feb. 15 @ Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 16 @ The Spill, PETERBOROUGH (w/ Amos the Transparent)
Feb. 18 @ Ritual, OTTAWA (w/ Amos the Transparent)
Feb. 22 @ Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 23 @ Maxwells, WATERLOO (w/ Amos The Transparent)
Feb. 27 @ Casa Del Popolo, MONTREAL ( W/ Amos The Transparent)
Mar. 1 @ Plan B, MONCTON (w/ The Balconies)
Mar. 2 @ Red Herring, SAINT ANDREW, NB
Mar. 3 @ Red Herring, SAINT ANDREW, NB
Mar. 9 @ Seahorse Tavern, HALIFAX
Mar. 10 @ Capital Complex, FREDERICTON
Mar. 22 @ Sneaky Dee’s, TORONTO (*AB CMW Showcase)
Mar. 23 @ Sneaky Dee’s, TORONTO (*ECMA CMW Day Party)
Mar. 24 @ TIFEM, Toronto (*CMW In-store)

Brett Caswell
Feb. 25 @ Horseshoe Tavern, TORONTO

Carleton Stone
Feb. 9 @ Lee’s Palace, TORONTO (w/ Emma-Lee)
Feb. 10 @ Calgary Folk Club, CALGARY (w/ Rawlins Cross)
Feb. 11 @ Fesival Place Theatre, SHERWOOD PARK, AB (w/ Rawlins Cross)
Feb. 12 @ Banff Centre Theatre, BANFF (w/Rawlins Cross)
Mar. 23 @ Sneaky Dee’s, TORONTO (*ECMA CMW Day Party)

Charlotte Cornfield
Feb. 10 @ Il Motore, MONTREAL
Feb. 15 @ The Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 29 @ Casa Del Popola, MONTREAL
Mar. 5 @ La Sala Rossa, MONTREAL (w/ The Wooden Sky)
Mar. 17 @ SXSW, AUSTIN TX (w/ Ben Caplan)
Mar. 21 @ The Arden Theatre, EDMONTON AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 22 @ The Arden Theatre, EDMONTON AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 23 @ The Esplanade, MEDECINE HAT AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 24 @ The Ironwood, CALGARY AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 25 @ The Banff Centre, BANFF AB (w/ Hadestown Folk Opera)
Mar. 30 @ The Haven Social Club, EDMONTON (w/ Rose Cousins)
Apr. 24 @ Baba’s Lounge, CHARLOTTETOWN (w/ The Weather Station)
Apr. 25 @ Red Herring Pub, ST. ANDREWS, NB (w/ The Weather Station)
Apr. 26 @ Plan B, MONCTON
Apr. 27 @ The Company House, HALIFAX
Apr. 28 @ Wilser’s Lounge, FREDERICTON (w/ The Weather Station)
May 4 @ The Ship Inn, ST. JOHN’S, NFLD

Gabrielle Papillon
Feb. 15 @ The Company House, HALIFAX (w/Ria Mae, Matthew Hornell & Morgan MacDonald)
Mar. 5 @ Grumpy’s Bar, MONTREAL
Mar. 21-24 @ CMW 2012, TORONTO

Gentlemen Husbands
Feb. 16 @ The Venue, PETERBOROUGH, ON (w/ Arkells)
Feb. 25 @ Mod Club, TORONTO (w/ MONA)

Hands & Teeth
Feb. 14 @ The Garrison, TORONTO (w/ Veronica Falls)
Mar. 10-20 @ TBA, AUSTIN (SXSW)
Mar. 22 @ Sneaky Dee’s, TORONTO (*AB CMW Showcase)

JF Robitaille
Mar. 22 @ Sneaky Dee’s, TORONTO (*AB CMW Showcase)

The Love Machine
Mar. 20 @ Horseshoe Tavern, TORONTO (*Pre-CMW Free show)
Mar. 22 @ Sneaky Dee’s, TORONTO (*AB CMW Showcase)

Sandman Viper Command
Feb. 15 @ The Mansion, KINGSTON (w/ Amos the Transparent)
Mar. 24 @ Lee’s Palace, TORONTO (*CMW Showcase w/ The Inbreds)

The Stanfields
Feb. 24 @ Hunter’s Alehouse, CHARLOTTETOWN
Feb. 25 @ Hunter’s Alehouse, CHARLOTTETOWN
Mar. 10 @ The Seahorse, HALIFAX
Mar. 20 @ The Montreal House, PETERBOROUGH
Mar. 21 @ London Music Hall, LONDON (w/ The Trews)
Mar. 22 @ London Music Hall, LONDON (w/ The Trews)
Mar. 23 @ Club Vinyl, GUELPH

*For all media inquiries please contact kate@audioblood.com // 416.703.9703

The band will spend 11 days on the road, beginning with a show at Peterborough’s Historic Red Dog before playing The Blind Duck in Mississauga as part of the “Rock for a Breast” fundraiser in support of funding breast cancer research. Subsequent dates will see them in Hamilton, Halifax and Moncton. Charlottetown and Sydney, NS will be the last East Coast stops of the tour before The Balconies return to Ontario for a show at Kingston’s The Mansion.

The Kill Count EP will drop on February 28th. Offering 5 tracks of The Balconies’ special brand of high-energy rock and roll, Kill Count promises to be a crowd-pleaser for the band’s veteran fans, as well as creating a veritable army of newcomers.

The year may have just begun, but The Balconies are making the most of the time. They’ve earned rave reviews for their live shows, including appearances at Pop Montreal, NXNE and more. They’ve opened for the likes of Juliette Lewis, Land of Talk and Sloan, and Kill Count’s title track has been voted one of Sirius XM’s “Best Songs of 2011”. Add what will no doubt be fantastic appearances at both SXSW and CMW into the mix, and it’s clear that The Balconies are going to be a musical force to contend with in the coming months. Tour dates and material links below.

DOWNLOAD Kill Count EP (*for media use only):

http://audioblood.com/donotshare/killcount.zip

WATCH official music video for The Balconies’ “Kill Count”:

http://bit.ly/xtsHxM

DOWNLOAD Hi res promo photo and media materials:

http://www.audiobloodmedia.com/pr/the-balconies/

*Photo Credit to Courtney Lee Yip

TOUR DATES
Feb. 9 @ Historic Red Dog, PETERBOROUGH (w/ USS)
Feb. 10 @ The Blind Duck Pub, MISSISSAUGA (Rock for a Breast Fundraiser)
Feb. 11 @ Casbah, COLLINGWOOD
Feb. 16 @ Jimmy Jazz, GUELPH
Feb. 18 @ The Sanctuary, RIDGEWAY, ON
Feb. 21 @ The Casbah, HAMILTON
Feb. 29 @ Seahorse Tavern, HALIFAX (w/ The Town Heroes)
Mar. 1 @ Plan B, MONCTON (w/ The Town Heroes and Ben Caplan)
Mar. 2 @ Hunter’s Ale House, CHARLOTTETOWN (w/ The Town Heroes)
Mar. 3 @ Governor’s Pub, SYDNEY, NS (w/ The Town Heroes)
Mar. 9 @ The Mansion, KINGSTON
Mar. 15 @ The 512, AUSTIN (**Let’s Get Messy Day Party)
Mar. 16 @ Trinity Hall, AUSTIN (**SXSW Showcase)
Mar. 21 - 25 @ Canadian Music Week, Details TBA
Jul. 14 @ Downsview Park, TORONTO (**Edgefest)

LINKS

http://thebalconies.ca

http://facebook.com/thebalconies

http://twitter.com/thebalconies

With the year now in full swing, opening your inbox to find free music from Audio Blood will hopefully brighten up your day; We’re happy to announce Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers as the Coffee Shop Project Pick of the Month for February! Get your free download here!

Currently making his way around Ontario with upcoming dates in Ottawa, Peterborough, Waterloo, and more - Caplan his Toronto every Wednesday in February at the Supermarket in Kensington Market (right across the street from CSP shop: Cafe Pamenar) starting tonight! After his time in Ontario, Caplan will tour the Maritimes, head south to play in Austin at South by Southwest Festival, return to Canada for Canadian Music Week, and then head over for extensive European touring, including a stop at The Great Escape festival in Brighton. For full tour dates visit Ben’s website here.

Caplan’s music is a mellifluous taste of folk and blues, earthly from the east and arranged with a youthful, classical thunder of his own, you can now download 3 songs off Ben Caplan’s latest LP In the Time of the Great Remembering this month: “Beautiful”, “Seed of Love”, and “Down to the River.” See Caplan performing “Down to the River” for Live in Bellwoods here.

Be sure to visit one of our participating locations to pick up a Ben Caplan collectors card and visit http://csp.audioblood.com to redeem your free CSP download.

Participating Coffee Shops:
- Lit Espresso Bar (810 College St., Toronto)
- Lit Espresso Bar (221 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto) http://www.litespressobar.com
- Jimmy’s Coffee (107 Portland St., Toronto) http://www.jimmyscoffee.ca
- Saving Gigi (859 Bloor St. W, Toronto) http://www.blogto.com/cafes/savinggigi
- Capital Espresso (1349 Queen St. W, Toronto) http://www.blogto.com/cafes/captial-espresso-toronto
- Cafe Pamenar (307 Augusta Ave., Toronto) http://cafepamenar.ca/
- Ideal Coffee (84 Nassau St., Toronto)
- Ideal Coffee (162 Ossington Ave., Toronto) http://www.idealcoffees.com
- Niche Coffee and Tea Company (626 Queen St. W, Toronto) http://www.nichecoffee.com
- White Squirrel Coffee (907 Queen St. W, Toronto) http://www.whitesquirrelcoffee.com
- Bisogno Espresso Bar (61 Sherbourne St. Toronto) http://twitter.com/bisognoespress
- 7th Sister Bakery (53 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seventh-Sister-Bakery/123396704390513
- Tequila Bookworm (512 Queen St. W, Toronto) http://www.tequilabookworm.com/

As the Coffee Shop Project continues to grow, we’re hoping to pick up fresh ears all across the country! Share the #CoffeeShopProject link with your friends, and don’t forget to tweet @AudioBloodMedia your #CoffeeShopProject experience!

Links

http://csp.audioblood.com
http://audioblood.com
 http://bencaplan.ca

* All CSP graphic design and branding by http://anthonymenecola.com

Thank you for reading and support your indie coffee shops!

- Team AB

Before taking off to Europe for a 3 month-long tour, Caplan will return to Canadian soil to woo audiences at Canadian Music Week and the East Coast Music Awards. This is just the beginning of a very jammed 2012 for this up and coming musician. And to think, he only left his Halifax home for his very first tour at the beginning of 2011. In one year he released his debut album to great critical acclaim, toured internationally, and received offers to perform at major music festivals.

At the tail end of 2011, Caplan performed “Seed of Love” for ToroMagazine’s GarageBand video sessions. The result is an engaging and compelling performance showcasing Caplan’s honest and inspiring songwriting in a natural light. Watch the live video here: http://bit.ly/zM4Gpz

Caplan’s stage show is almost reminiscent of a burly and bearded Freddy Mercury; a raging, strong, and exploratory songwriter, it’s the blues in his soul, and the heart in your chest pounding as one that makes him an unmissable act.

NOW Toronto recently reviewed, “Ben Caplan is an East Coast singer/songwriter with a storyteller’s pen, a flair for the dramatic and a talented Gypsy-influenced team called the Casual Smokers. His theatrical lyrics, barroom arrangements and bushy, unkempt beard practically beg for descriptors like “gruff,” “raw” and “bourbon-soaked.” The Western Gazette wrote, “Flawlessly mixing banjo, clarinets, violins, beards and vocals into a smoother shot of Canadian Whiskey than ever before, Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers premier album In the Time of the Great Remembering is a shot of refreshing material.”

WATCH Ben Caplan perform “Seed of Love” for ToroMagazine:
 http://bit.ly/zM4Gpz

TOUR DATES

Jan. 29 @ Van Gogh’s Ear, GUELPH (w/ Ladies of the Canyon & Heartbroken)
Jan. 31 @ The Casbah Lounge, HAMILTON
Feb. 1 @ Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 8 @ Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 15 @ Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 16 @ The Spill, PETERBOROUGH (w/ Amos the Transparent)
Feb. 18 @ Ritual, OTTAWA (w/ Amos the Transparent)
Feb.22 @ Supermarket, TORONTO
Feb. 23 @ Maxwell’sl, WATERLOO (w/ Amos the Transparent)
Feb. 27 @ Casa Del Popolo, MONTREAL (w/ Amos the Transparent)
Mar. 1 @ Plan B, MONCTON (w/ Robyn Dell’Unto, The Balconies)
Mar. 2 @ Red Herring, SAINT ANDREW (w/ Robyn Dell’Unto)
Mar. 3 @ Red Herring, SAINT ANDREW (w/ Robyn Dell’Unto)
Mar. 9 @ Seahorse Tavern, HALIFAX
Mar. 11 @ Ted Talk, HALIFAX
*more dates and details for SXSW and CMW performances to be announced here.

LINKS
www.bencaplan.ca
www.facebook.com/Thecasualsmokers
 www.twitter.com/bencaplanmusic