Update – Page 3 – Dog Is Blue

July 21, 2011July 21, 2011

More Press: Chart Review of Tortoise

Dog Is Blue - Tortoise I can’t stress enough just how proud we are of Tortoise. Thankfully, with good press still coming in, we don’t have to shill too much.

Case in point, Chart Magazine* just posted a positive, informative and constructive (all great “-ives,” in my book) review that digs deep to give a quick glimpse at our humble beginnings, a comparison to our debut album, as well as some points that make Tortoise what they call:

“…a fun, rockin’, tuneful album from a band just finding their groove.”

Check out the full review here and get ready for more news, as we’ve got remixes and music videos on the way as well as some more homemade pedals.

Buy CD and digital from Zunior | Bandcamp | iTunes | emusic

*Chart actually gave us our first piece of press. Back in 2009 they briefly reviewed …Makes Ghost Noises, giving us one of our favourite quotes: “Don’t let the cover fool you into thinking it’s louder than it is.”

June 23, 2011September 5, 2018

Art: Laura’s Portraits on Display

Laura with Facial Hair #3, mixed media on paper
Still full of the warm and fuzzies from our recent CD release party at the Tranzac, we’re basking in some downtime while working on a few secret projects and getting ready to get back on the road.

Laura’s art, meanwhile, having already graced the cover of Tortoise, is in full swing. Her impressive collection of “Men with Facial Hair” is on display at The Only cafe, an awesome East-Toronto hot-spot until the middle of July. This series has also recently been complemented with 3 amazing colour portraits of a moustachioed-Laura (one of which pictured above, in case you thought that was me).

Check it out online or in person and show some love for one of the best emerging portrait artists around.

June 7, 2011June 7, 2011

CD Release Party: The Tranzac June 9 w/Anna Atkinson

Dog is Blue & Anna Atkinson Joint CD Release June 9th Tranzac Toronto We’re back in town after our East Coast tour and it’s about time we gave Tortoise an Official sendoff! It’s an early show, so you can come out, catch out set around 8:30, then still be in bed curled up with a good book and a glass of scotch by 11:30!

Thursday, June 9 / 8pm
The Tranzac (main hall)

Win tickets AND a copy of both Tortoise and Anna Atkinson‘s awesome new album, Mooniture from Snob’s Music!

June 3, 2011June 3, 2011

Listen To Tortoise: Hear the Entire Album on CBC Radio 3

CBC Radio 3 has always shown us some very helpful support. We just got word that “Southern Ontario” has been added to the Radio 3 rotation, so get over there and request it!

Speaking of Radio 3, it’s also currently the only spot you can hear all of Tortoise in its entirety! Take a listen on our page there, then support us by buying the album from one of these fine retailers below:

Buy CD and digital from Zunior | Bandcamp | iTunes | emusic

May 24, 2011May 24, 2011

More Press: The Love for Tortoise Keeps Pouring In

Dog Is Blue By Karol Ozechoswki We’re not shy about being damn proud of Tortoise. That bravado has been given a shot in the arm lately too, as we’ve been flattered by some resoundingly great press. Here are the most recent quotes:

“This Toronto, ON duo deem their sound “garage folk.” Judging by this charming second album, that’s pretty accurate. Their sparse, folk-based material is shot through with enough rock’n’roll energy to keep things from ever getting twee.” – Exclaim!

“…the Toronto duo’s strength lies in taking the musical and vocal stylings of folk and stripping them of their earnestness, replacing it with garage rock’s breezy slackerdom and a well-honed sense of fun.” – Sound On The Sound (Seattle)

“With this record, the two of them have succeeded in creating folk music that stands out in the crowd, which is pretty tough to do. Off hand, I can’t really think of anyone who’s got a similar sound to them, which is really a great thing. The ten songs on Tortoise vary slightly in their style and in the textures utilized, from soft beauties like Laura’s Song, to more rollicking tunes like the title track. As a whole though, the record is one big package of charming music that you’re sure to enjoy.” – Sound Vat

“All in all this album is a fantastic piece of work from start to finish.” – Grayowl Point

Thanks for the support everyone!

Buy CD and digital from Zunior | Bandcamp | iTunes | emusic

May 17, 2011

Buy Our Music: Tortoise Is Officially Released!

Dog Is Blue - Tortoise Our new album is finally out today! We’re really proud of Tortoise and appreciate all your support. Here are a couple quick snippets from around the internet:

“Blending folk tradition and rock embellishments, the duo’s subtle and charming tunes are perfect for relaxed, summer afternoons in the backyard.” – Quick Before It Melts

“They are more than a boy / girl folk duo. Loops, noise, more upbeat melodies and the sage like production of Andy Magoffin make Tortoise surprisingly invigorating and danceable.” – Herohill

Buy CD and digital from Zunior | Bandcamp | iTunes | emusic

If you can’t tell, we’re incredibly excited and appreciate any help spreading the word. Thanks guys!

May 16, 2011May 16, 2011

Tour Update: Paintings, Shows, Rain

The tour is going very well! We’ve played a lot of shows and hung out with some amazing folks. Expect video/audio clips soon!

Also, it’s always fun to see where some of our many dog skull paintings have ended up. The owners of the house where we played/loafted around outside Ottawa last week bought one of the very first paintings a few years ago. It now holds a revered spot in their new home as kitchen art for their cats (not sure if the cats are being scared into eating, or if they just get a kick out of seeing a dog skull…). A couple of wonderful people at that show actually bought the last remaining painting too, so look out for a new batch.

Speaking of animals, we’re currently lazing around Port Greville, Nova Scotia at the home of Construction & Destruction, spending time in the rain amongst the dogs and cats. We’ve been travelling to shows together, which has been very, very helpful. Tonight we’re all at Baba’s in Charlottetown.

Oh, and no big deal or anything, but Tortoise officially comes out tomorrow!

May 10, 2011

Tortoise Is Out: Early Digital Release At Zunior!

Zunior.com is pretty much the best thing going when it comes to independent Canadian music—a volunteer-based online store run by a few music-lovers (including yours truly) dedicated to showcasing the best independent Canadian music. That’s why we’ve chosen to give Zunior an exclusive early release of Tortoise.

Grab an MP3 download of the album here for $8.88 or choose the CD with MP3 option to get the best of both worlds!

Oh, speaking of Tortoise, here’s the first full review of the album from Toronto’s Snobsmusic.net. Woo!

May 1, 2011May 15, 2011

Spring Tour: Eastern Canada Dates for May/June

Dog Is Blue Live at The Central in Toronto on April 2, 2011, photo by karol o. / decipherimages.com With Tortoise almost here (we picked up the finished hard copies this week—they look great!) we’re heading on tour across eastern Canada to spread the word.

Not only that, but we’re lucky to be playing with some great bands like Pat LePoidevin, Construction & Destruction (our recent cover of a song of theirs can be heard here) and Laura Peek!

Check out the dates below and make it out if you can (those of you out west, don’t worry, we’re hoping to make it that way soon too!):

May 6, 2011 – Toronto, ON – The Tranzac w/Pat LePoidevin
May 7, 2011 – Ottawa, ON – House Show (get in touch for details)
May 9, 2011 – Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo w/Pat LePoidevin
May 11, 2011 – Halifax, NS – Gus’ Pub w/Construction & Destruction
May 12, 2011 – Sackville, NB – The Legion w/Pat LePoidevin, Construction & Destruction
May 14, 2011 – Fredericton, NB – Gallery Connexion w/Construction & Destruction
May 16, 2011 – Charlottetown, PEI – Baba’s w/Contsruction & Destruction
May 17, 2011 – Rothesay, NB – The Treehouse w/Jenny Omnichord & Wax Mannequin (get in touch for details)
May 19, 2011 – Peterborough, ON – The Cannery
May 21, 2011 – Courtice, ON – House Show (get in touch for details)
June 3, 2011 – London, ON – Patterson’s Place w/Laura Peek
June 4, 2011 – Ottawa, ON – Raw Sugar w/Laura Peek
June 9, 2011 – Toronto, ON – The Tranzac (back room) w/Anna Atkinson – JOINT CD RELEASE PARTY!

April 13, 2011

Fancy Band Shots: New Press Photos!

A while back we decided it was time to update our band photos. The old ones were great, but it’s been over a year since they were taken and, with the new album coming out next month, we figured some freshening up was in order.

It helps that we can count some very talented photographers amongst our friends, including Karol Orzechowski of Decipherimages.com.

Karol had one stipulation: he would shoot us the way we wanted, as long as we indulged him in a second round of shots as a black metal band (I’ll let you pick which set is which). Suffice to say that we ended up liking the latter the most and had to include them—that’s a real medieval weapon of Laura’s, by the way (she’s full of surprises…)*.

You might recognize the teeth paintings from the Tortoise album cover we posted recently. It’s from a series that Laura was working on. Two of these shots will grace our album art (if you can pick which ones, drop us a line and I’ll give you a prize).

* I wore very poorly chosen footwear for this outing and ended up getting stuck down a hill in the Don Valley. I was left to crawl my way out of the snowy landscape, battle axe in hand. It must have been quite the sight for those potentially watching from their condos…