Summer in the Cities: Joni Mitchell & Anvil

Our Summer in the Cities tour rolls into Toronto, where streetcars hum past glass towers, lake breezes slip between neighborhoods, and the music feels as cosmopolitan as it is stubbornly local. From jazz‑brushed confessions to molten metal anthems, Don and Dude drop the needle on two records that channel Toronto’s coffeehouse introspection, blue‑collar grit, and noisy club‑scene swagger into city‑sized sound.

The Albums

Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark (1974)

Court and Spark finds Joni Mitchell parlaying her Yorkville folk‑club roots into an elegant, jazz‑tinged song cycle about love, freedom, and the emotional static of city life. Short stories set in parties, hotel rooms, and Hollywood offices unfold over sophisticated chords and glassy arrangements, turning a Toronto‑born songwriter’s gaze on fame, romance, and the uneasy balance between independence and connection.

Anvil – Metal on Metal (1982)

Metal on Metal captures Toronto’s early‑80s metal underground in all its sweaty, denim‑and‑leather glory, as Anvil welds booming riffs, proto‑thrash speed, and monster‑movie mayhem into a raw, no‑nonsense statement of heavy‑metal faith. Recorded in their hometown just as traditional metal was mutating into something faster and meaner, the album plays like a beer‑soaked club set where double‑kick drums, shout‑along hooks, and cult‑movie nerdery collide.

Diggin’ Albums

Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane (2026)

Late‑career pop from a songwriting legend, revisiting post‑war Liverpool memories with warm, Beatles‑y melodies and polished, nostalgic storytelling.

Neil Young – After the Gold Rush (1970)

Classic Laurel Canyon‑era folk rock that marries fragile ballads and ragged guitar workouts in a reflective set about love, conscience, and a changing world.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby – Irreversible (2026)

Modern guitar pop where crooner vocals, retro romance, and road‑tested indie rock tunes meet in a sleek, heartfelt package.

Old Crow Medicine Show – Union Made (2026)

Lively string‑band Americana that salutes work, community, and country‑wide stories with fiddle‑powered sing‑alongs and a loaded guest list.

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"...Full of life and motion, bustle, business and improvement. The streets are well paved and lighted with gas the houses are large and good the shops excellent.” - Charles Dickens