Toronto Brings The Rock For New Year's

For some, New Year's Eve is a time to reflect on another year past and spend time with friends and loved ones. For others, it's an excuse to get tanked, mack on members of the opposite and/or same sex, and generally act like a complete ass without recourse.

Since most ChartAttack readers fall into the latter category, let us be your guide to greatest and grizzliest live music options for NYE 2006 in Toronto. There's never a shortage of choice in the megacity, and this year's slate of events is no exception.

For the masses, the annual outdoor event at Nathan Phillips Square is always a popular choice. Dubbed "Canada's New Years Eve Bash," the event features free music, free skating and chapped flesh aplenty. The twerps from Hedley will bring the rock along side Keshia Chante and the man called George (the po-faced Canadian R&B crooner, not the jackass U.S. prez). Dina Pugliese and Husein Madhavji from Star!Daily host. Admission is free.

For the slightly more refined palate, alt.country stalwarts The Sadies play their semi-regular New Year's Eve slot at the Horseshoe Tavern. The boys are celebrating an impressive year that saw them gig locally with The Band's Garth Hudson, Jon Spencer, Neko Case and a slew of others, so get there early and hope that the Good brothers bring along some friends. The Ride Theory open. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

Continuing in the down-home vein, Jon-Rae Fletcher and his backing band, The River, will pack Lee's Palace with singalong favourites and assorted sub-gospel revelry. The Kisses and Horsey Craze (a.k.a. Constantines' incognito Neil Young cover band) share the bill. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

If you'd prefer to be in an angst-fuelled rage when midnight hits this year, may we suggest punk snarlers Protest The Hero at the Bovine Sex Club. This might be your last chance to see these guys in a pint-sized venue, so you'll want to jump on this one if you're looking to excise your remaining 2006 aggression. Tickets are $12 in advance and supposedly come with party favours and champagne at midnight. Considering these will be Bovine "surprises," we're assuming they'll be Jagermeister shots, latex party hats and herpes.

The lumpy Mexican wrestler types in the Tijuana Bibles bring their surf rock stylings to the Gladstone Hotel for an event called Gladstone Ay Carumba! The Skin Tight Outta Sight brigade will be getting fresh with a live burlesque review, and a beast named Diamondback Annie is also slated to appear. Tickets are $30 in advance or $40 at the door.

For $10, you can see Ninja High School and No Dynamics at some place called Jugz Billiards, while The Social has scored a big coup in international superstar DJ and M.I.A. collaborator Diplo. That party is a paltry $60.

And last (and quite possibly least), Red Zeppelin will be playing Clinton's. For a mere $10, you'll be able to watch in awe as this female-fronted Zep cover band finger their way through "Stairway To Heaven" and other golden greats. My apartment is a few doors down from the venue if this starts to suck or you need a place to crash.