Jingle Bell Rock With Metric

10/28/08 2:35pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

The holidays are quickly approaching, and Metric, Tokyo Police Club, The Dears, Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains and DJ Mike Relm are teaming up to give you a musical present (whether it be for Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chrismukkah, Festivus or anything else) in the form of a six-city Canadian tour slated for mid-December.

The Jingle Bell Rock Tour (which Metric are calling the "Help, I'm Alive" tour) will include an indoor retail village (with elves or Maccabees behind the merch tables?) that aims to make the shows seem like they're outdoor festivals.

The tour will benefit organizations that help get youth off the streets — including Covenant House, the Youth Emergency Shelter Society, The Back Door, MacDonald Youth Services and Big Brothers/Big Sisters Saskatoon. Tickets for the shows go on sale on Nov. 1 through Ticketmaster.

The performances will offer a chance to hear new Metric material from their still untitled next album, according to a message on the band's website. They're also offering fans a free download of "Help, I'm Alive," a track they say should appear on the new record, along with another bonus track. They've also posted a video that explains the album's writing process.

"We are looking at release dates in the early part of next year and want to get it out to you all as soon as possible," the band wrote.

"It's been an especially intense experience for us making this record. We know it's been a long time coming, and the four of us want to thank you for your patience from the bottom of our bottomless hearts."

Get your Jingle Bell Rocks off here:

Dec. 13 Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
Dec. 15 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
Dec. 16 Saskatoon, SK @ Prairieland Park
Dec. 17 Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Centre
Dec. 19 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
Dec. 21 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre