Spacemen 3's Will Carruthers To Curate Toronto Music Festival And Compilation

Psych Pop From Toronto

Will Carruthers was the bassist in Spacemen 3 and early era Spiritualized, and has most recently been touring in the Brian Jonestown Massacre along with the Spacemen 3 offshoot group Spectrum. Carruthers lived in Toronto for much of 2006, a point where he saw and met many of the musicians on this compilation while the scene was in its most embryonic stages. As Spacemen 3 and the BJM are two common influences on many of the bands on the compilation, it seemed only natural for Carruthers to select the tracks.

Launched by Robert and Richard Gibson in 2008, Optical Sounds works as a collective ‘label’ which is more underpinned by friendships than business - there’s no office, employees, or business plan and the emphasis has been more on live parties than releases. Its activities are centred around a ‘community’ of bands with The Embassy Bar in Toronto’s Kensington Market area acting as a social hub for the 14 groups on the compilation.

We’re celebrating with a 2-night showcase at The Silver Dollar Room in Toronto on November 8th and 9th.

Click here for festival details!

Psych Pop From Toronto: The Compilation
Presented by Optical Sounds

A snapshot of the city’s "under the radar" indie/psych/shoegaze scene with a tracklist selected by Will Carruthers (Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, Brian Jonestown Massacre). The compilation pulls together groups who self release their material under the Optical Sounds banner along with other acts in the city who gig regularly with them. 

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