There's plenty to do around town this weekend, kids. With the weather sunny in the high 20's, it's got "last weekend of the summer, catch it while you can" written all over it. Friday night my #1 Wavelength-recommended pick is the EP release party for Tusks, a band with innumerable WL connections... the band is led by singer/bassist/songwriter Samir Khan (Kepler, Weights & Measures, ETAOIN SHRDLU), which is not to underestimate the contributions of keyboardist Shaw-Han Liem (I Am Robot and Proud, Sea Snakes), guitarist Juilien Beillard (Wooden Stars) and drummer Robin Buckley. Tusks are a  harmony-laden pure pop band with a spareness and economy of arrangements that reflects their background in the more mathematical side of the punk rock — and a refreshing antidote to the "a million people on stage doing nothing useful" trend of indie-pop. Their new, self-titled EP is out on the White Whale label and the release party is Friday, Sept. 19 at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick at Bloor, in the Annex) — 8pm to midnight, due to the club's crabby-neighbour-imposed curfew. Mandibles (from Guelph) and Steven McKay (from Bruce Peninsula [the band], not the Stooges' sax player) open up.

Midnight lights-out at the T-zac may in fact be a blessing, as you may have time to make it down to Little Italy for the amazing return of Grasshopper. I wrote the liner notes to the 2005 vinyl reissue of the 1992 demo by Toronto's own original grunge-era insectoid uprising, so I don't really want to rehash the history lesson, but luckily you can read all that here. Suffice to say they were an amazing, seminal T.O. band of the early '90s who faded away much too quickly, but now a new G-hoppa trio has unexpectedly emerged — at the impetus of Broken Social Scene drummer Justin Peroff, who was a big fan as a Markham, Ontario teen. Peroff will pound the kit, with fuzz-bass action provided by Tara White (ex-Elevator) and of course, Derek Madison being Derek Madison. Sarah Liss just wrote a fine catch-up with Derek a.k.a. Grass in the new issue of Eye, though I'm still curious to find out more about the "Derek as videographer at every Toronto indie show" years and how that came about. The "Grasshopper Returns" show happens Friday (doors 10pm) at WhipperSnapper Gallery (587A College St.) as part of the "No Subtitles" music/art show.

As for Saturday, I'm going to a cottage, so there. But for those stuck in town, the "hot ticket," or "hot spot to lock your bike" is Extermination Music Night X — the tenth in the ongoing series of Infiltration-inspired live music events that are now starting to get more attention than the low-profile organizers are probably happy about. The details on Saturday night's search party have yet to be announced as of two days ahead of time, but expect that to change any second. Rumour has it This weekend's search party takes place under the "Luminous Veil" of the Prince Edward Viaduct, where Bloor/Danforth crosses the Don Valley, and the line-up includes Brides, the new prides of Guelph's underground and one of the best new-no-wave bands to arise in a few years, who will be making up for their Toronto Police Service-interrupted set a couple of EMNs back.

Speaking of Guelph, the Kazoo festival is on this weekend in our favourite college town, and highlights of Saturday's all-day activities include soul/pop crew The Magic, country-rockers $100 (whose indie CD is getting a lot of spins around here), and a the premiere performance of Le Cyc, described as "an unusual project combining a bicycle-themed graphic novel presented in slide show form with a live band." 

And don't forget to wrap up your weekend Sunday night at Wavelength, with the overdue WL debut (I think??) of Spookey Ruben, who has been making strange and unclassifiable pop music around and Toronto for many a season. The promising Motown tag team of Prussia and Child Bite turn it into a triple header.

— Jonny Dovercourt