Lithium's Best of 2011 - Best Albums; Best Concerts; Best Interviews; Best Photography; and Best Blu-ray & DVDs
Submitted by Mike 22 weeks 2 days ago
Lithium Magazine’s writers and photographers weigh in with their Top 5 & 10 picks of the year, including Live Reviews, Interviews, Photo Shoots, Albums, and DVD/Blu-ray choices.
660 uploaded articles to the site in 365 days. It’s been an outstanding year for live shows and high profile interviews. We sure covered a helluva LOT of ground and had a ton of fun doing it! Take a walk with us down Memory Lane as we explore what we considered to be The BEST of 2011.
Laurie Lonsdale: Editor-in-Chief
Top 10 Live Shows
1. Prince – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – November 26, 2011
2. Evanescence – Sound Academy, Toronto - October 25, 2011
3. Rod Stewart – Air Canada Centre, Toronto - April 2, 2011
4. Papa Roach/Buckcherry w/ My Darkest Days – Sound Academy, Toronto - March 12, 2011
5. Stone Temple Pilots – Casino Rama, Orillia - September 8, 2011
6. Bachman Turner with Sammy Hagar – Mod Club, Toronto - March 11, 2011
7. KISS – Casino Rama, Orilla - July 26, 2011
8. Ted Nugent – Casino Rama, Orillia – August 13, 2011
9. Bob Seger – Air Canada Centre, Toronto - April 12, 2011
10. Murder at Twilight - Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre, Toronto – November 18, 2011 (with the Lithium team)
Top 5 Interviews
1. Sammy Hagar – March 11, 2011
2. Jason Bonham – October 4, 2011
3. Jeff Beck – August 15, 2011
4. Papa Roach (Jerry Horton) – March 12, 2011
5. My Darkest Days – September 30, 2011
Top 5 Albums
1. Evanescence – Self Titled
2. Chickenfoot – Chickenfoot 3
3. 9 Left Dead – The Wrong Things
4. Lenny Kravitz – Black and White America
5. INXS – Original Sin
Mike Bax - Publisher
Top 5 Live Shows
1. Graspop Metal Meeting - Dessel, Belgium - June 24th & 25th, 2011
2. Metal Masters 2 clinic at Best Buy Theatre, New York - September 12th, 2011
3. The Big 4 (Metallica/Megadeth/Slayer/Anthrax) Yankee Stadium, NY - Sept 12th, 2011
4. Explosions In the Sky @ Radio City Music Hall, New York - April 6th, 2011
5. Heavy T.O. - Downsview Park, Toronto - July 23rd & 24th, 2011
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. Metallica - Festival d'été de Québec, Quebec City, QC - July 16th, 2011
2. Heavy T.O. - Downsview Park, Toronto - July 23rd & 24th, 2011
3. Metal Masters 2 clinic at Best Buy Theatre, New York - September 12th, 2011
4. KISS - Casino Rama - July 26th, 2011
5. Death From Above 1979 - Festival d'été de Québec, Quebec City, QC - July 17th, 2011
Top 10 Interviews
1. Anthrax (Scott Ian, Frank Bello, Rob Caggiano & Charlie Benante)– July 23rd, 2011
2. James “Munky” Shaffer from Korn - March 31st, 2011
3. Dave Lombardo of Slayer - Heavy T.O. - July 24th, 2011
4. Henry Rollins - Feb 22nd, 2011
5. Munaf Rayani of Explosions In The Sky - September 29th, 2011
6. Mr Brann Dailor of Mastodon - September 21st, 2011
7. Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater - October 7th, 2011
8. Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth - September 27th, 2011
9. One of the nameless ghouls from Ghost - September 1st, 2011
10. Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation - September 7th, 2011
Top 10 Albums
1. Anthrax - Worship Music
2. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
3. Ghost - Opus Eponymous
4. Mastodon - The Hunter
5. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines
6. Opeth - Heritage
7. Times Of Grace - The Hymn Of A Broken Man
8. Lindi Ortega - Litte Red Boots
9. Dub Trio - IV
10. MonstrO (self titled)
Top 5 DVD and Blu-rays
1. Sons of Anarchy Season Three Blu-ray review
2. Horrible Bosses Totally Inappropriate Edition Blu-ray Review
3. The Prodigy - World's On Fire CD & DVD review
4. Fringe: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Review
5. Sucker Punch Blu-ray Review
Writers and Photographers (in alphabetical order by first name)
Alex Young – Writer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. Heavy T.O- Downsview Park, Toronto - July 23rd & 24th, 2011
2. Kyuss Lives! With the Sword and MonstrO - Sound Academy, Toronto – Sep 16, 2011
3. The Black Keys – John Labatt Centre, London – July 12, 2011
4. Judas Priest with Black Label Society – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – November 22, 2011
5. Foo Fighters – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – August 9, 2011
Top 5 Interviews
1. Mikkey Dee of Motorhead – February 22, 2011
2. Scott "Wino" Weinrich of Saint Vitus - February 7th, 2011
3. Michael Ammott of Arch Enemy - June 6th, 2011
4. Kevin Keegan of Barn Burner - May 20th, 2011
5. Eicca Toppinen of Apocalyptica - March 22nd, 2011
Top 5 Albums
1. Wino - Adrift
2. T Bone Burnett - The Speaking Clock Review
3. Motorhead - The World is Yours
4. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
5. The Black Keys - El Camino
Top 5 Movie Reviews
1. Goodfellas on Special Edition Blu-ray
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey on Special Edition Blu-ray
3. The Big Lebowski on Special Edition Blu-ray
4. Happy Gilmore on Blu-ray
5. Heat on Special Edition Blu-ray
Anthony Marcusa - Writer
Top 3 Live Shows
1. Gabrielle Papillon – Supermarket, Toronto – November 16, 2011
2. Bill Maher – Massey Hall, Toronto – September 24, 2011
3. FM – Supermarket, Toronto – August 31, 2011
Brittany Morgan – Writer/Photographer
Top 3 Live Shows
1. Polaris Music Prize – Masonic Temple, Toronto – September 19, 2011
2. Verge Music Awards Review – Mod Club, Toronto – March 1, 2011
3. Robyn – Sound Academy, Toronto – January 26, 2011
Top 3 Photo Shoots
1. Verge Music Awards - Mod Club, Toronto – March 1, 2011
2. Mother Mother – Sound Academy, Toronto – September, 17, 2011
3. Polaris Music Prize – Masonic Temple, Toronto – September 19, 2011
Top 3 Interviews
1. Panic at the Disco
2. Hannah Georgas Interview @ Verge Music Awards
3. Tokyo Police Club
Chris Heighington – Writer/Photographer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. Pearl Jam – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – September 11, 2011
2. Guns n' Roses – Copps Coliseum, Hamilton – November 28, 2011
3. Incubus – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto – August 28, 2011
4. Chris Cornell – Queen Elizabeth Centre, Toronto – April 20, 2011
5. Goo Goo Dolls – Hamilton Place, Hamilton – February 19, 2011
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. Pearl Jam – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – September 11, 2011
2. Incubus – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto – August 28, 2011
3. My Chemical Romance – Kool Haus, Toronto – April 19, 2011
4. Goo Goo Dolls – Hamilton Place, Hamilton – February 19, 2011
5. Matt Good – Queen Elizabeth Centre, Toronto – November 3, 2011
Darren Eagles – Writer/Photographer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. John Mellencamp - Massey Hall, Toronto - February 9th, 2011
2. RAMMSTEIN - Air Canada Centre, Toronto - Sunday May 8th, 2011
3. INXS - Sound Academy, Toronto - March 2, 2011
4. Taylor Swift – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – July 15, 2011
5. Enrique Iglesias w/ Pitbull - Air Canada Centre, Toronto - September 29th, 2011
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. Mumford & Sons – Air Canada Centre – Toronto – October 25, 2011
2. Usher - OMG Tour 2011 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto - Saturday May 14th, 2011
3. Band Of Skulls - The Garrison, Toronto - September 28th, 2011
4. Duran Duran – Air Canada Centre – Toronto – October 27, 2011
5. Three Days Grace – The Roxx Concert Hall, Barrie – March 11, 2011
Dave MacIntyre – Writer/Photographer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. OMD –The Phoenix, Toronto – March 5, 2011
2. Volbeat – Sound Academy, Toronto - March 25, 2011
3. Peter Hook & The Light – The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto - September 23, 2011
4. Moby – The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto – October 24
5. 54/40 – The Mod Club, Toronto – November 10
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. Fitz And The Tantrums – The Mod Club, Toronto – January 26, 2011
2. Wildlife - The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto – March 12, 2011
3. Rusty – Yonge & Dundas Square, Toronto – June 16, 2011
4. Blink 182 - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto – August 17, 2011
5. Flogging Molly – Sound Academy, Toronto – September 29
Claire Laurie - Writer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. Bouncing Souls - The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto – June 16, 2011
2. Tokyo Police Club – Kool Haus, Toronto – January 15, 2011
3. Streetlight Manifesto – Sound Academy, Toronto – July 22, 2011
4. Wombmanifesto – Revival Bar - September18, 2011
5. William Fitzsimmons - Horseshoe Tavern - March 23, 2011
Greg Young - Photographer
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. Thin Lizzy – Sound Academy, Toronto – March 31, 2011
2. Jimmy Buffet – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto – July 16, 2011
3. Cheap Trick – Casino Rama, Orillia, - July 20, 2011
4. Jeff Beck – Massey Hall, Toronto – October 18, 2011
5. Tim McGraw – Copps Coliseum, Hamilton – June 27, 2011
Megan McCartney - Writer
Top Live Show
Mother Mother
Top Album Review
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Samantha Wu – Writer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. Within Temptation – Sound Academy, Toronto – September 17, 2011
2. VNV Nation – Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto – December 2, 2011
3. Dream Theater – Massey Hall, Toronto – October 6, 2011
4. Dir En Grey - Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto – December 16, 2011
5. Sunparlour Players – The Great Hall, Toronto – December 10, 2011
Sarah Myers - Writer
Top 5 of Everything Combined
1. Interview with Dustin Kensrue of Thrice
2. Live review of Dave Guetta – Kool Haus, Toronto – June 18, 2011
3. Album review of Madrid, Original Message
4. Live review of Thrice – Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto – October 20, 2011
5. Album review of Tokyo Police Club
Scott McAlpine - Photographer
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience – Casino Rama, Orillia – November 5, 2011
2. Bachman Turner with Sammy Hagar – Mod Club, Toronto - March 11, 2011
3. Rush – Copps Coliseum, Hamilton – April 19, 2011
4. Ted Nugent – Casino Rama, Orillia – August 13, 2011
5. Alice Cooper – Casino Rama, Orillia – May 20, 2011
Valerie Bennett – Writer/Photographer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. Ray LaMontagne - Massey Hall, Toronto - May 30th, 2011
2. Katy Perry - Air Canada Centre, Toronto - June 29, 2011
3. Rihanna - Air Canada Centre, Toronto - June 7, 2011
4. Sia - The Phoenix, Toronto - July 24, 2011
5. Death Cab For Cutie - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - July 29, 2011
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. Robyn - Echo Beach, Toronto - June 3rd, 2011
2. City & Colour - Sugar Beach, Toronto - June 6, 2011
3. Sia - The Phoenix, Toronto - July 24, 2011
4. The Maine - The Phoenix, Toronto - May 31, 2011
5. Good Charlotte - The Phoenix, Toronto - March 11, 2011
Top 3 Interviews
1. John Nolan & Mark O’Connell of Taking Back Sunday - July 23, 2011
2. Howie D of Backstreet Boys - November 4th, 2011
3. Classified - February 8, 2011
Vanessa Markov – Writer/Photographer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. House of Marley Product Launch Party, Toronto - October 24, 2011
2. Burton Cummings – General Motors Centre, Oshawa - May 11, 2011
3. Sum 41 – The Opera House, Toronto - March 16, 2011
4. Stanfields – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto - January 15, 2011
5. Nelly – Kool Haus, Toronto - March 24, 2011
Top 5 Interviews
1. Ziggy Marley - May 24, 2011
2. Najjah Calibur - May 31, 2011
3. Stanfields - January 15, 2011
4. Wildlife - May 26, 2011
5. Five Alarm Funk - February 15, 2011
Vickie Young - Writer
Top 5 Live Shows
1. Kid Rock – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – May 27, 2011
2. Thin Lizzy - Sound Academy, Toronto – March 31, 2011
3. ZZ Top – Casino Rama, Orillia – August 3, 2011
4. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Casino Rama, Orillia – July 13, 2011
5. Jeff Beck – Massey Hall, Toronto – October 18, 2011
Top 3 Albums
1. Neil Young – Le Noise
2. Kid Rock – Born Free
3. Jeff Healey CD/DVD – Full Circle
Walid Lodin - Photographer
Top 5 Photo Shoots
1. U2 - Rogers Centre, Toronto - July 11, 2011
2. Bluesfest with Jane's Addiction - LeBreton Flats, Ottawa - July 16, 2011
3. Foo Fighters - Air Canada Centre, Toronto - August 9, 2011
4. Lady Gaga - Air Canada Centre, Toronto - March 3, 2011
5. 30 Seconds to Mars - Kool Haus, Toronto - May 5, 2011
