Toronto concerts worth knowing about in March, 2013.

March is maybe the grossest month. Pretty white snow has inevitably melted (yay!) and turned to grey muck (boo), which your cat drags in through your basement window if you can't catch him in time with a towel (universally speaking, here). Random MARCH! fact you didn't ask for: from the Greek Martius, after Mars, the Greek God of war — but no fighting please (Marching allowed....hehheh ehhhhh.) Musically speaking, March is about Canadian Music Week which runs from the 19-24th this year. We've highlighted some of the artists in town for that below but please stay tuned for dedicated CMW previews (free shows! Toronto bands! etc!).

HOT TICKETS

DEFTONES/ MARCH 1 / 7PM / KOOL HAUS / $36
If my awkward dreadheaded (THAT'S RIGHT) youth had a soundtrack, I think it would be Deftones. At some point we grew apart but they've just released Koi No Yokan — their seventh studio album.

TAME IMPALA / MARCH 9 / 8PM / KOOL HAUS / $25
No one can shut up about these Beatles wannabees (like more wannabe than most Beatles wannabees). They've self-described their sound as "a steady flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like melody." They're touring on their second full length Lonerism and have come all the way from Australia, so you should check out what everyone is blahing about.

PATTI SMITH / MARCH 9 / 7PM / QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE / $29.50-49.50
"The Godmother of Punk" for gods sake! She released her 11th full length last spring, and while her music has decidedly declined in aggression the political bent and power has never left. If you have age against you (on your side?) and you weren't alive to catch her in the 70s you should make your way to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a little lesson in punk history.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE W/DAN DEACON / MARCH 9 / 9PM / THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL / $25-27.50
Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin and Geologist make up Animal Collective though they are all actually only humans. Their 9th studio album Centipede Hz came out this past September. Equally deranged Dan Deacon (whom we spoke with back in November) will open.

PSYCHIC ILLS W/ U.S. GIRLS / MARCH 13 / 9PM / PARTS & LABOUR / $10.50
One of my craziest and therefore favourite-est friends is in love with this band therefore they are someone to take note of. Droney, hazy, with a bit of country twang, Jessa-from-Girls would love them if television show characters had favourite bands (they do). They just released their 4th full length One Track Mind on Sacred Bones Records.

CMW: RIHANNA W/A$AP ROCKY / MARCH 19 / 7PM / AIR CANADA CENTRE / $32.25-147.25
"Holy shit you guys, it's RIhanna." Is supposed to be your reaction. The tiny pop powerhouse in ridiculous (..ly amazing) outfits is touring on her 7th album Unapolgetic — kids grow up so fast!

CMW: MAC DEMARCO / MARCH 22 / 8PM / SNEAKY DEE'S / $15
Whatta guy! We caught him back in November at The Drake and it was a lounge-y throwback to a 70s coked up party on a yacht — or what I might imagine one to feel and sound like. He's a character I still haven't quite figured out but one to check out for sure.

CMW: NICK CAVE AND THE BADSEEDS / MARCH 23 / 7:30PM / MASSEY HALL / $37.50-77.50
with Sharon Van Etten
NICK CAVE. AND THE BADSEEDS. That is all.

FUCKED UP'S LONG WINTER VOL.5 / MARCH 23 / 7PM / THE GREAT HALL / PWYC
This one goes until 4am- woah! Hide yo kids. Wait, don't — it's a family affair and kids are definitely welcome. They said there would only be 4 but you can't contain all the awesome in 4 nights. There is lots left to be announced but so far the music includes The Sadies and Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, and DJs Austra and Digits. You'll also be surrounded by tons of "art etc", and INSIDER TIP — I promise the food will be delicious.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY CONCERTS

• BOB MOULD / MARCH 1 / 9PM / THE HORSESHOE / $24.50
• BEN HARPER / MARCH 1 / 7PM / THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL / $50-75
• THIGHS W/DAS RAD / MARCH 1 / 9:30PM / WHITE HOUSE STUDIOS / $7
• SILVERSTEIN / MARCH 2 / 6PM / THE OPERA HOUSE / $18.50
• UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA / MARCH 4 / 7PM / WRONGBAR / $13.50
• INDIANS w/NIGHTBEDS / MARCH 4 / 7PM / DRAKE HOTEL / $12
• ERYKAH BADU / MARCH 5 / 7PM / KOOL HAUS / $55
• THE QUEERS/ MARCH 6 / 8:30PM / THE HORSESHOE / $15.50
• RA RA RIOT / MARCH 6 / 8PM / LEE'S PALACE / $18.50
• EVERYTIME I DIE / MARCH 6 / 6PM / THE OPERA HOUSE / $21.50
• CITIZENS! / MARCH 7 / 8PM / WRONGBAR / $15
• COLD WARPS W/SAM COFFEY & THE IRON LUNGS & THE BB GUNS / MARCH 8 / 9PM /
• TEXAS IS THE REASON / MARCH 8 / 9PM / LEE'S PALACE / $21.50
• SOULFLY / MARCH 8 / 6:30PM / THE MOD CLUB / $24.50
• FINCH / MARCH 9 / 7PM / SOUND ACADEMY / $25
• PINK / MARCH 11 / 7PM / AIR CANADA CENTRE / $39.50-99.50
• VERONICA FALLS W/COLD SHOWERS / MARCH 12 / 8:30PM / THE GARRISON / $12.50-15
• THE SUMMERSET / MARCH 12 / 6PM / THE MOD CLUB / $16.50
• DJANGO DJANGO / MARCH 12 / 8PM / THE OPERA HOUSE / $17.50
• BERNHOFT / MARCH 12 / 7PM / DRAKE HOTEL / $15
• TWIZTID / MARCH 14 / 7PM / THE OPERA HOUSE / $25.50
• KATE NASH / MARCH 15 / 9PM / THE HORSESHOE / $18.50
• LOW / MARCH 16 / 8PM / THE GREAT HALL / $18.50
• DJS DAVID STARFIRE W/DESERT DWELLERS / MARCH 16 / 9:30PM / THE SILVER DOLLAR / $25
• CMW: STARS / MARCH 20 & 21 / 7PM / THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL / $29.50
• CMW: COHEED & CAMBRIA / MARCH 21 / 7PM / SOUND ACADEMY / $30
• CMW: ACTION BRONSON / MARCH 21 / 10PM / THE HOXTON / $23.50
• CMW: TEENAGE KICKS / MARCH 21 / 8PM / THE HORSESHOE / $15.50
• CMW: ZEDD / MARCH 22 / 10PM / SOUND ACADEMY / $25
• CMW: LIMBLIFTER / MARCH 22 / 8PM / THE HORSESHOE / $17.50
• CMW: BADBADNOTGOOD / MARCH 23 / 8PM / THE HORSESHOE / $18.50 with Cookie Duster, Aiden Knight, No Sinner, Walkervilles, Shout Out Out Out and The Dirty Nil
• RAEKWON / MARCH 20 / 8PM / SOUND ACADEMY / $25
• TYLER THE CREATOR / MARCH 22 / 8PM / THE OPERA HOUSE / $29.50
• BROKEBACK / MARCH 24 / 8PM / DRAKE HOTEL / $10
• ESBEN & THE WITCH / MARCH 25 / 8PM / DRAKE HOTEL / $13
• LUCERO / MARCH 26 / 8:30PM / THE PHOENIX / $20
• ALT-J / MARCH 27 / 7PM / SOUND ACADEMY / $17.50
• ELECTRIC SIX / MARCH 27 / 8:30PM / THE HORSESHOE / $18.50
• SKY FERREIRA W/HOW TO DRESS WELL / MARCH 27 / 7PM / WRONGBAR / $15
• LOCAL NATIVES / MARCH 28 / 8:30PM / THE PHOENIX / $21.50
• GARBAGE / MARCH 28 / 7PM / SOUND ACADEMY / $35
• MASTA ACE / MARCH 29 / 8PM / WRONGBAR / $24.50
• SIGUR ROS / MARCH 30 / 7PM / AIR CANADA CENTRE / $36.50-66.50
• FRIGHTENED RABBIT / MARCH 31 / 8PM / THE PHOENIX / $20
• BAD RELIGION / MARCH 31 / 8PM / KOOL HAUS / $29.50
• CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING / MARCH 31 / 8PM / LEE'S PALACE / $19.50

Also, don't forget that Foundry gets underway tonight! Check out our full preview here.

For more music listings, head on over to our events calendar.

Looking for tickets? Check out Rotate This or Soundscapes to avoid Ticketmaster robbery. For sold out shows, there's always Craigslist (as if you didn't know that).

Have a concert you'd like us to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO events calendar.

Photo by Victor Lundmark on Flickr