Indie Week Finals
Reverb, Toronto
Oct. 11, 2008

With a panel of judges on hand determining the overall best act of the festival, 11 bands took the stage at the Reverb, each playing 15 minute sets on two stages in the finale.

Toronto band Whale Tooth were up first, having the difficult task of performing mainly for the other bands and their families as the crowd was still quite small. Vocalist Elise LeGrow demonstrated some fine singing chops. She also danced up a storm on stage when guitarists Alex Denike and Norm Maschke took over on vocals. While a few of their songs sounded a little similar, their upbeat indie rock style was a welcome opener.

Starting things on the second stage, Brane wasted no time at all, kick-starting with a heavy metal fury. They certainly had the metal look too, with lead singer/guitarist Josh Wannamaker sporting long hair, a full beard and black clothes. He also had the distinctive metal growl. Their opening song, “Losing Control” was as catchy as metal can get and certainly got the attention of the crowd. Second guitarist Gavin Buehler’s background vocals were a nice complement and his solo fit well with the song. It certainly could be a single, or the theme for a WWE wrestler. A mature sounding band, Brane were one of the better acts of the night.

Quite possibly one of the most unique bands of the night, Pavlov’s Dog Orchestra, featuring two drummers and a violin player among others, proved Eastern European traditional music can also contain a little bit of pop and win over a crowd. Two members of the band were also recognized for wearing long, crazy hats. A few people in the audience were swaying and bouncing to their songs and making their set feel like a jilted, gypsy folk party. The band opened with “Lines,” a song about, well, not having lines in a song but featured a danceable beat. They were out a little odd but still a pleasure to hear.

Although it took The Cunninghams a while to set up, the well-dressed indie rock band, with all members wearing skinny black ties and only the drummer not wearing a suit coat, the quartet at least rocked in style. With such a clean-cut look, it seemed like they were intent on reviving mod rock and their dirty, garage rock style sort of fit it. One very enthusiastic fan jumped to every beat at the front. Their songs were bit long but otherwise they were fine.

From Ajax, Selena 7tysix changed things up a bit by injecting some R&B and soul into the night’s festivities, although by being a little more mellow and not as aggressive, it was easier to hear chatter among people in the audience. Selena delighted with her powerful vocals and handled playing the guitar at the same time quite well. Her backing band provided a smooth, laid back groove with some jazzy elements to spice things up at the right time. A complete packaged sound, they looked poised to make the next leap to the top.

RandoM RobberY were just as loud and rocked just as much as they did on the same stage on Oct. 9 for their showcase. Drummer Darren “D-Boy” Smith was shirtless once again and pounded on his kit with fury, long hair flying wildly. While the vocals were a little low in the mix, they kept the energy of the crowd going and didn’t disappoint.

Murder City Sparrows opened their set with a polka-like beat before unleashing into some hard indie rock. Although their vocals bordered a bit on the whiny side, it worked to capture some emotion. The enthusiastic fan returned to hop and pretend to fly in front, keeping people a bit of a distance away from the stage, except for photographers.

Isle of Thieves were “the other tie band”, but their sound was more akin to pop punk and emo. It seemed like they only played two songs, the first one feeling like one really long jamming session. A few people pumped their fists during the set. The keyboardist was a little low in the mix and also hidden behind speakers.

As one of the Irish bands in Toronto for the week, Walter Mitty and the Realists made sure the trip across the Atlantic was worth it. Although they opened with a really loud bass and a screeching guitar wail, the band managed to win over fans in the audience with charming tunes. They were also chatty with the audience, asking them to step forward and clap along, which they did. The band received the loudest ovation and even used a cowbell, which as Christopher Walken has taught us, is much needed.

Filling a void left by the break-up of Death from Above 1979, Purrr opened their set with the vocoder line, “noise, noise, noise,” and didn’t fail to deliver as they launched into the instrumental “Invasion of Alien Nation.” Adding a little bit of industrial to the dance punk mix, as well as flashing lights and masks during their first song, the band put on a memorable show and had the crowd hollering. Sam Christian Cush’s vocals were a little on the whiny, Billy Talent-like side and didn’t really fit with the band’s sound at times. Overall though, Purrr were surprisingly impressive.

Finally, Process were the last band to compete for the top prize. The Paris, France hard rock band had a bit of a metal crunch but also added keyboards to the mix. With their loud sound, it was a little hard to hear the vocals but otherwise, Process looked and sounded like they had what it took to win it.

With all the bands having their “15 minutes of fame” in front of the judges, the winner of the night was Walter Mitty and the Realists, who took the stage one more time to close out the night.

-Jon Brazeau

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Sidney York
Holy Joe’s, Toronto
Oct. 10, 2008

Starting off the acoustic/country/folk showcase at Holy Joe’s, Sidney York and her band fit into a little bit of all three categories and was quite impressive. York (the alter ego of Alberta musician Brandi Sidoryk) handled both singing and acoustic guitar quite well, with her Feist-like breathy vocals adding a bit of a pop twist. She also switched over to the banjo for the song “Stalker,” which York said was about how not to break up with someone and insisted it wasn’t based on her real life. A catchy little tune that, much like the Police’s “Every Breath You Take,” is best served when not taking the subject matter all too seriously. York was also friendly in between songs with the small but satisfied audience, with the occasional joke or anecdote. Her vocals soared on the band’s final song, “Safe in Sound,” with bassist Neil Dorin and keyboardist Teri Bodnar joining in on background vocals. The Calgary group definitely made their trek east for Indie Week worth it.

Christina Maria
Holy Joe’s, Toronto
Oct. 10, 2008

Although it was still possible to hear chatter among people in the crowd and the hard rock bands performing a floor below at the Reverb, Christina Maria was an entertaining treat. The singer-songwriter, who recently moved to Toronto from the west coast, plucked with her fingers and picked on her acoustic guitar through a mellow, half-hour set. While her recorded songs feature a full band with a more folk sound, Maria handled her material well on her own, as her vocals soared and shined during “With Care.” She also spoke about her recent trip to China, which inspired a few of her songs, including “I Don’t Speak Chinese” (that drew a few laughs from the crowd). Maria was surprisingly good with her gentle, warm tunes.

Eastborough
Holy Joe’s, Toronto
Oct. 10, 2008

Ottawa musician Stefani Guzman also performed solo sans backing band and was one of the highlights of the night. Alternating between playing the acoustic guitar and the ukulele, Guzman rocked both instruments, strumming with a bit of a punk authority to her singer-songwriter tunes. “Electricity” rocks with a full-band indie rock/punk sound on her album but worked just as well, maybe even better, during Guzman’s stripped-down set, focusing more on her fast playing guitar style and fine singing. There was a sizable crowd for her set too, filling the normally small venue. With her youthful, Tegan and/or Sara-like vocals, Guzman ran through as many songs as she could during her brief, 20 minute set. While a bit on the short side, Guzman made every song and minute worth hearing.

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Finding Core
Reverb, Toronto
Oct. 9, 2008

Kicking things off at the Reverb for Indie Week, Finding Core had the difficult task of pumping up a small crowd but with their hard rock sound, they did their best. The Chatham-based band features Al Huggett on lead vocals, who sounds a bit like Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge), hitting the high notes and bouncing around the stage like a true frontman. Eric Broadbent, the band’s guitar virtuoso, twirled through his solos and even had a solo-only song. For guitar freaks, it was a treat but for others, it was a break and an excuse to grab a drink from the bar. It would probably have been better served during a longer set and not a 25 minute performance. Drummer Adam Tuckwell and bassist J.Z. Taine rumbled and ensured there would be ringing ears among the audience. Overall, Finding Core were alright and set the tone for the evening.

Picturesound
Holy Joe’s, Toronto
Oct. 9, 2008

Once again, Picturesound get the shaft with an opening slot. They opened NXNE at the Silver Dollar Room and had the misfortune of doing the same for Indie Week at Holy Joe’s, playing to a sparse crowd, which was noticeable even with the lights dimmed. As a result, Picturesound are one of Toronto’s under-appreciated indie rock bands who would benefit greatly from a larger audience. Their British Invasion-inspired blend is simply charming and catchy fun. “Don’t Stop,” with it’s sing-a-long chorus and head-bobbing drum beat would get a serious crowd going. Vocalist/guitarist Fabio Sartori kicked into the occasional guitar solo and managed to play with one hand at times (while using the other hand to grab a drink). “Dream for Me” was another treat to hear, reminiscent of the days when rock was pop. Menno Braam’s drums thundered in the tiny venue, making it a bit hard to hear keyboardist Darren Hill at times. Nevertheless, Picturesound played a memorable set, it’s just a shame there weren’t more people there to hear it.

RandoM RobberY
Reverb, Toronto
Oct. 9, 2008

Four-piece Toronto band RandoM RobberY got a few members of the crowd shaking their fists to their hard rock tunes. With an over-30 crowd in attendance, the band was a hit among those in high leather boots, tight jeans and poofy hair. Singer Barbi shined on stage as the frontwoman, chatting with the crowd when she wasn’t belting out vocals. She was cheery and just pleased to be performing for an audience, even though most of them were sitting and those without chairs stood with their arms crossed. “Hollywood Ending” saw the band at their peak, with their shirtless, long-haired drummer pounding away behind the kit. Although at times looking and sounding like a rock ‘n roll cliché, the band gave the crowd what they wanted: a fun listening experience that was good but not great.