Live Reviews
Canadian Music Week 2008
The Fiery Furnaces - Lee's Palace
Wye Oake - Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
Architecture in Helsinki - The Opera House
The Avett Brothers - Horseshoe Tavern
Virgin Music Festival 2007 – Day 1
Virgin Music Festival 2007 – Day 2
Crave Fest #2
Crave Fest Music Video Awards Night
The Besnard Lakes - Horseshoe Tavern
Damien Rice
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Arcade Fire
Air
LCD Soundsystem
Love of Diagrams
The Ponys
Dub Trio
The Indie Awards
Harmonica
The United Steel Workers of Montreal
Psychotic 4
Back Door Slam
The Hollows
David Hein with guests Flickershow and Boulay
Big Day Out 2007
Bionic/The Fucking Machines/Tokyo Sex Whale
The Big One
Sloan
Tapes 'n Tapes/White Denim
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Opera House, Toronto
While the Opera House was nearly packed for Tapes 'n Tapes, those who arrived early for opening act White Denim were presented with a real treat. The trio from Austin, Texas took the stage just after 9 p.m. and rolled through their half hour set in a frenzy. It took a while for the sparse crowd to get into them but by the end of their performance, the band had the audience bobbing their heads in unison to their brand of spazzy post-punk. Singer/guitarist James Petralli didn’t stray too far from his effects pedal but barely stopped bouncing, as he was constantly hopping up and down. Drummer Josh Block had the intensity of Animal from The Muppet Show, as he was bent on mashing all of his cymbals nearly into oblivion during each song. Although they were faltered by some mic problems, it’s a shame many missed out on the energetic band as they provided the perfect atmosphere for an opening act.
Tapes 'n Tapes needed no introduction, as the Minneapolis-based indie rock quartet had the audience in the palms of their hands the moment they took to the stage to a feverous applause. The band mixed their set with material from their debut album, The Loon, as well as tunes from their recently released follow-up, Walk It Off. While the band dashed through their newer songs, the crowd reacted more favourably towards “Just Drums” and “Insistor,” both from their initial release. Singer/guitarist Josh Grier was the most energetic member of the band, as he constantly thanked the crowd and at one point joined the audience as they chanted during the set. Matt Kretzman ventured from his keyboard a few times with a trumpet in hand but his multi-talented skills weren’t as prominent in the mix, dominated by the thunder of the bass and drums. Indeed, newer songs like “Hang Them All” and “Time of Sounds” sounded heavier than their studio counterparts.
The band closed their hour-long set with “Demon Apple.” Grier aimed his guitar to the roof as he twirled the final notes, looking like he was either channeling the guitar gods or trying to achieve star power in Guitar Hero. While the lack of an encore was a disappointment, the roaring ovation at the conclusion of the show was a clear indication the audience went home happy.
http://www.whitedenimmusic.com/
-Jon Brazeau
Plants and Animals
(Thursday March 7th - The Horseshoe Tavern)
On Thursday March 7th, the official kickoff night for Canadian Music
Week Montreal’s Plants and Animals played the historic Horseshoe Tavern.
Not surprisingly the venue was at capacity as the trio hit the stage.
The band truly showed that they are worthy of all their recent praise.
They delivered a very tight set of intelligent-roots-rock that the crowd
absolute loved. Tunes from their latest album Park Avenue like ‘Bye Bye
Bye’, ‘Faerie Dance’ and ‘New Kind of Love’ had jaws dropping and feet
moving. Plants and Animals are an amazing creative force to see live.
The band is a simple trio that mix keyboards, percussion, drums, bass,
layered electric guitars and awesome harmonies. Now is the time to catch
these guys live as they are being touted as the next big thing out of
Montreal.
The Acorn
(Thursday March 7th - The Horseshoe Tavern)
Always a treat to listen to, the Acorn have a style and sound that is
all their own and is hard to pin down in a specific category. They
played Thursday night with an ensemble of talent that looked about eight
strong. The stage was packed, as was the Horseshoe Tavern, with hard
drinking patrons and industry folk all grooving to the eccentric sound
of this brilliant Ottawa band. Lead man Rolf Klausener is an awesome
performer and most suited for the lead role in the band as he naturally
barks jokes and banter between songs before ripping into songs and
putting as much vocal passion as he does physically into the show. There
was never a dull moment during the set and The Acorn did a fantastic job
keeping the crowd engaged.
Grady
(Thursday March 7th - Tattoo)
The last time this reviewer saw Gordie Johnson was with Big Sugar at the
Horseshoe Tavern back in 2002 and he absolutely blew the roof off the
place with his screaming arsenal of Gibson guitars and blistering loud
amps. He now leads the Austin southern rock trio Grady who are louder
and dirtier than any of his past musical endeavors. The band really
knows how to throw a party, and they got things started right by playing
tunes off their new album A Cup of Cold Poison. They then moved into
songs off their debut disc Y.U So Shady? before busting out the show
stopper ‘Digging a Hole’. The old Big Sugar hit got place going totally
crazy and had most of the audience singing along. This was the first
Canadian show for their new drummer Nina Sing who came out swinging and
rocked the house hard. She also had a great stage piece with her vintage
blue Ludwig Vistalite drums with a huge bull skull hanging off the front
of the kit. Gordie Johnson and Ben Richardson are the perfect duo up
front both sporting big black Stetsons and all black attire; the
chemistry is truly a sight to behold. Grady was definitely one of the
highlights of CMW 08.
United Steel Workers of Montreal
(Friday March 8th - The Silver Dollar)
United Steel Workers of Montreal are a very unique band; they are
exactly what their name exemplifies, hard working, hard living people.
They sing for the people, they represent the folks that work tireless
days and don’t complain, but compensate with heavy drinking and good
times. Listening to them live one thinks of Hamilton steel workers and
dirty Detroit auto plan employees who will spend half their lives
working in harsh environments to make ends meet.
The two lead singers of the band both have heavy raspy and seasoned
voices that tell great real life stories of love, hard work and weekend
binge drinking with the odd tale of drinking and driving thrown in for
good measure. This band is raw, to the point, and very confident in what
they deliver. The female lead of the band, Felicity Hamer, is an
irresistibly sexy woman who comes off strong with her rough whiskey
voice and good looks. On the opposite side of the stage there is big o'l
Gern, who is a husky individual with a huge personality that resonates
with direct force. His countless stories are from the heart and sincere.
No one could have asked for a better show.
Dearly Beloved
(Friday March 8th - Tattoo)
The highly anticipated Dearly Beloved hit the stage at 12:45 to a
capacity crowd at Tattoo, and really turned up the heat. They played
most of the tunes off their latest CD Repo Repo, which is an absolutely
awesome album. The lighting that supported the stage show was
incredible, with blue, red, orange and green lights hitting the band at
intermittent moments, creating a larger than life atmosphere for the
band. Dearly Beloved is really fun to watch, they have lead singer Rob
Higgins all over the stage getting right into the music and moving like
he means it from the heart. On the opposite side of the stage doing
backing vocals is the sexy Nina Chow, swinging her hair, and shaking her
ass to the hard rocking catchy tunes. The music was as tight and they
delivered in a big way.
Steve Hill
(Friday March 8th - Tattoo)
Just when the night looked over after the Dearly Beloved set, a band
began setting up that no one paid much attention to until they started
blaring through the PA system. “Holy shit! Who the hell is this?” were
the carefully chosen words I had for my friend. The band was Steve Hill,
and unbelievably hard rocking and talented trio that put on an
absolutely amazing show. Lead man Steve Hill, is a killer guitarist who
lays down his heavy 3 to 4 chord riff rock similar to that of Motorhead
and AC/DC. Unfortunately the venue somewhat emptied out after Dearly
Beloved's set, so there were only about 50 people in the place for the
set. This is a band this reviewer will be seeing again for sure, and
they were quite a nice way to end a night of great music.
- Andre Skinner
The Fiery Furnaces
Lee’s
Palace
December 12, 2007
Newcomers to The Fiery Furnaces should be warned that this band thinks nothing of changing keys and/or time signature at any given point in any given song. After seeing them play for an hour and change, this tendency proves to be both the presentation of a major strength on their part and an absolute source of frustration for their listener
Picture a kid with ADHD running around the house banging on a pan with a wooden spoon and singing a made-up song at the top of his lungs, then slamming the door, knocking down the wind chimes, and thinking up a whole new song to play with them. That’s The Fiery Furnaces.
Comparing a band to a hyper-active kid can be problematic for a few reasons. While the songs do bounce from idea to new idea in new key to new idea they also demonstrate a near-sublime level of musicianship, and their tight, high-octane performance revealed a band that’s well rehearsed and attentive to the most minute details. Drummer Bob D’Amico pounded away through intricate beats of both the bruising and grooving varieties. Bassist Jason Loewenstein pulled double duty, easily carrying the instrument’s rhythmic weight and playing consistently frantic lead parts in the absence of any guitarist. Matthew Friedberger chimed in on keyboards, seeming to know exactly how much to play for maximum efficacy and his sister Eleanor Friedberger (the brother and sister duo make up The Fiery Furnaces proper) used her vocals to carry a good deal of rhythm on her own. In fact her singing frequently proved to be the only reliable bridge from one section to the next.
What was most maddening about The Fiery Furnaces was that despite their ability to build incredibly textured soundscapes, they were too often abandoned before being fully explored. They have the ability to conjure at will that climactic moment of a song and deliver it in a heartbeat without it feeling contrived or making you wonder how you got there. The Fiery Furnaces are an extremely talented band but have little interest in taking their audience for a smooth ride. Those expecting for one should look elsewhere; those who like a little dissonance should check them out.
- John William Blakely
Wye Oak
January 8, 2008
Local 506,
Chapel Hill, NC
Baltimore-based Wye Oak's set had barely started when drummer and electronic noise maker Andy Stack discovered a bleeding digit. "You're bleeding already?" Jenn Wasner, lead singer and guitarist, playfully asked. But despite having to push through regular blood-lettings and a waning guitar amp, they were positively giddy. And they have every reason to be downright jovial as recently signed Merge recording artists embarking on a mini-tour to support their forthcoming album, "If Children."
Tuesday's stop at the Local 506 in Chapel Hill proved that while it may be tempting to attribute Wye Oak's unabashed enthusiasm to inexperience and youth (the duo is in their early 20s), their stage presence belies much older, and perhaps more damaged souls. Lead singer Jenn Wasner exuded a blithe confidence on stage and moved easily between showering the crowd with heartfelt "thank you's", while in the next breath gearing up to play some very painful indie pop. One of these defining moments and a testament to Wye Oak's deftness as performers, was their live rendition of Family Glue. While the studio version of this song contains multiple voice tracks of Jenn, this ballad proved more moving when stripped of the over-produced, multi-track harmonies. The nakedness of Jenn's whispery, raspy vocals displayed a desperateness and depth that channeled what Cat Power's less fucked-up little sister might have sounded like if she had one.
What Wye Oak is known for is a transcendental and polyphonic wall of sound. Andy Stack proved to be the ultimate multi-tasker by doing double-duty with a drum kit and a trusty little noise box, as instruments bled one into the other. And like the oak tree they are named for, the layering upon layering of sounds filled the club to its rafters like tree branches soaring into eternity.
Towards the end of the set Jenn's guitar amp started giving out. "Cross you fingers for my guitar amp. If it dies that's the end of the song," she said to the audience, still gleeful to be on stage. And speaking of death, Wye Oak closed with a snappy little pop tune, entitled ironically, Obituary. If this Baltimore-based duo is any indication of the next generation of indie bands being cultivated today, soon other indie rockers will finally have to start admitting it's finally cool just to be happy, even when you're singing about being sad.
-Amy Loeffler
Architecture
in Helsinki
Oct. 18th 2007
The Opera House
It's a good
sign when a venue sells earplugs at the bar, and an even better one when
every corner of the dance floor is either a speaker stack or a bar. The
excellent design of the Opera House was matched by excellence on stage
as Australian independents Architecture in Helsinki played a great show.
You know you're at an Architecture gig when you see a bizarre dual-drum
kit dominating the stage, looking like something left half-assembled in
the corner of some bizarre percussion-based scientific laboratory.
Another clue is four separate buckets of drumsticks scattered around the
stage, and more different instruments than you shake a small size
orchestra at. I can honestly say my life is more complete after seeing
this gig, because I can now use the phrase "surprise trombone" without
it being a euphemism for something absolutely filthy.
The band seem ready to perform under enemy fire - every member can play
at least three different parts, often changing mid-song, giving an
extremely dynamic stage presence. It also means the band could probably
finish a show even if up to three members had heart attacks, though
hopefully we'll never find out. Whatever the reason, the multi-musical
member makeup might be what gives the band such a unique sound,
especially valuable in the notoriously cookie-cutter field of pop. They
are constantly varying between feels and tones while never being less
than enjoyably original.
The band poured out great energy in their performance, which the front
five rows of the audience enjoyed tremendously. Unfortunately the rest
of the audience seemed struck by some kind of Easter Island syndrome, or
perhaps passed Medusa in the cloak room, standing stock still most of
the concert with a little head-bopping being the most energy they could
muster.
The band weren't deterred one bit by those boring bystanders, having fun
with the section of the audience that actually acted like they were at a
concert (including some repartee about the choice of encore). How do you
know you're in the right place at a concert? You should feel a strong
breeze every time they hit the bass drum. The hour-long set ended far
too quickly, and many were almost too hoarse to join the shouts for an
encore. Almost.
There's a simple test to know if you'll enjoy Architecture in Helsinki:
do you like music? Do you like original things? If you answered yes to
both, Google "hold music" and watch the video. And if you answered no,
why are you reading this magazine?
- Luke McKinney
The Avett Brothers
Horseshoe Tavern
October 7, 2007
From the moment they stepped onstage, the Avett Brothers, a three-piece bluegrass rock band from North Carolina, had the audience completely at their mercy. Writhing with incessant energy, the group featuring Seth Avett on guitar, brother Scott on banjo, and Bob Crawford on double bass, joined by some occasional cello accompaniment, tore through their set with the reckless abandon of a teenager speeding down a bumpy country road with no police in sight.
Playing their second-ever Canadian show, the band had more than just abundant enthusiasm to offer the ravenous, mostly plaid-clothed crowd. All members smoothly handled vocal duties in frequent 3-part harmonies, and they showed some serious imagination and playfulness in their delivery, whether it was by singing really fast (almost every song), singing seemingly different songs at the same time without devolving into utter chaos (“Distraction #74”), or just plain belting it out like a screamo band (“SSS”). The songs were unpredictable, ranging from sprints to epics, classic country sounds to tunes that rocked as hard as three acoustic instruments could ever manage. The crowd of roughly 75 drank in everything and roared for more.
It’s hard to say whether it was the audience or the band itself that enjoyed the show more. The Avetts bantered back and forth about playing in Canada, joked around with the audience (at one point noting that a guy in the crowd was putting more into his vocals than they were), and frequently apologized for making requests of their sound guy on his birthday. When every light in the house went off as the music of closer “Pretty Girl from Chile” began to fade, the crowd roared its thanks for a show that truly felt special. Then the lights returned and the band, now with electric guitars and Scott on a drum kit, kicked back into the song reinforcing the point they’d been driving home all night; these guys know how to rock.
No matter how much the Avett Brothers gave, the crowd just couldn’t get
enough. After the encore, after the sound guy left, even after the
house lights and bar music came back on, the crowd cheered and chanted
for more. They kept it up for a full 15 minutes before the sound guy
returned and the band, now changed from their stage clothes, rocked them
once more.
www.myspace.com/theavettbrothers
- John William Blakely
Virgin Music Festival 2007 – Day 1
Attention all Earth Intruders, welcome to the 2nd annual Virgin Music Festival! With over 35,000 tickets sold and over 60 hot acts, V-fest on the Toronto Islands is the largest music festival in Canada.
When I woke up that morning and took my seat in the media briefing room with the other 40 or so music journalist, and listened to the V-fest organizers talk about the history of v-fest, it made me realize that “hey, this isn’t one of those typical corporate festivals…Virgin originally started off as a music record label” (a very interesting thought to ponder). Anyway, I knew that these 2 days would be unlike any other just by looking at the band line-ups on all 4 music stages. Local Canadian bands to big international hits like Paolo Nutini, M.I.A, Crowned King, Dragonette, Arctic Monkeys, Interpol and Bjork definitely had something up their sleeves for their fans.
I actually became a fan of some of the bands that I’d never even heard of before. The openers for the Virgin Mobile Stage, The Vincent Black Shadow, took me by surprise with their songs. Even though the swarms of fans weren’t packed to the stage yet, they delivered quite a show to kick-off the day.
Another great act to take to the Virgin Mobile Stage was Paolo Nutini from Scotland. He really got the ever-growing crowd up on their feet and he was brilliant to watch as he mixed soul, acoustic and alternative rock together.
Something very cool, was witnessing the Contraband contest winners, Crowned King from Vancouver take the Budweiser Stage. I recalled seeing their music videos a few years ago and forgot all about them. But now, the Virgin Festival has given lesser-known bands their chance to shine and take the stage. Upcoming bands like Dragonette and The Wildbirds, both of whom took on the Future Shop Stage, were very refreshing to watch play.
Back to the Virgin Mobile Stage…k-0s made it feel like Sunday morning as he performed hits such as “crabbuckit”, “b-boy stance” and “electric-heat”. It’s always been a pleasure to watch k-os live on stage.
Continuing with the almost flawless line-up, the UK phenomenon M.I.A rocked and even got some 30 lucky fans onto the Virgin Mobile Stage to dance with her to tracks like “Bucky Done Gun” and “Boys”. After the M.I.A performance, there was a special gig by non-other than Kid Kuala to replace Amy Winehouse.
When the sun began to slowly set and give crowd a bit of breathing room after standing for seven hours in the blistering sun. This is when The Arctic Monkeys hit the main stage to get the fully-packed crowd to start moshing to, “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor”, “Matador” and “When the Sun goes Down”. One could certainly tell by the crowd’s reaction that they love their garage rock bands from the UK…as do I.
At this point, the main stage lights were all lit-up and the smoke machines running furiously, it was time for much anticipated post-punk American indie band Interpol to show the island what they were made of. Everyone from teens to older adults nodded their heads, danced around and sang along to all their hits like “Evil”, “Slow Hands” and “Not even Jail”.
The final act of Day 1 of V-fest was non-other than the queen of alternative music her-self, hailing from the beautiful country of Iceland…Bjork! Her brilliant set started off with an explosion of confetti everywhere and laser lights fired away endlessly into the night sky. Singing wonderfully as always and moving around, doing random poses and movements made it hard to keep your eyes on her. But performing tracks old and new, it was an unforgettable set.
The
thing that I really liked about the band line-up was that, in the crowd,
there were no distinct “types of fans” like emos, Goths or
teeny-boppers…it was a good mix of everyone and all styles of music, and
that is what it is all about in the end, not too much of one thing and a
lot of just enjoying everything.
By: Sean Chin
Virgin Music Festival 2007 – Day 2
I thought being a photographer…a VIP to the 2nd annual Virgin Music Festival was the sickest job in the world…yea I thought so until I saw two young ladies in little tree/bush costumes wandering around the Toronto Islands and were randomly dancing around the festival-goers. Now that’s sick.
On day numero de, we were all blessed with the fact that the skies did not come pouring down on us and instead, festival-goers got to enjoy a nice cool breeze compared to the previous day’s heat. I was very excited because the entire band line-up was basically my play-list on itunes. We got Jamie T, Blonde Redhead, Explosions in the Sky, Tokyo Police Club, Stars, Metric, The Killers, and the return of The Smashing Pumpkins, baby!
Another surprise for me was that I actually became a fan to some new bands that I’ve never heard of before. Justin Nozuka kicked off the day for the Future Shop Stage and I actually stayed and listened to his entire set. What was really interesting was that he had drawn the Future Shop Stage to almost half the capacity…and he was the opening act! Justin got his fans moving to some good old soul and acoustic rock tracks that were impressively catchy. Another great band that I saw was Honeycut, who hail from sunny California. They had a bit of some sound technicalities at the beginning of their set, but they easily made up for that with their music.
After some lunch in the media tent, I headed to the Virgin Mobile Stage where Jamie T (holy crap he was awesome!) was rocking up the crowd with his fancy British accent. His style of rock, reggae…or what ever you want to call it…was just a pleasure to watch.
By this time, those little “tree” ladies have made their way over to the main stage and were ready to rock for the ever so energetic, Tokyo Police Club. No hits were missed here as the young Newmarketers dished out everything they had to songs like “Nature of the Experiment” and “Cheer it On”. My “live play-list” now continues as the loveable Stars and then Metric, took the main stage and kept the crowd pumped. Emily Haines (always a sight to see) bobbed her head away to the fast-paced beats of “Monster Hospital” and “Poster of a Girl”.
At this point I’ve seen enough from the main stage, and rushed back to the Future Shop Stage to see the NY phenomenon which is Blonde Redhead. Indie-rock and alternative fans should look no further, as Redhead has everything “indie” your brain would ever need to be satisfied. Another band I was eager to see live was Explosions in the Sky. There was no mic set-up as it was just guitars, bass, and drums rocking it hard deep inside to some kick ass lighting effects.
Static began to appear on the video screens that hung over the Virgin Mobile stage set to some pretty dramatic music all in preparation for The Killers. Man, I have say that that was one solid performance by Flowers and his gang. At this time the Toronto Islands had to be at almost full capacity as I couldn’t see the end of the ocean of fans. Songs such as “When you were Young”, “Somebody Told Me” and “All the Things That I’ve Done” really got everyone jumping out and down and dancing around.
If The Killers didn’t reap the energy of all the fans, the Virgin Festival had one more bullet in its pocket. It was finally time that everyone had been waiting for, the first Toronto performance from The Smashing Pumpkins in many years. Zeitgeist flags were held out in the crowd and surfers got ready. Classic favorites like “Tonight, Tonight”, “Bullet and Butterfly Wings” and my new favorite, “That’s the Way (my love is)” were all played out like masterpieces.
At the end of it all, my final impression was the same if not better than the first day of the festival: there was some damn good music being played here in Toronto! A good mix of all the indie-rock, alternative, hip-hop, ska, you name it and V-fest had it all. I look forward to another one next year!
By: Sean Chin
CraveFest – Various
Artists
Revival Bar - 783 College St.
Tuesday August 14, 2007
Last week was an unusual week for CraveFest attendees. For those unfamiliar with CraveFest, it’s a four-day music video festival that culminates with an awards show. Musical acts, both signed and unsigned, get the chance to submit their videos and have the public vote on them. The top five videos per category are then shown throughout the week at various venues across Toronto and on the final day, panels of judges from the video and music industry announce the winners.
The festival was kicked off on August 14 with Hustle ‘N Flow: A Fusion of Urban Video & Sound where a number of hip hop videos and acts took the stage to strut their stuff. Videos by Classified, Infinite, Chuckie Akenz and Prince Ali were featured with performances by sister-duo act SanGia and reggae master Mr. Flowers breaking up the video screen visuals.
Despite playing to a sparse crowd, Mr. Flowers really hyped things up. His charisma and entertainer-personality livened up the joint, making the night not seem like a total bust after all.
The night really picked up when Solitair – who’s video “Make a Movie” won Best Video in the Signed Hip Hop category – took to the stage and brought along his Black Jays crew for support, including local celeb Kardinal Offishall.
Overall, the night wasn’t too bad. Some interesting videos were shown – some that people should never see and others that deserved to see the light of day, hopefully leading to a deal or two. The concept of the festival has potential but for some reason the execution failed to do it justice. In the end, it would be nice to see what Cravefest 2008 has in store – provided it gets better submissions than this year.
-Antoinette Mercurio
Crave Fest
Music Video Awards Night
Friday August 17th 2007
The Mod Club, Toronto
(Photo by Agata
Waliczek)
Commencing with the clang of a gong sounded by a hunchback in face paint
the inaugural Crave Fest award show turned out to be much more of a
freak show than its theme demanded. Plagued by the inept MC skills of
host Tara Sloane (of Rock Star INXS fame) shoddy production values,
absentee winners and a half capacity Mod Club crowd the whole event
smacked of poor planning and a lack of substance. Between the presenters
stumbling through their teleprompter lines and the pre-recorded
acceptance speeches that appeared to have been filmed on webcams in
bunkers, at times it felt as if the whole show was nothing more than an
expensive high school spirit assembly. Though the event planners
obviously went out of their way to add as many bells and whistles to the
show as possible the flaming sword wielders, circus freaks and topless
burlesque girls only seemed out of place and awkward in the ugly mess
that was Crave Fest.
The one saving grace of the night however was the excellent albeit brief
musical performances that punctuated the award speeches. Laid back pop
rock group Roz Bell played a note perfect set that featured
buttery guitar solos, a comfy mid tempo swing and a charmingly happy
front man whose smooth vocals won over the crowd. Solitair, the
lone rapper on the bill, gave a spirited performance of his latest
single off his forthcoming album, a fact he made sure to mention more
than once. Handing out beer bottles to the crowd and running through the
usual call and response tricks of any good hip hop MC, Solitair was
impressive and memorable in his set and won over the predominantly rock
crowd. Indie rock group The Scenario did a solid Interpol
impression with their five minutes of allotted time and warmed up the
crowd nicely for the night’s closing band Ill Scarlett. Living
up to their headliner status Ill Scarlett gave a professional
performance of all three of their hit singles off their new album
All Day With It. The front row of seventeen year old brace
faced girls ate up every note played by the Mississauga quartet and
every chorus featured the crowd’s backing vocals. The band obviously
enjoyed the well deserved feedback and played with passion and energy
running over their set time to close with the night’s highlight “Police
State”; a tune whose distinctive riff and Sublime-like vocals displays
the band’s solid songwriting skills and gives hope for more good music
from Ill Scarlett.
Though Crave Fest gets credit for displaying some bands with merit, the
promoters need to iron out of the kinks of this event and insure their
nominees next year actually show up. Crave Fest has its heart in the
right place but next year let’s hope they ditch the circus folk and hire
a decent event planner.
www.cravefest.com
- Sam Stilson
The Besnard Lakes
Horseshoe Tavern
June 22, 2007
The Besnard Lakes are another great band that has emerged from Montreal’s seemingly bottomless well of talent. Their music is slightly less poppy than counterparts like The Arcade Fire, but they do share a similarly large bombastic sound. Instead of the orchestral pop that Arcade Fire plays, Besnard Lakes create something much more dense. It is a full sound that brings to mind the sprawling feedback of My Bloody Valentine, but simultaneously channels the harmonies of The Beach Boys. Listening to their most recent album The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse, one would expect them to put on a show similar to that of Pink Floyd, packed with special effects. One could not however put on such a show at Toronto’s Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, especially as the opening act, but they still managed to make their short set a memorable one.
I arrived at the Horseshoe in time to catch the first performer of the night Jade McNelis, who performed a very pleasant set that was similar in sound to recent Cat Power. I ordered myself a pitcher of Lager and settled in by the soundboard where unfortunately all the talkers decided to congregate. As soon as The Besnard Lakes began setting up a large crowd made their way to the stage and it became clear that for many, they were the headliner that evening. Songwriting duo and couple, Jace Lasek & Olga Goreas lead the band on to the stage, and take their place at the front where they will trade vocals (after Olga has placed her purse behind the drum kit.) The fog machine starts up, blanketing the stage in a haze, and the slow building “Ride the Rails” opens the show. The fog is about as close as we will get to any elaborate stage production on this evening, but it will suffice. They then moved into heavier territory with the slow rocker “Devastation” which Olga covered lead vocals on and hooked the crowd with.
The music The Besnard Lakes make is very specific, and watching groups like this live is sometimes frustrating because they do not venture too far from the album’s set notes and sound. Complex albums like theirs do not leave a lot of room for expansion, because the sound is quite fleshed out already. Without any kind of stimulating visual accompaniment, listening to progressive mood rock live can sometimes be exactly the same as listening to the album. It is for this reason that I’m not really blown away by the show initially. My first impressions are immediately forgotten once the third song “For Agent 13” started up. A beautifully simple piano starts the track and is then joined by the awe inspiring and effortless sounding falsetto of Jace Lasek. The surreal and sublime song matches anything Sigur Ros has done, and would not sound out of place on one of their albums. Lasek’s vocals are a major aspect of the show that must be seen and heard in a live environment to be fully appreciated. In the live setting Lasek pulls out all of the song’s emotion and gives it a wonderfully hypnotic effect.
On the album, The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse, (which made up most of the evening’s set) there are many moments when the music livens up a bit. There are songs that speed up the beat and provide a nice little wake up call. During the show though, these tracks (specifically “On Bedford and Grand”) kind of distract from the mood that the group has created with the slower and more thickly layered tracks. It’s possible that I was the only one that really felt the atmosphere had been broken because there were a couple of guys to my right that ate the whole thing up, giving each other high fives, and pointing to each other whenever a favourite lyric was sung. I ignored this minor qualm and had no difficulty getting back into the zone I had been in when the next song started up. The set ran about 45 minutes and by the end of it the group really seemed to be warmed up and ready to go longer. I certainly would have been game for more, but headliners In-Flight Safety were ready to take the stage, so Lasek addressed the crowd for the first and last time of the evening shouting “My children of the night!” and the group walked backstage. Hopefully one day The Besnard Lakes will be able to bring their progressive pop to dazed audiences in a venue like Massey Hall where you can almost see each crucial note floating around the room.
-Daniel Demois
Damien Rice
Massey Hall
May 2007
Hailing from County Kildare, Ireland singer songwriter Damien Rice
trekked across the ocean for a much-anticipated show at Massey Hall.
Being a lover of Irish music and culture, I was overjoyed about the
chance to see and hear him in a place that does justice to the
acoustics.
In anticipation, I picked up a copy of his latest release,
9, a follow-up
to the much-acclaimed O. I
tried to love it but honestly I was sadly
unimpressed. 9 was a
bit too rock and not enough of the Irish soul and
melancholy that usually sends chills down my spine when listening to
Rice,
especially after a couple of pints!
So off I went to the concert half-heartedly and half pissed that I spent
a
small fortune on the tickets. I was happily surprised and put straight
about Damien Rice the minute he got on the stage and his equally
delightful band joined him.
Rice is a performer, an artist, has a strong stage presence and an air
of confidence and attitude that both intimidates and stimulates. This
was more of a rock theatre than just a folksy Irish singer. Needless to
say, the life that was missing on his CD was given new breath in his
live delivery.
"I used to have a feeling that I had to spend a long time at a song,
work at it til' it got better, but recently I have discovered that the
better songs I have written are the ones that come really fast, where I
stop trying to be a song writer, stop trying to be anything, and just
live, experience and be free." That is exactly how his performance came
off; it was chillingly unaffected which is very refreshing in modern day
stage shows.
The stage set-up was minimal with candles and soft lights; occasionally
the hippy-trippy lights and cameras flashing were a bit of a distraction
and irritation. Some powerful political images were flashed on a
backdrop during a protest song, "Unplayed Piano", which he and Lisa
Hannigan had written for Burmese Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San
Suu Kyi, who was detained and has spend her 62nd birthday in prison for
being an outspoken democratic leader of that country and Rice went to
visit her and dedicate this song to her struggle. This could have been
cheesy and opportunist but it was moving and impact.
Rice has a reputation as being a difficult live performer, moody and
demanding of his audience but that said he expects something of the
audience but he his also a very giving performer. Although he and
singer, Lisa Hannigan who debut on
O have since parted
company, Rice's
lineup included Vyvienne Long, cello player who sang a beautiful Irish
hip hop solo reminiscent of Sinead O'Conner.
The show lasted well over 2 hours and Rice did a great encore, which
closed with "Blower's Daughter" (from the movie
Closer)
O. He even did
some comic theatre with a couple of glasses of wine that must have been
rehearsed but didn't look staged in the least. Damien Rice managed to
evoke a range of emotions in his music and his audience. We laughed,
were silent and even the toughest customer had a tear in his eye.
Needless to say, I went home in a much happier state than when I arrived
and now will have more appreciation when I play
O and 9
and give them a
deserved second chance listening and my memories will only be fond ones.
Damien Rice made me feel complete.
-Daria Essop-Lafontaine
Black
Rebel Motorcycle Club
Kool Haus, Toronto
May 26, 2007
"Sorry, but our guitars aren't properly tuned anymore…" So remarked Rob Been, three-quarters of the way through the night, as BRMC went on to play 24 songs last night at the Kool Haus, performing for just over two hours. In support of their fourth album, Baby 81, an album more in the vein of their traditional white noise sound from years previous, but without totally disregarding their country/bluesy evolution on Howl, BRMC, with only a few glitches, rocked the night out.
Kicking off the night with the opener from the new album, "Took Out a Loan", BRMC began the night drenched in a smoke-filled stage with blue and red lights dancing off their silhouettes, very shoegazer. They were loud and the club echoed with their staple white noise that launched their career nine years ago. They started hard, playing their more traditional rock songs from the new album, captivating and drawing in the crowd, a curious mix of indie kids, your stereotypical frosh brood, and "middle-agers" wearing biker jackets. All of us were united in our enjoyment of the night put on by this trio who unleashed a wall of noise at us. But halfway through the night, Been and Jago left, leaving only Hayes to continue on for a few acoustic sets. And this is where the band started to lose me.
Even though I was never a fan of Howl, I felt this diversion to an acoustic set pulled them away from the noise-rock crescendo they had nurtured up until this point. And the skull-n-bones backdrop really did not feel appropriate anymore. There was some shuffling going on and there were tired faces around. Not that it was necessarily a bad set, but unexpected and, frankly, not as invigorating as the earlier part of the night. Finally, after the three song acoustic set, the smoke had cleared by this stage, BRMC finally got back into the rhythm and ripped off "Love Burns" and "Rifles", from their first album, recapturing their lost momentum, and once more choking the stage with smoke and light, before ending the night with "All You Do is Talk", or so they said.
But we were in for a surprise. The band disappeared to waves of applause and cheers, the lights went on and the crowd began to dissipate. However, for the ones who hung back, Been returned and with a, "fuck the manager!" remark, the entire band came back and fed us six more songs, including two requests, before finally, for real this time, ending the night with their classic, "Spread Your Love".
BRMC lost me midway through the night with their bluesy/country acoustic set simply because the "tough guy" persona and swagger they cultivated from the start was lost. But redemption was had with their improvised finale, the most remarkable and appealing part of the night, turning what would have been an average show into something a lot more enthralling.
-Belal Khallad
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Lee's Palace, Toronto
May 20, 2007
If Nic Offer had performed in the mid-'50s, with those (never-stopping) swinging hips and disco-ish dance moves, he most likely would have been crucified, a fate that even Elvis was able to avoid with his (now) tamer gyrations. And this is what we got last night as !!! stopped off at Lee's Palace to a sold out-show, with an energy that quickly spread from the stage to the floor, not stopping until it hit the back-wall. Everyone was grooving and I mean everyone (including an older overweight gentleman who stood up from his seat on the side to "get down"). !!! lent an energy to the night I haven't seen since Le Tigre played, "Deceptacon", on their encore bill a few years back. And that was only for one song! !!! kept it up all night.
With a show time of midnight, the venue was stiflingly hot from all the bodies. But one forgot the discomfort once Gerard Fuchs started the night off with a beat. He was slowly joined by other members until finally, when the moment was perfect, Nic Offer emerged and kick-started the night with "Myth Takes" from their new album of the same name. Taking us through 11 songs from all three studio albums, !!!, never let up for one single moment. In fact the energy kept building with the addition of Shannon Funchess who lent her vocal talent for "Yadnus" and "Heart of Hearts" while providing backing vocals to Offer a few other times and dancing to the groovy beats.
While everyone in the band seemed to be enjoying themselves, Offer proved to be the true showman, rarely stopping for a break. He showed us how to dance the entire night, joining us on the floor for a few moments before making a spectacle of himself by mounting one of the speakers and dancing go-go style and then vanishing over the backstage wall only to re-emerge, swinging hips and all, not a moment later. And the crowd? We loved it. Everyone was clapping, dancing and just having a grand old time. Even the folks in back, the site of retreat from the mixing of sweat and bodies, were enjoying the entertainment provided by these indie dance-punk revivalists.
About the only let-down of the night was the acoustics at Lee's. The instruments easily overpowered Offer's best attempts to bellow out his vocals and even managed to suppress Funchess' sexy funky voice. In fact, one could only make out a few of the individual instruments. Everything else was just a loud drone.
Interestingly, the band never actually left the stage prior to the encore, as is standard fare these days. Rather, Offer and a few others retreated backstage for a few moments, while the remaining members played on, only to re-emerge and end the night with their first album classic, "Intensify". Funchess had us all clapping as the song wore on and the night ended the same as it began, with each member leaving the stage individually, wrapping up a set of an hour and fifteen minutes. If it weren't for the club lights alerting us to the conclusion, most would have stayed and awaited the expected encore. There were even chants from the crowd, "CHK CHK CHK", hoping for one last go-around. But alas, the night had ended.
-Belal Khallad
Arcade
Fire
Toronto Massey Hall
Their set began with an eerie video of a preacher and then eventually the lights went out and a electrically buzzing sound began, the light lit back up with the neon bible logo in the background and then the band came out to a standing ovation. I remember clearly as “Black Mirror” began Win Butler yelling to the crowd “STAND UP!!!” waving both his hands. The show was just stellar and solid. “Keep the Car Running” was easily one of the best songs I’ve ever heard and just seeing Regine play the hurdy gurdy was a sight. Yes, the entire crowd watched in awe and sang along to the lines “Between the click of the light, and the start of the dream” in the bands epic from their EP, “No Cars Go”. The biggest highlight of the night was definitely “Power Out” which then transitioned into “Rebellion (lies)”, everyone was so energetic and the band fed off it and gave the energy back through their performance followed by two encores.
There is no wonder or any doubt why Arcade Fire is the greatest band in the world.Arcade Fire Setlist for May 15. 2007:
black mirrorkeep the car running
antichrist television blues
no cars go
haiti
laika
neon bible
my body is a cage
windowsill
Well and the lighthouse
intervention
power out
rebellion
---------
ocean of noise
tunnels
--------
in the backseat
- Sean Chin
-
Air
Kool Haus, Toronto
May 5, 2007
In light of the dreamy sound that make up the electro-pop duo, Air, one wonders just what type of performance would, or could, they put on especially when one considers the inappropriateness of the venue: no seating and concrete floors and walls. For that, I had to find out and made my way to the Kool Haus to see Air perform in support of their recent release, Pocket Symphony.
And what did we get from Air? Nothing less then a flawless performance encompassing all four of their studio albums including the much maligned, 10,000 Hz Legend, where we were graced with a smoke and light show with the beams revealing geometric patterns in the smoke hanging over the well dressed duo, Dunckel and Godin. Although there was a backing band assisting in the performance of the show, the focus clearly was on the duo who appeared pleasant and thankful to the fervent applause given by the audience after playing favourites such as "Kelly Watch the Stars" and "Sexy Boy", from their treasured first album, Moon Safari.
Throughout the show, one didn't spend the night anticipating the next song. Rather, one wrapped themselves in the beautiful pop melodies emanating from the band and almost forgot that they were standing in a former warehouse. And that was the beauty of Air and their performance that night. They provided just enough visual appeal to keep ones eyes focused on something during the performance, but for the rest of us, we were caught up in our own little world of pop bliss.
Which begs the question: is it really worth going to see Air when one can, maybe, better enjoy the flowing melodies at home? For me, I enjoyed being amongst others who appreciated the sounds of Air and who energetically applauded the band after each song. And it was a treat to see and hear the characters who put such beautiful melodies together, something that many seemed to have agreed with if one takes into account the throng of people that kept building throughout the night. It seemed few were driven away from the subdued performance on stage. Rather, they were being drawn in.
Overall, it was a wonderful performance by Air which drove me to do the unthinkable: buy overpriced band merchandise. And yes, I was the ass that picked up the last small Pocket Symphony Tee.
-Belal Khallad
LCD Soundsystem
Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto
May 8, 2007
Ever since 2002 and the release of the unparalleled single, Losing my Edge, fans of LCD have been waiting. And waiting. Other then a few snippets of excellent songs released on the DFA compilations, we had to wait until 2005 before the first release and the inevitable tour brought the sound of LCD to our backyard. Now that LCD was a real band producing a full length album, it seemed that the excruciating wait between songs and live performances, which personally felt like forever, were over.
With the arrival of the second album, "Sound of Silver", this year, Toronto was to be graced with the arrival of LCD once again. But once again, we were forced to wait. The tickets for the show gave us an 8:00PM start time but it wasn't until at least 9:30 when the one-man show encompassing, Yacht, came on to entertain a crowd already grumbling and generally annoyed; it was a Tuesday night after all, in a grungy venue that served plastic beer cups for six bucks each. After the dreadful and irritating opener finally disappeared, to few applause I might add, it wasn't until 10:30 when LCD finally graced us with their presence.
And was the wait worth it? Well, forgiving the fact that the stage was jam-packed with instruments and equipment making for a very un-graceful-like entrance, as James and his crew of five climbed over and squeezed amongst the mess to get themselves into position, it was when the opening song, Us v Them, that the truth finally came out: it was worth it. At least initially.
LCD began the show on a high note and maintained it throughout most of the night. Playing a slew of their mid- to high- tempo songs off both albums, LCD rewarded us with precise playing, great dance beats and generally came across as an unpretentious source of fun, usually missing from many similar performers who are too self-absorbed to realize their own unimportance. Playing great dance/rock indie tunes such as Watch the Tapes, Tribulations and Time to Get Away, as well as crowd pleasers such as Daft Punk is Playing at my House and North American Scum, LCD had the entire venue grooving away and seemingly having a good time.
But one soon began to wonder who did we come and see in the first place? Murphy had no stage presence whatsoever, standing off-center on stage, due to the lack of room spoken about earlier, and occasionally beating a snare drum or pounding a keyboard for a few moments being the only movements he carried out. Otherwise, he looked more like he was in the studio, staring at the wall of equipment as he sang, while the rest of the band just seemed to fade behind the mass amounts of equipment on stage. In fact, if you just had the crowd do a 90 degree turn to face each other and dance, one wouldn't even notice that there was a live band playing.
As good as the music was, the pent-up energy of waiting for so long for the arrival of an, almost invisible, LCD began to drain away quickly. We did come to see someone perform didn't we? This was only heightened when LCD had equipment failure during their performance of Yeah. From the talk, it looked like they blew an amp. Many waited to see if they would return. But the momentum built up from the beginning of the night was lost and was not to be reclaimed. Everyone was tired, tired of waiting to see a band that one had to squint to make out and that frankly didn't come across as a band that could produce such catchy beats.
LCD did return for a two song encore ending the night on a low note with New York I Love You but You're Bringing me Down , which captured the fatigued mood of the crowd at that point. Some grumbled after the show while others were indifferent, but overall, there was a sense of disappointment that LCD didn't live up to their own hype started in 2002. And maybe that was the problem. Murphy and crew put on a great show and, beyond the equipment failure, did entertain. But there was a sense of underachievement during the night. That maybe, the hype was just too much and that expectations were out of reach for LCD. Maybe LCD should have remained an enigma and never toured rather, just continued pumping out great singles and albums in order to maintain the momentum and anticipation of seeing a phantom band. One decries the loss of anticipation after seeing them live. After all, the wait was part of the fun.
- Belal Khallad
Love of Diagrams
The Mod Club Theatre, Toronto
May 2, 2007
Opening for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Mod Club, the Love of
Diagrams conveyed a sense of nostalgia for the post-punk movement,
carrying the sound of that era straight into the new millennium with
little deviation from the source material. Think Siouxsie and the
Banshees and Gang of Four, but without all the dreariness,
experimentation and overdone eye-shadow some of us (fondly!) remember.
Rather, the Love of Diagrams have put together a sound that captures
the moment, with their mid-tempo riffs tied to Antonia Sellbach's
monotone and unemotional singing, but have also added catchy pop
melodies to their songs that offer an alluring and dramatic presence
of sound on stage.
The Love of Diagrams come across as a group of music enthusiasts who,
one dull day, discovered the glory of the post-punk era and decided to
emulate it, something they did very nicely on the night they opened
for Leo and the boys. Having always been fond of that era, but, alas,
being born too late to enjoy the living fruits of post-punk, without
descending, of course, to watching reunion tours of the remaining
bands well-past their expiry date, the Love of Diagrams put on an
enjoyable and immaculate live show of seven songs, some from their
just released album, "Mosaic", and a few others, I would guess, from
an earlier release.
With an egalitarian setup where no one took center stage: Luke Horton
and Antonia Sellbach covering the front corners with Monika Fikerie
taking the center back, no one musician dominated the show,
commandeering the performance for themselves. In fact, quite the
opposite, they used each other for reassurance and built of each
others roles as they grew more confident through the progression of
the night. With Fikerie confidently pounding the drums, after she
stopped, what looked like, counting beats initially, Horton and
Sellbach picked up on her cue and, with fervour, ripped off cords in
perfect harmony with one another. Although Sellbach did most of the
lead vocals that night, she and Horton made a perfect pair during the
moments when they vocally sparred with each other for a few of the
songs.
But my favourite moment came during their final song of the night, the
single, "The Pace or the Patience", where Horton, with bravado, ripped
off sharp and abrupt notes that cut in and out of the song, a reminder
of Andy Gill's hacked riffs done more then a quarter of a century ago.
Now, whether the crowd truly appreciated the sounds that emitted from
the band that night can be difficult to say at times. The crowd
showed initial indifference, but by the end of the show, from the
overheard comments and growing attention given the band throughout the
night, it may be safe to say that there still is a place for bands
like Love of Diagrams, carefully carrying the torch of their
predecessors for a whole new generation to hear. 'About the only
thing left for the Love of Diagrams to do would be to improve on their
wear. Anyone seen any Afrika Korps uniforms down at Kensington
lately?'
Belal Khallad
The Ponys
Lee's Palace, Toronto
March 29, 2007
Headlining with the Black Lips, The Ponys stopped off at Lee's Palace last night to promote their new album, Turn the Lights Out, written with guitarist Brian Case who joined the band just after their second release, Celebration Castle. Appearing very humbly on stage and clarifying their Chicago routes (not those other guys from Portland who have since changed their name), the Ponys dashed through fourteen songs, mostly from their new album, hardly pausing between songs to give us a chance to catch our collective breath, except when vocalist/guitarist Jered Gummere needed to perform his dual role as keyboardist for a few moments.
The effect was to keep the crowd entranced, not allowing them to fully grasp what they were hearing. This hypnotic effect was even felt outside, as the stragglers were quickly drawn to fill in the now vanishing gaps on the floor. But the crowd soon broke this spell when The Ponys played, what is one of the bands most notable songs, "Glass Conversation", from their second album, and quickly followed that up with "Double Vision" off the new. We had figured it out now and it all made sense. They were a tight band, each member glued perfectly to their role, dashing off songs that you swear were coming directly from the studio, Jered Gummere's voice, never wavering even when belting out the higher-pitched chorus on "Double Vision", Brian Case perfectly integrated and complimenting Gummere on guitar and Melissa Elias and Nathan Jerde providing the backup. There were no gimmicks, strobe lights and prancing about. They simply stuck to the music and the crowd showed their growing approval of this indie rock quartet after each remaining song.
But if there was one grievance of the night, that would have been the lack of earlier material. The Ponys, with three albums now notched into their belts, have developed a sufficient amount of quality songs to choose from. Although their third album proves they are now more technically capable then ever before, their earlier material could have been easily incorporated into their set, providing a deeper revelation of The Pony's evolution through three albums, thereby encouraging a rummage through their older material. But nevertheless, The Ponys still managed to keep everyone entertained for the hour and the crowd showed their appreciation for it.
The Black Lips may have been the showmen, swaggering and rolling around on stage, and been the main-draw to this double-billed night, due to their well-placed notoriety, but the prize of this night was The Ponys, who managed to latch onto the remaining three-quarters of the audience that remained behind and rewarded them with noisy and echoing guitars, melodic hooks and a flawless and precise set.
-Belal Khallad
Dub Trio
The Opera House
March 17, 2007
In a dark pocket, I stand on the grounds of my beloved Opera House, where my assumptions are confirmed: the drink of choice is beer. As if music and stimulants are not already an agreeable mix, add the justification of a holiday (St. Patrick’s day) and you have a guarantee of a high-spirited crowd. Which partly explains the hyper patience and glee the crowd exhibits as they wait for Dub Trio and headliner Clutch.
I survey long frizzy hair, a few Metallica shirts, and many thirty to forty year olds, struggling to conclude the crowd demographics. There was an eclectic mix of metal fans, punk fans, and some artsy twenty something year olds.
At 8:30 p.m. the stage ignites in a flash of red and white, followed by the warm salutations of the opening band, Five Horse Johnson, who wonder, “Are you drunk yet?”. The four musical warriors unleash their weapons of choice to ensure an intoxication of sounds: harmonica, bass, guitar and drums. “Silver”, “She don’t know” and “Mississippi King” supply the venue with toe tapping, twangy metal tunes. Not my usual cup of tea, but there were nods of approval—in the form of head bops—from some crowd members. Eric Oblander, and Brad Coffin sing in a rumbling, blues style. Their last song, with Clutch member guest on keyboards, concludes their performance on a pleasing note.
|
“Yes, we all feel the music penetrating to the depths of our bones; the bass vibrates with such invasiveness, I can actually feel my body shake.” |
After meticulous instrument checks and tested sonic echoes, Dub Trio takes the stage with a Rocky-themed recording intro, in a blast of horns and all its glory. And in center ring, we have beefy-armed Joe Tomino on drums, to my left cute DP Holmes on guitar, and equally cute Stu Brooks on bass to the right. Ding ding! Let reggae, let punk, jazz and everything in between battle it out!
The opening track, a showcase of raw pleasure assaults, with its hyper-sped drum beat, is followed by a slower more baseline prominent set, and topped with a lashing of electric cries. The sound is very dramatic because of all the contrasts: short silent breaks carefully inserted among instrumental chaos; sudden switch from metal to reggae (among other genres); fluctuations from crack speed to lay back mode.
The goggle-eyed crowd, now thickened to full venue capacity, is undeniably hooked and yearning for more. Yes, we all feel the music penetrating to the depths of our bones; the bass vibrates with such invasiveness, I can actually feel my body shake. Another reaches to touch the speaker. Anything to get closer to the earthquake inducing music.
A juggling act, Holmes and Brooks bounce from their instruments to insert an array of dubbed sounds; from raggae inspired dialect, gunshots, scratching, keyboard tones, to space inspired noises. This music is out of this world and these ornaments add mad mad flavour.
At times it’s hard for me to identify when one song ends from when the next begins. But what I believe to be the end of the second track, I laugh when I hear the guy next to me say, “Man I’m f#*king tripping out!” when it concludes with a long droning dub sound.
My favourite track (arguably the fourth track) is a slow paced, dark, deep-in-the-jungle, drum and bass-feel, with slowly variating keyboard tones acting as a sonic backdrop. I enter delicious hypnosis, heightened by the smoke machine, the sweet marijuana stench and the wavering green lights. In automated response, my body sways indexing other pleasing moments, which include any and all reggae breaks which are frequently embedded in the tracks.
The musical ingenuity of each member is undeniable as they have mastered the techniques of various styles of music, each proving he stands with equal presence: the bassist with pronounced slaps to sinful liquid bass lines; the drummer with beating precision and endless novel transitions; the guitarist with electric violence to peppy upstroke delight. No need for vocals, the music clearly speaks a bloody, raw, multi-dimensional, dark language.
After thirty-five minutes, Dub trio leaves the crowd in full erection. I hear someone say, “I have to buy their cd!” and I relate to their desire for continual satiation. I am officially a big fan of threesomes. I leave before experiencing Clutch; to pursue my other St. Patrick plans. Besides, I felt I got lucky: I had already climaxed.
http://www.dubtrio.com/newheavy/
http://www.myspace.com/dubtrio
-*Cathy Lee-
The Indie Awards
The Docks
Wednesday March 7
Canadian Music Week’s seventh annual Independent Music Awards can be pretty much summed up in two words: kinda lame. Not because there was anything particularly bad about the night, but just because the whole evening generally lacked energy. Last year’s media salon was moved from the second floor (which this year was used exclusively for interviews) to the cramped Liberation Lounge beside the main floor washrooms, which quickly came to resemble an Acapulco cabana on March Break: packed and full of drunk college guys in their best tight white shirt.
Out on the main floor the crowd just wasn’t really feeling it either – at least, not until the Stills took the stage at the end of the night. This was likely due, in part, to the evening’s MC, the improbably incongruent Jully Black. Just as you won’t likely find Rivers Cuomo hosting the Vibe Awards, so too it seemed an odd choice to have the quintessentially urban Jully Black introducing award winners and performers like the Meligrove Band (InDiscover.net Favourite Artist/Band of the Year Award) and Hellogoodbye. But she did her best to be entertaining in a room of distracted and half-drunk student and indie reporters, catching everyone’s attention for at least half a second when she shouted out something about “dicks” – I didn’t really catch the full context and the crowd’s babble quickly drowned her out shortly thereafter.
Highlights of the evening included performances by Montreal rock gods Priestess and Australian 70s throwback rockers Wolfmother. The Stills closed the night with a live concert that redeemed most of the preceding hours of apathy.
- James Sandham
Harmonica
Sneaky Dee’s
Friday March 9
Three super-hot Norwegian rocker chicks (Monica Johansen on lead vocals/guitar, Nina Hammervoll on bass /vocals, and Ingeborg Selnes on synth/vocals/percussion) plus two slight Norwegian rocker dudes (Geir Pedersen and Karl Magnus Bjorøy on guitar and drums respectively) equalled one awesome set, just one of many during SoundProof Magazine’s fantastic Friday night showcase. Balancing a fine line between raw punk and sugar-coated candy pop, Harmonica were like a cuter, more modest, and more vibrant version of the Sounds.
I say “modest” because of their apparent surprise at the crowd’s enthusiasm.
“Wow,” said Johansen at one point, taken aback by a room full of love-struck and cheering indie boys, “maybe we should move to Toronto?” I hope so. The crowd ate this up, and dozens more immediately proclaimed their love from the floor.
Precocious and full of energy, Harmonica were just one of the many reasons why Norway rocks, and why SoundProof’s showcase was one of CMW’s best.
- James Sandham
The United Steel Workers of Montreal
The Silver Dollar
Friday March 9
Just one of Toronto-based label (weewerk) records’ fantastic acts on showcase Friday night, the United Steel Workers of Montreal wowed the crowd and capably demonstrated how they came to be one of the leading pioneers of the Montreal alt-country scene.
More powerful than a freight train, rougher than a gravel pit, vocalist Gern F. proceeded to burn through his vocal chords without mercy as he launched into one blistering, blues- and bluegrass-infused song after another. Impeccable vocals by the ravishing Felicity Hamer carried the rest of the set, with instrumental work provided by a variety of other musicians who packed the stage almost as tightly as the crowd was packed on the floor.
If you like Tom Waits but always thought he could do with a female vocalist, you’ll be happy to hear the USWM have not only answered your dreams but exceeded them.
- James Sandham
Psychotic 4
The Reverb
Friday March 9
I’d have probably dismissed all hair rockers as a bunch of 1980s throwbacks – that is, until I saw Psychotic 4 at the Reverb on Friday. Taking the stage at the ripe old hour of 1:00am (so I guess the show was on Saturday, technically) the quintet (why isn’t it “Psychotic 5”?) proceeded to thrash fuck out of their guitars and vocals for the next hour or so, swelling the Reverb’s initially sparse attendance to impressive size by about half way through their set.
Rocking out under the credo “bang your head to the new revolution”, Psychotic 4’s frontman Diamond Dean put more bravado in his performance than Mick Jagger and Axel Rose combined. Insane shredding by Hollywood Jimmy J. and Dave Ablaze kept the madness alive when Dean took time out to fondle the nearest leather-clad groupie. Great hair and insane perms all around provided coherency and continuity among the musicians, and it was all totally awesome. When I arrived I was already so drunk I was thinking of just calling it a night, but once I saw what these maniacs were doing I just figured fuck it, and got two more beers in before last call. Psychotic 4 cranked it to eleven. Maybe even twelve, man.
- James Sandham
Back Door Slam
The Rivoli
March 12th 2007
Back Door Slam’s
“first international gig” went off with a moderately sized bang which
unfortunately echoed through the empty Rivoli this Monday evening.
The trio from the Isle of Man played a note-perfect though somewhat
underwhelming one hour set to a sparse crowd of twenty. Undeterred by
playing to an empty room the Brits pushed through their set of blues
rock tunes from their forthcoming album Roll Away. Despite their
young age (nineteen and twenty) Back Door Slam handled their instruments
like they had been playing them for thirty years. In particular, front
man Davy Knowles showed an incredible wealth of skill. His strong blues
voice, which carried many of the tunes, was reminiscent of Johnny Lang,
but it was his mesmerizing soloing skills that truly impressed. His
string shredding was so jaw-dropping he nearly rivaled both Clapton and
Hendrix on covers of their songs “Rattling the Cage” and encore set
closer “Red House”.
The problem with blues rock however is it can get dull and predictable
very quickly. Back Door Slam left much to be desired lyrically as their
catalogue consisted of blues clichés about lost lovers and coming home.
Couple this with a lifeless rhythm section (whose most intriguing
characteristic was that the bassist wore no shoes) and you’ve got a
recipe for ennui. Crassly put, the show was boring as fuck except for
the saving grace of Knowles guitar solos. The one time the trio’s tunes
did show life was when they broke briefly from blues form for the
plaintive acoustic song “Stay” written about the death of a friend.
Back Door Slam are
embarking on a tour of the southern United States in May which should
generate them enough buzz to book some blues festivals this year where
they will undoubtedly be touted as “the hot new thing”. It is something
of paradox that such a youthful band is limiting themselves to such an
old music and subsequently, old audience. With a foray into rock and
roll, the band, or Davy Knowles at least, could have a decent chance at
wide scale success. But if they are happy touring the blues circuit they
should have no problem impressing their peer’s parents the world over.
I know my 53 year old parents would have loved the show, but
those with fresher blood may pass on Back Door Slam for something with a
little more vigour.
www.backdoorslam.com
- Sam Stilson
The Hollows
The Central, Toronto
February 23, 2007
Toronto-based rock band The Hollows played a cramped yet cozy house at The Central bar and restaurant on Friday night. Thanks to the warm, acoustic renderings of the opening act Lindi Ortega, The Hollows were ready to take the stage and wow the audience with their calm, cool and collective rock personas.
The opening song “Visiting Hours” seems appropriate for the evening because the moment you step in the bar, you feel as though you’re visiting old friends and the night is one of those rare evenings where the music sweeps you away and the lyrics quiet the irritating noise you’ve been trying to avoid for the whole work week. Their next track “Static” offers a quicker guitar riff than the opener but that thought quickly escapes your mind once you realize how great the harmonies sound. The lead singer David Browne sets the tone and backed by bassist Stephen Court and guitarist Coz Costa the trio unite to deliver euphonic melodies.
In the middle of their set “Show Yourself” is sung and the cute touch of a xylophone adds a dream-like quality to the song. Browne calmly quiets his voice at intervals throughout the track only to be peaked by a deep bass line and a hard tug of the guitar strings.
It’s at this point in the performance you realize the band is a good mix not only of sounds but people. You can tell each band member has their own personality and style that they bring to the table to create a well-rounded, diverse sound. Their track “Comforts of Home” illustrates this point. Starting off with a slightly reggae beat in a Bedouin-Soundclash kind of way, the middle of the song lays low on the lyrics and marries an anticipated guitar phrase with a sweet tambourine jingle. The gentle tambourine in the background reminds the audience of the meticulous yet spontaneous beatings of the talented drummer Jay Herdman. Home is what you feel listening to these guys. As if you’re jamming to your friend’s high school band but better because these guys have cultivated their craft and honed a mature sound that brings you the comforts of home with a youthful energy.
Once the band gets the crowd clapping with their supposed final song “Falling” the audience refuses to take no for an answer. Shouting encore, the crowd gets new life breathed into them with “Life Support.” Final diagnosis: An all-around good time with some good friends, some good company and of course, some great music.
www.myspace.com/thehollowsmusic
-Antoinette Mercurio
David
Hein with guests Flickershow and Boulay
CD Release show at Healey's
Singer songwriter, David Hein had a lot to celebrate on Wednesday night and celebrate he did by playing to a room full of cheering friends, family and fans at Toronto club, Healeys. This was the release party for his latest CD, "North of Nowhere" as well as the eve of day one of his North American tour.
Hein opened with a solo acoustic number and the first thing that struck me was his wit, charm and down to earth presence. He then called on his band to join him on stage to play numbers from his new CD as well as a few fitting covers. Hein's well crafted songs are a narrative of real-life stories about road trips and cityscapes; of past loves and his coming of age.
Hein's North American tour starts in North Bay, Ontario and takes him through western Canada to British Columbia, through various states in U.S.A. and back to Ottawa for his final date. "You are probably wondering how I will get to all these places," he said to the crowd. He then thanked "Rent-A-Wreck" for sponsoring his tour by providing him with a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle.
Hein will be traveling solo with his acoustic guitar but for this show he was backed up by a solid band consisting of lead guitar player, Dan Surman, bass player Jeff Daze and drummer, Clarke Allore. Throughout the evening, Hein also called upon a couple of guest musicians including his former bass player, Shawn Doyle as well as Jay Moonah from local band "Uncle Seth" who played a wailing harmonica.
Opening the show was acoustic pop-duo, "Flickershow." I got to Healeys just in time to catch their last song which caught my attention because of the tight vocal harmonies. But just as I finished paying for my beer and turned to focus my attention on the stage, the band finished their set. I plan check out a full "Flickershow" set in the near future.
I was
planning on making it an early night and leave as soon as David Hein got
off the stage but the last band, "Boulay" gave me plenty of reason to
stay. Front man, Ray Boulay was absolutely captivating and I was amazed
by the quality of his voice and the diverse range he sang with. Ray was
also backed up by a group of hard-rocking talented musicians who played
unyielding in-your-face rock with plenty of hooks. I will definitely be
keeping my eye out for this band.
www.davidhein.net
www.flickershow.com
www.boulaymusic.com
-Liz Lulu
From a land Down Under
BIG DAY
OUT 2007
Gold Coast,
Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Walking through Surfers Paradise last Saturday night, I stopped dead in my tracks when I passed by a Jumbotron set amongst trendy restaurants and high-rise apartments. From the oversized plasma came Men At Work’s “Be Good Johnny” – a video I don’t think I’ve seen since its release in the 1980s. The band is sporting the requisite spandex and looking slightly skeptical about this new medium. It would be a bit like an Australian walking through Dundas Square on a Saturday night in July, and seeing a clip of Triumph’s “Magic Power”.
Growing up in Toronto, my exposure to Australian music came in the form of my mom’s cassette copy of Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”, and a friend’s “Business As Usual” vinyl. Later, I recall CHUM FM picking up the sounds of Midnight Oil and Crowded House, while CFNY was doing their bit with Hunters and Collectors. Now, living in this “big brown land”, I often consider sending everyone I know back home a mix cd of current Aussie bands whom I know Canucks would eat up.
Australians love their music. More specifically, they love their festivals. It’s February, and it’s summer – a concept I’m still trying to get used to. Big Day Out is an annual excuse to stand in the sun, drink Tooheys, and run between eight stages of great music. There are tents over several of them, as well as “cooling stations” - welcome relief from the 33-degree weather that starts early and stays late. The crowds are well behaved and friendly. BDO is a national touring show along the lines of the now defunct Another Roadside Attraction. Landing smack-dab in the middle of the hottest season, it is the lead up to Australia Day on January 26.
The line-up is the same for every show around the country, and similar to back home, they love to show support for their local bands. Tool and Muse will have to wait until Jet, Little Birdy, Eskimo Joe, The Sleepy Jackson and The Butterfly Effect appease the crowd. The Brits brought their big names to the table as well, in the form of Lily Allen and The Streets.
But wait, is that Tim Hortons I smell? And not just any Canadian – it’s Peaches. And in case I was still feeling lonesome for North American fare, Lupe Fiasco and The Killers also did their thing.
The event itself is very well organized – a major feat given it showcases 80 bands over 11 hours. In front of the main stages there are even rides, including a slingshot/bungee contraption in the shape of a giant ball. Instinctively I think, “What idiot would be so bored of this stellar line-up that they’d feel the need to go on a ride?” Then, considering the awesome vantage point of the stages and crowd that you would get from up there, I realize that yes, I am so doing that next year.
I’m hooked. I instinctively want to drop out of uni and follow various festivals around the country for a few months. But no need. There are plenty of them, and in the Land of Oz they all come to a town near you. Up next – Good Vibrations Festival featuring Snoop, the Beasties and a heap of DJ’s who will appear on the next mix I send back to Canada.
Best Of The Day:
Aussie band
– TZU
International band – The Vines
Concertgoer t-shirt – “I have no money. I have no job. But I’m in a
band”
Hilary Stephenson is an ex-pat currently studying on the Gold Coast of Australia. In between attending law school and concerts, she has become an avid surfer. She has yet to catch her first tube.