Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tennis with the Darcys TOMORRROW
I'm looking forward to this show. Can't wait to hear Tennis live, can't get those damn hooks out of my head. Although, I never know what the broad is saying.
Julie Doiron
I had this moment today where I thought - "Julie Doiron is not very good." I was listening to the tune "Banjo" off of Goodnight Nobody, a really odd album.
She kind of has an odd sound. Very odd.
I have sort of taken to the album I Woke Myself Up. Gorgeous.
You should own this album some way, some how. Anyway, anyhow.
A comment on Sunrise Records' new attempt to keep up
I stumbled upon this article today, an interesting expansion on Sunrise Records' part.
I was employed by Sunrise Records for a solid five years. It was my first job that I felt excited to say I worked at. Through that job, I met a ton of interesting people and learned much more than I would have just folding clothes. But after a long overdue leave, I told myself I wouldn't buy a single thing from this record chain again.
Although their breadth only extends throughout Ontario, they are a large chain store. This store prides themselves on being called independent, I suppose in some respect they are but in mind mine, they certainly are not. I was most appalled by their horrible treatment and lousy pay to their staff.
For the first time after reading this article, I'd say they're taking a step into the right direction. Although, I wouldn't trust the cleanness of any of the Sunrise stores. They are, without a doubt the dirtiest record stores I've ever been to.
I spent year after year offending Jazz and Blues artists telling them we slap together Jazz and Blues. Pathetic. I did spend most of my time working at the outlet store, so on occasion you'd find some good picks that are completely obsolete now. Like Saves the Day's first release, I'm Sorry, I'm Leaving:
So, Sunrise, you have moved into the right idea - specialisation has always worked for you. But really, I don't think I'd buy a record in their if I had the choice. I always try to buy local when I can, but your record store just doesn't do it for me.
I've always said Sunrise has been able to compete with HMV because they have a Ticketmaster in shop. Have you ever thought of just how many people walk into an HMV asking where the Ticketmaster outlet is? Amazing.
One more thing, Tom Plewman sounds like a pretentious guy. I keep harping on the fact that working in a record store doesn't mean you know everything. The thing I really love about music is that it is so eclectic, different things attract different people.
Please read the subsequent post for a word on my favourite record stores in the city. This is well overdue. His comment really got me:
The young salespeople at the labels no longer know anything about the music
The young salespeople simply have different taste than you do. I will be the first to admit I pass extreme judgement on anyone who likes the Canadian band whose lead singer's first name is Chad, but beyond that, everyone is free to like as they do. Plewman's comment just comes off as close minded.
A rare sight: record store expansion
Tom Plewman with his labour of love, the new classics and jazz floor at Sunrise Records.
AARON HARRIS/FOR THE TORONTO STAR
Just north of Yonge-Dundas Square — an area that was one a record store mecca — there's a guy trying to sell old-school classical and jazz CDs, the kind that come in a clear-plastic case wrapped in impossible-to-open plastic. Is this an act of rabid nostalgia, or is there something he knows that the rest of us don't?
The new department at Sunrise Records — an Ontario chain best known for pop, rock and DVD sales — has been masterminded by Tom Plewman, a vigorous, smooth-talking, music-loving, 60-something veteran of radio and music retailing. Where others have faced retail ruin, Plewman sees opportunity.
“I spent my youth here buying records at A&A and Sam's,” Plewman recalls of Yonge's erstwhile flagship record stores. “I think this can still be a destination, if people become aware that we're here.”
A renovated second floor at Sunrise shows off a substantial cross-section of new releases and catalogue titles in classical, jazz and blues, all hand-picked by Plewman and Frederick Harrison, a veteran of the now-demolished Sam's store across the street.
Plewman says Sunrise owner Malcolm Perlman is keen to wring some revenue from the unused second floor of the Yonge-and-Dundas store.
Hopefully, Perlman is a patient man when it comes to a return on his investment. In the first weekend the new department was open, back in October, Plewman says he rang up three sales — all to out-of-town visitors. Over the course of a 45-minute visit just before lunch one day earlier this week, one customer came in — not to browse, but to ask a specific question.
“Getting this place off the ground has been frustratingly slow,” Plewman admits.
Circumstances haven't exactly helped. Demolition work and the former Empress Hotel burning down across the street haven't been good for pedestrian traffic on this stretch of Toronto's Main St.
There's no money for advertising, so Plewman has to wait for word-of-mouth referrals. He is certain these will come, because he can offer people product that they can't easily find somewhere else.
Plewman walks me over to a CD of the original 1965 album by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
“This is mind-blowing stuff, and you're not going to find this at any other store in Toronto,” he asserts.
Like a proud father, the retailer points to a set of Mozart piano concertos played by late piano legend Alicia de Larrocha. “These are sublime. They're the best recordings ever,” he gushes.
Welcome to an old-fashioned, customer-focused shopping experience that Plewman describes as “the thrill of discovery” — of coming in to browse and being open to surprise finds.
It's an experience Harmik Grigorian relies on at L'Atelier Grigorian, Toronto's last remaining independent classical and jazz record store.
Grigorian has carefully tended his Oakville and Yorkville stores and built a website filled with advice for would-be customers.
Like Plewman, Grigorian prides himself on being able to source difficult-to-find CDs and DVDs.
Grigorian and Plewman tout their personal love of music and knowledge of the market. It allows them to make recommendations to store visitors — and also allows them to identify the real gems in each label's catalogue.
“The young salespeople at the labels no longer know anything about the music,” Grigorian explains, so he has to take each month's catalogue and make his own choices.
For him, as well as people who walk through the door of his store, the enduring thrill is “in feeling the wealth of music,” he beams.
For him, that wealth still needs to come in a clear-plastic case wrapped in impossible-to-open plastic.
"Funeral" Band of Horses
My Mom has a funeral to go to this evening. All I can think about is this tune:
Released in 2006! Can you believe it?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Mixtape Wednesday February 23, 2011
Five CDs on random.
The Fray How to Save a Life
Music from the OC Mix 1
Iron and Wine Kiss Each Other Clean
Fat Boy Slim You've Come A Long Way, Baby
Bob Dylan The Freewheelin'
- "Gangster Tripping" - Fat Boy Slim
- "Big Burned Hand" - Iron and Wine
- "Hundred" - The Fray (Skipped)
- "Honey and the Moon" - Joseph Arthur (OC)
- "Praise You" - Fat Boy Slim
- "Godless Brother in Love" - Iron and Wine
- "Bob Dylan's Blues" - Bob Dylan
- "How Good It Can Be" - The 88
- "Blowin' in the Wind" - Bob Dylan
- "Love Island" - Fat Boy Slim (Skipped)
- "Walking Far From Home" - Iron and Wine
- "Monkeys" - Iron and Wine
- "Look After You" - The Fray
- "Dead Wrong" - The Fray
- "Honey, Allow Me Just One More Chance" - Bob Dylan
- "All At Once" - The Fray
- "How to Save a Life" - The Fray
- "Vienna" - The Fray (Skipped)
- "Orange Sky" - Alexi Murdoch (the first cut)
- "Heaven Forbid" - The Fray (skipped)
- "Glad Man Singin'" - Iron and Wine
- "I Shall Be Free" - Bob Dylan
The Black Keys Summer Tour
I'll certainly be seeing them in California this spring, but they'll also be playing the Molson Amphitheater this July.
Molson Amp? Really!?
Mind you, the key to the Amp, because you can't see anything anyways unless you're in the GA section is to just hang out outside of the venue and listen.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Jenn Grant, Bon Iver
I forgot to mention that Jenn Grant actually wrote the song "Paradise Mountain" after being completely moved by the use of the Bon Iver song "Re: Stacks" in an episode of House. She very cutely joked that her tune was to be called "Re: Re: Stacks," rather it's called "Paradise Mountain."
Check it out on her Myspace.
Cat Power
A great forgotten friend!
I got into Cat Power in my first year of university. A serious regret was missing her 2006 show at Lee's despite the fact she's known for being a complete social hermit when it comes to performing live. Funny she made her way into a film called My Blueberry Nights featuring not only herself, but Norah Jones and Jude Law. Interesting combo, great soundtrack!
The first album I picked up of hers was The Cover Record released in 2000. Such an odd choice to start off with. I fell in love with the tune "Naked If I Want To." Which later appeared on her brilliant cover album Jukebox as a more upbeat version with a stripped down version included on the bonus disc.
Awesome Artwork! I always thought it looked like pieces of meat, but others say clothes.
Juuuukebox! (video is titled wrong)
I know I ranted about this three years ago but Cat Power, or Chan Marshall turns thirty nine this year! What a babe! I can only hope I hold up this well -
'Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune' and Victor Jara
Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune is a brilliant film that you must see. It was a beautiful time machine back to the '60s.
I got to the venue about ten minutes before the film began. I figured I'd be the only one in the theatre, but I was sorely wrong - huge lineups reaching the entrance of Sonic Boom. I didn't initially notice that I was the youngest person in sight by twenty years at very least. A woman who looked to be in her fifties standing behind me asked me if I knew the music of Phil Ochs. I gave her my honest answer by replying - "I don't know his music very well, but I'd really like to, so this is my opportunity to get familiar." I also added my love for the decade, and admitted to knowing very little of the sixties, although I do consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to that time period. There's just so much to wrap your mind around, it's almost hard to keep up.
What a looker!
I got in and grabbed a good seat. There are perks to traveling solo.
The film was absolutely invigorating. It portrayed the demise of Phil Ochs - an interesting companion to the NOW article thats catch line on the cover was "What Killed Phil Ochs?" An odd question to be asking - almost misleading if you don't know his story. The film does a wonderful job of informing the new Phil Ochs fan. A pal at TIFF this year past got me thinking of how information is presenting in film - does it treat you like a moron by telling you everything rather than letting you do the thinking? This can be applied to both regular film and documentaries. I loved that this film along with the footage of recent interviews showed a split screen between the interviews and old photos of the people being interviewed. It gave context and understanding without blatantly presenting it.
I'm not really sure why Phil Ochs isn't more well known. I asked my music savvy uncle and father if they knew who he was. They both did, but didn't really know much about him or his music. The best my uncle could espouse was that he was a folky artist from Greenwich that sounded like Peter Paul and Mary. I gaged when he drew that comparison, I love "Puff the Magic Dragon" but the purpose of each act's music was very different. Ochs was a true poet and musician, it flowed easy for him. He had a natural interest in politics and current affairs - each song was written to engage and educate, as much as it was for musical enjoyment. Maybe even a bit more of the education than the musical enjoyment.
I believe Ochs really lived, although nearing the end of his life he took a sad decline. Although he took his own life in his mid-thirties, his presence was strong through his activism and desire to see the world. I think his fear and disappointment of the world around him pushed him to his death. From the movie, I gathered he wasn't a very good family man or father. He traveled a lot for his music and pleasure.
I really felt his relationship with the Chilean folk artist and activist Victor Jara. Jara was a victim of the 1973 Chilean coup where Salvador Allende was booted from presidency and replaced by Augusto Pinochet. With Pinochet's move to Office, there were immense changes in the social and political life of Chile. Parliament was shut down suffocating political life and trade unions were banned. His government disappeared 3,000 opponents and arrested 30,000 individuals.
Jara's case was incredibly heartbreaking. Upon hearing an older man's account I couldn't help but feel, feel everything. I took a course on Latin America a couple of years ago and I remember learning about the 1973 coup, but no word was mentioned about Jara.
To summarise what happened far too quickly -
"On the morning of September 12, Jara was taken, along with thousands of others, as a prisoner to the Chile Stadium (renamed the Estadio VÃctor Jara in September 2003). In the hours and days that followed, many of those detained in the stadium were tortured and killed there by the military forces. Jara was repeatedly beaten and tortured; the bones in his hands were broken as were his ribs.[4] Fellow political prisoners have testified that his captors mockingly suggested that he play guitar for them as he lay on the ground with broken hands. Defiantly, he sang part of "Venceremos" (We Will Win), a song supporting the Popular Unity coalition.[4] After further beatings, he was machine-gunned on September 15, his body dumped on a road on the outskirts of Santiago and then taken to a city morgue where they found 44 bullet shots on his body." Pulled from Wikipedia
Like myself, Phil Ochs took this hard. Jara was someone he had met on his world travels and seriously respected.
Ochs spent a lot of time dwelling on these horrid events. Here's his response to Jara's death -
On September 11, 1973, the Allende government of Chile was overthrown in a coup d'état. Allende died during the bombing of the presidential palace, and Jara was publicly tortured and killed. When Ochs heard about the manner in which his friend had been killed, he was outraged. He decided to organize a benefit concert to bring to public attention the situation in Chile and raise funds for the people of Chile. The concert, "An Evening with Salvador Allende", included films of Allende; singers such as Pete Seeger,Arlo Guthrie, and Bob Dylan; and political activists such as former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark. Dylan had agreed to perform at the last minute when he heard that the concert had sold so few tickets that it was in danger of being canceled. Once his participation was announced, the event quickly sold out.[97]
After the Chile benefit, Ochs and Dylan discussed the possibility of a joint concert tour, playing small nightclubs. Nothing came of the Dylan-Ochs plans, but the idea eventually evolved into Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue.[98] Pulled from Wikipedia
Additional efforts -
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975.[99] Ochs planned a final "War Is Over" rally, which was held in New York's Central Parkon May 11. More than 100,000 people came to hear Ochs, joined by Harry Belafonte, Odetta, Pete Seeger and others. Ochs and Joan Baez sang a duet of "There but for Fortune" and he closed with his song "The War Is Over"—finally a true declaration that the war was over.[100] Pulled from Wikipedia
I'm running out of steam here, but Phil Ochs is a real incredible individual. I'd be lucky to accomplish half of what he did.
Some musical enjoyment for you:
Calexico's tune about Victor Jara
Billy Bragg:
Phil Ochs:
The film closed with a tune called "He Was a Good Friend of Mine"performed by Dave Van Ronk. Can't seem to find a nice version by Cat Power:
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Jenn Grant at the Horseshoe Tavern; Saturday February 19, 2011
Jenn Grant is a lovely soul.
Seeing her last night was about as good as it gets. The stage was lit up bright with sphere paper lanterns and white christmas lights, it felt like a summer barbeque. The only drawback of my summer's evening was how incredibly hot it was at the Horseshoe. It wasn't until the end of the set that people dispersed a bit.
This was her record release party for her new album Honeymoon Punch, an album I didn't gravitate towards on first listen, but really fell for live. Her band has drastically changed since the last time I saw her, which I think was about a year and a half ago at the Sudbury Folk Festival. She's lost her violinist Kinley Dowling, making her music a great lively charge. She's also backed by four guys comprising a band of two guitars, two synths/pianos, bass player and drums. In the past, I have even seen her play with an upright bass player!! Her music definitely has taken a great shift in its feel to a bigger, better sound.
The first time I saw Jenn Grant was in the fall of 2007, big transition time in my life. I had just moved downtown, she was opening for the Veils at the El Mocambo and I was writing a review of the gig for a music review website. It was all very exciting, but I just wasn't feeling her. Her sound was too bare, I even remember saying that she could use a full band and wouldn't do well without it. Well here they are!
I also saw Jenn Grant play a Six Shooter Ladies night at the Reverb (RIP) for Canadian Music Week 2009. Melissa McClelland, Jenn Grant and Catherine McClelland all had their kicks at the can that evening. Just really great feelings all around.
But beyond those, my very favourite Jenn Grant gig was at the Harbourfront. It was a brisk summer evening in July - I remember feeling completely comfortable, but with a great hint of excitement for the gig. There's something really serene about seeing music with the water stretched out behind you, pitch black with a few glimmering lights. I really got the chills hearing "Sailing by Silverships," I also recorded the entire song that evening. Maybe with good luck I can find it.
In the full band set up, "Sailing by Silverships" really didn't translate as well as I wanted it to. It has a delicacy that was mastered so well before. A lot of it was lost in her live performance because of the band's full sound. Now, I don't want you to think I'm contradicting my stance on her band arrangement, but I just don't think if I were to hear it for the first time at a live show I'd like it as much as I would the other way. The bridge "ohs" kind of lost their sound that the recorded version and former band really caught.
old sound -
This show was intimate, she talks quite a bit as if we were a long lost friend. She's definitely found a comfort in performing - she has a full back up band that she can just sing at times. I loved how into her music she was, she loved every minute of it.
She showcased a lot of material off of her new album but in such a way that one could never get too bored. It wasn't a self-indulgent gig by any means! She peppered in several tunes off of her beautiful 2009 release Echoes. Echoes was the album that immersed me into Grant - it has a very polished, together sound that I really can appreciate. It's quite bare, which was what I loved about both her and Leslie Feist's music. I loved that she played "Hawaii" - a tune that I remember listening to over and over and over two summers ago, I played it dead. It sounded very different than what I was expecting. Not much like the album version at all because of the band arrangement! It's really different to hear male voices back up her sound, one that I consider very feminine. No losses though.
She also played "You'll Go Far" as well.
I was really happy to hear a tune she played at Rich Terfry's (aka Buck 65) wedding called "Let's Get Started." She shouted out to Terfry's wife in full name asking where she was. She called her "The most beautiful woman ever." The tune was released on an EP I had never seen for sale, four tunes under the name Songs for Siigoun. I bought it at the end of the night for ten bucks, pretty steep, but with original stamp artwork on the cover that Grant said she'd never do again.
Wish I made it out to this one:
She came out for a very modest encore of two songs - a cover of a very upbeat Ron Sexsmith called "Dragonfly on Bay." He had a huge hand on her first album Orchestra For the Moon, so it only makes perfect sense. Here it is a la Ron Sexsmith -
Her final tune was a little ditty called "Dreamer" off of her album Orchestra for the Moon. I swear I heard her say at the Six Shooter gig that this wasn't a song she plays very often, but I've heard her play it every time!! Besides that, I love hearing it. It's a gorgeous song off of her debut release.
This show was very danceable. A lot of swaying and hip shaking the best I could. It was pleasant change to her bare bones sound before!
Friday, February 18, 2011
"Lonesome Feeling on My Mind" Matthew Barber
I can't get this song out of my head or my CD player!!! The song is so fresh it hasn't even really hit youtube!
The best gift I have received in a while is a Yamaha CDC-605 five disc CD player that hooks up into my nice speakers. My Dad found this guy just off the Danforth who refurbishes audio goods
- does it get anymore eco friendly than that!?
Phil Ochs; 'Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune' by Kenneth Bowser
I often wish I was a baby boomer child. In the last two years I have lost myself in the sixties, mostly in film and in great part music.
I first heard Phil Ochs mentioned in the TV program American Dreams. A short lived, good mannered show set in Philadelphia in the sixties. The record store geek in the show suggested to the American Bandstand star to listen to him. I remember jotting the name down in excitement on two different occasions, penning down "Phil Oaks." It wasn't until today that I found a movie exploring Ochs' life - Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune, directed by a director from New York called Kenneth Bowser.
The article's focus talks about Phil Ochs' connection with Toronto. The main aid for this connection is the film's producer Michael Cohl. Cohl is a Canadian concert promoter, theatrical producer and staged concert impresario. He is also the former Chairman of Live Nation, the largest entertainment company in the world. He also was the brains behind SARS Stock many years ago. He's chummy with Mick Jagger and Bono needs him to coordinate his live gigs. Apparently, Cohl worked at a coffee shop in Toronto that Ochs use to play at.
Can't wait to see this film. It's playing the Bloor Cinema. Great reviews.
Additionally, when reading about Michael Cohl, I stumbled upon this gem on Eye Weekly's article on the power players in Toronto. Very interesting.
Okkervil River return
Have you met Okkervil River yet?
Formed in 1998 in Austin, Texas, Okkervil River are by no means new players to the music world. I had the fantastic opportunity to see them play at the Phoenix two Canadian Thanksgivings ago. It was a brilliant opportunity to feel anything and everything; Okkervil River just do that much for me!
I just read up that amidst all of the Arcade Fire flak that we've all been hearing about, Okkervil frontman Will Sheff was nominated for a Grammy. He was nominated for the liner notes he wrote in the Roky Erickson's new album True Love Cast Out All Evil. An album that Okkervil accompanied on and Will Sheff produced.
Sheff wrote a brilliant, sincere account of his experience at the Grammys -
To friends, I played the whole thing off, saying, "Winning a Grammy for writing is like winning an Oscar for cooking," but I'm secretly a big fan of glitz, pageantry, and general excess, and I eventually decided it would be fun to check out the ceremony.
("Who the Hell Is That?," Will Sheff, February 15, 2011)
He gets a little snarky near the end as he emphasises the vast inequalities in the music industry. Pointing out that Will Smith's kids could have an award winning movie or a hit song if they want to. Or Gwenyth Paltrow can sing anywhere she likes, whether want to hear it or not.
He also talks about the gasps and common question raised, especially in his presence - "Who the hell is that?" I can absolutely understand the hostility in the air at a fancy award show glorifying all sorts of acts from across the board. It's something well all need.
I definitely had my fix working at a record store. If there's anything I learned from working so long at a record store that's admitting to not knowing an artist. At the beginning I would try to understand everything and fake it too. Sometimes a valid skill, but if you really want to get into a new act, you have to be cool with not knowing anything. Similarly, a strength I also acquired at the end of my time in University - it's totally OK to not know something. I think I would've got more out of the academic experience if I admitted to that demon. OK, I don't read The Economist everyday! (Although, I tried for a few weeks to do so!)
Will Sheff is a writer. It shows in his songs. I am greatly looking forward to their new album I Am Very Far and a tour to follow in early May!
For the record, he lost to Robert Gordon's liner notes to the Big Star box set Keep An Eye On The Sky.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Slowdive
I hate genres. I hate categorising music period. It complicates everything far more than it should.
I'm not familiar with many shoegaze bands, but i'm really feeling this riiiiiiiight now:
Back to the Future series, Irina Werning
This is quite possibly the most amazing, innovative and obvious thing I have ever seen. What a fantastic idea, I wish I had come up with it first. The artists name is Irina Werning of Buenos Aires, Argentina:
Reminds me a bit of Nicholas Nixon's Brown Sisters series:
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
for the trees
for the trees
for the seas
for the threes
for the knees
for the bees
for the leaves
for the peas
for the keys
for the teas
for the fees
www.forthetrees.ca
"Let It Die" Leslie Feist
"Let it die and get out of my mind. We don't see eye to eye or hear ear to ear"
My music soul mate Kiersten Holine:
MGMT
I know I'm incredibly behind, but I can't stop listening to MGMT! Who I very dorkily called "management" for the longest time.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
"Walking Far From Home" Iron & Wine
"Walking Far From Home" is an incredible album opener. Points Sam Beam, Points! Reminds me a bunch of the epic, continuous feel of "The Trapeze Swinger." I can't wait for more live videos to perk up of this tune on youtube. Not much now.
Monday, February 14, 2011
"You Are What You Love" Jenny Lewis
"You are what you love and not what loves you back. That's why I'm here on your doorstep pleading for you to take me back."
Matthew Barber at the Drake Underground; Saturday February 12, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
Here's Matthew Barber's encore closer at his gig at the Drake (this video's from a 2009 gig in BC):
I was completely charmed by Matthew Barber, a Mississauga native. He was raised in my neighbourhood along with his singer/songwriter sister Jill. I never gravitated naturally towards Barber, I even fostered a better interested in his sister's music with her release of Chances. In the last few months I have seen Matthew Barber a quite a few times. He was the drummer for Doug Paisley - I was totally blown away by his good posture and presence on stage even as a drummer. I also heard him play a couple of tunes at one of the basement revue gigs. Of them he showcased a tune he wrote for the play The Haunted Hillbilly, which received rave reviews at the Summerworks Festival.
I was actually at this gig -
Hear the recorded version of this song that appears on his latest release True Believer.
For this show he brought out a four piece accompaniment band. I really enjoyed the added sound to his tunes. He does fine on his own though! I found myself slightly bored throughout his slower tunes.
Barber has a terrific voice and presence on stage. You'd be nutty not to see him.
Go on fall in love with the beautiful, charming Matthew Barber!
Thursday at the Phoenix; Sunday February 13, 2011
I have loved Thursday since the tenth grade around the release of their now ancient album War All The Time. 2011 marked the ten year of their album released just before War All The Time called Full Collapse. Yesterday's show was absolutely stunning, or as stunning as a punk rock show could be.
I felt like I walked into a time warp (pun intended) with the crowd that I was surrounded by at the show. It was kind of fun to see all the punk kids again. I really loved the intensity that so many had for the material off of Full Collapse. I found myself looking to the bustling mosh pit to find people throwing their arms up with excitement for tunes that I loved too.
I wasn't sure how they'd approach their anniversary gigs. But as I hoped they played the album through and through, "start to finish, cover to cover" as lead singer Geoff Rickly exclaimed. It was kind of fun to see this band live - very charismatic and full of energy. Rickly is comfortable with his movements on stage. It's kind of remarkable when you think about how he used to be called Tone Geoff (hinting at his inability to ever sing the right note, as in Tone Deaf).
"There was one night in Buffalo when we played to five hundred people on a bill with pop/punk bands and we just did it like we were playing the basement. It was really visceral and really raw. I think that when people started talking about us. [Full Collapse] Our record came out right after that, in April 2001, and the first week it sold eight hundred copies. All of our shows from that point on were like real hardcore shows - kids up front pointing their fingers and singing along. There was a real unified energy. The kids were testifying to our music like it's a life-affirming experience. It was a massive response I never would have predicted-the crowd coming up in a wave when we went on. It was so intense, so genuinely emotional. That's the power of music right there, to listen to a band and realise that you're not the only one that feels something."
- Geoff Rickly interviewed in 2002, drawn from Nothing Feels Good by Andy Greenwald
It's funny reading that after I wrote what I did above. Geoff said that just after the release of Full Collapse, he was only twenty-three!
"Victory really wanted us to do a Saves the Day tour. We didn't think we were anything like them, but they're cool guys - they used to play our basement. at the time it seemed like they were the pinnacle of what an indie band could be. They had gone from our basement in New Brunswick to this impossible place. Even though we're coming out a similar tradition as a lot of these so-called emo bands - they lifestyle, the social aspects, the sing-alongs - I felt like we were quite different. Our intention is to try and find different textures, to deal with the collective conscious more than just being 'I, I, I.' When we played to their crowds we got an amazing reaction. THat was when we started to realise that maybe something bigger was going on. After that, when we went on tour by ourselves, our audience was a lot younger and a lot less familiar with punk. We had always hated the word emo, the condescending nature of it towards other music. It seemed so shortsighted. It's very possible that we're part of this thing that's bigger than us and we just don't see it." (Greenwald, 2003)
"This band has exceeded any expectations I ever had for it and did so awhile ago. so at this point all I can do is try and figure out the best decision I can make for us in the moment. do things in a way that seems right. not limit anything, but always try to be honest and positive.... Who knows where it can go from here?" (Greenwald, 2003)
This is my third time seeing Thursday in the last two years, fifth overall. It's really depressing to think about how the crowd has changed from when I first saw them in 2004 to the state it is in now. Last night's show really showed how important the co-headliner choice is. The majority of people were definitely there for Underoath who was to come on the stage after Thursday. Geoff Rickly acknowledged that this was the best show they've had in Toronto in a while. Previously, I had saw them at the Mod Club and before that at the Kool Haus - to empty crowds of people who either didn't care or weren't into it. Such a change of energy from the first show I saw of theirs at the Kool Haus, their headliner. I felt as though I couldn't breathe because I was squished so hard to the front. Maybe that's what Rickly was talking about, that raw energy they used to have. Regardless of what they used to have, he was very grateful that there was even interest in the album ten years later. He spoke for the entire band recognising that never in their wildest dreams did they think that they would be able to play Full Collapse. Love the modesty.
I realised how little I actually knew off of this album. I mean, I recognised all the tunes and was familiar with them, but Full Collapse wasn't the album that I really gelled with. I really adored War All The Time, when they tour that album in its entirety in 2013, i'll be at the heart of the crowd no questions.
It was really cool to hear "Standing on the Edge of Summer" and "Wind Up," two songs I have never heard them play. They also played the intro and outro bits which I thought was pretty exciting.
They closed with a new tune off of an album they're releasing at the end of the 2011.
I've been also racking my brain thinking about how Thursday did a tune with Tim Kasher. How did they meet? Apparently, Greta Cohen played on the War All The Time tune "Steps Ascending." Not certain that's how they met, but i'm that much closer to figuring it out.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Rearview Mirror: Foo Fighters and Weezer on Letterman
I always have a big burst of excitement when I think that Dave Grohl use to be in Nirvana. But hey, I adore the Foo Fighters, especially their flawless album The Colour and the Shape.
1995, woah:
Did you watch this week's How I Met Your Mother. Katy Perry makes a guest appearance as Honey, the girl they can't help but pity with an "Oh, Honey!" I can't help but think "Oh, Honey!" to Rivers with every terrible project he peddles!
"Kids" MGMT
MGMT is a band that I recently discovered. The tune "Kids" is played at my work once or twice a day.
It's a total gold mine for covers, far better than the original live. Although none better than the original version recorded:
I was a little hesitant with this one, but surprisingly not entirely let down:
Kind of wish I was at this gig:
and this one too:
Saturday, February 12, 2011
"Oh Carol"
First heard this song at a Dan Auerbach gig, where he did a very fitting cover.
I really like the original. It has the sweet sixties sound that it was coming out off with an edge that it was soon to enter in the '70s:
From the Toronto gig I saw him play:
The Arcade Fire, Win Butler, Macleans
"Radio is the real wild card. That's what separates us and Coldplay - radio hits."
A very confident quote from Win Butler of the Arcade Fire, printed in an interview featured in Macleans. I suppose he's confident but realistic, they're under the radar, but well known.
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