Can I say how lucky we are to have a functioning Postal Service? (So important I felt the need to capitalise)
Hooray for Canada Post to be back in action. I was greeted on my way to work by a large package - the new Bon Iver album. I was a little late for work, so I grabbed it and opened it on the drive to work.
It has really taken all of me not to buy this album even though I had purchased it already through the Jagjaguar website. I only technically am a week behind all you Bon Iver addicts.
Yesterday, in sheer anticipation, I purchased the new Spin and Rolling Stone magazines. Fab covers with fab articles, these have to be some of the best music magazine issues that I've stumbled upon in a while. It's really odd to see Bon Iver on the cover of Spin. My friend Nicole was right in posting
Nicole Bakker posted to Kimberley Stemshorn
umm skinny love was on grey's tonight. prepare for him to be huge.
September 26, 2008 at 12:22am
Bon Iver, aka Bon Iver has become a serious household name. Absolutely ridiculous. I am so happy to say that I have seen Bon Iver twice at a tiny dive like Lee's Palace before seeing him at the Sound Academy.
My first real listen to Bon Iver is happening as I type. I love it to pieces already. It's so different from For EmmaForever Ago.
Review to follow this evening. I can't wait to give you my two cents.
Also, in talking about the Canada Post and how much I use our national mail service, please check out the following:
Summer in Toronto is made especially lovely for the free outdoor show series. So far, they've more or less just been at Harbourfront, but I'm happy to say that they've extended it to a free show on Centre Island.
SARAH HARMER, SERENA RYDER and the SKYDIGGERS
Alas, I'll be in Chicago at this time, but I'd really love to see Sarah Harmer live. Can you believe I haven't seen her yet?
Better planning may have cut my Friday June 24 evening a little differently. Tomorrow, I'm taking my Grandpa to go see the Glenn Miller Orchestra at Roy Thompson Hall.
Sadly, Aretha Franklin, at the very same time, is playing a free Toronto gig as a part of TD Jazz Festival!!!!!
You can really feel Franklin's youth in this video, she just sounds young:
So folks, I'm getting around to listening to the big heavy hitter album of the year. Bon Iver's self-titled beauty, released on Tuesday.
I'm a little behind due to the Canada Post strike, which still has yet to be resolved. I purchased the album online, so I figure it's stuck at some transfer node somewhere in the province. Shucks.
I will probably wrap my ears around it before the week ends though. The people in my life are loving it, but I can't help being blown back to 2008's For Emma, Forever Ago. The real fact of this album was that it really was Forever Ago. I first got wind of it in December of 2007, when a boyfriend at the time told me about a show he was debating on going to at the Horseshoe. About two months later I fell hard for not my boyfriend at the time, but Bon Iver. The boy and I broke up shortly afterwards, no correlation.
NPR is hot. Tons of great old Bon Iver videos and shows if you`re feeling slightly nostalgic like myself.
There's nothing like starting a movie with a good song. Few people probably noticed but the intro song to The Hangover Part II was Jenny Lewis' very laid back tune "Bad Man's World."
Instantly making me a fan of the film. It's one of those disposable films, one time use only.
Dear Photograph is a website designed around the simple idea of nostalgia for the past. I have to say, it's an idea i'm surprised I didn't of doing myself!
I'm reading a book called The Sixties by Jenny Diski. The book is one of many from the series "BIG IDEAS//small books." I read this paragraph from the book and completely fell in love with Diski's immense detail and appreciation for film.
I really fell for this in part because I felt something like that after seeing Pierrot le fou at the cinema all alone, just sheer excitement. Beyond that, to love a film enough to see it time afterwards in theatres is an absolutely dynamite feeling.
"Now I filled the gaps of the past at the National Film Theatre, goign to classic silents and Hollywood marvels of the Thirties and Forties. In addition, there was an entirely new cinema to me, from Europe and beyond, to discover. Godard, Fellini, Antonioni, Bergman, Kurosawa, Ozu, Ray, Truffaut, Malle, Pasolini, Polanski, Jiri Menzel. They mattered enough for me to take illicit afternoons off school in order to get to the first matinee showing of 8 1/2 or The Silence at the crucial Academy Cinema in Oxford Street, where I'd sit in the smoky auditorium with fifteen or so other film fanatics, and one or two flashers, overwhelmed by the potent sexual narratives and social critiques, Marxist, psychoanalytic, libertarian or simply different and, to me, astonishing. I absorbed the complexities of relationship, and spiritual or cultural emptiness, played out in tones of grey, with echoes of poets, writers and philosophers. Godard's intensely charming, hopeless and crazy about love film, Pierrot le fou, had me returning eight times during its run. I couldn't take my eyes off a single frame, or miss one step of Monica Vitti's slow, despairing walks through the blighted urban wasteland in Antonioni's Red Desert. I wept sometimes with exaltation, sometimes rage, at the visions coming at me form the Academy screen. And, let me say, all this lived quite easily with my despair at my unsatisfactory hair and concern for the precise shortness of my skirt."
The past four years prior to 2011, I volunteered at Toronto's North by North East music festival. I took tickets and checked wristbands, a short lasting fun position of ultimate music cool. It was a great opportunity to hear bands and get close to the festival, but on the downside I never really got to see bands. The gig did get me a upper crust Priority Pass (retail value $100).
This is the first year that I will get to go to the festival complete unhinged and only limited by my work and sleep schedule.
Here are my top picks for bands that will rock this festival:
The Lower Dens
Meet the Lower Dens who hail from Baltimore, Maryland. Led by a woman by the name of Jana Hunter, they pack more husk and grit than you'd expect with a female singer. Their music fits the mold of every offbeat independent act going right now (so maybe not so offbeat). Their popular tune "Tea Lights" plays light a Yo La Tengo tune or an easy Deerhunter song. But with Hunter's drone vocals in combination with their intricate guitar noodles, their music somehow comes to life. I'm not going to lie, I bought this album a good six or seven months ago after the combination of hearing them in a Leslieville coffee shop and by a solid recommendation by a friend.
This has to be the first listen where I really feel something.
I think Jana Hunter could give Beach House's Victoria LeGrand a run for her money as far as husky female vocals go.
GO SEE THEM: Wednesday June 15 at 10:00pm at the Garrison or Thursday June 16 at 1:00am at Lee's Palace
Jennifer Castle (Castle Music)
I had the real pleasure of seeing Jennifer Castle play a few tunes at the Dakota last December. Her voice is very distinct, in a pool of female singer-songwriters that all have something to boast. She has a really neat vibrato that comes out real easy, without sounding forced.
She's definitely one of the city's hidden gems.
GO SEE HER: Thursday June 16 at 9:00pm at the Wrongbar; Saturday June 18 at 10:00pm at the Great Hall
Brian Borcherdt
I, like most first laid ears on Brian Borcherdt as a member of Holy Fuck. I think years ago I saw him open up for a Canadian act at the Phoenix. His sound is a little slow for my likings, but I'm certain he'll put on a show to dazzle.
Get those heart strings ready to be pulled.
SEE HIM: 918 Bathurst on Thursday June 16 at 9:00pm
Snowblink
I first came across Snowblink on a complete limb. I had nothing to do one evening and stumbled alone into the Tranzac for a surprisingly lovely front-room performance by Snowblink. Having no expectations at all, I was pleasantly surprised by what I came across - a very stripped down quirky girl-guy duo.
As it turns out front woman Daniela Gesundheit moved from California to Toronto in 2008. She however has well-nested in Toronto making music with Alex Lukachevsky and Bruce Peninsula.
Their album Long Live received little attention and a limited release a couple of years ago. It however was re-released and better publicised this go around in 2011. It's kind of nice to have a set of songs that I'm already familiar with.
Snowblink will surround you with lovely.
SEE THEM: Thursday June 16 at 7:00pm at the Music Gallery
The Cowgirl Choir
Do you remember high school choir? The Cowgirl Choir all of the beautiful girls you'd find in the soprano section but could never sit next to. To accompany, they have an acoustic guitar, but let's face it, these ladies definitely don't need the help.
I saw them last December and they played a string of covers that everyone in the crowd was more or less already familiar with. My personal favourite was a bold cover of "Jolene," that they surprisingly were able to pull of pretty well.
GO SEE THEM: Thursday June 16 at 9:00pm at the Comfort Zone
Forest City Lovers
Four years ago I walked into the old Rotate This location with my Mother and checked out their listening post. A featured selection was a very young Kat Burns' project Forest City Lovers, I bought the album. I kept up with them for the next few years watching her band grow big.
Burns undoubtedly is an artist at heart. She started an art project called An Hour of My Time where she makes a piece of art in no more than an hour and sells it for the national average minimum wage of $24.75. I'm not sure how well she did, but you can read about it here.
But on Forest City Lovers - a real dynamite, minimal sound. Along the same lines as Snowblink, Burns has extremely soft vocals, with very little edge.
Mika Posen of Timber Timbre also use to and may still play with Kat Burns as Forest City Lovers.
GO SEE 'EM: Thursday June 16 at 9:00pm at the Music Gallery
Peter Elkas
For years I have passed Peter Elkas' album in my store, I even think I took in a copy after a pal's garage sale. But it wasn't until last December that I saw Elkas in action. He is quite possibly the most attractive thirtysomething man I've stumbled upon. He has a lovely energetic rock sound that sounds like it could have been plucked off the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack.
GO SEE HIM: Thursday June 16 at 9:00pm at the Rivoli
The Darcys
The Darcys are a real tight outfit. Last year, they were my pick for the festival - they put on the sweatiest gig I have been to a while at Rancho Relaxo. It was a swift reminder of why I love music so much.
These guys are nursing songs they're well-acquinted with so without a doubt their show will be very smooth sounding. These guys absolutely know what they are doing.
Cash in on this gem before anyone else.
SEE THEM: Friday June 17 at 9:00pm at the Horseshoe Tavern
The James Clark Institute
James Clark has been around forever, but he's no less cool than any twentysomething hipster. Clark draws from a whole whack of inspirations from sixties rock to current indie, it's pretty obvious who is influences are when you listen to his music.
His fantastic humour really oozes out in his shows, definitely worth a peek.
CATCH HIM AT: Friday June 17 at 10:00pm at Mitzi's Sister
Amos the Transparent
I was really surprised by this band. On a mediocre label UR Artist, this band has really diverged further than the other bands on the label. Last fall, they toured with Arts and Crafts sweethearts Zeus, able to hold their own against such a terrific band.
This band really harps on the good girl guy contrasts that Stars did so well around Set Yourself On Fire. The key difference between the two acts is Amos isn't as fluffy as stars, they've got a bit more complexity and grit.
SEE THEM: Friday June 17 at 11:00pm at the El Mocambo (Upstairs)
Sheezer
All girl band play covers of Weezer circa Pinkerton and Blue Album. Need I say more?
SEE THEM: Friday June 17 at 2:00am at Sneaky Dee's
DEVO
A free DEVO show? For all the flack I have given this band in the past, I can't wait for this gig on Saturday. Don't tell anyone, but I kind of like this band. Another gem to come out of Akron, Ohio.
Hopefully, it won't be as packed as the Iggy Pop show this time last year.
SEE THEM FOR FREE: Saturday June 18 at 9:30pm-11:00pm at Yonge and Dundas Square
Chad Vangaalen
No questions, this is where I'll be Saturday at midnight. The Great Hall is quite possibly one of the most versatile venues I've been to.
This may be the show of the festival. I'm pretty excited.
MARK THE DATE: Saturday June 18 at 12:00am at the Great Hall
I made a really big knob mistake the other day and changed the url from www.knitpen.blogspot.com to www.forthethrees.blogspot.com. My viewership has gone down about 100X, so apparently people don't use www.forthetrees.ca as I hoped!
I think I should take this as a big sign to stop blogging and start a real website.
But for those of you who've stuck on. I would really like to hear your recommendations for NXNE 2011. There's so many bands playing, I couldn't possibly wrap my peanut brain around em'.
This band's the newest to hit my mental library of music. I'm having the pleasure of seeing them tomorrow night, I hope to be blown away. Get through the three minute intro, it's totally worth it. Here's a tune and a half that I really felt upon first listen:
Do you dig it? lemme know.
Also, still on a complete Okkervil River high, "Song For Our So-Called Friend" has such a beautiful slight of word and the muted trumpet....
Titus Andronicus lived up to their last terrific performance I saw of theirs in California. This band has a gritty rock sound that I'm amazed can do so well in the independent scene. It's probably just because their tunes are fun and upbeat, allowing anyone to enjoy.
They make fun with their repetitive, catchy lines:
After seeing them the first time, I ran out and grabbed their album. In truth, in the two months of owning it, I haven't gotten around to actually listen to it. I'm not sure if I'd listen to Titus outside of the live concert setting. Their music is fun and careless, but I just don't think I could connect with it outside of a live gig.
Okkervil River are a self-assured band with all the poise and confidence in the world. I was absolutely floored by the bands warmth this tour, seeing them is a must. If you ever get the opportunity, please don't pass it up.
They fused together a good mix of old and new, a surprise that made the show exciting and invigorating. The only album they really neglected (beyond the older couple) was The Stand-Ins and I'm perfectly fine with that. The only tune I'd have liked to have heard was "All The Latest Toughs," as they played it before.
I think the main reason I really like Okkervil River is for their sophistication and smooth quality, in terms of sound and lyrics. Will Scheff is an absolutely dapper guy, while his supporting band is comprised of a really talented female guitarist that has a remarkable resemblance to Miranda July. Furthermore, he's got an eclectic support behind him of men around his age of all sorts of looks. So suffice to say, Okkervil is most certainly not a band you go out to gawk at, but rather bask in their musical brilliance.
This band has definitely earned the title of literary rockers which I accredited to Scheff's articulate lyrics.
Half way through the show the band walked off the stage leaving Scheff on his lonesome. He played a very stripped version of "A Stone," as he did the last show. I can't say I wasn't expecting it, but with every performance, I find myself surprised that this song would be played. Don't get me wrong, it is a household favourite, but it's slow and intimate. I guess that's maybe Will Scheff's aim when playing it. At the Toronto show, I felt he shied away from the microphone for the first verse and then really attacked it come the next verse, really working the dynamics. The beauty of "A Stone" is in the eloquent and smooth transition between words that commit to the memory almost effortlessly.
You can actually hear people having musical orgasms in this video taken a month or so prior to the show I just saw. This performance easily leaves people weak in the knees:
And I think that I know the bitter dismay of a lover who brought
fresh bouquets every day
when she turned him away
to remember some knave
who once gave
just one rose, one day, years ago.
This show also had a fabulous momentum to it, they sewed together the old with the new so seamlessly. The last bit of the set you could tell was a giver for the crowd, they played a string of songs that immediately pleased everyone:
"For Real"
"Our Life Is Not A Movie, Or is It?"
"Lost Coastlines"
"Westfall"
"Unless It Kicks"
For the last week or so I have tried very hard to encourage people to make it to this show. For every mix of songs I would write, the closing bit of their set made it. I couldn't think of a better booming ending.
There's really nothing like hearing "Westfall" live with the mesmerising chant of "Evil Don't Look Like Anything." It's pretty outstanding to think that such a stage closer like "Westfall" was off of Okkervil's first full-length.
I didn't attend this show, but I sure wish I did. A number of really stunning artists covering many Saves the Day tunes and a great set by Conley himself.
It's been about four years since I last saw my favourite band Saves the Day play and add a couple of years onto that for the Get Up Kids. I have to say, it was pretty lovely being reunited with some cherished old friends.
Even better, I got to enjoy old company with new company too. I went to this show with my very lovely Michigan native pal. The trip to Toledo from Ann Arbor, MI was only about an hour, completely worth the trek. My new friend actually knew two of the members of Saves the Day scoring us some backstage wristbands. So beyond just seeing one of my favourite bands, I could see them way close, closer than I ever did lining up hours before the show in the rain.
Headliners is an extremely small venue. Packed to the brim, it is somewhere between the Kool Haus and the Sound Academy. However because of the way it is set up, the actual concert viewing area is about half the size of the Kool Haus. I couldn't imagine it ever reaching full-capacity.
The two bands played pretty early sets with no openers. Saves the Day hopped on stage at nine, stumbling in just past the hour, I knew we were missing something. The punk bass drum sounds, I knew we were missing Saves the Day. Apparently, we only missed "Shoulder to the Wheel" of the classic tunes I'd have like to have heard. Pity.
Look how young they are here!!!!
I was very blown away by the group, song selection and sound, for the first time in a while, Saves the Day really looked as if they were really, truly having fun on stage. Lead singer Chris Conley, sounded better than ever - his vocals were top shelf. I was really surprised by the band - a total off-beat group of guys that look like they'd do more harm to the band than good. I'm basing this impression mostly on the fact that they resemble nothing of their old set up. I was really fortunate to have seen Dave Soloway and Eben D'Aimco play the first go around in Toronto back in 2003 (first go around for me). I don't think any band arrangement will live up to that, but this one really nears close. They're just a really tight band and although Saves has become the Chris Conley show, I think these boys stand a chance in hell.
Members
Chris Conley
Arun Bali
Rodrigo Palma
Claudio Rivera
Past members
Spencer Peterson
Chris Zampella
Eben D'Amico
Ted Alexander
Dave Soloway
Manuel Carrero
Durijah Lang
Bryan Newman
Reed Black[3]
Anthony Anastasio
Sean McGrath
Justin Gaylord
Pete Parada
Their song choices were spread beautifully across the seven albums the band has released in the last twelve years. Conley even made a comment about how people should approach him if a song was missed, he'd make a note to play it again the next time they rolled through. He went on to say it gets hard when you have over one hundred songs to chose from. When he said that, I started to think about how new band members would go about learning old tunes, new to them.
I was most happy to hear "Nightingale" off of their heavy hitter Stay What You Are. It's sort of an odd choice selection because it's slow and a bit romantic, people nonetheless still seemed to dig it. It always baffles me to look around at an audience and see people cling on to the words of a tune that are so close to you. Some lazy guy in flop-flops standing next to me at the show shocked me the most. He closed his eyes real tight when he sung the chorus of "Nightingale," it's not my song after all.
Didn't want to spoil it with a poorly recorded live version. Claudio, the drummer played the beginning bit with the hi-hat and I knew it would be "Nightingale":
They also slapped together "This is Not an Exit," "Freakish," "Cars and Calories," "See You," "Certain Tragedy," and closed with "At Your Funeral." I have never let myself go at a show as much as I did for "At Your Funeral," it was so easy and careless, a beautifully mashed together sing-along. The first bit of the tune is just Chris and his guitar, it was absolutely lovely to just allow the wreckless, maccabre lyrics explode out of me. A brilliant release for everyone in the crowd.
I remember this video came out around the same time as the Weezer video for "Island in the Sun," consequently, getting a ton of flack for the use of puppets.
(On the song "At Your Funeral"): "We loved writing and directing this one. We had to bleep the word "high" for the broadcast version, and this is the original without the audio edit. We were obsessed with "Requiem for a Dream," which is where we (the directors) got the idea to use motion control. Plus, my mom Patricia is in it at the end...and she rules."
He also touched a great deal of In Reverie, an album that I personally adore. This album did poorly in sales, but I really feel as though it was heartfelt and a good change for a little punk rock band from New Jersey. A very mature shift in their sound. They played "Anywhere With You," "What Went Wrong" and "Monkey." I was very shocked to hear the last two in their live repetoire. "What Went Wrong" reads like a children's poem, completely off the wall.
I'm so sorry for the advertisment, you can actually skip it in just three pointless seconds. This video is fantastic, it just look so organic:
I really loved hearing "Third Engine," a tune I never really gave the time of day when I was getting into Through Being Cool. There's something so ridiculous about the lyrics and that's something that really hasn't changed throughout the history of the band. Conley's words have sort of just maintained a weird feel to them, never ordinary, always off-beat.
Did you know, my sweet
Yeah, that I once took the liberty of watching you in your sleep? I rolled over and over Trying to touch your knees, yeah, underneath the sheets Trying to touch your knees
It was really lovely to hear one of my favourite bands play live. I really took comfort in being able to completely shut my wandering mind off and set my brain on auto-pilot, being over taken by the familiar.
Also, I should note that I have had the urge I need to get into their new trilogy, starting with Sound the Alarm. I have to admit, I really didn't give it the chance. As always, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the song "Eulogy."
Moving onto the Get Up Kids. Have you hear this band? Where were you in 2003 with the release of Guilt Show? I will forever and always remember the 2003 Guilt Show tour as my introduction to Leslieville, back when it was iffy. Leslieville has now become brunch capitol of Toronto and a lovely place for Toronto Life readers to raise their children. I remember being so wry about seeing the Get Up Kids at the Opera House that I got my friends father to drive us right to the door.
It was also the show that I was introduced to Rocky Votolato and Recover, two bands that I still kind of like (the former more than the latter).
I was a little heartbroken to only hear two tunes off of Guilt Show - "Never Be Alone" and "Holy Roman." They made a really beautiful instrumental transition into "Holy Roman" that copied the albums form to a tee.
Feast your ears on the sweet intro:
Pryor confirmed the song "Never Be Alone" was written by Rob Pope about his 2003 divorce from The Anniversary keyboardist Adrianne Verhoeven.
They really hashed through their lovely album Something to Write Home About, album that sold 140,000 copies after its release, single handedly saving the struggling label Vagrant. With "I'll Catch You" as one of the closers, very surprisingly. Apparently, Mark Hoppus proposed to his wife to this song in 2000, imagine that.
In their closing bit they did a cover of Blur's "Girls & Boys"
I love the energy this band puts into their songs. Lead singer Matt Pryor has an incredible live voice, everything he is recorded.
I learned that their bassist Rob Pope is also the bassist of Spoon as well.
I know I railed American cinema, but I think my faith has been restored in two films I have seen in the last year. Tonight, I saw the film Midnight in Paris Directed by Woody Allen.
The other film is the very lovely Beginners.
Get your heart all warm and fuzzy with these trailers:
I'm making the big trek out to Ohio to see some of my favourite high school bands - the Get Up Kids and Saves the Day. I have to say, I'm pretty excited, these were bands that formed me musically. I'm currently stuck on the Get Up Kids' 2004 release Guilt Show, because it just is that good!
This is my fourth time seeing Norwegian Sondre Lerche. With each show he has a new album to promote, it's very tiring for me to be on top of all these albums, I can't even imagine what it's like for him. Lerche has been in this industry for ten years and he's only twenty eight! It's pretty remarkable to see what this guy has done.
His new self-titled album is dreamy and love-filled as most of his albums are. This album especially hints on anticipation, excitement through the sweet sounds of slower tunes. It's also his first release on his very own record label, Mona Records, after his actor/model wife Mona Fastvold.
I'm very excited to report that last night's show was a full-band set up. I got to the show missing the two opening acts who I later learned are also his back up band. I used to get to shows so early to catch every live minute, now I've just sort of flopped of the radar when it comes to live gigs, skipping any opening acts i'm not familiar with. I sometimes do my homework, I somtimes don't. These guys seemed to pack mega talent, so during the show I felt a little sad I didn't work a little harder to catch the acts before Lerche.
His band was a little different than past bands, they were definitely set up to play the slower tunes off of his new album. Furthermore, they were all American, also kind of interesting. Seems as though Sondre relocated to Brooklyn, New York... Who wouldn't?
He played a ton of new songs but a good balance between the two. This guy probably has such a hard time picking out sets because he has a slew of albums to choose from. He played "Two Way Monologue" in the first bit of his set with a very lazy introduction of "I'm gonna get this one out of the way." I suspect he's grown a little tired of playing this number. It sounded fantastic though, it wasn't lazy, but full of energy. It was also the first of the old songs he dipped into.
I was happy to hear a little off of each one of his albums...
His shows have grown a little predictable but no less exciting. I find myself completely lost in his presence and pretty looks.
As always there was that first funny turned annoying dip that talks far too loud at Sondre's Toronto gigs...
