Steamboat Record Release Gig at Sneaky Dee's; Saturday May 16, 2009.

Steamboat Record Release Gig at Sneaky Dee's; Saturday May 16, 2009.

This show was actually three weeks ago so I'm sort of forgetting all the wonderful little things that happened. There were however about a million brilliant things that happened that night so I feel good regurgitating everything.

Steamboat is a Toronto band. It's a conglomeration of brilliant musicians, to make a sound that sounds identical to Andre Ethier. Heavy piano pushed by Christopher Sandes is the trademark of the similarities of both these artists. This band is comprised of well-groomed thirty year olds that have been around for a while. A very comfortable, experienced demeanor they carry ridiculously well.

This gig was cleverly ran as Steamboat actually only has one album out, which is actually only an EP. Without much material they made some calls around and had some really amazing Toronto acts out to play. They first called out Ian and Simone from $100. I really don't care for $100, they're sound is great but I can't get over how lazy it is. I always wonder what Simone would sound like if she just sung normally, leaving her country bumpkin sound behind. I've got my bets on not very good. They played two songs.

I wasn't really familiar with Alex Lukashevsky or Mantler. I really liked Lukashevsky, his sound is together. Mind you as was Mantler's but Mantler sort of had this ridiculous joke-like feel to him, I almost couldn't take him seriously. Most of the bands had a really soulful feel. I think I can seriously credit it to their back up band--Steamboat.

Alex Lukashevsky's recorded material is really slow, they breathed serious life into it.

Doug Paisley is great, he has an Band-like feel through his steady songs, when he doesn't go country overboard. I found out that Paisley is one part of Dark Hand and Lamplight, of who I saw open up for Apostle of Hustle two or three years ago. They use overhead projectors to show live art happening, through the hands of Shary Boyle, using dry erase markers on acetate paper.

It was such a treat to see Sandro Perri, this was the first time i've seen him. I heard the tune "Double Suicide" and that's what sold me on his music. He however shared the stage with the kooky Mantler and only sang one song. I'm under the impression that Perri's niche is in making music, as his original band called Polmo Pompo was an instrumental group, he shocked all of his friends when he put out a project with his vocals. This night had a real soulful vibe to it so naturally his song choice reflected that.

There were a lot of covers peppered through the acts, which was cool. Familiarity always wins the crowd. Andre Ethier however did no such thing. Surprisingly, I recognised two out his three song choices, he played "On Lies" first, a really amazing song that kicks in with his ukelele and is carried on by it. He is immaculate live. He also played another tune off of 'On Blue Fog' called "Pride of Egypt". Ethier's distinct style almost sounds like preaching when performed and recorded. It's distinct. I've never heard the Deadly Snakes but it's something I need to get on, Ethier use to be a part of that group. I didn't recognise the third song but I really enjoyed his portion of the set.

This gig really points out Steamboats chameleon ability as a group. They can pick up and gel to other sounds really easily. From what I've gathered Steamboat use to be primarily a backup band at the Tranzac. The bands that play the Tranzac sort of stay on the outskirts of the Toronto music scene. The little Australian bar is pretty awesome but for it's size and capability it's sort of left out quite often. It's good they brought the boys out the Tranzac.

Lovely, well-put together show.

andre ethier, sandro perri, mantler, alex lukashevsky, ian and simone from $100 and doug paisley

Vetiver at the Horseshoe Tavern; Friday May 15, 2009

Vetiver at the Horseshoe Tavern; Friday May 15, 2009
I loved this band's artwork at first sight. Their album 'Things From the Past' has a ridiculously cute girl holding a record from what looks to be her collection of vinyl records. It had a classic appeal to it that drew me in, for at very least another glance at the album.

I took a listen to their album 'Tight Knit' released earlier this year. Upon hearing the first track titled "Rolling Sea" I knew this album was beautiful. I purchased their self-titled album when i went to the states while back, it wasn't until i bought 'Tight Knit' that I actually listened to the self-titled. Each album is dynamic in their own way. 'Tight Knit' is straight foward, where as 'Vetiver' is loose and unkept. In between those two albums Vetiver released two cover albums, modestly titled 'Things From the Past'.

I caught one of the openers called The Papercuts. They were a little slow, but their sound was there. They used a great deal of synthesizer, which I'm not really sure if I like it or not. They seemed like the Beach House male counterpart. I however decided to sit this one out because their music was a bit slow for my likings. The Papercuts are from San Francisco.

Vetiver are also from San Francisco. I really love Vetiver. Frontman Andy Cabic is a gem, he's confident, but not too confident. He initially said to the crowd that they're going to start the show off slower. In anticipation of the crowds chagrin, Cabic said "You've gotta build up". Build up they did, however they also dropped down to. For the unaided listener Vetiver probably comes off sounding a little boring. Cabic's voice doesn't translate clear, especially over the loud music of the venue. I really like Cabic's lyrics, they're full of imagery and heart, it's a shame they didn't come out well over the music.

His band is tight (ha!). Their sound is great, Cabic too is actively involved in the music. Very importantly they have a keyboard player, who really brought their sound together, closure. Each member is tremendously talented which reflects in their pristine sound live. They play as a band perfectly, making it really easy to enjoy their live set.

Vetiver fuses what I love about many bands I enjoy listening to. Very notably, Fleet Foxes, for the harmonization and rootsy folk sound to their music. Vetiver also reminds me of Ben Kweller, stripped down and folk-country like. I also love how this band feeds off of other artists, on the self-titled album Cabic scooped up longtime friend and co-writer Devandra Banhart, Joanna Newsome and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandorval.

My favourite bit of the set was hearing the tune "Rolling Sea" and the commercial boosted "Everyday". I think I enjoyed them so much because I was super familiar with them. I really dug a cover he did of a Towns Van Zandt tune. Cabic makes the cover tunes his own, to the extent you don't know whether their his songs or songs of other people. At the tail end of their set they played the tune "Wishing Well" which reminds me a bunch of Ben Kweller. It was apparently released on a 7" on Sub Pop for record store day. It had that cute appeal that Ben Kweller sports.

I had a lovely time, it seems as though they've played here at least twice before. Once at the Mod Club and the other time at the Drake. This band is a group I would love to have played at my high school dance.

M. Ward at the Phoenix; Monday April 27, 2009

M. Ward at the Phoenix; Monday April 27, 2009

I have always though M. Ward’s music has a classic feel to it. I wasn’t sure what made it sound that way, but seeing just him live really shed new light on him. All of M. Ward’s music sounds relatively similar. I could throw on something from ‘the Transfiguration of Vincent’ which was released in 2003 and ‘the Hold Time’ which was released this year, and you wouldn’t even know the difference. It’s that consistency that earns my high regard. With that said it should be acknowledged that M. Ward’s music is consistently good. His lyrics are sweet, like an old Beatles album is, M. Ward effortlessly achieves the innocence that so many bands try to pull off. He played pretty much the new album in its entirety, I think very highly of this album so I really didn’t have a problem with that. The tunes are lively and upbeat for the most part, which stretches it apart from the older albums a bit more. This album moves with more vigour and spirit. The other albums sort of lagged a bit at times. M. Ward managed to catch his breath mid way through the set, he played three or four slower tunes with and without the band. I really liked his live rendition of “Oh Lonesome Me,” which recorded features guest vocals from Lucinda Williams. It’s a sweet song about hanging out at home than going out. I really don’t like the album version, it’s slow and I don’t think his voice goes particularly well with Williams’. Live this song had a lot of heart, M. Ward played it with his guitarist, just him singing. He even played the song “Hold Time” which is quite possibly the slowest song, it felt particularly drowned out because you could really hear the synthesizer live. Two things saved that song, first M. Ward’s piano playing and secondly that it’s so short. He played the song “Fuel for Fire” off of the album ‘Transistor Radio’. I was really happy to hear that live. He also played “Magic Trick” and ended the show with the Daniel Johnson cover “To Go Home”. I was incredibly surprised when he played two encores. I read somewhere that M. Ward was a super introverted person, I just assumed that from seeing him live with Zooey Deschanel as She & Him. He barely made a sound, tucked to the far left of the stage. This show he front centre, without a beautiful girl to divert the attention. M. Ward had a great sound live and not for very long did I feel as though he was bailing from the crowds attention. He wasn’t much of a talker to the crowd but he was appreciative. One thing is clear is he is quite the guitar player. I’m going to make bold and say he is first a guitar player then a singer, although his voice is immaculate, live and recorded. M. Ward played a handful of covers, most predictable being Buddy Holly made hit “Rave On!” which he plucked off of his latest release. For his last song he played “Roll Over Beethoven” but before playing it he pointed at the disco ball and asked for them to make it light up. He described it as “that big ball”, they didn’t understand him initially because of his drawl. At the beginning of the set he played a John Fahey cover which I’m going to assume was the tune “Bean Vine Blues #2”. I just found out “Oh Lonesome Me” is also a cover, who knew!M. Ward’s albums are all about detail, he produces most of his albums, definitely the later ones. His shows are no exception, well put on, well thought through and a great sound. He apparently prefers to stay home instead of touring, he doesn’t do it too often!

May 2, 2009

Flight of the Conchords at Massey Hall; Tuesday April 21, 2009

Flight of the Conchords at Massey Hall; Tuesday April 21, 2009

You would not believe what I did to get these tickets… Well I didn’t as much as what Joel did. I knew these shows would sell out before I had even seen them live. The real question is why? Or to make a really bad Flight of the Conchords joke would be to say “What?”. I hope my cheesy side oozes onto your monitor with ease.Regardless, the golden question is Why do these fools sell out?. Additionally, if these guys can make me pee with laughter from my computer screen Why did I not find them the slightest bit funny live?. I can speculate that it was because of the venue set up, if I had seen them at something tight like the El Mocambo or the Rivoli, maybe, just maybe it would have been enough to make me laugh. I paid fifty bucks to see these blokes, and what do I get out of it?--A measly postcard from Eugene Mirman, their opener. Eugene was pretty badass, you might know him from being their landlord of the television show. I thought he was pretty fun. I knew after someone in the audience very rudely yelled something along the lines of: “Fat people off the stage!” or something with fat in it, he fought back. Mirman simply said: “Say it again?”. It wasn’t in a cocky way but it was in a what do you have on the fat guy that you paid fifty bucks to see. His rants were scripted and I could tell he said them every night, which by knowing that it sort of bores me a bit. I thought what he had to say was funny though. I was most happy that he wasn’t a music act, there’s only so much parody I can take in one evening. His final rant was on Delta Airlines. He claimed they lost his bags and returned him some ladies junk and when they finally found his stuff months later they refused to allow the lady who’s stuff he received to send it to him. Did you get all that? Basically with his power as a celebrity, of some sort, he printed off a bajillion postcards reading what he’d like to say to them but from millions of satellite people. Here’s what it reads:Dear Delta Airlines, My name is ___________. I am a fan of comedian and actor Eugene "Horsedick" Mirman (who you may recognize from his small,recurring role on HBO's Flight of the Conchords.) Mr. Mirman flew your airline from Seattle to New York, where you lost his luggage. Quick exposition: you delivered his luggage twice to the wrong address in Atlanta, GA, refused to pick it back up, then said you would pick it up, then never came, and then told him to file a claim and wait to hear back within 10 weeks. Eugene described his traumatic incident with your terrible airline on stage. As a result, I will never ever ever ever fly with you again. Your airline is worse than someone dressing p like Hitler as a joke and not understanding why that's offensive. If your airline was drowning, I would save you, but give you look like, "I can't believe I'm saving such an asshole." To make things right, if I were you, I'd formally apologize to Eugenee on television, give him controlling stock in Delta Airlines or $10,000 (whichever is greater), and lastly make a video of yourself in the balls while going, "Why am I hitting myself?" and put it on youtube.Yours Truly, ______OK that’s a lot. He’s a funny guy, American too. Apparently, he’s toured with a handful of rock bands like The Shins and Cake. I suppose it’s much cheaper for one body than a band of five.OK to the goods. Flight of the Conchords, AKA Brett and Germaine didn’t get me. I found it really hard to laugh at something being recreated. I think I was also kind of bitter because I wanted to hear “Rymenoucerous vs. Hiphopoptamus” and “Brett You Got It Going On” even more so. They didn’t play either songs. They did however play the Bowie tune and “Business Time”. The first tune they played was called “Too Many Dicks on the Dancefloor,” which they apparently got the title from a guy in BC who yelled out in a club “There’s too many dicks on the dance floor”. In true Flight style Brett and Germain popped out in robot costumes made of carboard. They played it to strobe lights, and eventually stripped down to their normal clothes but with their jocks from the costumes still on top of their street clothes. Speaking of clothing a quarter of the way through their set Germaine unbuttoned his faux jean button up to cool down, just to be wearing the exact same shirt underneath. Cute detail.I kind of liked how the audience could partake, despite the huge venue. I don’t know how people could possibly want to sit in the gallery, I’d get nervous being that high!Flight’s sound was great, they’re two funny men and quality musicians too. They both sported the guitar, no bass from Germaine. They did however have a cellist jump on stage on occasion, it added a little zip to their music. Of course they made fun of his outfit as he got on stage, something I’m sure they do each and every night. They’re new tunes were funny, instead of a live show it felt like more of a story telling session with thousands of people with you. They made me laugh, but I wasn’t ready to cry like I thought I would have been. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m seeing the live closer from my computer monitor. The other big thing was the script factor. We live in an age today where nothing is real. It’s a really haunting thought to think that everything we see on TV is completely fabricated. TV shows like the Hills or home renovation shows. Whether the homes are real or Spencer and Heidi really getting married. I can confidently say they wouldn’t take my parents place on, that would be a six parter home renovation made for TV movie. I’ve been giving a lot of thought into bands playing their tunes over and over. Do they get bored, is it better to see them on their first gig or their last. Their first tour or their last. Seeing a band first, on anything always compromises quality. I was listening to Randy Bachman’s (of the Guess Who) program on CBC Radio 2 called Vinyl Tap. Good play on words. He mentioned that when a band records in studio it sometimes takes twenty recordings to perfect a tune in the studio. That is unless you have Sir George Martin evaluating your studio performance….! Bachman also mentioned that seeing a band on their last show is a sure fire way of seeing their best live performances because they have everything down, from the melodies to the change overs. This raises a couple of questions in my head… Number One: Do you want to see a perfect well performed gig?. Number Two: Do bands get sick of playing the same things over and over, whether it’s in the studio or on stage. The only person I really felt that was getting sick of their repertoire is Damien Rice. From the two times I’ve seen him he’s sort of mentioned it lightly both times. That and he keeps reinventing himself. Basically, the one question I’m tapping at is… How much is too much? This review feels like Carrie Bradshaw’s column on Sex in the City, too many questions!Bottom line, I will never see Flight of the Conchords again unless Brett and Germaine make a personal stop to my living room for a gig. Tough luck.Just a plug... CHECK OUT BACHMAN'S SHOW ON CBC RADIO 2... 94.1FM. The best way to spend your Saturday night I swear!

May 2, 2009

Maria Taylor at the El Mocambo; Friday April 17, 2009

Maria Taylor at the El Mocambo; Friday April 17, 2009

Maria Taylor is sloppy. Her live show is minimal with what seems like a last minute put together band with boys ten years younger than she. Regardless, her show was great. Her voice was spot on despite her demeanor. I find it real funny that I saw this slopfest of a show after Neko Case, as perfect as live gigs get. I mainly feel the way after getting there a bit early seeing the openers Whispertown 2000. This was a band I saw probably four years ago, when Jenny Lewis first toured her flawless album titled 'Rabbit Fur Coat'. Yes, believe it or not that album was released nearly five years ago, it just may have been five!! I barely remember their set but my friend Lily was all about them, and still is if I'm not mistaken. Of seeing their set today, they look ridiculously young. Too young to have toured five years ago. When I got in they were playing a tune that was loud and aggressive. They were chanting catchy tunes. Moments I felt really into it, others I just thought I could get at home, with one of my housemates dancing to mediocre music as they normally do. I found it funny that they alternated instruments after each song, proving that none of them were really good at any instrument. I didn't really like this band, I hope they learn how to play before they tour again. They weren't short on fun though.Maria Taylor flopped on at around 11:30. I was pretty beat but jazzed nonetheless to see this lady for the third time. The first I saw with my Mother at the Horseshoe Tavern. At that gig her band consisted of her sister on the keyboard and her brother somewhere else. This show none of her family members were in her band. The second time I saw her was with Johnathan Rice, not too long ago. I think it was in the fall, I could be wrong though. This show was by far the best gig i've seen her live at. The last show I think she played more tunes alone. The band this time round were together, each one of them seemed to know what they were doing. Taylor's voice was great, it was all there. They keyboardist was also really fantastic. Many of her songs have a bunch of keyboard work and it really came through this gig.I was really happy to hear her play “Speak Easy,” which as always I found completely and utterly charming. She introduced it as a 'love song'. She also played “No Stars”, one of my favourite songs to hear live, because of its pick ups and fall downs. They translated it live perfectly. She also played “Replay” a catchy tune. I always forget how much I really like Maria Taylor. I was pretty beat and I didn't end up staying for her entire set. I left after hearing practically every song I wanted to, with the exception of “Song Beneath a Song”. I knew she'd play as a closer, as it was featured on Grey's Anatomy. Well worth the twelve bucks I paid.

May 2, 2009

Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday April 17, 2009

Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday April 17, 2009

The openers are called Crooked Fingers, folk ensemble that simply can't choose what genre they want to stick with. I really liked them this go. The last time I saw them was with Texas gems Okkervil River. I remember feeling very bored by their set as I looked on from a distance. This time I was closer and I could see everything. They're quite minimal, with only a guitar, drums and the occasional bass guitar. The bassist was a woman that alternated between bass, vocals or sometimes both. I was really blown away by the lead singer's vocal range. He sang in a sky high falsetto voice above the girls in one the tunes. They made very pretty tunes. I would never want to physically stand through one of their sets entirely but i found sitting to be quite the treat. The Music Gallery would be the perfect venue for this band, pews included.I'm putting it out there that I've never been a huge Neko Case fan. I think I bought her older album 'Furnace Room Lullabies' because her band was called the Boyfriends and Case is absolutely legendary. With that same logic I went to see her at Trinity St. Paul, one part because of the venue and one part because well, just because it's Neko Case.She has a dynamite voice. Her voice lit up the entire church, effortlessly. She played a good chunk of her new album, peppered with older tunes. All the songs sounded perfect, as they do on the album. She has a great band which just strengthens her live performance all the more. Neko often played the guitar and always sung. Her backup singer was cheeky, but entertaining. I read in her Eye Weekly spread that her backup signer is also her best friend. How great would it be to see the world with you second half. It's rare to find a backup singer so good. I sat closer to her so I could hear her voice real well. At times i felt that she could carry the show with her voice. She however never over shone Neko by any means. She's completely beautiful but slightly aged in the face. She's super petite for her age, she's a year shy of forty. Her comfort and ease in her performance reveals just how comfortable she is. Throughout the set she was name dropping artists she wrote the songs with. She mentioned Sarah Harmer and the Sadies—two relatively local acts that made me real happy. Unfortunately none were in attendance.'Middle Cylcone' as a whole has a natural theme to it, perfect for Earth Day, not a week after her gig. She however maintains a solid, strong female appeal to the album. 'Maneater' not in the confident girl way but in the literal, animals being 'maneaters'. Watch out Nelly. On a couple of tunes she uses a music box throughout. In the live show she used it only in the song “Middle Cyclone”. It was absolutely beautiful. Innocent and minimal. Much like the song, which lyrics I can't get enough of. It's one of the prettiest tunes on the album for lyrics and sounds. Neko is a confident and successful female artist, both solo and through her band the New Pornographers. She's a real gem, one I'm proud to say is a Canadian.

May 2, 2009

Thursday at the Kool Haus; Wednesday April 8, 2009

Thursday at the Kool Haus; Wednesday April 8, 2009.

This show was the closest thing I’ll ever get to a high school reunion… It’s because I feel as though the songs I heard tonight were a warm welcome to my high school past. I remember first buying the album ‘War All the Time’ in the tenth grade. I bought it with Thrice’s ‘Artist in the Ambulance’ at the HMV on Yonge Street. It was just before my Mother and I saw a play at the Cannon theatre. I remember flipping through the album’s lyrics to find a ‘cool’ lyric to put in my MSN screen name… (!!!) I wish I went to see Thursday, Thirce and the Deftones… What a line up, too bad it was at Arrow Hall…I would just like to put out there in facebookland that I, Kimberley Stemshorn went to ‘Taste of Chaos’. If you’re not familiar with ‘Taste of Chaos’ it’s the miniature, spring Warped Tour, give and take an ad. I made sure I missed every other band that played that night, because I had no interest in seeing any of them. It’s funny that I had never heard of any of these bands because five or six years ago I was completely on top of the “punk” music scene. [For sake of ease, I will just refer to it as “punk,” even though my housemates would like to interject what they believe punk is. Regardless, Thursday are kept in the punk section, therefore I will label them punk.] The bands that played tonight were probably the equivalent to Funeral for a Friend, Poison the Well or Planes Mistaken for Stars… The “indies” of “popular punk”. I’m just in complete aw that I’ve never heard of any of these bands… They’re probably on Victory, or Vagrant. This really scares me, I’m actually growing out of a scene of music. I feel old.I arrived just shy of ten, Thursday very prompt went on at five to the hour. Seeing them at the Kool Haus was incredible. The last time I saw them was at the Warped Tour in 2006. I remember running to the stage, alone and being very unsatisfied, due to the large stage and new songs played. They did get an extra ten minutes tagged to their set of all the bands, which was really great.Geoff Rickley kept apologising for their band flaking on past Toronto show(s?). I couldn’t think of one for the life of me, but I remember I almost went to Taste of Chaos three or four years ago when the Used were headlining and I returned my ticket lightening fast when I found out they weren’t playing. My friend Nicole went and apparently I burned her real bad for going. I was informed of this today.The first two songs they played were new. I didn’t know them, but they sounded pretty good. Before the third song, Rickley said to the crowd: “It looks like there’s a lot of old people here… We’re going to play a tune off of ‘Full Collapse’… This is “Understanding in a Car Crash.” Lame title, I know, but my heart stopped in anticipation for the sixteenth notes drummer Tucker Rule plays to kick off the song. Rickley’s vocals were sloppy as per usual and completely expected for these gigs, but they were spot on. His tone was there and in parts they even sound a bit polished. The band played a great mix of songs from all their albums. Of my favourite ‘War All The Time’ they played “Signals Over the Air”, which Rickley Described as a song that was about women’s rights…. Which I thought was really weird because I’ve listened to that song countless times and I never picked up on that. They also played “For the Workforce and Drowning” which I thought was the worst performed… It was incredibly sloppy and the band didn’t sound together. They ended with “War All the Time”, the title track, he said just before he played it: “I don’t think we ever played this here.” I think he’s right, after a lot of thought.Off of ‘Full Collapse’ they played: “Understanding”, “Cross Out the Eyes” and for the encore they played “Autobiography of a Nation”. “Autobiography” has a really sweet intro with a great bass/guitar bit. I was really impressed by Manny Carrero, who is the bassist for Saves the Day and Glassjaw. He played perfectly, I wouldn’t have even noticed the difference if Rickley didn’t point him out. Thursday had a keyboard player!!!!! I couldn’t help but think of the first time I saw this band play, where they performed “This Song Has Been Brought To You By A Falling Bomb” the ballad off of ‘War All The Time’. It was funny enough that there’s a ballad on that album, but when they did it live they played with a recording of the piano part. It was great nonetheless and it sounds spotless on the album. I always thought that Rickley put this on as a piss of to all those who use to call him “tone Geoff” because he was never in tune. I was incredibly happy when Rickley said “This song is not off of a full-length but on an EP called ‘Five Stories Fallen’, an album that is mostly live songs with the exception of this one song.” THEY PLAYED “JET BLACK NEW YEAR”, which is easily one of my favourite Thursday songs. The first time I saw them, they played this tune and at the end of the countdown of the song they released a load of confetti on the crowd. Not this time. But they did have ridiculous balloons flying everywhere, which I found super distracting… throughout a few songs, they eventually all just popped.They played a tune off of their split EP with the Japanese “punk” band Envy. It was released by Temporary Records which makes me incredibly happy, as Temporary is home to Explosions in the Sky and Eluvium!! It’s getting harder and harder to see this band because their growing catalogue is becoming less and less appealing to me. They do however satisfy everyone, in that they play songs from their entire catalogue.I’m super happy I was able to see them play right after they had released ’War All The Time’. That was five years ago!!! NOTE:Perhaps I should have referred to them as "Post-Hardcore". It almost seems like a genre they give to modern "Punk" bands that they find OK, or a step above the other ones. This band did put out a song called "Ian Curtis". Tell me what you think, i'm interested....

April 9, 2009

Julie Doironat the Horseshoe Tavern; Thursday March 26, 2009

Julie Doiron at the Horseshoe Tavern; Thursday March 26, 2009.

Have you met Julie Doiron yet? If you haven't she was in the '90s independent rock band Eric's Trip. It's hard to say whether they're actually independent or not as they were on Sub Pop. Think back when Sub Pop wasn't representing Wolf Parade but bands with a bit more edge to them. $100 opened up the show after Rick White (former lover of Doiron and Eric's Trip bandmate) who i had missed. I really wanted to see $100, they have a fairly unique sound for all the fame they've been getting lately. I like them, they do put on a good show. The Horseshoe was packed, i hated it! Their live sound is spot on, however I was seriously wondering how lead singer Simone Fornow would actually sing if she wasn't in her distinct country style. Doiron is a complete gem. She's cute as a button with brown messy hair tied back. She entered the stage suddenly and alone. She then proceeded to play three or four songs alone without a band. The first song she played was especially nice because it was just her singing. Simple and sweet. Between those songs she was thinking aloud wondering if she should play a sad or a happy song. At this point i sort of got the idea that she was known for her sad, sad songs. The new album (the first Doiron anything i've ever bought!) is happy, it's full of love and optimism. I read in an interview she wrote quiet songs because she didn't want to wake up her kids (she's got three!). I thought that was sweet, and it spot on reflected her life at the time. I met some people a day later and they got really pissed that she stopped in most songs to say something about what just happened. I found in crazy cute, she oozes honesty and heart. She reminds me of a rougher Cat Power with the simplicity and heart Feist had beforehand. She doesn't mind messing up, she completely backs it up with charm.The rest of her set was comprised of mainly the new album, she played it in order. I didn't know it well enough to notice that until later. Of the album titled 'I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day' I really like the edgy “Spill Yer Lungs”, “Blue” and “I'm Glad To Be Alive”. Three is a good number for a new release i must say.For the encore she came out alone and played “Glad To Be Alive”, I just knew she would. I rarely feel so certain going into anything. I had a great time at this show, perfect venue for this lovely lady.

March 29, 2009

Six Shooter Showcase; Saturday March 14, 2009

Amelia Curran and Jenn Grant; Saturday March 14, 2009.

Canadian Music Week is normally a complete bust. This year I have to say had a lot of potential, perhaps it’s just the music scene perking up a bit.It seems as though the East Coast really shone through over any other area. The Rivoli even had an exclusive Nova Scotia showcase. The two ladies I saw tonight were from Nova Scotia--Jenn Grant and Amelia Curran. Rich Terfry AKA Buck 65 has a radio show on CBC Radio 2 called Drive. It airs weekdays from three to six in the afternoon. I couldn’t think of a better job I would like to do, paid or unpaid. He has been playing a great deal of both Amelia Curran and Jenn Grant. These girls have many things in common even excluding their geography. Grant and Curran are both signed to Six Shooter Records, a Toronto based record label tucked in the far reaches of Queen Street West. This label is happening, I’m making bold to call it the new Arts and Crafts, as they find their way out. Six Shooter is the home of primarily singer song writers but also alt-country gems. Curran played first, prime eleven o’clock time slot. She played an acoustic guitar with a steel guitar to accompany. The steel guitarist played noodled along to her strumming. As I said before I’d heard her a couple of times on CBC Radio 2 Drive, both my boss and I decided we really liked her. She recently opened up for Luke Doucet (also Six Shooter) on his recent tour. I really wasn’t too impressed with her set, her lyrics are witty but they sound like they would sit perfectly next to Sarah Barralis and Colbie Callait. Her tune “The Mistress” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=524UUvq6uCQ) sounds like something that Pink could have wrote and put out easily. I think she’s really talented I just hope she doesn’t explode on that scene. Jenn Grant was the highlight of my evening. She put on an incredible set. She has a distinct voice that in now way can be confused with anyone else. She just released her new album titled ‘Echoes’… It has a significantly more full sound than her older album titled ‘Orchestra for the Moon’. I found her very charming live, her banter with the audience was really sweet. Her music is light, she’s the only guitarist in her band. Her band however is very full, she has an upright electric bassist, a violinist, a keyboardist and a drummer. I first saw her open for the Veils nearly two years ago. I remember thinking she had a very sweet voice but she would never get anywhere with only a violinist and a pianist. Her sound has really blossomed. She did a cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”, which sounded fantastic, it had completely different vibe than his version. Catherine McClelland even jumped out and sang a bit, it was really nice (she's also from the East!).Jenn Grant’s a really beautiful musician, you should really check her out. http://www.jenngrant.com/Echoes/jenngrant.htmlMelissa McClelland played later, but i felt a little tuckered out so i left.

March 15, 2009

Charles Spearin at the Music Gallery; Thursday March 12, 2009

Charles Spearin at the Music Gallery; Thursday March 12, 2009.

Charles Spearin is quite possibly my favourite Broken Social Scene related solo project. It's a close three way tie between Feist and Collett. All three in attendance tonight. Spearin very modestly entered the stage area with a big group. I really didn't know what to expect so seeing such a large band excited me. He introduced his project by defining what happiness is to him, very appropriately. He described happiness as being all around you, he referred to a person going grocery shopping and the list just consisting of happiness. I was thinking that he simply meant we all look for it, in everything we do. They opened up with “Mrs. Morris”. He said she was at the gig last night and she said she felt like she was “just like a little baby” because she was being hugged by so many people. I guess that pretty much sums up happiness right there, assuming she enjoys being hugged. Mrs. Morris is an immigrant, from some European country. Her definition of happiness is pretty spot on. He first introduces people to her with the words she said, probably because they were so honest. In silence everyone gave it a good listen. I was sitting right up at the front, right in front of the huge speaker that the voices were blasting from. For this song he just had his sax player follow along with the melody of her voice. This saxophone player has been with him from the start. Unfortunately I didn't get his name, but every time i've seen Spearin play his material this guy has been there. Perhaps it was an homage to his hard work or maybe it was to ease a potentially unfamiliar audience into his work.I say 'ease' because this is definitely the type of act you should only see live. Explaining this project to someone is like trying to teach an old dog new tricks, it doesn't really stick well. As I mentioned before the group was huge, there were probably a good ten people on stage. This is really nothing new, as Do Make Say Think probably has close to ten members. I sort of felt like i was watching Do Make, because he had Ohad Benchetrit in his band as well as Julie Penner, violinist. Ohad played a bit of his solo material.. sounded exactly like "A Tender History in Rust" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYRwE9HPgpM) off of Do Makes' "You, You're A History In Rust". Simple guitar noodling, beautiful.Julie Penner has some solo work on the go: http://www.myspace.com/juliepennerThis show was a treat for the senses. He introduced “Vanessa” as his neighbour that was deaf, that recently had a surgery that has now allowed her to hear. He went into great detail explaining her story, including her surgery. Apparently she had a hole drilled into her head where they inserted microchips with magnets on the other side of her head, somehow they interact and allow her to hear. Spearin's main question was asking her how it felt to hear for the first time. He spent a great deal working with what she had to say but for this tune he spent most of it on a single string of words she said... “All of sudden i felt my body moving inside”. This phrase was incredibly hard to make out from the live show, even though it was put through a speaker. As the song went on the emphasis of the recorded voice was lost and the music simply emulated the sounds of Vanessa's voice. This particular song sounds so much like Do Make Say Think, through it's complexity and heart. The band at the end of the song, together with the music fading out, sang: “All of sudden I felt my body moving inside”. This song really made me appreciate my senses. It made me think of all five that we have and how we use them, and how they come so naturally to us. I'm not sure if this makes me happy, or just grateful but it makes me feel. The band was very well put together, they sounded perfect. Few brought up music, which scared me to think that they memorised the sounds of the voices. Perhaps because my memory is so poor. That meant they internalised the songs for keeps. It really brought life to Spearin's thought of the music we make in life. This was probably my favourite show of the year so far. I think i'm going to make a new genre called: “Intellectual Rock” not to be confused with “Literary Rock”. This sums up my experience, the review's pretty spot on too: http://www.thistledown.org/?p=232

March 14, 2009

Lisa Hannigan at the Mod Club; Sunday March 1, 2009

Lisa Hannigan at the Mod Club; Sunday March 1, 2009.

Seeing Lisa Hannigan was at the top of my list of must sees probably as of nearly four or five years ago. I first heard her as Damien Rice's female counterpart, much to my chagrin she wasn't at either of the shows I saw Damien Rice at. They had some falling out shortly after they recorded '9', Rice's hauntingly beautiful album. In that album Hannigan started and finished it. Her vocals are airy but full of life, they have this super comforting warmth to them. This is best illustrated in the tunes: “Volcano” off of his first album titled 'O' and in the recorded verion of '9 Crimes' off of his latest titled '9'. Live she was everything I thought she'd be, maybe a bit more. I hate going to shows where i'm not super familiar with the music. Her cover of Air's “Playground Love” was my favourite part of the evening. It was eerie as she used her harmonium, and almost unrecognisable until she sung “You're my high school lover...”. Most memorable at the bridge the music stopped and she and her band sung acapella, which sounded more like a Gregorian chant than it did an Air song. It was absolutely lovely. Hannigan's voice is eerie, as it's deep yet hollow and very airy. She thrives on “oohs” and “hmms” throughout her tunes. Which made me think that if she just hummed through a whole tune i'd be thoroughly happy. She could produce crap lyrics and her voice would carry her to sell out venues. She was a bit sick but it didn't translate to her vocals one bit. Nor does her Irish accent which was so think that i struggled to make out what she was saying. She didn't talk much, but her personality really stuck out when she played her own music.She seems significantly more free than when she played with Damien Rice. I think this is partially because she's now performing her own songs, her own words. She fidgeted a bunch in the style of Sia or Joe Cocker... She's a gem but i can confidently say that i don't like her music. I like her voice but just with other people's music.The openers are called the Low Anthem, they had just played at the Mod Club with Rachael Yamagata not three months before. Seeing them for the second time made me appreciate them because they changed up their set from the last, playing some of the same songs but some entirely different ones. I hope i see them again.

March 4, 2009

Ben Kweller at the Mod Club; Sunday February 22, 2009

Ben Kweller at the Mod Club; Sunday February 22, 2009.

I love Ben Kweller, for so many reasons. He's incredibly talented, yet he completely conceals under simple tunes with terrible lyrics. Not a glowing sentiment but he's incredibly charming. I saw him first at Sonic Boom at 3pm in the afternoon. Naturally, I arrived late so I missed a couple of songs. I jumped in mid-way through the song called “Red Eye” a song he claimed he hadn't played in nearly two years... Well Youtube confirmed that that was a lie. Regardless he doesn't play it much and it was one of his ballads. He followed it up wtih “Thirteen” one of my favourite tracks from his self-titled album released nearly two years before his latest called 'Changing Horses' (which i still haven't purchased!!!). “Thirteen” is a song of love and knowing you've found someone, Kweller makes it honest through his ridiculous lyrics... “We practiced Religion, Gave Bread to the Pigeons”. Nice. It's a sweet tune and sounded perfect. Every show i've ever seen at Sonic Boom has had rather full band or has been plugged in. This show was just Ben and his acoustic, completely free of plugs. What a treat.Being the big fan I am i saw him play later at the Mod Club, a step up from the Phoenix. He always mentions his first gig here in the city with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco at Trinity St. Paul (JFSFJKLJ!!JIO:JF!! I can't believe i missed this!). I was like thirteen... but it would have been great. He has a super dorky appearance but he sports it well... It suits his music perfectly and it seems to come so effortlessly to him.The only songs that i could have possibly wanted to hear in addition to his set were “Sha Sha” and “Wasted and Ready”. He played EVERYTHING ELSE, which was great because my big fear was him just pushing his new album... which is significantly more country. He embraced it though by adding a lap guitarists, who alternated between a steel guitar and a regular one. It was real nice, it added another layer to his music that was well needed. It sort of breathed new life into his simple tunes.My favourite portion of the show was his bit alone... He jumped on the piano and played “Thirteen” alone, he even nailed the harmonica part, while playing piano with his other hand. I noticed that instead of saying the word 'phone' like his does in the recorded version he says 'telephone' live... He also played “In Other Words” a pretty ballad from the album 'Sha Sha'. It builds up beautifully and hit's it's peak and falls back down equally as fast. It's definitely the most sophisticated tune off of his first album. He played the tune “Sundress” off of his self-titled but sang it differently, kept it low key and didn't jump into any intense parts until well into the song. A big teaser if you ask me... I loved every second of it.I hope Kweller comes again real soon, i always like when he visits.

March 4, 2009

Blitzen Trapper at the Horseshoe Tavern; Saturday February 21, 2009

Blitzen Trapper at the Horseshoe Tavern; Saturday February 21, 2009.

Blitzen Trapper are a great band. They touch on quite a few bands for me, it's probably because they don't have one particular sound to them. In many of their tunes they channel alt-country rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and at times they have beautiful harmonies like Fleet Foxes or the Beatles... Those are pretty big names, i wouldn't equate them anywhere near those bands but they sure do have a nice sound. I remember them being much older, at least i thought they were so much older the last time i saw them. Having a better look at them up close at the Horseshoe I found they were actually pretty young. It was disgustingly sweatty at the Horseshoe, as always with sold out shows. I crammed to the front which was uncomfortably hot and braved it. They're a tremendous band to see live, they have the energy that Plants and Animals have with solid vocals (not that Plants don't have them). Their harmony is spot on and musically they translate perfectly. I really enjoyed hearing “Furr” live, the only song that really stuck with me after listening to their latest self-titled release through and through. Since this show i've found myself revisiting their album again, and i really love the song “Sleepy time in the Western World”. They're definitely a grower but they make catchy well-written tunes.

March 4, 2009

Kathleen Edwards at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday February 13, 2009

Kathleen Edwards at Trinity St. Paul Church; Friday February 13, 2009.

The openers were terrible. They would make the ultimate back up band because their musicianship was quite inventive and intriguing at times. But once any of the guys opened their mouths to sing, i just sort of wanted to shut myself out and get the rest i really needed at that moment. They get serious points for having an upright bass though, i don't think it gets much more classy than that.Kathleen Edwards is a gem. She has an incredibly beautiful charm to her that i think few artists really have, or maybe at very most I can say it's a Canadian thing. If you need clarification of this charm i'm alluding to, think of the Canadian sweethearts: Sarah Harmer, Melissa McClelland and Amy Millan—maybe not them personally but definitely their music. Edwards was dressed in a pretty blouse with a high waisted pencil skirt and knee-high stockings that just didn't look right, finished with casual bomber boots. It was classy but homegrown, and i dug it. At the beginning of her set she outright said “I wore my Sunday best for church today... but i don't do thongs...”. She anticipated the crowd gawking at her beautiful figure and her visible full-bottomed underwear (I was second row and i saw absolutely nothing!). Some guy in response yelled: “No Rolls!”. She laughed in response, positively... To be quite honest i'm a fairly new Kathleen Edwards fan. I've had her second album 'Back to Me' for quite some time now. It was one of those Canadian albums that you felt you should just own, just because... perhaps that's just my sick, sick habit, regardless it felt like an essential. It was only recently that i found myself drawn to her album 'Asking For Flowers', released mid-2008. It's not a far stretch from her other ones, but I strongly believe that she's just an artist who has found her niche much earlier than others. I liked 'Asking...' particularly for the song “Asking for Flowers”—I was procrastinating studying when i watched an interview of her on Youtube where she described that song and what inspired her to write it. She said that it was a lady who used that analogy for a bust relationship... in that you can't ask for flowers to genuinely receive them. OK so the truth is out i'm a sap but that really stuck with me and still does. She ended up playing that song fourth in the set... I sort of hate when they do that because your climax for the concert is so early!!! There's no bleed, angst or anticipation. She did a beautiful job, as did her band,Her band is comprised of two guitarists... one named Colin Cripps, the primary guitarist but more in the limelight is Jim Bryson. She immediately announced that he has a lovely wife and baby in the audience. From the start of the set it was clear that she herself wanted to start a family real soon... By the end of the set she was tearing at the end of a tune because she glanced at Bryson's wife and baby boy swaying to her tunes.... She said “My womb is longing”. She also made it clear her husband wasn't too down for that. She excused her husband's absence because he was playing a gig with Jim Cuddy... She didn't seem too impressed but she handled it in good humour. She turned to the dozen roses which her husband had left for her the night before on her pillow and in turn she brought them. She said: “My husband is playing with Jim Cuddy because he pays more... Those flowers I don't need to pay!!!”. She then went on to dedicate “Asking For Flower” to Jim Cuddy, and let out a quiet but very noticeable “...Fuck You”. Cheeky.Her sound was terrific and her band was flawless. They held there own with just three guitars and Bryson alternating between piano and guitar. I was really amazed that they could achieve the full, lush recorded sounds from three musicians. I was truly surprised by how much i knew of her material, considering i didn't study or listen to her more than i ever wished to. Even still i enjoyed everything I didn't know because her voice is clear and understandable. It felt more like story telling so I could hear everything first listen, easily.It was a tremendous show and i can't wait to see Neko Case at this venue. There isn't a bad seat in the house and it's the warmest venue in the city.

February 14, 2009

Timber Timbre at the Music Gallery; Thursday February 12, 2009

Timber Timbre at the Music Gallery; Thursday February 12, 2009.

Wavelength is something i've never consciously attended, well using that title. I've been to two Wavelength events looking back at it now, this is my third! For those of you who don't know (and can't use google) Wavelength is a weekly event at Sneaky Dee's every Sunday. They host mostly local Toronto artists... This is their ninth year in the game, good on them! There was an MC for the night, he was an absolute wingnut i can only assume that he's the promoter... There were two bands that opened... I arrived quite early—around 8:30pm! The doors were at 7:00pm so i booked it from my class that ended at 8:00pm. The place was packed, we didn't even get a seat until the first set was through. This show was at the Music Gallery which is a nice name for the church slightly north of Queen Street, just up John Street, in OCAD land. The openers were Dorit Chrysler and Ghost Bees, two bands my friend really dug but i really found be bore... Dorit Chrysler is a very avant-garde musician. She's from New York, so it was a big catch for her to do Wavelength. She simply sings and plays the theremin. The theremin, which took some online research for me to understand after the show... Is an instrument that uses two metal antennas that sense the movement of the players hands. On one hand more challenging the movement controls the frequency and the other controls the volume. This sounds difficult but it makes an eerie sound that you've heard in old sci-fi films... Think back to the film 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. She sings and plays to recorded music that seems so much classier than her own created music... I wondered if she herself had made the recorded material. She has a very Beach House-Victoria Legrand sounding voice, deep powerful and encompassing, with the same bore. My friend compared her to Goldfrapp, but i'm not one to make that decision. I really dug the instrument, i didn't even know what it was until this very moment!Ghost Bee's were cute, they were wearing matching outfits that made them sort of look like little Eskimos. These two girls are from Halifax and Wavelength dubs them telepathic trip-folk... I can't stress how much i hate sub-genres. I found them incredibly boring... their saving grace was that they were cute, and being two of them they were that much cuter. They brought another person on the stage in a Christmas tree costume with two feathers—by the end of the set the tree person lifted the feathers a bit and left the stage with them when the left, shoddy job. In short, they are probably the Canadian girl contenders to Sub Pop heavy weights Fleet Foxes, except not worth all the hype. Their voices ached more, and were less delicate, they sort of gave off a more yodel than they did singing. I highly give them points for using a mandolin, innovative lyrics and really great guitar parts. Ever since i saw Okkervil River back in November i've had this thing for the mandolin!! (please check out “Westfall” by Okkervil River off of the album 'Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See'). I finally saw Timber Timbre. He's Toronto's best new comer gem. He actually has an album from before called 'Medicinals' which is equally as good but this one really has come a long way! In success and musically, this was it's 'Release Party' even though i've owned it for nearly a month. Taylor Kirk is Timber Timbre—he played with two other people. A violinist and a lap guitarist, both very innovative musicians. The thing about Timber Timbre is he's so simple, so simple that his live show really reflects that, but it is also so busy too. In that because his get up is so bare he really has to put a lot of thought into the different things each musician can do. In a sense he reminded me bundles of Bon Iver, the first time I saw them opening for Black Mountain. Vernon had a very stripped sound but his guitarist was doing six things at once. I kept thinking at that show how much he strikes me as Canada's response to Bon Iver... or maybe just Toronto's, even though he sounds absolutely nothing like him! He sounds a great deal like M. Ward to me... In that he has mastered the bluesy sad sound but effortlessly through simple ditties. His set was great, as i anticipated he played his entire new album...! With two older songs. My favourite part was hearing “Demon Host”, i was incredibly happy that he called more people on the stage to sing with him. It was beautiful, especially at the last bit of the song with the “oooh-ing”. It's something i can't really articulate here without the song partnering this note! BUT he did a recent stripped live gig at the Soundscapes and he only played with the violinist and his conclusion to this song was so empty, as he did it alone! I really hope in the near future i can hear him sing this song with a piano player like the recorded version. There's something really eerie and magical about the version on the album! I really also loved hearing “We'll Find Out” which was my favourite song upon first listen. I was really tired this whole show. I can't believe i went, but i really needed to hear my soundtrack to the month of January live.

February 14, 2009

The Annuals with Jessica Lea Mayfield at the El Mocambo; Saturday January 24, 2009

The Annuals with Jessica Lea Mayfield at the El Mocambo; Saturday January 24, 2009.

Jessica Lea Mayfield from Ohio and is only nineteen! It made me incredibly jealous that a nineteen year old girl could be travelling the world doing what she loves… I first heard of her through the blues rock pros The Black Keys. They are a band whose most recent album really got me. Mayfield’s most recent album ‘With Blasphemy So Heartfelt’ was produced by Dan Auerbach who is the guitarist and vocalist of the Black Keys. I later found out that she even does vocals for them on the last track of their album called “Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be”. This is a song that sounds like a carbon copy of the song “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Beatles. With that being said, Mayfield has received tremendous support from big time rockers in the studio, seeing her alone was the tipper. Doing that she was just fine. She’s small and trendy…she looks her age. Most shocking is her sound, in that it doesn’t reflect her age. Her voice comes out careless and flat, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It almost seemed as though she was bored while she was singing. After a tune or so it became apparent that that’s how she sings. She sings with ease, making it even simpler was the fact that her voice moved very little pitch wise. Again, not necessarily a bad thing.Her band was comprised of a drummer and female drummer. I really liked the energy both people put into Mayfield’s quiet songs. The guitarist especially was really great, he looked probably ten years older than Mayfield, but he definitely knew what he was doing. He accentuated each song with lingering guitar lines and energetic solos. The sound at the El Mocambo for her set was a little off, I found the instruments to be far too loud. At times I could barely make out her singing. Mayfield’s voice has a country drawl sound to it, very distinctive. It’s really reflected in her voice as well. It really reminds me of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, but with more vigour. Likewise it also reminds me of Amy Milan of Stars, throughout her solo work. Except significantly less delicate and pretty. These artists all have something in common, that’s melancholy. I have no idea how a nineteen year old girl has so much pain to write about. It comes off nice though, I really wish I bought this CD because her Myspace is ridiculously hard to use and there’s no music on there!! From her page you’d think she was a small time local artist, but I think she has bigger things ahead of her especially with the help of the Black Keys!The Annuals headlined and I had no idea that they were so popular. The venue was by no means sold out but it was packed. The Annuals are an indie-rock band, I sort of struggle to call them this because they’re the sort of band I would have bought all their merch for five years ago for a series of reasons. Firstly, they’re ridiculously good looking, not to say that I judge a band on this but it’s true. Secondly, their vocals sound identical to that of Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday. The lead singer screams but much neater than that of Lazzara. Third, and I still agree with this now is how tight their band is. They sound great, this had to be the most perfect sounding group I’ve seen so far this year. The Annuals are pretty big in size. There are six members, nothing to Broken Social Scene but their sound was pretty big. They quite often had two drummers on two kits and at times three guitarists… They also had a girl on the keyboard, who lent vocals for a bit of harmony for some songs. By the fifth or sixth song I grew pretty tired of them. I must give them credit for their innovative sound and their brilliant live performance.

January 25, 2009

Stars at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre; Saturday December 13, 2008

Stars at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre; Saturday December 13, 2008

I had a heads up before the show when i should show up for. I'm sure glad i did because I would have been waiting for a few hours before the show started. I got to the venue in a huge rush, exhausted and worn out from a long day at work. I heard one of Torquil Campbell's ballads playing, i asked how many songs in they are. The lady who took my ticket just said that's what they were playing. At that moment i had this sweltering feeling that they were getting big. I've had this realization time and time again but this time what made this so different was that the venue was the largest i've ever seen them at. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre holds perhaps two to three thousand people, that's my guess, nothing official. Sold out three times over, that's big stuff.They opened up with “The Nights Starts Here” which Torquil quite appropriately introduced with those very words, but in the literal way. There are only a small handful of songs that i really love off of the new album but that's most certainly one of them. The most remarkable thing is the girl-guy contrast in this song, it's everything i hoped that the new album would be, sadly it wasn't very consistent. It is the finest when Amy and Torquil blend together at the end of the song singing entirely different lyrics. It was absolutely flawless because as a listener you could follow either on of their parts or listen to them both together. They were remarkably clear and concise. It's odd because i never gave Amy Millan much respect for her voice because i always thought it was very soft and weak. Torquil much the opposite, sometimes over powering. BUT Amy's at this gig was spot on.They played a ton off of their new album, which was no surprise to me. I always will hate “Ghost of Genova Heights,” which was Torquil's shot at being a Bee Gee. It really shows his love for the eighties. Of the new album i really dug “Bitches in Tokyo” live. This is one of Amy's songs easily. I just watched the video for this song, which i've fallen in love with! You can too at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nwW_s16afw. I felt particularly elated when i heard this song because of how Amy delivered it. The main lines of the song are: The time when all our mistakes made sense/You needed it/The time when all the lying/You sympathized with sin/All this sabotage and blame/Well I can take it/Because I want you back. Live they emphasized the “I just want you back” which Amy put so much heart into. She was directing those words to bassist Evan Cranley. Apparently they were together at one point but it seemed really honest. Similarly at the end of their set Torquil belted the words “I'm Alive” concluding “Calendar Girl”. He went a little overboard this show but the audience really liked it. I was more focused on my feet hurting from standing, complete old lady. This is probably my fifth or sixth time seeing this band. I've liked them since the eleventh grade, so that makes it five years. Seeing them felt kind of boring, i really didn't enjoy it as much as i should have, which was weird because their show was so flawless. Doing it three times over at the same venue probably helped. I felt i could sense which song was coming up next, by a strum of a particular cord or a single bass note. It's that cozy feeling that keeps you coming back but sort of makes you sick of everything they put out too. I think it's my high expectations or my super instinct towards this band. I felt when they were going to play “One More Night”. That was the song that got me at one point, but now i feel as though it doesn't even mean a thing to me. Sad. I really enjoyed this show but i hope that they take a break so i can love them as much as i use to.

December 17, 2008

Rachael Yamagata at the Mod Club; Friday December 12, 2008

Rachael Yamagata at the Mod Club; Friday December 12, 2008

This was my first time seeing Rachael Yamagata. She's around thirty and absolutely stunning. I got a good look of her as i was walking into the show, as she came in behind me and commented on how cold it was. I noticed she was wearing opened toed shoes, perhaps it's warmer in Virginia. I arrived in good time, thankfully, as the Mod Club are complete nuts when it comes to shows, they start them at seven sharp! Yamagata didn't go on close to 9:00, which is still ridiculously early. She opened with “Be Be Your Love,” the first tune i'd ever heard by her. I was surprised that she played it first, as this is her biggest song. I figured by the end of it it was just so she could rouse the crowd a bit, with a lifting song. “Be Be Your Love” is easily her most accessible song, probably because it was used in SOO many TV shows. I was incredibly amazed when she began to sing, i'd heard her on Youtube before but it's definitely more impressive to see everything live. She played the piano for that song.Surprisingly she played the guitar for a good chunk of the set, which gave some of her songs a different feel. If there was something that i would remember this show by it would be Yamagata's modesty. She was incredibly real in her delivery. Before she started playing a newer tune she announced that she was struggling with the guitar part and for reviewers not to criticise her too hard. I think she said she had translated her tune from piano to guitar. She played songs off both her albums equally, which i was thrilled about because i was most familiar with her older album 'Happenstance'. She also played a couple of songs that i had no idea about. I distinctly remember her playing “Worn Me Down,” which was off her older album. She played guitar for this tune, similar to the way it is on the album. I just really like this song. Thankfully they didn't do the lame background voices in the bridge of the song, like the recorded version does. She played “Elephants” at the beginning of her set. Most of the live versions i'd seen on Youtube was her singing it acapella. She did this one with the band. It was really brilliant how much life she could breathe into a slow, solemn song. About half way through the song it picks up in just the slightest way, she and her band did a brilliant job easing this in.Speaking of her band... All men. Which sort of accentuates how dominant Yamagata is as a singer. It sort of separated her from her band and made her seem like a solo artist. She said on her way in through the border, they asked what band they played in, she joked that they figured that it was one of the guys' band. The people at the border proceeded to ask who she's played with... she replied with Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams. They immediately thought she said Bryan Adams and said back “OOOH you must play at big venues”. The pride and joy of Canada right there. Yamagata's voice is incredibly powerful. On her new album she does a song with Ray LaMontange, also a brilliant artist. I think they just simply called it “Duet”. It's one of the prettiest song both in lyrics and music that i've heard in ages. It's delicate, but showcases two of the most powerful voices. When i heard this duet i really started to notice how much these two sound alike. Not so much in sound but through delivery and presentation. Musically they sort of share the same genre but more so in the power they have and how they can really tone town the intensity when needed. I was really sad to hear about the Ray LaMontange show after it had sold out earlier this year. I would give a lot to see him. I feel as that show was very hush, hush. Pitty.I was really happy with Yamagata's encore of “Reason Why”. I feel as though she got such a huge push from soundtracks that she owes it to the people at her shows (and the movies they were in) to play these songs. “Reason Why” to my knowledge was only in the movie The Last Kiss. I wasn't too thrilled about this movie and the soundtrack correlation, as the majority of the songs weren't even in the movie. But the soundtrack on it's own is a beautiful medley of songs. She began to play it and then stopped... I think she only got to “I think about how we might of been...”. She laughed at the light show the Mod Club had set up. Earlier in the set she had commented on the smoke and asked if there was a fire somewhere. This time round she said she felt like she was roller skating... I really laughed when she said this. She quickly after launched back into her song, which was smooth sailing until she hit the last party when it was clear that there was some kind of club scene, dance party going on next door. She stopped and tried to formulate a remix of some sort. She hummed the beat and tried, not so successful. There were maybe twenty or thirty more seconds left of the song but she concluded beautifully. This show was so well executed i felt as though it were recorded. It just sounded so perfect. That's a flaw in her own talent. Yikes. BUT i adored it. Her songs sound a lot a like so it was a little tough to stand in one spot, this is sort of how i felt at Iron and Wine. She's a real gem, if you haven't already heard her you should get on that.

December 16, 2008

Kevin Drew's Basement Revue at the Dakota Tavern; Tuesday November 9, 2008

Kevin Drew's Basement Revue at the Dakota Tavern; Tuesday November 9, 2008.

The Dakota Tavern is slowing growing, it's always been huge but i feel as though it's doing super well. Little things like the sign behind the stage that says “The Dakota Tavern,” or getting rid of the soup can style lanterns they once had on the ground for lighting. Perhaps it's just because they're hosting huge bands like Broken Social Scene... I'm not really sure.This is the second set of Basement Revue gigs that Jason Collett has hosted at the Dakota. Kevin Drew said tonight was his night because Collett was in BC playing a show, so he had asked Kevin to host this particular date. I arrived there in perfect time—around ten, the show started around that time. Drew took the stage along with Charles Spearin and Ohad Benetrit (Do Make Say Think) and the drummer from the Dakota residents the Beauties. Drew introduced each guy saying where and when he met them. He said that they were going to play a jam session and that this is what they usually do. He explained that they pick a key and they simply jam. They started in C, then D and I can't remember the last one!! Drew sung throughout most of the songs which was kind of fun. He claimed that Benetrit was his favourite guitarists in the whole world.Shortly after Gentleman Reg went on. I'd seen him once before, i really wasn't big on his sound. This time round I found it fun and as always super gay (as in homosexual). His tunes don't hide that and that's kind of cool. Learn more about him at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reg_Vermue. He seems to be hot shit in the gay circuit. Being at this show was like having all the musicians on your ipod in one room. In plain site was Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell of Stars. K-OS. James Shaw and another guy from Metric. Brendan Canning. Just to name a few...Drew invited Shaw on stage, claiming that the song he was going to play was something he often played late nights. He played a Pink Floyd song on the piano alone, it was really nice. Kevin Drew and Amy Millan offered some back up singings very jokingly on the sidelines. Following Shaw was a tune by Torquil and Shaw, he said “Torquil is from 'the' Stars,” Torquil shot back “The??” and Drew apologized and took back the “the,” that fully bothers me when people at the “the”. They said they'd known each other for twenty years and had been in a band together before. Whether or not that was true the song came out real well... and the entire show Torquil seemed quite shy about everything he did, especially things alone. Amy Millan went on afterwards, she apparently met Drew at a summer camp when he was thirteen! Between Drew and Millan's banter she kept asking the crowd for the rest of the guys of her former band 16 Tons to come out. They weren't around so she played a new solo tune, it was nice and significantly less rootsy than her solo album 'Honey From the Tombs'. The rest of the guys eventually came on and they played a tune called “Bury Me,” this song was used in the soundtrack for the movie Drowning Mona back in 2000. At the beginning of the song she asked for horns and a piano player. Three guys eventually piled onto the tiny stage and played. I love this sense of musical pick up these guys have, it's a lot of fun. I felt extremely jealous that they were good enough musically to just 'pick up' and play. After Amy Drew called poet Mark Goldstein up to the stage. I remember him from last year, it was a little boring because last year he went on too long. This year however it was perfect, short and sweet. I think that was it and then Broken went on! I figured Broken Social Scene would do something...! They played a new, new song that they hadn't even played two weeks ago at the Docks. I didn't really like it, it was really aggressive, but not angry. The second song they played was called “...Basements”. They played it at the gig two weeks ago, it's a horn charged song that teases the audience when it will end, Drew even had to cue the musicians to keep going. Third they played “7/4 Shoreline,” Amy Millan and Lisa Lobsinger sang the girl parts. They played a Brendan Canning song afterwards, it's his most disco sounding song on the album (at the BSS show at the Docks he had backup dancers and he was wearing a flashy outfit...........................too much...). Finally they played “Fucked Up Kid,” a solo Kevin Drew song. Pretty good show, a lot happened in just two hours. It's crazy to think i paid twice the price to see them at a crappy venue like the Docks cramped and uncomfortable. This gig i had enough room i could flail in circles!! Now to that ten page essay!

December 10, 2008

Broken Social Scene at the Docks; Thursday November 27, 2008

Broken Social Scene at the Docks; Thursday November 27, 2008.

I think of myself as a pretty big Broken Social Scene fan. The first time i heard them i was probably in the eleventh grade. I can't remember the first song i heard, but one of my first memories of them was when my friend Lise's dad gave me a couple of CDs to borrow. Of those titles one of them was Broken Social Scene's 'You Forgot It In People,' a masterpiece to say the very least. Upon borrowing that album, i got up one more to listen to it and i cracked the CD in half, rookie music lover. In a scramble to replace Mr. Papineau's CD, i went across town looking for it. I found myself at the HMV at Dundas on Yonge, where they said they had it on hand. I looked at it and the artwork didn't match the CD i had, yikes. I think that was the first moment that i saw alternative artwork for an album. That year i saw them for the first time, it was the concert to end all concerts—Metric, Broken Social Scene and Modest Mouse. At that time Modest Mouse had just put out 'Good News for People Who Love Bad News,' absolutely dynamite. At the time however i think i preferred Metric which is a scary thought. I remember being on the streetcar with Nicole and Lise singing “No one here wants to fight me like you do,” i think at that time when singing that we all thought we were little Emily Haines. Memories aside, i think this goes to show how much Broken Social Scene has been a part of my life growing up (and still is i suppose...). This show kind of broke my heart and warmed it at the same time. Broken Social Scene have progressed their way up the ladder of success, they use to make music out of necessity, for life. Now i feel as though they're doing it because of the community feel and just because they can. The can sell out the Docks, two times over. I love seeing such a great group of musicians clumped together, I almost feel as though they're my friends. Broken Social Scene is basically like a game of pickup in any sport—you have that main guy who proposes and organize with a handful of people who you don't know will show up. Those core people are Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin and Justin Peroff. The variable players are Feist, Amy Millan, Emily Haines and Jason Collett, absolutely important but also interchangeable. Their first full song was “Shampoo Suicide,” with a small jam session of one of their insturmental songs, where Drew teased the audience by singing “All the lights we were.” When the jam session ceased there was a slight pause and then the incredible bass part started, compliments of Canning. This was my first time hearing this song live, it was a total treat. Leslie Feist normally sings a bit at the middle but most importantly at the end with a piercing sung “I...”. Instead they layered it with another girl who i think was from Montreal-bred openers Land of Talk. She took that part but because her voice isn't as mature sounding as Feist's. Andrew Whiteman starting at the bridge repeatedly sang “You Amaze Me.” It was really powerful as it was swiftly concealed by a mix of two or three other vocals. It was incredibly intense. When i first really started to like this song i listened to it over and over again. It wasn't until i listened to it over and over that i realized that there were complete song lyrics to the song. It easily fooled me as an instrumental song. Its placement in the movie Half Nelson completes the movie. It's one of the only movies i've seen that plays the entire song to fit a scene, that means that they cropped the scene to fit the song. Pretty incredible thought. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdPwFKsDS2Y(Shampoo in Half Nelson)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdSeGKRNiw0 (The tipper, i knew they'd play it after seeing this!!)They played a handful of songs primarily from the older album, but a few were from their self-titled. I was expecting they would play a ton of the solo stuff that Drew and Canning put out. They didn't let me down, doing exactly that. I think Drew got three or four tunes out and Canning played two. Both projects sound identical to Broken, so it probably didn't make a difference to most people in the audience. Off of their self-titled disc they played, the very obviously Whiteman song “Fire Eye'd Boy.” I really liked how they played “Major Label Debut,” but the fast version which was drawn off of the bonus disc of their self-titled album. One of my favourite lines comes from this tune: “Forced to live like it's a curfew, translation means I love you and I'm all hooked up.” So catchy and so incredibly dance-able. Drew got the crowd to repeat the line “I'm all hooked up...” a couple of times over. In addition they played the climax of the album “It's All Gonna Break,” which was as usual pretty epic. I sort of lost the spark it once gave me, but i can still admit that it's a pretty incredible live. I use to think that it was yet another cocky Kevin Drew move to put in the lyric: “When I was a kid, fucked me in the ass...”. But i don't even register that anymore, it's so catchy. About half way through the song they released probably close to one hundred balloons from the ceiling. The audience charged in at that point and just started tossing the balloons around, it was a really spectacular moment and i absolutely love when bands do stuff like this. Years ago i saw Thursday and they did it for the countdown in “Jet Black New Year.” Broken Social Scene always go out, perhaps it's Kevin Drew. Similarly a year ago Drew bought the entire audience a shot of tequila each and on his count everyone took it. I'm not sure if it's because it's a home gig or whether it's because that's just what they do normally, but they really go all out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWGwylbB3PA (Cameos, cameos, cameos! The actual music video)To my surprised they played “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl.” Reverie Sound Revue's Lisa Lobsinger came out and sang with the Land of Talk girl. Lobsinger had sang with Broken a few years back when they had their two night stay at the Kool Haus. I like her voice, it's soft like Amy's and indistinct so she doesn't sound like she's trying to sing like either of the three main girls in the band. She has really big hair, this show was no exception. I really like Emily Haines' live version of this, i'm not sure if it's because i'm use to her singing it like on the album or if it's because she puts her all into it. By the bridge and a thousand repeats of “Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me,” she's usually on her knees singing close into the mic. Julie Penner was there, the violinist of Do Make Say Think, this song wouldn't be the same without it!! Because i've listened to it to the point that it lost its effect on me, i always forget how powerful this song is and how much it meant to me. I think i started listening to it when i was seventeen, i really don't need to point out the obvious but it really did mean a lot to me at that time. Pretty high school.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7FC28tMkMU (This show was without Amy, but great quality video!)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQDlBmhvn7k&feature=related (Elizabeth Powell of Land of Talk)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKbjvcU9rKY&feature=related (Triple threat)They also played “Looks Just Like the Sun,” the very, very Andrew Whiteman song. I love watching Whiteman live because he has this aura to him that draws me to him. I'm not sure what it is, i think it's how he holds himself when he plays. He always plays lead guitar, he's got the part down.Drew came out and played “Lover's Spit” alone on the keyboard using a vibes sound. Three quarters of the way through James Shaw of Metric played the trumpet at the end along with the keyboard, sounded real nice. Half way through the set Drew says he's got a special surprise Issac Brock of Modest Mouse was at the show. He came out with his guitar and played a few Modest Mouse tunes, i knew one, off of the album 'Good News'—“The Good Times Are Killing Me” . I was so stunned because the last time Modest Mouse were here they played a sold out gig at Massey Hall, seeing him play the Docks made me feel real good.I got really excited when Charles Spearin came out and showcased his Happiness project. I saw him do it close to a year ago at the Collett Revue gig at the Dakota. He takes the rhythm and pitch of people's voices and replicates them on musical instruments. This particular show we met his European neighbour who was describing what happiness was to her. Spearin didn't play anything but another guy played the sax to it, he seems to becoming a member. It was short but it always has the same effect on people when they hear it, confused, impressed and then shocked. He apparently is going to release it in the new year as an album, he said he had nearly 100 samples of people's voices to music.For the encore Drew came out and said “OK you guys want an encore for an encore?”. Following that Peroff whispered something in Drew's ear. In response Drew said “I'm going to play a medley of all of the songs we didn't play.” He blended “Fucked Up Kid”, “Shoreline” and “Hotel” all by himself with his voice, cocky or confident, i'm not sure but i'm leaning to the former. They came out and played, it was off of the new album but i don't remember which one i'm thinking it was “Major Label Debut (Fast),” but i could be wrong!One thing this band does really well is keeping their shows interesting. This is probably because of Drew's ballsy attitude, where nothing is too much, or too over the edge. Not over the edge in the Jay Reatard kind of way but in the cocky way. They are also always reinventing themselves so creatively, each one of their songs they can play in an entirely different way that sounds perfect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM2xi3vRqtA (Feist's take on “Major Label Debut”). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN4FXSFSBpI&feature=related (Feist's take on “Lover Spit”)I really love this band, I however thought the set was a little long, kind of hard to stand in such a full capacity. Obviously i picked the spot where the only mosh pit was congregated, a little much for Broken show. Looking back this show was pretty great, i just hope they play in more diverse capacities, outside or just at a better venue. Enough said.

November 29, 2008