Raha, Battle Creek, Maneli Jamal and The Anti-Q's @ The Rivoli

I finally had a free Saturday night so I thought I'd consult my personal showlist and see if there was any cool live music in town. Nothin'! Unbelievable! Still, I was hankerin' for a little live rock and/or roll so I surfed the net for anything that seemed remotely interesting (and preferably cheap.) What's this? The Rivoli! 4 bands! 5 bucks! Bingo!

This was an eclectic night (to say the least!) and the most eclectic of them all was Toronto's own Raha. Her music is literally all over the map as she dabbles in classical, jazz, pop, baroque, rock, etc, etc, etc and she has a voice that can be sweet but often morphs into something biting, sarcastic and deliciously bizarre. Her live show has her sitting behind the keys whilst alternating between playing them and her violin. She also makes generous use of one of those crazy looping machines (that seem to be all the rage these days), to astonishing effect. This allows her to provide most of her own instrumentation as well as her own backing vocals creating a real "more than meets the eye" affair. I think that fans of Joanna Newsom and perhaps even Bjork, to an extent, will really enjoy her music. Personally, I was very impressed.

Listen to her music on myspace.
See my Raha pictures on flickr.

Battle Creek are from Guelph, Ontario and they play that rough and kinetic almost-emo-but-not-quite-emo style of music that is often more of a delight to see live than to actually listen to. However, I've listened to their songs on myspace, and although I'll admit it's not really what I'm listening to these days, it's actually pretty good. Sure there's screaming, but it's used in moderation and it sounds good. The inclusion of the horn is really the biggest selling point for me, as well as the intricate song structures that propel them above the usual teenemo fare. They put on an energetic show, which was not easy considering the downright stoicism of the crowd that night.

Listen to their music on myspace.
See my Battle Creek pics on flickr.

Filed under "Holy Crap!" is Maneli Jamal. This is some of the best guitar work I've seen in years, and as far as originality goes, possibly ever! Maneli plays classically tinged instrumental guitar music which may not be your cup of meat if you like the music I regularly feature on this site. But for me, he was definitely the highlight of the evening. He's a gifted instrumentalist and probably an even more gifted composer, creating movements and soundscapes over the usual pop fare. He has a very unique and original "two-hand" tap techinique that may borrow from traditional Flamenco stylings, but is a little bit too different to be entirely lumped into that category. It takes a lot for a solo performer to command an audience's attention by playing instrumental music, but Maneli is no ordinary solo instrumentalist. I was beyond impressed, and I will definitely be seeing him perform again soon.

Listen to his music on myspace.
See my Maneli Jamal pics on flickr.

Finally, St. Catharines' The Anti-Q's blasted out some rock 'n roll that was the perfect way to end the night. Citing Ben Lee as a major influence on their music is probably a good way to give you an idea of what they're all about. They are simply a fresh blast of 60's style rock, the kind that puts me in my happy place every time. Once again, the crowd was probably not what one would call ideal for this type of energy, but the boys in the band didn't let that discourage them as lead vocalist Ryan Dobbin ran through the small crowd with hyperactive abandon, handing out tambourines to anyone who would take one. They look incredibly young, but they obviously understand the true spirit of rock 'n roll, and they're having a lot of fun in the process.

Listen to The Anti-Q's on myspace.
See my Anti-Q's pics on flickr.