Ohbijou, Basia Bulat and Bruce Peninsula @ Lee's Palace

I Heart Music recently posted the results of the Hottest Canadian bands survey and with Ohbijou placing at number 17 and Basia Bulat all the way up at number 5, the bill at Lee's Palace definitely fell into the must-see category of my 2007 concert going experiences. The show was phenomenal, as one could only expect.

I've been wanting to check out Ohbijou for quite some time now. The reasons for this are many and varied. First of all, I really like Swift Feet For Troubling Times, their debut release. It's such a beautiful and atmospheric album, with just a hint of melancholy. However, I could tell just by the way it sounds, that it likely does not even hold a candle to what the band can accomplish live. Secondly, everyone I know who's seen them has been throughly impressed. Also, I love violins and all the other instruments in the violin slash stringed family of instruments. That, they provide. To my surprise, the evening also included a horn section. I absolutely adore live horns. They give me chills. Finally, another thing that really peaked my curiosity concerning this band is the fact that the last time that I attempted to see them during NXNE, the lineup at The Horseshoe extended way down the block and around the corner. Well, I finally satisfied my curiosity on Friday night, and all of these reasons are well founded. The mellower songs were bone chilling, as I knew they would be, but it's the slightly faster ones that really impress. They come across as larger than life in a heavens opening, clouds parting sort of way. My memory is a bit hazy, but I believe it was during The Woods, when the band went on a percussion frenzy, grabbing drum sticks and tappy-tapping on anything that they could find near or on the stage, whether it be, the wall, the stairs or the ground. I also remeber being very impressed with the musical talent possessed by Casey Mecija, as she switched off instruments several times during the show.

Photos: Ohbijou @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Download: St. Francis mp3
Myspace: Ohbijou

Ranking number 5 on the above list is really impressive considering the fact that Basia Bulat seemed to achieve recognition everywhere else before she caught on here. She has been signed to Rough Trade since late last year, but she only found distribution in Canada a few months ago. I think that the reason for this is because her music seems to sneak up on you, as opposed to punching you in the face. When I first heard her, I thought she was fine, but I thought she simply had another Natalie Merchant thing going on, which I've heard a zillion times before. Boy, do I feel stupid now. I find her brand of acoustic chamber pop to be so entirely uplifting that once the CD is finished, I feel like taking in a breath of fresh air and starting it all over again. (That doesn't mean that I hold my breath while I'm listening to her CD. You see, that's how people die.) Her performance made me feel the same way. Her sincerity is delightful, and her smile is warm enough to melt the heart of even the roughest individual. Her songs translated very well to the live stage, and I loved the fact that she would enthusiastically get into whatever song she was singing, regardless of how laid back and mellow the song is supposed to be. If the chill of the winter air gets to be too much for you, then check to see if Basia is playing in your hometown. 'Nuff said.

Photos: Basia Bulat @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Download: Snakes And Ladders mp3
Myspace: Basia Bulat
Video: Snakes and Ladders live in Brussels on youtube.

When I arrived at Lee's, Bruce Peninsula's set was already in progress. I can't say that I knew too much about them, but I did see some familiar faces on that stage while they were performing. There was Ohbijou's Casey Mecija, who I suppose is a member of this band as well. I also recognized Katie Stelmanis, whom I had seen earlier this year opening for St. Vincent. There was another girl up there that I recognized and it took me a few minutes (of hours) to figure out where from, but then I realized that she worked at the local indie record store. Upon doing further research, her name is Isla Craig, and she has a few musical projects of her own going on. Being relatively new to the city, I still get a bit tickled at the fact that I'm living right in the hub of all things indie and artsy. Everywhere I turn it seems I'm running into another staple of the indie music scene. I'm starting to tangent a bit here, maybe I'll talk about that in another post. Back to the review. Although their music is not even remotely religious, it does have a slight gospel feel to it. This is probably because of the six female choir singing and clapping along with unmitigated enthusiasm. Lead vocalist Neil Haverty uses his bluesy yelp to lead the parade, creating an atmosphere that is stimulating and inspirational. More than all else, their performance really encourages a musical sense of community, that leaves one believing in an old, and perhaps unreasonably optimistic, cliché. That is, that maybe music does have the ability to change the world. OK, cheesy and extreme I guess, but Bruce Peninsula can at least make you feel that way.

Photos: Bruce Peninsula @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Myspace: Bruce Peninsula
Video: Shanty Song live at The Tranzac on youtube.