Parker w/Basia Lyjak @ The Horseshoe

Last night I took a vacation, just for one night, from my pretentious yuppie indie twee holier than thou musical palate to check out a couple of bands that fall outside of my usual elitist lines of recommendation. I've spoken before about guilty pleasures, but I do not feel guilty about liking either of these artists because they are both excellent in their own way.

The members of Parker are no newcomers to the Canadian music scene, having been associated with several reputable bands for over a decade. I recently received their new CD "Bombshell", but I'll save most of the pertinent information for when I review the actual CD, probably next week sometime. But for now, let's just say that they don't really sound like anybody else on the indie scene at the moment, and because of that, their music may require a bit of a digestion period before it's fully appreciated. Last night must have been a tough one for them, because the crowds had pretty much subsided by the time they hit the stage. At times it felt as if they were playing a private show for yours truly, but if that's the case, then they must have a mad crush on me, because they were seriously playing their hearts out. Their musical talent is undeniable, and lead vocalist Tom McNeil has a certain awkwardness about him that I think, given a bigger crowd, would have made people smile. The songs are pop music gold, and his voice was pitch perfect, as he belted them out with passion and power. I was glad to see that their last song of the evening seemed to draw some attention from those who were hanging out at the bar, thanks in part to Thomas Ryder Payne's mad skillz as a wicked awesome guitarist. That song in particular ended with an all out musical jam of sorts, that would not have sounded out of place at a Dears or Besnard Lakes show. Furthermore, I've been humming "Love Myself" in my head all day, so they must have something. I hope that next time I get to see them with a more enthusiastic crowd in attendance, because I'm sure that they would excel in that type of setting.

Photos: Parker @ The Legendary Horseshoe flickr
Stream: Bombshell- The entire album can be streamed here.
Myspace: Parker

Prior to Parker was a performance by local rocker chick Basia Lyjak. I don't listen to flat out rock 'n roll all that much these days, but in my teens I went through a faze where if it didn't rock, I wasn't interested. Before she hit the stage, the speakers were blasting 80's hair metal classics from the likes of Van Halen, Def Leppard and The Scorpions. Here's a bit of a credibility crush for you (as if I haven't done enough of that already,) but there's a small part of my brain that still smiles whenever Joe Elliott belts out "Oh baby I'm not fa-fa-fa-foolin'! Oh fa-fa-foolahen!" Thankfully I'm still of the belief that only two or three people regularly read this blog, so my secret is safe right? Right?

Anyways, that music was a perfect setup for what Basia was about to belt out, because she was definitely here to rock it old school, and that's exactly what she did. Her supporters were there in full force, as I looked around and saw several people singing along and rocking out to her songs as if they had a share in the writing process themselves. She performed several cuts from her latest EP entitled "Writings On The Wall", as well as some freshly written songs and a couple of covers. Her original material can best be described as classic chick-rock in the vein of Pat Benatar meets Veruca Salt. In fact, her set ended with a cover of the former's "Heartbreaker," which gives you an idea of what she is all about. She is an incredibly enthusiastic performer who clearly loves what she does, and knows that first and foremost the goal is to rock 'n roll the audience as much as is humanly possible. And that she did.

Photos: Basia Lyjak at The Legendary Horseshoe flickr.
Stream: Writings On The Wall - The EP can be streamed here.
Myspace: Basia Lyjak

This weekend we return you to our regularly scheduled musings of indie rock snobbery.