Two Way Monologues 6.5 @ Rancho Relaxo

I've come to the conclusion that if you're looking for a solid "under the radar" local indie lineup in the city of Toronto, then check to see if it's proceeded with the term Two Way Monologues, because they clearly know what they're doing. Friday night I attended yet another one of their showcases, and the fact is that, so far, I have never been let down. Three more high quality bands....

The evening kicked off in high gear with Kansas City Shuffle. Do you like the rock 'n roll, kids? Well that's what KCS is all about. They play the type of music that for some reason reminds me of high school, even though the whole power-pop, power-punk thing actually came about after I had been out of high school for 5 years. Maybe I watched a lot of teenage movies during that time. Whatever. The music of Kansas City Shuffle is nothing that you haven't heard before, but a good hook is a good hook, and this band has good hooks all over the place. And as I've mentioned before, I'm ALWAYS a sucker for a good hook. The band consists of Lee Serviss on vocals/bass and Jeremiah Quinlan on guitar. You may have heard their names before as they used to be in Far From Heroes, another local punk favorite. The band is rounded out by Grant Wheeler and Matt Ryan on guitar and drums, respectively. Whether or not you're a fan of the whole pop-punk genre, (which I'm not really,) it cannot be denied that the band's infectious sound translates well to the live stage, and the band puts on a really fun show. If you choose to check them out in the future, their merch table includes a free sampler CD that includes songs from their upcoming full length entitled Sailboats and Helicopters.

Photos: Kansas City Shuffle @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Download: Machines mp3
Myspace: Kansas City Shuffle

Key Witness really impressed me. Their music is steeped in variety and community spirit as they played a set that was full of boundless energy. The tunes were unique in that their style is not easy to define, but that doesn't make it any less accessible. They reminded me of some of the bands in the highly confusing math rock genre (i.e: Do Make Say Think or Explosions In The Sky) but J.M McNabb's vocals have a definite twang in them that leans more towards folksy territory. What I really appreciated was that this was very much a group affair. McNabb took center stage while singing of course, but then he would always back up so as to allow the rest of the band to take their turn at the spotlight. And there was a lot of band up there. Besides J.M on vocals, guitar and harmonica, you also had other members playing bass, drums, cello, fiddle, slide, mandolin, etc, etc, etc and, upon sampling some of the tracks on their myspace page, it sounds like there may be even more instruments involved. They seem to be taking the idea of jam band folk rock to the next level and I'm certainly excited at the prospect of seeing them again.

Photos: Key Witness @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Downloads: Perchance To Dream mp3 / Last Man On Earth mp3
Myspace: Key Witness
Purchase: Mercury In Retrograde at Indiepool.com

The evening ended with the frighteningly monikered Golden Hands Before God from Windsor, Ontario. This heavily bearded sextet blasted through a set of powerful psych-pop that made more than a few eyebrows raise, and likely melted a few faces as well. I realize I have a bad habit of comparing bands to Brian Jonestown Massacre, but I guess the reason for that is simply the fact that I'm always looking for a local band that provides that hammering 60's revitalization vibe with the same amount of pomp and attitude. Well, lo and behold, GHBG have nailed it! As soon as they started up, I knew I was in for something special. The synergy in the air and between the band members was compelling to say the least and there was enough variety in their sound to keep things interesting without ever alienating the audience. Another bad habit of mine is declaring a new favorite rock star every week, but this time around I would be absolutely negligent of I didn't give props to the tambourine madman skillz of Jamie Greer. Busting his tambourine in half within 3 songs has got to be some type of record, but he made due with whatever else he could. He strutted around like a poor man's Jagger, and when he and frontman Sean Barry have the mindset to win over a crowd, well that's exactly what they're going to do. The crowd ate it up, and they simply refused to let the show lag. If you ever get the chance to see these guys live, they come highly recommended!

Photos: Golden Hands Before God @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr.
Myspace: Golden Hands Before God