The Craft Economy, Karma Controllers, The Dress Whites w/The People of Canada @ Rancho Relaxo

It's hard to believe that the Two Way Monologues Showcase has already reached #19, but here we are, ready to enter adulthood, as Friday night showcased one of the Rancho Relaxo's most eclectic lineups yet.

This time I'll start at night's end and work my way back. The last time that I saw The Craft Economy was back in December when I was incredibly enthused about checking out Amos The Transparent and the excitement from having seen them must have overshadowed any memory I have of these guys. I remember liking them, but that's about it. Apparently, they have only played one other show since that performance and, with very little time to jam, one might wonder how solid this one was going to be. No need to worry.

This was one major broohaha of a party, as the band turned up the mega-fun and blasted out a spazzy set of new wave energy. Once again, I definitely heard a major B-52's influence, and the chemistry between vocalists Linda Lu and Kostaki reminded me of an indie rock version of the Wil Ferrell and Cheri Oteri cheerleader skit on SNL. The Rancho was a sweat heap of tangled neurosis that night, and the way those two were jumping around with such hyperactive zeal made me wonder how they kept themselves from passing out. I loved it! All the songs sounded great, but one of the most memorable performances of the night was The Kissing Song, which Kostaki declared to be the shortest song ever. Not true, but he was the undisputed king of exaggeration that night, from his dance moves to his facial expressions to his between song banter, he, as well as the rest of the band, did not let up for a minute.

Photos: The Craft Economy @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: The Craft Economy
Download: The Kissing Song mp3


I've been really enjoying Karma Controllers' Sirens CD, and I've been wanting to catch a live show for quite some time, but due to circumstances, I've been unable to. So, it was quite a treat to finally get around to seeing them play.

First off, it should be noted that Helen Kuan's voice is flawless. I really appreciate that she never oversings, which shows a maturity that some vocalists who have been around for a long time have failed to display. It's a unique contrast to Jack Jamieson's slightly harsher vocal delivery, making for a perfect complement. The band seems to draw just as much influence from boy/girl bands like Stars and Young Galaxy, as it does from past and modern day troubadours like Brian Setzer and Johnny Favourite. This was their first time performing with a live drummer, and when listening to the first few songs of their set, I wondered how they ever survived without him. The drums really were the backbone of this performance. However, there was a moment where the band's chemistry was lost for a little bit, making for a slightly awkward attempt at completing that particular song. Still, minor setback aside, I appreciated that they forged their way through it, and then followed up with the strongest song of the night. Good on ya Karma Controllers!!!

Photos: Karma Controllers @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Karma Controllers
Download: Whisper Sister mp3


Filling in for The Hots, was Toronto's (by way of Montreal) The Dress Whites. The band had recently moved to our city after having made it big in their hometown, with the intention making it in both markets. They're an incredibly busy group of guys, moonlighting in The Maydays as well as several other projects. They usually play a very straightforward style of classic pop music, along the lines of The Odds or early Fountains of Wayne. This was a bit of a different night for them however, since their drummer was apparently sick in bed with the flu. Not having a drummer, the band decided that they would perform an acoustic set of mostly country covers as well as a few originals. If this was to be a montage of Garth and Shania songs I would have ran out of there kicking and screaming, but this set was all about authenticity, and man, did they ever sound good! They included covers of songs by George Jones, Waylon Jennings and Gram Parsons, including one of my favourite songs of all time, Hickory Wind. It was absolutely breathtaking, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could have listened to them all night.

Photos: The Dress Whites @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr.
Myspace: The Dress Whites

As an added treat, the first act of the night was The People Of Canada (aka Alexander James Squire.) Alexander and his ukulele was on a quest to perform at as many different clubs as he could throughout the course of one weekend. Basically he was performing these 10 minute impromptu sets all over the place, and filming them as part of a documentary project about the experience. His songs were quirky and wacky and very very short, and I thought it was a gut wrenching way to begin the evening.

Photos: The People Of Canada @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr.
(The lighting was really bad and I was too far away to get a decent shot with my crappy point and shoot so I did a little bit of a Warhol-like photo editing job so that the shots could at least look semi-cool. I'm not sure that it worked though.)
Myspace: The People Of Canada
Download: Life mp3