The Joys, The Free Press & Jets To Ground @ The Horseshoe

OK, so how about we just scratch the whole 'post-a-day' idea and pretend that I never said that. I've just been so wicked tired lately and honestly, the brain just couldn't muster up enough worthwhile vocabulary to write anything beyond "this CD is great" and "this CD is not so great." And my readers are worth so much more than that, aren't they? You're all like family to me. All three of you. And I think two of you literally are family. But I digress...

Actually, part of the reason why I was so tired this weekend had to do with the insanely late night that I experienced on Friday at The Horseshoe. Both Toronto's The Free Press were celebrating the release of their new CD, and London's The Joys were celebrating the release of theirs. Lots of people were there to see the former band. but I was there to see the latter.

I had reviewed The Joys 'Unfold' CD last week, and I described it as an exercise in classic rock appreciation while still containing a newness that prevents it from ever delving into the category of mere throwback. Their live show however, has always been about having as much fun as possible, and the show Friday night was no exception. Few artists are able to establish the type of audience connection that Sarah Smith is able to create, and although you know that she's first and foremost putting on a show, her sincerity definitely shines through. Their set was scheduled to start around 12:15, but it was just shy of being an hour late due to the other bands going overtime. Thus my insane tiredness. But that didn't stop the show from being an all out party, the band providing the type of rock 'n roll that I've always enjoyed and come to expect from them. Special props go out to bass player Ken Ross, who messed up the ole ankle while playing baseball, and had to perform in a wheelchair. That took a lot of guts, but he didn't appear at all disheartened, just happy to be there.

Photos: The Joys @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: The Joys

I can't say that I knew too much about The Free Press going in to this show, but apparently I was the only one. The venue was packed with people who were clearly enthusiastic about checking out their brand of unassuming Americana tinged pop rock. As I mentioned, they were also celebrating the release of a CD, it being called Half Truths and Whole Lies. As the first couple of songs rolled by, I have to admit that they seemed nice enough but I was finding it hard to get as enthused as the rest of the crowd was. It started sounding just a little bit on the generic side of the fence for me. But clearly these guys were seasoned performers, and their charisma slowly won me over as the set progressed. The vocal harmonies were note perfect, and I was starting to hear the Guster inspired melodies and musicianship shining through. They played a song called National Pride that sounded downright motivational in this live setting. They let the show end with some heavy hitting rock 'n roll, leaving the crowds and myself feeling plenty inspired.

Photos: The Free Press @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: The Free Press

All of the bands that I saw on Friday night (I missed The Scenario, the first band of the night) definitely displayed a leaning towards the world of classic rock, and Burlington's Jets To Ground also fell into that category. If Spookey Ruben sang lead for a band like 38 Special, I think the result would sound something like Jets To Ground. It was kind of hard not to get sucked in to their simple yet effective style of pop music. Lead vocalist Andrew Irving has the role of rocking frontman down, and he plays off of the crowd with an effortless grin. I think the greatest crowd pleaser was their way different cover of Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire,which was transformed into an infectious slice of power pop perfection that would have made Johnny very proud.

Photos: Jets To Ground @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Jets To Ground