Clouds That Look Like Things & The Superstitions @ Rancho Relaxo

Well I certainly don't attend as many TWM Rancho Relaxo shows as I once did, but this is the second one in a week and there's a strong chance that I'll be checking out a couple more before month's end. They are just as strong and as entertaining as they ever were, even if the poor lighting is starting to really get on my nerves. Definitely not conducive to picture taking with one's crappy point and shoot camera. Also, it's the hottest place in the entire world. I mean that in the temperature way. Still, Dan's discoveries are almost always phenomenal and Friday night was no exception.

I missed the first band of the night (and I also left before the last band of the night) but the first artist that I saw was Toronto's own The Superstitions. They reminded me a lot of The Detroit Cobras, boasting a late 50's, early 60's garage rock sound, with a female lead vocalist that a dude like me could not take his eyes off of. Their brand of full out guitar driven rock 'n roll got the crowd dancing pretty early, and they genuinely looked like they were having a lot of fun on that stage. Guitar playing Matthew broke a string relatively early into their set, and foolishly forgot to bring backup, but the next band lent him a guitar so we won't hold it against him. The show carried on regardless and I loved every minute of it. Nyssa's voice is reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra or perhaps some of the girl groups of that era, but unlike some of the other revivalists that we see these days, they don't come across as another corny amusement park band. (Yes, I'm talking to you Pipettes!) Regardless of what type of throwback genre you want to pin on these guys, the fact remains that they play infectious rock music that sounds awesome in any era.

Photos: The Superstitions @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: The Superstitions
Download: Boy In Black mp3


TWM photographer Jenny told me about Clouds That Look Like Things a few weeks ago, and she expressed some great enthusiasm about them. They were the band that I was really waiting to see and thankfully I didn't have to wait until all hours of the night to see them. Technically, Skip Jensen was scheduled to perform next, but by set time the band had still not arrived. Happily for all who came to see him, he did show up shortly thereafter, but CTLLT had already set up and were ready to tear the walls down, which worked out just fine for me.

The best way to describe their sound to me would be to simply call it huge. Yes, they have a larger than life sound that could easily be compared to all of the multi membered Canadian bands on the scene these days, but they do have their own spin to offer as well. Darcy Pease is a captivating front man, showcasing the persona of David Johansen, the mystique of Jim Morrison and vocals that are reminiscent of Ian McCulloch. That sounds like incredibly high and ridiculous praise, but you have to see this band. They exude a bombastic energy that was almost too big for the tiny Rancho stage to contain. The ying to Darcy's yang was synth and violin player Owen Norquay, who was the perfect distraction from Darcy's cool demeanor. Owen bounded around the stage with rabid excitement, even hopping into the audience to make more room for his antics. I anticipate big things for this little band and although I've made such proclamations before only to be greeted with great disappointment, I hope this time exceptions are made because Clouds That Look Like Things really are THAT good.

Photos: Clouds That Look Like Things @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Clouds That Look Like Things
Download: Stardust mp3