The Primordials & Left of Zero @ Rancho Relaxo

I had mentioned earlier that I was unable to attend all of the shows that I had planned on attending last month, making it a quiter month than I'm used to. (This is in terms of concert goings of course. In terms of regular life and responsibilities however, now that's a different story.) Still, I found that I had this window of opportunity on Saturday night and although I was too tired to make a full night out of it, I thought I'd swing by the old reliable Rancho and see what they had to offer in terms of musical wonderment.

The first band was Left of Zero, a local band whose music is at once experimental, yet still very accessible. Lead vocalist Jade Lamarche has an amazing presence. Besides being quite the looker, she's also got a compelling voice and most notably, she's a dang good bass player. The band is incredibly tight and I think that in itself is their greatest selling point. I'll admit that the actual songs, although quite good and accomplished for such a relatively new band, didn't necessarily wow me. A big reason for that could've been the small and subdued crowd at that time of the night. Still, it was when the band jammed out that their music really started to impress. There are elements of jazz and prog and even a touch of folk making this one of the more interesting bands that are currently out there. The sonic noodling achieved by the rest of the band ( Luis Figueroa on guitar/vocals, Derek Edwards also on guitar/vocals and Adam Boyle on drums) come across as a strange hybrid of Sonic Youth and Portishead. I'm actually very curious to hear what the debut CD sounds like.

Photos: Left of Zero @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Left Of Zero
Video: I'm In Love on youtube
Video: You Make Me and Unsaid live from the Rancho Relaxo show on youtube
(If you watch, I'm actually in this video, taking pictures with my crappy little point and shoot. No autographs please.)

60's garage rock was the theme for the next band, Toronto's The Primordials. This is the most 'up my alley' band I've seen for a while. They were a very hip looking, tie and vest wearing, good old fashioned rock and roll power pop band. The Kinks, The Sonics, The Smoke, any Nuggets-era band, you name it, these guys have solidified that sound, and captured that era with great authenticity. There is a certain measure of gimmickry involved for sure, but most of all, I think that Ryan, Dave, Shawn and Robbie are just big fans of the music. Their set was just a normal length, but they whipped through a ton of songs in the alloted time, keeping them short and sweet. The harmonies were impeccable and when the song called for a guitar solo, the band pulled it off with ease. I've got to see them again with a more enthusiastic crowd, because I'll bet that their shows usually result in a hip shaking, dance floor crazed little party. I also noticed that they were selling vinyl at their shows. Too cool.

Photos: The Primordials @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: The Primordials
Download: Keep A Hold Of What You Got mp3

They have a pile of songs for download on their myspace page.