Boys Who Say No w/ Fox Jaws @ The Theatre Centre

For a few years now, the Summerworks Festival here in Toronto has been an excellent way to promote independent art and theatre in the city for an affordable price. Last year was the first time that the organizers decided to include live music into the schedule and I heard that it was a great success, even though I personally was unable to attend. This year thankfully I was, and even though I didn't get to have as great a share as I would've liked to, I was very happy with the bands that I did get to see.

I realize that if I cover the Fox Jaws one more time, I'm going to have to rename this blog "It's Not The Band I Hate, Actually I Only Love The Fox Jaws" but in actuality it had been several months since I last saw these guys perform, and since I wasn't going to be able to catch their CD release show at the El Mocambo, I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss this one. At first it looked like the crowd was going to be a little more modest than preferred, but thankfully they shuffled in just as the performance began, enabling the band to put on their usual powerhouse of a show.

It's a confirmed fact that frontpeople Carleigh Aikins and Daniel Allen are a couple of incredibly energetic performers and the fire that they exude on stage never ceases to amaze me. What really stood out for me this time was the fact that this energy has apparently spread throughout the rest of the band as well, to the point where the attention that I have previously devoted to the Aikins / Allen combo is now divided evenly amongst all five members. Brandyn Aikins killed the drum kit, Andrew Shropshire displayed the techniques of a very skilled guitarist and Evan Rosevear was the bass player with rock star swagger. If I remember correctly, their set was composed entirely of songs off the new album At Odds, which I reviewed last week. The songs are excellent for the live stage since their increased edginess and slightly experimental nature gives the band an opportunity to prove that their talents are genuine and not simply a result of studio wizardry. For me, the evening's highlight was Home and Native, with its infectious laughing chorus, that even had the audience singing along.

Photos: Fox Jaws @ The Theatre Centre on flickr
Myspace: Fox Jaws

My only real exposure to Boys Who Say No was by hearing one of their songs played on the previous week's Zygiella podcast, but the tune No I Won't was just quirky enough to peak my curiosity. As the band was setting up for the show, they continued to peak my curiosity further by setting up cardboard cutouts of various wilderness creatures and blown up garbage bags all across the stage. Vocalist Luke Correia-Damude commented that this was meant to be their statement against the city's garbage strike but then acknowledged that since the strike is over, most of what's onstage doesn't make any sense. That sense of humour was present throughout the course of their set as they played a collection of songs that were eccentric and unpredictable, yet rather enjoyable. There are definitely some traces of alt-country displayed throughout their mix, but definitely more of the playful kind, as opposed to the seriously rootsy variety. I was a big fan of their instrumentation, but I'll have to admit that Luke's voice will take some getting used to, although its similarity to the pipes of Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock would likely be more of a selling point for most people.

Photos: Boys Who Say No @ The Theatre Centre on flickr
Myspace: Boys Who Say No