The Hoa Hoa's / Your 33 Black Angels / The Disraelis @ Silver Dollar

As every music loving listmaker knows, December is a month for lists, and my thrill of culling together a year's best predates this here blog by at least a solid 15 years or so. Of course, the year end lists of my 9 year old self would no doubt be a little embarrassing if unearthed these days which makes me glad that the blogging phenomenon didn't happen until I was well into my 30's. Part of the fun that comes with creating such a list is the reworking of said list when something else comes to mind or, better yet, something better enters the picture and on that note, the psych rock extravaganza that I witnessed last week at The Silver Dollar means that my top 10 shows of the year is going to have to be reworked. You'll have to pardon the hyperbole, but this show was life altering!

The first band of the evening was The Disraelis. Although their recorded output has been highly regarded by most, their live show often gets mixed reviews. Cameron Ingles' "could care less" demeanor no doubt has the ability to repel as much as it may attract and in the end, your personal feeling on their live show is going to be just that: a matter of personal taste. Myself, I loved it! The combination of Ingles' lazy drawl, along with Colin Bowers' ringing guitar sound and David Barnes' precise and original drumming made their set rise above my expectations. There was definitely a psychedelic vibe in the air, and although the band owes just as much to Echo and the Bunnymen and The Charlatans as it does to 60's garage past, their slightly abrasive persona was a perfect match for the reverb soaked drones that emanated forth from the stage. There are an awful lot of bands claiming to emulate that nouveau psychedelic shoegaze sound, and most of them either sound a little bit contrived or they are just plain bad, but the incredibly precise musicianship of The Disraelis makes them sound authentic and, more importantly, genuine. What's scary is the fact that the band is likely to get even better, which makes me marvel at the potential.

Photos: My shots of The Disraelis at Silver Dollar are on flickr
Myspace: The Disraelis

A couple of years ago, a rabid Your 33 Black Angels fan went about emailing a whole bunch of bloggers to tell them about his favorite New York band and, by and large, the blogging community seemed to be pretty impressed. Also impressed was one David Fricke of Rolling Stone who labeled them a 'treasure.' I remember liking them quite a bit; thinking that they shared a cool vibe with the Thurston Moore's and Lou Reed's out there. But when I heard that they were added to this bill, I admittedly remembered their name more than their sound. It was two years ago after all, and I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I listen to a lot of music. I was looking forward to getting reacquainted though, and within a few notes, I realized that their inclusion on this night made perfect sense as they boasted a similar 60's sensibility, albeit more rooted in the 'pop' end of the spectrum as opposed to the 'psych' end. Their set was a sweet contrast to The Disraelis, as they turned up the energy and rocked out by cranking out one compelling hook after another. They were definitely heavy on the riffs and although their music lacked the atmosphere of the bands that preceded and followed them, where they excelled was in their ability to create music that is immediate and accessible. Although the less informed may credit another New York band with saving rock 'n roll (I won't mention any initials but I'm talking about The Strokes), those in the know think that the underground credit belongs somewhere else. This was Your 33 Black Angels first visit to Toronto, but hopefully it won't be their last.

Photos: My shots of Your 33 Black Angels at Silver Dollar are on flickr.
(I'm really happy with how these turned out. The lighting was awesome!)
Myspace: Your 33 Black Angels

As you may remember, my introduction to the live version of The Hoa Hoa's was a triumphant success, making them one of a select number of local bands that I must see at every opportunity. This is a very elite list that literally consists of only a handful of acts, which explains my return to their live set a mere four weeks after the last time. This show was to celebrate the release of their excellent Pop/Drone/Pedals album, which has only sounded better since attending this show. There's no need to rehash the fact that the band themselves sound amazing live, since I covered it well in my last review. But this was a night where the whole show seemed extra special for some reason, and although I'm sure they're going to continue to blow me away the more I see them, I doubt that they'll be able to perfectly duplicate the experience of that Friday night. The psychedelic air was thick that night, and this was not due to any particular waft of chemical substances because trust me, I likely would've smelt it if it was there. (For the record, psychedelic chemicals are not my scene; psychedelic music however, very much is.) No, that air was created by several other factors. First of all, the light show was intense which was amazing given the fact that the Silver Dollar is not a large venue at all. There was one person off stage holding a strobe light, which presented an interesting challenge when it came to picture taking, since I had to time my clicks just so. Another person in front was holding a multi-coloured light that created some pretty trippy effects. Another ingredient to the overall vibe was the fact that almost everybody in the audience felt compelled to engage in their own version of freaky 60's dancing, which made the whole room feel as if we were transported back to 1967. It was pretty awesome! The main ingredient of course was the music, and, believe it or not, they were even tighter than they were the last time. By the time the last song was finished playing, I remembered turning to the guy next to me and saying that I had to leave because, with all due respect to Action Makes, who were closing the evening, I didn't want anything to tarnish what I had just witnessed. I'll catch that band at a later date, but the band's final freak out was the perfect way to the end the evening. I've only experienced it on a couple of occasions, but I love that moment at the end of a show when everybody in the audience looks at each other knowing that they've just witnessed something amazing. That happened that night. And amazing this was.

Photos: My pics of The Hoa Hoa's at Silver Dollar are on flickr
Myspace: The Hoa Hoa's