Destroyer w/Andre Ethier @ The Horseshoe

Penciling myself in for a show on the night of Toronto's annual city wide art festival may not be the greatest example of "thinking ahead" but if you're going to do it, then it may as well be with the likes of Andre Ethier and Dan Bejar, who are currently a couple of the most interesting songwriters around, in my opinion.

Despite the rabid amounts of praise I've hurled in the direction of the former vocalist for The Deadly Snakes, this is actually only the second time that I've ever seen Andre Ethier perform live. His combination of introspective lyrical folk and progressive barrelhouse jams has made both On Blue Fog and Born Of Blue Fog a couple of CD's that I always keep nearby. There are a lot of artists that I enjoy seeing on the live stage, but in recent months I actually found myself craving his live show. This is why, as much as I enjoy the headliner, it was Andre Ethier that turned this gig into a must-see for me.

For this show, Ethier chose to focus on some of his more upbeat and rockier material. This was no doubt emphasized by the fact that he had accompanying him a few members of Steamboat, who are a local rock band who boast some very talented musicians, some of whom I've seen accompany acts as diverse as Henri Faberge and The Hylozoists. This performance was basically one soul stirring jam after another, with Ethier's relaxed yet mercurial moans wafting through the air in a way that conjured up images of Lou Reed. His set contained many of his own songs as well as a few evenly placed covers. There were way too many highlights to mention, but it's hard not to focus on just how cool the song Cop Killer sounds with full band accompaniment on a live stage.

Photos: Andre Ethier @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Andre Ethier
Video: Little Saddy on youtube
Video: Live @ Soundscapes on youtube
Download: By The Stables mp3

Destroyer's Dan Bejar is an interesting character to say the least. From his daunting presence to his bizarre lyrical whimsy, Destroyer has carved himself a niche that is currently unmatched. I've been obsessed with his latest 2 song EP entitled Bay of Pigs, which has a sound that is definitely still Bejar at his best, while still managing to tread in formerly unchartered territory. The 13 minute title track for example, is an ambient disco raveup of epic proportions that just may be my favorite song of the year. As soon as he stepped onstage equipped with only a guitar, a glass of scotch and two bottles of beer, it became obvious that the chances of him playing the new song with all of its electronic elements was highly unlikely, although I wouldn't put it past him to find a way. He didn't.

Instead, he played several stripped down versions of songs spanning the length of his career, which meant that there were songs that I recognized from his last two (pre-Bay of Pigs) albums, as well as some older cuts that I was unfamiliar with. I personally found it hard to take my eyes off of him while he performed. There's just something very intoxicating about the coupling of his Shakespearean vocal accompanied with the strumming of a lone guitar. Because his lyrics are so detailed and unique, I personally find it next to impossible to memorize them, but judging by the way the audience sang along, it became clear that I may be the only one who feels this way. The audience's participation led to some pretty interesting moments, including their singing of the la-la-la's during European Oils. However, as great a performance as it was, I must admit that hearing that many solo acoustic numbers in a row was causing my ever-active mind to wander a little bit. Perhaps anticipating that this may be the case for many, Bejar proceeded to call the members of Steamboat back to the stage to rock with him, leading to a couple of full band numbers that were absolutely outstanding. The indisputable highlight was hearing Rubies, which culminated in an epic jam that was filled out with some incredible sax playing by Joseph Shabason (of Toronto's Everything All The Time). For the encore, Bejar came back out and performed a couple more solo numbers including my fave, Painter In Your Pocket, which I was starting to worry wouldn't make the cut for the night.

Despite a couple of brief lagging moments, the show overall was immensely satisfying, which means that I didn't have to leave the Horseshoe overly disturbed that I scheduled a show on Nuit Blanche day. Still, this didn't make it any easier to hook up with my usual cast of art loving peers afterwards. More on that story later....

Photos: Destroyer @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Stream: Bay of Pigs at Stereogum
Video: Painter In Your Pocket (live @ Cat's Cradle in Carborro, NC) on youtube
Download: Dark Leaves Form A Thread mp3
Download: It's Gonna Take An Airplane mp3

Andre Ethier- Born Of Blue Fog

Last year my tardiness caused me to miss out on including Andre Ethier's On Blue Fog in my 2007 year end best of, even though it would have definitely been there had I heard the album when I should have. Well wash, rinse and repeat, it look like I've done the same thing again this year. Andre Ethier's sequel to that brilliant album is entitled Born Of Blue Fog and it was released late last year to such little fanfare that I once again heard about it too late. And just like it's predecessor, it definitely would have made my top 10 of 2008 had I been more on the proverbial ball, so to speak.

Born Of Blue Fog takes all of the elements that made the last album so great, namely the grand acoustic versatility of the song arrangements and his highly literate lyrical depth, and just simply makes it better. The Only Wine I Crave opens the album with a classical sound that dips into the progressive pool ever so slightly with its inclusion of mandolin, moog and vibraphone. Andre's voice is dark and brooding on this one, creating an aire of the renaissance. The tenor sax on Easiest Game is a welcome surprise. I used to joke around about the fact that many sax players must of went on unemployment once the 80's ended, but here Ethier shows how to put them to good use on a song that borrows once again from bands like Traffic and Supertramp, but in a way that sounds way cooler than my description would lead you to believe. The string arrangement on By The Stables is chilling, with a sound that is very baroque symphonic and segues nicely into the next blusier number Infant King. Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair features only Ethier's emotive bassy vocals and his acoustic guitar. This is a traditional number that is so hauntingly beautiful that it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. Heaven Above You reminds me of classic JJ Cale, with the vocals being nicely accompanied by a classic Wurlitzer sound. Polynesian Branch takes all of the aforementioned elements and combines them together, serving as a tasty appetizer to what follows, the laugh-out-loud funny Cop Killer. Despite the seemingly angry title, this is easily the most upbeat song on the album which sees Andre harnessing his inner Lou Reed and delivering lines about his girl "really knowing her way around a badge" with an effortless coolness. Y'know, the way Lou Reed does. The album ends with Can't Go Back Again, a subtle acoustic number worthy of all of the Dylan comparisons that has been heaped upon Ethier over the last couple of years. This is true both in the lyrical depth and in the mild delivery.

From what I understand, this album is only part two of the trilogy, with a third album already being prepared for public consumption. I'm going to keep my eyes and ears peeled for this one so that I can pick it up on time to be included on whatever list it will undoubtedly deserve to be on.

This album is a must-have, as far as I'm concerned. It is available on the Blue Fog Recording Label which distributes its music through Sonic Unyon.

Myspace: Andre Ethier
Download: By The Stables mp3


Other stuff: Soundscapes has a couple of really cool in-stores coming up. Timber Timbre are there tomorrow, that's January 15th at 7pm and Bruce Peninsula are going to be there on Wednesday February 4th, also at 7pm. [Myspaces: Timber Timbre, Bruce Peninsula]

Hamilton singer-songwriter Jacob Moon just recorded an amazing video for his outstanding cover of Rush's Subdivisions on the rooftop of the Staircase Theatre. It has to be seen to be believed. Outstanding. [Myspace: Jacob Moon]

Danny Michel also has a new video out for his song Feather, Fur and Fin. A good quality video is found on his website, a crappier quality video is on youtube. [Myspace: Danny Michel]

Massive buzz band Fleet Foxes are going to be on Saturday Night Live this weekend, which is being hosted by Rosario Dawson. [Myspace: Fleet Foxes]

The latest episode of the Zygiella podcast features three members of Dinosaur Bones as Tyler and Jen's very special guests. The episode is available for download here. They are playing their one year anniversary show this Saturday at The Horseshoe. Congratulations to Kate for winning the Dinosaur Bones prize pack. [Myspace: Dinosaur Bones]

For those who care about this kind of stuff: Chart Attack has reported that City and Colour's Dallas Green has recently gotten hitched to Much Music's Leah Miller, while Stereogum has reported that Death Cab's Ben Gibbard is now engaged to She and Him's Zooey Deschanel. For me, the first one falls into the "yah, whatever" category while the second one falls into the "what the?" category. [Myspaces: Dallas Green, Death Cab For Cutie, She and Him]

And after only 85 253 albums, Ryan Adams has decided to call it a day. Apparently the blog where Ryan says that he's quitting music has been updated so as to sound a little bit less drastic but exclaim.ca quotes him as saying that health issues and never ending stage fright are just two of the reasons why he's decided to pack it in. This is breaking news so I'm still waiting to hear more about what this actually means. I'm intrigued to say the least. It looks like he's going to concentrate his time on being an author, since he's got three books set to be released sometime in the future. Oh, and I just noticed that Rolling Stone has reported on it as well. [Myspace: Ryan Adams]

Andre Ethier - On Blue Fog

It happens every year. I make a typical year end best of list and then hardly a week goes by before I'm introduced to something else that really should've been included. Case in point: Andre Ethier's brilliant release On Blue Fog.

Doing a google search for 'Andre Ethier' can be particularly irritating for a guy who really could care less about sports, like me. Apparently Andre shares his namesake with an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and although the buzz surrounding local hometown Ethier has been quite high around here, the search engine indicates that the Dodgers dude is still the more popular of the two. Hopefully that'll change soon.

I really have no one to blame but myself for not purchasing this CD sooner. I saw Ethier open for The Sadies back in November and was very impressed. Shortly after I posted my review, a reader told me that On Blue Fog was spectacular and I should really check it out. About a month later, Soundscapes posted their year end best of and Mr. Ethier's CD ended the year at number two, beaten only by Sandro Perri. (By the way, if year end lists irritate you because of their remarkable similarity to one another, then you should really check out the Soundscapes list. Refreshingly original.)

For those that don't know, Ethier is a former vocalist for The Deadly Snakes, a band that I've heard more about than I've actually heard. This is Andre's first release since the band broke up, and his third solo release altogether. Like most of my favorite albums, On Blue Fog is a bit scattered. Some people prefer their albums to be more uniform but not me. I've got A.D.D. and therefore, versatility is key. He gets compared to Dylan quite a bit, and although I definitely heard the influence when I saw him live, I can't say that I notice it all that much on this recording. Perhaps a bit on "Pride of Egypt" the album's final cut. Overall, I think the album lends itself more to comparisons with Van Morrison or even a little bit of Nick Drake. For the most part however, comparisons are futile because, to his credit, Andre doesn't settle into one style for very long. There's acoustic numbers like "Honeymoon" where the playing is crisp and beautiful. There's haunting folksy numbers like "Good Fortune." "Nothing Is Written In Stone" is a bluesy song that drives ahead with a pulsating thump. The album's centerpiece is the 6:14 chug of "On Lies." I remember clearly loving this song at the show, thinking at the time that it reminded me a bit of Traffic. I don't know if I still feel that this description is accurate, but who cares? It's a great great song that, had I heard it a few days earlier, would've landed nicely in my year end rundown of mind blowing songs.

The Dodgers guy may have hit 13 homeruns last year on the field, but Toronto's Ethier has certainly hit a home run of his own with... OK fine, all you collective groans, I won't go there. Just buy the album, OK?

Downloads: Honey Bee mp3 / In With The Prim mp3
(These songs are from his previous release Secondathallum, available on Paper Bag Records)
Myspace: Andre Ethier
Video: Andre Ethier performs at Soundscapes youtube
Purchase: On Blue Fog at Sonic Unyon Records.

The Sadies w/ Rick White and Andre Ethier @ The Horseshoe

I was sick and bed ridden all day and probably the dumbest thing I could do was go to another concert on Saturday night. But it was The Sadies. And this was the last of four shows they were doing in the city this weekend. It would be downright unnatural of me to not attend one of them. So I did, Saturday night at The Horseshoe, to be exact. This show in particular sealed the deal for me that The Sadies are arguably the best live act that the city of Toronto has to offer. (OK, maybe next to Broken Social Scene, but The Sadies have been around longer.) I had already reviewed them earlier this year as part of the NXNE festival, and there really isn't much that I could add that I haven't already mentioned there. It was an evening full of guest stars and family while the Good boys displayed their remarkable talent once again. It's been noticed by many that The Sadies have always been remarkably consistent at putting on a stellar live show. It's also been mentioned before that they have a particular fondness for The Horseshoe since it has been hosting their music for so long. So that being the case, they really made sure that they gave the fans their money's worth by playing for nearly two hours in length. They graciously took fan requests, and they politely thanked the audience after pretty much every song. For me the particular highlight of the evening was when they had opening act Rick White join them on stage for a couple of songs. They performed a cover of The MC5's "Looking At You", which may actually go down in my mind as the performance of the year! It was mind-blowing, to say the least. The Sadies are a band that every music lover owes to himself to go and see whenever he/she gets the chance.

Photos: The Sadies @ The Legendary Horseshoe on flickr.
Download: Anna Leigh mp3
Myspace: The Sadies
Video: Flash on youtube.

Sandwiched inbetween The Sadies and the opening act was Rick White (formerly of Eric's Trip.) He played a mellower acoustic set that actually wasn't really that mellow. I was pretty excited to see him as I consider him to be sort of a legend, yet I had never seen him live. The man is a magician on the guitar, and I feel sorry for all the people in attendance who were not standing within the first 3 or 4 rows. The reason for this is that he really does need to be seen to be believed. His fingers danced along the fretboards like a couple of ... um .... really impressive dancers. (The people in the first few rows know what I'm talking about.) To add to his immense guitar playing talent, his lyrics are really quite bizarre and interesting and I think it's time that I got better acquainted with his projects since Eric's Trip since I'm really quite unfamiliar with anything else he's done. Judging by what I witnessed last night, that's a real shame.

Photos: Rick White @ The Legendary Horseshoe on flickr.
Video: In-store performance at Soundscapes in Toronto on youtube.

The opening act was local folk rocker Andre Ethier who I am basically very unfamiliar with. I know that he was the lead singer of The Deadly Snakes, who are very good from what I know of them. But otherwise, that's about it. When I first walked in, just as his set was starting, I thought the music was slightly reminiscent of Traffic's "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys." It definitely had a proggish feel to it. However, as the show went on I could see that Andre was more influenced by Bob Dylan and southern blues as opposed to anything by Yes. His band included a saxophonist / flautist that added another dimension to the band that prevents it from being referred to strictly as folk-rock. There was a sort of free form Velvet Underground vibe to it as well. Confused? Well, let the music speak for itself by going to his myspace. As for me, going to a concert when I'm sick has likely just made me more sick. Head cloudy. Vision blurry. Unable to write literate review. Going to bed now.

Photos: Andre Ethier @ The Legendary Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Andre Ethier