Basia Bulat @ Soundscapes (In-Store Performance)

Falling under the category of "sure thing" is the irresistible talents of Basia Bulat, a person that I've seen perform several times now, yet who still manages to leave me in awe every time. In promotion of her latest release entitled Heart Of My Own she's been playing a number of shows lately at slightly larger venues, but prior to this in-store at Soundscapes I would have to say that my favourite time seeing her was when she played another in-store at Criminal Records a couple of years ago. I just find that her brand of humble acoustic folk is well suited for the intimate setting of a local record store, and it doesn't get much more intimate than the slight surroundings of Soundscapes.

As anticipated, the crowds didn't take very long to build and, as usual, I was happy that I had the sense to get there a little bit earlier. It ended up being a packed house that certainly wasn't as uncomfortably full as I had seen the place before, but it was still a pretty healthy crowd indeed. There were a couple of other factors that contributed to the intimate vibe of the evening. First of all, we all sat on the floor, which is cozy and stuff yet once again the dreaded foot falling asleep situation that haunted me only a mere month ago at the An Horse in-store show reared its ugly head again (although it should be noted that this was way more comfortable than that one was.) Secondly, when Basia took her place she requested that only her autoharp be plugged in as she felt that audio enhancement wasn't really necessary for such a small venue. A gutsy move for sure, but one that paid off nicely as the whole set felt that it was only a fireplace away from being as warm and personal a show as it could be. She focused mainly on newer material, which I'll admit I haven't really taken the time to listen to yet, but the personal unfamiliarity to the songs had no effect on my overall enjoyment. If anything, hearing her voice in this natural setting only made me twice as eager to check it out as soon as possible. The unmic'd situation really drove home just how powerful her voice actually is, as there didn't seem to be a single person who remained unaffected by her entrancing vibrato. The highlight of the set for me was her closing number which was an acapella rendition of an old gospel number that she sang sans instrument, only using her handclaps and footstomps as percussion. It made for a humorous moment when her foot stomping made a small amount of merchandise fall to the floor, which had her remark "Neil Young is going to kill me", which was greeted by great laughter from all in attendance. It must've been one of his books or CD's that fell. Still, it's that unforced human quality that endears so many people to her both as an artist and as a person. As she heads stateside to continue touring the new material, she'll no doubt continue to make new fans and friends along the way, and it'll be interesting to watch her popularity continue to rise, as it no doubt will.

Photos: My pictures of Basia Bulat @ Soundscapes are on flickr.
Myspace: Basia Bulat
Download: Gold Rush mp3
Video: Highlights from the performance are at Now Magazine
Video: Basia Bulat was also interviewed in the basement at Soundscapes the day of the show on AuxTV.

Other stuff:

You've probably heard about this already, but Broken Social Scene have returned with an epic new song called World Sick which can be downloaded for free on their website. (You'll need to give them your email address). The song  is awesome, as expected, and it will be featured on their upcoming album which well be called Forgiveness Rock Record, as is scheduled to be out in May. [Myspace: Broken Social Scene]

Daniel Hales and the Frost Heaves have a new video out for the song Shepherd of Lost Shopping Carts. [Myspace: Daniel Hales and the Frost Heaves]

Dutch indie rock band Bettie Serveert is back with an excellent  new album called Pharmacy of Love and a track entitled Deny All is available for free download. [Myspace: Bettie Serveert]

[Via Chart Attack] It looks like Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon are going to be recording a "trio" album with Yoko Ono which, I can't believe I'm saying this, sounds like it could be pretty interesting. [Myspaces: Sonic Youth; Yoko Ono]

And lastly, it seems that this is the season for in-store events, with some pretty interesting ones coming up. Zeus will be playing Soundscapes on March 6th at 6pm. Kurt Vile is going to be at Criminal Records on February 26th at 6:30pm. And during CMW on March 13th, Criminal Records has got an awesome three-fer featuring Aidan Knight (5pm), Dan Mangan (6pm) and Hollerado (7pm). Yay free music!

AfterpartY @ The Horseshoe

There are many bands that work hard to be as weird as possible so as to establish a sound that is new, vital and fresh but sometimes, it's simply working with the original template of pop music construction that enables a band to stand out from the rest. This is an area where local retro post-punkers AfterpartY shine and they proved that well when they played The Horseshoe last week as part of Dave Bookman's weekly free Nu Music Nite Showcase.

I first saw the band at Sneaky Dee's about a year ago, and I thought that they really stood out amongst the other bands that night in the sense that they displayed a little too much pop polish to fit in with the local music scene, but they also weren't mainstream enough to be the latest teeny bopper fashion statement of MTV either. This put them in sort of a unique position where I found it hard to figure out exactly where they fit in. But as I've listened to their music more and more over the year that followed I came to realize that that is exactly what makes them so good. Sure, there are many bands that borrow and copy from the late 70's/early 80's pop punk aesthetic, but in most cases it's obvious that their trying hard to emulate that sound. AfterpartY on the other hand, come across as a band that just HAPPENS to sound like that without really having any preconceived desires of actually doing so. That's difficult to accomplish, especially when you watch some of their interviews and realize that were very much influenced by bands like Blondie and Talking Heads. Of course, another aspect of their appeal is the fact that they put on a great live show.

Lead vocalist Kristina B is everything a frontperson should be, exuding a mix of rock 'n roll attitude and scintillating presence that I found it impossible to take my eyes off of her while she performed. I thought that the band had really stepped up the energy level also, making the songs sound more energetic and raw. This was no doubt aided by the fact that they had expanded to a six piece for this show, recruiting a couple more members on bass and guitar, filling out their sound nicely and making it come across as a little bit more anthemic. Whether or not the band has permanently expanded to a six piece remains to be seen, since guitarist Juan Carlos indicated to me that the lineup was likely to become a permanent thing, whereas Kristina mentioned that they were just trying it out for now, so we'll see. Either way, I think that the band is finally beginning to carve out their niche and with a full length album poised and ready for release in the near future, it will be interesting to see how the indie loving public responds to their infectious melodies.

Lonely Vagabond also had some brief comments to make on the show.

Photos: My shots of AfterpartY @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: AfterpartY

Other stuff:

The High Dials have just released a new video for the song Killer of Dragons. [Myspace: The High Dials]

Basia Bulat is playing a free instore at Soundscapes next Tuesday February 16th at 7pm [Myspace: Basia Bulat]

Make Your Exit is featured on the latest episode of Minilogues. They're playing with Dinosaur Bones and Everything All The Time at the Steam Whistle Club on March 5th. [Myspace: Make Your Exit, Dinosaur Bones, Everything All The Time]

Local photographer and music blogger Pete Nema has just started up an exciting new music site that is definitely worth checking out if you haven't already done so. It's called Sticky Magazine and it's already looking like it's going to be an excellent source for all of your musical needs.

CMF Day 4: Jon Rae Fletcher, Herman Dune, Basia Bulat, Elliott Brood, Cuff The Duke

I'm actually amazed at how 'not tired' I was by day 4 of Canadian Music Week or Fest or whatever. It's not that I'm not tired, it's just that I was expecting myself to be twice as tired as I actually felt on Saturday night. Still, I avoided venue hopping and had decided to just simply get my twang on at Lee's Palace for the night. The lineup looked solid, featuring some of the more folk and country oriented acts in the city. It looked like it was going to be a chilled and laid back evening. Turns out, I was only sort of right.
Jon Rae Fletcher started the night off with a distinct crooner's warble that was very endearing. His latest album Oh, Maria stands in stark contrast to 2006's Knows What You Need, with its introspective lyrics and downplayed tempo, and this is the atmosphere that he portrayed that night. The personal upheaval that has surrounded his life over the last few years has been well documented, and even though there is something very somber and reflective about his lyrics these days, his performance was still that of a man who is witty, with a good self-deprecating sense of humour. He even attempted to perform an older song as per an audience member's request, and upon realizing that he couldn't quite remember the rest of the lyrics, he simply bowed out gracefully, with a shrug and a laugh, refusing to take himself too seriously.

Photos: Jon Rae Fletcher @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Myspace: Jon Rae Fletcher
Next up was Herman Dune from Paris, France. The band is a two piece, consisting of David-Ivar Herman Dune on guitar and vocals, and Néman Herman Dune on drums and backing vocals. The band plays a very quirky brand of folk music that is bent in a whimsical direction that comes across sounding as the bizarre love child of The Mountain Goats, Jens Lekman and maybe Cat Stevens. This being my first introduction to his music, I thought the lyrics were very strong and filled with clever wordplay. The melodies were simple, yet effective, and his voice was honest and powerful, although in a slightly nasal sort of way. He also had a very unique stage presence, that of a bearded traveling vaudeville performer. All of these ingredients together made for an enjoyable and bizarre experience that made me feel as if I was in some sort of cartoon or something.

Photos: Herman Dune @ Lee's Palace on flickr
Myspace: Herman Dune
I can't believe that I haven't seen Basia Bulat since last summer, and apparently a couple of things have changed. First of all, I noticed that Holly Rancher was not in attendance. Is she still part of the band? Does anyone know? Furthermore, I think that Basia has gained a little bit more confidence than the last couple of times that I saw her. She's always had a very sweet unsureness about her, but this time, even when certain things didn't go as smoothly as she likely would have hoped (i.e: sound problems with the ukelele,) she seemed to handle it with great poise and humour. She opened the show with I Was Your Daughter, a song that I'm pretty sure I'm used to seeing her end with. It's such a great song and the hyper handclaps got the crowd involved right away. She did a lot of the usual numbers, and even introduced a couple of new ones, including a great tune that she said was tentatively called Canyonero (named after the SUV on The Simpsons.) The show was lighthearted, even having a little kazoo thrown in for good measure. Her talent continues to amaze me as she always makes playing the autoharp look effortless.

Photos: Basia Bulat @ Lee's Palace on flickr
Myspace: Basia Bulat
At this point, any thought that this would be a nice little laid back evening was dashed to pieces by the time Elliott Brood took to the stage. I don't know why, but for some reason I thought that Elliott Brood was a countrified acoustic band. However, upon speaking to some of the fans in attendance before they hit the stage, it was becoming obvious that the evening was about to be cranked to another level. These guys may have been equipped with acoustic guitars, but they rocked hard! Every song came blasting through the air in a way that had me feeling stupid for forgetting my earplugs, and the band's hyperactive enthusiasm got the crowd whipped into a rock 'n roll frenzy. Partway through their set, they handed out some wooden spoons and aluminum trays and bowls, so as to have the audience provide some thunderous percussion to their songs, and I have to say that we were all having a blast! The crowd started dancing pretty heavily and they did not stop until the show was over. I was exhausted!

Photos: Elliott Brood @ Lee's Palace on flickr
Myspace: Elliott Brood
The evening ended with my hometown heroes Cuff The Duke, and as per usual, they put on a great show. It seemed rather tame after the Brood spazzfest that we had witnessed earlier, but The Duke are such an amazing band that they can truly do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned. They opened with my two favourite songs, Remember The Good Times and Rossland Square, which was great, but meant that I didn't have to spend the rest of the night in anticipation. They played a lot of new songs, which all sounded stellar, and indicated that we're likely to hear something new from them in the very near future. Excited! Wayne Petti played the nice guy again, graciously thanking everyone for attending before rocking out on the final song, If I Live Or If I Die.

Photos: Cuff The Duke @ Lee's Palace on flickr
Myspace: Cuff The Duke

Martha Wainwright & Basia Bulat @ Harbourfront Centre

The last time that I saw Basia Bulat perform was all the way back in December at a Criminal Records instore performance. That's a long time to go with no Basia, so I was thrilled and delighted that I had the opportunity to see her again, and for free no less.

The Harbourfront was jam packed with people enjoying their day off, so we figured that it might be good to get there early so as to make sure that we get a good spot for her performance. Well, we managed to get a couple of seats right smack dab in the middle of the first row, which for some reason seemed closer to the stage than usual. I don't know if they installed a couple of new rows than last time, or if it was just the simple fact that the barricades were placed differently, but I wasn't about to complain. Basia did what I've come to expect from her. She's still as cute as can be, and her vocals were displayed in all of their vibratoed glory. From where I was sitting and from my particular angle this time, I could really see the amount of skill that must be involved in playing the autoharp. I'm not ashamed to say that I basically suck at playing every instrument, but the autoharp looks particularly difficult, yet Basia is very adept at making it sound heavenly. Besides all of the beautiful songs that she normally performs from her excellent Oh My Darling release, she also pulled out a cover of one of my favorite Daniel Johnston songs: True Love Will Find You In The End. She made it sound like it could have been one of her originals. She once again ended her set with the handclap heavy I Was A Daughter, which I've heard a thousand times but for some reason, never seem to sicken of. The sign of a classic song indeed.

Photos: Basia Bulat @ Harbourfront Centre on flickr
Myspace: Basia Bulat
Download: Snakes And Ladders mp3


The wife and I stewed over whether or not to stick around for Martha Wainwright for a mighty long time. The thought of getting to bed early was very appealing, but so was the chance to see her for free. I have to admit that, despite all of the critical praise that she has received over the years, I had never heard a single note of her work. I know, I know, it's embarrassing but true. Just never got around to it. I am quite a big fan of her father, with 1970's Louden Wainwright III and 1072's Album III being a couple of my personal faves. I'm also quite familiar with her brother, as I believe many people are. But Martha, for no really solid reason that I can muster, just simply escaped my radar. And it likely would have happened again, if I wasn't enjoying my primo spot so much. Once again, laziness wins out, as I was duly rewarded for sticking around.

From what I saw that night, Martha's music is right up my alley, blending elements of folk and country with a weathered voice that sounds as if it's survived a stormy shipwreck or two. Her latest CD has the ridiculous title I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too, although she assured us through her witty banter than the title is meant to be humorous and not to be taken too seriously at all. And it's hard not to believe her, since she had her husband Brad Albetta playing along with her. She openly acknowledged that her music tends to get a tad depressing at times, but she prevented the show from being too much of a downer by keeping the hilarity of her dialogue active throughout. There were moments when she openly heckled the less than enthusiastic fireworks display taking place behind us, and they were other funny moments where she talked about the difficulty she was having censoring her crassness while in this family friendly atmosphere. Ultimately though, it was her voice that made the show a success, making me wonder once again, why I never took notice before. The vocals were very powerful, and this was showcased the most during the middle portion of her show, when the band left the stage and it was just her guitar and her voice. Remarkable stuff.

After the show, I took the time to look into her music a little bit more thoroughly, and although I can't bring myself to recommend all of it, there is no doubt that there are some shiny gems of classic sounding alt-country folk tinged pop in there that I should really take the time to acquaint myself with more fully.

Photos: Martha Wainwright @ Harbourfront Centre on flickr.
Myspace: Martha Wainwright

Basia Bulat @ Criminal Records (In-Store Performance)

Ah, Basia. After melting my heart about a month ago while opening for Ohbijou at Lee's Palace, Basia Bulat's Oh My Darling has been in incessant rotation on the old ipod. As you can see by it's high placing on my year end best of, the album has pierced my very soul, and the opportunity to see her play for free at a local record store was an opportunity that I could definitely not pass up on. This wasn't your typical 20 minuter, as most in-stores are, because this one was being broadcast on CBC Radio 3. So, for all intents and purposes, this was a full out concert. What particularly warmed my heart was the turn out for this event. I got there early (just to be safe) and although I needn't of worried at that time, getting there right at seven may not have proved itself to be quite as advantageous. The place was packed, which was truly great to see. Basia's voice was flawless, as she opened the show singing accompanied only by her own foot stomps and handclaps. She could sing the phone book, as far as I'm concerned. Flawless. She always looks like she's genuinely having the time of her life when she performs, and she also looks at her bandmates as if she's a proud mother, truly blown away by all that they contribute. Add all that to her apparently sincere humility, and you've got yourself what I would consider to be a real Canadian treasure. Cuff The Duke's Wayne Petti also sang along for the last song. It'll be interesting to see what the next year or two holds for Basia. I've heard from a very reliable source, that with the Rough Trade label having recently been sold to the Beggars Group, her potential for significant promotion overseas is huge. I wish her all the success that she deserves.

I should also add that upon meeting her after the show, I've come to the conclusion that her adorabilty is no mere act of showmanship. This girl is genuine, through and through. (Added bonus: she explained how to properly pronounce her name. It's "Basha," if you're wondering...) It was really cool to meet her, and she treated us as if we've been her friends for years. If my predictions for the future are even remotely accurate, then you know I'll be playing the "I knew her when" card. How can I not?

Photos: Basia Bulat @ Criminal Records on flickr
Download: Snakes and Ladders mp3
Myspace: Basia Bulat
Video: Snakes and Ladders live in Brussels on youtube.

Ohbijou, Basia Bulat and Bruce Peninsula @ Lee's Palace

I Heart Music recently posted the results of the Hottest Canadian bands survey and with Ohbijou placing at number 17 and Basia Bulat all the way up at number 5, the bill at Lee's Palace definitely fell into the must-see category of my 2007 concert going experiences. The show was phenomenal, as one could only expect.

I've been wanting to check out Ohbijou for quite some time now. The reasons for this are many and varied. First of all, I really like Swift Feet For Troubling Times, their debut release. It's such a beautiful and atmospheric album, with just a hint of melancholy. However, I could tell just by the way it sounds, that it likely does not even hold a candle to what the band can accomplish live. Secondly, everyone I know who's seen them has been throughly impressed. Also, I love violins and all the other instruments in the violin slash stringed family of instruments. That, they provide. To my surprise, the evening also included a horn section. I absolutely adore live horns. They give me chills. Finally, another thing that really peaked my curiosity concerning this band is the fact that the last time that I attempted to see them during NXNE, the lineup at The Horseshoe extended way down the block and around the corner. Well, I finally satisfied my curiosity on Friday night, and all of these reasons are well founded. The mellower songs were bone chilling, as I knew they would be, but it's the slightly faster ones that really impress. They come across as larger than life in a heavens opening, clouds parting sort of way. My memory is a bit hazy, but I believe it was during The Woods, when the band went on a percussion frenzy, grabbing drum sticks and tappy-tapping on anything that they could find near or on the stage, whether it be, the wall, the stairs or the ground. I also remeber being very impressed with the musical talent possessed by Casey Mecija, as she switched off instruments several times during the show.

Photos: Ohbijou @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Download: St. Francis mp3
Myspace: Ohbijou

Ranking number 5 on the above list is really impressive considering the fact that Basia Bulat seemed to achieve recognition everywhere else before she caught on here. She has been signed to Rough Trade since late last year, but she only found distribution in Canada a few months ago. I think that the reason for this is because her music seems to sneak up on you, as opposed to punching you in the face. When I first heard her, I thought she was fine, but I thought she simply had another Natalie Merchant thing going on, which I've heard a zillion times before. Boy, do I feel stupid now. I find her brand of acoustic chamber pop to be so entirely uplifting that once the CD is finished, I feel like taking in a breath of fresh air and starting it all over again. (That doesn't mean that I hold my breath while I'm listening to her CD. You see, that's how people die.) Her performance made me feel the same way. Her sincerity is delightful, and her smile is warm enough to melt the heart of even the roughest individual. Her songs translated very well to the live stage, and I loved the fact that she would enthusiastically get into whatever song she was singing, regardless of how laid back and mellow the song is supposed to be. If the chill of the winter air gets to be too much for you, then check to see if Basia is playing in your hometown. 'Nuff said.

Photos: Basia Bulat @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Download: Snakes And Ladders mp3
Myspace: Basia Bulat
Video: Snakes and Ladders live in Brussels on youtube.

When I arrived at Lee's, Bruce Peninsula's set was already in progress. I can't say that I knew too much about them, but I did see some familiar faces on that stage while they were performing. There was Ohbijou's Casey Mecija, who I suppose is a member of this band as well. I also recognized Katie Stelmanis, whom I had seen earlier this year opening for St. Vincent. There was another girl up there that I recognized and it took me a few minutes (of hours) to figure out where from, but then I realized that she worked at the local indie record store. Upon doing further research, her name is Isla Craig, and she has a few musical projects of her own going on. Being relatively new to the city, I still get a bit tickled at the fact that I'm living right in the hub of all things indie and artsy. Everywhere I turn it seems I'm running into another staple of the indie music scene. I'm starting to tangent a bit here, maybe I'll talk about that in another post. Back to the review. Although their music is not even remotely religious, it does have a slight gospel feel to it. This is probably because of the six female choir singing and clapping along with unmitigated enthusiasm. Lead vocalist Neil Haverty uses his bluesy yelp to lead the parade, creating an atmosphere that is stimulating and inspirational. More than all else, their performance really encourages a musical sense of community, that leaves one believing in an old, and perhaps unreasonably optimistic, cliché. That is, that maybe music does have the ability to change the world. OK, cheesy and extreme I guess, but Bruce Peninsula can at least make you feel that way.

Photos: Bruce Peninsula @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Myspace: Bruce Peninsula
Video: Shanty Song live at The Tranzac on youtube.