Joanna Newsom w/Kevin Barker @ The Phoenix

My love for the music of Joanna Newsom has been well documented on this here blog, and her latest 3-disc extravaganza Have One On Me has been no exception. When I started listening to the record, there was a part of me that was a little bit perturbed at the fact that she has somewhat normalized her voice a little bit, feeling as if she was sort of giving in to all of the haters who didn't like the high pitched squeak that accompanied her last two albums. The words "acquired taste" followed defenders of her like the plague, but I have to say that personally, I never needed that period of adjustment. From the first time I heard her I remember thinking that this girl has something that I've never heard before, both in terms of musical expression and of course, in her vocals as well. The Milk Eyed Mender was an album that I enjoyed thoroughly, and Ys, well, that's just simply one of my favourite albums ever. The current album however, while supposedly more accessible, actually did take a few extra listens for me to appreciate, as the uncanny vocal similarities to Kate Bush just had me going back and listening to her again, which forced me to make comparisons, which led to thoughts like, "there may be many impersonators, but there's only one Kate Bush."

While I still maintain the accuracy of that statement, Joanna Newsom's album has grown on me, to the point where I enjoy it almost as much as her other two, and the internal build up in enthusiasm as the day of her show at The Phoenix was approaching had me feeling some definite high levels of anticipation. Yes, even with all of the shows that I see, I can still get pretty excited about them from time to time, and this was certainly one of those times.

This show, of course, was right smack dab in the middle of an especially rainy Canadian Music Week, which meant that I had already done enough running around and getting wet, so I tried to time it so that I would show up right at door time and I could just stroll in, while still being early enough to get up nice and close to the front. Well, my timing was off a bit, and I did end up standing in the windy cold rain for pretty close to a half hour, which didn't make me particularly giddy. Still, I was in and I was decently close to the front, so overall things weren't too bad.

The opening act was Kevin Barker, the guitarist for a pretty decent alt-country band called Vetiver, and a man who has worked with Devendra Banhart, Vashti Bunyan and Antony and the Johnsons. His set was quite subdued yet enjoyable, and he showed great respect for the fact that people were here to see Newsom by keeping it relatively brief, even quipping that like us, he can't wait till he gets off the stage as well. He played four or five mildly jammy numbers that would run the gamut of song structure with pop sensibilities and lead into slightly longer folk tinged expressive pieces, that would straddle that fine line between progressive construction and free form expression. It was all rather enjoyable, but after waiting in the rain for half an hour, I was really getting antsy waiting for Newsom to take the stage.

Photos: Kevin Barker @ The Phoenix (March 13th, 2010) on flickr
Myspace: Kevin Barker

When she finally did (after 20 more minutes of waiting), she looked simply stunning as she waved at the audience and then sat down at the piano to perform a perfect rendition of album opener Easy, with her voice impressively flawless. Accompanying her on stage were five others, sitting up front to stages left and right, playing all of the elaborate pieces on guitar, violins, trumpet, drums, flute and banjo. Joanna was in the unfortunate position of having to keep her set brief, since The Phoenix hosts a dance party on Saturday nights, which meant that when it came to setlists, she had to choose wisely, probably not an easy thing to do when you're promoting an album that runs over two hours in length. Still, I'd have to say that she did quite well, including my favourite songs from the new album (Soft As Chalk and the title track), as well as some older favourites (Inflammatory Writ, The Book of Right-On from Milk Eyed Mender, and Emily from Ys.) Another surprise was how down-to-earth and normal she seemed, which for me, seemed to run contrary to the distinguished nature of her music. There was a moment during The Book of Right-On where she forgot the lyrics, and the look on her face was priceless as she asked if anybody knew the words. There was another funny moment when she needed to tune her harp, which apparently isn't as straight forward as tuning a guitar, when she allowed her drummer Neil Morgan to banter with the audience to bide some time, where he told lame (yet endearing) jokes and fielded several questions about his own career, which made for an entertaining distraction. Still, the highlights were, of course, the music, and I swear that there was even a moment during In California where I felt myself feeling a little verklempt, which really sums up the effect that her music has on those who get it. And when you're used to hearing peers (and anonymous blog commenters) talk about how much they hate her, there's something very comforting about being in a room of 1000+ people, standing so quietly that you could literally hear a pin drop, taking in the beautiful expressions that can only come from the pairing of a mythical harp and Newsom's magical voice.

This show was already reviewed by many, including The National Post, The Globe and Mail, Chromewaves, Chart Magazine, Exclaim and there's no doubt that For The Records will have his review up shortly also.

There's also plenty of great video footage from the show up on ANewCanadian's youtube channel.

Photos: Joanna Newsom @ The Phoenix (March 13th, 2010) on flickr
Myspace: Joanna Newsom

Canadian Music Fest 2010: Day Four

featuring The Brother Kite, The Hoa Hoa's, Black Feelings and Action Makes

Because of my little brain fart on Friday night, my much talked about in-store with Dan Mangan and company wasn't going to happen, which meant that I'll just have to be a little bit more on top of things the next time he comes around, which I'm sure will be relatively soon enough (April 22nd at The Horseshoe, to be exact). This meant that instead of being in a dry record store at 6pm, I was standing in line, in the miserable rain, at The Phoenix, waiting to get in to the Joanna Newsom show, which was not part of CMF, and which I'll be telling you about later.

Fast forward to about 9:30 or so, and I was aboard the College streetcar, on my way to Rancho Relaxo to see a band that has been touted by some very respectable sources, but still virtually unknown to me.

The Brother Kite is a band from Rhode Island, that plays some of the most perfect pop music I've ever heard. I've noticed that they often get lumped into a shoegaze category, and I suppose that I heard traces of that in some of the heavier numbers, but to my ears they seemed to have a much cleaner and more structured sound than that pigeonhole would imply. Some of the more obvious references would perhaps be The Beach Boys or Teenage Fanclub, in other words, a style chock full of powerful melodies and larger than life choruses. They played a number of songs from an upcoming album that will be called Isolation, and I gotta tell ya, as each song seemed to be more and more perfect than the one before, it really made me wonder how a band this accessible has managed to bypass the notice of so many. Even now, I'm listening to the songs on their myspace page and their obscurity strikes me as one of the most puzzling things in the world of indie pop today. Of all the bands that I'd seen at this year's festival, The Brother Kite is the one that I plan on familiarizing myself with the most. First step: buy all of their albums. Second: listen to them with great repetition. Third step: dance. And fourth step: gush about them regularly to all of my friends.

Myspace: The Brother Kite
Photos: My pics of The Brother Kite @ Rancho Relaxo are on flickr.

At the end of the show, Frank asked me where I was heading next, and when I said The Comfort Zone, he replied by saying "no, really, where are you heading next?" When Mike, with a twinge of mischief in his voice, recommended that I make sure to use the bathrooms when I get there, I have to admit that mentally I was preparing myself for the fact that I may want to have a backup plan in case the venue's reputation for being less than germaphobe-friendly was accurate.

When I arrived at the darkly lit watering hole beneath The Silver Dollar, I have to say that the fact that I was anticipating something much worse actually made the place seem not all that bad to me. Sure, I could see where the others were coming from, and I don't even want to know what that thin layer of sticky was on the floor, but overall it was a spacious little venue with a decent sized stage and lots of room to move around. And anyway, I wasn't there for the venue, but I was there to see my personal festival sure thing, the always fantastic Hoa Hoa's.

The Hoa Hoa's were my one exception to the "never seen them before" premise that I was more or less sticking to this week. They are easily my favourite live band in the city, not only because of the infectious grooves that their shows consistently put out, but also because of the fact that they have a live show that feels like no one else's, without relying heavily on contrived gimmickry. Sure, they often come equipped with a cool psychedelic light machine, but if you're familiar with their music, this is something that simply enhances their performance, as opposed to distracting from it. As usual, the band was in fine form on Saturday night, creating the 60's party atmosphere that has become synonymous with their show. Now that having been said, they were dealing with some pretty shoddy sound issues that muffled the sounds of the bass and significantly drowned out much of the vocals. It really took about three or four songs before I could ignore that and just enjoy the performance, so I can imagine how that may have felt for those who were unfamiliar with them. This showcase may not have been the best way to introduce yourself to their music, but for all of the established fans, this was yet another remarkable performance. And Blue Acid Gumball is the best set closing song ever!

Myspace: The Hoa Hoa's
Photos: The Hoa Hoa's @ The Comfort Zone on flickr

Because I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss the last band on the bill, I stuck around for the act immediately following The Hoa Hoa's, which were a band from Montreal called Black Feelings. They're the type of band that makes my attempt at descriptive journalism very difficult because I honestly don't even know how to begin describing their sound. Inventing a genre can't be easy, but these guys come pretty close to doing so with their sonic assault of high octane drumming, and tumultuous background vocals. In fact, it almost sounds as if for some of their songs, they took out any lead vocals that may have been there, and deliberately left in the instrumentation and backing vox, creating something that is deliberately raw and atmospheric, a soundscape of colliding guitar and bass riffs that are obviously steeped in psychedelia, but nicely amalgamated with something almost reminiscent of Germany's Krautrock music scene. This is some pretty challenging stuff for sure, but ultimately rewarding, as the band left me wanting more. If you're in the mood to expand your musical palate, then I definitely recommend checking them out when they play with Awesome Color at The Garrison on April 7th.

Myspace: Black Feelings
Photos: My pics of Black Feelings @ The Comfort Zone are on flickr.

Action Makes, one of the newest additions to the Optical Sounds roster, was the last band of the evening, and I don't know if it's possible to find a more engaging end-of-the-night band. This is garage rock at it's finest, full of rock 'n roll riffs and 60's party vibes that gets a crowd dancing in ways that I had only ever seen in old psychedelic 60's counter culture B-movies. The show was full of attitude, swagger and relentless urgency, as the band blasted through a set that did not slow down for a second. It became obvious rather quickly that many audience members wanted to engage in the fun that was being had onstage, as the rabid dancing moved progressively closer to the front so that, after I was able to get a few decent pictures, I slowly inched my way back and allowed them to have the floor. Truth be told, the way some of these people were dancing was just as entertaining to me as the performance itself. There was one guy in particular...man, I'm at a loss for words. If you were there than you know what I mean. (Here's some video, courtesy of  Thee Untold City that doesn't show nearly enough of crazy dancing guy as I would have liked, making a brief appearance at the 1 minute mark, and then again at 1:29,  but at least it gives you a bit of an idea. Haha! Awesome!) The show ended with the drummer leaping over his kit to tackle the lead guitarist and vocalist, in a display of crashing instruments and wild stage antics that reminded me of The Who circa 1967. Amazing!

Myspace: Action Makes
Photos: My pictures of Action Makes @ The Comfort Zone are on flickr

And so ends this year's Canadian Music Fest, which I'd have to say was probably my most successful one so far in the sense that I enjoyed almost every single performance and was introduced to a lot of new music in the process. Definitely some good times that should tie me over for the next little while at least. Other than Thrush Hermit next Friday, and The xx on April 4th, I'll be mostly hibernating for the next couple of months or so, allowing me to rest up before doing it all again at NXNE in June.

Canadian Music Fest 2010: Day Two

featuring The Elwins, The Black Swan Effect, We Are The Take, Make Your Exit and Sandman Viper Command

My usual late start Thursdays meant that I wouldn't be hitting my first show until 10pm, and since I was determined to make life easier on myself, I decided that I would rotate throughout the College and Spadina corridor. My first stop of the evening was just shy of that, at the Bathurst corner at Sneaky Dee's for the basic pop rock sounds of The Elwins.

Sneaks was still pretty empty when I arrived there at 10:02 and the band was already partway through what I'd imagine was still their first song. They play a style of non-threatening, clean cut 60's inspired pop music that is pretty easy to admire, even if it's perhaps not anything that we haven't heard before. Borrowing from all of the usual suspects, lead vocalist Matthew Sweeney augments his Ray Davies-like snarl with a Peter Noone-ish innocence that laces their tunes with some jangly fun, the likes of which I haven't heard since the (very) early days of The Meligrove Band (circa 2000, the Ductape Years, when the band was a little more sugar and a little less vinegar.) Keeping it simple didn't mean that the band couldn't bring the rock however, and the last couple of songs in particular showcased some power chord laden guitar work that was as addictive as it gets. Really good stuff!

Myspace: The Elwins
Photos: My pictures of The Elwins @ Sneaky Dee's are on flickr

From there I walked down to Kensington Market and into The Supermarket to see a U.K. band known as The Black Swan Effect. Admittedly my reasons for wanting to check them out were partially selfish in the sense that I was feeling relatively anti-social and wanted to go somewhere with little buzz where I can just chill out with my own company. The empty floor space at Supermarket was just perfect for the mood I was in, as I settled in the corner with a beer, waiting for the band to hit the stage. When you think about it, it's actually rather ironic that the BSE were not one of the highly buzzed about bands of the fest. First of all, they're signed to Peter Gabriel's Real World Records, having recently opened for him on a few shows. Also, their bass player is a cat named Jesse Wood, and his father is none other than Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones. Those are a couple of big names to be associated with, but the small crowd was evidence that having a big name behind you ain't what it used to be, and personally I think it's great. Mostly though, I was there because the sounds that I heard on their myspace sounded pretty good, and I was eager to hear how it sounded on the live stage. Answer? Pretty dang good. For obvious reasons, there were plenty of classic rock influences circulating through their sound, including some intricate guitar solos and heavy drums and bass, with songs like Please sounding like the aforementioned Stones circa Exile On Main Street. The best songs were the more ambitious numbers, such as a song called Sick, which wouldn't be out of place on The Bends and Rat In A Cage which also owes its sound to early Radiohead, but is done so convincingly enough to not come across as another copycat band.

Myspace: The Black Swan Effect
Photos: My pictures of The Black Swan Effect @ The Supermarket are on flickr.

It was at this point that my evening of solitude was about to be cut short as the room was quickly being filled by tons of young girls, making me wonder if perhaps The Jonas Brothers were scheduled to appear next and I had been rashly misinformed. As I scanned the exit areas just in case, it turns out that my original sources were correct, and I was simply unaware of the fact that the ladies clearly dig the sounds of We Are The Take with an enthusiasm that is obviously not as limited to the haze of an MTV frosh week as I had once assumed. When they took the stage it was easy to see why. Boyish good looks, charming personalities and the ability to woo an audience were all apparent, and this was all before they even played a note. Still it's the music that counts and I'm glad to say that they clearly know what they're doing musically, as they played a tight set that was a sweet mix of upbeat sheeny shiny rock tunes, and a few piano laden pop numbers. It was obvious that the band has been playing together for awhile now, as their professionalism was probably the biggest selling point to most, as there was not a note out of place and their chemistry was infallible. That sheen was probably both their strength and their weakness. While it made it impossible to criticize their abilities, the lack of rough edges sacrificed a  little bit of that rock 'n roll rawness that would have brought their show to a more memorable level for me. Still, a good time was had by all, myself included, and I'm glad that after an innumerable amount of failed attempts I finally got to see this band that I'd heard so much about.

Myspace: We Are The Take
Photos: My pics of We Are The Take @ The Supermarket are on flickr

From there I had originally planned on heading to The Silver Dollar to see The Ghost is Dancing, but ultimately opted to check out the El Mocambo instead to see Make Your Exit. Originally, I wanted to stick mostly to artists that I had never seen before, but I made an exception in this case by using justificatory reasoning. Although I had seen MYE in the past, I still had yet to see the latest incarnation of the band, that is, the one featuring my personally chosen Rock Star of the Year for 2008, Robbie Butcher, who had recently joined the band on drums. I was curious to see what chemistry would ensue within the group, since the band has always been more of a subdued force onstage, whereas Robbie's work in bands like Tin Bangs has always been a little bit more over the top. Interestingly, the pairing seemed to work very well, as the band's larger than life sound seemed to gel nicely with Butcher's over the top persona. However, his presence, strong as it was, was only one factor contributing to the band's overall greatness. When I saw them back in May 2009, it was obvious that they had plenty of potential, boasting a post-rock sound that was full of intricate spaces and precious atmospheres, yet there was still plenty of room for growth. Upon seeing them this time, it was obvious that grow they did, as their sound was so large that the El Mo could hardly contain it. Placing greater emphasis on musicianship and orchestral sweeps than on anything else, the band has carved itself out an interesting niche that will only grow as they continue to work together in the months ahead. When a large sound is what you're shooting for, well the sky's the limit, as they say.

Myspace: Make Your Exit
Photos: My pictures of Make Your Exit @ El Mocambo are on flickr.

By this time I was the most tired I'd ever been in my life, and under other circumstances I would have just gone home, but Burlington's Sandman Viper Command was up next, and I really like their CD Everybody See This, and I was already there so I forced myself to stick around, at least for a couple of songs. The band specializes in some pretty catchy power pop tunes that are still a bit juvenile in their execution, but show plenty of potential for future releases. One thing that the album does showcase perfectly is a sense of overall fun that should, in theory, translate nicely to a live stage. And in this case, that's exactly what they did. As expected, I was only there to witness the first three songs, but their energy was boundless, which suited their upbeat tunes nicely, and undoubtedly contributed to the audience's second wind. They put on one of the most enjoyable live shows of the whole festival, and I can only imagine that they'll continue to get even better as time goes on. If there was one minor concern, I'd have to say that, having lived in Burlington for 8 years myself, the band doesn't do much to distinguish themselves from many of the other young bands to come out of that area, at least as of five years ago, when I was more in tune with the Burlington music scene. The band needs to find some way to stand out from the crowd, yet from what I witnessed that night, they've certainly got the talent to do so.

Myspace: Sandman Viper Command
Photos: My pics of Sandman Viper Command @ El Mocambo are on flickr.

David Ford w/Lindi Ortega @ The Drake Underground

In theory, David Ford should be ten times more popular than he actually is. This is usually the type of gushing I use to emphasize how much I enjoy an artist's music, while also expressing befuddlement over the tastes of the general public. But this time, even from a strictly A&R perspective, I really mean it. He's young, charismatic and has a great voice, while his songs are straight forward, hooky and (seemingly) tailor made for mainstream radio. However, judging by the passion he puts into his songs, as well as his blatant (yet still amicable) honesty, perhaps his position just below the radar is more of a personal choice, which is just fine with me since it meant that an intimate group of about 70 people or so were able to watch him give another spirited performance, this time in the underground solitude of The Drake.

His opening act for the evening was Lindi Ortega, who I recognized as soon as I saw her standing at the merch table. I remember seeing Lindi several years ago at The Rivoli opening for Danny Michel and at the time, I found her music to be warm and enjoyable, although perhaps not anything new. Seeing her this time, I noticed that her voice has improved quite a bit, not that it wasn't good before, but definitely showcasing something a little bit more individual than I remember it. Her style fluctuated from standard, girl-with-guitar folkier stuff, to more classic country sounding material; the latter of which really suited her Parton-esque vocals. I particularly enjoyed a song called Dying of Another Broken Heart, which really highlighted the contrast between her sweet, yet strong vocals and some darker lyricism, although she claimed that the song is satirical. She worked hard to keep the show as conversational as possible, which was a challenge considering the docile nature of the Tuesday night crowd, but I thought that she succeeded admirably.

Photos: My grainy pics of Lindi Ortega @ The Drake are on flickr
Myspace: Lindi Ortega

As I've mentioned before, what makes David Ford such a compelling live act is his ability to take the layered / looping effect that seems to be the singer-songwriter schtick of the moment, and use it in such a way that really utilizes the device to its full potential, miraculously creating the sounds of a full band onstage. He opened the evening with Nothing At All, a jarring and intense number that consists of mainly just vocals and percussion, which set the tone for the evening in the sense that, although the venue was about as intimate as it gets, he made it clear that he would be alternating between the fierce and the sweet. The next song, Panic, allowed him to show off his abilities with the aforementioned looping effect, incorporating at least five or six different instruments into the act. To see it is truly awe-inspiring. Given the man's talent, he would be more than forgiven for giving us a banter-less performance since the magnitude of the musicianship alone would be satisfying enough. The fact that he is a terrific storyteller and just an all-around funny person just adds to the whole experience. Apparently, he was having a pretty interesting day, since he had lost his wallet earlier and interestingly it wasn't the money or any personal photos he was particularly worried about, but it was his favourite panda picture that he was hoping would miraculously return to him at some point. (According to his twitter page, it did.) The rest of the set continued to be interspersed with stories about writing love songs to Margaret Thatcher (She's Not the One), the entertainment value that comes from watching the schlock that is Fox News (Requiem), as well as a couple of very tender moments with songs like Stephen and Song For The Road. He continued to cater nicely to the reserved Canadian crowd by mentioning the Olympics often, and throwing in several mild digs to the United States, which went nicely with the closing number of the main set, State Of The Union. If you've ever seen him play that song live, than you already know that it's one of the most amazing things you'll ever see, and worth the price of admission alone. Afterward he went backstage to thunderous applause, which was followed by one of the most awkward encore moments ever.

Because it was such a small crowd, one could only expect the clapping and cheering to last for a certain amount of time, which is exactly what happened. But once it died, we were all confronted with wondering whether we're being rude and we should keep it up, or maybe he went to the loo and he'll more than likely be back in a couple of seconds. Surely, either the lights would come on and the music would start, or he would just simply return to the stage. But neither seemed to be happening. Eventually, Ford did return, but he took the mic and sat down with the audience to discuss the uncomfortable tradition that is the encore. With his English wit in tact, the moment could have come off as egotistical in other hands, but he only made it charming as another slice of funny banter. He explained how he has been trying to stray away from the conventional encore since he finds contrived the whole act of standing backstage doing nothing while waiting for that moment where the audience's clapping starts to die down and panic ensues before the band decides, "Oh, we'd better get back out there before they leave!" He'd rather just make the last song count and avoid the whole tradition altogether (which actually makes total sense to me.) He told us that he didn't really have an encore planned and State Of The Union was meant to be his last song, but when the lights weren't coming on, he figured he'd better get back out there and do something. Of course, this meant that he actually did have to play something, and after the audience shouted out several requests, he settled on Cheer Up from his debut album. It was accompanied by some "la la la's" from the audience, and actually ended up being a stellar end to the evening.

Photos: My grainy pics of David Ford @ The Drake are up on flickr
Myspace: David Ford
Videos: Several of David Ford's videos are on youtube

Language-Arts and The Pinecones @ The Garrison

Over the days leading up to this No Shame event at The Garrison featuring, amongst others, Vancouver's Language-Arts, I've been happily immersing myself in their sophomore album, Where Were You In The Wild?. In this internet age, originality is a concept becoming more and more (understandably) difficult to come by, and the challenge is whether or not an artist can present some new ideas while still remaining melodious and enjoyable. The constant rotation of this album proved to me that they are well trained when it comes to doing so in the studio, and I'll admit that I was fairly confident that they would be able to translate such to the live stage as well.

I arrived a couple of songs into the evening's second act, The Pinecones. Originally known as Brent Randall and his Pinecones, this time around the band is promoting the release of an album called SAGE!, which is the first truly collaborative effort by all four members of the band. This means that besides Randall's own compositions, Brian O’Reilly, Joel Goguen and Paul Linklater all had a share in the songwriting process, creating a collection of songs that still boast a similar tribute to a 60's British Invasion styled sound, but with an earthier, and perhaps less polished feel. The lack of studio sheen works in the material's favour however, creating an album that is probably their most satisfying so far. I came in as they had just started a song called Tea Tonight, which is one of the Randall penned compositions. Just as I was admiring the jaunty, Kinks-iness of that particular number, the band confirmed my suspicions of inspiration by segueing into a brilliant cover of The Village Green Preservation Society, which, of course, is one of The Kinks' most respected numbers. A broken guitar string meant that the band had to deviate slightly from the original setlist while an audience member (and fellow musician) worked on replacing it. This led to some more piano based material, as well as an opportunity for some of the others to take over lead vocals. Afterward, the evening progressed with one catchy hit after another, including the fuzzed out delicacy Jenny Fur, where they sounded more than a little bit like Howe and West's Tomorrow, who were a psychedelic two-hit wonder in the mid 60's. The full band composition ...Ardmore...Jenny was another highlight, with O’Reilly's Eight Miles High-ish guitar work being particularly stunning. A couple more covers were included in their set, such as Del Shannon's I Go To Pieces and set closer Dead End Street, which was another Kinks classic that they shredded brilliantly.

Photos: My pictures of The Pinecones @ The Garrison are up on flickr.
Myspace: The Pinecones

As I suspected, Language-Arts proved themselves to be just as stunning live as they are on record, with their four members creating an orchestral sound that is remarkably full. On album, the band is composed of only two members, Kristin Cudmore who sings and plays classical guitar, piano and banjo on the album, while Gregor Phillips handles all drums and percussion. The live version hires on a couple of other people to handle the keys and upright bass/cello, and I was immediately impressed with the professionalism of the entire outfit. The band set up and tuned quickly, enabling them to begin their set quicker than usual. They opened with one of my favourite songs on the album called Cavity, its jazzy bass-line designed to hypnotically suck you in and although many patrons were rather chatty on this particular evening, I found it hard not to remain fixated on what was taking place on stage. Cudmore's vocals are high and pixie-ish in a way that is slightly reminiscent of Joanna Newsom or Suzanne Vega, but perhaps more accessible. The music itself is one of constant wonder in the sense that there are certain songs where you think that you've got the groove figured out and then they throw in a tempo change, or similar progressive tangent that takes your head journey in a totally different direction. Lighthouse is one example of this, where an almost Spanish guitar break seemingly comes out of nowhere, taking the song to a whole new level. White Socks in Birkenstocks is another example of this style of accomplished musical composition, where the classical tag proves itself appropriate both in its instrumental sense of musical adventure, and in the vocal style that Cudmore almost raps her wordy lyrics in a way that distracts from how cumbersome they would be if left in other hands. By the time they ended their set with the incredibly wordy Tuck It In, I was left in awe, not only of Cudmore's ability to remember all of those lyrics, but also in the way that the band has managed to carve a niche that is all their own, and present it on a live stage in a way that never alienates, but endears. I'll certainly be seeing them again.

Photos: My pictures of Language-Arts @ The Garrison are up on flickr.
Myspace: Language-Arts
Download: Where Were You In The Wild? mp3

Language-Arts will be playing a CMW Showcase on March 11th at Sneaky Dee's.

Other stuff:
I came home late last night to the sad news that Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous has died. My introduction to his music came a little later than some. I was first introduced to him in the early days of my blogging when I saw him live at The Mod Club, thanks to the fact that I had won tickets to his show from fellow blogger Frank Yang, whom I did not know at the time. Needless to say, that performance impacted me greatly, and although I was mildly aware of his history with substance abuse, as well as his general disdain for performing live, I can't say that any of those things were apparent that night. He seemed to be in high spirits, and I even remember him smiling frequently for the cameras and coming across as a genuinely affable fellow. Since then, all of his albums have been on regular rotation for me, most notably his 2006 release Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain, which contained a song that always made me smile called Don't Take My Sunshine Away. The song sounds even more poignant as I listen to it this morning. His musical contributions will certainly be missed. [Myspace: Sparklehorse]

El Perro Del Mar and Taken By Trees @ The Mod Club

Currently, my time five favourite female vocalists of the moment are as follows:

1. Joanna Newsom
2. Sarah Assbring
3. Victoria Bergsman
4. Basia Bulat
5. Traceyanne Campbell

The fact that I had the opportunity to see numbers two and three on the same night was one that had me feeling an immeasurable amount of elation, that was only magnified by the fact that I just saw number four last week and I'll be seeing my personal number one in a few short weeks at the Phoenix. (And yes I know that there are a lot of people that just don't get it when it comes to Ms. Newsom, but your collective disdain only draws me closer to her :))

Originally, I had read that Victoria Bergsman's Taken By Trees would be headlining the evening, which admittedly seemed a bit odd to me since her style has always struck me as significantly more subdued than Sarah Assbring's El Perro Del Mar, although both of them tend to tread on the more melancholic side of the fence. Interestingly it seemed that either my original sources were wrong, or the people behind the scenes simply changed their mind, since Taken By Trees was the one who kicked off the night. I quite enjoyed her 2007 release Open Field, although it's mellow vibe is not one I'm going to be listening to while driving late at night. Prior to the show, I still had yet to listen to her Bjorn Yttling-produced latest release East of Eden. The show had me regretting this, and as I'm listening to it now, I further regret not hopping aboard even sooner. It's an excellent album that is steeped in world sounds and beats that definitely gives it a different atmosphere than the last one. The show opened with a video presentation of her recent sojourn to Pakistan where she recorded the new album, and the influence of her surroundings was instantly apparent from the tribal sounds that emanated from the stage. Also emanating from the stage was the unmistakable scent of incense, which contributed greatly to the overall tone of the evening. She comes across as a bit of a shy personality in the sense that she didn't seem interested in hogging the spotlight or having any undue attention focused on her, even asking the lights to be turned down (which made for some unfortunately dark pictures.) Still, I was really blown away by the performance, with her modesty being one of great endearment. The songs that I did recognize from the first album, like Too Young, Lost and Found and the beautiful Only Yesterday, were also enhanced by the rhythm section and the new sounds that she recently discovered, creating versions of those songs that I personally feel surpassed even the originals. Unfortunately she didn't play her outstanding cover of Sweet Child O' Mine (not that I was honestly expecting her to), but she did play her cover of Animal Collective's My Girls, which was one of the evening's highlights.

Photos: My (shadowy) pictures of Taken By Trees @ The Mod Club are up on flickr
Myspace: Taken By Trees
Download: Anna mp3

Based on the comments made by people I know who had seen El Perro Del Mar in concert before, I was expecting to see a similarly laid back performance from her this evening. However as soon as the opening notes from Let Me In wafted through the air, it became obvious by the way that she danced onto the stage that this was not going to be the case. Sarah Assbring presented herself with great confidence that exuded an elegance that was a combination of late 60's Warhol-esque runway model and a mid 80's breakthrough performance on Top Of The Pops. Her latest album, Love Is Not Pop, showcases a slightly different sound for her as it presents her downtrodden lyricism with more streamlined near-pop sounds, that would not be out of place next to This Mortal Coil or Cocteau Twins. This almost dance infused new direction may have been exactly what was needed to nudge Ms. Assbring out of her shell, which resulted in a show that was wholly engaging. Almost everything was perfect about her performance. Her angular dance moves suited the almost gothic tones of her music, while her voice has never sounded more controlled, which is amazing when you consider that she already had some pretty amazing vocal control to start with. If there was one complaint, it was the fact that the sound system had the bass turned up way too high, to the point that some of those booming sounds were drowning out her beautiful vocals and the intricate melodies that they helped to complement. (The same problem was evident during Taken By Trees set as well.) That minor concern aside though, this was a memorable show for sure, with one of the best moments being her unexpected cover of The xx's Shelter, which sounded so convincing that one could be forgiven for assuming that this was one of her own compositions (which admittedly I did for the first minute or so as my brain was trying to piece together the familiarity of the song coupled with the fact that I was pretty sure her voice wasn't the one that I usually heard accompanying it. Then the chorus hit and I was all like "ahhh yah, now I know what this is!") By the time her 10 or 11 song set was finished, it was obvious by the applause, as well as the conversations that I had with others after the show, that this was her most impressive set to date. It was also nice to meet her briefly after the show, when I picked up a copy of Love Is Not Pop on vinyl, which she graciously signed for me, making it a special addition to my personal record collection.

Photos: My pics of El Perro Del Mar are now up on flickr.
Myspace: El Perro Del Mar
Download: Change Of Heart mp3

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!

Wavelength 500: Night Three feat. The Bicycles, Laura Barrett, Magic Cheezies and Young Mother

While it seems like everybody is looking for an excuse to celebrate something these days, it's quite refreshing to attend an event that celebrates something that is truly worth celebrating. Ten years of the Toronto Wavelength Music Series is no small feat, and one could even say that it's directly responsible for making the local music scene the thriving beast that it is today. Having exposed the talents of acts like Junior Boys, Cuff The Duke, Meligrove Band and even Feist and Broken Social Scene at a time when other promoters were not yet giving them the time of day, really emphasizes the fact that the Wavelength crew: a) really love music and b) really know what they're doing and with a combo like that, how could they possibly not become the most respected music series that our city has to offer?

They celebrated this accomplishment with 5 nights of shows showcasing 5 acts per night playing at different venues throughout the city. I didn't get to participate as much as I would have liked to, unfortunately only being in a position to attend one of the shows, but the one that I did see at Sneaky Dee's on night three was by far the one that I was most enthused about, and although I didn't stay right to the end (sorry From Fiction), I felt completely fulfilled with the acts that I did catch.

Kicking things off was a psychedelic wonder known as Young Mother. When they hit the stage, they looked incredibly familiar to me, particularly the lead singer, although I wasn't really sure why. Upon flipping through my personal show going archives, I realized that the lead's name is Jesse James Laderoute, and I had actually seen an earlier incarnation of this band known as The Incidentals all the way back in 2007 when they played TWM6 at Rancho Relaxo. I can't say that I remembered too much about them, but my review described them as having an east coast pop sound, which means that they are now clearly nothing like they were back then. Laderoute began by saying that they were only going to be playing one song this evening, and that seemingly jokey statement was followed by a cacophonous jumble of horn blasts, TV static, thrashing drums, smashing keys and all around angry mind numbing noise. For some reason the whole display was bringing a smile to my face, and while I could completely understand the confused faces that surrounded me, I have to say that my curiosity was piqued and by about the four minute mark I was completely invested in seeing where this magical mystery tour was going to take me. It was shortly after that particular thought entered my head, that a melodious vibe was starting to peek through the storm, and the band embarked on a long, seemingly improvised, free form structure. The fact that this presentation was later joined by a few vocals (which incidentally reminded me quite a bit of Peter Murphy), leads me to believe that it was probably not as "off the cuff" as I initially had thought. A pretty cool psych-rock number was in full force and making more than a few heads bob, before it concluded much the same way as it began with a loud apocalyptic noisy tripster freakout. After that, Laderoute confirmed that his earlier statement proclaiming a one song set was not a joke, as he thanked the crowd and started packing up his things. Admittedly not for everybody, but I enjoyed it quite a bit myself.

Photos: My pics of Young Mother @ Sneaky Dee's are on flickr
Myspace: Young Mother

Up next were Magic Cheezies, a band that I knew virtually nothing about, although I did briefly sample them on myspace earlier in the day. When I saw that the band members referred to themselves as Tiffany, Amber and Thiessen, I have to admit that I assumed that this was an all girl punk band that reveled in the riot grrrl sounds of the mid 90's. Turns out that I was partially right. The only girl in the band was lead vocalist / guitarist Heather Curley, who was once in the band DD/MM/YY, but the sound was still very much steeped in that underground feminist punk movement, made (semi) popular by the likes of Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney. This was a sound that so dominated my headphones a mere decade ago and I have to admit that a part of me appreciated being taken back. The fact that the band had to stop partway through their first song due to some shoddy sound issues may have dampened their spirits somewhat, but it certainly didn't affect the punk rock assault of the show itself. They played fast fast fast, and no sooner did one song finish before the next one began, creating a vibe that did not allow for very much between song reflection. I suppose that the argument could be made that there wasn't a heck of a lot of variety from one song to the next but of course that never stopped The Ramones, and The Magic Cheezies punk rock aesthetic was one that dug deep into the roots of original punk rock music, as opposed to the watered down MTV version that has heavily invaded modern rock radio in recent years. The show was loud and furious, and for what it lacked in sheen, it made up for in spirit and ultimately, that's what really matters, in my opinion.

Photos: My pics of The Magic Cheezies @ Sneaky Dee's are up on flickr
Myspace: The Magic Cheezies

After watching a couple of acts that I was largely unfamiliar with, I was looking forward to venturing into some more familiar territory with the evening's next act, Laura Barrett. What's funny is that, after once again scrolling through my mental Rolodex of previous shows, I came to realize that I wasn't as familiar with Laura Barrett as I thought I was. Her name had been circulating around the blogs and magazines that I read regularly so often that I had actually convinced myself that I had seen her before. The truth is though, that this was actually the first time, but thankfully she made such an impression on me that I'm pretty sure that it won't be the last. This tiny spectacle-sporter had made a name for herself by playing a unique little instrument called the kalimba, which is also known as the African thumb piano. While setting up before her performance, she explained the instrument to a few slightly sauced From Fiction fans standing near the front of the stage. This was enough to have them shouting "KALIMBA!" several times throughout the course of the show, making her and her bandmates laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Usually loud and unruly audience members irritate me, but in this case, they weren't hurting anybody and it didn't seem to bother the people on stage, so we all just remained amused by the whole thing. Barrett and her band were undoubtedly still on a high from having opened a few shows for Magnetic Fields and the practice had apparently done them good as they played a set that showcased just the right mix of professionalism and looseness. She played the first number solo which was a sparse little number that unfortunately did nothing to quiet down the chatty Kathy's at the bar, but still managed to mesmerize those of us who were closer to the stage and paying attention. The rest of her repertoire was fleshed out by companions playing violin, glockenspiel, banjo and flute. There was something very warm and endearing about the whole set, as the band appeared to be having a great time together that often ventured into some warm-hearted silliness. This was all brought to a head when Laura played the closing song, a little ditty called Robot Ponies. For this one she got her banjo / glock sideman Ajay Mehra to act out the song's lyrics, which came across as a toned down version of Whose Line Is It Anyway, with hilarious results.

Photos: My shots of Laura Barrett @ Sneaky Dee's are on flickr
Myspace: Laura Barrett

Covering this reunion show for Wavelength staples The Bicycles marks the first time that I ever attended both a band's final show and their reunion show and covered it on my blog. That would make me feel older if not for the fact that the two were separated by a mere 11 months. Whatever you want to call it, it was truly great to see these guys perform again as they are one of the most solid pop bands in the city. This performance marked the return of bass player Randy Lee, who has been spending his time with the instrumental band Hylozoists, not to mention playing the violin for Laura Barrett. It was clear that the chemistry was still there in full force however, as the band played a set of jumpy, quirky songs from both of their official releases: The Good The Bad and the Cuddly and Oh No It's Love. When they opened with the former's kick off cut B-B-Bicycles, it didn't take long for the crowd to start jumping around and having a good time. It was very clear that there was actually a number in attendance that were not familiar with the sounds of the Bikes, but as a true testament to the pure accessibility of their music, and that pure sixties pop sound in general, the crowd was scarfing it down with great enthusiasm. There was a mild kerfuffle early on in their set involving a couple of girls standing near the front of the stage that thankfully didn't last long enough to really get out of hand, but it was greeted by warnings from the band themselves that fighting only leads to break-ups, and nobody wants to see that happen. Was this perhaps a nod to the ongoing future of The Bicycles and their performances together? After the show on Friday night, I truly hope so.

The entire show was videotaped and is posted on NorthbyEastWest's youtube channel!

Photos: My pictures of The Bicycles @ Sneaky Dee's are on flickr
Myspace: The Bicycles

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.

Oh No Forest Fires Last Show @ The Horseshoe

with Arietta, Songs From A Room and The Darcy's

I have to admit that I wasn't prepared to bid adieu to the boys in Oh No Forest Fires so early on in their career. The announcement of their breakup was a shock to say the least, considering the fact that, in my mind, they were just getting warmed up. Rajiv released a statement just prior to the show which indicated that there were no hard feelings and they even recorded a new EP to mark the occasion, which makes theirs possibly the most amicable breakup I've ever witnessed. Judging by the performance (and sentimentality's) of that Saturday night, the band was in the mood to celebrate all that they've accomplished over the last couple of years, and rightly so. Admirably, all of the money from the show went to Haiti relief.

ONFF brought a few of their hard rockin' friends along for the ride, and the first band on the bill was The Darcy's. I last saw them just under a year ago, which is just far enough in my past that I can remember liking them, while not really remembering exactly what they sound like. Upon witnessing their show this time around, that last statement kind of surprises me a bit, considering that they seem to dabble in all things progressive and post-rock-y, which is a style that I usually remember well. The band played a set full of atmospheric changes and mild electronic dabbling while still maintaining a fairly organic, rootsy sound. It's rare to compare a band to both Spiritualized and Neil Young in the same breath, but it's that combination of guitar laden hooks and substantial experimentation that enables them to pull off such a complicated sound so convincingly.

Photos: My shots of The Darcy's @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: The Darcy's
Download: House Built Around Your Voice @ drop.io

Upping the rock ante to a determined high was Songs From A Room, whom I had seen several times way back in 2007, but haven't been able to catch in the two years to follow. At the close of their first song, it became clear to me that this band was twice the band that I had witnessed back then. They were tighter, raunchier, louder, and did I mention tighter? Although their sound had a definite classic rock feel to it, they managed to steer clear of all of the bar band cheese that is often associated with that style and kept things sounding surprisingly vital. I don't know how Braydon Jones even has a voice box left, as he managed to tear at it continuously throughout the course of the set, culminating in an AC/DC cover that, if left in lesser hands, would've come across as cliched and desperate, but in the punk rock hands of SFAR, sounded nothing short of triumphant.

Photos: My shots of Songs From A Room @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: Songs From A Room

Arietta was the third band of the night, and while I could understand the logic behind placing them on such a bill, I have to admit that they didn't thrill me as much as the other acts did. This was certainly not due to their stage demeanor, since they displayed all of the energy, drive and professional showmanship required to whip a crowd into a frenzy, which, by and large, they successfully did. I think for me personally, it was just the fact that the material didn't come across for me as strong as I had remembered it. To be honest, I haven't really spent a lot of time listening to them since I last reviewed them, so logically the benefits that come with familiarity presented a bit of an obstacle. But I can't say that their performance really did much to make me want to change that either. I will say that the crowd was clearly more into it than I was though, and one person even turned to me after the show and remarked on how awesome they were so, y'know, 'different strokes for different folks' and all of that. (Editor's Note: I've listened to the album again since the show and it's actually very good, so I must've just been tired or out of it or something. We rabid concert goers can be a bit of a fickle sort.)

Photos: My pics of Arietta @ the Horseshoe are up on flickr
Myspace: Arietta

As the clock struck approximately midnight-thirty, the moment that we had all been waiting for with a mixture of anticipation and sadness had arrived. All gussied up in a dapper tuxedo type of jacket sort of thing, drummer Adam Nimmo was the first to take the stage, as he started pounding out the opening strains to an amazing new instrumental number called Real Talk For Manhunter, Know Your Talk, Know Your Prey, which I would call the first really great musical piece I've heard this year. As the rest of the band headed onstage in similarly semi-formal attire, it was easy to see that this was going to be a special night. Like true professionals, the band did not let the slight hint of melancholy in the air get in the way of pounding out their usual display of powerhouse riffs, calculated instrumentation and spasmodic whirlwind-y stage acrobatics as they blasted through songs both old and new. They were working up such a sweat that of course it didn't take long for them to lose the jackets and continue on unhindered, and Rajiv Thavanathan continued to make his presence known by bounding across the stage with reckless abandon. Fellow "guitards" Brock Swanek and Matt Delbuono were also in the mood to celebrate, making the entire band's overall performance amongst the warmest I've ever seen, and I felt privileged to be there. When it came time for the encore, Nimmo walked onstage first so that he could take the mic and wax full-heartedly about his appreciation for his bandmates and all that they mean to him. It was a sapfest of Conan-like proportions but the crowd (myself included) wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It was followed by enthusiastic performances of Swing And A Misdemeanor and the always hilarious Footloose cover, which had approximately 30 people joining the band for an onstage party, the sight of which I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

With the amount of great bands in and around the Toronto area, it would be easy and understandable that some bands would get lost in the crowd. ONFF deserve respect by avoiding that by consistently making their presence known, both in terms of their musicianship and their playful personality. They're going to be missed for sure, but I, for one, feel privileged to have witnessed their intensity firsthand over the last couple of years.

Photos: My pics of Oh No Forest Fires @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: Oh No Forest Fires
Download: Their entire new album Wants To Try Something is available for download here.

The Cribs / Adam Green / The Dead Trees @ The Phoenix

I'm not much of a celebrity stalker type of guy and I'm definitely not the type of person who dishes out cash to see someone just because I think he's cool. But there are always exceptions to the rule and Johnny Marr is one of those exceptions. The dude gets around and when I heard that his latest band of entry was U.K.'s The Cribs, and that said band would be at The Phoenix this month, I have to admit that I turned into a bit of a fangirl and scooped me up some tickets right away. The opportunity to see the epitome of cool at such a (relatively) intimate venue was just too tempting to pass up.

Before I could gaze longingly at Marr however, there were a couple of openers to get through and the first one wasn't half bad. The Dead Trees are a rock 'n roll band from Portland, Oregon who released their first EP independently before signing to Milan Records for the release of their upcoming full length that will be entitled King Of Rosa. Their simple yet hooky mixture of jangle pop and alt-country is sure to call to mind any one of a slew of early 90's references, from Teenage Fanclub to The Lemonheads and although the sound is far from innovative, it's still rather enjoyable. It was refreshing to see a band that seems completely devoid of gimmicks and flash and still, some very tight musicianship made their sound rather exciting.

Photos: My pics of The Dead Trees @ The Phoenix are on flickr
Myspace: The Dead Trees
Download: Shelter mp3

From the gimmick-less to a man that oozes gimmickry, former Moldy Peach Adam Green is a guy who has managed to create a name for himself based on his spasmodic live persona. Is he crazy? Yes. Energetic? Definitely. Hilarious? For sure. Particularly good? erm....

For a brief moment when The Dead Trees took to the stage again, I wondered if perhaps Green was held up at the border and we were going to be treated to a second set. It became apparent rather quickly though that they were simply acting as his backup band for the night when suddenly out of nowhere Green bounded onto that stage with unbridled energy looking like a poorly drawn caricature of Julian Casablancas whilst ripping off every embarrassing dance move that Adam Ant had unfortunately subjected the world to during 1985's Live Aid. As he strutted across the stage decked out in tight jeans and a leather jacket that revealed just a little more midriff than I was personally comfortable with, it was hard not to laugh at his shtick, and perhaps that was what he was going for. The crowd seemed to be eating it up, and he was likewise feeding off of it also, as he jumped into the crowd for a couple of songs, attempting a good old fashioned surf and sing. The songs were the basic nonsensical slices of novelty that he has become known for, and if you are a fan, than you no doubt had a good time. Me? Not so much.

Photos: My pics of Adam Green @ The Phoenix are on flickr
Myspace: Adam Green
Download: Morning After Midnight mp3

And then came The Cribs. When the three piece version of the band emerged onto the scene with their self-titled debut back in 2004, they instantly fell into the "like" but not "love" category for me. There was just such a massive invasion of like minded bands emerging from the U.K. at the time that they all sort of ran into each other for me, musically speaking. Also, they all seemed to follow a pattern of releasing a pretty solid debut, and then following it up with a slew of copycat albums that failed to rejuvenate any initial interest that I may have had, to the point that I would just generally grow indifferent by the third or fourth album. Now that having been said, The Cribs did seem to have a greater sense of melody than some of the others, and Hey Scenesters! from their second album The New Fellas is a rock anthem if I've ever heard one. And although I haven't listened to all of their current release yet, entitled Ignore The Ignorant, what I've heard is pretty solid. Still, I'm not too cool to admit that if not for the aforementioned Johnny Marr factor, I probably wouldn't have dished out the $19.50 to go and see them. Thankfully, it ended up being worth every penny.

When the band took to the stage, there was a definite aire of confidence that I have a feeling was there even before Marr joined the group. While it's true that his guitar work adds a certain level of atmosphere to their sound, I wouldn't say that he was the group's star by any means. What made their show so impressive was the fact that they really did work well together as one cohesive unit, with Gary and Ryan Jarmin taking turns as lead vocalists, and drummer Ross Jarmin busting out all of the usual rock drummer moves that we've come to expect from high energy rock bands such as theirs. Although it was those high energy numbers such as the newer We Were Aborted and Emasculate Me and of course the classic Hey Scenesters! that really got the crowd going, I was more taken by some of the artsier performances. One of those, for example, was Be Safe, a song from their 3rd album Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, which is basically a spoken word piece featuring Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth, who could be seen on a large projection screen behind the band, while they played the musical accompaniment. I also really enjoyed set closer City Of Bugs, which was an opportunity to showcase Marr's ringing guitar work, which really added a layer of depth that sounded hypnotic live. I also appreciate that the band went to the effort of making the last song count, so that there was no need to go through the cheesy ritual of soliciting cheers for an encore, which is something that I've grown admittedly weary of, and of which the band didn't bother doing.

The show really helped me to appreciate why the band is considered to be the U.K.'s biggest cult band as they displayed all of the energetic stage presence that has become synonymous with the music from that area, while maintaining a sense of melodious adventure that seems to be lacking amongst many of their contemporaries.

Photos: My pics of The Cribs @ The Phoenix are up on flickr
Myspace: The Cribs
Download: We Were Aborted mp3

The fact that the whole show was over by 11:45 would usually mean that I could graciously hit the hay at a relatively early hour, and enjoy the events of the following day completely free of the typical day-after-concert, non-alcoholic hangover. But I had made a promise to one of the most intriguing up and coming bands in the Toronto area that I wouldn't be missing their show if it was at all possible. So, this early end time meant that I had one more stop to make before turning in for the night.

...to be continued...