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

CONTEST: David Ford CD Giveaway

For the third time in only a few short months, UK's David Ford is returning to Toronto, but this time instead of the tiny and dimly lit El Mocambo, he's playing at the far superior and awesomely lit Mod Club. I reviewed his show back in February and his one man band looping machine deal has to be seen to be believed.

To promote the show (which is happening this Friday May 16th), I've got three copies of his excellent new CD 'Songs For The Road' to give away, courtesy of Original Signal Recordings. To enter, fire me off an e-mail to quadb2001 [at] hotmail [dot] com with "I Want David Ford" in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body. If you're curious, I reviewed the CD a little while ago over here, and it's really good.

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED.

Check out his latest video for the song Go To Hell. It was shot in one take and it's very impressive.

Download: Go To Hell mp3

David Ford and Ingrid Michaelson @ El Mocambo

For some reason the door times for the David Ford / Ingrid Michaelson show at the El Mocambo were not listed either at the artist website or the venue website so I guessed ... and I was wrong. I'm still not sure what the door times were but when I got there the place was sold out and packed, making it very difficult for me to get my spot right at the front of the stage. If this was an over 19 show, then everybody in the audience was 19 except for me and I was not going to battle them for a better spot on the floor. I've just realized that I'm a big suck when I don't get my spot but oh well, it was a good show anyways. Even if my pictures turned out to be the grainiest and most miserable shots ever.

David Ford started literally 4 minutes after I entered the venue, so at least I was able to catch his whole set. He was brilliant, opening with his latest single "Go To Hell." His sharp English wit was in tact as he spoke about the U.S. making him change the title of his song, even though the aforementioned title is repeated about a billion times throughout. He also joked about Ingrid's inability to successfully mimic his English accent, suggesting that she sounds more like Dick Van Dyke in 'Mary Poppins.' He was charming, charismatic and witty and I'm sure he made the hearts swoon of all the young ladies in the audience, who outnumbered the boys about 3 to 1. His most amazing moment was during "State Of The Union," which is truly an awesome spectacle to behold live. He plays several different instruments, layering each on top of each other, creating the sound of a full band on stage, all the while being the solo figure up there. Very impressive.

Photos: David Ford @ El Mocambo on flickr.
Download: Go To Hell mp3
Myspace: David Ford
Video: 'State Of The Union' live at Sonic Boom youtube

It was still early so I decided that I would stick around for Ingrid Michaelson. Ingrid is from Staten Island and last year she rose to relative fame by having her music featured in both an Old Navy commercial and a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy. I guess her music is best described as being somewhere between Ani Defranco and Joni Mitchell. Personally, if I'm being honest, it does very little for me. Sure, it's all sweet and stuff, but I've heard it all before and there really isn't anything new or spectacular about it, as far as I'm concerned. However, what she lacks for me in musical ooomph, she makes up for in personality and showmanship. She is a very funny girl, with perhaps the quickest sense of humor I've seen on the live stage for a long time. She performed all her TV aided hits and her in-between song banter ranged from stories of her drooling on her sweater so as to detract men from hitting on her whilst on an airplane to anecdotes about making her singing partner laugh by putting on this crazy high falsetto. She had the audience eating out of her hands, but in a totally non egotistical way, and for that she definitely deserves her props. And the audience loved her. I mean they really loved her! So, just because I won't be rushing out to buy her CD any time soon, doesn't mean that others shouldn't want to. By the looks I was getting when I exited the venue early, I think she's got a loyal fan base of devoted followers who will ensure that she becomes a household name in no time.

Photos: Ingrid Michaelson @ El Mocambo on flickr
Download: The Way I Am mp3
Myspace: Ingrid Michaelson
Video: The Way I Am youtube

David Ford - Songs For The Road

First of all, let's get the James Blunt-isms out of the way right now. Yes, vocally David Ford's voice sounds a little bit similar. But that, thankfully, is where the similarities end. David's previous EP's have proven without a doubt that he has a lot more to offer than being just another romantic singer songwriter in the sheeny shiny world of pop music.

For the most part, David tones his angry self down a little bit for his latest release entitled 'Songs For The Road .' This makes the release slightly more accessible than his previous work, but never once does he sacrifice his artistic integrity to be overtly radio friendly. 'Decimate,' for example, has a slight Motown feel. However with lyrics like, "ain't it hard to live on smoke and dreams /when spirit crushers work in teams / to leave you where you are," the lyrics are a touch darker than the jumpy beat would indicate. My favorite moments on the album are when he digs into his inner personal Tom Waits, to craft some sparkling examples of piano fueled, bourbon soaked sentimentality. The title track is a stunning example of this, an articulate lyric that reads like a classic piece of modern day poetry. The album closer, (...And So You Fell) is another new song with a classic feel. You know, the type of song that is filled with so much heartfelt personality, that only a Rod Stewart reworking would be able to successfully ruin it (see: Tom Waits' Downtown Train.) Finally, for those who wait to listen to bonus tracks, you're in for a real treat as David provides the most excellent Smiths cover I've heard in a long while; i.e. a truly emotional rendering of 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,' one of my favorite songs of all time. As I mentioned, the album requires the listener to pay close attention so as to avoid comparisons to boring run-of-the-mill pop music flavors of the week. David Ford is NOT one of those, he's just cleverly camouflaged so as to blend in a little bit before he jumps on you with his unique brand of distinctive musical ideals.

David Ford will be at the El Mocambo next Tuesday February 19th, 2008. His one man band looping experience has to be seen to be believed, trust me.

Download: Go To Hell mp3
Myspace: David Ford
Video: State Of The Union live at Sonic Boom Records on youtube.

Above photo was taken by Walid Lodin.