'Sup In February

Usually the winter months result in a bit of a live show drought here in the city, but February is actually looking pretty jam packed as far as I can tell. I'm not sure how many of these I'm going to be able to attend, but the possibilities are certainly enough to make me drool.

Wednesday February 4th is the first show that I'll be attending for sure, with my tickets sitting comfortably atop the shelf. Gary Louris and Mark Olson (pictured above) have finally settled their differences and will be performing songs from their new album Ready For The Flood, which was just released last Tuesday. I haven't heard it yet, but my sources (what sources?) say that this is not a Jayhawks reunion album, but a stripped down, laid back and casual affair, which helps to understand the logic behind having a seated show at The Mod Club. The fact that Louris sheepishly name drops Simon & Garfunkel in a recent interview for Now Magazine leads me to believe that the harmonies are going to be all kinds of uplifting. I'm thoroughly looking forward to this show. $22.50 [Myspace: Ready For The Flood]

Also on Wednesday February 4th, Bruce Peninsula are going to be playing a free in-store set at Soundscapes. They'll be back again on Sunday February 22nd to play the Polish Combatants Hall. The tickets for that are $10 adv/ $12 at the door. By the way, I finally got around to listening to A Mountain Is A Mouth. In a word, life-altering! [Myspace: Bruce Peninsula]

I will also be at Rancho Relaxo on Thursday February 5th to see Portland's Robert Bouchard as The Robot Ate Me. That's a pretty impressive draw. He'll be playing with Braxton Clover and Your Volunteer. The most exciting thing about the bill for me though, is seeing Ryland's touring partner Emperor X from Jacksonville, Fl. I just naturally assumed that I would never get to see him perform. See? Never say never. $6. [Myspaces: The Robot Ate Me, Braxton Clover, Your Volunteer]

For those who can't get enough of the 60's grage rock sound, I highly recommend checking out The Primordials at The Mod Club on Saturday February 7th. RSVP the band to get on the guest list. Free. [Myspace: The Primordials]

Also on Saturday February 7th is the Whale Tooth EP release show at Rancho Relaxo. The vocal abilites of Elise Legrow have to be experienced to be appreciated. Also on the bill are Green Go (whom I've heard a lot of good things about) and The Balconies. Tix are $10 w/EP, or $7 without. [Myspaces: Whale Tooth, Green Go, The Balconies]

The Hylozoists are doing the free in-store thang at Soundscapes on Tuesday February 10th. Free. [Myspace: The Hylozoists]

Thursday February 12th marks the third time Amos The Transparent will have played Toronto since the year began. This time they're at the Tattoo Rock Parlour with Birds Of Wales. Cost: TBA [Myspaces: Amos the Transparent, Birds Of Wales]

Also on Thursday February 12th is an early show at The Mod Club featuring Jenn Grant and Kevin Hearn. Tix are $14. [Myspaces: Jenn Grant, Kevin Hearn]

The Von Bondies are on tour to promote their Love, Hate and Then There's You release, which is out on February 3rd. They are playing The Horseshoe on Friday February 13th for $10. [Myspace: The Von Bondies]

Saturday February the 14th is absolutely loaded with stuff I'd like to do, although it looks like I'm probably doing none of these. First off, we've got a massive show at the Polish Combatants Hall featuring $100, Brides, Hooded Fang, The Luyas and The Element Choir. This is part of the much lauded Wavelength series and it's PWYC ($10 recommended) [Myspaces: $100, Brides, Hooded Fang, The Luyas, The Element Choir]

Also on Saturday February 14th, we've got the little band from Barrie that currently serves as my musical crush of high school proportions, Fox Jaws. They are playing El Mocambo. Cost: TBA [Myspace: Fox Jaws]

And also on Saturday February 14th, Toronto welcomes the return of the coolest band in the whole world, The Planet Smashers at the Opera House. They are playing with The Creepshow and The Snips and the tix are $13.50 adv. [Myspaces: The Planet Smashers, The Creepshow, The Snips]

Tuesday February 17th has the wild and crazy Antony and the Johnsons at Queen Elizabeth Theatre for $37. [Myspace: Antony and the Johnsons]

On Wednesday February 18th, I might finally get ther chance to see Olenka and the Autumn Lovers again, when they play The Tranzac. I'm definitely due. Cost: TBA [ Myspace: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers]

I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing Blitzen Trapper again when they play The Horseshoe on Saturday February 21st. The last time I saw them, they were in the unfortunate position ofhaving Fleet Foxes for them. This time they have Alela Diane opening, another artist who is also on the cusp of busting out. Should be a good show though. $10.50 adv/ $12 door [Myspace: Blitzen Trapper, Alela Diane]

Also on Saturday February 21, that cute little pop singing do-it-yourself-er sensation Lights is playing The Phoenix. Tix are $15. [Myspace: Lights]

Besides the aforementioned Bruce Peninsula show, Sunday February 22nd is showcasing a few other exciting bills in our fair city. First of all, Rural Alberta Advantage is playing a Wavelength show at Sneaky Dee's. PWYC. [Myspace: Rural Alberta Advantage]

Also, Ben Kweller is in town promoting Changing Horses which comes out on February 3rd. He is playing Sunday February 22nd at The Mod Club for $25. [Myspace: Ben Kweller]

On Tuesday February 24th, Arts & Crafts melodramatic popster Gentlemen Reg plays a free in-store at Soundscapes. [Myspace: Gentlemen Reg]

Jon Langford (formerly of the Mekons and the Waco Brothers) is playing The Horseshoe on Friday February 27th with The Sadies as his backing band. Tix are $12.50adv/ $14 door. [Myspace: Jon Langford]

And finally, there's a pretty awesome show at The Horseshoe on Saturday February 28th featuring the stadium rock sound of The Coast, the jangle rock goodness of The Diableros and the spazzy wondermint of Oh No Forest Fires. Tix are $10.50 adv/ $12 door [Myspaces: The Coast, The Diableros, Oh No Forest Fires]

Bishop Allen w/Hooded Fang & The Electric Owls @ El Mocambo

Figure this one out: the last time that I saw New York's Bishop Allen, they were a very small band playing at the 550+ capacity Lee's Palace. Needless to say the crowd was decent, but nowhere near full. Since then, they've had the added exposure that comes from being in a semi-hit feature film, namely Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which guarantees that their under 25 female adulation will grow exponentially. Still, this time around, they were booked at the smaller (and significantly less good) 400+ capacity El Mocambo. "Who are the ad wizard's who came up with that one!?!" Obviously, the show was not only packed, but it also sold out. However, that being the case, the vibe was one of heightened enthusiasm which added significantly to the band's stellar performance on Saturday night.

About ten years ago, if Jeopardy had a category based on power pop, my only point loss would be due to forgetting to state my answer in the form of a question. These days however, my tastes have grown somewhat more eclectic, and power pop isn't sitting atop my record collection as it once did. This doesn't mean though that a simple enthusiastic hook doesn't still have the ability to get my head shaking. Bishop Allen is one of the best that the current wave has to offer, and this is because they also lace their hook laden melodies with highly literate lyrical observations and a touch of folksy charm. The 14 song set flew by pretty quickly as the band wasted no time segueing from one tune to another; keeping the banter minimal but never once isolating the audience. They used the opportunity to feature several new songs that will likely be available on their upcoming Grr... album, which is set to be released in March. The familiar favourites were all included as well, including Click, Click, Click, Click, Rain and Like Castanets. If you didn't know which song was featured in the Michael Cera movie, it didn't take a genius to figure it out, since the bevy of short and tweenish girls went absolutely dance floor nutty when Middle Management was performed in all its hyped up glory! I mentioned in my previous review that Justin and Christian had had their thunder stolen from them by means of a very enthusiastic drummer. This time around, everybody was in full form and the two front men appeared to be having the time of their lives. 'The Running Man' may be Justin Rice's only dance move, but he performed it with such charismatic abandon that it was hard not to be sucked in by his enthusiasm. And Christian Rudder was whoopin' and hollerin' and just having a grand old time! It's true that their last show was good enough to encourage me to check them out again, but this time around solidified the fact that the band is not only good, but tons of fun as well.

Photos: My Bishop Allen photos are on flickr
Myspace: Bishop Allen
Download: Click Click Click Click mp3

Download: Rain mp3


I don't know if a band likes being referred to as 'adorable' but there's something about Hooded Fang that makes me want to collect 'em all and trade 'em with my friends. They're just so gosh darned cute. This is the second time that I've seen them in a matter of months and I don't know if I have much more to add from the last time. They're still playing deceptively sweet boy-girl pop songs, their lead singer is still their drummer and they still make good use of keyboards, glockenspiel and horns. The show started off a little bit reserved, but by about the third or fourth song, they started to find their groove. The band is multi-talented as they all switched up their instruments at different intervals throughout the set, and many of the songs are infectious and enjoyable. I'd like to see the members pump up the jams a little bit and present themselves with a little bit more zealous fervor. One of them looked like he might've told his mom that he was going out to study and he was nervous that she was going to catch him playing in a rock 'n roll band at a bar. Still, the band shows potential and if they are as young as they look, I'm sure they'll have plenty of time to meet that potential. They also seem to be playing an awful lot of gigs in the months ahead, so they're going to get plenty of practice.

Photos: My pics of Hooded Fang are on flickr
Myspace: Hooded Fang

Getting the party started was an artist from North Carolina that goes by the name The Electric Owls. This is an interesting moniker considering the fact that the artist on that stage was rather singular and acoustic. Chromewaves' Frank had informed me that The Electric Owls is actually Andy Herod, formerly of The Comas. (Fun fact: He once dated Michelle Williams from Dawson's Creek and wrote an acclaimed album about the courtship and miserable breakup called Conductor.) He has a very distinct and endearing voice, and I thought the songs were enjoyable enough, even if they didn't really 'wow' me in any way. I also thought that his lyrics might've been a bit on the wrong side of bizarre as you've gotta wonder about a guy who writes a song called Cannibal Superstar. The song Magic Show kinda rocks though. He also threw in a couple of covers. His version of Jackson Browne's These Days was pretty good, even though I've heard it performed live by about 6 or 7 different artists now as it dives dangerously close to becoming the next generation's Hallelujah. He also took a stab at Bobby Vinton's Mr. Lonely which was a bit underwhelming, but still an admirable cover choice nonetheless.

Photos: My Electric Owls pics are on flickr
Myspace: Electric Owls

Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes w/Fox Jaws @ El Mocambo

I think the expression 'controlled chaos' was especially created to describe bands like Portland, Oregon's Blitzen Trapper. As I had mentioned earlier, before this week, I had not fully taken the time to digest last year's "Wild Mountain Nation," so I made a point of doing so prior to the show. It really is one heckuva CD. What strikes me as odd, is the way that every song sounds like it had been recorded by a different band, making them impossible to pigeonhole. They sound a bit like Wilco one moment, before morphing into The Dandy Warhols, and then liquefying into T-Rex. It's a delightfully tumultuous sound that I personally find immensely gratifying. The concert left me feeling the same way. Often times they'll hop genres right in the middle of a song, keeping the audience in rapt attention of their every move. The band was also very funny. I particularly enjoyed watching the drummer beat the snot out of his already damaged and badly bent cymbal. Guitarist Marty Marquis' Alpha Flight t-shirt also elicited quite a response. I nearly spit my beer all over the stage when an audience member yelled out "Captain Canuck!!" Ahh, Captain Canuck. That crappy comic book really takes me back I tell ya. The highlight was watching the band call up all of the other bands of the evening together to join in a rambunctious
version of their own 'Woof & Warp of the Quiet Giant's Hem.' (What a terrific song title 'eh?) You've never seen a tiny stage filled with more tambourine pounding and maraca shaking individuals in your life. Awesome!

Photos: My pics of Blitzen Trapper @ El Mocambo on flickr
Download: Wild Mountain Nation mp3
Myspace: Blitzen Trapper
Video: Woof and Warp of the Quiet Giant's Hem on youtube

Interestingly, the largest attendance of the night seemed to be for Seattle's Fleet Foxes, who are the one band that I hadn't heard of. They were the most subdued act of the night, but they blew my mind just the same. I had indicated earlier that, from what I had sampled, they reminded me a bit of My Morning Jacket. I still hold to that comparison (sorta) but it's the vocals that really make them unique. The show started with them singing unaccompanied; their five part harmonies keeping everyone spellbound. Or is it four part harmonies? (I don't know harmony) Still, those angelic vocals are showcased throughout their set, giving their music a solemnity that helps them rise above your typical folk rock sound. The fact that many were obviously there to see them, seemed to sincerely shock the band. They mention that they'll be back again sometime this summer, and I'm sure that their fan base will have increased exponentially by then.

Photos: My pics of Fleet Foxes @ El Mocambo on flickr
Download: White Winter Hymnal mp3
Myspace: Fleet Foxes
Video: Dreams (Fleetwood Mac Cover) youtube

Opening the evening was Fox Jaws. What can I say about Fox Jaws that I haven't already said before? The show was killer, as per usual, but I can't wait until I actually get to see them at a venue with good lighting. Technically there wasn't one salvageable picture in the lot. You see, crappy camera plus bad lighting minus distracting flash equals worst concert pictures ever! Either I've got to get a better camera or they have got to play at better lit venues. Personally I think the onus should be on them because I'm just a struggling journalist, whereas they are clearly the big shot rock stars. Jokes. (BTW, the video link below shows that they have played The Mod Club which is easily the coolest lit venue in the city)

What I always love about seeing Fox Jaws is the good time enthusiasm that they display on stage. Carleigh Aikins' soulful voice sounded as smoky delicious as ever, and I don't believe they have ever sounded tighter. I can't wait until they release another CD. "Goodbye Doris" is still on regular rotation for me, and with the amount of stuff I listen to these days, that's saying a lot.

Photos: My lousy shots of Fox Jaws @ El Mocambo are on flickr
Download: Karmonica mp3 / Quarantine Girl mp3
Myspace: Fox Jaws
Video: Warm Winter Coats @ Mod Club on youtube

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

Mystery Jets @ The El Mocambo

It's been a long time coming, but The Mystery Jets had finally graced our grimy Toronto stages last night over at the El Mocambo on Spadina. The show was outstanding beyond words, but I'm going to do my best to put it into words. To start off with, the guys were clearly ecstatic about being here in Toronto, and that youthful enthusiasm translated well onto the stage. Their set was a fine mix of both the old and the new. In speaking with the guys, they were a little bit leery about introducing too many new songs to their North American audience, but they need not have worried so. What the crowd lacked in volume, was made up for in appreciative exuberance, as the new material was greeted with great enthusiasm. I was particularly enthralled with the talent displayed by lead vocalist Blaine Harrison. The way he switched off from instrument to instrument, sometimes within the course of the same song, was truly impressive. The band has a true love of music, both classic and current, and I must admit that I enjoyed talking about music with lead guitarist William Rees before the show, as much as I enjoyed listening to them display that love throughout their performance. (Playing foosball with the man is another story altogether. He's real good. Too good in fact. I'm suspicious.) He even recommended to me a great band called Late Of The Pier. More on that in a future post.

One minor disappointment is the fact that Henry, while still a very active member of the band, no longer joins them on live performances. However, his influence is still very much present in the band's slight lean towards all things prog, from the instrumental blast that opened the show, to the powerful rendering of "Alas Agnes" at the end of the night. I'm not sure what the future holds for the band and their relationship with Canada. This may be the last time we see them here. Or, perhaps their return will be marked with greater interest and larger venues. Either way, it was truly inspiring to see them play this time around. Well worth the wait.

Photos: The Mystery Jets at El Mocambo flickr

Videos: You Can't Fool Me Dennis youtube
Alas Agnes youtube
The Boy Who Ran Away youtube

Myspace: Mystery Jets

Mystery Jets coming to Toronto!!!

Fact: The Mystery Jets are one of the best and most original bands in the world today. Fact: They are still vastly underrated here in Canada and, sadly, throughout most of the planet. Fact: They're coming to Toronto on September 20th to play the El Mocambo. Fact: Tix are only $13.50. Fact: You should make a valiant effort to be there.

The Mystery Jets were one of the very first artists I had ever blogged about and the reason why is because of how much I thoroughly enjoy their contributions to indie rock today. Their lyrics are witty and original and their music is all over the place while still remaining cohesive throughout. First of all, the band dynamic is something that you don't see everyday. Lead vocalist Blaine Harrison is in the unique position of having his father Henry play lead guitar in the band. This enables the band to be rather timeless in terms of the music they play, simply by being influenced from several different generations. Their music ranges from new wave and brit-pop to classic prog and psychedelic influences as well. This will be the United Kingdomers first time in Canada (they were supposed to be here earlier but it fell through due to a Visa situation,) so it would be beyond sweet if they enjoyed their stay so much that it encouraged them to return again soon. Sample their music below and make sure you come out to see them on September 20th.

Videos:
You Can't Fool Me Dennis youtube
Alas Agnes youtube
The Boy Who Ran Away youtube

Myspace:
The Mystery Jets