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.

Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose @ The Horseshoe

I'm not going to lie: I've been rather enjoying my concert going hibernation over the last month or so. The brief spurts of time off have been refreshing as they've allowed me to indulge my other passion for classic foreign films, not to mention trying to find a decent recent movie to enjoy also, which was extremely difficult to do. "Not impressed 'cinema of 2009', not impressed at all!" (I'm talking to you Mr. Cameron! Give me my money back or I'll continue to hold these 3D glasses for ransom!)

Still, a concert goer has to hit the venues again at some time, and there was no better way to ease back into the show goings then with a brief and free (and not to mention early) show at The Horseshoe featuring a man whom I'd heard tons about, yet had never really taken the time to properly acquaint myself with: Mr. Brett Caswell. In preparation for the show, I had spent some time with his debut release Love Waiting, which came out almost two years ago. It's a very easy-to-digest collection of piano and guitar based pop rock tunes that bring to mind guys like Ben Folds or Elliott Smith. Although the material is far from earth shattering, the melodies in particular, are exceptional and there was no doubt in my mind that the man had the talent and capabilities to expand that sound even more. Well the performance that night proved that my assumptions were correct.

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised to see that his band consisted of some backing vocals by my favourite little Barrie-ite Carleigh Aikins of Fox Jaws, as well as some amazing fiddle accompaniment by the incredibly talented Sarah Morano. Still, the biggest surprise was the fact that the songs that were presented that evening went far above and beyond the standard singer- songwriter fare of the aforementioned album. His new album, entitled A New Balance, is coming out this spring and, judging by the songs that he played that evening, he's boasting a heavier, rockier edge that places greater emphasis on playing and musicianship while still keeping that gift for melody fully in tact. One would assume that a set so short (he only played six songs) would mean that it ended just as he was starting to find his groove, but the fact is that Caswell is obviously such a seasoned performer that he was able to hit the stage on a high and keep that going throughout. The evening's highlight was an explosive performance of a song called Show On The Road, which boasted a slightly country-ish vibe that built into a full-on country rock assault that was reminiscent of some of the impressive jams you would hear performed by The Allman Brothers or My Morning Jacket. There are few things more impressive than watching Caswell attack the keys the way that he does. I think it's safe to say that Caswell is one charismatic and electrifying performer and I'm looking forward to catching a full set before the year is through.

Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose are back in town tomorrow night opening for Clothes Make The Man at The Garrison (Ossington & Dundas). They'll be hitting the stage around 10pm.

Photos: My shots of Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: Brett Caswell

Other stuff:
My email box hath runneth over with stuff and info so let me quickly share some with you before I run off to work today.

Whale Tooth has a new video for Hibernation Song which was shot and directed by The Cobourg Boys, who have also worked with The Bicycles. [Myspace: Whale Tooth]

Lucky Soul has posted a new video as well for the song White Russian Doll, which will be featured on their upcoming album A Coming of Age, which is due out this spring. [Myspace: Lucky Soul]

And Forest City Lovers also have a new video for their song If I Were A Tree, directed by Colin Medley and Jared Raab. [Myspace: Forest City Lovers]

While preparing to unleash their heavily anticipated full length, Dinosaur Bones are releasing a limited edition 7-inch white vinyl copy of Royalty/Ice Hotels on the upstart Toronto/New York vinyl label Hi-Scores Recording Library. Fans can pre-order the record at the Hi-Scores site now. [Myspace: Dinosaur Bones]

By now I'm sure that everyone has heard about the big Pavement reunion which will affect Torontonians at the Toronto Island Festival on June 19th when they hit the stage with Broken Social Scene and Band of Horses. Despite the fact that it hits me on the weekend of NXNE, I'm pretty sure that I'll be picking up some tix for this one. In the meantime, if you desire to see Pavement perform somewhere more exotic (like New York), Matador is holding a contest in connection with the tour and their upcoming greatest hits release. [Myspace: Pavement]

And finally, it looks like the Thrush Hermit reunion is on and the tickets to their two shows at Lee's Palace (March 26th, 27th) go on sale today. Say what you will, but the solo works of Joel Plaskett haven't come even close to impacting me the way that his former band did. To be honest, despite the amount of love and praise Three has received by just about everyone I know, I still haven't been able to listen to the whole thing all the way through. Some excellent songs buried in there, but still way too much meh if you ask me, which continues to be my personal beef with Plaskett's solo output. But when it comes to the sounds of the thrush, to my ears they are virtually meh-less, which means that I will certainly be attending one of the shows in March. [Myspace: Thrush Hermit]

'Sup In December: Ten Picks

Wow, these months are whipping by pretty wicked fast these days and it seems like I just posted one of these not that long ago. But here we are, the last month of '09 and today the weather is feeling pretty December-y and it's making me tired. I went to a great show on Saturday night that I look forward to telling you about, and if I don't fall asleep I'll be checking out another one tonight but in the meantime here are my picks for the month of December. Don't expect me to be as wordy as usual though. Pretty tired.

For more detailed listings, as usual, go check out Stillepost, Zoilus and Jen's Weekly List (of shows under $10)

1. The Hoa Hoa's / The Disraelis / Action Makes / Your 33 Black Angels @ Silver Dollar
(Friday December 4th; Cost: $6)

OK, I realize that I've been pushing The Hoa Hoa's pretty heavily lately, but their show last month completely blew my mind, and the fact that their name hasn't been circulating as much as some other acts literally keeps me awake at night. So their CD release show at the Dollar is mandatory if you like music as much as I do. And to sweeten the pot, locals psychedelics The Disraelis and Action Makes are also on the bill. But the major drawing action is Your 33 Black Angels from NYC, whom I've heard are so unbelievable that you literally won't believe it! Go to this show. Do it! Oh, Hoa Hoa's are also playing a free instore at Sonic Boom on the same day at 6pm. Do that also! [Myspaces: The Hoa Hoa's; The Disraelis; Action Makes; Your 33 Black Angels]

2. Grant Hart @ The Horseshoe
(Monday December 14th; Cost: $10.50)

Although most people name drop Bob Mould when engaging in conversations about Hüsker Dü, I've always been partial to the works of Grant Hart. He's currently touring in promotion of his first solo album in ten years entitled Hot Wax, which I still have to take the time to listen to. A couple of his previous albums though, namely Intolerance (1989) and Good News For Modern Man (1999) are a couple of albums that I enjoy very much. Should be legendary! [Myspace: Grant Hart]

3. Zero 7 @ The Phoenix
(Thursday December 3rd; Cost: $30)

I don't know why, but Zero 7 is one of those bands that I sheepishly admit to liking, even though I really shouldn't. They're just so calming and incredible and I'll bet they're absolutely otherworldly to see live. I'd imagine that the sound at The Phoenix would be perfect for their type of music. Like the last band, I've yet to hear their current release Yeah Ghost, but apparently it follows along the lines of 2006's brilliant The Garden. While it's true that Sia Furler isn't joining them on this tour, I've read that jazz vocalist Eska Mtungwazi is a revelation, and from what I've sampled, I don't doubt it. [Myspace: Zero 7]

4. The Sadies @ The Horseshoe
(Thursday December 31st; Cost: $20)

OK, here we are, broken record time: The Sadies are the best live band in Toronto. The Sadies play New Years Eve at The Horseshoe every year. The Sadies are ALWAYS perfect. 'Nuff said. [Myspace: The Sadies]

5. W.S Wallcott's Rabbits Foot Minstrel Revue: A Tribute To The Band @ The Boat
(Thursday December 10th; Cost: $5)

As we all know, the music of The Band is timeless, and for five bucks, this would be a pretty hard show to justify passing up. The number of talented musicians taking part is staggering. The list includes members of Born Ruffians, Cuff The Duke, Ohbijou, Jason Collett, The Golden Dogs, Zeus, Steamboat and more. Yes. [Myspace: The Band]

6. Handsome Furs @ Lee's Palace
(Saturday December 5th; Cost: $15)

Husband and wife electro-punk disco pop? How can you go wrong? My interest in this band has been more of mild curiosity as opposed to rabid enthusiasm, but many of my friends have never forgiven me for ducking out on The Handsome Furs (pictured above) at this year's CMW back in March, so it looks like I'll be making up for that this month. [Myspace: Handsome Furs]

7. Do Make Say Think / Charles Spearin's Happiness Project @ Enwave Theatre
(Sat. Dec 12th & Sun. Dec 13th; Cost: $16)

I have very mixed feelings about the bands that Arts & Crafts have been signing as of late, but when the crop of originals put out something new, it always makes for substantial listening. Instrumental post-rockers Do Make Say Think are celebrating the release of their 6th full length entitled Other Truths at the Queens Quay venue, along with this highly ambitious side project from BSS-er Charles Spearin. [Myspaces: Do Make Say Think; Charles Spearin's Happiness Project]

8. Spiral Beach / Boys Who Say No / Heartbeat Hotel / Romo Roto @ The Garrison
(Saturday December 19th; Cost: $12)

I finally got to check out the city's newest live venue on Saturday night, and I was surprised at how much I liked this incredibly red venue. I've also been seriously itching to see Spiral Beach again, as they are certainly one of my favorite live acts in the city. This is their last show of the year, and although I'm not familiar with all of their supporters, Boys Who Say No are almost as much fun as they are. (OK, they're nowhere near as much fun, but they are still pretty fun, in their own way) [Myspaces: Spiral Beach; Boys Who Say No; Heartbeat Hotel; Romo Roto]

9. Bellewoods / Raised by Swans / Old World Vulture / Cheap Speakers @ Horseshoe
(Friday December 11th; Cost: $8)

After a brief hibernation, Raised By Swans are celebrating the release of their new CD called No Ghostless Place at another TWM showcase, this time at The Horseshoe. All of the supporters are great, including TWM faves Cheap Speakers, spacey proggers Old World Vulture and classic folk rock with Bellewoods. Variety ensues... [Myspaces: Bellewoods; Raised By Swans; Old World Vulture; Cheap Speakers]

10. Hey Rosetta / Julie Fader / La Strada @ The Horseshoe
(Fri. Dec 4th & Sat. Dec 5th; Cost: $15)

I still maintain that Hey Rosetta's Into Your Lungs is one of the most solid releases of last year, and the one time that I saw them live is still a show that I thnk back to often. For a good solid performance, this Newfoundland band is pretty much a sure thing, as far as I'm concerned. [Myspaces: Hey Rosetta; Julie Fader; La Strada]

Honorable Mentions:
Only a couple of honorable mentions this time around. Female folk duo Dala (who's latest album Everyone Is Someone is actually much better than I expected it to be) is playing Hugh's Room (Dec 17, $12); The Skydiggers are playing two nights at The Horseshoe (Dec 18th & 19th, $20); Patrick Watson is at Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Dec 12, $25) and Friendly Rich and the Lollipop People are at The Tranzac (Dec 5th, $10). A show that would have definitely made my top ten is Friendly Fires with The xx at The Phoenix on Dec 2nd but the show is completely sold out and I didn't get a ticket so I decided that there was no real need to mention it in the top ten. My friends think Friendly Fires is the bomb (I think they're alright) but The xx have released one of the best albums of the year and it would've been great to see them. They're back in April at the Kool Haus (ugh) with Hot Chip so we'll see.

Where I'll Be:
December is chill out time for me, so I don't think that I'll be going to too much this month (didn't I say that last month?) but I'm 99 percent sure that I'll be at the Handsome Furs show and I'm planning on seeing The Hoa Hoa's at Silver Dollar because I want to see them as often as possible. Everything else is a "we'll see how I feel on the day of" situtation, but I'm pretty determined to not do much so, once again, we'll see. Dress warm peoples.

Loney Dear / Asobi Seksu @ The Horseshoe

When I went to see Loney Dear at Lee's Palace a couple of years ago, the experience was far and away a much more thrilling one than I ever could have anticipated. I walked away from that show converted from casual fan to rabid fan, and I couldn't wait to see singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen again. Sadly, my wait had to be postponed a tad when his bus broke down back in May, but all can now be forgiven since the rescheduled show at The Horseshoe was every bit as satisfying as the first one.

The fact that this leg of the tour was billed as a co-headlining set with shoegazers Asobi Seksu was a bit of a surprise to me since I really didn't know anything about them, other than the overhearing of the occasional mentioning of their name whilst eavesdropping on various indie hipster conversations. As usual, I've remain consistently out of the loop. Apparently their presence on Polyvinyl makes them labelmates with Loney Dear, although their sound couldn't possibly be more different. Still, I enjoyed their set quite a bit, as their material was presented with a raucous edge, that was never at the sacrifice of a dreamy melody. Their set was loud and feedback-y, with Yuki Chikudate's vocals hovering just on the positive side of piercing, making me very glad that I remembered to bring my earplugs. It's hard to believe that such a powerful voice can come from such a tiny girl. The hyperactive strobe lights that struck intermittently throughout their set added significantly to the frenzied ambiance, making for a very energetic performance.

The music of Loney Dear is made for the live stage as it consistently strikes a balance between the downtrodden and the uplifting. What I mean is that Emil's voice can't help but have a hint of the "woe is me" in its delivery, while the epic soundscapes that usually kick in within the last minute or so of his average song manages to leave me feeling celebratory. Likewise, the live show is a comparable contrast of highs and lows. Not being familiar with every aspect of his career, I was still surprised at how many songs I recognized, not only from the CD's I own, but also from what I remember about his last show. His memory was equally as sharp as he managed to even remember some of the familiar faces in the audience too. It was very amusing to watch him joke around with some of the mildly inebriated audience members that were hurling crazy requests his way, and it was also great to see him performing in such a way that showed that he was having as great a time as we were. The highlight of the show was when he approached the front of the stage and sang one of his songs without the aid of the microphone to an audience that was paying rapt attention as the din of the crowd's chatter was brought to an impressive halt. At the end of the night, he opted to simply let us know when the encore was taking place as opposed to going through the trouble of leaving the stage only to come back on, and the second highlight was hearing him perform a triumphant version of I Am John, which is easily one of the five best songs of the decade as far as I'm concerned.

I can honestly say that there are few things as uplifting as a Loney Dear show and I sincerely hope that I won't have to wait another two years for his return. Call me crazy, but being uplifted through song is just something I can't seem to get enough of for some reason. Go figure.

Both Chromewaves and NOW also have reviews of the show.

Photos: My shots of Loney Dear are on flickr
Photos: My pics of Asobi Seksu are also on flickr.
Myspace: Loney Dear
Myspace: Asobi Seksu
Download: Loney Dear's I Am John mp3
Download: Loney Dear's Airport Surroundings mp3
Download: Asobi Seksu's New Years mp3
Download: Asobi Seksu's Thursday mp3

Yukon Blonde / The Prince Brothers @ The Horseshoe

I have become convinced that the staff of Nevado Records sneak into my apartment when I'm not home and peruse my personal CD collection for inspiration. For now I'm afraid that I don't have any physical evidence to support this theory, and they haven't stolen anything yet so I guess that it's no big deal. But I can't think of any other way to explain the way that they consistently sign acts that so perfectly cater to my own scattered taste. The latest example of this is Yukon Blonde, who performed last week as part of Nu Music Nite at the Horseshoe.

I thought that I had timed everything perfectly, especially since I got to the venue just shy of the band's supposed 10:50pm start time. However, as I got there another band known as The Prince Brothers were just setting up. This was a bit irritating to be honest, since it was a rainy night and I wasn't really in the mood to be out, and the prospect of being able to just get out, quickly see a set by this band that I've been hearing all kinds of good things about, and getting home early-ish, was just enough to convince me to go. This irresponsible setback was definitely putting a wrench in my plans. That's the bad news. The good news is that The Prince Brothers were actually a really good band.

This Toronto band, led by brothers Eric and Bryan Prince, have a very warm and organic sound that puts them in a unique place for a pop rock band. Usually those adjectives are reserved for artists that dwell in earthier, folksier territory but The Prince Brothers take those roots and accentuate them with grand chorus's and addictive hooks. This is what makes them the type of band that I don't think a person could truly dislike unless he was deliberately being contrary. Their set was mainly composed of songs from their latest release entitled From This Place, and if there were any aspects that stood out for me, it was their very tight musicianship, as well as their impressively smooth sound. I'll admit that my description makes them sound somewhat generic, but that's not what I mean at all. If I was grasping for some sort of comparison, I suppose The Rheostatics would be a good place to start, along with perhaps Wilco's Summerteeth period. Also, if you're looking for a bit of a visual, the drummer does the bulk of the singing, and the other vocalist looks like Trey Anastasio which led me to think that he sort of sounds like him too, but that could just be my mind doing that warped comparison thing that it sometimes does. Anyway....good band.

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

As explained earlier, Yukon Blonde was the band that I really wanted to see. While waiting for them to take the stage, I was greeted by several other attendees who couldn't stop assuring me that this band's live show really was a sight to behold. A couple of songs in, and it became obvious that Yukon Blonde have been taking in a steady diet of all of the great classic rock bands of the past, and have carefully honed their live show as a sort of tribute of sorts to them.

In the 70's and early 80's, stadium worthy rock bands would cater to the audience with every note, and every rock star pose. In a similar fashion, Vancouver's Yukon Blonde were very aware of their audience, and they put on a rock show that was similar to those epic performances of the past, while still managing to stay away from anything too grandiose or bombastic. They played with an energy that made it obvious that the band not only loves what they're doing, but they also thrive on the attention they garner from an enthusiastic crowd. The songs themselves were just as good as the performance, ranging from straight ahead guitar rockers, to mildly psychedelic mini flourishes. During one of the trippier numbers, they encouraged the audience to dance around all 60's-like, which apparently meant to flair your arms in the air and wave your hands around in a semi-interpretive dance-like fashion. If you don't know what that means, don't worry, Jeffrey Innes did a humuorus job of demonstrating it for us, and it was fun to see the audience flailing along with him during the song. In the grand tradition of classic gems like Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp and Boston, Yukon Blonde are one of those bands that I plan on checking out again.

Photos: Yukon Blonde @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: Yukon Blonde

Destroyer w/Andre Ethier @ The Horseshoe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful Nothing w/Live How You Live @ The Horseshoe Tavern

On a Friday night just over a week ago, the Juliette Lewis / Band of Skulls show ended early enough that I had plenty of time to grab a late night veggie burger and head on back to the west side of town to catch an old favourite at The Horseshoe. As far as local(ish), under the radar indie bands go, there probably is no band that I've been following longer than Burlington's Beautiful Nothing. It had been several years since I'd seen them last perform, and I was curious to see how much they've progressed since the days when they were a bunch of high school kids competing with other young 'uns at Burlington's Annual Sound of Music Festival during one of those teenage battle of the band competitions.

When I arrived at The Horseshoe, a band from Hamilton called Live How You Live had just started their set. Vocalist Carm Milioto honed his talent in a band called The Feels who I'm pretty sure I saw at a place called The Underground in Hamilton about 6 or 7 years ago. Although I don't remember too much about them (or even if it was, in fact, them) I do remember thinking that they were pretty good (again, if it was them, which I'm not positively sure it was. Yes, this is professional journalism at its finest!) In any case, LHYL were quite talented even if they failed to resonate with me in any lasting way. It's not that they weren't good, just a little run of the mill, sounding to me like a fairly typical bluesy bar band. The fact that I had just come from seeing such a dynamic performer a mere half hour earlier at The Opera House probably didn't aid in my watching this band with a less than critical eye. Personal feelings aside though, they've obviously done a good job at establishing a name for themselves, as the crowd was singing and dancing along with them and generally having a great time. In fact, when the time came to wrap things up, the crowd literally demanded an encore, proving that my personal thoughts have yet to coincide with popular opinion. At least in this case.

Photos: My shots of Live How You Live @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: Live How You Live

Beautiful Nothing took to the stage hot on the heels of the release of their latest CD entitled The Fruits of Youth. While their earlier recordings were steeped in an atmospheric drone of doom and gloom, I've noticed that their latter works seem to advertise a more tongue in cheek approach to angst. This attitude extends to their live show as frontman Anthony Ludgate performs with a mild theatricality wherein you get the sense that he's sort of making fun of you, although you really can't pinpoint exactly what it is he's mocking. It's hard not to be mesmerized by the band's dynamic showmanship coupled with the crazed look in Ludgate's eyes. They blasted through a set of all newer numbers that probably explained their obvious enthusiasm for the material. There was a real savagery to their performance which caused the crowd to erupt into a frenzy of moshy insanity. Although the actual number of attendees had diminished slightly, they displayed a zeal that was ten times greater, which enabled the band to feed off of that raw energy. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where their sound fits in, as it displays enough hooks to be considered pop but it also oozes enough genuine punk attitude that sliding them into the lame MTV driven power punk category simply would not do them justice. Unlike other bands given the pop-punk tag, their only schtick is to poke fun at the idea of schtick itself, and their particular brand of manic was a perfect way to end an evening that can only be described as intense.

Photos: My shots of Beautiful Nothing @ The Horseshoe are on flickr.
Myspace: Beautiful Nothing

Tom Fun Orchestra w/ The Coast @ The Horseshoe Tavern

Wow. My concert reviews are now reaching a point where I should probably start referring to them as my 'classic concert reviews', since the time lapse between seeing a show and blogging about a show has got to be dipping close to the 'does anybody still care' level. I swear I haven't forgotten about those loyal readers who still hinge on my every word, but I assure you that my tardiness is not due to my being a lazy man. However, instead of wasting any more time with repetitive excuses and my own delusions of grandeur, let's just get into some more rock talk, shall we?

The last time that the Tom Fun Orchestra were in town, they played an electrifying show that was exactly the type of celebration you would expect from a Nova Scotian nine piece with the word 'fun' in their moniker. I'll have to admit, that the memory of that amazing show was etched so spectacularly in my mind that a part of me was almost reluctant to see them again so soon, since I didn't want anything to tarnish what was easily one of the best shows of the year. Thankfully this show did not even come close to sullying that memory, even if it did lack the same magical feel.

Admittedly, this performance did have a few more things going against it. First of all, if memory serves, the January show was on a Saturday night, whereas this one was on the darkest of all concert going nights: a Thursday. Every band knows, that it's harder to get a crowd excited on a Thursday night. Secondly, not only is it difficult to get a crowd excited on a Thursday night; it's also difficult just to get a crowd at all on a Thursday night. Not only was there a smaller crowd this time around, there was a SIGNIFICANTLY smaller crowd this time around. The third obstacle of the evening was more of a personal nature. Whereas the last time I went into the show with no expectations, this time around I went in with MASSIVE expectations. So, needless to say, although this was still an awesome show, it certainly wasn't the spectacle that I witnessed the first time around. As can be seen by my three reasons though, this was hardly the band's fault.

The band still displayed the same time of insane energy that their East Coast Maritime rock lends itself to, and they seemed quite content with the fact that their onstage party may have been just as much for their own enjoyment as it was for all of ours. I noticed that a few members of the ensemble were different from the last show, but the key players were still the same. Lead vocalist Ian MacDougall was as witty and bizarre as ever, while Carmen Townsend displayed an intensity that I would love to be able to incorporate in my own life from time to time. What also makes this band stand out from other 'collectives' out there, is the fact that each member has a specific role to fill, whether it be banjo, accordian, fiddle or trumpet. The only shared role seemed to be that of playing really hard and shouting really loud when the song calls for it. What was really cool was that, even though the tendency to not want to embarrass yourself would understandably be heightened within a smaller crowd, this didn't stop certain pockets of people from showing their appreciation by dancing up a storm anyways. Although, it's a shame that many in the city obviously missed out, the small crowd that was in attendance certainly witnessed something special and this show was another wild party indeed, albeit a subdued one. (A subdued wild party? Does that even make sense? OK, let's say that they were wild and I was subdued. Better?)

Photos: Tom Fun Orchestra @ Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Tom Fun Orchestra
Video: Throw Me To The Rats on youtube
Download: Watchmaker mp3

Opening up for the Tom Funners was local band The Coast; a band that I had seen a few years ago but honestly remembered very little about. I've definitely been hearing their name mentioned around town though, with 2008's Expatriate receiving it's fair share of good reviews, and the local (mainly female) support for the band was substantially represented that night. There's no doubt that as musicians, they have become very proficient at honing a stadium worthy sound complete with the type of ringing guitars and atmospheric keys that simply beg to be heard at a larger venue. As performers however, they seemed to me to be a little bit too subdued for their larger than life sound. I found it hard to remain attentive for their entire set and there were moments where the band actually looked bored, which is never a good way to win over a Thursday night audience. Luckily, for them, their friends and supporters were all there to pick up the slack and what they lacked in performance, they made up for in relatively strong material.

Photos: The Coast @ Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: The Coast

Rural Alberta Advantage w/ Hooded Fang @ The Horseshoe Tavern

Not surprisingly, it seems that I was not alone in my highly anticipatory excitement over seeing the Rural Alberta Advantage return to our fair city. They've spent the last several months touring across the US in support of the fact that they've been signed to the highly acclaimed Saddle Creek label which means, depending on the amount of promotional support they receive from this label, this could potentially be the last time that we will get to witness this fantastic band in such a cozy venue at such a comfortable rate. This is why it came as no real surprise that the show was not only sold out, but the crowd was significantly more hyper than usual as we welcomed our current hometown heroes back to our favourite venue, The Horseshoe.

As is my usual Thursday night situation, I was unable to catch the first act, The Wilderness of Manitoba, who's music I had become acquainted with earlier in the week when I listened to their feature on the Zygiella podcast. They've got a great sound that boasts a folksy Simon and Garfunkel vibe that I look forward to experiencing live at a later date. The next band however, was one that I've had plenty of experience with in the past few months.

Hooded Fang will never be accused of being lazy. This is the fourth time that I've seen them over the last few months, which in itself is not all that unusual. The fact that I've never made any actual plans to ever see them is what makes this statistic something of note. They are obviously firm believers that 'practice makes perfect', which might be what enables them to accept as many opening gigs as possible. This strategy seems to work well in their case, as I've seen them progress from what I would consider to be a cute yet amateurish band, to actually being a highly energetic and professional sounding pop band. Interestingly enough, I still don't own their EP as of yet, but I'm at a point where I'm recognizing the songs at their shows anyway, and this familiarity helps me to appreciate the band more and more. However, all of this touring and performing, along with all of the many side projects that the band has going on (including the awesome Daniel-led lo-fi project Hut) is bound to tire them out from time to time, and that may be the reason for the general lack of enthusiasm that were displaying on this particular evening. For those of us who are familiar with the songs, the show was still quite enjoyable, but I'm not sure that they were able to garner too many new fans this time around. Hopefully I'm wrong, because they definitely do have the potential to become one of the better party bands that our city has to offer; a fact that became a bit more evident towards the final part of their set.

Photos: Hooded Fang @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Hooded Fang

I mentioned that the general enthusiasm for the return of the RAA was of no surprise to me, but the looks on the faces of Amy Cole, Paul Banwatt and especially Nils Edenloff led me to believe that they were, at least, mildly unaware of just how appreciated they are here in Toronto. Nils made a comment that after performing to various sized venues and performing to crowds of differing levels of appreciation, it was "really great to be back." The sound of relief in his voice made it clear that perhaps not everybody has caught on yet to the wonderment of this talented band, but I'm sure that it's only a matter of time. The chemistry between these three members is the type of thing that doesn't come around that often. Nils was singing with great conviction that was particularly noteworthy in some of the more throat expanding numbers, such as The Dethbridge In Lethbridge. Amy's harmonies added a depth to the songs that enabled them to sound fuller than they would otherwise. And then there's Paul Banwatt. He's the secret ingredient that stretches this band beyond anything else I'm currently hearing on the indie music scene. Several points of reference have been made in describing the RAA sound, many of which are justified. But if you listen closely to what Banwatt is able to accomplish on the kit, you'll quickly realize that his drumming style has a uniqueness that is subtle, yet accomplished. From where I was standing, Banwatt and his kit were directly in my field of vision, and I found it hard to pay attention to anything else while he played. Particularly noteworthy was his drumming in the song Don't Haunt This Place, where he interchanged the beats several times within the song which called for incredible precision, timing and co-ordination on his part. I'm not a drummer so I don't know if it's as hard as it looks, but dang, it does look (and sound) impressive!

For the encore, Edenloff played a solo cover of Eye Of The Tiger alone on the acoustic guitar. The fact that it took a couple of minutes for me to recognize it shows that he successfully made the song his own, with his unique vocals sounding more immediate than ever before. They closed with a new song that I was unfamiliar with that also sounded great.

With significant buzz, positive press and a push by Saddle Creek, the possibilities for what the future may hold for The RAA are tremendous. Being a rather opinionated guy, my standpoint seems to be that there are far too many times when the wrong band seems to get the breaks, while the right band continues on in relative obscurity. I've seen that on the local scene, and I've seen that on the much larger international scene as well. For once, it appears that the right things are happening to the right band. Although the music business can be fickle and unfair, I sincerely hope that, this time, the momentum continues on in this positive direction and the RAA gets the fame and recognition that they rightly deserve.

Eye, NOW, Narratives and even Much Music all have reviews of the show and judging by who I saw in attendance, I'm sure that there are many more to come.

Photos: Rural Alberta Advantage @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Rural Alberta Advantage

The Datsuns w/ Turbo Fruits @ The Horseshoe

When The Datsuns emerged on the scene at the turn of the century, their testosterone fueled hard rock sound was exactly what I was into at the time. The New Zealand band's self titled debut was in heavy rotation on my CD player at a time when garage rock that was heavy on the swagger and nil on the social commentary was my definition of a perfect soundtrack to a Saturday night.

Since then, I've mellowed out quite a bit, and although there is still a steady diet of rock feeding my musical appetite these days, it seems to be more steeped in melody and psychedelia, than just a balls-to-the-wall attitude. That being the case, I really haven't paid much attention to The Datsuns since that first album, and my attendance at this show on a Monday night was more due to circumstance and the kindness of others, as opposed to personal overwhelming desire. But boy, am I glad that I went!

Starting the evening off was Turbo Fruits from Nashville, Tennessee. The band is a side project of the now defunct Be Your Own Pet featuring Jonas Stein and John Eatherly from that band, along with their friend Max Peebles on bass. Boasting more of a straightforward garage rock sound than the slightly artsier sounds of the band from which they were spawned, they put on a show that was so energetic that I honestly would have been satisfied if theirs was the only performance of the night. Their set was heavy on standard punk garage rock fare, with a few slower 60's inspired dance numbers. In much the same way that The Clash or The Who were way too talented to be pigeonholed as strictly punk rock, Turbo Fruits showed that, although it was relatively easy to tell where they were coming from in terms of rocking out, there was definitely a greater sense of inventiveness lying beneath the surface. With only one album under their belt, they fleshed out the set with a few choice covers, including an faster upbeat version of the Velvet Underground's Who Loves The Sun and a killer rendition of The Undertones' Teenage Kicks.

Photos: Turbo Fruits @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Turbo Fruits

The Datsuns have always had a reputation for being a killer live band and I think what resonated the most with me upon seeing them was the fact that they always seemed much more authentic than many of their contemporaries. To the untrained ear, it might be easy to lump them in with other nouveau garage bands like Jet or The Hives, but where those bands come across with an air of corporate schtickiness, The Datsuns just seem like a bunch of guys who genuinely love to play rock music without any tie induced agenda. I'm not saying that the business side of things isn't there, I'm just saying that it doesn't look like there is. In fact, 'love to play' may not be a strong enough expression to advertise how much fun it is to watch The Datsuns perform. Perhaps 'live to play' is a more accurate description of what I witnessed on that stage as the band shifted seamlessly from song to song, keeping the energy high throughout their set, while everything came together with a solid barrage of hooks, poses, swagger, and crazy rock star face contorting.

Their set actually had me reflect back to when I saw The Hives play Kool Haus last year and I couldn't help but think about what a shame it is that an entertaining, yet overall vapid band like The Hives can fill out a place like Kool Haus while a significantly more interesting and heavier rocking band like The Datsuns continues to play smaller venues like The Horseshoe. Many of my friends left The Hives show with declarations of 'best live show ever' which left me responding with a confused 'really?' look on my face. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but feel sorry for those that missed out on seeing this show, which was by far the more mind blowing of the two. It's unlikely that this scenario is going to change any time soon which, for now, will have to continue to be an unfortunate component of the current musical climate, I guess. However, if it were left up to me, The Datsuns would be marching alongside The White Stripes and Little Steven on the road to keeping the true spirit of authentic sounding garage rock alive.

Photos: The Datsuns @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: The Datsuns

These Electric Lives, SUNRiSER, Clothes Make The Man & Pants and Tie @ The Horseshoe

Last Saturday night was a rare occurrence in that it was a summer weekend where I actually had nothing planned. No anniversaries, no family gatherings, no prior commitments, nothing! So I scanned the live show listing and found an interesting bill at The Horseshoe featuring a couple of bands that I was unfamiliar with, a band that I've heard lots of great things about, and an old favourite that I hadn't seen for a while.

The evening began with Pants & Tie who are a local band with a very unique sound. On paper, it seems like something I should've enjoyed quite a bit. Mark Colbourne has a wicked voice that frequently hits the upper register of piercing, as he yelped maniacally with sort of a James Brown on helium vibe. When you couple that yelp with a slap bass sound that was straight out of the P-Funk schoolbook, you've got a recipe for some funky jams that would ordinarily get me out of my seat and onto the dance floor. I think what throws me off though is the band's use of electronic beats, as opposed to incorporating an organic drum sound into their mix. It's kind of a strange amalgamation of Talking Heads styled experimentation and Hot Chip blips and bleepage that created a conflict of interest that wasn't really working for me. I give them big 'ups for striving to create an original sound though, and it appears that there were many in attendance who dug them quite a bit. For now, I think that Pants and Tie falls into the 'respect' category for me, more than than the 'enjoy' category, although, as always, I'm not averse to checking them out again sometime to see if my mood has changed.

Photos: Pants and Tie @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Pants and Tie

It's been a couple of years since I last saw Clothes Make The Man, and upon seeing them this time, you'd think that they had recently been inducted into the rock 'n roll hall of fame or something. I'm not saying that they're acting like big corporate rock stars or anything, it's just that this show was significantly tighter and more mature than I remembered them being in the past. Thankfully, this is not at the sacrifice of any of their style and fist pumping rockiness, since the band was still able to showcase their staggering ability to pen a perfect pop song and then make it rock on stage. They played several cuts from their self titled release, including Chile, which I still maintain is one of the catchiest pop songs I've heard since the turn of the century. They also showcased a number of newer songs which are slated to appear on an upcoming album, the release date of which is still undetermined. It's clear that they're making their sound even more focused than ever before, and it even sounds as if they're trying to play a part in possibly making the rock ballad a credible force again. Now calm down, I'm not suggesting that they're the second coming of REO Speedwagon or anything, but they clearly have a penchant for making a sappy love lyric acceptable by keeping it shrouded in killer hooks that refuse not to rock out. Speaking of rocking out, there was one moment in the show where the drummer accidentally did some damage to the drum kit due to some excessive skin pounding that required an emergency surgery of sorts (on the drums themselves, of course, not the drummer.) This allowed lead vocalist Ryan Mclennan to take center stage for a solo acoustic number. The song he played was a pretty tune called Down Like That, which is slated to appear on the upcoming album as well. After the show last week, I have to say that I'm looking forward to it more than ever before.

Photos: Clothes Make The Man @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Clothes Make The Man

The third band on the bill, and the second band that I had never heard of was SUNRiSER. The band brought a little something from all around the world, with three members hailing from here in Toronto, one member from England and one more from Ireland. They also seemed to have generated a bit of a local fan base as a small crowd made their way to in front of the stage and sang along enthusiastically to the tunes. Frontman Daryl Webster has a very amicable stage presence that comes across quite natural and endearing, sort of a 'boy next door' charm, if you will. The band's style of indie pop was equally as non-confrontational, reminding me a bit of unassuming pop bands like Travis, while it provided some strong melodies and decent instrumentation, without ever being overly bombastic. They were the type of band that you could safely recommend to anybody and chances are that they would find something to enjoy in their sound.

Photos: SUNRiSER @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: SUNRiSER

I've been hearing great things about These Electric Lives for a while now but I had never really got around to sampling their music yet simply due to lack of time. Apparently their self titled João Carvalho produced EP earned them some critical praise, and their single We Should Be Believing was a bit of a small hit on college radio. I found their brand of 'melodic dance rock' to be pretty easy to digest in a live setting, as the band cranked out one anthemic blast after another. It quickly became obvious that they've done a good job at perfecting a solid live show that has already made a reputable name for itself. The crowd was dancing and shaking like crazy, as the vibe shifted regularly from moody key driven moments to epic sounding rock songs, usually wihtin the course of the same song.

Photos: These Electric Lives @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: These Electric Lives