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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tom Fuller Band - Abstract Man

I have to admit that the partially inaccurate "classic rock influenced" descriptive tag placed on the Tom Fuller Band's sophomore release Abstract Man prevented me from putting this CD in my player as early as I normally would have. It's not that I have anything against classic rock per se (I grew up on it as a matter of fact), it's just that there's already enough classic rock out there that I don't particularly feel an intense desire to hear a newer version of it. That's why, by the time that I finally did listen to it, I was pleasantly surprised at how decent an album it actually is. There are some classic rock riff moments on it, but it's the forays into good old fashioned power pop that gets my head bobbing.

At 14 tracks, Abstract Man could stand a little bit of trimming but I will mention some of the highlights. The opener Radio Man forces me to go with the much overused Beatle-esque tag but with its sunshiny melody and bright harmonies, what else are you going to call it? Sunglass Wardrobe also borrows from the moptops, and even picks up a little bit of Jellyfish along the way creating an excellent throwback vibe. Dragon Fight is a little bit more 90's Brit Pop, boasting some very solid production that is slick, but never overpowering. There are a couple of moments where his romanticism gets a little bit too sappy for my tastes (I could've done without the spot-on cover of Air That I Breathe), but one of the areas where it actually works is in Tomorrow Morning, which is a slice of syrupy seventies AM radio gold that sounds completely genuine. Only In America is the standout track and obvious single. I really like the production on this one, with ELO-inspired harmonies and a hooky chorus that demands attention. The opening doo-doo-doo's instantly put a smile on my face and a spring in my step, something that only really good power pop can accomplish. There are other good songs on the album and a couple more throwaways but overall, this is a solid release that even my mom would likely enjoy.

Myspace: Tom Fuller Band
Stream: The entire Abstract Man CD here.

So I broke down and picked up a nose bleeder to the second Neil Young with Wilco show at the ACC on Friday December 5th. I would've tried for a general admission spot but by the time that I convinced myself to just go for it, all them spots were gonzo. My seat is waaaay up there so I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to see, but I had to go. I'm ashamed to admit that I still have never seen Wilco live, despite them being one of my all time favourites. I have seen Neil before but it was while he supporting the Greendale project. Visually stimulating yes, but I don't really want that being the last time I see him. So ultimately, I'm really looking forward to it.

Myspace: Neil Young
Myspace: Wilco

Just found out that Broken Social Scene are finally coming back to Toronto for a show. It's at Sound Academy on Thursday November 27th and tix are $25. Sadly, I'm not available that day so hopefully it sells out really quick-like and the band decides to go for the second show. Not getting my hopes up but who knows...

Myspace: Broken Social Scene

Also, I just came across a (relatively) new site that also lifts its name from a Sloan reference. Money City Maniacs.com talks about all of the free stuff taking place in our fair city which is awesome because 'free' happens to be my favourite price. Therefore I commence bookmarking...NOW. On that site, I discovered that this Sunday is the Word On The Street Festival at Queen's Park. As usual, I've got something going on already so I won't be able to check out most of it, including Ohbijou at 5:15pm, but maybe, just maybe I'll make it out to see one of the other acts. Like Laura Barrett perhaps. I've been wanting to see her for awhile. Go to any one of the above sites for the full schedule.

Myspace: Ohbijou
Myspace: Laura Barrett

Finally, if you'll wallow in nostalgia with me for a minute, one of my favourite things about youtube is the overwhelming supply of fantastic long forgotten videos that this online 'no - longer - than - nine - minutes - at - a - time' poor quality video channel provides. In my journeys this week, I stumbled across Crash Vegas' Inside Out from 1990. Crash Vegas was such a great band, yet they seem to have been forgotten by many. Their CD's are out of print, and online information is few and far between. Do yourself a favour and check out this long lost Canadiana indie pop classic.