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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Sup in April

Let's get right into it...

The Weakerthans (pictured above) are playing three shows at The Phoenix starting tonight (March 31st.) After years of unintentional neglect, I will be attending show #2 on Wednesday April 1st. This show is sure to be wicked awesome since joining them will be The Constantines (whom I've seen: amazing!) and The Waking Eyes (whom I've also seen: amazing!) the first two shows are sold out but I believe there are still some seats available for for the April 2nd show. $25. [Myspace: The Weakerthans; The Constantines; The Waking Eyes]

I was already prepared to see In-Flight Safety at The Horseshoe Tavern on Friday April 3rd, but now sweetening the pot is the fact that Oh No Forest Fires are one of the bands that are opening for them. I'm actually more excited about that since I haven't seen them for a while and they're one of my faves here in the city. Birthday Boys are also on the bill. Tix are $10 and In-Flight Safety are also doing an in-store at Criminal Records. Not sure of the exact time, although their website says 2-4pm. [Myspace: In-Flight Safety; Birthday Boys; Oh No Forest Fires]

A couple of the first bands that I ever blogged about are playing Bookman's Nu Music night at The Horseshoe on Tuesday April 7th. Fire Hydrant have a definite alt-rock style that is pretty easy to enjoy. Playing earlier on in the evening is Beautiful Nothing from Burlington. Their brand of dissonant high energy post punk is a far cry from what I'm listening to regularly these days, but this band holds a special place for me since they were one of those bands that got me looking into the indie music scene in the first place. Should be a good show. Also on the bill is Bombing Neverland and Dream Awake. Free. [Myspace: Fire Hydrant; Bombing Neverland; Beautiful Nothing; Dream Awake]

The Paint Movement are having a CD release party at The Rivoli on Friday April 10th with Fox Jaws, Make Your Exit and Provincial Parks. Great lineup! $8. [Myspace: The Paint Movement; Fox Jaws; Make Your Exit; Provincial Parks]

I am bummed to be missing Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul's on Friday April 17th and Saturday April 18th. Both shows are sold out but I wasn't able to attend anyways. Sucks. Just venting, that's all. [Myspace: Neko Case]

Local elctro dance sensation Woodhands are playing The Phoenix on Friday April 17th for $10. [Myspace: Woodhands]

As silly and out of place as this may sound, I actually think that I'm going to be seeing The Presidents of The United States of America at Lee's Palace on Tuesday April 21st. I know, I know, how old am I right? $20.50. [Myspace: The President of the USA]

Steve's boy Justin Townes Earle is playing The Horseshoe on Wednesday April 22nd in support of Midnight At The Movies which I should seriously get around to listening to. Tickets are $12.50. [Myspace: Justin Townes Earle]

Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta are bringing their triumphant stadium rock to Lee's Palace on Friday April 24th for $10. [Myspace: Hey Rosetta]

Bat For Lashes are awesome and they will be playing The Mod Club on Saturday April 25th for $15. 'Nuff said. [Myspace: Bat For Lashes]

It looks like I will likely be at Lee's Palace on Saturday April 25th to get my dance on with Shout Out Out Out Out who are in town to support their latest offering Reintegration Time which I've been listening to quite frequently lately. $15. [Myspace: Shout Out Out Out Out]

Noah and the Whale provide Lee's Palace with some of their eclectic indie folk stylings on Monday April 27th. $12.50. [Myspace: Noah and the Whale]

You certainly don't want to miss Elvis Perkins at The Horseshoe on Wednesday April 29th since he always does a solid show. $15. [Myspace: Elvis Perkins]

The Dears are playing The Mod Club on Thursday April 30th and tix are only $20. [Myspace: The Dears]

Also on Thursday April 30th is the amazing combination of John Doe and The Sadies at The Horseshoe. I've seen this amalgamation before and if you're able to attend, I cannot recommend them enough. $17.50 and it will be spectacular!! [Myspace: John Doe & The Sadies]

Weakerthans photo by Dan Moni.

Gary Louris and Mark Olson @ The Mod Club

Over the last few years, I've witnessed the hyperactive passion that emanates forth from some of the younger up and coming bands in the GTA. Youthful enthusiasm, energetic showmanship and cocky teenage angst all have their place in the world of rock 'n roll, but nothing can compare to the refined confidence and the nothing-to-prove comfortableness that accompanies the performance of a seasoned professional. And when two of such legendary stature as The Jayhawks' principle founding members Gary Louris and Mark Olson take the stage - theatrics, rock 'n roll cliches and a desperate need to impress no longer become necessary. It was this relaxed atmosphere that contributed to making Wednesday night's show at The Mod Club one to remember.

The duo was in town to promote their recent collaboration Ready For The Flood, which was released at the tail end of January. Referring to this as a Jayhawks reunion may have been tempting for some, but it would not have provided an accurate representation of what this show was to provide. This was not a celebratory return to the country-rock stylings of their heyday. This was a laid back, seated affair and although Bazil Donovan (Blue Rodeo), Mike Belitsky and Dallas Good (The Sadies) were all in attendance, they would not be joining the boys on stage for this one. This was Gary and Mark's show, intimate and subdued. They thanked everyone for waiting, and lunged into The Rose Society from the new album, a wispy little number that showcased the beautiful contrast between their two voices. You could here the recognition in people's cheers when they followed that up with Nothing Left To Borrow from 1995's Tomorrow The Green Grass, instantly putting to rest any thoughts that this stripped down showcase was not going to be offering much from Jayhawks past. On the contrary, the show was pretty much divided in half between the old and the new. Not surprisingly, there was not a note to be heard from the Olson-less poppier mid period of The Jayhawks catalogue, but both TTGG and Hollywood Town Hall were represented well. There were even a couple of Blue Earth tracks thrown in there for good measure.

Other than a few obligatory listens to the tracks streaming on their myspace, I haven't really heard much from the new album at the time of the concert, but a few songs stood out immediately. Bicycle boasted a mild sense of psychedelia, even in this acoustic setting, and Saturday Morning On Sunday Street was a folksy Simon & Garfunkel type of tune. They even included a new song in the encore, namely The Trap's Been Set, which contains the line that is used for the title of the album, and it has an instantly classic feel to it. In fact, the way it was presented at the show made me wonder if it was a classic Jayhawks song that I didn't recognize. The harmonies were spectacular, with their weathered voices having only improved with time. Also notable is Gary Louris' guitar work, showing that he can still pick with the best of them. Some of the other highlights were Two Hearts, Over My Shoulder and Martin's Song, which is another one of their really old cuts. And of course the show ended with Blue, a song that easily fits into my elite list of songs that I've heard a billion times but never seem to tire of. The awesome bridge section of the song sounded especially powerful, and to say it was chill inducing to see Gary and Mark together again singing that part in particular, would be an understatement, to say the least.

These days my attention span isn't what it used to be, so to be able to command my attention for an hour and a half with an acoustic set is no ordinary task. But of course, Gary Louris and Mark Olson are no ordinary performers and this was certainly one for the concert memory books.

Setlist: The Rose Society /Nothing Left to Borrow /Bicycle /Bloody Hands /Turn Your Pretty Name Around /Two Angels /Say You'll Be Mine /Saturday Morning On Sunday Street /Chamberlain, SD /Two Hearts /Sister Cry /Black Eyes /Doves and Stones /Over My Shoulder /Waiting for the Sun /When the Wind Comes Up /Life's Warm Sheets /Settled Down Like Rain /Encore: See Him On the Street /Martin's Song /The Trap's Been Set /Blue.

Eye Weekly also has a review of the show over here.

Louris and Olson left Toronto and headed on down to the David Letterman show the very next night. You can watch it over on youtube.

Photos: My shots from the show are on flickr.
Myspace: Gary Louris
Myspace: Mark Olson
Myspace: Ready For The Flood

'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]

Eric's Trip w/Quest For Fire & $100 @ The Mod Club

Finally getting to see Eric's Trip was like a dream come true to me. As far as I'm concerned, they're one of the seminal bands of the 90's, and it's a shame that they never entirely got the recognition that they deserved. They always seemed to be the band that was highly respected, yet never quite able to reach much more than a cult status.

Oddly enough, I ran into Rick White a couple of weeks ago. He was painting a wall on Queen Street. Very random. It turned out that this wall was to be the new location for Rotate This, Toronto's legendary independent record shop. I gushed a little bit (can't help it, I'm a fan) and he explained that the reason for The Mod Club show was to raise a bit of bread so as to be able to play a few shows in Europe. I thought that was kinda cool.

Sadly, the turnout wasn't quite as great as I would have expected (or hoped.) It wasn't bad by any means, but I was sure that this was going to sell out, and it didn't look like it did. The crowds, however, were pretty much what I expected: comprised mostly of those whose musically formative years were the early to mid 90's. It was great not to feel like the oldest guy at a show for once. The band was very tight, wasting as little time as possible between songs. No sooner would one song finish before the drummer counted off his "1,2,3,4" and the next song would start up! The setlist was full of crowd pleasers, and my favorite moments were hearing Follow sung with youthful exuberance, and Cloudy, which Rick sung as if his mother told him to use his inside voice. It was beautifully gentle and restrained, almost forcefully held back. But the number one moment was right before the encore, with Julie Doiron's blistering rendition of Blinded. She didn't look all that angsty but boy, did she sell it, making me very happy that I brought my earplugs to this one. Left the venue, pulled them out, no ringing in the ears. What an enjoyable after-moment.

Photos: My shots of Eric's Trip @ The Mod Club are up on flickr.
Myspace: Eric's Trip
Video: My Room on youtube
Video: Stove on youtube

The first of the two opening bands was a local alt-country band called $100. These days the term alt-country conjures up images of any number of roots rockers from Wilco to Ryan Adams. I assure you that $100 sounds even more authentic than even those bands do. The vocals of Simone Schmidt sounds as if she did some hard living in the deep south many many years before she could possibly have been born. Their music was an interesting contrast to the heavier bands that were to follow, but it didn't feel out of place. The set started off a bit slow paced which made it a little bit difficult for me to appreciate right away, but with each subsequent number, they continued to suck me in even more. By the time they got to a song which I believe was called Tirade, I was completely ensconced in an airy pedal steel dream that I never wanted to end. Their upcoming album entitled Forest of Tears was recorded with Rick White and will be released on Blue Fog Recordings.

Photos: $100 @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: $100

The second opener was Quest For Fire. Long story short, I think that I may have a new favorite local band. When they started their set, they came across to me as somewhat reminiscent of Pink Floyd during their mid period between the psychedelic Syd Barrett years and their FM radio mainstream progressive years. But as the show continued, I realized that they had honed a sound that is entirely their own. The band consists of Chad Ross, Josh Bauman, Mike Maxymuik and Andrew Gunn. Chad and Andrew used to play in The Deadly Snakes, the former band of my other favorite local Andre Ethier. Their sound is so atmospheric and aggressive and ethereal and mind blowing that I'm already itching to see them again. The light show at The Mod Club was also a good complement to their music, adding a surreal visual backdrop for their sounds; songs that have a tendency to veer off into lengthy cosmic soundscapes. I could serious fall in love with this band. Seriously.

Photos: Quest For Fire @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: Quest For Fire

Union City @ The Mod Club

The last time that I saw Union City they were known as The Scene, and I was very impressed with their authentic Brit-Pop sound. Well, in a matter of only a few months, the band has changed their name, morphed from a four piece into a three piece and released an outstanding EP. But the sound that they have carefully honed has remained very much in tact.

Their show at The Mod Club on Saturday night was touted as their Toronto CD release show, although basically it was more of a warm up show for all those who came out to dance the night away afterwards. I was obviously one of the few who was there to actually see the band, but I wouldn't be surprised if their performance had won them a few more fans. Upon seeing them this time, as well as listening to the EP in heavy rotation this weekend, there's no doubt in my mind that the band has been feeding on a steady diet of all things musically British. They come across as a cool amalgamation of The Kinks and early Oasis, minus the 'tude. On some of the more slightly downbeat numbers, such as Nowhere Left To Hide, vocalist Matt Crowley's voice sounds eerily similar to Lee Mavers, the vocalist for The La's. This is awesome to me because The La's are one of those bands that I wish put out more stuff. The other two members of the band are Jason Wells on bass and Mark Chamberlain on drums.

Like last time, their set was relatively brief, consisting of only a handful of songs, but the energy was highly infectious. This was heightened by the fact that there was some sort of bridal party stagette thing going on at the venue, and seeing as the girls were definitely making their presence known, the band dedicated their set to them. Also like last time, the band pulled out their cover of The Beatles' She Said, She Said, and Mod Club founder and Platinum Blonde frontman Mark Holmes joined them onstage for the vocals. Like the show, the CD also blasts by, clocking in at a rapid fire 21 minutes, forcing repeated listenings. All the songs are great but I highly encourage listening to the album closer Paris on auto repeat. This song is an example of pure rock 'n roll. No gimmicks. No posing. No catering to the MTV crowd. Just pure, unadulterated, authentic, classic sounding rock 'n roll. I almost forgot what that sounded like.

I highly encourage picking up this CD when you get the chance. I know that it's available at their live shows. They'll be at The Moho in Peterborough on June 6th and the live lounge in Ottawa on June 13th.

Photos: Union City @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: Union City

'Sup In May?

The months of May and June are absolutely jam packed with non-music related events that it's going to be quite difficult for me to get to many shows. My weekends for the most part, are shot. However, there are still several possibilities and if I make it out to even a portion of these, I'll be rather contented.

Regrettably, I haven't been to a TWM show for a couple of months but I've got two that are very strong possibilities. This Friday, May 2nd shows an excellent lineup of very unknown but promising young acts. The Job, Invasions and Lionids all sound great on their respective myspace pages and I think this'll be an outstanding show. Diamond Teeth cap off the evening. I've seen them before and they're tons 'o fun. $6.

Also, this month marks the one year anniversary of TWM shows at Rancho Relaxo. To commemorate this amazing feat, Dan Wolovick is hosting not one, not two, but yes, three days of unbelievable lineups. The dates for these are May 8th, 9th and 10th. You can found out all of the details about these shows on the Rancho myspace page, but huzzah, it looks like I'll at least be able to make it to day 2, which features three of my favorite bands, (and one more that could certainly become such, except I don't really know them that well.) The one that I don't know that well is Coast Guard, but they definitely intrigue me. The other three bands you've heard me rant about ad nauseum, and I will continue to do so until you get the point! They are Amos The Transparent, Fox Jaws and Beth In Battle Mode. It can't help but be one outstanding show! All three of the TWM Anniversary shows are only $10, and you get a special mixCD featuring 15 of the best and most exciting acts to grace the Rancho Relaxo stage. The cost is $7 without the CD.

In-Store Performances are all the fad these days, and there are some interesting ones coming up in May, but the only one that I plan on attending is the irreplaceable Aimee Mann at Sonic Boom on Friday May 9th. She's in town promoting her new album @#%&! Smilers, which drops on June 3rd. As much as I love her, I still have never seen her live, and seeing her in this intimate setting has me filled with teenage anticipation. This is especially true since her next "real" Toronto appearance is on August 28th at Kool Haus. I don't do Kool Haus. Anymore. So I must be at this show, see? I'm guessing that this is going to be a pretty big deal so if you're as interested as I am, I'd get there early. She's on at 6:30, I believe.

Download: Aimee Mann's Thirty One Today mp3


On Friday May 16th, British Sea Power come to Toronto to play Lee's Palace in support of the most obvious CD title ever, Do You Like Rock Music? The backlog of CD's that I'm supposed to be listening to is ginormous, so I haven't let this CD sink in as much as I would like it to, but so far, so good. Opening for them are The Rosebuds and Jeffrey Lewis. The show is $15.

Download: British Sea Power's Waving Flags mp3


The very next day on Saturday May 17th has Two Hours Traffic at Lee's as well. I've almost seen these guys approximately 800 times, but actually seen them none times. To be honest, it doesn't look too promising for this time also, but as of right now, I don't have anything else going on that day, so who knows? They're playing with We Are The Take, another band in my personal "800 almost" category. Mardeen are also playing. They're in my "never heard of" category. $8.

Download: Two Way Traffic's Stuck For The Summer mp3


Hello Operator has just released The Breaks, which offers more of their impressively accurate Cars influenced new wave style. I saw them at last year's NXNE at, quite frankly, they killed. They're playing for free at The Horseshoe on Tuesday May 20th as part of Edge 102's Nu Music Nite. The other bands on the bill are Craig Smith & the Saints, The iSpies and Harm.

UPDATE: For those that go back into these archives, I just realized that there was one more show that I plan on attending that I originally forgot to mention in this post. Friday May 23rd has Cardiff's Los Campesinos! playing at Lee's Palace. I salivated over their EP, but have not gotten around to taking in the full length Hold On Now, Youngster... yet but this is a rare occasion where there is no doubt in my mind that it is a fun CD. They're just too good. I promise to listen to it before the show though. Apparently Jeffrey Lewis is opening this one too, but with his backup band The Jitters.

Download: Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s) mp3


Finally, have you heard M83's Saturday = Youth CD yet? Did you like the Pretty In Pink soundtrack? Anthony Gonzales nails that sound so perfectly that you should definitely run down your hallway, pull a Judd Nelson by throwing your fist to the air and head on down to The Mod Club with me on Friday May 30th, as he brings his 80's throwback sound to T.O. I love this CD so much that I'll be posting an actual CD review sometime in the near future, but in the meantime, listen to the songs on myspace or follow the link to his video for Graveyard Girl below. $15.

Video: M83's Graveyard Girl on youtube.

Here are three other shows that I would go to if I could but I can't so I won't but you should cuz they're good.

Sun May 11th - El Perro Del Mar w/Lykke Li @ Mod Club. $15.
Sat May 24th - Laura Veirs w/Liam Finn @ El Mocambo. $10.
Fri May 30 & Sat May 31 - Golden Dogs @ Horseshoe $13.

Danny Michel w/ Wil @ The Mod Club

There was a lot of notable acts creeping around the city on Saturday night. The most notable of these were Dan Bejar's Destroyer at Lee's Palace and Colin Meloy of The Decemberists at The Phoenix. Great acts both, but I've always supported the underdog, and I think that Danny Michel falls into that category. He's got to be the most underrated Canadian act of the moment and I really wish more people would take the time to get to know his music and take in his incomparable live show. Those other shows will no doubt be blogged about like crazy anyways.

Danny's show at The Mod Club was the CD Release party for his new independent release entitled Feather Fur and Fin. He is a singer/songwriter from Waterloo, Ontario and his music has often been compared to Elvis Costello, Neil Young and Ron Sexsmith. I generally add that his sound could also be referred to as Weakerthans-lite, sharing a similar poetic whimsy to John K Samson, minus the harder edge. His CD's are good, but they generally lack the charismatic sheen of his live show. And as usual, I found it difficult to wipe the giddy smile off of my face throughout his set. The band was plagued with some technical difficulties right from the get-go, due to the drummer's drums being "broken", as Danny so eloquently explained. That was unfortunate since the show was being recorded for CBC Radio 2, but leave it to Danny to charm his way out of a potentially uncomfortable situation. Speaking of which, another astute female audience member informed him that he was "flying low" to which he quipped "my eyes are up here!" Yes, as usual, the banter was witty and his stage presence was gold, but it was the music that spoke for itself. He opened with The Invisible Man, the title track from his 2003 "breakthrough" album. The majority of songs were taken from the new one, including Tell Sally, Motorcade, and the awesome title track. He blasted through a set of folksy numbers as well as some rockers before ending things off with I'm 'a Love You Anyway, a terrific rocker, also from the new CD. For the encore, he pulled out a pretty accurate cover of Joe Strummer's Get Down Moses.

Photos: My pics actually turned out really good and they can be seen on flickr.
Myspace: Danny Michel
Download: White Lightning (from 2005's Valhalla) mp3


Opening for Danny Michel was Wil Mimnaugh, known in the biz simply as Wil. Wil is a singer/songwriter from Vancouver Island whose style of folk music treads on similar ground to artists like Jason Collett. The songs were easy to absorb and although they are the type of songs that would likely translate better in a more intimate setting, the setlist was short enough that he whet my appetite for more, without unnecessarily overstaying his welcome. His latest CD is entitled By December and features contributions from 54-40's Neil Osbourne as well as the aforementioned Collett. Definitely worth further examination.

Photos: My pics of the show are on flickr.
Myspace: Wil

MGMT w/Chairlift @ The Mod Club

It's been a while since I've been this taken aback by a live show. It was awesome, but very unexpected in the sense that I was expecting it to be a sort of electronica infused dance party. But this was a rawk show baby, pure and simple!

The opening act was a decent little indie pop band called Chairlift. They are from Brooklyn, New York and they specialize in some fairly straight forward, non controversial synth pop. The band is comprised of Caroline Polachek (vocals, synths), Aaron Pfenning (guitars) and Patrick Wimberly (drums). Their set started off sort of moody and subdued, not to mention also a little bit trippy. As the show continued, their sound built up to a more conventional level. Caroline's voice is very unique, at times reminding me a bit of Regina Spektor, although the style is totally different. By the end of the set, she was shaking maracas and clinking on the cowbell causing the band to morph from perhaps an Au Revoir Simone vibe to more of an 80's Swing Out Sister sort of sound. Fun.

Photos: My pics of Chairlift @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: Chairlift
Download: Evident Utensil (MGMT Remix) mp3
Video: At My Side youtube

It was obvious that the buzz surrounding MGMT had become an established fact. The Mod Club was packed and this was, in fact, a sold out show. The gaggle of American Apparel girls at the front of the stage screaming their admiration for Van Wyngarden was testament to the fact that they've obviously won over the MTV crowd, and they were certainly prepared to seize this moment. I've heard conflicting reports on MGMT's live show, so I was approaching this one with my enthusiasm tossed in with a hint of trepidation. That's why seeing the band assault the stage with a barrage of electric guitars was a very pleasant surprise. It also seemed to make the pre-show classic rock soundtrack make a little bit more sense. (Foghat at an electronic show?!?!) Saying that they 'assaulted' the stage was, I suppose, a bit of a stretch, since they opened with Weekend Wars, a bit of a subdued opener. But as the show progressed, the sounds just got louder, and they rocked it hard, culminating in a fist pounding in the air romp through their hit single Time To Pretend. The show took another surprising turn when it became time to end their main set. "This is our last song but don't worry, it's 15 minutes long." I thought this was maybe an attempt at witty banter, but seeing as they kept the jokes to a minimum, letting the music do the talking, I should have realized that this was actually a straight forward comment pertaining to the length of their last song. When you show up expecting disco, a 15 minute prog masterpiece is definitely a bit of a shocker. Prog is an ugly word to some, but I eat that stuff up with a spoon. I was beyond satisfied. For the encore, they did a couple more songs, including the obvious crowd favorite Kids, which finally showed them doing what I was expecting all along. The instruments were put down, a couple of buttons were pressed on the synths, and Van, along with Ben Goldwasser, paraded across the stage with mikes in hand, doing what they do. Chairlift even hopped on stage for the party. They're playing at least three different festivals this summer so I have a feeling that their subsequent returns to Toronto are just going to get bigger and bigger, which means that I likely won't be going out of my way to see them again, but thankfully this was a show to remember.

Photos: My MGMT pics @ The Mod Club are on flickr
Myspace: MGMT
Video: Time To Pretend on youtube

Gary Louris w/Vetiver @ The Mod Club

As much as I love seeing and exploring newer and younger acts throughout the city, every once in a while a guy has got to witness a true legend. Gary Louris is classic! Nothing compares to a show put on by someone who has the history and charisma of Gary, and this was certainly a very special night.

If you haven't heard it yet, his solo effort 'Vagabonds' is a flawless release that just gets better with every listen. I'll have to admit that, while I was looking forward to it, I wasn't expecting much. I figured that it was likely to be a very laid back, yet enjoyable listen. Truth is however, that it stands up alongside some of The Jayhawks best work. For this show, he featured many songs from this one, but he also played several from his vast back catalogue. What's great about seeing a seasoned professional like Louris is the fact that he no longer needs to prove himself. He's already done that several times over. So he is simply here to have a good time and give the audience what they want. That would include faves such as I'd Run Away, Save It For A Rainy Day, Angelyne, and of course, Blue. (BTW, that bridge towards the end of Blue still gets me every single time I hear it. And I've heard it a lot!) He opened the show with Omaha Nights, and he did some great versions of the songs from Vagabonds, my favorites being True Blue, the very Big Starsy I Wanna Get High and the title track, which is an instant classic in my not so humble opinion. Only building on the anticipation that I was already feeling was the fact that I saw The Sadies boys milling around throughout the audience that night. For the encore, Gary performed a few songs by himself before inviting The Sadies onstage with him to run through a powerhouse version of Tailspin and Dylan's You Ain't Goin' Nowhere.

Photos: My photos from the show are on flickr.
Myspace: Gary Louris

Opening the night was Vetiver, who were also Louris' backing band for the evening. Their songs were obviously inspired by their touring partner and sounded pretty good. They were a little bit predictable and formulaic, but they got better as the night went on. They had Eric Haywood join them on slide guitar towards the end of their set and he played throughout the night as well.

Photos: My photos from the show are on flickr.
Myspace: Vetiver

Dean & Britta w/Keren Ann @ The Mod Club

In 2007, the first truly great album that I reviewed was "The Back Numbers" by Dean & Britta. That's why it seems highly appropriate that my first concert review of 2008, be none other that that very same Dean & Britta at The Mod Club. I missed their performance last year, so there was no way that I was going to miss them a second time around.

Having never seen Dean Wareham live before in any of his previous incarnations, it was a real treat to hear him perform songs spanning his vast career. The evening opened with Galaxie 500's 'Snowstorm,' an appropriate choice considering the amount of snow that we've had to suffer through over the past few weeks. (It doesn't look like there's going to be any letup soon either. Another 10 cm on Tuesday? C'mon!!!) That was followed by their cover of Adam Green's 'Not Supposed To Be Lovers.' Adam Green was in The Moldy Peaches who sang songs on the Juno soundtrack which led to Dean's dissing of the movie 'Juno' which led to all of us laughing. That was just one example of Dean's knack for keeping us entertained with his personal approach to audience banter. That was followed, by my surprise, to Luna's 1995 tune 'Moon Palace,' a song that I figured I'd never get to hear live. The rest of the evening was comprised mostly of songs from their two albums together as a duo, culminating in Britta's stirring rendition of the Lee Hazlewood / Ann-Margret classic 'You Turned My Head Around.' What an awesome voice, one that is just as flawless live as it is on the recording. For the encore, they pulled out Luna's 'Tiger Lily' and a cover of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot's 'Bonnie and Clyde.' Ah, concert going perfection, how I missed thee.

Photos: Dean & Britta @ The Mod Club on flickr. (Man, I love the lighting at The Mod Club)
Download: Words You Used To Say mp3
Myspace: Dean and Britta
Video: Words You Used To Say youtube
Video: Knives From Bavaria youtube

As I found out when Britta left me a comment on a previous blog post (that's right, you heard me .... Britta ..... commented ... on MY BLOG ... pardon me while I giggle like a schoolgirl,) this tour with Keren Ann is actually a double headlining tour in which the two acts take turns as headliners. Keren was the headliner in Montreal on Friday, which meant that she was the opening act for this Toronto appearance. I went into this show actually knowing very little about her. I had only briefly sampled her latest self titled release, and I recently found out that this is actually her sixth album. All I knew was that her music could get pretty mellow and because of this, I was preparing not to be too riveted.

However, I hope that Keren Ann can find it in her heart to forgive my ignorance. Mellow, yes, but not riveting? Hardly. I found her performance to be every bit on par with Dean and Britta's. Her vocals were smoky, breathtaking, airy and all other kinds of flattering adjectives. Her music is subtle and moving, incorporating bits and pieces of jazz, folk, country and blues, as well as a smattering of world music overtones. The harmonies between her and her bass player were tear inducing, and the sound of her harmonica was like sweet honey. I will definitely have to get better acquainted with her catalogue, because I now feel like I've been missing out.

Photos: Keren Ann @ The Mod Club on flickr
Download: Lay Your Head Down mp3
Myspace: Keren Ann
Video: Lay Your Head Down youtube
Video: Chelsea Burns youtube

The Scene @ The Mod Club

It should be a local indie venue rule that if you're a band who draws your influences heavily from bands like The Beatles, The (early) Stones, The Who, The Kinks or perhaps any newer sixties vibes like The Stone Roses, The Verve or Brian Jonestown Massacre, then you should be required to play The Mod Club. That is such an excellent venue for such a band. As you've probably noticed from the eight billion references I just dropped, The Scene is just such a band. I love their approach to creating music, choosing to work with a strong melody and sweet jangly guitars, as opposed to mock angst and Kroeger-esque screaming. Their songs worked very well in The Mod Club setting since the sound there is always impeccable and the light show adds a very neo-psychedelic ambiance to the show. Their original songs are incredibly strong, so much so that when they throw in an exceptional cover (namely 'She Said She Said' by The Beatles), it does not sound at all out of place. The band consists of Mark Chamberlain (drums), Brian McCarthy (bass), Matthew Crowley (Guitar, vocals), and Jason Wells (guitar). Their set was unfortunately very short, designed obviously to warm up the crowd before they enter into Saturday night clubbing mode. (I'm never in that mode, which is why I could have easily listened to another hour or so of The Scene. However, that's OK. I was feeling like an early night anyways.) The band is currently working at finishing their debut CD which I am beyond excited to hear.

The Scene are back in Toronto on November 17th at Neu+ral Lounge near Kensington Station. Don't miss it!

Photos: The Scene @ The Mod Club flickr
Download: Please mp3 / How Does It Feel mp3
Myspace: The Scene
Videos:
Paris (live on Junction 28) youtube
Don't Wait Too Long (live on Junction 28) youtube

They Might Be Giants w/Young Rival @ The Mod Club

Well, I relived my teen years by FINALLY seeing They Might Be Giants in concert last night at The Mod Club. I was a rabid fan back in 1990, when I played the heck out of my cassette copy of "Flood," simultaneously amusing and irritating my friends at the time. Well, the long-time fans and newbies all congregated together in one massive throng as the band did everything they could to please both camps. They started the night off with a couple of songs from their better-than-average latest CD "The Else" before pulling out some old favourites, some older favourites, a few more new ones, some surprises and a couple of encores. Among the surprises for me, were hearing them perform "Minimum Wage" in all its 47 second glory. One of my best friends back in the day used to tell everyone he knew that it was the best song of all time, just to see what reaction he would get. If there was ever a time to pull out the silly dancing, that was it. They also played the absolutely convoluted "Fingertips", which Flansburg introduced as "only 3 minutes in length, but somehow much shorter." If you know the song, then you know what he means. During the "I'm having a heart attack" portion of the song, Flansburg also played up the crooning boy band angle to gut-wrenching effect. Another nice surprise was hearing them perform "Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head" for apparently the first time in several years. And finally, the encores consisted of classics like "Particle Man," "The Famous Polka" and "Twisting." I've always viewed the band as witty, clever, oftentimes silly, but always entertaining. The concert simply entrenched those feelings even further, as they put on another one of the "best shows I've seen this year." (I do realize that if I don't stop saying that, it's going to get increasingly more difficult for people to take me seriously...)

Opening band Young Rival is one of the best bands I've seen all year. (D'oh!) Fact is, when I lived in Burlington, I used to go to Hamilton on a regular basis to see these guys perform. This is back when they were still known as The Ride Theory. At that time, they really played up the 60's garage band angle, and it was entirely convincing. I was curious to see what changes came along with the name tweak. Well, the biggest difference is that now they are simply playing up the rock 'n roll band angle. The zoot suits and skinny ties may be gone, but the energy is still there in full force, and their performance never slagged, not for a moment. They've still got it, from the classic riffs to the appealing hooks. I sincerely think that if bands were promoted properly, the way they were back in the days when rock 'n roll was still in its infancy, then Young Rival would have girls screaming and fainting in the aisles, the way they did for The Beatles back in '64. Every time I see them in concert, I catch sight of someone completely losing it on the dance floor, head shaking and hip shaking their lives away. Their music continues to be invariably contagious and if you haven't yet had the chance to see them live, please do. You won't regret it.

Hear They Might Be Giants on myspace.
Check out my pics of TMBG on flickr.
Hear Young Rival on myspace.
Check out my pics of Young Rival on flickr.

Tin Bangs, Danielle Duval & Reily @ The Mod Club

A dude on a budget should not be attending as many shows as I have this past month, but hey, if the price is right…

A mere toonie was the cover charge for Friday night’s show and to see four stellar bands, well that’s quite a deal. The night kicked off with Reily. I may have mentioned them to you before. OK, fact is I’ve reviewed them to the point of mild obsession this month so I won’t bore you with the details yet again, but I’ll just say that although the crowds didn’t really show up until later that night, Reily’s professionalism is becoming more and more apparent with every show. Feel free to read my other reviews here, here, or here.

Reily’s myspace page.
I took pics again. They’re on flickr.
A fan made sort of a video type thing for the song “Talk Sweet; Walk Tall [Breathe Deep]” on youtube. It’s pretty good.

Danielle Duval is a singer-songwriter from Montreal whom I heard was Sam Roberts’ cousin. I have yet to confirm that though. Regardless, she put on an excellent performance that had sort of a barroom feel to it. Her voice has a whisky-stained sort of huskiness that sounds like she’s already lived a fairly intense life for a young girl. Her original material sounds like it had been written and performed for decades. She sounds like the type of artist who’s been playing her songs for years at divey bars where you perform behind a mesh of chicken wire and old time drunk cowboy’s chuck beer bottles at you. (Most. Obscure. Reference. Ever.) Anyways, what I mean is there’s a real timelessness to her sound that gives her music an edge that I like. She also did a few covers, most noteworthy being the classic Bill Munroe hit “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” This song has already been covered by the best (Patsy Cline, Elvis, Ray Charles, etc.) but she still managed to make it her own. On the other hand, her cover of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s “You’re The One That I Want” just may be one of the more original covers I’ve ever heard. How she ever came up with the idea of countrifying that song is beyond me, but it was definitely one of those rare strokes of genius.

You can hear that cover, and some of her other songs on her myspace page.
You can see my pics of the Danielle Duval band over on flickr.

Next up was local rock and roll sensation Tin Bangs. These guys had the honor of opening up for The Killers just a few months ago and I’ve heard more than a couple of people claim that they blew those guys off the stage. After Friday night’s show, I believe it. These guys are everything a rock ‘n roll band is supposed to be. Their music screams with the simple intensity of a bomb going off, reminiscent of bands like The Clash, Hüsker Dü or even current bands like Editors. They display an outrageous overabundance of rock ‘n roll swagger, that was most noticeable in percussionist Robbie Butcher’s drum solo. (That’s right, there was a drum solo baby!) He reminds me of my other favorite drummer, that of course being Animal from The Muppets. Except I think that Robbie has more hair. Although the songs are hooky, riffy, and catchy, and I loved them in a live setting, I did have my doubts that the tracks may not translate as well offstage. However, I’ve been listening to them a little bit since the show, and they are definitely solid. I’ll certainly be checking out their show again in the near future.

Download:
Shake mp3
The Skinny mp3

Visit them on their myspace page.
Purchase their EP “Heavy Handed Darling” at Indiepool.com
Check out my pics of Tin Bangs over on flickr.

The last band of the night was post-punk revivalists The Amber Room and although I was pumped to see them as well, sadly I had to bolt before their performance. But I’ll check them out sometime soon. They sound pretty good.