Neil Young, Wilco and Everest @ Air Canada Centre

Well it turns out that my prediction that Friday night's Neil Young show at the ACC would be the concert event of the year was 100% accurate as both Neil and Wilco put on a show that will go down in the annals of personal concert going history as nothing short of legendary.

As the evening began however, it didn't look like that was going to be the case. I was quickly reminded of why I hate dishing out ridiculous sums of money to go to stadium shows. I had mentioned that I was way out in the nosebleed section but my seat was so badly to the left that I didn't even have a good view of the jumbotron. Furthermore, I was on an end seat and people in my row had either incredibly weak bladders, or suffered from chronic nicotine attacks, and the couple next to me obviously live in a remote area that has recently banned talking because why else would you pay 60+ dollars to go somewhere and talk all night? I know that for regular stadium concert goers, I probably sound like a whiny little girl, but you have to understand that I've always been pretty spoiled when it comes to getting a good spot for a show. This distraction made it very difficult for me to fully appreciate the evening's openers, who were LA's Everest. It's funny, because my vantage point was so band that I had entirely missed the fact that Hayden had joined them onstage for the show. Ah well. Still, for those fleeting moments that I was paying attention, Everest's brand of classic sounding folksy indie rock sounded like it was actually right up my alley. Right away I noticed that vocalist Russell Pollard's voice reminded me quite a bit of Jeff Tweedy, with a touch of Ryan Adams' countryness, displaying a slight rasp and a punchy delivery. Their set took on the slow build approach and by the end, they were rocking out rather heavily and I remember thinking that I should really try to check out this band again, perhaps in a more intimate setting.

Myspace: Everest
Video: Rebel In the Roses on youtube

Within seconds of Wilco hitting the stage, I had quickly forgotten about my crappy seating and found myself completely taken in by the fact that I was finally seeing Wilco in concert. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit that I had still never gotten around to seeing them, despite the fact that they are easily one of my favourite bands of all time. Chalk it all up to bad timing and conflicting schedules, I guess. However, you take what you can get and, surprisingly, the sound at ACC is actually very good. In many ways, Friday night's performance was the perfect show for someone who had never seen the band before since it ended up being a greatest hits show of sorts. Drummer Glenn Kotche had a prior committment to play with the Kronos Quartet in NYC so the band opened with a few drummerless acoustic numbers which sounded good, although Glenn's absence was definitely noticeable. Tweedy was in fine comedic form as he dished out several excuses for the lack of Kotche, ranging from 'zamboni accident' and 'constructive surgery' to 'fell in a vat of beer' and 'ice fishing incident.' However, after playing Jesus, etc, the band introduced Donny, the first in a series of guest drummers who would try to fill Glenn's shoes for the evening. Jeff suggested that these drummers were all contest winners and that this was the first time the band had ever played with them, but who knows if he was telling the truth. It's pretty hard to get a straight answer out of that guy. Still, it sounded like the drummers got to shoose the setlist, more or less, and this is why, unlike the rest of the tour, the band showcased more of their classics, and basically the only Sky Blue Sky song was Impossible Germany, which was cool with me. During Donny's set, it was great to hear a slightly slowed down version of Passenger Side and the almighty California Stars. Drummer #2, Steve, was the most rock 'n roll of the bunch, and his fast paced set included Red Eyed and Blue, I Got You (At The End Of The Century) and Outtasite (Outta Mind). Awesome. At this point it became apparent to me that my fellow nosebleeders had no idea who Wilco was. It's strange to be at a Wilco show with people who don't know Wilco. Anyway, drummer #3, Ryan, joined in for an impromptu Heavy Metal Drummer that he was clearly unprepared for (he did well, his timing was just a little bit off at first,) and the band ended with a cover of Dylan's I Shall Be Released. As far as I was concerned, Wilco's set was worth the price of admission alone, and hopefully this won't be the last time that I see them but even if it is, I feel completely satisfied.

For the first time ever, I even took note of the setlist. Check it out:
Hesitating Beauty / War On War / Jesus, etc / Hummingbird / California Stars / Handshake Drugs / Impossible Germany / Red Eyed and Blue / I Got You (At The End Of The Century) / Outtasite (Outta Mind) / Heavy Metal Drummer / I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan Cover)

Myspace: Wilco
Video: Here's a version of I Shall Be Released performed by Wilco and Fleet Foxes that's pretty cool. On youtube.

Finally, it was time for Neil. I had only ever seen Neil once before. It was also at ACC, and I had won the tickets from a Hamilton classic rock radio station. The problem was that he was promoting the lacklustre Greendale album at the time and needless to say, I did not want that to be my only live Neil experience. Thankfully, like the Wilco setlist, this was clearly the show that Neil fans were meant to see, featuring one of the best setlists to ever accompany a Neil Young show. Although he was quite far away from me, the unmistakable frame of Mr. Young was obvious, and as he wailed away to Love And Only Love on, what I believe was his classic Les Paul, I knew that this night was going to be special. Prior to this show, I only half understood why the term 'Godfather of Grunge' had been appointed to him. However, seeing him rock out all hunched over while his guitar made that familiar high pitched whirr that will forever be associated with only this one man made it obvious to me as to how he has been able to influence an entire generation of plaid wearing angsters. The level of hard rockin' euphoria continued to escalate with each passing song, culminating in Cortez The Killer and Cinnamon Girl, which had even the people in my crappy section plugging in their air guitars and putting on a little performance of their own. Cortez The Killer was the best performance of the night in my opinion; chill inducing to say the least. At this point, Neil began the acoustic portion of the show with Oh Lonesome Me from After The Gold Rush, which led into several classics like Needle and the Damage Done and, of course, Heart Of Gold. (For some reason they skipped over Old Man this time around, even though it had been played on the rest of the tour.) After playing a couple of new songs, Cowgirl In The Sand was displayed in all of its ten minute glory. Only Neil would have the gall to throw three or four guitar solos into the same song and you gotta love him for that. Rockin' In The Free World is of course, the perfect way to end a show and everybody was up and out of their seats for that one. For the encore, he came back out and did a blistering version of The Beatles' A Day In The Life, ending with a deafening wall of guitared feedback frenzy that had Neil yanking the strings out of his guitar. With a final ding of the bell, the show was done. The lights came back on. I was beyond satisfied. Thank you Neil. Thank you.

Here's the setlist, via Sugar Mountain.
Love And Only Love / Hey Hey, My My / Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere / Powderfinger / Spirit Road / Cortez The Killer / Cinnamon Girl / Oh, Lonesome Me / Mother Earth / The Needle And The Damage Done / Unknown Legend / Heart Of Gold / Get Back To The Country / Just Singing A Song / Sea Change / When Worlds Collide / Cowgirl In The Sand / Rockin' In The Free World // A Day In The Life

Myspace: Neil Young
Video: Here's a mediocre clip of him performing A Day In The Life in Dublin. On youtube.

Obviously due to my poor seating arrangements I didn't get any worthwhile pics of the show, but I noticed that Frank from Chromewaves was at both shows and got some stellar close up shots from the Thursday show, and some great but further away shots from the Friday show. He'll likely have his own review up tomorrow along with some tales from the backstage. (I noticed that he actually got to meet Neil Young on Friday which means that I unfortunately have to hate him now. Just kidding.)

My Top 10 Hottest Canadian Bands 2008

As I mentioned in my last post, last Friday I (Heart) Music had posted the annual Hottest Bands In Canada list. I gave a few comments about my choices and omissions, etc. but after noticing that Mike at For The Records put up his personal choices, well, copycat that I am, I figured that I'd do the same.

Each of us who contributed to the list were basically given only two rules: the bands had to be Canadian, and they had to have a particularly "hot" year. We were aloud to define both of those terms anyway that we liked. The first one was pretty self explanatory, but determining what would be considered hot, well, that's another story. I basically decided that it meant that my personal views should be set aside (for the most part), and the bands in question had to have received quite a bit of recognition from the public, other artists and the critics and fans. I mostly stuck to that criteria, except now that I think about it, maybe my number one choice was based on more personal opinion that I consciously intended:

1. Cuff The Duke – Cuff the Duke was everywhere in 2008. They’ve opened for Feist and Calexico as well as playing backup for Hayden and holding their own with Blue Rodeo and Basia Bulat. Their live show is amongst the best that I’ve seen all year. They have the youthful vigor of a new band, but the musical abilities and tightness of a band that’s been doing this for decades. (And on a personal note, any band that can make me nostaligic for Oshawa is worthy of some form of recognition.) Myspace

2. Feist – Although last year was a particularly hot year for Feist, she managed to keep that momentum going in 2008. She appeared on SNL at the tail end of ’07, was on Stephen Colbert in April, will be headlining the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Concert with Diana Ross and won 5 Juno awards. However, what really makes 2008 an especially hot year for her is the fact that she got to sing with the monsters of Sesame Street. It took R.E.M. 16 years and 11 albums to get there. Feist did it in 9 years and 4 albums. Myspace

3. Shad - I know a lot of people that felt that Shad should have won the Polaris prize that he was nominated for this year. The fact that it wasn’t necessarily hip hop fans that felt this way really says a lot about how all encompassing his appeal really is. Like Cadence and K-OS before him, Shad has introduced impressive rhymes and beats to those who wouldn’t usually spend a lot of time with hip hop. Myspace

4. The Dears – What makes these guys so hot is the fact that they’ve struggled through a year of difficulty and adversity which included severing ties with both their label and most of their band, yet they still came out on top by releasing an album as inventive and brilliant as Missiles.
Myspace

5. Neil Young – It’s never easy for an artist to remain relevant throughout a career spanning 40+ years, but in many ways Neil is now more relevant than ever. He has the ability to play a large stadium and still make you feel as if his show was prepared just for you. Myspace

6. Caribou – Although I’ve got my personal views on all things Polaris, there is no denying the fact that winning this prize is a sure fire way to get your name on the map. Although Dan Snaith was already there in many ways, being included in every Polaris related conversation certainly adds to your hotness factor, and to do so with a style of music that many people find indefinable is twice as impressive. Myspace

7. Amos The Transparent – There are two kinds of hot: the kind that you notice immediately and the kind that sort of sneaks up on you. I’ve been following these guys closely and I’ve noticed that people will literally stop what they’re doing and become instantly awestruck when they hit the stage. They’re still a relatively small name right now, but they undoubtedly gain new fans with every show that they play. Myspace

8. Ruby Coast - For a bunch of kids fresh out of high school to put out music that is miles ahead of some of their (more popular) contemporaries, one has to wonder if this is just the tip of the iceberg. There may be no limit to what they can accomplish. Myspace

9. Broken Social Scene – Technically they didn’t even release an album this year, but when slapping the tagline “Broken Social Scene Presents…” to the front of your name guarantees that you’ll receive double the exposure, that’s pretty impressive. Myspace

10. Crystal Castles – Unfortunately my personal opinion doesn’t seem to have much of an impact on a band’s overall hotness factor so my list begins with a band that I don’t get, but for some reason a lot of people do. Although I’ve never been one to listen to video game music for enjoyment, a Crystal Castles show seems to have become synonymous with crazy antics and controlled chaos. They’ve successfully used negative publicity to their advantage, and you’ve got to respect that (to a certain extent anyway.) Myspace

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.

Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young @ The Gibson Guitar Artist Showroom

Everybody knows that the music of Neil Young is timeless. Neil is a legend, an innovator, an original and some would even say, the godfather of grunge. He's also perfect material for the often dreaded tribute album. Most of the time, these types of albums don't really work, but Borrowed Tunes, which was released in 1994, did. For the most part. It contained some excellent covers by Crash Vegas, The Skydiggers and Cowboy Junkies as well as some not-so-excellent covers too, which I won't mention by name but if you've ever listened to it, you know what they are. Well, a sequel has been released, and although I haven't listened to it yet, judging by the performances at the launch party last night, it sounds pretty good too.

We were invited to this special event for industry insiders (which I'm not) hosted by Sirius Satellite Radio and Universal Music. The performances were excellent, and the atmosphere was laid back and fun.

The first performer was Pat Robitaille, who performed a whiskey stained version of one of my favorite NY songs, "Sugar Mountain." I really appreciate that he made the song his own, and the same could be said for Melissa McClelland, who's version of "Cinnamon Girl" was a complete reworking, exchanging 'the rock' for something a little bit more subdued and mysterious. In between those two was Liam Titcomb, whose version of "Bandit" could only be described as arresting. You could tell that he was a massive fan of the song, and his enthusiasm was certainly contagious. Next up was the great Canadian smirk himself, Danny Michel. He's been on a bit of a hiatus as of late, but he came out of hiding to perform "After The Goldrush." The guy is a guitar king, and if you haven't yet seen him live, next time he comes, do it. Seriously. Don't even think about it, just do it. He's the most fun you'll have in concert all year. Finally, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings came out to perform "Unknown Legend." Tom Wilson was there, oozing arrogance and attitude, but if you've ever seen them, that ain't a bad thing. In fact, you wouldn't want him any other way. For the grand finale, all the cast got together to do the final tribute song singalong which, if you've ever seen one of those, they rarely work. Unless the song is "Helpless." That one always works. Neil's sister Astrid also jumped onstage for the singalong, which ended the evening on a supremely triumphant note. The only downside is that now I'm REALLY irritated that I can't afford to go to the ACTUAL Neil Young show at Massey Hall on November 26, 27 and 29.

Photos: Borrowed Tunes II @ Gibson Guitar Showroom on flickr

Download Other Neil Young Covers:
Don't Let It Bring You Down (Weeping Tile) mp3
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Saint Etienne) mp3
Through My Sails (Soulsavers feat. MarkLanegan & Will Oldham) mp3
Hangin' On A Limb (Richard Reagh feat. El Perro Del Mar) mp3
Dying Breed / Cortez The Killer (Marissa Nadler) mp3

Myspace:
Pat Robitaille
Liam Titcomb
Melissa McClelland
Danny Michel
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings
Neil Young

Purchase:
Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute To Neil Young on Amazon.ca
Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young on Amazon.ca

Coming Up...

So this is going to be one of those quick and tossed off sort of posts, but I thought I'd just fill you in on what I'm up to, and not up to, musically-wise, for the week ahead.

In the "not-up-to" category, The National, are playing at The Phoenix tomorrow night. I had every intention of going to this one since I've heard several reputable sources say that they have put on some of the best shows of the year. However, in my foolishness, I assumed that they weren't really that popular, and there should be no problem getting tickets closer to the show date. I snoozed and therefore, I lost. This one's sold out kiddies, so if you managed to get a ticket, let me know how it went. Or give yours to me. Whatever.

Neil Young is playing three dates at Massey Hall and the tickets are beyond expensive. So I likely won't be going to that one but, on Tuesday, I have been invited to the launch party for Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute to Neil Young over at the Gibson Guitar Artist Showroom. I realize that this is nowhere near the same thing as seeing the actual Neil, but there are still going to be some performances from some artists that I'm actually quite fond of. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Melissa McClelland, Liam Titcomb and others will be performing the great songs of Neil. I'm quite looking forward to it.

I had mentioned earlier that the greatest local indie rock draws in the city these days come to us courtesy of Two Way Monologues. Wednesday marks the kickoff of a new series entitled Wallet Friendly Indie: 3 bands for 3 bucks. TWM Showcases have always been very well supported, often boasting over 120 or so in attendance. Wednesday's lineup at Rancho Relaxo is headlined by The Stables (formerly known as The Kent Boys), with sets by The Deadbeat Dads and Boxes and Bags. While we're on the subject, the next TWM Showcase #5 is extra-exciting in that it has none other than Patrick Krief of The Dears headlining. If you haven't seen him live, it's been recommended that you definitely do so. I hear his guitar work is insane! That show is also at Rancho on Friday October 19th, with Schomberg Fair and Obviously Five Believers supporting.

And finally, on Friday, The Horseshoe has a lineup that is so unbelievable that I can't believe it! It is a night of glorious Arts & Crafts wonderment as The Besnard Lakes are supported by Young Galaxy and New Buffalo. If you haven't heard "The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse" than you have been missing out on one of the most triumphant releases of the year. Same goes for both Young Galaxy and New Buffalo, the latter's new album being a very captivating album that I actually feel rivals Feist's "The Reminder." For those that don't know, New Buffalo is actually Sally Seltmann from Australia, who co-wrote Feist's mega-hit "1,2,3,4" from the aforementioned album. I had seen only a smidge of Young Galaxy earlier this year, but had to leave due to a mild case of nausea. I'm assuming that the problem was internal and had nothing to do with their performance, and thus I am really pumped about checking them out, ailment free.

More upcoming interesting shows that I may or may not attend:
Great Northern - Lee's Palace - October 17th
Scout Niblett - Silver Dollar - October 23rd
Rogue Wave - Mod Club - October 26th
The Sadies - November 2nd - Lee's Palace
The Sadies - November 3rd - The Horseshoe
Amos The Transparent - November 8th - The Horseshoe
The Weakerthans with Jenn Grant - November 7-8th - The Phoenix
Ohbijou - November 9th - Lee's Palace
The Pipettes - November 18th - Lee's Palace (rescheduled from what was supposed to be last Friday Night at The Opera House. If you already have tix, you can use them for the change)
Stars - November 26-28th - The Phoenix (got my tix for this one already too. Wednesday show. Way excited.)

Kaspar Hauser - Quixotic / Taxidermy

Kaspar Hauser is basically a musical project ring-led by midwesterner Thomas Comerford, who had played in several bands in the past. “Quixotic / Taxidermy” is his 2^nd full-length, and his 5^th release altogether. It is an extremely tight sounding album, with glimpses of Jay Farrar, Neil Young and J. Mascis throughout. The liner notes recommend that you play it loud, and that’s excellent advice because this album is chock full of rip-snorting rock and roll. The album kicks off with “Fossil,” a Rolling Stones style riff that attacks the listener right away, and pins him to the ground to make sure he keeps listening. “King Pop” introduces some slightly new-wavy keys and handclaps, but it still manages to have an alt-country bite to it that sounds out of this world, along with lyrics of one who would “trade his kingdom for a song.” Which is what pure country is all about, isn’t it? Comerford also shows that he is willing to take risks, especially by successfully covering Big Star’s “Holocaust,” not one of their easier tunes to cover. My personal favourite song is “Mercury”, a hooky tour de force full of passionate harmonies. Actually, my other favourite song is the excellently titled “Roar or R.I.P.” which reminds me a lot of the aforementioned Farrar, with a real cool sounding honky-tonk piano backing up this fanatical rocker. In fact, the best moment of the whole album is at about 1:51 into that song, the part where a highly infectious bridge leads into the climactic dénouement, the music stops … briefly … drum roll … explosive ending!!! Awesome!

Downloads:
Fossil mp3
King Pop mp3
Without A Word mp3

Visit the Kaspar Hauser myspace page.
Purchase “Quixotic / Taxidermy” here.