NXNE 2009 Day 2 featuring Coeur de Pirate, One Hundred Dollars and The Deep Dark Woods

Thursday was by far my most active day of NXNE, with Friday showcasing only three bands. However once again, quality over quantity, as I settled myself down at the Dakota Tavern to see some authentic rootsy styled bands take over the authentic rootsy styled atmosphere that would accompany them.

Montreal's Coeur de Pirate (aka Béatrice Martin) was scheduled to hit the stage at 8pm which, in theory, means that my 7:30 show up time should have been significantly early enough to secure me a spot in the house. Well, the buzz cranked out by CBC Q's Jian Ghomeshi, as well as her recent nod from the Polaris people, must have been following her around quite closely as, to my surprise, the place had already reached capacity and there was a lineup waiting outside to get in. Thankfully the staff saw my priority badge, along with the badge of real photographer Ryan O'Shaughnessy, and we were let in as they told us that they were only allowed to let in three press spots and we were now two of them. I'm not sure that I totally believed them but whatever...we were in.

Coeur de Pirate is a cute, heavily tattooed, piano playing blonde who plays music that ranges from folksy to jazzy. Her emotive vocals are as endearingly warm as they come. Although her banter was all done in perfect English, she sung almost completely in French and there's something about a wispy French vocal that soothes me and sedates me. I don't speak nor understand French so I'm not really sure what she is talking about lyrically, but in between songs she would give us some clues as to the fact that her songs are laced in heartbreak and tales of lost loves. She's only 19 years old, so she's definitely got a "still learning about love and life" freshness about her, but this only adds to her unique sound. She ended the night with a cover of one of my most hated songs of all time, and as she started to describe what she was going to sing, I already had a feeling that the dreaded song was coming up since I had come across this clip of it earlier while checking out the Anika In London blog. Admittedly it's not my favourite piece in her repertoire, but the rest of her stellar set was more than enough to convince me that this isn't all that we're going to be hearing from this talented musician.

Photos: Coeur de Pirate @ Dakota Tavern on flickr
Myspace: Coeur de Pirate
Video: Comme Des Enfants on youtube

A lot has happened to One Hundred Dollars since I saw them last year, opening for Eric's Trip. At that time they were still relatively unknown, and their spectacular album Forest Of Tears still had yet to be released. Here we are a year later and the band is oozing with buzz, while the album has joined Coeur de Pirate on the Polaris long list. There are several bands who claim to do country music, but you would be hard pressed to find a band that performs it with the genuineness expressed by One Hundred Dollars. I don't know how they take on the role of world weary travelers so convincingly, and to be honest, I don't even know for sure that this is the dynamic that they're going for, but that's the way it comes across to me, and for such a young band to pull that off so successfully, is simply astonishing. The evening's highlight for me was their soul stirring rendition of a song called Black Gold, which I don't think they've released in any finished form as of yet, but when it's performed it'll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. They also included a great cover of Kenny Rogers' Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town, while putting their own significant stamp on it, exemplified mostly by Simone Fornow's gravely voice.

Photos: One Hundred Dollars @ Dakota Tavern on flickr
Myspace: One Hundred Dollars
Video: Black Gold on youtube

That evening I stuck around for one more band from Saskatoon called The Deep Dark Woods. Interestingly I had never heard of them, even though they've already released three albums since 2006, and their sound is definitely within my usual genre tastes, that being of a rootsy alt-country nature. I thought that they performed a very solid set and while the songs themselves were not necessarily anything that I haven't heard before, they were very accomplished musicians who performed with confidence and ease. Ryan Boldt has a very laid back vocal style that contains an outlaw's tone, reminiscent of some of the grand troubadours of country music's past. The band was tight and versatile, while the harmonies where meticulous and emotive. The were well suited to the vibe of the evening, as well as the ambiance of the Dakota Tavern itself.

Photos: The Deep Dark Woods @ Dakota Tavern on flickr.
Myspace: The Deep Dark Woods
Video: Hang Me, Oh Hang Me on youtube

Left Of Zero - Self-Titled

Progressive soul? Math jazz? Neo-funk-folk? When I saw Left Of Zero play the Rancho back in August, I knew that if I ever hear their recorded work, it would border on the impossible to slide the band into any particular genre. And sure enough, despite the fact that I've been listening to their infectious self-titled full length relentlessly this week, descriptive terms continue to elude me. They have a sound that harks back to another era; an era of sophisticative musical arrangements and sultry vocals that melt your soul. The opening sweep of 3 of 4 eases the listener into a slightly progressive territory, not totally unlike Portishead only without all the studio noodling, giving them a unique sense of organic experimentation. The song concludes with some musically unaccompanied vocal work by all of the members that is sparse and ethereal. I'm In Love begins with some very subtle guitar work before crescendoing into a crazy jam that ends a little bit too soon, in my opinion. Compromise is more of a relaxed drone of a song, that really allows Jade Lamarche's vocals to shine, as they easily do. Estrella and Unsaid are the closest the band gets to just rocking out, showcasing the fact that guitarists Luis Figueroa and Derek Edwards play off of each other very well, while Adam Boyle may be one of the most calculated drummers on the Toronto scene today. And while many people will be talking about Jade's outstanding voice, I think it's her bass playing that is really the star of this band, as I feel it's the most immediately noticeable thing about their music and what really allows it to stand on its own.

If I have one criticism about the album, it's that the band really has the ability to challenge the listener, but they rarely follow through on doing so. That makes the album very accessible of course, which is likely what the band was going for, and probably appropriate for a debut full length, but it would be neat to hear the band push the boundaries a little bit more the next time around. Songs like You Make Me and the aforementioned I'm In Love sound as if they're going to propel into the stratosphere and make an epic statement, but then they choose to just end instead. I'd like to hear them get a little bit pretentious next time. Of course, nobody appreciated Spinal Tap's foray into jazz exploration so maybe my personal views are better left ignored. Still, Left Of Zero's latest release has accomplished repeat listenings on my end and will likely continue to do so which is a sign of a job well done.

Myspace: Left Of Zero
Video: I'm In Love on youtube

Other stuff: There are a few other shows coming up in the month of December that I forgot to mention yesterday that you might be interested in, all taking place at The Silver Dollar.

First of all, on Friday December 5th we've got The Two Koreas and The Hoa Hoa's taking the stage. Also on the bill are Picturesound, Daniel Kosub and Easy Targets. Cost is $6. I won't be able to make it, and that bums me out since I still haven't seen The Hoa Hoa's live and I've just got to, what with them being amazing and all. [Myspaces: The Two Koreas, The Hoa Hoa's, Picturesound, Daniel Kosub, Easy Targets]

About a week later, $100 is hosting their CD release party for their new Regional 7" Release. This of course is hot on the hills of their critically acclaimed release Forest Of Tears, which is apparently fantastic even though I still have yet to pick it up. The show is on Friday December 12th and it's $8 adv; $10 door. [Myspace: $100]

And for those who like the night life, and like to boogie, there's a late late show on Saturday December 20th beginning at 11pm featuring Rural Alberta Advantage, Ghost Is Dancing and Forest City Lovers. That's an amazing bill that is almost worth setting aside sleep for. Sleeping is overrated anyways right? Right? (I should clarify that this show seems to be mentioned on the Silver Dollar website but not on any the band's myspace pages. So pardon my sloppy journalism but you may want to double check the facts before taking my word on it.) [Myspaces: Rural Alberta Advantage, Ghost Is Dancing, Forest City Lovers.] UPDATE: Forest City Lovers has denied playing this show, so my guess is that it may not actually be happening, even though it's still posted on the Silver Dollar website)

There's many more where that came from but I'm saving it for tomorrow. So see you tomorrow.