Juliette Lewis and Band of Skulls @ The Opera House

I'll be the first to admit that I was more than a little embarrassed about telling fellow music snobs that I was going to see Juliette Lewis at the Opera House last week. The credibility factor of an artist decreases significantly amongst the musical elitist community when said artist is in the much maligned and mocked 'actor turned rock star' category. That is, of course, unless the artist's first name sounds a little bit like Zooey. Still, think what you will about the musical stylings of one Juliette Lewis, but this girl puts on one heck of a rock show, and her wild onstage persona is certainly worthy of imitation, even if she borrows quite a bit from the kings and queens of rock 'n roll past.

She was in town to promote her latest release, the Licks-less Terra Incognita. Upon doing some research in preparation for the show, I was surprised to find out that she was now traveling with a new band that she's formed, known as The New Romantiques. She hit the stage sporting some pretty intense attire that was reminiscent of Bowie circa Spiders From Mars. Her makeup was also straight out of glam rock 101, which was appropriate as she boasted a flurry of rock 'n roll poses that ranged from legendary Mick Jagger to nouveau Karen O. She had recently talked about how her new album captures the many flavours of her emotional life and voice. As the first few songs whizzed by, emotional candor wasn't the first thing that came to my mind, although the pure adrenalin that she was sweating all over the appreciative crowd was more than entertaining enough for me. But then it was somewhere near the halfway mark of her show that she pulled out an intensely bluesy number that literally had me standing there with my mouth agape. When she wants to, she's got a voice that is as powerful as I've ever heard, and I honestly can't remember the last time that I saw so much emotion exuded by a performer. Contrary to the opinion's of many, ( my pre-show personality included) Juliette Lewis is the real deal, and I truly believe that she is totally sincere in what she is trying to accomplish in the world of rock music.

Upon revisisting some of the songs in her catalogue, I'm not sure that I'm ready to jump aboard as being a huge fan of her material, but as far as being a fan of Juliette Lewis the live performer, you can definitely count me in!

Photos: My shots of Juliette Lewis @ The Opera House are on flickr.
Myspace: Juliette Lewis

Now the band that I was actually in attendance to see was Band of Skulls, who opened the show for Ms. Lewis. Last week I finally took the time to give their album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey a proper listen and what I like about it is the seamless way that it combines a classic garage rock raunch with the soaring melodies of 90's Brit pop to create a sound that's dirty yet streamlined. Upon seeing them perform it was clear that the songs work even better live, as the band took the opportunity to display some extended guitar licks and show off their immense talent without ever succumbing to overindulgent wankery, even though they no doubt could have, if they felt so inclined. Lead Russ Marsden exudes a down to earth sort of grungy persona that works as a perfect complement to Emma Richardson's sonically enhancing harmonies and basslines. The way that their hard rock sound incorporates heavy elements of the blues lends themselves many comparisons to bands like The White Stripes and Black Keys, but in their more atmospheric and slightly progressive numbers, I couldn't help but hear traces of The Verve as well. It's their mild penchant for atmosphere that helps the band to escalate past being simply another powerful rock 'n roll band, although that they are as well.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to this band in the near future. The buzz is already growing at a rapid pace, but their back to basics style does not lend itself easily to becoming just another fad. They have a sound that is classic rock in every sense of the word, and I've got a feeling that longevity and stadium shows may be in the cards for this power trio from Southampton.

Photos: My shots of Band of Skulls @ The Opera House are on flickr
Myspace: Band of Skulls

Born Ruffians, Henri Faberge and the Adorables and Hooded Fang @ The Opera House

Toronto's own Born Ruffians played to a full house at The Opera House on Saturday night. Whoulda thunk it? The fact that it was an all ages show probably added to the volume quite a bit, especially when you consider that if you took out all of the attendees under 19 years of age, you'd probably be left with about five people. OK, I'm exaggerating but it sorta felt that way to me. Still, the youthful enthusiasm of the crowd is likely what enabled Lalonde, Derosier and Hamelin to crank out a show that was all kinds of energetic.

I've made many stupid musical comments in the past, but the stupidest has to be the fact that I once thought that Born Ruffians were another overrated teeny bopper band. Boy was I ignorant. (I also once said that Rick Astley was going to be as big as Elvis, but I was quite young at the time.) The fact is, that I've been listening to Red, Yellow and Blue at least three times a week since I first picked it up, and it doesn't seem to show any signs of wearing thin on me yet. Their music is accessible while still being just weird enough to keep me interested. As soon as the band hit the stage to set up their equipment, the young ladies started getting all excited, and Luke graciously posed for all of their cameras, and took the time to kindly shake their hands. That's pretty classy. They opened the evening with Badonka Donkey and, as far as I can tell, they played pretty much every song from the CD, except for the title track. (I also don't think that I remember hearing Red Elephant either, but I could be wrong.) They also played some older songs too, but what really got me excited was the two new songs that they played. They sound like a significant step up for the band, which shows me that they're not going to be satisfied with simply mailing it in. Based on the strength of those two songs, their next release is going to be stuh-hell-ar! As I've mentioned before, I really like the fact that the band doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, and this was emphasized by the fact that they showed up at the regal looking Opera House wearing Rod Stewart, casual plaid and Nirvana shirts. (This outfit of course, is nothing compared to their opening act. More on that later...) By the time they played the last song (I Need A Life) the teens and tweens had enough of the dance floor and made their way to the stage, much to security's chagrin. I, however, was actually OK with that, because it meant that they were no longer banging into me. Kids, I don't mind you having fun but when you invade my personal space with your sweat fueled testosterone, I become significantly less nice. (Kids these days! When I was your age, we didn't disrupt people with our incessant body slamming! As a matter of fact, when we danced, it was in 20 feet of snow, without shoes! In fact, we didn't even have feet, just stumps! Imagine dancing on stumps! Anyways....)

For a few minutes, it didn't look like there was going to be an encore, since the lights were turned on, and I think the music had started up too, but the audience was not going to let them get away that easily. So the guys came back on and performed their cover of Grizzly Bear's Knife, ending the show in a very triumphant fashion.

My Photos: Born Ruffians @ The Opera House on flickr.
Myspace: Born Ruffians
Video: I Need A Life on youtube

Henri Faberge and the Adorables have been heavily touted by local music loving scenesters for about two years now. Up till now, I had never seen them and, to be honest, had never really taken the time to acquaint myself with them. This was not due to reasons of meanness or arrogance or anything, it was just simply due to the fact that I can't listen to everybody. Still, I was eager to see what all of the hype was about and now that I have, I must admit that, while it was quite an experience to say the least, I don't think I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet.

HF and the A's are another one of those Canadian collectives, but to lump them in with all of the others would not be fair because this band is oozing with more originality than they even know what to do with. I wasn't able to count how many people were up there for this show, but I'd guess it was somewhere in the area of 9 or so. They were all costumed and some of them looked like the Lost Boys from 'Hook', while Henri himself looked like Jebediah Springfield. Their songs were incredibly scattered and all over the place, and there were several moments where I really was wondering what the hecks was going on. Still, I could see why they're popular, and I did enjoy some of the songs. Towards the end of their set however, things took a turn for the worst. Henri was left wearing only a leopard skin speedo and a smile, and this is the type of imagery that I really could've gone a lifetime without seeing. My disturb-o-meter was off the scale, and, although I highly encourage you to check out my photos from the night, I'm afraid you won't find any pictures of that image since I'm working hard to erase said image from my mind. *shutter...

My photos: Henri Faberge and the Adorables @ The Opera House on flickr.
Myspace: Henri Faberge and the Adorables

Opening the evening was Hooded Fang, an adorable little local band that specializes in sugary sweet boy-girl pop. When I say little, I actually mean big, because there's seven people in the band. The lead singer Daniel, is also the drummer, and this is something that you don't see everyday. His vocals, as well as co-lead vocalist Lorna's, are understated but effective, and their sound reminds me a little bit of Architecture In Helsinki. The songs may sound deceptively simple, but there is actually quite a lot going on if you're paying attention. I also found it impressive that they were able to recreate a full horn sound, although there were only two horns being played. While not every song stood out for me, there were enough hooks to keep me interested, and I'm looking forward to possibly checking out their self titled EP one day soon.

My photos: Hooded Fang @ The Opera House on flickr
Myspace: Hooded Fang

Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone

Explosions In The Sky are an instrumental band from Texas. Their latest release is entitled “All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone” and it’s equal parts energy and drama. This is their 5^th CD (6^th if you include the excellent soundtrack to “Friday Night Lights”) and the band continue to remain dynamic. I have several friends that simply have no patience for instrumental music, but I have always been very much the opposite. There is so much more room to breathe, expand and experiment in an instrumental song. “It’s Natural To Be Afraid” is an excellent example of this. The song takes you through so many highs and lows, with several chiming guitars and explosive drum parts that the song plays for me as a soundtrack to optimism. Even without lyrics, I find this release to be very positive in nature, alternating between iridescent piano moments (“What Do You Come Home To”) and cataclysmic heights (“Catastrophe And The Cure”) before the whole thing is summed up in “So Long, Lonesome,” an ambient spring of closure that caps off the album, providing the listener with more than just a decent listen, but an absolute experience.

Explosions In The Sky is at The Opera House on March 24^th but I believe the show is already sold out.

Download:
Welcome Ghosts mp3
Your Hand In Mine mp3 (from 2003’s “The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place”)

Explosions In The Sky unofficial myspace page
Purchase the CD, "All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone"

Camera Obscura w/The Essex Green @ The Opera House

I haven’t been to a really good show for a while, so I was very excited to go to this one. The Essex Green is a band that I’ve been very curious about for a while but have never really taken the time to get to know them. Although I missed the start of their set, what I did catch was excellent. They’re clearly influenced by the folk / pop records of the 60’s, and they even like to throw in a bit of good old fashioned twang. From what I hear, their latest release, Cannibal Sea, is very good and this show convinced me that I should check it out soon. And, at the risk of sounding like a mullet-haired teenager at a Rush concert, the drummer is awesome!

Download: Don’t Know Why You Stay mp3
Listen to more of their music on myspace.
Buy “Cannibal Sea” at Merge Records.

Camera Obscura melted my heart. For the first few songs, it looked like the banter with the audience was going to be minimal, but as the show progressed, the band continued to make a few attempts at interacting with the crowd. Comprised mainly of selections from the “Let’s Get Out Of This Country” release, the songs really translated well to the live stage. I think most of the people at the overpacked Opera House have seen them before, but the double shot of “Lloyd I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” and “If Looks Could Kill” still made the fans positively giddy. And I love the accent.

Download: If Looks Could Kill mp3
Visit their myspace page.
Buy “Let’s Get Out Of This Country” at Merge Records.

I was too far away to get any good pictures of Essex Green but you can check out my pics of Camera Obscura on my flickr page.
And, as usual, Chromewaves has even better pictures on his website.