Hooded Fang, Steamboat, Little Girls & Green Go @ Sonic Boom

Yesterday Sonic Boom hosted a pretty full afternoon/evening of free music in honour of International Record Store Day and although I wasn't able to stay for the whole thing, I did catch the first four bands. In the spirit of musical appreciation, diversity was the order of the day with all of the bands bringing something unique to the table.

My vote for most improved band goes to Hooded Fang, whom I have now seen three times in only a few months. I always liked them, but this show really emphasized the fact that they have really progressed from being just another cute amateur local indie act. Their professionalism was very apparent this time around and I was actually surprised at how tight their musicianship has become. The last couple of times that I saw them, I was full of suggestions as to how they can improve, but now I'm beginning to think that they're at a point where, if they want to reach similar levels of success as Los Campesinos! or Architecture in Helsinki, it may actually be within their grasp.

Myspace: Hooded Fang

Speaking of tight musicianship, Steamboat was on next. This band boasts a classic sound that, while not particularly new, is nicely settled in a soulful R&B territory that is not ventured too often these days. The band had garnered some buzz last summer when they shared the stage at The Tranzac with some pretty heavy local hitters like Andre Ethier, Sandro Perri and Alex Lukashevsky, to name a few. Matt McLaren's gruff yet distinguished vocals were impossible to ignore and Steamboat's brand of jammy rootsy soul reminded me more than a little bit of The Band. Besides their original material, they even pulled out an old reggae cover. I think it was a John Holt song, if memory serves me correctly. What I do remember is that it sounded great. At four songs, their set served as more of a preview to what the full show must be like, but it was entertaining enough to make me curious to hear some more.

Steamboat plays The Tranzac with Sandro Perri and Mantler on April 25th
Myspace: Steamboat

In keeping with the "now for something completely different" theme of the evening, Little Girls hit the stage next with a sound that was sure to break everyone's concentration, as well as perhaps a couple of eardrums too. Never before has the description of noise-pop been more apt since this band was definitely noisy. Apparently this was the band's very first show, so understandably the sound was still a little bit rough, but I thought there was some definite potential hidden beneath that ginormous wall of sound. Josh McIntyre had an otherworldly stage presence that was as arresting as it was jarring. And although I thought that the sound system unfortunately buried the melodies a little bit, a sampling of the material on their myspace page indicates that not only are the melodies there, but they are actually very strong. Rumour has it that there has been some significant interest in Little Girls, and it'll be interesting to see where that interest takes them.

Little Girls are playing Rancho Relaxo with The Bitters on May 1st.
Myspace: Little Girls

At that point, hunger was dictating that I should probably think about leaving soon, but more than a few people have been encouraging me to see Green Go, so I told my gut to shut up for just a few minutes and decided to stick around to see if these guys are really all that buzz worthy. As some of you may know, dance music tends to miss me more than it hits me, so based on certain descriptions, I really haven't spent any time with Green Go's upcoming release Borders, even though I've had it in my digital mailbox for a few days now. To my surprise however, this groovy synth-heavy band from Guelph had the ability to crank the excitement pretty frickin' high while in the basement of this record store, which leaves me in complete awe as to what they must be able to accomplish on an actual dance floor. I think part of what makes these guys so appealing to me is the fact that, while their shouty electro funk is certainly designed for summoning up one's inner groove thang, their use of all the standard instrumentation ensures that they do so with an organic rock 'n roll heart. I've listened to their debut a couple of times since seeing this show and the vibe of their live show is not lost on their recorded output. Very impressive.

Green Go is having their CD release party at Wrongbar on April 30th.
Myspace: Green Go

All of my photos of Record Store Day @ Sonic Boom are on flickr.

Honest I's - Anatomy Of A Lightbulb

Last week's episode of the Zygiella podcast featured a song that immediately caught my attention by a newer local band called Honest I's. The featured song was a powerhouse called Wristwatches, and what grabbed my attention was the raw power that the tune possessed. I really appreciated the way that the song covered a melodic range of emotions, while the vocalist's rough voice was spit out in a forceful gob-in-yer-face type of way. I figured that if the band could keep that energy going throughout the course of an album, then they'd certainly be worth my time. Well I guess I'll just have to wait for a complete full length, but I've listened to the EP entitled Anatomy Of Lightbulbs and it has definitely kept my interest high. Its originality lies in its ability to combine hardcore emotions with jazz rock ecelecticity and punk rock sensibility, all the while remaining far away from being pigeonholed into any of those genres. The band themselves likes to describe their sound as a sort of trance-blues, although the immediate point of comparison for me would be The Minutemen's Double Nickels On The Dime. This is high praise since I consider that to be one of the best and most original albums of all time. In much the same way, this EP gives off the impression that Honest I's have an interest in stretching musical boundaries, and it'll be interesting to see where that desire leads them when the time comes to release a full length debut.

Honest I's are playing PWYC Weds at Rancho Relaxo on Wednesday April 29th and I've heard that they are one of the most underrated live shows in the city. Let's change that, shall we? Also on the bill are The Ministry of the Environment and Airheart.

Download: Wristwatches mp3

Myspace: Honest I's
Above photo by Andrew Carver

Other stuff:
With all of the Ticketmaster shenanigans that have been surfacing recently, k-os has decided to pull a Radiohead, and introduce a name-your-price idea to the live stage. The entire story is over on Billboard.biz, but in a nutshell, for the current k-os tour, fans will have the opportunity to pay what they want after witnessing the show. Risky but interesting. k-os' latest album YES! was released on Tuesday. [Myspace: k-os]

Kevin Sheilds continues to dole out information concerning the future of My Bloody Valentine in tiny little increments, the latest of which is in Clash Magazine, indicating the possibility of adding another member. [Myspace: My Bloody Valentine]

Rolling Stone gives us "13 Things We Didn't Know" about Kings Of Leon. They play Air Canada Centre with The Walkmen on April 21st. [Myspace: Kings Of Leon]

Chart has an interview with Patrick Krief from Black Diamond Bay. They will be playing Sneaky Dee's on May 1st. [Myspace: Black Diamond Bay]

And finally, remember to support your local record store tomorrow (April 18th). I'm not sure how many RSD exclusives will be available here in Toronto, but Pitchfork's Douglas Wolk gives us the lowdown on some of the sweet rarities that he has come across. (A live Tom Waits 7" featuring a Leadbelly cover? Drool, drool...) [Official Site: Record Store Day]

"If You Ever Get Lonely, Just Go To the Record Store And Visit Your Friends"

RECORD STORE DAY - SATURDAY APRIL 18TH.

This Saturday is the Second Annual Record Store Day, which is the day that music lovers such as you and I are encouraged to take the opportunity to stop downloading and support your local record shop. Some of my favourite music-related memories have to do with spending hours perusing the local record stores, staring at those huge elaborate covers and stewing over whether or not it would be in my best interest to drop my hard earned money on that rare 3 disc clear vinyl box set that included the one song that I had never heard of, in amongst 15 other songs that I've already purchased about five other times before. I think back to my formative years growing up in the sleepy industrial town of Oshawa, and walking into a little place on Simcoe Street called Star Records. This place was awesome! At that age, I was hungry for all things relating to progressive rock, and I remember being encouraged, nay... instructed, to pick up anything and everything by The Strawbs. Since then, it didn't matter which town I moved to next, there was always a small record store that I could check out. In Brampton, it was the now sadly defunct New World Records on Queen Street. When I moved to Oakville, there was Recordings on Kerr Street, with its massively intimidating basement of vinyl, where I picked up my first Van Der Graaf Generator album, several rare releases by The Cure and a little something by Generation X. Right across the street was the much smaller but still endearing Cactus Records, where the owner reluctantly let me have his last copy of The Mothers of Invention's Uncle Meat. And then the move to Burlington introduced me to Looney Tunes on Brant Street, where I had picked up Big Star, Captain Beefheart and 13th Floor Elevators all in one shot. Now of course, I live in downtown Toronto, and places like Soundscapes, Criminal Records and Rotate This! have enabled me to create even more memories.

Yes, I have no problem remembering what I bought at these stores and approximately how old I was at the time. But I can't remember the albums that I've picked up at the more popular chain retailers. The chains simply lack the personality that comes from frequenting the local indie record store. I do download quite frequently these days from sites like eMusic and Zunior, but I'm sorry, nobody feels like reminiscing about the tunes I've downloaded from an impersonal spot on the internet. In the same way that the advent of the VCR failed to completely destroy a movie buff's need for a cinematic experience at the movie theater, I still have that need to enjoy the feeling that comes from asking for a recommendation from your local record store clerk. And I hope that the record stores will always continue to be here to fill that need.

Here's what some of Toronto's record stores are up to on Saturday:

Sonic Boom (512 Bloor St W) is hosting the biggest event on Saturday, starting at 4pm. They will be giveaways, exclusive releases and tons of live bands, including Hooded Fang, Green Go, Sunparlour Players and more. The full band listing is here and the price is free with a non-perishable food item.

Criminal Records (493 Queen St W) is also hosting a couple of free in-store performances featuring Rock Plaza Central at 6pm and Great Bloomers at 7pm. There will also be sales and prizes and things all starting at 11am.

Soundscapes (572 College St W) is offering 10% off all CD's, vinyl, DVD's and books.

Rotate This! (801 Queen St W) is also offering 10% off of all purchases on that day, as well as a bunch of 'limited edition record store day only' stuff, whatever that means!

And finally Sunrise Records (336 Yonge St) also has some live performances by Emma Lee, Honeymoon Suite, Thriving Ivory and others. Full band list is here.

Other stuff:
Just a couple of other interesting local concert news announcements that you likely already know:

The Olympic Island Festival was announced on Monday, and this year it looks like Broken Social Scene will be headlining again. Also on the bill is Explosions In The Sky, Thunderheist, Beach House, Apostle Of Hustle and Rattlesnake Choir. The date is July 11th and the cost is $57.50. Should be good but I just saw BSS and I don't really feel like paying that much so I think that I'm likely to sit this one out.

And The Decemberists are coming to the Kool Haus on Monday August 3rd with The Heartless Bastards supporting. The tickets are an insane $30.50 and they go on sale on Thursday April 16th. Don't quote me, but I believe that they will be performing their latest rock opera The Hazards Of Love in its entirety. The album seems to be polarizing the masses but I think that it's absolutely brilliant, and their most impressive release by far. Of course, I'm an unapologetic prog lover so make sure that you judge my opinions accordingly.

The quote above is from Penny Lane, Kate Hudson's character in Almost Famous.