2009: The Shows

Every year I say that I'm going to tone down the amount of shows that I go to, and every year I end up seeing more than the year before. This year's final tally sits at 143 different artists to have graced the live stage in my presence, including three more than I still haven't gotten around to reviewing but I will. Eventually. Of course, I have friends that have probably seen that amount in a weekend but for an old married guy, I'd say that's still a pretty obscene number.

Overall though, this year has been a fabulous concert going experience, with my top three shows being amongst the best shows I've ever attended in all of my 20+ years of concert going. So, here are my top 10. This week I've been feeling a bit of the overwhelmed blogger meh's, so I'm going to make life easier by simply plagiarizing my own words from prior reviews but hey, so it goes. If it's good enough for For The Records, than it's good enough for me. I'm deliberately choosing the expressions that are laced in my usual penchant for blatant hyperbole.

1. The Decemberists @ Kool Haus on August 3rd (Review)

"When I'm an old(er) man and reflecting back on all of my concert going experiences, I'm pretty positive that the Short Fazed Novel Tour of 2009 will be one of those shows that I'll be referring to often. A Decemberists show goes beyond simply being another concert; a Decemberists show is an event."

2. Wilco @ Massey Hall on October 14th (Review)

"I would have to say that my favourite part of the evening though was during the encore when they came very close to displaying a slightly different version of the magic Being There moment of my previous experience when they played Monday and Outtasite (Outta Mind) from that album, only to follow it up with Hoodoo Voodoo from Mermaid Avenue. Classic!"

3. Sonic Youth @ Massey Hall on June 30th (Review)

"...their youthful energy allowed me to ride that time capsule into my past and enjoy this show, not as just another concert, but as a significant event."

4. The Hoa Hoa's / Your 33 Black Angels / The Disraelis @ Silver Dollar on December 4th (Review)

"You'll have to pardon the hyperbole, but this show was life altering!"

5. Tom Fun Orchestra / Bruce Peninsula / The Darcy's @ The Horseshoe on January 31st (Review)

"The second encore showcased the band playing the snot out of all of their respective instruments and jumping around the stage, falling all over each other and generally creating merry chaos all over that Horseshoe stage."

6. Roky Erickson / The Sadies @ Lee's Palace on October 28th (Review)

"I think it was expressed most eloquently by a friend of mine, who was also there, when he described the image of Roky with his back to us playing guitar, fan blowing his silver-ish hair like he was on a beach in psychedelic garage heaven as completely blissful. Nicely put."

7. The Sonics @ Yonge and Dundas Square on June 20th (Review)

"I was standing with a couple of people who were obviously there for The Sonics the first time around, but when I turned around to look at the crowd, I was amazed at the fact that, by and large, most of them were the same age as the people who usually go to the shows that I attend. Appreciation for musical heritage is very important to me, so it was great to see all of these young 'uns jumping around like crazy, almost as if they were at a White Stripes concert."

8. Holler, Wild Rose @ The Boat on March 15th (Review)

"I love that feeling when you're watching a band and suddenly you realize that you are actually in the midst of greatness. That moment for me came when they performed Captive Train. The harmonies were absolutely cherubic on that song, and the steady build of those ringing guitars continued to climb to euphoric heights before Jon Mosloskie's high pitched Buckley-inspired throat tore a strip out of the atmosphere and made me completely forget where I was."

9. Gary Louris and Mark Olson @ The Mod Club on February 4th (Review)

"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."

10. Joe Pernice @ Dakota Tavern on September 24th (Review)

"By the time he finished, we had been treated to almost two hours of material, many of which were obscurities from his career which made for a very special night."

Honorable Mentions:

• Modernboys Moderngirls / Fox Jaws / Amos the Transparent / AfterpartY @ Sneaky Dee's on January 23rd (Review)
• No Shame's 100th feat. Skeletones Four, Pick A Piper, Ruby Coast and Green Go @ Horseshoe on Sept. 18th (Review)
• Fallout Party feat. Volcano, The Hoa Hoa's, Postcards and Easy Targets @ Rancho Relaxo on Nov. 6th (Review)
• Depreciation Guild @ The Horseshoe on Sept. 7th (Review)
• Sunparlour Players @ Theatre Centre on August 14th (Review)
• Lovely Killbots / Whale Tooth / Make Your Exit / Amos the Transparent @ Horseshoe on May 22nd (Review)
• The Sound of Sea Animals @ The Legion on April 18th (Review)
• Slakah the Beatchild @ Revival on June 11th (Review)
  

I'm afraid that I haven't had the time to compile a 'Sup in January post this time around, but I will say that I've got my ticket for The Cribs @ The Phoenix on January 15th, and I do have my eye on a few other possibilities also, although I'm not committing myself to anything else just yet. I promise that I'll get my review of the Spiral Beach / Boys Who Say No / Romo Roto show up sometime soon and I'll end by saying that I hope that everyone had a safe 2009 and will continue to make 2010 a groovy experience of its own!

Roky Erickson w/The Sadies @ Lee's Palace

If you're at all familiar with the sordid past of psych-rock pioneer Roky Erickson, than you know that it was only a few years ago that the possibility of ever seeing him perform live seemed about as likely as a warm winter in Toronto. His heavily permissive lifestyle back in the 60's while he was the leader of seminal psychsters the 13th Floor Elevators led to his being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1968, resulting in jailtime, electroshock therapy, and even a brief stint where he believed that aliens were coming to Earth to do him harm. It was only shortly after the end of the 90's that Roky finally received both the medical and legal aid necessary to help him on the road to recovery. It was in 2005 that he performed his first full length concert in 20 years, and it was from there that the momentum continued to grow, culminating this year in a brief four date tour that brought him to Chicago, Detroit, Hamilton and right here to Lee's Palace in Toronto last Wednesday night.

Since I attended another performance earlier in the evening, the situation lined up in such a way that I got to Lee's early enough to plop myself down on an elevated stool that was right up against the stage. In other words, best seat in the house, not only for Roky, but also for the openers whom I probably don't have to tell you too much about: The Sadies.

The insane talent of The Sadies has been documented quite extensively on this here site and I really don't know how much more I can add to what I've already said. When I first heard that my favourite cow-punkers would be opening for the garage rock legend, the match-up did not seem hugely unfathomable. I've seen The Sadies cover everyone from Love to The Stooges to The MC5, so their love of all things psychedelic and garage-y has been duly noted and sharing a stage with Roky seemed appropriate. I will say that limiting The Sadies to a 35 minute set is somewhat criminal because, although their set was as intoxicating as it always is, to my ears it felt as if they were just getting started. I will also say that they made good use of their limited time by blasting through as many songs as possible, including an outstanding new song that showcases just how diverse the Good brothers are. If the new album is as promising as the new song they played, it is sure to be a significant release for them.

Photos: My shots of The Sadies @ Lee's Palace are on flickr
Myspace: The Sadies
Download: Anna Leigh mp3
Video: Flash on youtube

As great as they were, the crowd was clearly there to see the legend, and right from the start Roky and his band commenced to rocking, obviously with the intent of laying any doubts to rest as quickly as possible. Roky was smart to surround himself with some highly experienced bandmates for the evening. He had Kyle Ellison (Meat Puppets / Butthole Surfers) on guitar, Matt Harris (The Posies / Oranger) on bass and Kyle Schneider (Ian Moore / Charlie Sexton and a billion other bands) on drums and they were as tight as could be. For obvious reasons, Roky can only get so animated but the enthusiasm exuded by the band themselves more than made up for that. Actually, it was admirable to see a fully competent band care for the areas that Roky was unable to care for himself, while not using the situation as an opportunity for personal grandstanding. To the band's credit, never once did they detract from the reason we were all there in the first place, that is, to see Roky Erickson. He played for about an hour or so, and played a variety of songs from different areas of his career. My personal highlight was hearing him end with some Elevators classics, namely Splash 1 and their signature hit You're Gonna Miss Me as well as a song from his Bleib Alien days called Two Headed Dog. After leaving the stage, the band shouted, applauded and hammered for an encore but, even though the setlist indicated that he was going to come back out with 1982's Don't Slander Me, apparently it was not meant to be. Personally, I've always appreciated an artist that can just make the last song count, instead of contriving up the joint with an anticlimactic encore. This is exactly what Roky did, and the show was everything I could ask for and more.

It's not too often that one gets to see a living legend perform, especially not at a moderately small venue like Lee's. The image of Roky on that stage is one that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. I think it was expressed most eloquently by a friend of mine, who was also there, when he described the image of Roky with his back to us playing guitar, fan blowing his silver-ish hair like he was on a beach in psychedelic garage heaven as completely blissful. Nicely put.

Photos: My shots of Roky Erickson @ Lee's Palace are on flickr.
Myspace: Roky Erickson
Myspace: 13th Floor Elevators
Video: You're Gonna Miss Me on youtube

Other stuff:

There's an interesting interview with Andrew Whiteman of Apostle of Hustle and Broken Social Scene by Matt McKechnie over at Thick Specs. He will be at Lee's Palace on November 19th. [Myspace: Apostle of Hustle]

The Wooden Sky have recently put together a project entitled "The Wooden Sky: A Documentary in Pieces" directed by Scott Cudmore on their summer ‘09 Bedrooms & Backstreets tour. The first two pieces are available here. They will be playing Lee's Palace on November 13th with Hooded Fang and Brian Borcherdt. [Myspace: The Wooden Sky]

Pick A Piper also have a new video up for their song Rooms using footage from all the way over in Iceland. Although today's mild snowfall has made me hate pretty much anything associated with the word "ice", the video is still actually pretty good. You can watch it here. PaP are playing Polish Combatants Hall on Nov. 7th and Rancho Relaxo on Nov. 21st. [Myspace: Pick A Piper]

Exclaim has an exclusive on the Born Ruffians follow up to last year's excellent Red Yellow and Blue. Apparently Luke Lalonde has decided that thinking too much is overrated and they're just going to do what feels right for the new one. We'll be able to find out how well the method worked when the album is released on Warp Records early next year sometime. [Myspace: Born Ruffians]

It may be still a little bit early for such lists, but Amazon has just compiled what is, to my knowledge, the first official list of the 100 Best Albums of 2009. And, big surprise, it looks nothing like what mine is going to look like. You can see the list here.

'Sup In October: Ten Picks

It was incredibly difficult to narrow my gig picks for October down to only ten. There are literally a ton of great shows going on this month, and the thought of setting aside all other responsibilities and just taking in a different live show every night of the week has never been more appealing. Well, almost. I mean, call me crazy, but I actually enjoy being a semi-responsible guy, most of the time. But I digress. Here are my picks for October '09.

For more detailed listings, as usual, go check out Stillepost, Zoilus and Jen's Weekly List (of shows under $10)

1. Roky Erickson w/The Sadies @ Lee's Palace
(Wednesday October 28th; Cost: $29.50adv/ $30 door)

So far this has been the best year I can remember for having psychedelic legends perform here. We've had The Sonics, The Zombies and Love all come to town and now you can add to that list the legendary frontman for 13th Floor Elevators: Roky Erickson. What's doubly interesting about this show is the fact that The Sadies are scheduled to perform as well. Now I don't want to start any rumours or get any hopes up, but I'm thinking that there's a good chance that The Sadies might be Roky's band for the evening which, if this is true, which I'm not saying that it is, would be awesome! Either way, just seeing them both on the same night is sure to make this show a memorable one for sure.

[Myspaces: Roky Erickson; 13th Floor Elevators, The Sadies]

2. Wilco / Liam Finn @ Massey Hall
(Wed Oct 14th & Thurs Oct 15th; Cost: $39.50 - $45.00)

Although my personal feelings for the works of Wilco have not been as strong in recent years as they once were, that doesn't lessen the fact that the live Wilco experience is one of greatness. I'm sure that the show will be heavy on material from the latest album, but since they've recently cut their teeth on some of the classics, I'm hoping that they'll throw in a few of those also. Add to that, the possibility that Feist might pop by, and a splendid time is guranteed for all. Once again, I'm not saying that she will be there; this is all just mere speculation on my part. The fact that Liam Finn is opening for them is also exciting since I've heard more than a few good things about his show from people who've actually seen him.

[Myspaces: Wilco; Liam Finn]

3. Loney Dear / Asobi Seksu @ The Horseshoe
(Tuesday October 13th; Cost: $13)

There was no way to hide the disappointment in my walk home from The Rivoli a few months ago after finding out that Emil Svanängen's van broke down and the Loney Dear gig was simply not going to happen. I love seeing this band live and I'm crazy giddy that they are able to return to our city to give it another try. If you enjoy smiling, then I sincerely hope that you'll put this show on your to-do list, because a Loney Dear show is all about shining happiness on everyone in attendance. Don't believe me? Go to this show!

[Myspaces: Loney Dear; Asobi Seksu]

4. Yo La Tengo / The Horse's Ha @ Opera House
(Saturday October 3rd; Cost: $25)

I have not yet heard Yo La Tengo's latest release entitled Popular Songs, but I'm sure it's great. Why can I be so confident? Because they always are! I am of the opinion that Yo La Tengo's music contains a consistency that is only rivaled by Sonic Youth. They are currently in their 25th year of existence, and they have yet to release a mediocre album. The show kind of caught me by surprise and I'm already slated to catch another one, but if there was ever a strong argument for cloning myself, this would be it.

[Myspaces: Yo La Tengo; The Horse's Ha]

5. Broadcast / Atlas Sound @ Lee's Palace
(Saturday August 24th; Cost: $13)

I really like that Bradford Cox. Deerhunter never ceases to amaze me and the same can be said about the prolific works of Cox's solo project Atlas Sound. Although his alienating antics have made a few headlines in the past, I thought he was an absolutely mesmerizing frontman when I saw Deerhunter last year and I'm sure that the same can be said about this show too. Last year, he put out a collaboration CD with electro poppers Broadcast, who are headlining the show. I don't know much about Broadcast. I like what I know but I only know a little. I'm sure they're good.

[Myspaces: Atlas Sound; Broadcast]

6. Happy Mondays / Psychedelic Furs @ Kool Haus
(Wednesday October 14th; Cost: $31.50)

Although these two bands were never really contemporaries as such, they both evoke the same nostalgic feelings in me since their music was featured equally at every party I ever attended from 1988 to 1995. My arms flail madly just thinking about it. Of course, the show's at the Kool Haus which means that if there are any flailing arms happening, they would likely be hitting me in the face and annoying me, because this is generally what happens at the Kool Haus.

[Myspaces: Happy Mondays; Psychedelic Furs]

7. Echo and the Bunnymen @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
(Tuesday October 20th; Cost: $67.00)

If you'd rather get your 80's fix at a seated venue, then QET is the way to go as Echo and the Bunnymen (pictured above circa 1980) will be performing their entire Ocean Rain album in its entirety with a full orchestra accompanying them. That is sure to be one uplifting show. For 67 bucks, it better be.

[Myspace: Echo and the Bunnymen]

8. Destroyer / Andre Ethier @ The Horseshoe
(Wednesday October 3rd; Cost: $13.50)

I've been longing to see Dan Bejar since Destroyer's Rubies became one of my most listened to albums of the decade. I still have trouble listening to Painter In My Pocket less than three times in a row. He's put out a lot of great stuff since that masterpiece, including the solid Trouble In Dreams album and this year's soaring Bay Of Pigs single, which is a 13 minute electronic disco rock amalgam of pure bliss. Sweetening the pot is the fact that he's being supported by local songwriting genius Andre Ethier, whose live show I've actually been craving lately.

[Myspaces: Destroyer; Andre Ethier]

9. Daniel Johnston @ Mod Club
(Saturday October 17th; Cost: $27.00)

A Daniel Johnston show is a bit of a risky endeavor since you never really know how it's going to go down. It could be amazing, bordering on genius, or it could be confusing, annoying or perhaps even offensive, depending on how he's feeling. However, if you're at all familiar with the story of Daniel Johnston, then you're likely as curious as I am to attend a performance, at least once. The fact is, that his music has been covered by everyone from Tom Waits to Beck to Sparklehorse and his influence is undeniable.

[Myspace: Daniel Johnston]

10. Shonen Knife / The Modern Superstitions @ The Horseshoe
(Sunday October 18th; Cost: $15.50 adv/ $18 door)

My weakness for Japanese pop is something that I haven't revealed all that often on this here blog, but truth be told, I may not always know what they're talking about, but they always warm my heart anyway. Shonen Knife is one of my favourites, and their show at The Horseshoe is bound to be all kinds of fun.

[Myspaces: Shonen Knife; The Modern Superstitions]

Honorable Mentions:
As I alluded to at the outset, I could honestly be honorably mentioning my brains out, since the number of great shows in town is staggering. Bruce Peninsula and Sunparlour Players (Oct 1st @ Horseshoe); Built To Spill (Oct 6th & 7th @ Lee's Palace); The Horrors (Oct 15th @ Lee's Palace); Cuff The Duke (Oct 16th & 17th @ Horseshoe); The Dodos (Oct 17th @ Lee's) Elvyn (Oct 23rd @ Silver Dollar); In Flight Safety (Oct 29th @ El Mocambo); Bishop Allen (Oct 30th @ El Mocambo) and many many more. You add to that the Pop Montreal Festival that is taking place RIGHT NOW in Montreal, and this weekend's city wide art festival Nuit Blanche, and this month becomes more action packed than a Michael Bay movie. But with significantly more substance.

Where I'll Be:
I'm actually mildly prepared this time around since I'm holding a ticket to the Destroyer / Andre Ethier show this Saturday (after which I plan on attempting the all night thing again with Nuit Blanche.) I'll also be checking out Loney Dear for sure, and Wilco's first night as well. I hope to catch Elvyn's show at the Silver Dollar and I'm really hoping to go to my number one pick with Roky and The Sadies, although I don't actually have my ticket for that one yet. See you around!