CONTEST: Win tix and CD's to the Hottest Indie Showcase in Toronto!!!!

I hope that you're enjoying my deliberately dragged out and unabashedly self indulgent list of the top 50 albums of the decade, as selected by me; but I currently interrupt the countdown to bring to you this very special announcement and contest.

There have been many exhilarating unions made in the past: Superman and Muhammad Ali; Run DMC and Aerosmith, and Vodka and Red Bull come to mind, but none have had the universal impact that is sure to result from the joining of forces that is to take place at The Garrison in Toronto (1197 Dundas Street West) on Saturday November 28th.

That is the day and the venue where two of the greatest local indie music superheros, namely Two Way Monologues (altar ego Dan Wolovick) and Zygiella (secret identity Tyler Wade), join forces to showcase a performance by the best bands on the local indie music scene today.

Black Hat Brigade are insane which, if you've heard their album or seen them live, then you already know this. The Schomberg Fair's brand of "speed gospel" is so authentic sounding that it's hard to believe that they don't actually hail from the deep dark south. The Racoon Wedding have apparently received a little bit of lovin' from Now Magazine, who described them as "exciting, catchy and loud" and "worth checking out." And then there's Germans, who were Spin's Artist Of The Day, as well as co-players on Final Fantasy's He Poos Clouds CD. That there is a lot of talent for one night, and to be able to see a show like this and then go home and listen to these bands again once the show is over is a state of euphoria that a person should not expect to experience too often without possibly exploding. Now imagine if you could do this all for free.

Well, tickets for this show are only $7, which is a steal in itself, but I'm actually here to give you the opportunity to get in for free. And if that weren't enough, I'm also going to throw in some CD's as well. So here's the deal:

CONTEST: Courtesy of TWM and Zygiella, as well as the bands themselves, I've got CD's by Racoon Wedding, Schomberg Fair and Black Hat Brigade to giveaway as well as 2 tickets to the show taking place at The Garrison on November 28th. Now, since most of my readers are apprently going steady with most of J-Polk's readers, you've probably noticed that she's holding the same contest. What I recommend is that you enter both and double your chances at winning!

To win the tickets here, send me an email at quadb2001 [at] gmail [dot] com with the words "I Want To TWM with Zygiella" (what does that even MEAN?!?!?) in the subject line and your full name in the body.

Contest is now closed. Congrats to Andrew L and thanks to all who entered.

I now return you to my regularly scheduled countdown, already in progress...

Krista Muir, Luther Wright and the Wrongs w/The Schomberg Fair @ Rancho Relaxo

The one thing about going to a show on a cold and rainy Monday night is that one cannot expect the turnout to be very earth shattering. However, The Schomberg Fair proved that this does not mean that one's performance necessarily has to follow suit. They had the privilege of opening for a couple of big(ger) names on Monday night, and they were determined to play their hearts out and show this modest audience what they're made of.

If you've ever seen The Schomberg Fair before, then you know that they're all about the fun. Their brand of country tinged raunchabilly twang sounds perfect in little divey-dive settings like the Rancho, and although they're very good at feeding off of the enthusiasm of a larger crowd, they still believe in giving 150% onstage, regardless of the crowds size or demeanor. They played all of their original favourites, as well as several excellent covers including songs by Townes Van Zandt (whom you'd expect) and Sinead O'Connor (whom you wouldn't expect) and Bruce Springsteen (whom you'd sorta expect, except they did I'm On Fire which sounded awesome although something like Badlands would be more what you'd expect I think. Huh?) Anyways, I've come to the realization that it had been way too long since I last saw these guys and I should really make a determined effort not to let so much time pass before catching their show again.

The Schomberg Fair will be playing The Horseshoe on November 27th.

Photos: The Schomberg Fair @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: The Schomberg Fair

As much as I love The Fair, the artist that actually got me out on this particular night was Luther Wright and the Wrongs. Admittedly, I'm not the most educated person when it comes to their music, but what I've heard I really enjoy. Like many people, I was introduced to them by means of their very ambitious 2001 Rebuild The Wall album, which was a song by song alt-country and bluegrass reworking of Pink Floyd's double album The Wall. Perhaps not surprisingly, they didn't play anything from that release but they did play several songs from their other albums, which I thought was also very enjoyable. Luther is the antithesis of all things ostentatious, preferring to present himself as a man of the people, the everyman; in other words, just a real cool guy. His banter was warm and endearing, and the songs were very comfortable and easy to swallow, like warm hot cocoa on a wet and rainy evening. His songs fall into a classic country and folk sound, the type of country music your grandma used to play: full of angst and cheatin' and hurtin' and his lyrics are intelligent and satirical. And of course the band name is pretty dang cool too.

Photos: Luther Wright and the Wrongs @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Luther Wright and the Wrongs

Krista Muir was the headliner for the evening, but interestingly she was the artist that I actually knew the least about. I was however quite surprised to find out that her altar ego is Lederhosin Lucil, the campy cabaret dance infused pop act that I had heard so much about a few years ago. Apparently she dropped that Pee Wee Herman loving persona in 2007, and decided to start performing under her own name, although her quirky originality is still very much in tact. She is currently touring in support of her latest CD entitled Accidental Railway, and although I was largely unfamiliar with the song themselves, it was refreshing to hear a style of music that is, by and large, rather uncharted these days. Her instruments of choice were the ukulele and the omnichord, and she played songs that appeared simple when executed, but were actually quite involved when you really paid attention. She has a very unique voice that dips from a comical baritone to a lilting wisp that is impossible to ignore, even if it takes a moment or two for the ears to fully adjust. This may sound like a criticism, but actually it's her voice that I managed to fall for that night, as its unprecedented sound is the perfect mix of cute, funny, haunting and captivating. To add to her original style is the fact that her songs were not only performed in English, but she also sang in French and Greek, and even threw in a bit of a Scottish accent during her opening banter. (Or was it Irish? I'm such a knob.) Scattered in the midst of her mix of originality are accessible folk songs like Leave Alright and Summer Eyes, both of which also sounded great.

Photos: Krista Muir @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Krista Muir
Video: Leave Alright on youtube

Two Way Monologues One Year Anniversary

The Two Way Monologues Showcases at Rancho Relaxo have been my greatest source for learning all about what's new and exciting in local indie rock. It's through these shows that I've been introduced to some of my favorite acts such as Fox Jaws, Entire Cities, Deadbeat Dads and Schomberg Fair. I've also seen many of my other faves grow and flourish by means of these shows; acts like Tin Bangs, Amos The Transparent and Oh No Forest Fires. Sadly, this year circumstances have prevented me from attending as many of these shows as I did last year, but from what I've heard, they're as entertaining and as strong as ever. Dan Wolovick has his ear firmly pressed to the indie ground and he will no doubt continue to expose more great artists to a wider audience by means of the TWM Showcase.

To celebrate one year of providing such fine entertainment, the TWM Mixtape Volume 1 CD has been released and it is chock full of some of the greatest bands to have performed on the Rancho Relaxo stage over the past year. I've been listening to it pretty much non-stop over the past week, and there isn't a dud track to be found on it. Starting tonight, TWM is showcasing the first of three evenings to commemorate this remarkable achievement. The lineups are all gold, and although I'd love to attend them all, it looks like I'm only going to be able to make it to day 2, tomorrow night's show. Thankfully, that's the day that looks like it was tailor made for yours truly since three of the four acts have received rave reviews on this blog. Anyways, here are the lineups:

Thursday May 8th - Key Witness, Five Blank Pages, Numbers & Figures and The Eatons.
Friday May 9th - Beth In Battle Mode, Fox Jaws, Amos The Transparent and Coast Guard.
Saturday May 10th - Tin Bangs, Schomberg Fair, Mark Berube and Cheap Speakers.

All these shows are $10 with a CD, or $7 without. But seriously, get the CD.

I'm a little too lazy to post mp3's today, but go to the various band myspace pages and you'll find a whole slew of downloadable toonage or better yet, GO TO THE SHOWS AND GET THE CD! IT'S AWESOME!!!!

Krief w/ Obviously Five Believers and Schomberg Fair @ Rancho Relaxo

There are good guitarists and there are great guitarists. The Dears' Patrick Krief is one of the great ones. He released his solo EP, brilliantly entitled "Take It Or Leave" earlier this year and he's been frequently showcasing it live ever since. On the album, he does it all himself, but on stage he is in full band mode with Roberto Piccioni (keyboards), Andre Bendahan (bass), and George Donoso III (drums). The CD is a very personal affair, that shows that, if anything, The Dears are really his side project, not the other way around, as some may believe. I had heard that his live show is really something to behold, and boy, is that an understatement. Watching him play, transported me back to the days of watching Hendrix or Zappa wail away on the axe. (Of course I've never actually been to one of those shows. C'mon, I'm not THAT old!) You can however, and should, add Patrick Krief to the list of heavily underrated guitarists like Jay Farrar or J. Mascis, because his playing goes far beyond the sonic noodling of some of the other so-called greats. When he solos, his playing is filled with precision and discretion. In other words, they do not simply come off sounding like a solo simply for the sake of soloing. Every solo feels like a composition within itself, and that is incredibly impressive to witness onstage.

Patrick Krief has two dates at The Rivoli in Toronto on December 7th and 8th.

Photos: Krief live at Rancho Relaxo flickr
Download: Worries Are Over mp3
Myspace: Krief
Video: For a sampling of what this guy is capable of, watch this. Holy Mackinaw!
Purchase: Take It Or Leave here.

I don't want to start any rumors, but I'm pretty sure that the guys in Schomberg Fair may have shot a man in Reno, and if they did, it was simply just to watch him die. If you recognize that reference, than going to see Schomberg Fair should definitely be put on your to-do list. With the spirit and attitude of a young Johnny Cash, these guys ripped through a set of hard livin' and thrashy country punk that smacks with even a slight hint of rockabilly. Their sound is classic rock 'n raunch, and you would be hard-pressed not to become a country convert after hearing them play. I really appreciate the dynamic between lead vocalist Matt Bahen's raspy throat aerobics and bassist Nathan Sidon's deep 'close your eyes and you swear it's Johnny Cash himself' baritone. Add to that Jake Stewart's 'anything but subtle' skin pounding, and you've got yourself a true genuine roots rock sensation.

Schomberg Fair have several dates in the near future but their Toronto appearances are at Tiger Bar on November 8th and The Horseshoe on December 29th.

Photos: Schomberg Fair @ Rancho Relaxo flickr
Download: John The Revelator mp3 / Some Things Never Change mp3
Myspace: Schomberg Fair

I've mentioned before my weakness for all things 60's. Obviously Five Believers are one of my new weaknesses. Their love for the psychedelic sixties is apparent in that their sound does not simply pay homage, but it actually sounds like we may have transported back to that era while listening to them. They opened the night off with a very enthusiastic set, that got the crowd enveloped in a frenzied shake-fest. I could probably compare them to a hundred different bands, but you likely already know the sound that I'm talking about. Basically I think that they would have made a splash on Ed Sullivan, before getting kicked off for not giving in to Eddy's standards. They're the type of band that I would imagine always puts on a great show and I'd love to see them play a place like The Mod Club next time, since I really feel that their music would be ideal in that setting.

Obviously Five Believers will be performing at Mitzi's Sister in Toronto on November 15th.

Photos: Obviously Five Believers @ Rancho Relaxo flickr
Download: Darling Of The Underground mp3 / Song For When We Die mp3
Myspace: Obviously Five Believers
You can purchase their CD on their myspace page as well, or simply e-mail them if you live in the city at obviously.five.believers@gmail.com