St. Vincent w/Scout Niblett & Katie Stelmanis @ The Horseshoe

Friday was a night of complete female eclecticism as St. Vincent and a few others took to the stage at The Legendary Horseshoe in downtown Toronto.

I arrived partway through the set of local girl Katie Stelmanis. Although she was equipped with what appeared to be only a synthesizer, she managed to pull out a vast array of interesting prerecorded sounds that gave her show a bit of a new age feel. Coming across to me as sort of a female Phillip Glass, I have to admit that I had a little trouble getting into her sound right away. Her operatic voice seemed to thrill the crowd however, and towards the end of her set I was finally starting to appreciate her sound more fully. She closed off her set with a cover of "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman", which could not have sounded any further from the original if it was performed by Tom Waits. Which, to me, is a good thing.

Downloads:
You'll Fall mp3 / Roll mp3
I only managed to take a few pics but you can find them here, on flickr of course.

Only discovering Scout Niblett's music on Friday night has me wondering what right I have to pretend to be at all knowledgeable. She had many devoted fans at the show, and upon doing more research I came to realize that this is not just a newcomer to the indie rock scene. Her first album was released in 2001, and she has often been compared to the likes of Cat Power or PJ Harvey. However if I may make a bold statement, I even heard doses of Kurt Cobain in her music. In an era where the idea of a grunge sound has suddenly become dated, watered-down and forever synonymous with the 90's, Scout's music sounded vital and current. I feel that it's exactly what is needed to re-energize what was once viewed as a means to bring realism back into a stagnant music scene.

Downloads:
Uptown Top Ranking mp3 / Drummer Boy mp3
Hear some more recent recordings over on her myspace page.
View my Scout Niblett pics on flickr.

St. Vincent put on a significantly different show than the last time I saw her, opening for Midlake. That was a stripped down affair; only Annie, a guitar, a piano and her impeccable wit. This time she had a four piece band with her, and the banter, while still there, was kept to a minimum. Yes, this time around it was solely about the music and she put on a powerhouse performance. For those who have listened to her CD, there is an awful lot going on there. One has to wonder how that sort of strong production could possibly be duplicated on stage. She of course, had no problem, making full use of the massive amounts of pedals and gadgets, in order to convey her point. These included some sort of mannequin arm turned into a handclap and bass drum machine, and also a simple board, perfect for stomping on in a maniacal fashion. She is simply rabid on the guitar, delicate on the keys, and always compelling to watch. Besides all that was going on onstage, she did return to the intimacy of her last show during the encore, when she pulled out an amazing cover of Jackson Browne's "These Days", (popularly recorded by Nico.)

Downloads:
Now Now mp3
St. Vincent's myspace page.
My St. Vincent pictures from the show on flickr.

St. Vincent and Other Exciting Things

There are several music related tidbits that I have found out about recently that have me as excited as a music freak can possibly be.

First off, I'm going to be seeing St. Vincent (or Annie Clark to her parents) at The Horseshoe tomorrow night. Her album "Marry Me" has been in constant rotation on my ipod for the past week in preparation for the big show. I was completely blown away by her, when she opened for Midlake back in February, and then, after further research, I realized that I was already sort of a fan, thanks to her association with The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens. Her performance that night was quite a bit different than the way she sounds on this release, but I'm a big fan of both. Live, she was just a crazy, brilliant and endearing performer with a guitar and piano, shifting easily between hyperactivity and sensitivity. She does the same on the album, only with a much fuller sound. Apparently she plays the bulk of the instruments herself (and there's a heckuva lot of them) and, for me, she comes across as sort of a Kate Bush for the new millennium.

Download:
Now Now mp3
Visit St Vincent on myspace.

Also, on Monday, I'm finally seeing They Might Be Giants, which is something that I've been wanting to do since my late teens. But what has recently added to my excitement is the news that Hamilton's Young Rival (formerly known as The Ride Theory) are going to be opening the show. To this day, I still consider them to be one of the most fun bands to see live. It's like entering into a time warp to the late 60's, perhaps dropping into one of the club scenes in Antonioni's Blow Up. A mod show at The Mod Club. Hmm. Interesting.

Speaking of opening acts, I also recently found out that The Last Town Chorus will be opening for Camera Obscura on August 26th. That is going to be one outstanding double bill. Sadly, it's being held at The Phoenix, in all of its glorious packed in like sardines-ness. That means we'll have to get there early so that we can stand at the front so that I can see something. Because I'm short. Either that or everybody that goes to a concert is tall. Whatev's.

As I've been mourning the absence of The Weekend in my life (I'm speaking about the band, although I often miss the literal weekend as well,) I've recently discovered that frontchik Andrea Wasse (who is apparently residing in L.A these days) has started another side project called Macleod. Judging by the songs on their myspace, Andrea's still got it man. Purrfect pop that everybody would be better off listening to.

And finally, I recently heard from the Pop Kulcher blog, who recently heard from the I Am Fuel blog, that R.E.M. has been debuting several new songs at their Olympia Theatre shows in Dublin. One of those shows is available for download on that site. If the final songs sound as good as the live versions posted here, than R.E.M. will officially have made their third comeback, in my opinion, which puts them one up on U2. I haven't heard them sound this exciting since 1986. That's pretty significant. Huzzah!!!

Midlake w/ St. Vincent @ Lee's Palace

Midlake made their Toronto debut last night at Lee’s Palace and it was definitely a show to remember. First off, the opening act St. Vincent (also from Texas) had a terrifically raw sound coupled with a hilariously self-deprecating wit that immediately endeared her to the Toronto crowd. Her name is actually Annie Clark and she is also a member of The Polyphonic Spree. I am stuggling however to describe her own music, especially after hearing it all over again on her myspace page. It sounded raw on stage with only her and her guitar (or keys, whatever the case may be.) But the recorded version of her tunes have a lot more going on, like Kate Bush or Laurie Anderson. Quirky sort of, but in a really cool way, not a really annoying way?!?! Y’know what I mean? Not really? Just listen for yourself on her myspace page. And to get an even deeper sense of what she is all about, check out her blog. An intriguing girl indeed.

I was unbelievably pumped to see Midlake. Been waiting for awhile, and I knew that the show would be nothing short of fantastic. They did not let me down. They stayed relatively reserved, which was appropriate for the music. At one point, my friend leaned over and asked if we had somehow been transported to a Fleetwood Mac show circa ’76. Ain’t that the truth! Lead vocalist, Tim Smith, alternated from lead guitar to keyboards several times throughout the show, working along with main key-guy Evan Jacobs providing all the sounds of a string section without there actually being one. They played just about every song on “Van Occupanther” and threw in a couple of cuts from their other CD, “Bamnan and Silvercork.” They even introduced a new song, which to me sounded deliciously mammoth. This was all done with a series of short films playing on a screen behind them that really complemented the music well. Also, it was next to impossible to wipe the silly grin off of my face during the encore when they broke into “It Covers The Hillsides.” You think that the song couldn’t possibly get any better? You gotta hear it live! Finally, guitarist Eric Nichelson’s final comments on the thrill of playing for us here in Toronto just sounded so blasted sincere than you couldn’t help but feel that the guys in this band are possibly the nicest indie-rock musicians ever.

Download:
It Covers The Hillsides mp3
Visit the Midlake myspace page.

I also took some pictures at the show which you can see on my flickr page.

Also, as a sidenote, here are a few more concerts that I want to go to but probably can’t afford.

Apples In Stereo @ Lee’s Palace on Feb 20th
Do Make Say Think @ Opera House on Feb 27^th
Dean & Britta @ Mod Club on March 12th
The Shins @ Kool Haus (ugh!) on March 17^th
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ Mod Club on May 2^nd
Peter Bjorn & John @ The Phoenix on May 6^th (I really hope to make it to this one!)
Arcade Fire @ Massey Hall on May 15th