Language-Arts and The Pinecones @ The Garrison

Over the days leading up to this No Shame event at The Garrison featuring, amongst others, Vancouver's Language-Arts, I've been happily immersing myself in their sophomore album, Where Were You In The Wild?. In this internet age, originality is a concept becoming more and more (understandably) difficult to come by, and the challenge is whether or not an artist can present some new ideas while still remaining melodious and enjoyable. The constant rotation of this album proved to me that they are well trained when it comes to doing so in the studio, and I'll admit that I was fairly confident that they would be able to translate such to the live stage as well.

I arrived a couple of songs into the evening's second act, The Pinecones. Originally known as Brent Randall and his Pinecones, this time around the band is promoting the release of an album called SAGE!, which is the first truly collaborative effort by all four members of the band. This means that besides Randall's own compositions, Brian O’Reilly, Joel Goguen and Paul Linklater all had a share in the songwriting process, creating a collection of songs that still boast a similar tribute to a 60's British Invasion styled sound, but with an earthier, and perhaps less polished feel. The lack of studio sheen works in the material's favour however, creating an album that is probably their most satisfying so far. I came in as they had just started a song called Tea Tonight, which is one of the Randall penned compositions. Just as I was admiring the jaunty, Kinks-iness of that particular number, the band confirmed my suspicions of inspiration by segueing into a brilliant cover of The Village Green Preservation Society, which, of course, is one of The Kinks' most respected numbers. A broken guitar string meant that the band had to deviate slightly from the original setlist while an audience member (and fellow musician) worked on replacing it. This led to some more piano based material, as well as an opportunity for some of the others to take over lead vocals. Afterward, the evening progressed with one catchy hit after another, including the fuzzed out delicacy Jenny Fur, where they sounded more than a little bit like Howe and West's Tomorrow, who were a psychedelic two-hit wonder in the mid 60's. The full band composition ...Ardmore...Jenny was another highlight, with O’Reilly's Eight Miles High-ish guitar work being particularly stunning. A couple more covers were included in their set, such as Del Shannon's I Go To Pieces and set closer Dead End Street, which was another Kinks classic that they shredded brilliantly.

Photos: My pictures of The Pinecones @ The Garrison are up on flickr.
Myspace: The Pinecones

As I suspected, Language-Arts proved themselves to be just as stunning live as they are on record, with their four members creating an orchestral sound that is remarkably full. On album, the band is composed of only two members, Kristin Cudmore who sings and plays classical guitar, piano and banjo on the album, while Gregor Phillips handles all drums and percussion. The live version hires on a couple of other people to handle the keys and upright bass/cello, and I was immediately impressed with the professionalism of the entire outfit. The band set up and tuned quickly, enabling them to begin their set quicker than usual. They opened with one of my favourite songs on the album called Cavity, its jazzy bass-line designed to hypnotically suck you in and although many patrons were rather chatty on this particular evening, I found it hard not to remain fixated on what was taking place on stage. Cudmore's vocals are high and pixie-ish in a way that is slightly reminiscent of Joanna Newsom or Suzanne Vega, but perhaps more accessible. The music itself is one of constant wonder in the sense that there are certain songs where you think that you've got the groove figured out and then they throw in a tempo change, or similar progressive tangent that takes your head journey in a totally different direction. Lighthouse is one example of this, where an almost Spanish guitar break seemingly comes out of nowhere, taking the song to a whole new level. White Socks in Birkenstocks is another example of this style of accomplished musical composition, where the classical tag proves itself appropriate both in its instrumental sense of musical adventure, and in the vocal style that Cudmore almost raps her wordy lyrics in a way that distracts from how cumbersome they would be if left in other hands. By the time they ended their set with the incredibly wordy Tuck It In, I was left in awe, not only of Cudmore's ability to remember all of those lyrics, but also in the way that the band has managed to carve a niche that is all their own, and present it on a live stage in a way that never alienates, but endears. I'll certainly be seeing them again.

Photos: My pictures of Language-Arts @ The Garrison are up on flickr.
Myspace: Language-Arts
Download: Where Were You In The Wild? mp3

Language-Arts will be playing a CMW Showcase on March 11th at Sneaky Dee's.

Other stuff:
I came home late last night to the sad news that Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous has died. My introduction to his music came a little later than some. I was first introduced to him in the early days of my blogging when I saw him live at The Mod Club, thanks to the fact that I had won tickets to his show from fellow blogger Frank Yang, whom I did not know at the time. Needless to say, that performance impacted me greatly, and although I was mildly aware of his history with substance abuse, as well as his general disdain for performing live, I can't say that any of those things were apparent that night. He seemed to be in high spirits, and I even remember him smiling frequently for the cameras and coming across as a genuinely affable fellow. Since then, all of his albums have been on regular rotation for me, most notably his 2006 release Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain, which contained a song that always made me smile called Don't Take My Sunshine Away. The song sounds even more poignant as I listen to it this morning. His musical contributions will certainly be missed. [Myspace: Sparklehorse]

Spiral Beach / Boys Who Say No / Romo Roto @ The Garrison

Basically it's been a combination of the winter blahs and good ole fashioned procrastination that has caused me to neglect this review of my last show for 2009. It took place all the way back on December 19th of last year, and even I have to admit that a time period of three weeks may be pushing the boundaries of acceptable tardiness for concert reviews, but thankfully this was a memorable show and most of the details are still firmly planted in my mind.

I don't know what it is, but I always like for my last show of the year to be awesome. There were of course some amazing shows going on for New Years Eve, but I prefer spending December 31st at home cuddling with the wife. (Yes, I'm a man who likes to cuddle; do you have a problem with that?) Additionally, the Handsome Furs show that I saw a week earlier was decent enough, but certainly not 'last show of the year' worthy, in my pretentious opinion. So, knowing Spiral Beach's capacity for throwing a party made me realize that their show at The Garrison had the potential to be the perfect way to segue into my late December / early January concert going hiatus with a bang. And sure enough, I was right.

As I arrived at the venue, Romo Roto was just beginning their set. The band consists of one guy (Tomas Del Balso), one girl (Alexandra Mackenzie), four drums, and one boombox blasting keyboard recordings from well worn cassettes. This is one trippy sounding duo, and at first the output can be quite jarring as the sounds catapulting off that stage seemed to lack any form of musical gel, while the vocals seemed to be nothing more than random screaming. The strange thing is though, that after a few moments I found myself actually dancing to these bizarre sounds. Their music kinda creeps up on you and that coupled with their endearing stage presence caused me to enjoy the show quite a bit. They ran into a few glitches at the start when it looked like either the blaster had gone kaput, or the cassette was being mangled in the deck but even during that potentially embarrassing moment, they seemed to take it in stride as Alexandra joked about the possibility of them leaving the stage after a one song performance. Thankfully things were sorted out and Romo Roto went on to perform an energetic show.

Photos: My shots of Romo Roto @ The Garrison are on flickr
Myspace: Romo Roto

I last saw Boys Who Say No back in September during the Summerworks Festival and really enjoyed their quirky brand of folkish indie pop. Not much had changed for this performance in the sense that the band continues to put on a solid show. Although their sound is quite different than Romo Roto, there is a huge similarity in that, like the previous act, it's pretty hard to accurately describe their sound. There are some hooks and melodies in there, but it seems to be hidden amongst a lot of shouting and talking, but not in an annoying way. Luke Correia-Damude's vocals are gruff and it almost sounds as if he's mocking pop music, in a way. I like it. Difficult descriptions aside though, the band fits in nicely with the current state of amicable local young-ish looking bands and I will certainly continue to enjoy seeing them perform throughout the city. It looks like the next time they hit the stage they'll be sporting a slightly altered lineup since apparently this was David Stein's last show with the band, undoubtedly focusing the bulk of his attention on his other band Key Witness. According to one interview, when Stein joined the band, he was considered to be the professional one and the one they all leaned on for the 'technical stuff.' From what I'd seen at The Garrison, the rest of the band has since been trained well and although Stein's presence will be missed, there is no doubt that BWSN will continue to be an endearing presence on the local scene.

Photos: My pics of Boys Who Say No @ The Garrison are on flickr.
Myspace: Boys Who Say No

Things got exciting pretty early on during Spiral Beach's show when a misplaced footstep caused vocalist Maddy Wilde to take a tumble off of the stage during setup, pulling her massive keyboard along with her. If it had not been for my cat-like reflexes she likely would have been seriously hurt and the show would have been doomed for sure. Thankfully I was standing at the front of the stage (like always) and I managed to catch Maddy in one arm and the keyboard in the other, singlehandedly saving the show!

(Editor's note: OK, the fall was probably not as dramatic as I remembered it, and I only really managed to catch Maddy successfully, while I lost my grip on the keyboard and it went crashing to the ground pretty hard, although I don't think there was any major damage. Also, the number of people who approached me asking if I was alright leads me to believe that it looked far clumsier than my description would imply, and I probably looked less like Spiderman and more like an octopus with crazy arms flailing all over the place, but I'm going to take credit for saving the show anyways :P)

Thankfully the show went on as planned and Spiral Beach put on a performance that was definitely worthy of being my last concert of the year. It's hard to pinpoint the one thing that makes this band one of my favourites to see live. There are just so many ingredients. First of all, they're just so much fun to watch. They have that youthful energy on their side, and their style of music stands on its own in that it's just weird enough to not sound like anybody else. They also elicit one of the best audience reactions around. It's funny, but as I was dancing amidst a crowd of delighfully spazzy early twentysomethings, it occured to me that this group of bouncing fanatics are the very same people that my crotchety old self usually complains about in other settings. But the energy transferred by the sounds of Spiral Beach actually causes me not only to tolerate them, but actually enjoy their company and even sort of become one of them, albeit perhaps in a slightly more reserved way. As expected, this show was one heckuva party and the newer songs from their latest release The Only Real Thing sounded great alongside the classics as the band satisfied the crowd with a full set and two encores.

Photos: My shots of Spiral Beach @ The Garrison are on flickr
Myspace: Spiral Beach

Racoon Wedding / The Schomberg Fair / Black Hat Brigade @ The Garrison

I went to a life altering show last night, and I'm going to another one tonight, so I figured that I'd better get off of my round rump and review last week's excellent show at The Garrison before the backlog gets too ridiculous to handle.

The promotional teaming of two of the city's finest, namely Dan Wolovick of TWM fame, and Tyler Wade of Zygiella fame, couldn't help but boast a lineup that would satisfy the need of every local music loving hipster in town. This was my first time checking out the latest venue addition to the ever burgeoning Ossington / Dundas strip and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the place. The sound was decent, the stage was nice and high, and although the attendance had apparently reached capacity levels, it didn't feel that way as there was plenty of room to move around. It was probably the reddest place ever, which meant that my pictures didn't turn out as great as I would've liked, but otherwise it was still a pretty cool place. I was not able to stick around right to the end of the show, which meant that I would have to catch Germans' 90's indie rock sound at a future date, but I certainly enjoyed the three bands that I did get to see.

Local favorites Black Hat Brigade were the first band to play the evening and apparently they were sporting a slightly smaller band member count than when I had seen them last, all the way back in march during Canadian Music Week. What is interesting is the fact that the difference was hardly noticeable to me. The band still sounded great, and in many ways their compatibility with one another seemed more focused and assured. They can't help but be a bit quirky, since this is their whole dynamic, from the complex and structured arrangements to the spit and growl of their gruff vocalizations. But it seems that this time around they set aside a smidgen of that quirkiness and replaced with a little more old fashioned rockiness, and I have to say that the slight shift served them well. There were even a few moments where the audience was borderline head banging, particularly one really hilarious tall guy who seems to pop up at every Black Hat Brigade show and given the fact that this event was taking place at the tail end of the month dubbed Movember, the jumping, dancing audience looked like an action sequence out of a really bad 70's cop show. But in a good way.

Photos: My red shots of Black Hat Brigade @ The Garrison are on flickr
Myspace: Black Hat Brigade

I was shocked to discover that I hadn't been out to see The Schomberg Fair since October of 2008, even though their album Gospel has been in fairly regular rotation over the last few months. They've been touring their brains out lately in support of that album, and it's amazing to see the results of all of that experience. They were tighter than tight, as they blasted their particular style of cowpunked raunchabilly speed gospel at an alarming pace; one that left me exhausted by the time they were done. The amazing contrast between their onstage persona and their offstage amicable, down to earth demeanor is a thrill to witness in action. The set was composed of the usual blend of old time standards and original numbers, and Nathan Sidon's deep baritone was intoxicating, as was Pete Garthside's impeccable drumming and Matt Bahen's lightning fast, yet precise banjo work. They are definitely a band that will continue to rise with more exposure and I want nothing more than to see them gain the success that they deserve.

Photos: My red shots of The Schomberg Fair @ The Garrison is on flickr.
Myspace: The Schomberg Fair

Personally, I have never witnessed the celebratory matrimonial joining of two raccoons, squirrels, aardvarks or any wildlife creature, but I can only assume that the event would be touching, jubilant and likely a little bit nutty. And if this is the case, then The Racoon Wedding's moniker could not possibly be more accurate (with the possible exception of spelling 'raccoon' properly) since their show was all of those things and more. Admittedly, I went into the show mentally equipped with nothing more than the buzz that I had been reading about them since I had still never gotten around to actually listening to their music. The fact that I've been listening to their Gather Gather Bones Rattle Rattle Truth CD fairly regularly since the show is a testament to how good they actually were. If I remember correctly, there were about 9 people on stage, including a keyboardist, a trumpet player and two background singers, and at times their music was sort of like the comic book version of Bruce Peninsula, with their beautiful sounding choirs coming across as a little bit less inspiring, but quite a lot more fun. The band ran into complications pretty quickly when the lead singer / guitarist broke a couple of strings partway through the first number, and without a backup plan, the scurry for another guitar held up the proceedings by quite a few minutes. Once things got going though, the band more than made up for it with an energetic set that was an eclectic mix of folk, country and crazy chamber pop. The fact that the band looked like they were having a blast onstage was also quite endearing, and literally every single thing that the keyboard player did and said made me laugh. Although there were occasional moments that showcased how young and inexperienced they still are, they're definitely a band that's worth keeping an eye on.

Photos: My red shots of Racoon Wedding are up on flickr
Myspace: Racoon Wedding

Interesting update: As I mentioned, I was too tired to stick around for the evening's final act, and decided that I'd just wait to catch Germans at some later date. I'm typing the final part of this post upon returning home from seeing Handsome Furs at Lee's Palace and guess who was their opening act: that's right! More on that later...

'Sup In December: Ten Picks

Wow, these months are whipping by pretty wicked fast these days and it seems like I just posted one of these not that long ago. But here we are, the last month of '09 and today the weather is feeling pretty December-y and it's making me tired. I went to a great show on Saturday night that I look forward to telling you about, and if I don't fall asleep I'll be checking out another one tonight but in the meantime here are my picks for the month of December. Don't expect me to be as wordy as usual though. Pretty tired.

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

1. The Hoa Hoa's / The Disraelis / Action Makes / Your 33 Black Angels @ Silver Dollar
(Friday December 4th; Cost: $6)

OK, I realize that I've been pushing The Hoa Hoa's pretty heavily lately, but their show last month completely blew my mind, and the fact that their name hasn't been circulating as much as some other acts literally keeps me awake at night. So their CD release show at the Dollar is mandatory if you like music as much as I do. And to sweeten the pot, locals psychedelics The Disraelis and Action Makes are also on the bill. But the major drawing action is Your 33 Black Angels from NYC, whom I've heard are so unbelievable that you literally won't believe it! Go to this show. Do it! Oh, Hoa Hoa's are also playing a free instore at Sonic Boom on the same day at 6pm. Do that also! [Myspaces: The Hoa Hoa's; The Disraelis; Action Makes; Your 33 Black Angels]

2. Grant Hart @ The Horseshoe
(Monday December 14th; Cost: $10.50)

Although most people name drop Bob Mould when engaging in conversations about Hüsker Dü, I've always been partial to the works of Grant Hart. He's currently touring in promotion of his first solo album in ten years entitled Hot Wax, which I still have to take the time to listen to. A couple of his previous albums though, namely Intolerance (1989) and Good News For Modern Man (1999) are a couple of albums that I enjoy very much. Should be legendary! [Myspace: Grant Hart]

3. Zero 7 @ The Phoenix
(Thursday December 3rd; Cost: $30)

I don't know why, but Zero 7 is one of those bands that I sheepishly admit to liking, even though I really shouldn't. They're just so calming and incredible and I'll bet they're absolutely otherworldly to see live. I'd imagine that the sound at The Phoenix would be perfect for their type of music. Like the last band, I've yet to hear their current release Yeah Ghost, but apparently it follows along the lines of 2006's brilliant The Garden. While it's true that Sia Furler isn't joining them on this tour, I've read that jazz vocalist Eska Mtungwazi is a revelation, and from what I've sampled, I don't doubt it. [Myspace: Zero 7]

4. The Sadies @ The Horseshoe
(Thursday December 31st; Cost: $20)

OK, here we are, broken record time: The Sadies are the best live band in Toronto. The Sadies play New Years Eve at The Horseshoe every year. The Sadies are ALWAYS perfect. 'Nuff said. [Myspace: The Sadies]

5. W.S Wallcott's Rabbits Foot Minstrel Revue: A Tribute To The Band @ The Boat
(Thursday December 10th; Cost: $5)

As we all know, the music of The Band is timeless, and for five bucks, this would be a pretty hard show to justify passing up. The number of talented musicians taking part is staggering. The list includes members of Born Ruffians, Cuff The Duke, Ohbijou, Jason Collett, The Golden Dogs, Zeus, Steamboat and more. Yes. [Myspace: The Band]

6. Handsome Furs @ Lee's Palace
(Saturday December 5th; Cost: $15)

Husband and wife electro-punk disco pop? How can you go wrong? My interest in this band has been more of mild curiosity as opposed to rabid enthusiasm, but many of my friends have never forgiven me for ducking out on The Handsome Furs (pictured above) at this year's CMW back in March, so it looks like I'll be making up for that this month. [Myspace: Handsome Furs]

7. Do Make Say Think / Charles Spearin's Happiness Project @ Enwave Theatre
(Sat. Dec 12th & Sun. Dec 13th; Cost: $16)

I have very mixed feelings about the bands that Arts & Crafts have been signing as of late, but when the crop of originals put out something new, it always makes for substantial listening. Instrumental post-rockers Do Make Say Think are celebrating the release of their 6th full length entitled Other Truths at the Queens Quay venue, along with this highly ambitious side project from BSS-er Charles Spearin. [Myspaces: Do Make Say Think; Charles Spearin's Happiness Project]

8. Spiral Beach / Boys Who Say No / Heartbeat Hotel / Romo Roto @ The Garrison
(Saturday December 19th; Cost: $12)

I finally got to check out the city's newest live venue on Saturday night, and I was surprised at how much I liked this incredibly red venue. I've also been seriously itching to see Spiral Beach again, as they are certainly one of my favorite live acts in the city. This is their last show of the year, and although I'm not familiar with all of their supporters, Boys Who Say No are almost as much fun as they are. (OK, they're nowhere near as much fun, but they are still pretty fun, in their own way) [Myspaces: Spiral Beach; Boys Who Say No; Heartbeat Hotel; Romo Roto]

9. Bellewoods / Raised by Swans / Old World Vulture / Cheap Speakers @ Horseshoe
(Friday December 11th; Cost: $8)

After a brief hibernation, Raised By Swans are celebrating the release of their new CD called No Ghostless Place at another TWM showcase, this time at The Horseshoe. All of the supporters are great, including TWM faves Cheap Speakers, spacey proggers Old World Vulture and classic folk rock with Bellewoods. Variety ensues... [Myspaces: Bellewoods; Raised By Swans; Old World Vulture; Cheap Speakers]

10. Hey Rosetta / Julie Fader / La Strada @ The Horseshoe
(Fri. Dec 4th & Sat. Dec 5th; Cost: $15)

I still maintain that Hey Rosetta's Into Your Lungs is one of the most solid releases of last year, and the one time that I saw them live is still a show that I thnk back to often. For a good solid performance, this Newfoundland band is pretty much a sure thing, as far as I'm concerned. [Myspaces: Hey Rosetta; Julie Fader; La Strada]

Honorable Mentions:
Only a couple of honorable mentions this time around. Female folk duo Dala (who's latest album Everyone Is Someone is actually much better than I expected it to be) is playing Hugh's Room (Dec 17, $12); The Skydiggers are playing two nights at The Horseshoe (Dec 18th & 19th, $20); Patrick Watson is at Queen Elizabeth Theatre (Dec 12, $25) and Friendly Rich and the Lollipop People are at The Tranzac (Dec 5th, $10). A show that would have definitely made my top ten is Friendly Fires with The xx at The Phoenix on Dec 2nd but the show is completely sold out and I didn't get a ticket so I decided that there was no real need to mention it in the top ten. My friends think Friendly Fires is the bomb (I think they're alright) but The xx have released one of the best albums of the year and it would've been great to see them. They're back in April at the Kool Haus (ugh) with Hot Chip so we'll see.

Where I'll Be:
December is chill out time for me, so I don't think that I'll be going to too much this month (didn't I say that last month?) but I'm 99 percent sure that I'll be at the Handsome Furs show and I'm planning on seeing The Hoa Hoa's at Silver Dollar because I want to see them as often as possible. Everything else is a "we'll see how I feel on the day of" situtation, but I'm pretty determined to not do much so, once again, we'll see. Dress warm peoples.