The Pack A.D. @ Criminal Records (In-Store Performance)

I reviewed The Pack A.D.'s Tintype release back in July, and since then they've released another album called Funeral Mixtape which I still have not had the time to acquaint myself with as of yet. Still, based on that first album, I reckon that they would be the type of band that I could listen to in smaller doses through the earbuds of my Zune, but could go see live on a semi regular basis. They play the straightforward hard raunchin' guitar based blues that I can personally only take in small incremements at home, but love to see on the live stage.

Maya Miller and Becky Black were in town to perform a CD release show at The Horseshoe on Thursday night. Sadly, I was unable to attend, but I'm glad that I was able to check out their set in a slightly more subdued setting at Criminal Records for an in-store performance on Friday. The girls are definitely a powerhouse and I don't know how Becky manages to keep them vocal chords in check night after night, but she definitely sounded amazing. Maya's drumming skills are more than adequate also, and it's hard not to get sucked in to the throbbing force of their playing, especially when they turn it up a notch on some of the harder edged numbers. The crowd was quite modest (it was only 5pm after all) but those who were there seemed immensely satisfied with what they witnessed. Hopefully the next time they're in town I'll be able to catch them, because their music really does need to be experienced in more of a dank and sweaty blues bar type of setting.

Photos: The Pack A.D @ Criminal Records on flickr.
Myspace: The Pack A.D.
Download: Making Gestures mp3

The Pack A.D. - Tintype

A very easy cop out would be to say that The Pack A.D. sound like The White Stripes. But let's not forget that The White Stripes sound like an awful lot of other classic bands themselves and, if you've ever seen any of their interviews, they seem quite proud of that fact. No, it would be much more accurate to say that this female duo from British Colombia is a very solid and hard hitting blues band. That rocks.

The band consists of Maya Miller on drums and Becky Black on vocals and guitars (and piano). A look at their influences on myspace shows that these girls are into classic authentic blues rock, and Becky's vocals contain that harsh edge that only a bottle of Jack Daniels can create. In other words, these vocals cannot be faked, they have to be lived. Right from the opening wailing guitar thrash of the very first song on Tintype, namely Gold Rush, it becomes obvious that these girls mean business. The album only gets better from there. All Damn Day Long may not have the lyrical intrigue of Dylan or anything, but you can't help but feel that Becky believes every word that she sings. I feel that the best songs are the ones that make their point quickly, like What's Up There and Buyin' My Way. Both of those songs don't even hit the two minute mark, but it's those sharp blasts of throat tearin' soul that leaves the most indelible mark on me.

Because all of the songs are of the same mold, I think that the CD does overstay it's welcome just a little bit. The Hardtack Saloon interludes are unnecessary, and it would be great to have more songs like the slower paced Walk On to add a bit more variety, (as well as showcasing just how good Becky's vocals actually are), but for a debut, Tintype really does stand out. They've already got a new CD called Funeral Mixtape slated for release in August, and it'll be interesting to see if they introduce some new ideas on this one or not. I know I missed out on seeing them perform when they were in town for NXNE, but I can tell from what I've heard that they're likely a more than capable live act, and I'll definitely check them out the next time they're in town.

Photo by Mark Maryanovich.

Myspace: The Pack A.D.
Video: Moonshine (live) on youtube
Video: This Terror (live) on youtube
Video: TMNTV Interview with The Pack A.D. on youtube
Download: Making Gestures (from the upcoming CD Funeral Mixtape) mp3