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!

Tom Fun Orchestra w/ The Coast @ The Horseshoe Tavern

Wow. My concert reviews are now reaching a point where I should probably start referring to them as my 'classic concert reviews', since the time lapse between seeing a show and blogging about a show has got to be dipping close to the 'does anybody still care' level. I swear I haven't forgotten about those loyal readers who still hinge on my every word, but I assure you that my tardiness is not due to my being a lazy man. However, instead of wasting any more time with repetitive excuses and my own delusions of grandeur, let's just get into some more rock talk, shall we?

The last time that the Tom Fun Orchestra were in town, they played an electrifying show that was exactly the type of celebration you would expect from a Nova Scotian nine piece with the word 'fun' in their moniker. I'll have to admit, that the memory of that amazing show was etched so spectacularly in my mind that a part of me was almost reluctant to see them again so soon, since I didn't want anything to tarnish what was easily one of the best shows of the year. Thankfully this show did not even come close to sullying that memory, even if it did lack the same magical feel.

Admittedly, this performance did have a few more things going against it. First of all, if memory serves, the January show was on a Saturday night, whereas this one was on the darkest of all concert going nights: a Thursday. Every band knows, that it's harder to get a crowd excited on a Thursday night. Secondly, not only is it difficult to get a crowd excited on a Thursday night; it's also difficult just to get a crowd at all on a Thursday night. Not only was there a smaller crowd this time around, there was a SIGNIFICANTLY smaller crowd this time around. The third obstacle of the evening was more of a personal nature. Whereas the last time I went into the show with no expectations, this time around I went in with MASSIVE expectations. So, needless to say, although this was still an awesome show, it certainly wasn't the spectacle that I witnessed the first time around. As can be seen by my three reasons though, this was hardly the band's fault.

The band still displayed the same time of insane energy that their East Coast Maritime rock lends itself to, and they seemed quite content with the fact that their onstage party may have been just as much for their own enjoyment as it was for all of ours. I noticed that a few members of the ensemble were different from the last show, but the key players were still the same. Lead vocalist Ian MacDougall was as witty and bizarre as ever, while Carmen Townsend displayed an intensity that I would love to be able to incorporate in my own life from time to time. What also makes this band stand out from other 'collectives' out there, is the fact that each member has a specific role to fill, whether it be banjo, accordian, fiddle or trumpet. The only shared role seemed to be that of playing really hard and shouting really loud when the song calls for it. What was really cool was that, even though the tendency to not want to embarrass yourself would understandably be heightened within a smaller crowd, this didn't stop certain pockets of people from showing their appreciation by dancing up a storm anyways. Although, it's a shame that many in the city obviously missed out, the small crowd that was in attendance certainly witnessed something special and this show was another wild party indeed, albeit a subdued one. (A subdued wild party? Does that even make sense? OK, let's say that they were wild and I was subdued. Better?)

Photos: Tom Fun Orchestra @ Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Tom Fun Orchestra
Video: Throw Me To The Rats on youtube
Download: Watchmaker mp3

Opening up for the Tom Funners was local band The Coast; a band that I had seen a few years ago but honestly remembered very little about. I've definitely been hearing their name mentioned around town though, with 2008's Expatriate receiving it's fair share of good reviews, and the local (mainly female) support for the band was substantially represented that night. There's no doubt that as musicians, they have become very proficient at honing a stadium worthy sound complete with the type of ringing guitars and atmospheric keys that simply beg to be heard at a larger venue. As performers however, they seemed to me to be a little bit too subdued for their larger than life sound. I found it hard to remain attentive for their entire set and there were moments where the band actually looked bored, which is never a good way to win over a Thursday night audience. Luckily, for them, their friends and supporters were all there to pick up the slack and what they lacked in performance, they made up for in relatively strong material.

Photos: The Coast @ Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: The Coast

CONTEST: Win tix to see the Tom Fun Orchestra live along with a copy of their latest CD!!!

Way back in January, I told you about a nine piece cluster rock outfit from Cape Breton known as the Tom Fun Orchestra. Described by many as Tom Waits meeting the Arcade Fire, the band has a hyperactive sound that is authentic in keeping with its Maritime origins, while still incorporating enough outside influences such as jazz, blues, mob rock and horn section empowered epics to keep things very interesting throughout the course of the entire album. If you're interested in other bands to name drop in association with them, they actually remind me of The Pogues more than anyone else, while their CD, You Will Land With A Thud, was produced by Gordan Gano of the Violent Femmes. Still, as great as the album is, nothing could have prepared me for the merry chaos that ensued upon seeing them live. This band is fun, fun, fun and as I type this at the halfway mark of this current concert going year, their January show at the Horseshoe is sitting comfortably amongst the top three shows that I've attended so far this year. It even had the ability to arouse the generally stoic ensemble that is a Toronto audience, and this, my friends, is no simple feat.

Well if you were one of the unfortunate ones who had to miss that show, thankfully, you didn't have to wait too long for that second chance because their summer tour has begun, which means that they're returning to The Horseshoe Tavern on Thursday August 6th. Opening for them will be local band The Coast and a solo set by fellow Tom Funner Carmen Townsend. The show is going to set you back a whopping 8 bucks.

CONTEST: Still, if you'd rather spend that $8 on beer, than I've got two tickets to this show to giveaway, along with a copy of Tom Fun Orchestra' latest CD: You Will Land With A Thud. If you're interested in this one, email me at quadb2001 [at] gmail [dot] com with "I Want To Tom Fun Tonight" in the subject line, and your full name in the body.

Contest is now closed. Congrats to Ashley G and thanks to everyone who entered.

Myspace: Tom Fun Orchestra
Myspace: The Coast
Myspace: Carmen Townsend
Video: The Answer on youtube
Video: The Vacation on youtube
Video: Watchmaker on youtube
Download: Highway Siren Song Breakdown mp3

Download: Last Of The Curious Thieves mp3

Tom Fun Orchestra w/Bruce Peninsula and The Darcy's @ The Horseshoe Tavern

Last week I had been listening to both A Mountain Is A Mouth and You Will Land With A Thud rather extensively, so my enthusiasm for Saturday night's show was sitting at a comfortable level of antsy. I almost always have fun when I go to a live show (wouldn't be doing this if I didn't) but I have to say that it's been quite a while since I've had THIS much fun at a concert! The audience was receptive, the bands were tight and there was a certain level of uplift in the air.
The Darcy's got the evening started with a bang! Admittedly I haven't spent much time with their 2007 release Endless Water, (and by 'much' time, I mean 'any' time) but from what I heard on Saturday night, their brand of stylish indie post rock is pretty easy to relish. The band is based in Toronto, by way of Halifax, and they like their 'rock' soaked in reverb and their 'roll' dressed up in early Radiohead styled timbre. Speaking of being dressed up, the band presented themselves sharply, smartly decked out in mix matched suit and tie, which is a look that I've always enjoyed, for no real explainable reason. Apparently, they also dressed up the audience with many of their close friends and fans, which meant the crowd was dripping with unbridled enthusiasm, enabling the band to play their hearts out with a little bit more intensity than they possibly would have otherwise. Being unfamiliar with the songs themselves leaves me at a bit of a loss as to how to describe their delivery, other than to simply use adjectives like 'enjoyable', 'endearing' and, my oft-used 'infectious.' One song that really stood out to me in an original way, was their cover of Final Fantasy's The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead which, if I didn't know any better, I could've easily been convinced that this was actually a cover of something by The Cars. Attempting to transform Owen Pallett's eccentricity into a pop rock new wave anthem is one thing. Pulling it off is another, and The Darcy's did so with flying colours.

Photos: My shots of The Darcy's @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: The Darcy's

I have a sneaking suspicion that 2009 is going to be Bruce Peninsula's year. While one could argue that 2008 should be labeled as such, gaining all sorts of blogger, critical and indie love does not necessarily make a band a household name. But Bruce Peninsula have the ability to stir the soul and uplift the spirit in a way that is currently unrivaled. If I was stranded on a mountain somewhere during the early beginnings of time, and I had the privilege of being around while the uncivilized mountain people invented this new phenomenon known as music, I've got to believe that it would sound like Bruce Peninsula. I've seen them twice before, so I was already familiar with the motivated experience that is their live show, but the fact that they painstakingly captured that mood on the CD, just makes their live show all that much more compelling. Once again, there seemed to be a few lineup changes, as is often the case when seeing these guys live. I think this was their biggest lineup to date, with 12 people crowding the stage, including the delightfully witty Mischa Bower, the gruff voiced Neil Haverty and Ohbijou's Casey Mecija, as well as a couple members of Timber Timbre, to mention a few. This time around I was able to take note of another ingredient that contributes to their organic sound: the primitive yet complex percussion. The choral vocals are so front, center and in your face that I've previously found it easy to attribute their unique sound strictly to the jointly edifying lung capacities of their 6 to 8 main vocalists. But it's that thumping seemingly cymbal-less drum action that gets the head moving and the body shaking, filling in the gaps that make this band so mesmerizing.

Bruce Peninsula have a couple more Toronto shows this month, including a free in-store at Soundscapes on Feb 4th, and a gig at the Polish Combatants Hall on Feb 22nd.

Photos: My shots of Bruce Peninsula @ The Horseshoe are on flickr
Myspace: Bruce Peninsula

Just as I was feeling sorry for the Tom Fun Orchestra that they were in the position of having to follow the awesome spectacle that is Bruce Peninsula, it took me about 5.6 seconds to realize that I had nothing whatsoever to worry about. There's a reason why so many people love the Tom Fun Orchestra, and this show on Saturday made it very clear what that reason was. The band knows how to party, plain and simple.

If I remember correctly, there were eight people on stage. The instruments consisted of your standard guitar, bass and drums, but you can also add fiddle, banjo, accordion and trumpet as well. The lead vocalist (whose name this week seems to be Robot Orbison) bantered on like a maniacal maritime beat poet with dialogue that was entirely confusing, yet highly hilarious. One such example of this was his promise that the show should end with one great big giant group hug that leaves everybody feeling awkward as they dwell on the fact that the person next to them smells bad. Or something like that. Anyways, the show jumped from one spasmodic jam to the next, and the audience was dancing like crazy, which is something that you don't see everyday at a Toronto show. Their performance actually did remind me quite a bit of bands like Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene in the sense that their onstage demeanor exuded an aura of camaraderie and mutual esteem. The characters onstage were not only fans of music, but they seemed to be huge fans of each other, which I'm sure enabled them to play their guts out as if this was going to be their last show. Not only did the crowd not want them to stop, but they also didn't seem to want to quit either, which is why they blessed us with two encores. 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. They played for somewhere near an hour and a half, and I was exhausted by the end of the show but, needless to say, this is not a show that I'll be forgetting anytime soon.

Photos: My pics of Tom Fun Orchestra @ The Horseshoe are on flickr.
Myspace: Tom Fun Orchestra
Download: Watchmaker mp3


Download: Throw Me To the Rats mp3


Download: You Will Land With a Thud mp3


You can check out some more amazing pictures from the show taken on a real camera by local amateur photographer Tom Cochrane (no, it's not THAT Tom Cochrane), also on flickr.

CONTEST: Prize Pack featuring Bruce Peninsula, The Darcy's & Tom Fun Orchestra,

THE TOM FUN ORCHESTRA - YOU WILL LAND WITH A THUD

The press release I received for Cape Breton's Tom Fun Orchestra described them as Tom Waits singing lead for The Arcade Fire. In my experience, I've learned that press releases need to be taken with a grain of salt since they usually drop big names in order to grab a person's attention, even though, more often than not, the artist sounds nothing like what the big name comparisons would suggest. (BTW: would you believe that I used to think the expression 'grain of salt' was actually 'grain assault' as in 'being attacked by a massive stalk of wheat'? Just thought you'd get a kick out of that.) Anyways, where were we? Oh yes..The Tom Fun Orchestra's latest CD is entitled You Will Land With A Thud and upon hearing the opening track When You Were Mine, I was instantly amazed at the accuracy of the opening comparative statement. The instrumentation really does revel in atmosphere the way Arcade Fire does and the vocalist, who goes by Jonny Turbo, Ian MacDougall and Tom Fun, has a gravelly voice reminisent of Mr. Waits. However as the CD progresses, the Arcade Fire morphs into The Pogues, and the vocals start sounding more like Rowlf the Dog from The Muppet Show, but these are all good things.

The band is huge; its nine members playing instruments as varied as violin, upright bass, accordion, trumpet and banjo. The songs are unique, as they encapsulate genres as diverse as dirty whiskey shooting jazz (Run & Tequila), thunder & lightning inducing black snake blues (Highway Siren Song), drunken pirate sea shanty's (Bottom Of The River), latin tinged mob provoking rock (Tar Pond Tango) and full-on horn empowered nine minute epics (You will Land With a Thud.) More than all else though, this band is simply an enthusiastic traditional Maritime band who are inviting everyone to their out of control boat party where for the first time in history, angry pirates, scruffy deckhands and well dressed sailors can join forces for a cluster rock brawl that will not be forgotten any time soon.

Photo by Nathan Boone
Myspace: Tom Fun Orchestra
Video: Watchmaker on youtube
Download: Last Of The Curious Thieves mp3

Download: Highway Siren Song Breakdown mp3



CONTEST: This one is pretty awesome guys! I don't know what I'm doing to deserve such amazing opportunities to give away stuff but you'd better jump on it while it lasts. Tom Fun Orchestra are playing The Horseshoe on Saturday January 31st with Bruce Peninsula and The Darcy's.

The Darcy's are a shoegazey orchestral pop band whose live show has been described in Exclaim! magazine as a "sweaty, excruciatingly inspiring live set." Bruce Peninsula was 2008's fifth hottest band according to the recent I Heart Music survey and their A Mountain Is a Mouth LP has received a lot of notable praise. So here's what I've got to give away:

1) A pair of passes to the show at The Horseshoe on January 31st.
2) A copy of The Tom Fun Orchestra's 'You Will Land With A Thud' CD
3) A copy of The Darcy's 'Endless Water' CD
4) A digital download of Bruce Peninsula's 'A Mountain Is A Mouth' release.

If you're interested in winning this prize pack, email me at quadb2001 [at] gmail [dot] com with "Everybody Tom Fun Tonite" in the subject line and your full name in the body.

Myspace: The Darcy's
Myspace: Bruce Peninsula

Contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered and congratulations to Kimberly for winning all of the schwag!