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...

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...

Pick A Piper w/Hut & The Fishwives @ Rancho Relaxo

I apologize for the lack of postings but my motivation level has been somewhat minimal lately. I think that it's likely one of those inner head things where I am already anticipating how busy the tail end of the month is going to be, and this internal preparation of sorts has made me tired before I've even done anything. In other words, don't take it personal; it's not you, it's me. Still, I work hard to post about every show that I attend, and although we're a full eleven days into the month of June, there was still one more show in May that I have yet to tell you about. What makes my tardiness twice as inexcusable is the fact that this show was so good.

After shamelessly neglecting my friends at Zygiella seven times before, it was great to finally make it out to this eighth installment of the Zygiella series. This time around it was being held at Rancho Relaxo as part of the Pitter Patter Festival and it featured three bands that I really knew very little about. The first act on the bill was a last minute replacement for Huddle, (who had to back out due to a band member injury) known as The Fishwives.

The Fishwives are a local four piece who specialize in a hooky brand of 60's tinged power pop that should easily appeal to anyone who likes their rock 'n roll a little bit wacky. It's become apparent that, although the kids in the band have obviously taken in the art of contemporaries like The Shins and The Coral, they have likely spent a great deal of time digesting their parents music collection also. This is a good thing since their music shows a sense of openness that you wouldn't normally hear in a band so young. In fact, although these guys were not even old enough to drink that night, they played original songs that were witty, adventurous and surprisingly mature. If I can make a bit of a bold statement here: I believe that, given the right direction, The Fishwives have the ability to shine in ways that too many of their contemporaries do not. A big problem with some bands right now is that they seem to find their niche, and then settle there with total disregard to the possibility of exploration. This band, although still in an understandably amateurish stage, have already begun to dabble in different areas, which gives them an eclecticism that should only grow with time. I was impressed.

Photos: The Fishwives @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: The Fishwives

From a band gaining experience to a band with plenty, Hut were on next. The band is the mastermind of Daniel Lee whom I've seen a couple of times in one of his other bands: Hooded Fang. While both of these acts display a measure of pure pop sensibility, the comparisons really do stop there. The Fang have a very polished pop sound that solidifies more and more every time that I see them, while Hut tackles this territory with a frantic lo-fi approach. I realize that choosing one style over the other is really a matter of preference, but to these ears, nothing can compare to the dirty realism of Hut's guttural styling. They wasted no time blasting from one post-punk gem to the other, keeping the vibe free from lag and showcasing a sound that had all of the elements of a mutant spawn of Bradford Cox and Tom Verlaine. They closed with an amazing song called Doom, which I can't stop listening to on their myspace page. It's fantastic, and the reason for this is the fact that the song has such an infectious hook that lends itself to overproduced stadium sounds, but avoids succumbing to that, keeping things deliciously lo-fi and original. On top of that, the lyric "gravity has lost its charm" is probably my favourite lyric of the year so far. Hut keeps their endearing roughness in tact when they perform live and I'll definitely be checking them out again.

Photos: Hut @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Hut

Pick a Piper have received a lot of local love as of late, and Hut had left me pleasantly pumped for what was to follow. Thankfully Pick A Piper took that intensity and cranked it up considerably for their outstanding closing set. As they were setting up, it became obvious that this was going to be a percussive assault of sorts. They had a two drummer set up going on, and plenty other instrumental implements of destruction onstage making me very happy that I remembered my ear protection (for once.) The band consists of Clint Scrivener, Dan Roberts, Angus Fraser and Brad Weber. Brad has spent time as the touring drummer for Caribou, and it's obvious that he's brought that experience with him to this particular outfit. On record, vocal precision and soaring melodies are certainly the order of the day, but when you go to see them live, it's good to expect something a little bit more intense. Although the sound at Rancho was a little bit more muddled that their music would require, the attack of heavy percussion was still very much in tact and as you looked around the room, the tribal beats were clearly having an effect on the heads of all in attendance. It was impossible to stand still as the band played one locomotive blast of freak-psych after another. It also became apparent that the band was working hard for our enjoyment because, although the crowd begged for an encore, the sweat stained bodies of the collective Pipers were just too exhausted to go any further. After all, it's a tough job creating a heady climax of euphoria and everything.

Photos: Pick a Piper @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Pick A Piper

"To Live By The Sea And Never Leave"

Music News, Local News, Indie News, Et Cetera....

Having grown bored with processing the photos I took at a show I attended on Friday night, I figured that I would take a break by visiting this here blog. No reviews or opinionated rants today, just a random whack of music related news that may or may not interest you depending on what type of stuff interests you these days:

I didn't participate in this weekend's Over The Top Festival, mainly because I found myself dealing with a tiredness that seemed to run dangerously close to the chronic fatigue variety. Hopefully, I will be able to have a share in, at least a little bit, of next weekend's Pitter Patter Fest, which is taking place at various venues in and out of the city. I've already talked a bit about it before, but I've recently come across another show that seems to be peaking my interest significantly.

Zygiella VIII is taking place at Rancho Relaxo on Friday night (May 29th). I love to support Zygiella, yet I'm an idiot since I've still never actually attended any of their showcases. The lineup this time around conisists of three bands that I'm not really all that familiar with, yet having sampled the music on their myspaces, I'm pretty sure that I'll have to set aside my previous Friday night plans and check this one out. The bands are Pick A Piper (pictured above), Huddle and Hut and if you like your shows eclectic, than this one is a must see.
[Above photo taken by K. Downey]

Dog Day are playing on Thursday night at Lee's Palace and my ticket giveaway contest is still running for another day or so. In the meantime however, you may wish to check them out when they play a free instore at Soundscapes on Wednesday May 27th at 6pm. [Myspace: Dog Day]

Fox Jaws are just about to embark on their East Coast tour but before they leave, they'll be playing a PWYC show at The Supermarket on Wednesday night. [Myspace: Fox Jaws]

The Vancouver Documentary Film Festival (DOXA) is taking place as we speak and will be continuing on all week but the reason that I'm tallking about it here is because they've got an interesting fundraiser taking place in connection with the fest. A number of disposable cameras were distibuted to different celebrities - the idea being that they would shoot them off and then auction them on eBay. Amongst the participants are Great Lake Swimmers, The Weakerthans, Jason Collett, Torquill Campbell, George Stroumboulopoulis and Narwuar the Human Serviette, as well as many many others. To see how you can get involved, check out all of the information here.

And I'm sorry to finish off on a sad note, but I just got word that former Wilco guitarist and songwriter Jay Bennett has passed away this weekend. He was a major contributor to the Wilco sound during, what I feel, was their best period of output. Very sad news indeed. He was 45.

Exciting Local Music Sites

In my sidebar, I added an elite set of links for the local music sites that I personally find very exciting. The sexiest of the bunch by far is Zygiella. The complicated explanation of their mission statement is to combine the work of Myspace, Facebook, CDBaby, Flickr, Last.Fm, etc, etc, etc into one wicked awesome DIY band promotion site. The simple explanation is that they want to support and promote good music. It's still in its beginning stages but it is easily the spiffiest looking site around. Most sites (including mine) all look the same but Zygiella is the future. I'm excited to see its progress. I hope it blows up real big and stuff.

www.zygiella.com

And because I'm just a redundant kind of guy, I'll throw up the links to the other exciting local sites right here, even though they're probably located immediately to the right anyways.

Two Way Monologues - OK, I've told you about this one already, right?
Toronto Indie - You should already know about this one. It's been around longer than I have.
New Sound Now - I suppose technically, this is just another music blog but it's a video music blog. Ooooh. You mean I don't have to read anything? Cool. (OK, there's some reading...)