Fox Jaws, Oh No Forest Fires and Foxfire Forest @ The Drake Underground

It was an evening of foxes, forests, fires and furry furry hats while three bands with extremely similar sounding names all got together to perform under the same roof at The Drake Underground in Toronto on Thursday evening.

Headlining the evening was Barrie's Fox Jaws, whom I had seen earlier this year, but just had to see again and must continue to see as often as I can. Their CD "Goodbye Doris" is easily my favorite local release of the year, and it has definitely solidified a spot in the top 5 for my year end best of... overall. Their live show is spellbinding, and seeing them again on Thursday night has me wondering how much longer they can be kept a relative secret, not only in Toronto, but in Canada and all around the indie universe. I honestly think that they are currently one of the best Canadian bands out there right now. They played a handful of newer songs that night, which has me salivating for the new disc, whenever it might come out. The songs I did know, sounded as lush and vibrant live as one could expect. Carleigh Aikins is just too stinking adorable to watch and I really hope that My Hands, My Plans continues to stay in their setlist long after they become rich and famous because that song is pure gold baby. Sadly they didn't perform their cover of Under Pressure, which I haven't heard personally but several sources suggest that it's a sight to behold.

Photos: Fox Jaws @ The Drake Underground on flickr
Download: Karmonica mp3 / Quarantine Girl mp3
Myspace: Fox Jaws
Listen: Goodbye Doris: The whole CD can be streamed here.
Video: Warm Winter Coats @ The Mod Club on youtube
Purchase: Goodbye Doris at their online store.

Sandwiched inbetween a couple of the hyperest danciest bands on the planet was the still -hyper -but -only -not -so -hyper -compared -to -the -hyperactivity -of -all -the -other -hyper -bands -that -evening's Oh No Forest Fires. They are a local indie-pop band that I have been intrigued about for a while, because the buzz around them has been quite favorable. Their live show did not disappoint. The songs are hooky and energetic and guitarist / keyboardist / vocalist Rajiv Thavanathan is now my new favorite rock star, (which is convenient considering I went to see him again in another band the following evening, unbeknownst to me.) Seriously, the dude is Sonic the Hedgehog with more energy as he bounces around the stage like a madman, making him also one of the most difficult human beings to photograph ever (except when he poses like he did in the above picture.) The songs on their myspace page are also sharp bursts of kinetic energy reminding me a bit of The Weakerthans mixed in with a little Built To Spill as they showcase a sound that I find very exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing/ hearing what else this band is capable of in the near future. They're playing their brains out around our fair city in the weeks to come so I'm sure that I'll be seeing them again soon.

Photos: Oh No Forest Fires @ The Drake Underground on flickr.
Myspace: Oh No Forest Fires

The evening began with Foxfire Forest. This band is more fun than a cage full of colored spheres (which is pretty danged fun) as they had the crowd worked into an insane dancing machine with very little rhythm but tons of enthusiasm. The lack of rhythm is the crowd's fault, not the band's, as this artsy nine member collective oozes rhythm and a sound that makes them stand apart from the other several member collectives in the GTA. The vocals remind me a bit of David Byrne, while the music reminds me of really nobody. They get compared to BSS and Ghost is Dancing often enough, but I find this artsy collective to be more dance oriented than any of those other bands. They've got a groove that is soaked in merriment, and watching them perform complete with synchronized arm movements and crowd interaction made me feel all giddy inside. Their show was as much about theatrics as it was about getting your groove thang on, but the theatrics were never too much so as to distract from the sound. They were dressed a little bit strangely, but from the pictures I've seen of previous performances, this was nothing compared to the costumes they're sported in the past. I particularly enjoyed watching the keyboardist with the crazy hair as it warmed my heart to know that audience members cared enough to repoof and restyle it for him whenever it was in danger of falling flat. If that isn't community spirit, then I don't know what is. The only troubling bit of news was that they kept mentioning that this was their last show as this band. I don't know what that means, but I want to see more of them so I hope that there is nothing more than a few lineup changes in store. Because I really really want to see them again. Right now, as a matter of fact.

Photos: Foxfire Forest @ The Drake Underground on flickr.
Downloads: Narcissist In The Forest mp3 / Such A Quandary, Dirty Laundry mp3
Myspace: Foxfire Forest