Eric's Trip w/Quest For Fire & $100 @ The Mod Club

Finally getting to see Eric's Trip was like a dream come true to me. As far as I'm concerned, they're one of the seminal bands of the 90's, and it's a shame that they never entirely got the recognition that they deserved. They always seemed to be the band that was highly respected, yet never quite able to reach much more than a cult status.

Oddly enough, I ran into Rick White a couple of weeks ago. He was painting a wall on Queen Street. Very random. It turned out that this wall was to be the new location for Rotate This, Toronto's legendary independent record shop. I gushed a little bit (can't help it, I'm a fan) and he explained that the reason for The Mod Club show was to raise a bit of bread so as to be able to play a few shows in Europe. I thought that was kinda cool.

Sadly, the turnout wasn't quite as great as I would have expected (or hoped.) It wasn't bad by any means, but I was sure that this was going to sell out, and it didn't look like it did. The crowds, however, were pretty much what I expected: comprised mostly of those whose musically formative years were the early to mid 90's. It was great not to feel like the oldest guy at a show for once. The band was very tight, wasting as little time as possible between songs. No sooner would one song finish before the drummer counted off his "1,2,3,4" and the next song would start up! The setlist was full of crowd pleasers, and my favorite moments were hearing Follow sung with youthful exuberance, and Cloudy, which Rick sung as if his mother told him to use his inside voice. It was beautifully gentle and restrained, almost forcefully held back. But the number one moment was right before the encore, with Julie Doiron's blistering rendition of Blinded. She didn't look all that angsty but boy, did she sell it, making me very happy that I brought my earplugs to this one. Left the venue, pulled them out, no ringing in the ears. What an enjoyable after-moment.

Photos: My shots of Eric's Trip @ The Mod Club are up on flickr.
Myspace: Eric's Trip
Video: My Room on youtube
Video: Stove on youtube

The first of the two opening bands was a local alt-country band called $100. These days the term alt-country conjures up images of any number of roots rockers from Wilco to Ryan Adams. I assure you that $100 sounds even more authentic than even those bands do. The vocals of Simone Schmidt sounds as if she did some hard living in the deep south many many years before she could possibly have been born. Their music was an interesting contrast to the heavier bands that were to follow, but it didn't feel out of place. The set started off a bit slow paced which made it a little bit difficult for me to appreciate right away, but with each subsequent number, they continued to suck me in even more. By the time they got to a song which I believe was called Tirade, I was completely ensconced in an airy pedal steel dream that I never wanted to end. Their upcoming album entitled Forest of Tears was recorded with Rick White and will be released on Blue Fog Recordings.

Photos: $100 @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: $100

The second opener was Quest For Fire. Long story short, I think that I may have a new favorite local band. When they started their set, they came across to me as somewhat reminiscent of Pink Floyd during their mid period between the psychedelic Syd Barrett years and their FM radio mainstream progressive years. But as the show continued, I realized that they had honed a sound that is entirely their own. The band consists of Chad Ross, Josh Bauman, Mike Maxymuik and Andrew Gunn. Chad and Andrew used to play in The Deadly Snakes, the former band of my other favorite local Andre Ethier. Their sound is so atmospheric and aggressive and ethereal and mind blowing that I'm already itching to see them again. The light show at The Mod Club was also a good complement to their music, adding a surreal visual backdrop for their sounds; songs that have a tendency to veer off into lengthy cosmic soundscapes. I could serious fall in love with this band. Seriously.

Photos: Quest For Fire @ The Mod Club on flickr
Myspace: Quest For Fire