CMF Day 2: The Novaks, The Waking Eyes, Matt Mays and El Torpedo

As is usually the case, I was not able to get out on Thursday night until after 10 or so, and I decided that I was just going to plop myself down at Lee's Palace and check out the lineup there.

I arrived there as Newfoundland's The Novaks were partway through their set. They played some pretty straight forward rock 'n roll that seems to be influenced by riff heavy rock like The Rolling Stones, while incorporating a mid 70's garage sound reminiscent of Teenage Head and the like. Their sound more likely would have better suited a smaller bar-like venue such as The Horseshoe, but they were very accomplished musicians who blasted their bluesy rockabilly vibe quite well. They played mostly original material, presumably from their debut album, and I did enjoy their set closing cover of Eddie Cochran's Somethin' Else.

Photos: My pictures of The Novaks @ Lee's Palace are on flickr.
Myspace: The Novaks

The Waking Eyes are a band that has been on my radar a lot in recent months, and this is mostly due to the incredible buzz that continues to surround them. Their performance did not disappoint. I loved the variety that could be heard throughout their music, and the fact that they refused to simply settle into one traditional style. Being only mildly familiar with their songs, it was incredibly exciting to watch a band that balked at predictability, and kept their artsy sound evolving throughout their set. Although all of the guys are obviously excellent musicians, it was the intensity of Joey Penner's bass playing that really impressed me the most. Almost all of the members however had their chance to shine, switching up their instruments regularly and all taking turns in presenting their own throat tearing vocals. A major highlight (besides the minor tribute to Heinz ketchup the culminated in Heinz t-shirts being tossed into the crowd) was the audience singalong that accompanied Wolves At The Door, a truly great song. It's going to be exciting to see them again in April when they open for The Weakerthans and The Constantines at The Phoenix.

Photos: My pictures of The Waking Eyes @ Lee's Palace are on flickr.
Myspace: The Waking Eyes.

Much like Sloan the night before, Matt Mays and El Torpedo are one of those acts that have been rocking out for years and are way past the point where they need to impress. Although his hard rockin', alt-country tinged East Coast sound is great on record, the live stage is really where Matt Mays shines the brightest. The band opened with two songs from their latest release Terminal Romance, namely Building A Boat and Tall Trees, both of which ensured us all that this was to be a performance of grand rocking proportions! Matt's got a pretty sweet White Falcon Gretsch, and he wailed on that thing several times throughout the night. The setlist featured a good number of songs from the latest release but was by no means limited to those tracks, as he even played songs from his solo album. The main set ended with his biggest hit Cocaine Cowgirl which really brought the house down. For the encore he did an amazing cover of The Stones' Wild Horses, which was followed by On The Hood from their self-titled album. For that song he invited the members of all of the opening bands onto the stage, which resulted in an onstage party that was only surpassed by the wild one that was taking place in the audience.

Photos: My pictures of Matt Mays and El Torpedo @ Lee's Palace are on flickr.
Myspace: Matt Mays and El Torpedo