vintage

You know, the thing I hate the most about shows I am really looking forward to is how quickly they end. Here you are having a grand old time, yelling so loud it is a wonder you’re not voiceless already, and suddenly it’s “Goodnight Toronto!” and that’s that.

Squeeze’s performance, taking place last Thursday night at the Kool Haus, was definitely in this category of “disappointing only because they didn’t play all night” shows. That aside, though … it was awesome.

Kicking off the night was Aimee Mann, who I had the pleasure of seeing almost exactly a month before at the Calgary Folk Music Festival. Her set was quite similar to that one, although it seemed a little more laid-back and less energetic than the festival – she did a couple I recognized (and liked) such as “Freeway”, which got a good response, but overall it seemed a bit flat. Nevertheless, Mann gave us a rare grin at the end and promised a pants-igniting set by Squeeze was on its way, and she was certainly right about that.

Just under an hour later, the lights dimmed and Squeeze hit the stage to wild cheers and the opening strains of the perplexing kick-off number “Strong in Reason” (from their first record). I can’t say this tune is particularly rousing, nor is it a memorable way to start a show; in fact, it isn’t really much of anything. Most of the attention was focused not on them, but on the giant projection screen behind the band, filled with fairly abstract-looking video clips of cars driving and weird kaleidoscopic shapes.

I think more than a few of us were probably focused on Glenn Tilbrook as well, not because of his guitar playing (that came later) but more because of his three-piece banana yellow suit. Yellow! Those Brits.

The show improved considerably from that point; since they had no new album to promote, it was just a mishmash of old favourites, mainly from the singles vault. Personal highlights included “Up the Junction,” which came fairly early on and included some fabulous vocals by Tilbrook; “Piccadilly,” featuring Stephen Large on keyboards, who also plays with Glenn’s band The Fluffers; and “Melody Motel”, Glenn belting out the lyrics while playing all the leads completely flawlessly. What a player.

Let me take a second here to mention just how excellent a guitarist Tilbrook really is. Among those who are Squeeze connoisseurs, this is no great news; however, to some it may come as a great surprise that he could give some “legends” a run for their money. Time and time again, jaws dropped as he slid another solo out of his (yellow) pocket, and his beat-up old Fender Telecaster sounded like liquid gold no matter what he did. It’s certain that Tilbrook doesn’t get quite as much credit for his playing as is due, especially if he’s always like that on stage.

Chris Difford was dressed smartly and played with about as much excitement as a fencepost for most of the show, although he cracked quite a few grins at a particularly enthusiastic fan in front of me. At one point he was seen chugging away on his Tele and attempting to do the twist across the stage, a gesture which was hilarious, but appreciated. Difford’s voice and lyrics are still good, but perhaps he has some work to do as a stage performer (particularly beside Tilbrook, bouncing around in front of the wind machine, silver curls flying everywhere). Still, his vocal contributions – particularly to the Cool for Cats repertoire – were very well executed.

Former Squeeze bassist John Bentley returned for this tour, with Simon Hanson (also of The Fluffers) rounding out the lineup, and together they formed an incredibly tight incarnation of Squeeze. Perhaps not one that would please the fans of “the classic lineup”, but one that put on a fabulous show, a show featuring breakdowns of “Black Coffee In Bed”, Large karate-chopping the keyboard like his life depended on it, and a soul-destroying performance of “Some Fantastic Place”, on which Difford’s steel-string sounded marvelous.

Though there were a few notable exceptions to the setlist (“In Quintessence” being one of them), it encompassed eight albums, as well as the compilation favourite “Annie Get Your Gun”, and probably had something to satisfy everyone in attendance. I certainly wouldn’t have minded if they had played another two hours, though. Squeeze is a band I’ve been waiting years to see and after this performance, I’d see them again in a heartbeat.

(Apologies for the lateness of this review; the next day I got hit with the worst case of food poisoning I’ve ever suffered in my life, and am still recovering. C’est la vie, I guess. At least it was after the show.)

Tags: aimee mann, squeeze

The four days are over and I have the most killer tan. This would probably be more useful if I wasn’t brown to begin with, but you know how it is.

Thursday

Things got rolling with the Master Musicians of Jajouka, at best an unconventional way to start the festival. The group hails from northern Morocco and have collaborated with the likes of the Rolling Stones and Maceo Parker. As revered as they are, I still couldn’t get into what they were doing; rather cacophonous and repetitive, I guess they just weren’t my bag.

Following them, however, were Canadian darlings The Weakerthans, who were just delightful. Somehow this was my first time experiencing their joyful live performance, and it did not disappoint; soft-spoken and gracious, John K. Samson and his crew delivered a bucketload of well-crafted songs that fit perfectly with the sunny weather. Their set felt far too short. I’m definitely seeing them again.

Third up was clever and quirky Aimee Mann. Shamefully, the only experiences I’ve had with her music are “Humpty Dumpty” and “It’s Not Safe,” the latter with Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford from Squeeze. I know. So I was quite taken by surprise when I found out just how much I enjoyed her stuff. Her between-song banter was hilarious and delivered in a completely deadpan manner (which just made it so much better). Her performance was really enjoyable – she has a great voice and her easygoing manner made everyone relax and get into it. I am definitely looking forward to seeing her again in about a month when she opens for Squeeze in Toronto (!!).

Sam Roberts closed the night out with some seriously happy rock & roll, throwing in old favourites like “Brother Down” and “Hard Road” alongside some choice tunes from Love at the End of the World, including the title track, “Lions of the Kalahari” and “Detroit ‘67″. It got a little jammy towards the end, but the energy never failed; Roberts and his band blasted the singing and dancing crowd with some joyful rock and things ended Thursday night on a beautifully high note. Man, I love Sam Roberts.

Friday

Off to a hollerin’, boot-stompin’, banjo-pickin’ start with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a young African-American string band formed in North Carolina and working under the tutelage of Joe Thompson. They were an excellent way to kick off the afternoon, playing a whole lot of rollicking, uptempo string band tunes and getting everybody’s toes tapping early on. Some great jug playing was featured, too (what a treat!). These guys were a real party, and I purchased their CD from the official festival record tent. Definitely a favourite of my musical discoveries from the festival.

I took off and missed the blues harmonica stylings of Charlie Musselwhite to run to the Twilight Stage instead, taking in a set by indie favourites Great Lake Swimmers. It was just what I had hoped for – quiet and beautifully intricate songs floating over the crowd flopped in the grass in front of the stage, with the sunset blazing behind us. Tony Dekker’s voice is ethereal at times, and other times just country enough. I hope to have a few more opportunities to see them in Toronto in the coming years; they were fabulous and quite a lovely treat on a beautiful night.

I booked the heck back to the mainstage afterwards; next up were Vancouver’s darlings the Be Good Tanyas, who I have been dying to see for a few years now. Their delicious blend of folk, country and bluegrass gives them a unique sound that lends itself perfectly to the Calgary folk festival. They didn’t play my favourite song of theirs (“The Littlest Birds,” from 2001’s Blue Horse), but they did treat us to a very energetic “Reuben”, as well as a host of other favourites from their three records, including “Human Thing”. Lead vocalist Frazey Ford has one of the most interesting voices I’ve heard in a while, and all three of them sing beautifully, making every song a study in lush vocal harmony. I can’t wait for them to release something else – I really love this group and I bet you would too.

After that, oh, what a treat – Andrew Bird, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, whistler extraordinaire. I don’t really know how to describe him other than “a wonder”. Bird layers track after track of violin, voice and otherworldly whistling until he sounds like an entire orchestra, and his songs are complex and beautiful. Seeing him live is a totally different experience and one that I am completely willing to repeat. What a guy.

Calexico took the stage next, and boy was I really in for a surprise. I’ve only ever heard one Calexico song, and it was on a mix CD I got in a trade called The Country Hour. Thus, I was expecting a country band. However, Calexico – named for the city on the border between California and Mexico, counterpart of Mexicali – takes much of its influence from mariachi bands and other sounds from Mexico and the American southwest. Their horn section is absolutely fantastic, and vocalist Joey Burns’ style – gritty and wistful – conjures images of campfires in the desert at sunset. And, in fact, during their set the sun was going down; perfect imagery for a really enjoyable set.

And finally, the headliner: Kingston (Ontario, not Jamaica)’s Bedouin Soundclash. They were energetic and fun for the first half, but by the end I was more than ready for them to get offstage. I did have a good time to start off, though – they were really pumping up the crowd, playing reggae-heavy danceable tunes for all the whippersnappers up front, and at one point offering up a tribute to Joe Strummer of the Clash. However, reggae beats get repetitive after a while, and the Soundclash did little to offer any variety; a somewhat shorter set would probably have been a better idea, and I was sick of them by the end. Still, a pretty fun way to end the Friday.

More stuff to come, including a series of excellent Saturday and Sunday workshop sessions. In the meantime, Folk Festival Mini-Sampler, Pt. 1!

The Weakerthans – Civil Twilight
Carolina Chocolate Drops – Starry Crown
Bedouin Soundclash – Living in Jungles
The Be Good Tanyas – Reuben

Tags: aimee mann, andrew bird, be good tanyas, bedouin soundclash, calexico, calgary folk music festival, carolina chocolate drops, great lake swimmers, master musicians of jajouka, sam roberts, the weakerthans