vintage

I re-read my NXNE post (which did not get posted on time) and I discovered that I didn’t say much of note except for “This was really great!” and “That was terrific!” and so I decided to axe it. Here is the short version of the very, very, very small number of things that I attended.

The Burning Hell @ the Horseshoe Tavern: This band is amazing. They are coming off the release of their second full-length, Baby, and I think they get more energetic every time I see them. The bonus of this show is that they were almost all rip-roaring drunk, particularly Mathias (the frontman, brain, and master ukulele-man behind the project), which added about ten thousand energy points. “Grave Situation Pt. 1″ has never sounded so good, and I was amazed both at the number of people filling the ‘Shoe for their set and at how many of those people were raucously yelling along to most of the songs.

Six Shooter Records BBQ: For those unaware of the recent tradition, Six Shooter Records hosts a backlot BBQ on the Saturday of NXNE behind their store on Queen East. This year it poured fairly aggressively, but it was still packed full of umbrella-wielding, good-humoured folks; NQ Arbuckle, the afternoon’s host, definitely fits into the latter category. I believe the margaritas may have contributed to his good humour later in the day, but nonetheless, he did magnificently. There were great, and I mean great, performances by the likes of Justin Rutledge (including a rockin’ version of his “jellybean song”), The Beauties, Luke Doucet, Martin Tielli — yeah! — backed by Luke Doucet and Selina Martin, Rose Cousins, and a bunch of others too. Highlights included … well, the whole thing. I am sure you can imagine what the original post looked like.

And that’s about all I did. We played a show at Mitzi’s Sister on the Saturday night, though, and Chart magazine loved us. So that’s something! (I apologise for shameless self-promotion; in my defense, it has been quite some time since that happened around these parts.)

Much shorter than the last post, and hopefully you’ll actually get to read it this time! I hope things get interesting around here again so I have things to talk about. I am working my way through a couple of books (Claudia Dey’s Stunt and Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany), so when I finish them — which will be soon — perhaps you will see some musings.

Ho hum, summertime, etc.

Tags: entire cities, horseshoe tavern, justin rutledge, luke doucet, martin tielli, mitzi's sister, north by northeast, nq arbuckle, nxne, rose cousins, selina martin, six shooter records, the beauties, toronto

I’ve finally decided on the best live shows I saw all year. I couldn’t narrow it down to ten (largely because of the Calgary Folk Music Festival), but who decided that was the format for year-end lists? Fifteen it is, and in chronological order because I cannot figure out how to rank them.

Sloan (March 6, The Supermarket, Toronto)
review

Just by virtue of the fact that they played a host of songs I never thought I’d see them do (“Stood Up” and “Same Old Flame”, for example, from an old 7″ released around 1996), gave us a preview of some new tunes a few months before Parallel Play, and had a good time on a small stage.

The Bad Plus (May 24, Quincy’s, Calgary)
review

One of the more talented jazz groups I have had the pleasure of witnessing, and of course, they ended with their now-famous cover of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” (which the Bad Plus have released on 2007’s Prog). Incredibly talented and versatile musicians, and Quincy’s was a great venue for them.

The Weakerthans (July 24, Calgary Folk Festival)
review

I credit this show with catapulting me into becoming a Weakerthans fan. They were terrific, and just the perfect sort of music for a summer afternoon. There couldn’t have been anything better about the Weakerthans’ short folk festival set.

Be Good Tanyas (July 25, Calgary Folk Festival)
review

I’ve wanted to see the Tanyas for quite a few years, dating back to the first time I heard “The Littlest Birds” from Blue Horse. Unfortunately, they didn’t play that, but they put on a very impressive show at the Folk Festival, reminding us that their blend of bluegrass, folk and country is not going anywhere. Three of the finest voices this country has to offer.

Andrew Bird (July 25, Calgary Folk Festival)
review

Definitely one of the most unique and interesting acts at the Folk Festival this year. It was hard to believe everything was being done by one man and a hard-working loop pedal; very intricate and delicately crafted music, and a great experience to see it being done live.

Blue Rodeo (July 26, Calgary Folk Festival)
review

Words can’t describe how much fun I had with Blue Rodeo. It had rained most of the afternoon and evening that day and I was ready to bail, but I’m glad we stuck it out — it’s obvious to me now why Blue Rodeo have been around for such a long time. Incredible musicians, and their joy of playing radiates from everything they do.

Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet (July 27, Calgary Folk Festival)
review

Abigail Washburn: a redheaded Southern belle who can sing in fluent Mandarin, accompanied by a string band. This alone is good enough to land the Sparrow Quartet on the list, but on top of that, they are amazing (also featuring banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck). To see these musicians is a real experience.

Squeeze (August 28, Kool Haus, Toronto)
review

I’ve wanted this to happen for years, and when it finally did, nothing was a letdown. Tilbrook was on top form, his voice and guitar skills as good as they ever were, and a bonus of touring without an album to back was a setlist jam-packed with all kinds of unexpected songs. A party from start to finish.

Sigur Rós (September 22, Massey Hall, Toronto)
review

I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but everything about it was great. Ethereal and soaring and very, very musical. The encore didn’t hurt either: a huge, joyful version of “Gobbledigook” featuring all the members of opening band Parachutes, and near the end, the biggest blast of confetti I’ve ever seen inside a concert hall. We were picking up the pieces for weeks!

Martin Tielli (September 28, Hugh’s Room, Toronto)

I regret not doing a proper review for this show, since it stayed with me for quite a few weeks. Tielli is one of those musicians you can go to when you’re sick of everyone doing the same thing, because he’s never, ever conventional. An incredible performance of his solo tunes and Rheos material with a great band of supporting musicians.

David Byrne (October 29, Massey Hall, Toronto)
review

Byrne is a real legend, and deservedly so; he did all the right things on the Massey stage, and added some quirks too (like the dancers!). The new material translates exceptionally well live, and he threw in some Talking Heads favourites too. He’s a thrilling performer, and one I’d see again in a heartbeat.

Hayden (November 1, Massey Hall, Toronto)

Backed by members of Cuff the Duke, Hayden’s jamming-in-a-living-room sort of set was homey and perfect, filling the beautiful old Massey Hall with his easygoing music. I didn’t want it to end. I’d see him again quite readily, especially since I bought his album after the show and know it reasonably better now.

Robin Williams (November 22, Massey Hall, Toronto)

The funniest hour and a half I’ve spent all year. Robin Williams just does not stop talking, and flits around from subject to subject to potty joke faster than light. Much ado was made about the American election, but also the Canadian one (he did a remarkable impression of Prime Minister Harper), and his accents and miming skills are among the most hilarious things I’ve seen in a while.

Justin Rutledge (December 1, Cameron House, Toronto)

If ever there were a perfect show, this might be it. The Cameron House’s front room capacity is about 70, and there were at least that many people crammed in there to hear Justin Rutledge on night 4 of his “Incredible Shrinking Tour” (each night brought a smaller venue). Many songs from Man Descending were played, and he went over two hours before finally deciding to take a break. I had no idea that much time had passed — a testament to the captivating things happening on stage.

Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe (December 14, Massey Hall, Toronto)

I must confess: before this, I didn’t even like Stuart McLean. I would turn the radio off when the Vinyl Café started. However, there’s something about seeing the live version that makes things all the more enjoyable; ad-libs, personal anecdotes, and the really great musicians he brought along with him. I have been inducted into the world of Dave and Morley, and while I probably won’t listen to too many studio broadcasts, the live ones have a certain warmth that I really enjoyed.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: There were two shows that I feel worthy of mentioning here, but they didn’t make the main list mostly because I was heavily involved with them (and that is probably a conflict of interest!). One of them is The Bicycles’ CD release party at Lee’s Palace on November 8, featuring a myriad of guest performers like Forest City Lovers, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables, Sloan, Hooded Fang, $100, Matt Murphy, etc. I did play in about 8 songs, but the Bicycles put on a fantastic performance in every one, including backing up all the aforementioned bands. It was a great way to bring Oh No, It’s Love into the world. (review)

The other is Entire Cities’ CD release party at the Canadian Corps Hall on April 11. This is my band, and we had planned for quite some time to get the release party in order. Everything went without a hitch; no delays, no PA problems, great sound, and a lovely time. It still stands as probably the best show I’ve ever played, and certainly the best show with Entire Cities; I think that in itself merits a mention.

Happy new year, everybody! I look forward to the news and tunes of 2009 (already shaping up to be a pretty good year). Now if only that strike would end already.

Tags: abigail washburn & the sparrow quartet, andrew bird, be good tanyas, blue rodeo, david byrne, entire cities, hayden, justin rutledge, martin tielli, robin williams, sigur rós, sloan, squeeze, stuart mclean, the bad plus, the bicycles, the weakerthans

This is kind of a hybrid concert-review/band-ramblings/album-review post. Hopefully it is not too confusing.

Toronto’s blues-rock-country-drunken-party band The Schomberg Fair hosted a marvelous CD release party this past Saturday at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, smack in the middle of a weekend transit strike that essentially paralyzed much of the city (and caused terrifying gridlock for those of us attempting to transport ourselves to the show via other peoples’ wheely machines). However, it was remarkably well-attended, and featured a host of their friends’ bands on the bill as well. To make things somewhat confusing and rather narcissistic, two of those – not one, but two – were bands that I am a member of, namely Entire Cities and The Cheap Speakers. So I will forego the review of those, although I would like to mention that I think both sets were a lot of fun, and playing at the Horseshow really rules.

The third band was, as the others, a veteran of the Rancho Relaxo’s Two Way Monologues showcase; they were Tin Bangs, and to be honest, I didn’t enjoy their set all that much. I will refrain from commenting too extensively on it, mostly because I was extremely tired (having played back-to-back sets) and somewhat impatient to see the Fair’s notably crazy, country-filled goodness. I also was somewhat bored by their stylings. They are, to their credit, great musicians; the set was really tight and really poppy, but there was something the same about all of it, which left me pretty cold. According to a friend, they covered the Hives and the Strokes during their stage time, but I will freely admit I had no idea (not because of the way they played, just because I wouldn’t recognize a Hives song if it was waving an airport pick-up sign).

And finally, the power trio, banjo-filled, and (this night) completely drunk Schomberg Fair. They make you want to break out the hooch and your cowboy hat and go find some handsome lads or pretty ladies on the dance floor. Let me tell you, if you have any opportunity to see them, you must.

In a nutshell, the Fair are like rock ‘n’ roll with a lot of extra roll – that good old-style twang, banjo, and some incredible bass vocals courtesy (of course) the bassist, Nate Sidon. They do covers of Townes Van Zandt (really well, too) and also of the favourite “Wade in the Water,” sung entirely two octaves below sea level by Sidon, who continuously draws shocked and disbelieving looks from listeners and audience members as he defies normal vocal capability. Seriously. It’s excellent.

Frontman, guitarist, banjo player and vocalist Matt Bahen is no second fiddle, though. Even while listening to him noodle around on guitar during a soundcheck, it’s clear he knows how to play the good ol’ blues, and play it well. His voice and instrumental stylings are a combination of Those Who Rock and Those Who Country (er, that was not a verb until just now), and together with spirited drummer Jake Stewart, often a vocal contributor as well – and an excellent one – the three make up one of the most talented good-time party bands to hit Toronto in a while.

Their new album Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground is a good embodiment of all of these characteristics. A few bonuses is that it’s a bit easier to hear all the crazy things that Bahen does on his various instruments than it is live (where often some of the subtleties get lost in the confusion), as well as to hear Sidon’s vocal-cord rumblings for mostly the same reasons. The songs are well-produced and have just enough twang to appeal to those who enjoy, but not excessive enough to repel those who are wary of it – a pretty awesome feat, honestly.

The one thing I wish it had a little more of was their on-stage exuberance, although much of it is still present in all facets of the recording. Perhaps a little more restraint on that is good, since the further you go into “exuberance” the further you inevitably go into “sloppiness” after a certain while. Still, that doesn’t take away from what is definitely a contender for my list of best albums this year (I was just about to enumerate some of the other contenders, and then realised that would probably be a silly idea).

Conveniently, the Fair are featured today as CBC Radio 3’s Track of the Day with the title song from said new record, so do yourself a favour and go check it out right here.

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On a totally unrelated and fairly gratuitous note, I am really obsessed with the following albums lately: Murmur, Ball, Challengers, Heretic Pride, and It’s Never Been Like That. (If Wikipedia had music samples every other website would be DESTROYED FOREVER.)

Tags: entire cities, horseshoe tavern, the cheap speakers, the schomberg fair, tin bangs, two way monologues