Summerworks Review: Buck 65 (with Choir! Choir! Choir! and friends), August 15, Theatre Centre

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Ricky in Summerworks | Leave a comment

It was a clear black night, a clear white moon
Buck 65 was in the theatre centre, trying to consume
Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some funk
Just rollin in my ride, chillin all alone

Just hit the west side of the queen street
On a mission trying to find Mr. Richard T.
Seen a car full of girls tryin to get their fix
All you skirts know what’s up with 416

That was how far I made it on my hip hop inspired review of Buck 65‘s excellent Summerworks show on Wednesday. Originally I was going to modify the lyrics to Warren G’s Regulate to review the show, but man, that is a hella long song and I lost interest pretty quickly. Sometimes I get great ideas, this wasn’t one of them. So back to the show.

Wednesday night’s Buck 65 showcase was probably one of the two most hyped up showcases for the Summerworks Music series in 2012 (Evening Hymns being the other one). A veteran of the music scene, Buck 65 seems to be the type of artist that would be playing venues a lot larger then the Theatre Centre (which was packed) so the opportunity to see him in this space was rather unique. Doubling the uniqueness was the fact that Buck 65 was preforming songs he has never/rarely ever performed live. There was no doubt this was going to be a special evening.

Unshackled by the restraints that would come from say, a conventional show, Buck 65 let lose a series of songs that shows what a versatile songwriter he is. The man laid his rap verses down over a variety of music – from traditional hip hop beats to thrashing guitar riffs to just about everything else. If anyone was to take away anything from this set, it is that the man is rather experimental when picking the music to go with his flow. Visually, Buck 65 was accompanied by a host of dancers who provided interesting arrangements on all the tunes. Joining Buck 65 for a few songs was Choir Choir Choir a Toronto collective that started off as a choir, but then figured out that they are pretty good and now put on shows. Their numbers with Buck 65 was especially good and added to the overall collaborative energy that is Summerworks.

Overall, it was great night at the Theatre Centre that featured creative visuals, epic story telling, unique collaborations and good music from the man they call Buck 65.

Concert Review: Bonobo DJ Set, August 16, U Street Music Hall

Posted on August 17, 2012 by halley in Concerts | Leave a comment

Bonobo delivered a stunning set at U Street Music Hall August 16th. The DJ took the stage at 11:30 PM to an already-enthusiastic audience and only raised the energy level over his hour-long performance. I’m relatively (read: totally) unversed in the world of DJ-ing/mash ups but you can tell this guy is an expert at making sounds come together. He experiments with a wide range of genres, notably weaving Caribbean and salsa sounds into house music; he drops in occasional lyrics; and keeps the beat steady and hypnotic with a strong bass. It’s hard not to dance to his music, and the people-watching at his show was incredible, as hipsters tried out their Shakira-hips and salsa moves amidst the routine head-bobbing and fist-pumping you see at most indie shows. If you like Girl Talk and Gold Panda you should definitely check Bonobo out. But even if you’re not the DJ type, I’d still say he’s worth a try – especially if you have a chance to see him live. For what it’s worth, his show was the first time I found myself out past 1 AM on a weekday, covered in other people’s sweats, being hit by glo-sticks, and still smiling. And that’s probably the highest endorsement I can give.

Summerworks Review: Terre Haute (2012, Alistair Newton)

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Paul in Summerworks | Leave a comment


Much like the real life subjects upon which it’s characters are based, Terre Haute is a rather interesting play. Based on the correspondence between Gore Vidal and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh (represented here by two differently named but otherwise identical proxies), the play imagines a meeting between the two figures at the Terre Haute Correctional Complex just days before the McVeigh character (renamed Harrison for the play) is about to be executed.

While the staging is spare, director Alistair Newton makes an interesting and effective choice of rotating the set with each new scene so that we as an audience see the set from different perspectives, much like Vidal stand in James Brevoort wants to examine Harrison from a different perspective.

In examining the political motivations of Harrison as well as the differences and similarities between the two men, Terre Haute certainly offers up much food for thought and while the play doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of the bombing (or “the events,” as Harrison prefers to call it), it does present the bomber as a somewhat sympathetic and even likeable character at times. This is accomplished not just through the writing but through the performance of Todd Michael Sandomirsky. Both he and Terence Bryant fully inhabit their characters and help to make this an entertaining and thought provoking performance.

Remaining Dates:

Fri. August 17, 10:00 PM
Sat. August 18, 12:00 PM

Song of the Day: Soulsavers – Longest Day (featuring Dave Gahan)

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Ricky in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

I first encountered Soulsavers in 2007 when they released the stunning gospel tinged track Revival featuring Mark Lanegan and that was just amazing on all levels. Soulsavers are the production team of Rich Machin and Ian Glover and have been consistently releasing gospelly-dramatic music for a few years now. This year they released The Light the Dead See, the group’s 4th LP and first in three years.

Fans of Depeche Mode will be pleased to know that this fourth album is a collaboration between Soulsavers and Dave Gahan, and Gahan acts as the main vocalist and lyricist on the record. It’s only fitting given all of Gahan’s trials, tribulations and suffering that he would want to collaborate with the group, who seem to excel at that certain type of music you want to listen to when you are all down on yourself and need some inspiration. Longest Day is a single off the album it’s a dark, dramatic tune that sees Gahan accompanied by a choir. It’s a tune that is a good indicator of Soulsavers brand of music and it’s one worthy of your time, have a listen.

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