New Pornographers, Death Cab for Cutie and The Tragically Hip at Butler’s Barracks, Niagara On The Lake, June 30, 2012

Posted on July 4, 2012 by lauren in Concerts | Leave a comment

Warning: this review may have been tainted by the neanderthal concert goers. I have never ever, encountered such a moronic, boozy and aggressive crowd; not even at the most metal of metal shows back in my dark high-school days. People were still courteous, helped each other out of pits, etc. This was a different kind of terrible. The day began by driving my grandmother’s pimp mobile, with the license plate “GR8GRMA” loud and proud, to the parking lot where we caught the “shuttle bus” , air quotes. Shuttle bus equated to yellow school bus of annoyance. Full of loud boisterous men that had been drinking since at least 9am, I quietly made a Billy Madison joke, and soon enough my prediction came true, as they all proceeded to yell “O’Doyle rules!” “Piss your pants!” for the majority of the ride.  Show experiences, in my opinion, are 70% band, 30% crowd atmosphere. I find if a band is mediocre but the crowd is amazing and there’s a great energy, I will come out still happy. If the band is amazing, but the crowd is unbearable, it makes the show hard to love. So that is my preface, in my review of the bands, I will try to keep it taint free.

Rural Alberta Advantage

Missed photo call, however they were pretty good. Drew a small crowd as the place was starting to fill up, and of course when they covered a Gord Downie song, and the man himself joined them on stage, the crowd went wild and people ran to catch the treat.

New Pornographers with Neko Case

Neko Case has a fantastic voice, clear as day, never faltering, just absolutely perfect. The New Pornographers kicked off with Moves from the 2010 album Together, and continued through a slew of hits during their set. It was poppy, upbeat, and purely Canadian sounding, glad I got to cross them off the bucket list. The best songs of the set were Mass Romantic, Crash Years and Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk. This was also the time we ventured to the alcohol tent where we fell in love with the “mixed and ready” Canadian Club drinks. Not trying to plug a company during this post, but seriously some good shit.

Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie are always great. My third time seeing them, this set made me incredibly nostalgic. I was instantly transported back to senior year of highschool, which was ten years ago! Right when Transatlanticism came out, the album was my official summer album, constantly on repeat, and remained that way for years. The first show I saw was at a place in Buffalo, NY called Nietzsche’s, a small 400 person venue, so incredibly intimate two people in the crowd actually bought the band a wine set and had every patron sign the box. Since that time, Death Cab sky rocketed to a major label, arena type venues and headlining festivals. Yet, even with the large caliber fan base, the idiotic crowd and large outdoor setting, they still made me feel like I was the only person in the crowd watching, as they went through their recent albums and then delved back into my favorites from Transatlanticism and The Photo Album. The sunny hot day became a bit cloudy during their set, but during The New Year, right at the pivotal build up and moment in the song, the sun rose again, making you feel like you were actually starting anew on a very warm January day.

The Tragically Hip

The Hip are one of those bands, pretty much everyone loves them, and their main fan base are drunk guys. When you look up definitions of Canada, and Canadian culture, The Hip will be listed. They’re an underrated overrated band, an oxymoron that actually makes sense. Downie is a superb song writer, and even more so, his stage presence is out of this world. You actually forget that there is anyone else on stage, while you watch his theatrics. It was a little hard to forget the amount of people in the crowd getting into fights, as person after person was yanked out and escorted off the premises. The Tragically Hip, whether intentional or not, riles up a crowd to a point of almost hysteria. Talking to fans, you hear things like “20th time seeing them” or “never missed a show”, their fans define loyalty. This was my first time ever seeing the Hip and as I’ve been told, it was a great live show, but their set list was sub-par, I’m guessing because they didn’t go for all of the fan favorites as per usual. Either way, I’m glad I got to see them, Gord Downie is considered a Canadian music legend where I’m originally from, he outshines most acts with his fantastical stage presence and perfected voice. If you actually haven’t seen them, which is apparently rare in these parts, I highly recommend you see them at least once. Just don’t get caught on the yellow school bus full of vomiting man-children.

TO Jazz Review: Nellie McKay, Becca Stevens Band, June 30, Horseshoe Tavern

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Paul in Concerts, Toronto Jazz Festival | Leave a comment


Nellie McKay is one of those artists who I just haven’t paid enough attention to. I remember vaguely liking her 2004 album Get Away From Me, but even that never totally captured my attention. And then … I just sort of forgot about her. Yet, to my slight surprise, she’s been releasing albums pretty regularly since then, including a tribute to Doris Day(!) and has even created a musical based on the life of convicted murderer Barbara Graham. So she’s certainly no slouch in the work department. Perhaps she’s been off my radar a bit because of a self-imposed boycott of Canada due to the continuation of the seal hunt. However, as she noted, she’s not quite at the level of Paul McCartney or Morrissey and so perhaps her boycott wasn’t having quite the impact she’d hoped it would. Still, it’s great that she’s standing up for something.

McKay is nothing if not opinionated. She’s a quirky and charming performer, albeit one with a bit of a biting sense of humour and a definite political edge. So while she can do a cutesy song about her dog one minute, she can also turn a trio of British Invasion covers into a commentary on the role of women in society or introduce a song by cheerily announcing, “In honour of Canada Day, here’s a song about the tar sands!” There was a fair bit of satire on display throughout her set, most notably during the hilarious “Mother Of Pearl.” I also really enjoyed how, while singing a couple of a capella songs from a project about environmentalist Rachel Carson, she sort of skipped over parts of the songs, preferring instead to describe them rather than sing the whole thing. Also funny? Introducing her version of “Don’t Fence Me In” as “a song about illegal immigration.”

She ended her set with “Sari,” a song she said she wasn’t planning on playing, but decided to after a shouted request from fan in the back since she “asked so emphatically.” That song ended with her screaming at the top of her lungs, dropping the Judy Garland-esque persona from earlier in the set and suddenly channelling Sam Kinison. So yeah, Ms. McKay, you’ve got my attention again.

Also catching my attention was opener The Becca Stevens Band, who impressed with their blend of the jazzy and the folky. Stevens has a strong voice and a charming onstage demeanor. I feel like she was smiling throughout their set. The Brooklyn based band offered up a couple of memorable covers, namely Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me” and The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.” They were down one man, having lost their accordion player at the border. “Not in a bad way,” clarified Stevens, “We just left him at a gas station at the border.” One presumes they left him there with his consent and didn’t just ditch him there, but it would be funny if they just drove away on him, laughing and pointing as they did so. Or maybe that’s only funny to me. Who knows. Still, they impressed me (in some ways, I enjoyed their performance more than McKay’s) and I’d be interested in seeing what they can do with the full band configuration.

Concert Review: Everest, June 26th, Living Social Speakeasy

Posted on July 3, 2012 by halley in Concerts | Leave a comment

Washington DC – What’s more difficult for a band? Playing a huge stadium? Or an intimate speakeasy? I’m honestly not sure which would be more nerve-wracking for a musician who occasionally suffers from stage fright. I mean, in a stadium you risk embarrassment in front of thousands, but when there are only 30 or so people in the crowd you know every drop of spit that sprays from your mouth is under watch. But enough with the deep contemplations.

In short, I ask the question because I was very much impressed by Everest’s show on June 26 th at the Living Social speakeasy in DC’s Chinatown. The venue is very cool and also very small. It’s split-level with a glass floor/ceiling. There are bars on both levels, but the stage is on the top. And when I say ‘stage’ I mean an elevated walk-way (again with a transparent floor) where the five-man band has just room enough to stand (and sit for the drummer). The space is made for and up close and personal feel, so when I say I could, and did, appreciate every drop of sweat the musicians produced to make their music, I am being literal.

The band played a great line-up of songs for their admiring fans. They played most of the songs on their new album, Ownerless, including two of my favorite: Games and Rake Me Over the Coals. Their set lasted about an hour, but then they rallied and performed a lengthy encore that brought out some of the old favorites, including Let Go – definitely the highlight for most of the crowd. All in all, a really nice show by a very personable band. I would definitely check them out if they come to a city near you.

TO Jazz review: Trombone Shorty, June 27, Nathan Phillips

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Paul in Concerts, Toronto Jazz Festival | Leave a comment

 

After wandering around the immediate vicinity of Nathan Phillips Square searching in vain for a desperately needed coffee, I entered the tented area after Trombone Shorty and his band had already started their set. As I entered, I was greeted by the sounds of a heavy guitar riff that sounded like it was lifted straight from some mid ’90s rap-rock tune. That combined with the horns had me wondering, had I accidentally walked into a Dog Eat Dog reunion or something? In fact at one point I’m certain they played the riff from RATM’s Bulls On Parade (it may have even been a full cover, I was too busy settling myself in to be paying full attention at that point). So yeah, this was a bit heavier than I expected it to be and probably the closest thing the jazzfest had all week to a full on rock show. My fellow PM writer Mark described the band as “badass trombone rock” and while I found that description to be somewhat ridiculous, it was also a fairly apt one.

Along with the aforementioned RATM shoutout, the band also covered “On The Sunny Side Of The Street” and The Guess Who’s “American Woman.” The band was pretty impressive to watch with Shorty switching between trombone and trumpet and often lifting both of them triumphantly as he gestured to the crowd. Trombone Shorty’s got alot of swagger onstage. Although I have to ask, what’s with all the trumpet playing anyways? Your name is TROMBONE Shorty, not Trumpet Shorty. False advertising! Though the whole band was talented, the highlight for me was watching the bassist play. I’m pretty convinced this guy must have played in some kind of funk metal band or something back in the day. He had the moves, he had the chops, this guy was rocking out.

And the crowd was totally digging these guys. Many in the packed house did their best to get funky … with mixed results. The oddest display of affection for the band I saw was one woman who had opened up her umbrella and was enthusiastically waving it in the air during their set. She would close it at times, then open it up again. I’m not sure what that was all about, but she was definitely enjoying herself. So were many others in the crowd. And from the looks of things, so were Trombone Shorty and his band.

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