Toronto – And so it was that on the first night of Canadian Music Fest, I trudged out into some truly dismal weather to make my way to Rancho Relaxo to check out some bands, all the while hoping that it was worth getting up off the couch to see. Luckily it was.
Ryan Warner and The Moonlight Ride were already playing as we made our way into the bar. They offered up some decent, Tom Waits influenced folk rock that featured horn and accordion. They had a couple sound issues, most notably during “Under the Floors,” a song they had apparently just written yesterday. It was a good song, probably the best of their set, and it reminded me a bit of the band Karate, but they were forced to start it over when the song became overtaken by a massive amount of feedback. The lesson here perhaps is to wait more than a day before performing a brand new song.
Alcoholic Faith Mission were up next and I have to say they were pretty impressive. They had a lush, warm sound that included keening vocals, keyboards, and copious amounts of trombone (it was seemingly played through a pedal at one point. Either that, or that guy can get some seriously sick sounds coming out of that thing naturally). One of the highlights was “Sobriety Up And Left,” introduced by the singer through an apparently true story about him waking up spitting up blood. Despite that gruesome image, it was a beautiful song. The audience definitely left with a good impression. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few people there that night check out one of their other shows this weekend.
Ryan Warner:
Alcoholic Faith Mission:
Alcoholic Faith Mission play The Dakota Friday, March 11 @ midnight and The El Mocambo Saturday, March 12 @ 8:00 pm.
Toronto – I saw The Antlers three times last year – opening up for the Editors, at SXSW and opening up for the National at Massey Hall. Needless to say, I am a large fan of their depressing wall of sound music. I didn’t have them slated for my initial SXSW schedule because I thought they were doing that relentless touring thing and that they were still touring for their excellent major label debut album, Hospice.
Luckily, I was wrong (seems to happen all the time) and the Brooklyn trio are back with a new record, entitled Burst Apart. The record is due to drop May 10th off Frenchkiss Records. I, for one, am extremely excited about it and hope for lead singer Peter Silberman’s sake that it’s not as much of a downer as the previous one was. The Antlers will be premiering their record as part of NPR’s showcase at The Parish in Austin on March 17th at 4:00pm. They’ll also be playing many other sets. Here are all the set information
Wed, March 16 @ 12:00am: Frenchkiss Showcase
The Parish – 214 East 6th St
w/ The Dodos, Young Man
Thurs, March 17 @ 4pm: NPR Party
The Parish – 214 East 6th St
w/ Tune-Yards, The Joy Formidable, Colin Stetson
Friday, March 18 @ 7pm: Sennheiser Party (<- any chance of free headphones?)
The Stage on Sixth - 508 E. 6th St
w/ The Luyas
If you are in Austin, check these guys out.
The Antlers – Two (Buffetlibre remix) by Buffetlibre
Toronto – March 8 was International Women’s Day. I can think of no better performer to watch on that day than Marnie Stern. Why? Well, obviously because she’s a woman. She’s such a woman that she named her blog The Vagina Monoblog. Yes, she occasionally likes to talk about vaginas onstage, much to the delight of the fanboys up front who shouted things like “You’re cute, Marnie!” She and her band also apparently talk about strange things like how much money they would have to be paid to have sex with 11 year olds. You thought Taylor Momson was stirring things up when she wore that shirt onstage at Tattoo Rock Parlour last week? Momsen’s got nothing on the woman who king of the douchebags Nathan Williams once referred to as an “old desperate bitch,” a phrase Stern later immortalized on a t-shirt emblazoned with the initials “ODB.” As Charlie Sheen might say, Marnie Stern is winning. (She even had t-shirts at her merch table that said “Win Marnie Win.” Odd coincidence or brilliant marketing?)
Musically, Marnie Stern is a huge talent and an impressive performer to behold. Finger tapping her way through her set, she displayed much technical virtuosity as did her entire band. She ended her set by bringing out the guitarist from touring partners Tera Melos to join her for a rendition of “For Ash,” which was just about the perfect song to end with.
I didn’t stick around for Tera Melos, but I did see the local openers Greys, who reminded me of Drive Like Jehu. They admitted as much when the singer introduced a Drive Like Jehu cover by saying “We learned all our tricks from them.” He did so by way of berating a guy up front who had never heard of the early ’90s band yet was a fan of Brand New. He later apologized to that guy but added “Brand New does suck though.”
Toronto – Never one to give up a cheap opportunity to get quick hits and at the same time, cover two of the most popular topics, the team at the Panic Manual has quickly racked their brains and come up with a playlist that comprises of women playing at SXSW. Now of course, today is International Women’s Day a day celebrating our(my) favorite type of people. Now as Ali G famously once said “One out of every two people is a woman” so it is going to be quite a celebration. I’m sure they’ll be celebrating from Malawi to Mumbai.
So without further delay, here is a play list of women playing at SXSW.
Notable Exception Alert!!! – Anna Calvi
Sadly, Anna Calvi had to withdraw from all her shows at SXSW this year due to an arm injury. This doesn’t mean we don’t love you, it just means we love you less. Still, you should check out her self titled debut album, which was released earlier this year off Domino Records
I was absolutely in love with her first single – Walk Through Walls and this song from the English singer is no less impressive. I’m pretty sure she is headed for big things based on these two epic, intense songs. Mark it down.
Kyla La Grange plays at 10pm Thursday March 17th at Communion night at Klub Krucial
Sharon Van Etten – Much More Than That
One of the most charming performer I have seen recently, Sharon Van Etten has been on a roll ever since her sophomore record Epic to much delight and fan fare. Check her out if like earnest folk rock music powered by a great voice. She’ll be playing a lot of shows including
Wednesday March 16th, Midnight, Swan Dive
Thursday March 17th, 4:00 pm, French Legation Museum
Friday March 18th, 4:00Pm, Mohawk
Also
Tue 04/12/11 Toronto, ON – Drake Hotel
Wed 04/13/11 Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo
The Dollyrots are a pop punk band out of California (where else, really) that is fronted by one Kelly Ogden. I loved their debut album Eat My Heart Out its catchy and fun. Their showcase is going to be one hell of a show I suspect. No idea why this band isn’t huge, they are made for young girls to party to.
Lenka is an Australia singer songwriter who is releasing her second album, cleverly/lazily titled Two. Maybe she named it after the Antlers song, I dunno. I’m a sucker for catchy pop music and this track is the epitome of that. Light and bouncy with a hook filled chorus, I imagine her showcase will be entirely fun and charming based on this video and song. Apparently, she has had her music played on a lot of television shows, so she might also be popular in the real world, I am unsure.
3/17 – The Roxy Theatre Presents…Austinrox at Rusty Spurs 9pm
3/18 – Texas Tornado at Red Eye Fly 4:15pm
3/19 – Maggie Maes 3:30 pm
3/19 – The Tap Room-Hotel Café Showcase 9:00 pm
Class Actress – Careful What You Say
Class Actress is the brain child of one Elizabeth Harper. The synth pop group has been making the touring rounds lately with in support of their EP Journal of Ardency. This track has a nice beat and shows a lot of promise. I await their debut album, which I am sure they’ll be preview at these shows:
Mar 16 SXSW @ Lipstick 24 (Flavorpill Party) – 3:30pm
Mar 17 SXSW @ Club 1808 (Piano’s Party w/Das Racist, Still Corners, etc.)
Mar 18 SXSW @ East Side Drive In (Pitchfork Party) – 12:45pm
Mar 18 SXSW @ Friends (Warp Magazine Showcase) – 11pm
Mar 19 SXSW @ Space 12 (Parafora Party) – 7pm
