Toronto – Flamenco rock guitar virtuoso’s Rodrigo Y Gabriela will be playing the Phoenix this Friday March 5th. It’s been a while since I’ve been this psyched about a live show. The day these tickets went on sale, I high-tailed it over to Rotate This and bought 10 tickets so I could take myself and 9 friends. That’s how much I like this band.
Rodrigo and Gabriela are two Mexican born guitarists that moved to Ireland to make it as musicians. They grew up on a steady diet of rock, but blend this with impeccable flamenco technique. Rodrigo takes care of the fiery lead guitar, while Gabriela’s ridiculously fast right-hand keeps the rhythm bounding along with ever-increasing energy. They released a live CD called “Live in Japan” which includes a DVD of their live performance. If seeing them this Friday is even half as exciting as what you see on the DVD, this will be one incendiary show.
They’re touring their latest release, 11:11, where every song on the album is a tribute to an influential guitarist. The eclectic tribute list includes jazz great Al Di Meola, flamenco legend Paco de Lucia, and Pantera’s metal rocker Dimebag Darrell. Rod & Gab draw on any number of influences to bring flamenco guitar into the 21st century. However you can especially hear their rock influence in their music as they play a Metallica tune note for note, but flamenco style. Their rendition of Stairway to Heaven is a highlight at live shows.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela are on a tour that includes North America in March, Europe in April, and the UK in November. They play the Phoenix this Friday.
Toronto – Can you believe the band Athlete now has 4 albums out? I can’t. It just seemed like last week they gently slid into the scene with their laid back summery singles “You Got the Style” and “El Salvador”. However, that was almost seven years ago. Where has time gone? Athlete’s fourth album – Black Swan comes out in the US today (it has been out in the UK for awhile) and as with any band who has anything to release this year, they will be flooding SXSW with a bunch of shows.
For me, Athlete has been a band that’s always kinda been there, lurking in the background. I like their music, but have yet to attach myself emotionally to it, like girls do to Robert Pattinson. But then again, I don’t think I do that anyways, so it’s probably a moot point. I will definitely be attending one of their many showcases though, as their song Wires (off their sophomore effort Tourist) is sensational and definitely one of those songs I want to listen to live.
Here is a youtube video of their latest single “The Getaway”, with it’s slow melodic grooves and a big chorus, this song seems primed for a montage in Gossip Girl where all the characters think about all the mistakes they have made in that episode, while looking really really good.
SXSW Schedule
Thursday 3/18 – 2:40PM Fontana @ Buffalo Billiards / The Lodge
Thursday 3/18 – 10:00PM Billboard Showcase @ Habana Bar Backyard
Friday 3/19 – 3:00PM Express Showcase @ The Phoenix
Saturday 3/20 – 2:40PM Filter @ Cedar Street Courtyard
Saturday 3/20 – 1:00AM The Bedford at SXSW
Toronto – One of the acts I’m more excited about at SXSW is Marina and the Diamonds. Filled with witty lyrics about society, a wide range of musical styles and a soulful voice, her debut album The Family Jewels has been consistently in my rotation since came out on February 22nd. I’m pretty sure she’ll be pretty big sometime soon, so it’ll be nice to see her in a smallish venue before she reaches Lily Allen levels. Check out her new single, the cleverly written Hollywood.
Toronto – “So this is an interesting evening … I think, anyways.” These were the words of Peasant, AKA Damien DeRose, as he began his set this evening, and truer words were never spoken. This was certainly an interesting evening, one full of a wide range of musicians and a lively crowd.
Peasant started the night off early, playing a short but sweet unaccompanied set of acoustic guitar based songs which brought to mind performers such as Elliott Smith or Badly Drawn Boy. The crowd was pretty sparse at this point, leading to the somewhat odd sight of one man playing to a largely empty and cavernous seeming Opera House. This may have inspired his comment of this being an interesting night, or perhaps it was the fact that he was almost the sonic opposite of the night’s headliners. Still, a small group listened appreciatively. His gentle folky songs were a nice way to start off the night and he had a funny off the cuff manner of interacting with the crowd, telling them about how his shoes were wet from the snow and joking about how he was “a little scared” about playing this show.
Next up was Give, who I believe are from Washington. They were OK, but pretty unremarkable. Sounded kind of like a mix of ’90s grunge (the really obscure kind made by bands that never made it big) and hardcore with a singer who sounded a little bit like Glenn Danzig. Also, I swear they started off one of their songs with the intro to Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow.”
The D’urbervilles are a local band fronted by John O’Regan, who also performs as Diamond Rings. They played some synth heavy, punkish indie rock tunes that at times had hints of ’80s Rush (at least in terms of the types of sounds the syths were making – they actually sound nothing like Rush. But if you’re reading this, D’Urbervilles, a Rush cover would be pretty sweet. I’m just sayin’.). O’Regan was an engaging frontman, switching between guitar and synth and dancing. Also, their bass player looks a little bit like Morgan Grimes from Chuck, which, combined with the 3 synths on stage, made me think of Jeffster. Unfortunately, Jeffster would not be appearing tonight.
Kurt Vile took to the stage and definitely switched things up a bit. Playing along with one other guy, who accompanied him on guitar and percussion (as well as with Fucked Up drummer Jonah Falco joining him for one song), Vile delivered a set full of spacey , bluesy psychey tunes. For 2 guys, they made a fair bit of noise. While the Philedelphia singer has been compared to Springsteen and Tom Petty, I heard a bit of a Spacemen 3/Spiritualized vibe or maybe even hints of The Verve in his sound. Kurt Vile also brought one of my favourite moments of the night when a heckler shouted “You Suck!” after his first song. His response: “Your mom.” delivered in a total deadpan and filtered through the reverb and echo effects on his mic.
Another favourite moment from the night came between bands, when a crowd of hockey fans gathered near the back bar and cheered loudly when Canada won. Shortly after this, Fucked Up took to the stage and began playing their album, The Chemistry of Common Life in it’s entirety. They were joined by guest stars galore, including a flautist, a bunch of backing vocalists and for several songs, former Deadly Snake Max McCabe-Lokos. It was a high energy set – for both band and fans. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen that many people stage diving. Unfortunately, one individual got a bit too excited and strangely attacked a friend of the band who had briefly taken the mic. This excitable idiot was taken off stage and thrown out of the club. Regardless, the show went on from there and even continued on after it was done with an after party at Blue Moon, a bar three doors over from The Opera House.
