Toronto – So this was a trekking night. At 9:30pm I left my place and went to The Silver Dollar, usually a blues joint as evident in the wall mural on the far back wall. I am sad to report that hipsters have the same hobo-phobic effect as police, because College/Spadina looked less like a toilet and more like a street corner for once. This was my first time at the Silver Dollar, and it struck me the same way that the Dakota Tavern did a year ago – bar first, music in ambiance. There isn’t much space between the bar and the stage, but it gave a cozy feeling that makes larger venues seem like pilgrimages to St. Paul’s. Boys who say no was already preparing, but I could barely make out their faces – in fact they looked like the blue men group – and I thought all the shots will be made black and white this night. But at 10pm sharp the lights flickered and transformed into a violet/green stage glow, and suddenly… well, let’s just say it’s workable. Those who say no are local boys with good press from CBC3, blogTO and National Post. Over the 40 min set, I didn’t develop a grasp on what their typical chess pieces are for putting together a song. It’s unpredictable with good, sensible melodies, with both myspace’d songs and new ones. So it all sounds folk/indie-experimental – during Sane Ones they actually silenced themselves for 2 secs for fun. It’s one of those moments when 100 people could be clapping mindlessly if they were merely trying to get pass this band to better – and no one did, so kudos to the Boys who say no. Check out songs like 56K and Small town girls.

From there I bolted out of the door, past the girls who asked what I shoot for (and might really be eye-ing the bar stool I sat on), past the security who asked not for ID but how old I am, and onto Horseshoe Tavern. At this junction I felt then recovered from a temporary anguish for being slightly too old to listen to indie. The band prior had missed their mark and now was 10 min behind. (INSERT WAITING IN GENERIC ROCK WITH PINT OF GUINNESS). Wussy is from Cincinnati, Ohio. They have a very light-bright rock vibe, which you would not expect from a having a bear-of-a-guitarist who was on main vocal for a song named “Happiness bleeds”. (I’m always happy to readjust my stereotypes, but his name is Chuck Cleaver…) This wasn’t a Wussy night – they had a connection fail 5 min into the set, and then almost had their act cut short because the guys before were dilly-dallying. Right at the 2nd sign of trouble the bear-of-a-”manager” yelled out “FUCKING HELLS NO” from right behind me – and the band easily wrangled 10 more minutes out of the Horseshoe. I liked Cleaver’s vocal better than Walker’s – I feel that it lends a solid feel to ground the already flighty songs they write. Even though they pulled through the glitches, I felt that I didn’t really get to listen to their music.

So it’s now 12:20 am and I was supposed to head up to Rich Aucoin at El Mocambo – I did so but wasn’t impressed. The trio threw a dance party with props such as beach ball, confetti, giant flag, and projected messages. Having seen the likes of YACHT, Matt and Kim, Everyone is in the French resistance now, Patrick Wolf, and that crazy ground-rolling spectator-scratching girl in yellow at Galaxy room during Pop Montreal’s SxSW showcase, not only did Aucoin’s music not measure up, the antics were not that great, either. It’s weird – because I actually thought they were OK on myspace… sigh. My analysis: Aucoin didn’t really invite the crowd with a cause – and I didn’t stay long enough to hear one. Because the crowd at El mo was mostly in club wear, they either stayed back for drinks or was awkwardly trying to participate in the theatrics in front of their friends. In contrast, all three DJs was in painter’s pants and white beaters and white hat; that tells you something wasn’t clicking. I walked straight out of Elmo after taking 3 shots to document my presence. So. This night’s verdict:

Boys who say no:
Wussy:
Rich Aucoin: