March 2001
While in Montreal to see a REM/Counting Crows concert, I get stuck waiting on St. Cahterine Street for half an hour while my musically inclined friend Corey searches for some obscure CD called End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story by some new Canadian band called The Dears. I was not impressed
April 2001
Taking the nod from my good friend I listen to the The Dears. I like it. A lot.
2003
No Cities Left is released. If this CD was a fruit, it would be a Kiwi, because it is so sweet. One of the best albums of the decade.
Sometime During 2003/2004?
The Dears visit the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. During Heartless Romantic, lead singer Murray Lightburn rips out his megaphone for the chorus and I get the goosbumps, one of which is still on the back of my neck. Probably my most memorable concert experience to date.
2006
The Dears release Gang Of Losers. Maybe I was anticipating this release too much but this album was the most radio friendly, un-Dears-esk album I could have expected. I have since pawned my hard copy of Gang Of Losers to help pay for a 6-pack on some forgettable Saturday night.
October 2008
The Dears release Missiles. This album goes back to the Dears early sound of NCL and EOAHBS. It reminds me of lying in bed at 3:AM listening to Patti Schmidt on Brave New Waves to help me fall asleep. With almost an entire new lineup, Murray busts out Missiles which has that familiar slow, quiet, soothing, orchestral, rocking feel which made me fall in love with The Dears in the first place.
5/5
P.S. Patti Schmidt, if you’re out there…you rock.
(Toronto) I really hate ska (ska punk) . When I hear the word ska, I immediately think of over weight, middle aged, tattooed guys in black suits and funny hats playing their trumpets, which happen to be connected to their wallet via a long chain. Now I didn’t know much about The Rumble Strips going into tonights show at the El Mo except that I really liked their song Girls And Boys In Love. In what little I read about the band before the show, the infamous ska word was mentioned more than once. As I paid my $13 at the door I was dreading having to sit through some shitty Mighty Mighty Bosstone want-to-be performance. When five skinny, pale dudes from Coronation Street took the stage, I knew that I was going to be OK. And I was.
For the 25 of us in attendance, The Rumble Strips gave it their all. Those who came out were defiantly fans and the subtle, appreciative crowd sang along to their rocking, marching anthems. Tracks like Motorcycle and Alarm Clock kicked the shit out of the freezing cold El Mo.
At one point, bass player Sam Mansbridge busted out his own drum and when his drum stick broke he picked some random hard thing he found on stage and bounced it off the drum. When that thing got lost, he preceeded to beat the shit out of the drum with his hand for the remainder of the song. It looked like it hurt, but it rocked.
The Rumble Strips reminded me of the Canadian trumpet rocking super group, TheWet Secrets. Even a Zutons comparison might be in order. Whatever it is, the Rumble Strips are fun and worth catching. And they definitely aren’t ska.
4/5
*I added the extra “c’s” because rock and roll is all about dragging out the lyrics whilst reciting them in your friends face.
It seems that for the past 8 years AC/DC have been locked up in the studio somewhere in the deep south order to get inspired and perfect their sound on their upcoming release ‘Black Ice’ as they were really hoping to mix things up in order to attract a new, hip audience. But after a few years of fending off girls in confederate bikini’s, jugs of moonshine and mudbog parties, Brian Johnson and Co. decided to throw their intentions out the window and produce another kick ass LP that is sure to keep Jim Bob and Nikki Jo dancing in the back of their F-150.
4 SOOOOOEY’S! out of 5
Thanks for keeping Rock alive boys.
Hot Lava are a four piece of artists out of Virginia who make fun, poppy, geeky, graphically correct music with a lo-fi distortion funk. Their first full length release, Lavalogy, is coming out on Tuesday, October 7th on Bar/None.
Here are three stellar songs on Lavaology that deserve some attention. Lyrics and commentary provided by the beer loving, Hot Lava lush, front woman herself, Allison Apperson.
JPG IN THE SUN
I’m out of breath but you keep my heart beating
I can’t believe all the things I am seeing
Cyan, magenta, yellow and then some black
All are the same because JPG, you’re so stacked
My last year in college I listened to a lot of CSS. They sent this drunken bulletin out on their MySpace one night raving about a “jpg in the sun.” It is the first Hot Lava song I was really proud of, the first one that wasn’t a joke I guess.
APPLE+OPTION+FIRE
Written on a keyboard. Not about an Apple computer exploding, it’s just a metaphor, come on. We put together our first EP a couple years ago called “CTRL ALT HEAT,” we were really into computer lingo and drinking beer at the time. My friend Stephanie plays the tuba, she is a genius, she can play any instrument in the WORLD.
LOVEFOXXX
Okay, step back, can’t handle that I was a little blunt
But girl I can’t contain myself so let me see your….
At least I know about censorship I love you lots and lots
Girl, I’ll be your dirty pussy if you’ll be my lovely fox
This one is funny because it sounds so pretty but then you pay some more attention to the lyrics and it’s not as pretty as maybe you had thought. I was also just really happy to rhyme “goulashes” and “process.” You sure you don’t want to feature a more toned down song???
For those of you paying attention, we included APPLE+OPTION+FIRE on our podcast last week. Have a listen to JPG In The Sun below. These two songs speak for themselves.
5/5
Thanks Allison.
(Toronto) I’d heard of this Woodpigeon band for the past few months but didn’t pay much attention to them because I kept getting them confused with another *xylem rich band, Woodhands. Now that I know the difference, these two totally different bands will never to be confused again.
Woodhands = electric, keytar duo from Toronto
Woodpigeon = wood, wires and whisky orchestra from Calgary
Yep, if you are a fan of Iron and Wine or that Sufjun guy, you will definitely be into Woodpigeon. Although I haven’t even laid eyes on a cottage this summer, this is the CD I would put on Sunday morning as I sipped my coffee on the dock and dagnled my feet in the cold water. The entire CD actually remindes me a lot of the Reindeer Section. Listed as a friend on the Woodpiegeon website is Sandro Perri. Yep, the Panic Manual loves Sandro Perri. I asked Woodpigeon front man, Mark Hamilton, about his connection with Sandro.
Sandro Perri’s one of the main reasons I’m a musical performer. The first ever Woodpigeon show came about when I helped Sandro put on a solo show in Calgary. I’d seen Sandro do the singing / strumming thing he’s so amazing at in Europe, while I was living in the UK, and asked if he’d do it here too during his day off on tour. He agreed, but said the only way he’d sing solo was if I did too.
The night of the show I was so nervous I could barely function. It was in a tiny theatre in the basement of a church called Birds & Stone. When it was time for me to get up there, I had Sandro empty out the theatre, close the door, turn off the lights, and close his eyes while I tried to sing a song. Sandro never treated this like an inane request, but rather something that I needed to build up the courage to actually go through with it. Since then, we’ve shared the stage once more in Calgary, and I’m forever hoping to share more stages with Sandro around the world.
A stand out track on Treasury Library Canada is Now You Like Me How? Although this is probably the least Reindeer Section sounding song, it is the one I remember most. Wait for the 1:11 mark when the drums kick in.
Upcoming Canadian dates:
October 8th, MACEWAN BALLROOM w/ Iron & Wine - Calgary
October 9th, 2MEYER HOROWITZ THEATRE w/ Iron & Wine - Edmonton
* xylem - In vascular plants, xylem is one of the two types of transport tissue, phloem being the other. The word “xylem” is derived from classical Greek (xylon), wood, and indeed the best known xylem tissue is wood, though it is found throughout the plant. Its basic function is to transport water (Wikipedia)
