The Lemonheads, The Shining Twins @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (October 17, 2011)

Evan Dando @ Lee's Palace: photo by Michael Ligon

After a steady diet of The Smiths, New Order, The Cure and and The Jesus and Mary Chain in the late 80's, the 90's were to usher in a shift in my musical tastes. discovered the Pixies and their eclectic musical stew of surf, garage, punk and pop just prior to their breakup and their last album, 1991's "Trompe Le Monde". The musical axis of 1991 and 1992 of course was dominated for me and many others by Seattle's Nirvana and their 1991 major label debut "Nevermind", a vibrant combination of grungy guitars and pop melodies. On the other end of the Atlantic, Scottish power-pop outfit Teenage Fanclub also released their major label debut album in 1991 entitled "Bandwagonesque". But of that time period, I would say the album that has most stuck with me was The Lemonheads' 1992 alt-pop classic "It's A Shame About Ray". Led by singer songwriter Evan Dando, up until that point, the band had gone through a few configurations and had released 3 indie albums and one major label album. But with the release of "It's A Shame About Ray", the band became bona-fide alt-rock stars, and Evan Dando a musical pin-up poster boy for many female musical fans(and I imagine some male music fans). For me, "It's A Shame About Ray" was a logical extension of my alternative pop tastes in the 80's and it was a voluptuously hummable album from start to finish. On another level, the album was important to me because while they were already on a major label at the time, my musical research into the band at the time, opened me up to their indie history and well of course the burgeoning American indie rock scene. With Nirvana's "Nevermind", 1991 may have been the year that punk broke, and Nirvana the voice of a new generation but The Lemonheads' "It's A Shame About Ray" was a far more influential album for me.

I'd seen The Lemonheads (well Evan Dando and whomever his touring band was) play Toronto in 2006 at Lee's Palace and more recently had the pleasure of seeing Dando and his dear musical friend Juliana Hatfield perform a set of Lemonheads and Hatfield songs acoustically earlier this year. When I heard that in honour of the 20th anniversary of "It's A Shame About Ray", Dando was going to tour as The Lemonheads and perform the entire album, I was super excited. It'd have been cool for consistency sake if the album's original lineup was touring, with Juliana Hatfield on bass/vocals and David Ryan on drums, but for this tour Dando brought in some replacements, bassist Josh Lattanzi(The Candles) and drummer Brian Nolan (American Hi-Fi). Hey, I'll take what I can get.

Opening the show was New York City punk duo The Shining Twins, consisting of Alex Weiss and Marisa Kreiss. My own superficial research into the band reveals that it was only within the last few years that the duo learned to play their instruments, that being drums and bass guitar, and it does show. And while the band may have rudimentary musicianship it does in no way detract from the gals musicality, with nods to old school punk and their sound also reminding me of the DIY ethics of the American West Coast K Records scene of the 90's. Perhaps to relive some of the old punk rock energy of The Lemonheads' earlier albums, Evan Dando joined them on guitar and some vocals for the gals' last song.

Given the brevity of "It's A Shame About A Ray", running approximately a half hour, had the show been confined just to the album itself, it'd have been a short show so thankfully Evan included a number of other Lemonheads' goodies. The band first ran through the entire album minus the cover of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson' which Evan chose not to perform and wasn't on the original pressings of the album anyway. Compared to the record, the performance felt grittier, especially in the guitar sound making everything that much better in my opinion. It was quite apparent that on songs like 'My Drug Buddy' and 'Bit Part', Juliana Hatfield's vocals were missed. Looking up at Dando on stage, it's almost like he'd never aged with his stringy hair and sleepy look staring down upon us like most of us remembered him 20 years ago and that sense of nostalgia that many of us in the crowd had was exhilarating.

As good as the first part of the show was, the remainder of the set felt equally as good. Dando's bandmates would leave the stage to let Dando perform a bunch of songs solo before returning later to play out the rest of the set. During this portion I wasn't entirely familiar with everything, although their were a number of songs included from "Come On Feel The Lemonheads" and "Car Button Cloth" which were exhilarating, in particular 'The Great Big No', 'Into Your Arms', 'Big Gay Heart' and 'If I Could Talk I'd Tell You'. Even back during the band's heyday, I had a tendency to underestimate the talent's of Dando because the music while really enjoyable was also deceptively simple. But therein lies the answer to why Dando is so talented - it's Dando's simple, straight-forward directness in his melodies, chord changes, and even sometimes his lyrics eg. 'Being Around', that really ARE the marks of a good pop song. I imagine writing a naturally-sounding good pop song can be a difficult task, even for the best songwriters, but Dando's rounded out a 20-plus year career of making it seem easy.

Photos: The Lemonheads, The Shining Twins @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (October 17, 2011)
MySpace: The Lemonheads

Austra, Trust, Army Girls @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (May 19, 2011)

  Austra @ Lee's Palace: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [June 9, 1:07 am]: Review now up.

Don't take my tardiness in posting this review as any sort of apathy towards local electro-diva Katie Stelmanis, these days fronting her new band Austra, who played a sold out record release show at Lee's Palace for their debut Domino Records full-length Feel It Break. On the contrary, that show was just further evidence that the hype that the music is indeed well-deserved. I was intrigued with Stelmanis' earlier work as a solo artist under her own name as well as her collaborations with drummer Maya Postepski, Stelmenis' prior works which could be described as classically-influenced keyboard arrangements accomapnied by her stark operatic vocals. Stelmanis maintains her identifiable vocal style with Austra but the music is indeed much more accessible, for all intent purpose pop songs that mix goth and dance influences into a truly infectious mix.

My procrastination cost me getting an advance ticket to the show and so I consider myself very fortunate to get into the show after lining up early before doors opened and eventually snagging one of only six available tickets at the door. Yay! The first opener wouldn't go on until about an hour later, which would be local guitar/drums duo Army Girls led by singer-songwriter Carmen Elle. They were an odd act to open given the electronic/beat-oriented acts that would follow. Carmen had a certain charisma with her empassioned pop vocals and strummed guitar playing and certainly has the potential, backed with her drummer, for greatness but honestly songwise I can't remember much at this juncture. Perhaps it was a veil of Austra excitement which blocked my focus during Army Girls' set. Better luck next time.

On the other hand, local electro-synth outfit, Trust, which featured Austra drummer Postepski doing double duty, made a fantastic impression. With Postepski's solid drumming and vocalist Robert Alfons slightly deadpan vocals, and with a third member adding some scintillating synth arrangements, Trust create dark yet most times danceable pop music. I wish they had had a different band name as I'd have probably have taken notice of the band sooner in the music listings and have already checked them up, but better late than never.

When I saw Austra live for the first time a few months ago during Canadian Musicfest, other than Stelmanis and Postepski, they were an unknown entity to me but I was intrigued enough by their description and the buzz surrounding them to give them a chance and they turned out to be my favourite set of the festival. That set was a perfect combination of the band creating an intoxicating, hypnotic sound and the audience reacting enthusiastically with undulating dance movements. It was intense. I'd hope those circumstances could be recreated again during their set at Lee's Palace a few weeks ago but it wasn't entirely achieved. There's no mistake that before and during the show, the crowd was excited. But the move to the larger Lee's Palace as compared to the much more intimate Wrongbar at which Austra performed at during Canadian Musicfest would definitely play a factor, at least in my mind. Stelmanis does not so much play to the audience as she gets lost in her own undulating body movements. It seemed like a select bunch at Lee's Palace who danced during the show whereas the crowd(well, at least the front crowd near the stage) at the Wrongbar show a few months ago were much, much more into it, my theory being that the eye-level experience of Stelmanis and her back-up vocalist-dancers hypnotic dance movements were reflected back to the audience much more effectively. The eye-level experience of seeing Austra at Wrongbar outdid their set at Lee's Palace, but only ever so slightly. The goth-vocal tinged, rhthymic "The Beat and The Pulse" may not be the best song on the band's debut full-length Feel It Break but arguably is the definitive song of the band, and in my mind was the best song of the nigh - sweeping vocals, trance-like beats - you will be converted and you will love it.

Photos: Austra, Trust, Army Girls @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (May 19, 2011)
MySpace: Army Girls
MySpace: Trust
MySpace: Austra

British Sea Power, A Classic Education @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (March 24, 2011)

  British Sea Power: photo by Michael Ligon

Not counting Canadian Musicfest, last week's British Sea Power show at Lee's Palace was just my second real concert of the year. Off to a slow start you might say, but quality over quantity, my friends. The last time British Sea Power played Toronto was in May 2008 when they played Lee's Palace in celebration of their then-new disc Do You Like Rock Music? and in the same fashion the band were again back in Toronto to promote their new record Valhalla Dancehall.

Openers for the night were a band from Bologna, Italy called A Classic Education. This was a band I'd seen briefly during CMJ in New York City this past October but even given my brief encouter with the band I'd already been impressed with the band's music. It was a real treat to see the band live again given how much I already liked them. A random patron shouted out "Welcome back to Canada" alluding to the fact that the band's vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Jonathan Clancy is from here - in fact, Clancy revealed this was their first time playing in Toronto, and he also mentioned that he used to go to school at a school on Lawrence Ave. The 5-member lineup in addition to Clancy on vocals/guitar included a girl on keyboards, and gentlemen on lead guitar, bass and drums. Given Clancy's Canadian roots, there is indeed something distinctly European about the band's approach to pop music - the band do possess a certain level of pop sophistication that I just don't hear in most North American indie acts. Clancy's swooning vocals and the band's lead guitarist melodic guitar lines are by far the best elements of the band's sound, but the songs themselves are indeed wonderfully crafted pop tunes, drenched in a bit of reverb and sounding every bit as classic as the word classic in their band name alludes to. Songs such as the summery "Gone To Sea" and especially "What My Life Could Have Been" are some of the most fantastic pop songs I've heard in recent memory, and on that alone I recommend them highly. To show a raunchier more playful side, the band also played a cover(L'il Red Riding Hood?) of a song by 1960's Tex-Mex rock 'n' roll band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Delightful.

As with every other visit to Toronto by British Sea Power, introducing them to the audience was Toronto resident, British ex-pat, and the terminably ageless Kayvon who in his hyper-kinetic talk rambling non-sensically, integrating references to the band's albums then introducing the band on to the stage. For this show, the band was less chaotic and whimiscal overall than on previous visits, but the band was as musically as satisfying as ever through a main set and even breaking tradition with no encore and playing not one, but two encores. Even with a new album to promote, there was quite an equitable representation of all the band's four albums (Valhalla Dancehall, Do You Like Rock Music?, Open Season, The Decline of British Sea Power) and also a smattering of songs from some of their EP's. For a Thursday night it was a healthy crowd, but given that Lee's Palace has been their resident venue every time they've come to Toronto, and that this show wasn't sold out, one wonders what's preventing them from reaching the next level. Musically their urgent, slightly orchestral pop-rock is as exhilirating as ever, and while some of the band's earlier material is a bit more eccentric, much of their more recent material is exciting yet accessible.

Breaking the tradition of no encores, the band played not one but two encores, the first encore including their stupendous single "Waving Flags" and the instrumental interlude "The Great Skua", plus a few others and then coming back surprisingly on the enthusiastic prompting of our host Kayvon to play the eccentric, garage-rock of "Apologies To Insect Life". During this last song lead singer Yan had picked up Kayvon and plopped him onto his shoulders for most of the song before dumping him into the front rows of the crowd on the floor. At this point even, other Wilkinson brother Hamilton (who Yan had mentioned had lost his voice) was even making attempts to do some back-up vocals. Multri-instrumentalist Phil Sumner was quietly impressive throughout the night playing a range of instruments including guitar, horns and keyboards while, drummer Wood and violinist Abi Fry provided consistently augmentation to the band's sound. Guitarist Hamilton was perhaps the most energetic onstage with his guitar playing and at the conclusion of the second encore, after the rest of the band left, fell over into the audience for a bit of body surfing. It was a great show overall that will hopefully increase the client's fanbase in Toronto and if that means playing a bigger venue, I will totally be okay with that. Really.

Photos: British Sea Power, A Classic Education @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (March 24, 2011)
MySpace: A Classic Education
MySpace: British Sea Power

The Radio Dept., Young Prisms @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (February 7, 2011)

  The Radio Dept. @ Lee's Palace: photo by Michael Ligon

Review to come.

In the meantime, Exclaim, Chromewaves, and The Panic Manual have reviews of the show.

Photos: The Radio Dept., Young Prisms @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (February 7, 2011)
MySpace: Young Prisms
MySpace: The Radio Dept.

Polvo, Versus @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (August 13, 2010)

  Richard Baluyut of Versus: photo by Michael Ligon

It was a 90's Merge Records comeback as Chapel Hill's Polvo and Brooklyn's Versus took over Lee's Palace last Friday night. The 1990's was my coming of age period in terms of indie rock, and Versus(along with Seam, Aminiature, and Toronto's own Venus Cures All) was one of the the first real indie bands I saw live when they played the El Mocambo in 1995. During that period I started to discover indie record labels such as Merge Records who offered a roster of acts that were extremely exciting, if not musically but also for their D.I.Y. ethic towards touring and recording, and the associated culture of zines that helped to build the indie rock scene one fan at a time. It was a really special period. While Polvo also sprung from that same period, it's not too surprising that I never latched onto them given their tendencies towards math rock(a term I've read they don't like) a genre I was never particular towards, but having seen them live for the first time last week, their musical quality was more than evident.

Lately, I've had a bad habit of missing opening acts, and this time it was Toronto's Soft Copy. One of these days I will catch them. Fortunately I made it in time for Versus who were up next. Taking the stage were core members Fontaine Toups and Richard Baluyut with touring member Margaret White on violin and keyboards. It was was that setup, with Richard and Fontaine on guitar and bass respectively and both on vocals, along with Margaret that performed the first few songs drumless, the songs obviously leaning towards a sparer version of the band than I'm used to hearing.

Richard let it be known to the crowd (which at this point was no where near full as it should have been) that his brother and the band's drummer Edward Baluyut could not make it because he had to go back home as his wife was giving birth to their baby. Fortunately, the opening band Soft Copy's drummer Paul Boddum took over on the spot, having not even rehearsed with the band, and did an admirable job filling in, occassionally at the beginning of a few songs having a quiet discussion with Richard as to what sort of rhythms to play. The band's newest album entitled On the Ones and Threes released this year on Merge is their first record in ten years since their last LP Hurrah, the new LP providing the impetus for touring again and providing much of the setlist. Having not heard the new songs until that show, it sounded like classic Versus - alternating lead vocals between Richard and Fontaine, nice melodies, a little muscle balanced with some finesse in the guitar arrangements, and a good sense of dynamics showing the band are just as adept at subtlety as they are at turning it up. It was the old favourites that I was most excited to hear such as "River", "Blades of Grass" and "Fallow" off of their debut 1993 debut full-length The Stars Are Insane. Obviously there were some people in the crowd that were excited to see the band live again(some who I'd imagine might have been at that same Versus show I was at at the El Mo in 1995) but it was a generally disappointing turnout. Of course they were never the biggest band around even back then and taking a ten year gap between albums doesn't necessarily help either.

There was obviously a reason why Polvo was headlining the night as after Versus' set, the venue quickly filled up comfortably. Having broken up in 1998 and then quietly reuniting in 2008, I presume there were some in the audience who didn't think Polvo would come to Toronto, so for them this show was a special treat. For me, having not really listened to the band at length, it was a history lesson. Not nearly as harsh or dissonant as I expected, while there was not a vocal melody within earshot at least from what I recall, the guitar, bass and drums were presented with mathematic precision that gave the songs somewhat of an accessibility. At times, the instrumentation was less angular, giving the impression of the band on the brink of playing a more conventional rock tune, although for the most part staying the course, and perhaps all the better for it. Whereas crowd reaction during Versus' set seemed sporadic due to the lighter crowd, Polvo induced a generally more enthusiastic response, prompting the band to come back for an encore. The band released their newest album In Prism through Merge Records in September 2009, and like Versus with their newly released album, it looks like they're both here to stay. Polvo and Versus fans are rejoicing everywhere.

Photos: Polvo, Versus @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (August 13, 2010)
MySpace: Versus
MySpace: Polvo

NXNE in Toronto (June 19-20, 2010)

Ok, I'll admit I've been a little lazy recently although I've had other things to think about lately, not least of which was all the G20 events/protests dominating the news over that last week or so.. This'll be my last of my NXNE-related posts although it's more photo-oriented than commentary. Apologies to the artists - it's not that you don't deserve the commentary, but I'm just plained pooped. So let's just keep this short and sweet.


  Avi Buffalo: photo by Michael Ligon

As you already know, on Saturday June 19 rather than take in the multitude of NXNE events happening around the city, I was at the Toronto Island Concert at which I caught Beach House, Band of Horses, Broken Social Scene and of course Pavement. After a day in the sun and then ending the night with Pavement's set ending before 11 pm, I waited for the ferry and eventually made it back to the city before midnight and decided to head to Lee's Palace where I caught about half of Avi Buffalo's half-hour long set. The two-guy, two-girl band all the way from Long Beach, California, barely out of highschool, were surprisingly tight, with lead singer Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg sounding a little like Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne and the band merging askewed pop tendencies with a bit of a jam band sensibility. Ok, I'm not sure how attractive that sounds but take it from me, they were good. Or at least take Sub Pop's word - the label released the band's self-titled debut full-length this past April.

I'd have stuck around for synth post-punks Cold Cave but my hunger was peaking at that point and I had to bail next door to get a burrito, at which point I headed home for some well-deserved rest.


  Kid Sister: photo by Michael Ligon

Sunday June 20 was a bit of an afterthought but with the weather being so good that day and with De La Soul headlining a free show at Yonge Dundas Square, I thought I'd probably regret it if I didn't go. I headed down to the Square as Chicago's Kid Sister was rapping up a storm against the scintillating electro beats provided by her DJ. It was actually quite good, especially if you're in the mood for that sort of stuff. The crowd wasn't nearly as sizeable as it would be for De La Soul, but there were definitely some fans and or converts in the crowd. I can only imagine she worked up the crowd even stronger when she played Wrongbar in Parkdale later that night.


  De La Soul: photo by Michael Ligon

And finally, De La Soul! The crowd was definitely pumped. Although I've heard and bits and pieces of their catalogue, it's their debut full-length Three Feet High and Rising which I'm most fond of. So it was definitely a treat to hear classics like "Potholes In My Lawn" and "Me, Myself, and I" (with the rappers prompting the audience to sing a certain vocal part of the song). After all these years, it's impressive to see and hear how articulate and full of flow they're rapping is. But they do like to get the party started as well, and they prompted the audience to chant or shot at just the right moments to keep the audience into it. The group mentioned several times there love for Toronto fans, even giving a shout out to a few people including some local rappers like Kardinal Offishall who popped onto stage briefly, although unfortunately did not end up rapping with the group. Had the group not mentioned the Much Music Video Awards and thanking the crowd for coming down to see them instead, I'd totally forgot that the MMVA's were happening at the same time around the corner and down Queen St. Now let's see if those kids at the MMVA's are listening to Justin Bieber in 10 years.

Photos: NXNE in Toronto (June 19-20, 2010)