TWELVE: The Wavelength 12th Anniversary Festival

Wavelength, the Toronto concert series [for many years until the last few years that had been running as a weekly concert series] which has introduced fans to a cornucopia of new music acts over the years turns twelve this year, and of course will be celebrating the occasion. TWELVE: The Wavelength 12th Anniversary Festival will be taking over several Toronto music venues over the long weekend [thank you Dalton McGuinty] of February 16-19 with featured acts including Fucked Up, P.S. I Love You, No Joy and Bonjay. An all-access festival pass is available for $36, or else else individual show ticket prices range from $10-$17 adv / $12-20 door. Advance tickets will go on sale January 17, in person through usual outlets Rotate This and Soundscapes or online at GalleryAC.com. Check out the Wavelength site for full lineup and ticket price details.

If you are of the social media persuasion, there is a Facebook event page.

Portishead @ Sound Academy, Toronto (October 10, 2011)

Beth Gibbons of Portishead @ Sound Academy: photo by Michael Ligon

There are bands I wish to see live who I have accepted will probably never reunite (The Smiths, New Order) and then there are the bands that I think I will never get to see live but then miraculously the band comes out of hiatus or retirement and goes on tour. Of the latter category, I've seen The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, and most recently, as well as more dear to my heart, Portishead. Along with fellow Bristolians Massive Attack, Portishead ignited the 'trip-hop' genre in 1990's propelling what was once an underground musical style towards the mainstream. Prior to their most recent full-length "Third" in 2008, they'd only released two albums, their seminal full-length debut "Dummy" in 1994 and their sinister self-titled follow-up in 1997. And for whatever reasons I'd not been motivated not check out the band live during the few times the band toured to promote their first two album, it was the band's 1998 live album / DVD "Pnyc Live" (a recording of the band's one-off show at NYC's Roseland Ballroom at which the band performed with an orchestra)which cemented my need to see this band live. At the time I could have not forseen the band going on hiatus from touring or recording a follow-up full-length until a decade later. When the band finally released their third album, entitled "Third", in 2008 I was ecstatic and was even more ecstatic that the band started to play live again, my hopes that the band would come back to Toronto. The band's first show in North America in 2008 was at the Coachella music festival and I remember being glued to my computer screen as I watched the live webcast of Portishead's phenomenal set. I'd never have guessed that it would have been more than three years later that Portishead would embark on a proper North American tour. Toronto made the cut fortunately, and even more fortunately the band booked two shows here for October 9 and 10. Too bad it had to be at the ghastly Sound Academy. But beggars can't be choosers, and as the dates grew closer, so did my excitement for the show. I was even more excited that within days of the show, I found out I got approved for a photo pass.

I was going to the second show of the two, which also was the same day as Thanksgiving here in Canada. After spending the day with family, I made my way down to the venue. It was just as well that I got there when I did because my arrival was only minutes before Portishead were to start. By the time I got my photo pass, then squeezed my way through the crowd to the front, then was let into the photo pit by Security, the stage lights dimmed and Portishead came on to the stage as I was still fumbling with my bag trying to get my camera and lenses out. Sweating profusely at this point, partly due to my excitement for the band and partly due to some nervous energy realizing I was almost late, I finally settled in for the three songs I'd be up there. When I wasn't snapping away, I stopped for a moment to realize I was mere feet away from the one and only Beth Gibbons!

Portishead's holy trinity of Geoff Barrows (drums, turntables), Beth Gibbons (vocals), and Adrian Utley (guitar) were joined onstage and for this tour by Jim Barr (bass), Clive Deamer(drums), and John Baggott (keyboards). The set kicked off with the rhythmically propulsive, pre-millenial tension of 'Silence', then one-eighty'd into the solemn quietness of 'Hunter' before working up the audience with the cinematic crowd-favourite 'Mysterons'. I felt fortunate to experience the band front-row centre for those three songs, to feel the immediacy of the band's different sensibilities. My three songs in the photo pit were over and I made my way back into the crowd when the band sunk into the desolate-sounding 'The Rip'(my personal favourite off "Third"), Beth Gibbons' voice trembling with every note. My view of the stage from stage left may have been less satisfying but with the remainder of the set just getting better and better, the visual element almost didn't matter.

The remainder of the main set had it's share of highlights. 'Wandering Star' was stripped down to a bare bones version with Beth and Geoff seated in the middle of the stage, Beth on vocals and Geoff on bass guitar. Audience sing-alongs could be heard on favourites like on 'Sour Times' and 'Glory Box'. It was on the latter that I realized how deeply connected I was to Beth's presence as even with such gender-specific lyrics like "Just give me a reason to love you, Give me a reason to be a woman, I just wanna be a woman", I felt like I was experiencing the female point-of-view without it being awkward. The descriptively titled 'Machine Gun' sliced it's propulsive rhythms through the air, Barrow's metallic drum sounds synched with the video projections behind them. The band's self-titled second album got the least representation during the show but thankfully included a few stunners, 'Over' featuring Barrow's exemplary turntablist skills and the sinister 'Cowboys'. I didn't realize it until they played it, but the band's Amnesty International charity single 'Chase The Tear' a song gussied up in electro-rhythms but grounded with simple drums and guitar, reminded me of Radiohead. By far the most eye-opening (or maybe that should be ear-opening) point of the night was the set-closer, the metal-ish 'Threads' on which three-quarters of the way through Gibbons' normally subdued vocals went through a transformation as the thrust and volume of her vocals achieved a level I was not entirely acquainted with. And it was exhilirating.

The encore, while only two songs, was near perfect with the Rhodes-accompanied 'Roads' which enthralled the crowd from its very first keyboard note and then with the urgent, industrial-sounding 'We Carry On' during which Gibbons, normally the introverted type, lept down to the floor to seemingly shake the hands and greet the entire front row of the crowd. Cameras and camera phones lept in to action before Gibbons jumped back onto the stage where she stood towards the right side of the stage sipping her beer as her band mates steamrolled to a conclusion.A concert on Thanksgiving could not get any better than this.

Photos: Portishead @ Sound Academy, Toronto (October 10, 2011)
MySpace: Portishead

Nuit Blanche, Toronto (October 1, 2011)

Another edition of Nuit Blanche, Toronto's "...sixth annual sunset-to-sunrise celebration of contemporary art" happened this past Saturday night. And aside from the night's chilly temperatures, I wasn't feeling thrilled in the quality of the installations and projects as I'd had in past years. Much of what I saw was visual which may make for interesting visual stimulation for a moment but didn't provide much in the way of a lasting impression. On the other hand, installations like "Soon" at Commerce Court, with spotlights situated atop buildings surrounding the area shone down on the crowd while an immersive, audio-warped soundtrack filled the square, in my opinion made for a cool experience. With my brother, cousin and his girlfriend in tow, we hit Zone's B and C and never made it to Zone A. But as the night wore on, there were a few installations(like the aforementioned "Soon") that stood out and provided good photo ops, making the night not a total loss. I'm a strong supporter of the annual event in general and I will be surely out for the next edition.


"Soon" @ Commerce Court: photo by Michael Ligon


"Je t'aime Alouette" @ Design Exchange: photo by Michael Ligon


"Barricades" @ Yonge & Queen: photo by Michael Ligon


"I just know that something good is going to happen" @ Dundee Place: photo by Michael Ligon

Check out my entire photo set of the night below:

Photos: Nuit Blanche, Toronto (October 1, 2011)

Sloan @ Echo Beach, Toronto (August 5, 2011)

Sloan @ Echo Beach: photo by Michael Ligon


Sloan @ Echo Beach: photo by Michael Ligon

Sloan once were fashionable - for about a year, maybe two. They were right on board with the alt-rock movement of the early 1990's when Nirvana and Sonic Youth were bringing the indie and 'punk' music to the forefront of the music industry. But since their second album, 1994's "Twice Removed", the band have gone the decidedly unfashionable route for the last seventeen years playing out their pop and classic rock influences. Over the band's twenty year career, they've released ten full-lengths, two EP's and a live album and have solidly established themselves, I think, as one of Canada's all-time best bands.

The band played a free show at Echo Beach in Toronto at the beginning of August. The classics of course were what the fans were obviously there for and Sloan eased their way into the set with a trio of songs from their most recent album "The Double Cross" before giving the fans what they wanted, starting with their very first single 'Underwhelmed'. Funny thing is that over the course of the last 15-20 years (holy shit I'm feeling old), I'd thought I'd grown out of the noisy, messiness of their first album "Smeared" but since the show have reconnected with its discordant, pop melodies.

The rest of the set was a mixture of their greatest hits/singles, more songs from "The Double Cross" and a few curve-balls such as the vocally reconfigured version of 'C'mon, C'mon (We're Gonna Get It Started)', as well as 'Sinking Ships' both from their album "Navy Blues". The main set ended quite exuberantly with enthusiastic renditions of 'Everything You've Done Wrong' (with a horn section) and 'Who Taught You To Live Like That?'. For the encore, fan favourites 'The Other Man' and 'Money City Maniacs' were included but the pièce de résistance was the band's ode to the venue and well to Toronto's Martha and the Muffins by performing an excellent, albeit, ragged cover of "Echo Beach" featuring second opening band Modern Superstitions' Nyssa on vocals. A fine set all around from a band who have been and who will no doubt remain my favourite Canadian band of all time.

The setlist.

For my whole photo set, check out the link below:

Photos: Sloan @ Echo Beach, Toronto (August 5, 2011)

Persian Rugs, Stars, Action Makes, Crocodiles, Heavy Cream @ NXNE in Toronto (June 17, 2011)

  Crocodiles: photo by Michael Ligon

Since I had Friday[June 17] off from work, I'd had hopes off making it out to some of the daytime NXNE festivities but alas it did not happen. It figures just when it seems the daytime NXNE-affiliated or NXNE-related shows are stepping it up, I don't make it out to any of them. On the other hand, I made a conscious decision to try to start the night out early.

My 8 pm pick went to Toronto indiepop group Persian Rugs. In my NXNE preview post for this night I picked Persian Rugs as my choice for the 8 pm slot and in that same post, I kind of eulogized the death of indiepop in Toronto when Toronto's The Airfields called it quits (went on hiatus?) a few years ago. It was a pleasant surprise when lo and behold up on the stage of the Silver Dollar I see Ian Jackson, ex of The Airfields and The Diableros. Also behind the drumkit was Diableros drummer Mike Duffield. Filling out the band was a female on alternate lead vocals and keyboards as well as a gent on bass guitar. Very much in the vein of C86 / Sarah Records-inspired indiepop, the alternating lead vocals between Ian and their female vocalist was a nice change. As well the varying textures from song to song going from sweet, float-y synth, to more dissonant guitar work kep things interesting. Not quite sure what happened to The Airfields although if I understand correctly that was the project of a one David Lush, so it is nice to see that Mr. Jackson's struck out with his own band. Thin crowd at the Silver Dollar but given the confined quarters there, a thin crowd didn't seem all that thin actually.

For my 9 pm timeslot I shot up to Yonge Dundas Square to catch Stars. I had to dig back through the archives but I believe the last time I saw Stars live was when they played a free show at University of Toronto in September 2007 as part of Frosh Week. And now here they are headlining a big show at Yonge Dundas Square. As I fully expected it was packed so I reserved myself to watching the show from the back amongst which as you might guess is far less exciting than watching a show from near the front. So I got to see Torquil's big face on the video screen, as well as of course the lovely Amy Millan. Busting out their 'hits' such as "Elevator Love Letter", "The Night Starts Here", and "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead", Stars' fans got what they wanted. I remember seeing Stars several years back when they played Lee's Palace(one show of a multi-night stint there) and it was really fantastic but the effect of the band's sophisticated pop songs felt diluted in the Square. Good points to the set other than the music - Torq's articulate / humourous banter such as his dedication of their song "We Don't Want Your Body" to the lady-adorned H & M billboard atop the Eaton Centre staring back at him from across the street.

The garage rock / pysch scene in Toronto is proudly heralded and promoted by Toronto indie label Optical Sounds although it's largely a scene I don't have partake in that often. Toronto garage act Action Makes who were playing the Silver Dollar at 11 pm were my next stop. As I arrived, the band were already playing to a sweaty packed crowd, with a select bunch of patrons really getting their dance on. With mop-topped lead vocalist Clint Rogerson, and four other gents on keys, guitar, bass, and drums, the band stomped through a melodically-infused set of garage rock tunes. They were as good, maybe even better, than other bands of the genre I've heard. They play live in Toronto occasionally and I do recommend they'd be worth your time.

The big draw of the night, at least for me, was the next band to hit the Silver Dollar stage for a midnight set - that belonged to San Diego buzz act Crocodiles. With a co-ed membership, the females of the group on drums and Farfisa, with the males of the group on lead vocals, bass and guitar, the band played a setlist of tunes with titles like "Neon Jesus", "Summer of Hate", "Hexes" and "I Want To Kill". The lyrics may have not been all sunshine and lollipops but musically, the upbeat tempos and melodies showed the band to be far more fun and less serious than you might have imagined. For God's sake, they played a totally fun Farfisa-driven cover of The Ramones "Beat On The Brat" - loved it. Making the set even more special was what seemed like a totally spontaneous moment when NXNE-participants, Dum Dum Girls [Dee Dee's husband is Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles] jumped onto stage and started to dance and jump up and down vigorously during Crocodiles' set. Crocodiles were Silver Dollar promoter Dan Burke's pick to play a 3-night stint at the venue for NXNE and this very well could have been the best show of the bunch, well at least I hope it was.

Ending off the night for me was garage-punk outfit Nashville's Heavy Cream who were playing next door at The Comfort Zone. The 3/4 female group were setting up still as a I arrived and I was a bit disappointed to see the venue less than packed. I'd seen them live during last year's CMJ in NYC and I'd missed their set during this year's Canadian Musicfest so I was glad to take in their set during NXNE. Taking their musical cues from The Ramones with short bursts of rock n' roll tunes (although perhaps less melodic), as well as visual cues with their t-shirts and denim, Heavy Cream gunned through a set with just the right amount of punk attitude, especially from vocalist Jessica McFarland (now sporting a platinum-blonde, longer haircut rather than the tomboy-ish, brown-ish 'do she had last year during CMJ) who's snarling vocals always seemed genuine and never cartoonish. This is a band I could have imagined would have fit in quite well with the CBGB's / 1977 NYC punk scene. I might not be cool, but they are.

Photos: Persian Rugs, Stars, Action Makes, Crocodiles, Heavy Cream @ NXNE in Toronto (June 17, 2011)
MySpace: Persian Rugs
MySpace: Stars
MySpace: Action Makes
MySpace: Crocodiles
MySpace: Heavy Cream

Snowblink, OFF!, Washington, Kevin Seconds, Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield, No Joy, Chains of Love @ NXNE in Toronto (June 16, 2011)

  Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield: photo by Michael Ligon

I stayed surprisingly true to my original picks for this night of NXNE. And making the most of my Priority Plass(thanks NXNE), I hit the night hard.

Kicking off the night early, I hit The Music Gallery to take in the 7 pm set of Toronto-by-way-of-California band Snowblink. I arrived just after the band had started it seemed with most of the pew seating occupied so I took to the right side of the church to stand and snap a few photos. Getting my first real taste of the band's songs, I'm now less inclinded to lump them into the indie-folk genre (my original preconception of what I thought they might be based on reviews I read) and even moreso have to draw a comparison to Feist who was the artist I was reminded of when I'd first sampled their tunes prior to their set. Like Feist's occasional use of a stripped down instrumental setup, Snowblink which is the project of Daniela Gesundheit had along with her only a drummer and guitarist, and the three musicians played a subdued set of not-quite-folk and skeletal pop. My first taste of Snowblink and it was good.

I decided to bypass the 8 pm timeslot for a snack and then headed to Yonge Dundas Square to catch the tail-end of Fucked Up but ended up missing the whole set. Hardcore supergroup OFF! who were playing the Square next were my 9 pm pick for the night and although I hadn't got the e-mail confirmation that day to photograph the show, the gentleman in the pit making the decisions was kind enough to let me shoot. The band consisting of Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag) with Steven McDonald (Redd Kross), Dmitri Coats (Burning Brides) and Mario Rubalcaba (Earthless, Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes) played a blistering set, the self-admitted 56-year-old vocalist Keith Morris in fine form as was the rest of the band (guitarist Dmitri Coats and his long red wavy hair flapping around providing visual stimulation for the crowd. Morris showed himself to be an articulate person, his banter touching on political issues, the punk scene, and growing old. His proposed plan if OFF! were to play the half-time show at the Super Bowl, including dropping tar from the Goodyear Blimp on to the heads of US Politicans was hilarious but at the same time illustrates Morris' political convictions.

Lee's Palace was my next destination, mostly because I was keen on catching the midnight set of Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield, but first there were the 10 pm and 11 pm sets of Aussie singer-songwriter Washington and American singer-songwriter Kevin Seconds respectively to to stand through. Fortunately, what I'd sampled from those artists prior to show pique my interest. I was a littled disappinted that Washington (whose full name is Megan Washington) was playing solo with only keyboards but almost from the getgo she showed herself to be a mighty talent. With her supple keyboard playing and emotive vocals, obvious comparisons are Fiona Apple and perhaps even Sara Bareilles. Megan played a set of originals as well as covers by Rufus Wainwright and fellow Aussie Paul Kelly, the latter which was her last song of the night and which she sung accapella. Quite a thin crowd at this point, but for those who were there, we were impressed.


With the crowd growing a little fuller for 11 pm, singer-songwriter Kevin Seconds (ex-vocalist of seminal Reno, Nevada punk rockers 7 Seconds formed back in the early 80's) took the stage. With his quite interestingly hand-decorated acoustic guitar which had among other things a picture of a young Johnny Cash as well as the words "This Machine Trolls Fascists" inscribed with black marker on it, Kevin played a great set of tunes that straddled country, folk and pop some a bit laid-back while others displaying a bit of a punk-ier energy with furiously strummed guitar. With song topics ranging from growing older[which seemed to be the defacto theme of the night thinking back to OFF!'s set], to his hometown of Sacramento, and to love and friends, Kevin had a good knack for melody and effective lyrics and his acoustic guitar chord structures and playing were fantastic.

As expected as soon as Mr. Seconds ended his set, I could feel the herd of patrons rushing as close as to the stage as possible for Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield. I'd seen Evan live a few times in the past 6 years touring The Lemonheads playing newer material and the classics but on the other hand had never seen Juliana live, mostly because even as she was releasing new material she never ended up touring up here. As she'd mentioned during the set, she was releasing a new album/material later this year, but whatever made her decide to finally perform live up here now during NXNE (and better yet with Evan) I was just glad she was here. Sitting on stools side by side, and each with acoustic guitars, both were slightly older but at the same time almost exactly the way I'd remembered them back in the 90's, with their stringy hair, denim and morose facial expressions. Each took turns singing their songs, as well as singing together, on Lemonheads classics like "Drug Buddy" and "Down About It" and Hatfield tunes likes "Choose Drugs", and Dando was in fine voice as ever, while Hatfield held her own most of the time with only minimal strain trying to hit a few higher notes. This was a purely nostalgic set that left me with enormous happiness hearing these songs and at the same time a little sadness that the early 90's from which the setlist harkened from can now be classified as nostalgic. On a side note, while she admitted she was not a hockey fan, she just had to bring up the fact that the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Juliana we still love you anyway.

I felt I was on a roll at this point so I headed on down to the Horseshoe Tavern for the 1 am set of Montreal's No Joy. There was a good sized crowd for the blonde-haired duo of Laura Lloyd and Jasamine White as well as their male rhythm section on bass guitar and drums. There was a bit brighter stage lighting this time than when I'd previously seen them in NYC at CMJ last October which in my opinion detracted the vibe away from the band's shoegazer, noise-pop element and focused my attention more on how hard-rocking they were. Yes, they move on stage.

A quick check of the NXNE Twitter page revealed that the secret guests for the 2 am time slot at Sneaky Dee's were Vancouver retro-pop outfit Chains of Love and there I headed off. Some technical snafus prevented the band from starting on time but by about 2:30 am, things finally got underway. Chains of Love, consisting of Felix Fung (Guitar), Clint Lofkrantz (Bass/Guitar), Henry Beckwith (Keyboards), Nathalia Pizarro (Vocals), Rebecca Marie Law Gray (Vocals/Guitar), and Al Boyle (drums) play Motown-inspired, pop-filled, rock n' roll and have the sixties-influenced attire to match. The band's songs were glorious at times, but sometimes the tempos felt rushed. Asking the soundman for a lot of reverb in her vocals, frontwoman Nathalia Pizarro in her sparkly top and leather mini-skirt reminded me a lot of Amy Winehouse(back when Amy was voluptuous), exuded an exhuberance on stage and in her vocals. The band, quite literally at times, bashed away on their instruments, the drummer losing his cymbal a few times, while I believed a mic stand was knocked over at one point and finally, guitarist Fung lost the whammy bar off his guitar at the end. It seemed all over too soon, and with too few patrons really dancing (blame it on 3 am approaching at that point), so it may have not been their best set, but I'm sure this band could get an entire venue hopping.

Photos: Snowblink, OFF!, Washington, Kevin Seconds, Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield, No Joy, Chains of Love @ NXNE in Toronto (June 16, 2011)
MySpace: Snowblink
MySpace: OFF!
MySpace: Washington
MySpace: Kevin Seconds
MySpace: Evan Dando
MySpace: Juliana Hatfield
MySpace: No Joy
MySpace: Chains of Love

Lowe Dens, Ume @ NXNE in Toronto (Wednesday June 15, 2011)

  Lower Dens: photo by Michael Ligon

Over the last several years NXNE has taken strides to improve, one factor being that it kicks off stronger on the Wednesday night than it had historically. The Thursday night of the festival traditionally was the official first night of the festival but in recent years Wednesday night has provided more musical options, I guess to satiate the appetite of festival-goers who couldn't wait to get started. While generally I find this a good thing, this year I'd eased slowly into this year's festival with only two shows on the Wednesday night since I hadn't booked off work the day after[I'd only booked Friday off work] - next year, I think I might just book most of that week off. In the long run, I think easing into the festival with just two shows the first night was prudent as I hit the rest of the festival relatively harder and am only recovering now. And of course two shows the first night makes this blog post a whole lot easier to do.

By the time I'd started out this night, I'd already missed any bands or artists playing time slots from 9 pm or prior, and so then decided on checking out the 10 pm set by Baltimore's Lower Dens at the Garrison. I'd hadn't even heard the band's music prior to this night, but they were one of the buzzier acts of the festival and on top of that were playing the Garrison who've booked a number of good acts (most of which I've not actually caught unfortunately). Any anxiety I had of encountering a lineup at the venue was soon diminished as I got in with no problems and found the venue to be comfortably filled at about half capacity. A little background - the five member Baltimore outfit are led by the androngynous-looking Jana Hunter and they released their debut full-length Twin Hand Movement in 2010. Prior to that, Hunter was a solo artist, most notable for being the first artist to release an album on Devendra Banhart and Vetiver frontman Andy Cabic's label Gnomonsong. At the time I'd arrived, it looked like the band just began their set. With the general configuration of bass, guitar, synth, drums, and vocals, my initial impression was a bit underwhelming, although mostly due to the band's lack of stage presence but partially due to the sluggish pace of whatever song they were playing at the time. However as I listened more closely, the band's musical qualities became more apparent. Their music was a far more subdued version of shoegaze, choosing atmosphere, subtle dissonance, and echo-y melodic guitar lines over feedback. But what really tied it together nicely were the song's bubbling melodies and the enchanting, distant-sounding vocals of Hunter along with the contrasting back-up vocals of bassist Geoff Graham. Not an exemplary live experience by any standard due to the PA problems, but musically I'm convinced and I hope to catch the band live next time they come to town.

Next venue I headed to was the Drake Underground to see the 11 pm set by Ume. Austin, Texas female-led rock trio Ume have been simultaneously been making waves in the music scene and remaining a little under the radar for a few years now. I'm expecting them to really hit it big any day now. I've read that they've been named one of the top 16 unsigned bands in North America by Rolling Stone and after finally experiencing their live set, and well actually really hearing their music for the first time, you wonder why they haven't been signed yet. Led by husband-and-wife duo Eric Larson (bass) and Lauren Langner Larson (guitar/vocals) plus recently acquired new drummer Rachel Fuhrer the band tore through their hard rock, slightly punky tunes carried effectively by the melodic vocals of Langner. Langner was also exemplary as a guitarist ripping through riffs and displaying a strong personality and stage presence as front-person of the band. I'd half expected the venue to be at capacity and was more than a little surprised that the venue was only half full. Disappointly though, most of the crowd seemed fairly tame but overall the crowd was appreciative of the band's rocking set. Ume have now come through Toronto a number of times now and been constantly touring over the last few years, acquiring fans gradually. Ume's time will come, just you wait.

Photos: Lower Dens, Ume @ NXNE in Toronto (Wednesday June 15, 2011)
MySpace: Lower Dens
MySpace: Ume

Joel Plaskett Emergency, Beast @ David Pecaut Square, Toronto (June 10, 2011)

  Joel Plaskett: photo by Michael Ligon

NXNE just wrapped up so before the bombardment of festival coverage that will be upon you, I just wanted to get up a post on the Joel Plaskett Emergency show which kicked off Luminato over a week ago, a festival which also just wrapped this weekend.

Taking place at Metro Hall Square (renamed David Pecaut Square) a good sized crowd was onhand for the free show that was kicking off Luminato. Montreal alterna-rock outfit Beast wasn't really appealing to me from the start, with their somewhat dated sound merging 90's grunge and alternative rock with trip hop, hip hop and electronic rhythms. They were technically proficient, Francophone vocalist Betty Bonifassi posessing a strong, soulful singing style and the band was obviously appealing to some but they overall weren't my cup of tea. Drummer Jean-Phi Goncalves near the end of the set put on a fantastic display of drumming proficiency and when the band's bassist joined in and they both together segued into the intro of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" I got excited for a moment although it only turned out to be a tease. Oh well.

Since the end of his Thrush Hermit days, Joel Plaskett has been alternating between releasing solo albums and as well as under the moniker of Joel Plaskett Emergency, the latter of which is a band configuration that chose for the Lumintao launch show that took place down at David Pecaut Square in Toronto on June 10. With original Emergency drummer Dave Marsh behind the skins and with multi-instrumentalist and current Toronto resident Peter Elkas as well as bassist Chris Pennell in tow, Joel and the band played a set that touched on all aspects of his career from the kick-off song which was Thrush Hermit's "From The Back of The Film", to recent solo tunes like "Deny Deny Deny" & "Through Through Through" to Emergency standards like "Come On Teacher" and "Extraordinary". I think I've underappreciated Plaskett outside of Thrush Hermit when I should have been paying more attention. As was fully exemplified during this live set, he's a clever lyricist and outstanding songwriter and while his gangly physical appearance may not be an indicator, Plaskett's seasoned comfort on stage as a performer (including humourous banter) is apparent. He's got a foothold in classic rock influences but at the same time his songs have a timeless quality which cannot necessarily be said of his Thrush Hermit days which definitely have a 90's indie rock quality to them. Regrettably, I wish I'd been more familiar with Plaskett's work as I would have sung along with many of those that were in attendance. It was one of those shows, that I'd not expected much but came out with a reaction like, that was really great. The show was not without a certain bit of promotion as Plaskett just released a solo-spanning rarities collection entitled EMERGENCYs, false alarms, shipwrecks, castaways, fragile creatures, special features, demons and demonstrations via his own label, New Scotland Records. The collection boasts 20 tracks spanning over a decade of his career and as impressed I was with Plaskett during this live appearance I may just have to pick up this new collection and rediscover him all over again.

Photos: Joel Plaskett Emergency, Beast @ David Pecaut Square, Toronto (June 10, 2011)
MySpace: Beast
MySpace: Joel Plaskett

The Radio Dept., Nightbox @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (May 29, 2011)

  The Radio Dept @ Horseshoe Tavern: photo by Michael Ligon

Update[June 15/2011, 12:06 am]: Review now up.

So it had only been February 7 of this year which marked the Toronto debut of Swedish shoegaze-y, indie-pop trio The Radio Dept. but that didn't stop them from booking a second Toronto show just 3 1/2 months after, this time taking place at the slightly cozier Horseshoe Tavern. The other big show that night was anthemic Scottish shoegaze pop outfit Glasvegas playing a sold-out show at Lee's Palace and since my plans were foiled in picking up an advance ticket to the show, I decided to go check out The Radio Dept. for a second time.

New local dance-rock outfit Nightbox opened the show attempting to drive the crowd into a frenzy and only half succeeding. Indeed there was a small yet enthusiastic number of people dancing but then there was also quite a number of others seemingly disinterested. Count me as somewhere in the middle. I appreciated the band's sensibilities and was reminded a bit of UK's Friendly Fires but for some reason I don't recall being intrigued by the songs live. Strangely, their recorded output(from the samples on their MySpace) displays a melodicism, plus an equitable melding of organic(guitar, drums, bass) and electronic(programming, synth) influences that I really dig. Off-night for me perhaps that prevented me from being open to something new, but I guess all I was wanting was my dose of The Radio Dept. Until the next time Nightbox.

I never got around to reviewing The Radio Dept's show at Lee's Palace back in February but if I did, much of what I would have said would have applied to the band's recent show at the Horseshoe Tavern on May 29. Dim lighting. Sparse musical setup. Void of any stage presence. But all that aside, with music as delectably melodic as the band's hazey, indie-pop tunes, it didn't much matter. Playing some of the same songs they played back in February at Lee's Palace such as "David", "Freddie and the Trojan Horse", and "The Worst Taste in Music" but also adding some different ones like the breezy "This Past Week" and the stunningly dreamy and my absolute favourite "Pulling Our Weight", the inclusion of the latter resulted in this show inching ahead as the better show over the February show at Lee's Palace, even if the sightlines at the Horsehose can be less than desirable [which was of no consequence to me since I was near the front]. While the Glasvegas show may have been the higher profile show that night, there was a near-capacity, if not sold out capacity for The Radio Dept at the Horseshoe. And so for the hour or however long it was, reflective of the dream-like quality of the band's music, the crowd was put into a dream-like state that Sunday night making the entrance to the work-week the next day just that much more bearable.

Photos: The Radio Dept., Nightbox @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (May 29, 2011)
MySpace: Nightbox
MySpace: The Radio Dept.

Anna Calvi, Cuckoo Chaos @ El Mocambo, Toronto (May 27, 2011)

  Anna Calvi @ El Mocambo: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [June 14/2011, 11:14 pm]: Review now up.

One of the more anticipated draws of this year's Canadian Musicfest this past March was suppose to have been UK artist Anna Calvi who was suppose to have played a hotly tipped showcase at Wrongbar but when she cancelled the show plus a string of others due to an unspecified injury I'm sure it some disappointed. Ever since then I'd not even got around to sampling her wares but still was somehow compelled(based purely on the buzz surrounding her) to purchase a ticket to her show at the El Mocambo which took place a several weeks ago. Although press on Ms. Calvi from the local media and blogs seemed to be at a low rumble leading up to the show, the packed house did indicate otherwise that Toronto fans (or at least a segment of them) were still intrigued to check out the Toronto debut of this ingenue.

San Diego five-piece Cuckoo Chaos had the task of opening the show and were overall semi-successful. Admirable but not entirely revelatory, a modern point of reference would be Vampire Weekend as Cuckoo Chaos display at times a similar afro-beat means indie sensibility, although with less smugness and a bit more volume. The band's west coast origins also appears to have rubbed off in their music with at least of an ounce of a surf vibe in the band's African-influenced guitar melodies. The band in actuality are probably more influenced by the Talking Heads (rather than the Heads-influenced Vampire Weekend) even recounting them gushing over David Byrne who happened to take in their show at the Bowery Ballroom a few nights before - although Cuckoo Chaos vocalist Jackson Milgaten grinninly pointed out that Mr. Bynre was very likely at the Bowery to check out Miss Calvi. Cuckoo Chaos further into their set displayed more straightforward punk tendencies on at least one song which seemed to come from left-field but did show the band's versatility.

It's seldom these days it seems that I come across a new artist that leaves me awestruck but Miss Calvi did just that. Anna came onto stage with her hair tied back and wearing black pant suit and heels displaying a visual resemblance that reminded me of German actress/singer Marlene Dietrich. Along with her was a drummer and multi-instrumentalist/percussionist to fill out the sound. Her bandmates aside, it was Calvi's vocals and electric guitar which were front and centre. Playing songs off her debut self-titled album out through Domino Records, there was a myriad of influences that seemed to infuse her songs ranging from a southern gothic, twangy, guitar sound to the torch-song quality that infused her vocals. And if I had to pick her musical peers it'd probably be PJ Harvey and Nick Cave.

The beginning of her set, such as on her song "No More Words" in particular, started out with whispered vocals, brittle guitar, and lightly tapped drums and percussion quite a subtle display which at the same time made it quite apparent to the crowd of the hard-rocking band playing on the second floor. But soon, Calvi would cut loose with her expressive vocals and brash guitar playing on songs like the adrenalin-rushed "Blackout" or the gender-role reversal, early PJ Harvey-sounding "I'll Be Your Man". It was songs such as these that the crowd gravitated the most. On the other hand I was quite taken by the quiter, less-harsh material such as the romantic, grand-sounding "First We Kiss" or Calvi's twangy, southern gothic rendering of Elvis Presley's "Surrender". Nary a word from Miss Calvi between songs, but it didn't matter anyway because she'd already grabbed a hold of our attention with her music. Her one-song encore, an urgent rendition of Edith Piaf's "Jezebel", practically bowled the crowd over, as Anna passsionately uttered "Jezebel" as the drums and guitar came to a stop-on-a-dime conclusion. Utterly wonderful show.

Photos: Anna Calvi, Cuckoo Chaos @ El Mocambo, Toronto (May 27, 2011)
MySpace: Cuckoo Chaos
MySpace: Anna Calvi

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

Death Cab For Cutie, The Lonely Forest @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto (May 18, 2011)

  Yes, that's Death Cab For Cutie

It's funny how long seven years can be. In the grand scheme of things, seven years isn't necessarily a long time. On the other hand, a lot can happen in seven years. I'm already nostalgic for 2004. Things were just a lot simpler back then (believe me it was). Musically, it was also somewhat of a renaisance period which for me culminated with my trip to Coachella that year where I latched onto bands (not necessarily new bands) that seemed to break out that year (or perhaps just prior to that year) such as Broken Social Scene and what is the topic of this post, Death Cab For Cutie. The Washington State indie four-piece had already released several indie albums, but broke out with their 2003 album Transatlanticism. A few years later they'd jump ship for the majors which brings us to the present as the band's third major-label album entitled Codes and Keys was just released and which brought the band to the Phoenix Concert Theatre a few weeks ago to promote the album with an intimate club show.

Lucky ticket-buyers were subjected to a will-call process to get into the venue, which while warding off scalpers, meant a lineup into the venue that snaked down Sherbourne even half an hour before doors opened which was when I arrived. But fortunately it was a mild spring day which made the waiting process more bearable. Finally making it into the venue, Anacortes, Washington quartet The Lonely Forest were already into their set warming up the fairly packed house. I'd have probably have been more into this band perhaps 7 years ago, their music in the vein of melodic emo pop-rock not entirely dissimilar at times to headliners Death Cab For Cutie. The band's musicianship and melodies was satisfying on one level but there was also something of generic quality that I couldn't get passed. Perhaps it's not such a good move to open up for Death Cab For Cutie if you sound a bit like them, just saying.

For a band who's worked their way up to scheduling their biggest show yet in Toronto on July 29 at the Molson Ampitheatre, you'd figure that an intimate club show would have the all-ages crowd at the Phoenix delirious. While the band entered onto the stage amidst a euphoric reponse, the crowd soon lulled into a passive state even though the band kicked off the set with fan favourites "I Will Possess Your Heart" and "The New Year". Honestly, from my vantage point from the middle of the room just past the drinking area barrier, the crowd seemed dead. The setlist, while including a number of songs from the new album (early on in the set including "Some Boys" and "Doors Unlocked and Open"), also included most if not all the fan favourites that I could think of. I think it wasn't until Ben Gibbard bantered to the audience that they'd play a lot of new songs and then quipped "This is like free jazz Death Cab...whatever happens happens" that the crowd finally warmed up with a chuckle.

Soonafter, with Ben on keys, the band broke into "What Sarah Said" with the crowd launching into singalong during the song's outro "who's gonna watch you die", a poignant closing to that song. With the band minus Ben leaving the stage, Ben polled the audience "This is fun right?" before leading into the other big audience singalong of the night of "I Will Follow You Into The Dark' with more than a few smartphones raised in unison to capture the video for posterity. Of the five or so new album songs played during the night, my favourite was "You Are A Tourist" with it's urgent tempo and sinewy, melodic guitar line. "Underneath The Sycamore" while less memorable was also enjoyable, at least within the group of the last part of the main set list which ended the main set on a high note. "Soul Meets Body", Twilight-soundtrack contribution "Meet Me At The Equinox", "Cath", "Crooked Teeth", "Sound of Settling" -- what more could any Death Cab fan asks for.

Well an encore for one, which the band gave to us with four songs, including some earlier catalogue tunes including "Photobooth" and "Your Bruise" but intermixed with Transatlanticism faves "Title and Registration" and the title track. When the band plays the Molson Ampitheatre in July it won't be the first time they've played a big stage - I did see them play the mainstage at the Sasquatch Festival at the Gorge Ampitheatre in Washington State in 2008 and the band just played that festival this past Memorial Day. While there wasn't as fervent a response from the crowd at the Phoenix as I'd hoped overall, the crowd did warm up and it turned out to be an enjoyable set. One can hope that their Molson Amp show will be life-changing for someone - I will attest that hearing "Transatlanticism" on a big stage amongst a sea of people and flickering lighters and illuminated mobile phone screens will virtually move you to tears.

ps. No photos for this show, except for the less-than-stellar cell phone photo above. I had a ticket for this show but not a photo pass. And I also just want to apologize for the lack of posts lately; general laziness on my part but I hope to get up reviews and photos for other shows I've attended lately including Austra, Anna Calvi, and The Radio Dept. Plus, of course, Luminato and NXNE is coming up. Stick around.

MySpace: The Lonely Forest
MySpace: Death Cab For Cutie

Zola Jesus, Cult of Youth @ Garrison, Toronto (April 20, 2011)

  Zola Jesus @ Garrison: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [May 2, 12:01 am]: Review now up.

Goth was a music subgenre that I could really never peg. The 80's had bands like The Cure, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie and The Banshees, bands all musically divergent from each other, that I associated with that youth subculture of black-clad wearing Goths, that scary-looking group of kids that hung out at the back of the cafeteria. But even back then I in fact had a certain affinity to these bands even though I didn't dress the part. And now fast forward to the present, my interest in listening to The Cure and Siouxsie and The Banshees has been rekindled, I've rediscovered bands like This Mortal Coil who I never listened to much to begin with, and I've found my musical tastes leaning towards artists like UK's new-goth described Esben and The Witch and even Toronto's own Austra whose stark operartic vocals provide a certain goth aura over her supple electro beats. It was a double shot of goth-inspired fun that took over the Garrison for a midweek show on April 20.

Brooklyn four-piece, Cult of Youth, opened to a relatively thinner crowd earlier in the evening. With a heavy hand on bass, strummed acoustic guitar, primal drumming, baritoned vocals and the addition of violin for just a little bit of etherealness, the band's music did present itself with a dark tone reminding me a bit of Nick Cave. On their song, the southern-gothic sounding "New West", the band were particularly appealing. It was a short set overall, but gave enough reason to pick up one of the band's releases at the well-stocked merch table, if one so choosed.

Zola Jesus, the stage name of Russian American singer/songwriter Roza Danilova, has played Toronto several times and she seems to have a particularly affinity for the comfy surroundings of the Garrison. However, after this most recent sent, she may have to reconsider larger venues. It was difficult for me to gage how popular she is in Toronto but by the time she hit the stage, the back room of the Garrison seemed to be at just about capacity. With little stage lighting, and flanked by two keyboardists, a member responsible for electronics and programming, and one drummer, the petite vocalist sauntered gently onto the stage barefooted, wearing white leggings and cloaked in a orange Gregorian-monk inspired hooded garment. It was an austere entrance and for much of the set she remained like that. It was particularly frustrating at times that there was never a proper spotlight on her, the only lighting being the video projector that seemed to only illuminate the bottom half of her body but never her face, except when she crouched down a few times. Otherwise, the lack of lighting did add to the vibe of her dark, scintillating synth pop.

Zola Jesus' tunes straddled between atmospheric, synth soundscapes, and danceable, beat-laden electro pop, all tunes carried along Nika's stark, dramatic vocals. As I'd sampled on some of Zola Jesus' live clips on YouTube, Nika's vocals can sometimes be lost in the reverb-laden mix, as was the case at times during this set, but as the night went on, the sound mix seemed to clear up a bit. While Nika's presence on stage was usually austere and cloacked in darkness and light, on tunes such as "Night", amped up for this live set with more beats, Nika was in dance mode. The lack of banter during the show and interaction with the crowd [except for that one time that Nika jumped onto the floor to sing amongst the crowd before climbing back onto the stage] didn't seem to matter much with the crowd who were enjoying every bit of the set. The crowd cheered for an encore which we got for one song and then we clamored for a second encore, the outcome which ended up with Nika coming back onto the stage just to tell the crowd thank you very much(without playing another song), an odd move that left a few befuddled. But other than that somewhat awkward conclusion, it was a satisfying night overall. And not one vampire amongst the crowd - at least that I know of.

Photos: Zola Jesus, Cult of Youth @ Garrison, Toronto (April 20, 2011)
MySpace: Cult of Youth
MySpace: Zola Jesus

First Wave Of Acts For NxNE (June 13-10, 2011) Announced

First wave of acts for this year's North By North East (NxNE) taking place June 13-19 in Toronto have been announced. Notable acts participating this year include Devo, The Pharcyde, Digable Planets, Twin Shadow, Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield(!!!!), Wild Nothing and so on. And Men Without Hats. This coming June, we will dance if we want to.

For passes and tickets, click here.

The Old 97's, Teddy Thompson @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 6, 2011)

  The Old 97's @ Horseshoe Tavern: photo by Michael Ligon

Update[April 18/2011, 12:31 am]: Review now up.

While I'd barely caught on to the No Depression movement during its first wave except for hearing Uncle Tupelo's song "Whisky Bottle" off a promo cassette including with an issue of Alternative Press [back when it was a good magazine], I really started digging the alt-country scene in the mid-to-late 1990's with bands like Wilco, The Jayhawks, and a little ol' band called The Old 97's. I remember coming across a used copy of the band's debut major label album (but 3rd studio effort) entitled Too Far To Care in a Cash Converters. I'm not sure exactly what it was that convinced me to pick it up but I was immediately blown away by it's raucaus lead-off track "Timebomb" and by melancholy tear-jerker country ballads like "Salome". It was 1997 since that album came out and while Wilco, and to a lesser extent The Jayhawks had gone on to greater popularity, The Old 97's remained in relative obscurity, eventually their major label deal with Elektra records ending three albums in with 2004's Drag It Up and the band recording with the LA-based New West Records ever since. A fellow concert-goer reminded me that it was strange how the band never went on to greater popularity if but on the lady-killer looks of it's frontman Rhett Miller. I don't recall how often the band have played Toronto but the last opportunity to catch a configuration of the band was back in November when The Old 97's Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond were scheduled to play the El Mocambo and it got cancelled, so rather than let another opportunity slip away, there I was at the band's show at the Horseshoe Tavern on April 6.

I arrived a little into opener Teddy Thompson's set. It was only after I started researching that I found out he was the son of musical couple Richard and Linda Thompson and with such a pedigree, you'd expect some musical talent, and Teddy does definitely have it. With a competent although rather unspectacular rhythm section accompanying him, they performed a selection of originals mixed in with a cover of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" illustrating Thompson's supple guitar playing and melodic vocals. Thompson's music, a mixture of country, folk, and jangly Byrds-influenced pop music, hits all the right notes in terms of authenticity and I found myself impressed with his songwriting but at the same time, it felt somewhat faceless, like I've heard it before. Already five albums into his career, his most recent being this year's Bella released this past February, Thompson continues to promote his musical wares, although ironically even part of Thompson's banter was a self-deprecating reference to his stalled musical career.

The Old 97's are vastly underappreciated in my opinion, but I fully expected a full-house for The Old 97's show at the Horseshoe a week and a half ago. As it turned out, there was a good loyal crowd on-hand but not the sell-out as I'd hoped. A mixed crowd of young-uns and older fans, the band consisting of Rhett Miller – lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Murry Hammond (bass guitar, occasional lead vocals, backup vocals, Ken Bethea (lead guitar) and Philip Peeples (drums and backup vocals) tore through a set including encore that lasted almost two hours by my count. The setlist included a bunch from their most recent album The Grand Theatre Volume One but with their indie album Wreck Your Life and their major label debut Too Far To Care getting multiple representation with some scattershot songs from a few of their albums plus a cover of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" also being included in the setlist.

Guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples were the more energetic of the foursome, tearing ferociously at times through their guitar and drum arrangements, although frontman Rhett Miller was no slouch at the mic, often his arm in mini-windmill motion against his drum strings. Bassist Murry Hammond was the most laid-back of the bunch but when he took to the mic accompanying himself for a rendition of "Valentine" it was one of the finest moments of the night. The Too Far To Care songs seemed to be the most popular of the night so when approximately nine songs into the set twang-inflected "Barrier Reef" finally showed up, the crowd perked up.

My only criticism of the night was that overall, the crowd while appreciative, was just too mellow. So while crowd faves like "Doreen", "Four Leaf Clover", "Rollerskate Skinny", "Big Brown Eyes", and "Timebomb" were everything an Old 97's could have asked for, I wished the crowd showed more energy. Especially, during encore closer "Timebomb", I'd have hoped the crowd would have been ALL OVER THAT and have collapsed in a bucket of sweat, but it did not happen. Such a reaction, or lack thereof, I won't necessarily blame on a Toronto apathetic music audience but really more on old age. But, hey if Rolling Stone fans of the elder generation can still bust a move during their shows, why can't older Old 97's fans do the same?

Photos: The Old 97's, Teddy Thompson @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 6, 2011)
MySpace: Teddy Thompson
MySpace: The Old 97's

Cults, Magic Kids, Superhumanoids @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 4, 2011)

  Magic Kids: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [April 12/2011, 11:40 pm]: Sorry for the delay. Review is now up.

I didn't know exactly what sort of turnout to expect for the show at the Horseshoe Tavern last week on Monday night. Its headliners Cults, and middle act of the night Magic Kids have both had their own share of buzz and press, but I heard nary a peep about this show from the local press leading up to it. And with that night bringing some nasty weather, I thought that would have scared a few people away but in the end I was pleasantly surprised that at least by the time the second act of the night Magic Kids hit the stage, the 'Shoe had a healthy turnout.

The bands bookending the night(first openers Superhumanoids, and headliners Cults) were bands that soundtracked my last night of CMJ in New York City last October. Los Angeles four-piece Superhumanoids were the tightest band of the night in my opinion, and while they may have protypical melodic indie sound propelling their songs along with boy-girl vocals, guitar, bass and keys they do it well. They don't quite fall into dream-pop territory but there was a certain dreamy quality to their songs, mostly with the vocals of lone female member Sarah Chernoff and her keyboards, while the guitars(courtesy of male vocalist Cameron Parkins and the rhythm section(bassist Max St. John and drummer Evan Weinerman) had a bit more muscularity to even out things. It was a sparse crowd at this early point in the evening which is a shame that more people didn't catch them. Next time Toronto.

Memphis, Tennessee buzz band Magic Kids were up next and while headliners Cults were the band most people were there to see, there also seemed to be some palpable excitement for Magic Kids as well. The band's 2010 single, the Brian Wilson-influenced "Hey, Boy" was one of my favourite songs of last year and although I never really got around to listening to the rest of their debut-full-length Memphis, if the rest of the album was anything like that single, I'd expect it to be a good set. The quite young-looking outfit led by lanky frontman Bennett Foster dressed in ripped denim jeans, and slim denim jacket buttoned up and the rest of the band were dressed comfortably, with a certain hipster, geek-chic quality, The band ripped through a fun set of pop music, bowing to the alter of Brian Wilson melodically, with a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs' in the vocals, melodic keyboard arrangements, ramshackle guitar and bass and overall played looser and more casual than I'd heard them on record. With two keyboards setup in the middle of the stage for later use in the set, main keyboardist Will McElroy was set up at stage left with violinist/vocalist Alice Buchanan beside him, with drummer Ben Bauermeister at the back of the stage, and frontman Bennett Foster, guitarist Alex Gates, and bassist Michael Peery taking up center to stage right. With Bennett, Alex and Michael lined up the right side of the stage together, it was an interesting configuration to see all three approach their mics at the same time to sing together. I've read the band described as a budget Beach Boys which is somewhat apt as although the band does possess a similar melodic sensibility, vocally and instrumentally they are a lot less precise. But they who says they were trying to be. Fun, fun, fun.

Somewhere along the lines between the first time New York group Cults played in Toronto last August at the Horseshoe and this show, the band has garnered a following. I'd already picked up on that when I saw them during CMJ last October, although part of the excitement in the crowd that time also had to do with they were a hometown band. But yes, Toronto has taken a liking to them. According to their Facebook page, Cults is offically the project of vocalist Madeline Follin and guitarist/vocalist Brian Oblivion, but as a touring act at least for this show were rounded out with a drummer, bassist and second guitarist. The band straddled between Motown-ish pop influences ("Go Outside", "Most Wanted") with a more blues-y, rock sound and wasn't afraid of a bit of reverb. The band(other than vocalist Follin) were perceivably and actually young but at least felt like a band and were up to the task as musicians. On the other hand, while vocalist Follin did impress with her strong vocal dexterity, her way-youthful appearance and wholesome stage presence formed a bit of a disconnect with the rock n' roll frontwoman presence she perhaps was trying to achieve. Vocally, FOllin excercised her vocal pipes with an abundance of melodic and blues-y tones, with the emotions that coincided visible in her facial expressions, but part of me also wished she'd cut loose physically in a fit of euphoric release a la Janis Joplin. Aside from such criticisms, it was a brief but enjoyable set and for the night overall, a more than satisfying indie triple-bill.

Photos: Cults, Magic Kids, Superhumanoids @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 4, 2011)
MySpace: Superhumanoids
MySpace: Magic Kids
MySpace: Cults

The Mountain Goats, Megafaun @ The Opera House, Toronto (April 3, 2011)

  John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [April 8, 12:18 am]: Review now up.

The Mountain Goats of Claremont, California are a band I've been meaning to see live for some time. I'd discovered the band back in the mid to late nineties when I was big in to zines and mail-order indie releases and had ordered one of The Mountain Goats' earliest releases, their cassette only album "The Hound Chronicles". I say 'their' when actually back then it was only John Darnielle alone recording under The Mountain Goats moniker. Underneath its truly lo-fi recording aesthetics, I could hear the songwriting talent of Darnielle. I'd lost track of the band after that, all the while The Mountain Goats recording for a variety of indie labels until they made the big jump to 4AD in 2003. However, it wasn't until about five years ago that the band crept back in to my consciousness, and so I started picking up many of their releases, both pre-4AD and 4AD, casually listening to them but never fully grasping their greatness. It was the live show that I heard and read was the thing that could convert me, and with the Goats playing shows in Toronto at Lee's Palace both in 2006 and 2007, I had a few opportunities to see them but ended up bailing on / missing both. It's now 2011, and it was time to remedy that.

Despite the wickedly wet weather or maybe because of it, The Opera House was already near capacity when I arrived a little in to the set of Durham, North Carolina openers Megafaun. An amiable trio of fellas, brothers Brad and Phil Cook and fellow Eau Claire, Wisconsin native Joe Westerlund, their vocal harmony-laden, folk-rock singalongs, augmented with guitar, drums, and banjo at times, held the crowd's attention for he entirety of their set. This was no better illustrated than with the spare acoustic traditional-soundingn "Lord, Ease My Mind" which had the band simply singing and strumming acoustic guitar and guided along by simple handclaps which the crowd eventually joined in on.

From reviews I've read, The Mountain Goats last visit to Toronto in 2007 was as a duo consist of Darnielle and bassist Peter Pughes but for this most recent visit at The Opera House the band was no actually a band rounded out with drummer Jon Wurster (of Superchunk), and keyboardist Yuval Semo. The band was in town to promote the newest Mountain Goats album entiled All Eternal's Deck. Walking onto the stage with soundbites of "Hello, America" and heavy metal music playing through the speakers, the crowd was enraptured as if Darnielle was Elvis. The four members, dressed smartly in dark suits, the band wasted no time and lept into cleverly-titled new album track "Liza Forever Minnelli".

My unfamiliarity not only The Mountain Goats' newest album but with the catalogue in general made piecing together the set list difficult, but there I tried, jotting down lyrics and song-title guesses on my iPhone in between songs. Even post-show, trying to piece together the setlist by looking at the setlists from some of recent shows turned out to be unreliable as it soon became apparent that Darnielle was not content on playing the same setlist every night. Googling the lyrics I'd jotted down, my sleuthing revealed that while The Mountain Goats played at least a few songs off the new album, including "Liza Forever Minelli" and "For Charles Bronson", and playing fan favourites including "No Children" and "Southwood Plantation Road" from Talahassee and a variety of songs spanning other albums, it was 1995 album The Sunset Tree which seemed quite prominent, with the band playing at least six songs off that album.

In fact, it was The Sunset Tree songs which were the crowd faves and provided most of the show's most memorable moments. The crowd shouted out requests throughout the night and The Sunset Tree's "No Children" was called out multiple times and so the crowd was enamored when the band finally played it. The song "Broom People" was preceded by Darnielle's recounting of a girl name Marci(three years older than him) he dated when he was in high school who he tried to break up with by letter after meeting another girl. An audience member supportively yelled out "Marci Sucks" but Darnielle came back in her defense and said something like "Fuck You" and expressed that given his douche-bag action he thought he at least owed her a song. When the band finally ended the first encore with "This Year" joined onstage with openers Megafaun and the combined membership chanting the chorus "I am going to make it through this year if it kills me", I had a lump in my throat.

Darnielle falls in line with some of the best musical artist / storytellers / banterers I've experienced like Neko Case and Stephen Merritt, although Darnielle's quips and storytelling felt quite more spontaneous in my opinion. When Darnielle solo performed the opening four chords of new song "You Were Cool", a few audience members yelled out "woo", though Darnielle retorted that they wouldn't necessarily know what song he was playing. Ironically that songs lyrics started out "this is a song with the same four chords I use most of the time, when I've got something on my mind" a truly hilarous, self-deprecating comment if I ever heard one. In response to a random question from audience about why he wasn't wearing shoes, he asked the audience if they wanted to know the story then lept in to it anyway, mentioning it was practice by musical artist Amy Grant who did the same thing to be more comfortable on stage. When Darnielle and band came back from the end of the main set for an encore, Darnielle quipped about doing a Grateful Dead-like lengthy second set but then instead, and more realistically offered a six-song encore set as consolation. For a surprise 2nd encore, Darnielle returned to peform a cover of Franklin Bruno's "Houseguest". I've not much to add except to say that it was a spectacular evening and am looking forward to see Darnielle and company in the future.

Chromewaves and The Panic Manual both have reviews of the show. Mechanical Forest Sound has an MP3 live recording of "No Children" from the show.

Photos: The Mountain Goats, Megafaun @ The Opera House, Toronto (April 3, 2011)
MySpace: Megafaun
MySpace: The Mountain Goats

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

Digits, The Einar Flaa Academy, Bonjay, The Zoobombs, The Peelies, Katie Goes To Tokyo, The Pack A.D. @ Canadian Musicfest, Toronto (March 12-13 2011)

  The Pack A.D.: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [March 26, 2011, 11:14 am]: Review now up.

Continuing on with the Canadian Musicfest coverage, I went full tilt on the Saturday night and even made it out to the Sunday night of the festival for a few shows. Digits is the stage name of Toronto's Alt Altman, a one-man electro-pop artist whose set I began Saturday night of Canadian Musicfest. An admirable effort at best, but unfortunately it didn't feel quite essential at least compared to other artists such as fellow Canadians Junior Boys who create music in a similar vein. Digits handled all duties himself - vocals, synth, programming duties and even a bit of bass and there were bright spots occassionally, especially in some of the programming, beats and synth arrangements but not enough overall to convert me wholeheartedly. But perhaps I was just turned off by a lack of visuals and stage presence, making it a bit of a boring experience. Surprisingly for an early set, the venue drew in a larger crowd than expected - not packed by an means, but nor did it remain empty as I thought it might be.

Next up, I jumped onto the Spadina south streetcar on my way to Global Village Backpackers Hostel down the street to catch Norweigan folk-pop band The Einar Flaa Academy. Named after the band's singer and songwriter, this live set was a stripped down acoustic performance with Einar Flaa on vocals and acoustic guitar sitting on a stool with Ole Marksten on vocals, sax and glockenspiel, and Monika May on vocals both also seated. The performance had very much a living room feel with the band set up within the hostel's sunken intimate bar area. As I understand Einar and Ole are full-time members of The Einar Flaa Academy but I think Monika May[a musical artist in her own right] was only a guest that night, but from the wonderful performance they gave, you'd have sworn that Ms. May was a full-time member. Monika's soulful vocals blended nicely with Einar's more folkish vocals and with Einar's acoustic guitar playing augmented by Ole's instrumental contributions with glockenspiel and saxophone it was an understated performance punctuated by well-written songs. Disappointly, it was a rather disinterested crowd on-hand it seemed(at the very least giving some polite applause), although I hope that didn't discourage the band from coming back to Canada.

My plans to see Nashville's Heavy Cream at Wrongbar were foiled, and not because I didn't get in to the venue, but because once I got in I found out the sets were running half an hour behind schedule. I caught the tail-end of The Pack A.D.'s set, chatted with Joe from Mechanical Sound Forest for a bit but then had to jet for the next band I hoped to see which was Toronto's Bonjay who were playing The Mod Club about a quarter after midnight. Indie rockers/hipsters beware but The Mod Club on a Saturday night is definitely a place you should NOT be - it's a Saturday night dance party featuring clubby music and not the good stuff it seems. At times, I just felt like I was in an episode of Jersey Shore. This would not bode well for Bonjay - it was the first time I'd heard the band live and I was totally digging their ragga / electro / r n' b 'ish tunes but except for a few select souls near the front, most of the crowd seemed disinterested or distracted. Bonjay's vocalist Alanna Stuart expressed a few times to the crowd that the crowd was too quiet but the crowd never seemed to really get into it like they should have. Alanna and the band(including producer Pho on synth as well as a live drummer) made a valiant effort, but the crowd plain sucked.

And so to end off the Saturday night of Canadian Musicfest, I took in a double shot of garage rock goodness, first with Japan's The Zoobombs at The Comfort Zone, and then with all-girl female quartet, Montreal's The Peelies playing at Silver Dollar. The Zoobombs, who I've seen during past visits to the city, are at this point beyond review, except to say they are just about the most rockin' band out of Japan ever, their mix of garage-y, r n'b rock, mixed with squelches of keyboard and sleazy guitar playing, is always a good time, kind of like experiencing a band who musically seem like a mixture between The Rolling Stones and Iggy and The Stooges. The Peelies brand of garage-y pop-rock was more subtle than The Zoobombs but was satisfying nonetheless, with the girls alternating vocals/instruments between songs, and performing from an amateurist angle but overall with a sense of fun and non-chalance.

Normally I'd have ended the festival on Saturday night but I couldn't resist in the end to catch Swedish band Katie Goes To Tokyo who were playing a set at Bread N' Circus. For a Sunday night there was actual a good turnout for them, although disappointedly everyone was seated although it was rather for comfort than intential disregard for the band as the crowd seemed to enjoy the set. The band were quite in the vein of fellow Swedes The Cardigans (well, mostly early Cardigans), with vocalist/songwriter Kathrine Bergström and her band(including keys, bass, drums, and guitar) playing a set of breezy, sunny pop songs songs like "Little Sister". Especially noteworthy, was that it was Toronto's own Carmen Elle on guitar who did a fantastic job on guitar with her sinewy, melodic guitar lines and on drums was Kathrine's album producer Mårten Tromm who also produced Canadian singer/songwriter Hawksley Workman and which led Workman to co-write a song with Kathrine entitled “Paper Moon”. Kathrine's most recent album My Naked Heart was recorded in Stockholm but mixed and mastered in Toronto, Canada. Small world.

Given that I was already downtown, I decided not to waste the opportunity to catch The Pack A.D. at the Horseshoe Tavern whose set the other night at Wrongbar I'd only caught the tailend of. It was a rockin' good time as the guitar/drums duo wailed through several blues-tinged garage rock. Like, The Zoobombs, and The Peelies the night before, old school rock n' roll will always have a place in this little heart o' mine. Rock n' roll is here to stay, and it will never die. And with that, another Canadian Musicfest in the books - see you next year.

Photos: Digits @ El Mocambo, Toronto (part of Canadian Musicfest, 12 March 2011)
Photos: The Einar Flaa Academy @ Global Village Backpackers, Toronto (part of Canadian Musicfest, 12 March 2011)
Photos: Bonjay @ The Mod Club, Toronto (part of Canadian Musicfest, 12 March 2011)
Photos: The Zoobombs @ Comfort Zone, Toronto (part of Canadian Musicfest, 12 March 2011)
Photos: The Peelies @ Silver Dollar, Toronto (part of Canadian Musicfest, 12 March 2011)
Photos: Katie Goes To Tokyo @ Bread n' Circus, Toronto (part of Canadian Musicfest, 13 March 2011)
Photos: The Pack A.D. @ Horseshoe Tavern Toronto (part of Canadian Musicfest, 13 March 2011)

MySpace: Digits
MySpace: The Einar Flaa Academy
MySpace: Bonjay
MySpace: The Zoobombs
MySpace: The Peelies
MySpace: Katie Goes To Tokyo
MySpace: The Pack A.D.