The Sheepdogs + Slightly Left + The Ascott Royals

Two Doors Down (Brantford)

Cost: $5.00

Hand Stamp: Tiny X in pen

March 12, 2010

What’s the best way to describe the Two Doors Down bar in Brantford? In a word: tiny. This place could be described as having rustic charm, but it’s probably more honest to say it’s a dive with very little standing room. Atmosphere aside, this night was to make up for missing The Sheepdogs at The Casbah (Hamilton) last year. Having arrived a little early, Slightly Left, a band consisting of four barely legal drinking aged kids, were still on stage. Having professed their admiration for The Strokes several times, and even closing with one of their songs after having already played three others, it was clear these guys were stuck on that particular sound. But, they’re still really young as evidenced by their appearance, sound, and the fact that the lead singer forgot the name of the band that played before them, and admitted that they had never heard The Sheepdog, but hopefully a little time is what they need to get themselves together.

This place was so small that the entire Sheepdogs band was sitting on some of the leather couches and chairs by the door, which is also where the tiny stage was located. They seemed fairly content to just sit back and drink while watching Slightly Left, and when their set was done all they had to do was grab their gear and walk right up to the stage. The bass player was sporting a t-shirt from the Hamilton band, Young Rival, likely from the last time they played the Casbah together while the rest of the band had a real 70s clothing style. Playing a selection of songs from their new album, Learn & Burn, their soulful CCR like sound was even more impressive live. Lead singer, Ewan Currie even commented on how much he enjoyed playing the venue for a second time. Maybe he saw something more than I did, but I get the feeling that even with their growing popularity they would still make time to play the little, often ignored venues.

Make Your Exit + Everything All The Time + Dinosaur Bones

Steam Whistle Unsigned Indie Music Series #14
Cost: $5.00
Hand Stamp: Against the Grain
February 21, 2010

In support of The Artist’s Health Centre Foundation which provides services for over 20,000 professional artists living in the Toronto area, the fourteenth Steam Whistle Unsigned Event since 2007 brought in the largest audience and in turn, raised the most money to date. Having this event at the Steam Whistle brewery located directly next to the Rogers Centre (but still known as The SkyDome to most) is a prime location, and has a great atmosphere with exposed brick and brewing equipment. The downside (or upside depending on how you look at it) of holding a concert in a brewery is that Steam Whistle tall boys are plentiful and as a result, the crowd was a little more intoxicated than usual. So much so, that from the back of the room it was even difficult to hear the music over the mindless crowd chatter. Make Your Exit were up first, and since they had been compared to Fleet Foxes in terms of their vocal harmonies, they had a lot to live up to. The first two songs were actually quite enjoyable, but as the set went on (and it did for close to an hour) it was clear that they were definitely not comparable to Fleet Foxes as the harmonies quickly fell apart and started to feel like more of an impromptu karaoke session than anything else. This isn’t to knock their music abilities because they certainly are talented musicians, but their harmonies definitely could use some work.

By the time Everything All The Time began their set it was close to 11pm, and the crowd had quickly filled the entire room, which was impressive considering at 9pm there were only a scattered handful of people. Their upbeat pop melodies quickly filled the space, but unfortunately so did the consistent microphone feedback which was so distracting that I had to call it a night. I was, however, impressed with their crafty merchandise which included a hand drawn illustrated t-shirt, as well as CDs stitched with thread sealed with wax, something you won’t see in mass produced packaging. Personally, I was disappointed to miss out on Dinosaur Bones, but it was nice to see so many people coming out to support such a worthy cause.

Phantogram/ Junk Culture

The Drake
Cost: $11.00
Hand Stamp: Against the Grain (yet again)
February 21, 2010

On this particular night at The Drake, the crowd was relatively passive as most people remained sitting off to the sides even once Illegal Art label electronic artist Junk Culture (aka Deepak Mantena) began his set. Making light of the lackluster audience, Mantena commented, “Did you all just lose your jobs? Cause I’ve got some depressing music I can play.” He also informed the audience that his drummer would have been with him if not for the surgery he just had to reduce the size of his penis. Mantena’s performance may not have garnered the crowd reaction he may have been looking for, but his cheeky personality certainly made up for that.

Luckily, a larger crowd gathered for NYC duo, Phantogram made up of junior high school friends, Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel. When you consider that their first album, Eyelid Movies had just been released two weeks prior to this show, there was a fairly large and enthusiastic turn out. In fact, one particularly vocal crowd member was even able to predict many of the songs played as he yelled out song titles. Opening with, As Far as I Can See, Barthel swung her short dark hair intensely as she sang and played the keyboard; she couldn’t have looked happier to be performing live. The clear crowd pleaser for the evening was the infectious single, Running from the Cops where Carter took over on lead vocals. The heavy electronic sound lends itself really well to both singers’ vocals, and it was nice to see an equal balance throughout the evening. Junk Culture even joined the crowd to cheer on Phantogram just before their encore, so at least he got the crowd participation he was looking for, even if he had to provide it himself. Since they will be returning to Toronto in the next few weeks to open for Hot Hot Heat, it was nice to see them headlining a small show like this because it won’t be long before they’re headlining bigger venues.

Laura Marling

Lee’s Palace
Cost: $13.50
Hand Stamp: LEE’S
February 09, 2010

The demand to see Ms. Laura Marling must have been quite high in Toronto considering her show was originally booked at The Drake with a capacity of a cramped 200 people and was bumped up to Lee’s Palace with a capacity two times the size. While The Drake seems like it would have been a better suited venue for Marling’s folk, mostly acoustic songs. When Marling appeared on stage with her long brunette hair piled atop her head, it was quite the contrast to her usual short blonde bob. This was also the reason I didn’t notice her as she walked right past me just before she went on stage. Opening with the title track off her forthcoming 2010 album, I Speak because I Can Marling along with her backing three-piece band and guitar player from The Wheel performed Devil’s Spoke, the banjo and drum heavy single with deeply poetic lyrics. Marling’s album, Alas I Cannot Swim was an impressive start, but none of the tracks were quite like Devil’s Spoke demonstrating an old soul that goes far beyond her twenty years. Marling then addressed the audience reflecting on the last time she was in Toronto in October 2008, on the same night as the Nuit Blanche art festival. The Hampshire, England native then joked, “It is fricking cold here…I’m actually worried about you all getting home.” Prompting one audience member to respond, “We’ll stay here all night with you, Laura.” She then transitioned into two more “newer than new” songs, Rambling Man and I Speak because I Can.

After revisiting some tracks from Alas I Cannot Swim, including an impressive through-the teeth whistling interlude in lieu of a fiddle on Night Terror the preview of the new album continued with Goodbye England (Covered in Snow) which Marling felt was especially appropriate for this snowy evening in Toronto. Followed by a rendition of Neil Young’s The Needle and the Damage Done, which Marling told the crowd was the first cover song she learned to play, taught to her by her ‘padre Marling’ and mistaken as an original song by her mother, despite the fact that, “It’s about heroine.” Rest in my Bed, Marling explained was written for a movie, and sadly was rejected. She asked the audience to guess what the movie was, prompting others to respond, “Twilight!” No Hope in the Air was quite lovely live; too bad the clanging of beer bottles from the back of the bar stole some of the softer moments.

Drawing the evening to a close, Marling presented the audience with an option: if they wanted an encore, the next song would be the second-to-last song, and if they didn’t, it would be the last. To overwhelming applause, there were indeed two songs. Ending with Alas I Cannot Swim, Marling had a “sudden case of the giggles”, but this short interruption only made the songstress appear more charming. While Marling performed a great selection of songs from her first album, it was even better to get a preview of songs from the forthcoming album.

Great Lake Swimmers/Sharon Van Etten

Great Lake Swimmers/Sharon Van Etten
Trinity-St. Paul’s, Toronto
Cost: $31.00
Hand Stamp: No hand stamps in church
February 07, 2010

As CBC3’s most requested band, it was no surprise that Great Lake Swimmers had no difficulty selling out Trinity St. Paul’s Church for their Toronto performance. Expressing his excitement to be back in his home town of Toronto, Tony Dekker definitely had that weary traveler tone to his voice after being on the road for so long. On stage Dekker was accompanied by a handful of other talented musicians, but after opening with Everything is Moving so Fast from the new album Lost Chanels, he then introduced the multi-talented Julie Fader who added additional vocals. On New Light, Fader even provided a beautiful flute accompaniment. Yet as one by one his accompaniment exited the stage, it was clear Dekker had no troubles entertaining the crowd on his own with only a guitar. At one point, someone from the audience yelled out a request which Dekker quickly dismissed. Presumably his parents didn’t teach him to be quiet in a church. The low-key style of Great Lake Swimmers’ performing in a church certainly seemed like a perfect date night as the majority of the audience appeared to be couples, many of which would rest their heads on each other’s shoulders while taking in the music.

After having a chance to connect with the audience solo, the rest of the ensemble promptly returned, this time inviting opener, Sharon Van Eten to the stage. Much like her solo performance prior, she appeared shy and reserved on stage, often staring towards the floor, and unfortunately her voice did not carry very well. She did joke many times about the odd location, joking: “I’m happy I’m not bursting into flames right now.” Dekker explained to the crowd that one of his neighbours had told him that he listened to his music online, but questioned him about what the song, Stealing Tomorrow meant, you know, on a philosophical level; to which Dekker replied, “I have no idea.” While Dekker has only recently acquired his musical abilities, he certainly has a knack for writing simple, yet beautiful folk melodies and prose. I Am Part of a Large Family, brought the evening to a close, but also brought people to their feet and out of the pews (which was nice as they were not the most comfortable form of seating for just over an hour)

The encore included, See You on the Moon which was written for the Paperbag Record’s children’s album, but is likely more recognized from this Honda Insight commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJmHplnGi0E.

Asobi Seksu

The Drake, Toronto
Cost: $12.00
Hand Stamp: “Against the Grain”, but with the placement and fading “Again the Rain”
February 02, 2010

Asobi Seksu brought their alt-rock dream-pop sound to the hipster-haven Drake hotel for their first unplugged acoustic tour in honour of their modest new album, Rewolf. To add to the atmosphere, the stage was lit with vanilla scented votives, disco balls reflected upon the noticeably worn velvet curtain behind the stage, and wine was the refreshment of choice. Typically it would not be unusual see an audience seated at an acoustic show where seating is provided. However, The Drake only has a few chairs around the perimeter and minimal scattered seating around the rest of the room, yet a large portion of the audience sat cross-legged. The lovely lead vocalist, Yuki Chikudate seemed to enjoy the seated atmosphere for this acoustic show, along with having less gear to carry. Yuki went on to explain that this acoustic tour was the result of their UK label guy who encouraged the m to record the album, which resulted in the tour. The cover of the album even has his one-eyed, loud-purring cat, Mazie on the cover. Before playing, New Year’s, Yuki explained that this song was for Mazie, changing one of the lyrics to “Mazie says.” What a lucky cat she is, making the cover of the album and getting a live shout out.

Asobi Seksu’s music lends itself really well to an acoustic tour, however, the audience only responded with polite golf style applause. It seemed to be a bit of a distraction to Yuki as well as she jokingly commented, “it’s okay, you guys can laugh, Jesus.” While this acoustic show did have less heavy gear, it did not exempt them from technical difficulties as guitar player, James Hanna broke a string, and the Whirly keyboard remained stubborn refusing to play certain keys. Yuki joked, “We’re cheating a bit with the keyboard, but there’s no piano here.” Even so, seeing Yuki and bass player, Bill Pavone on the keys was a nice addition, along with the glockenspiel and music box. In spite of the lack-luster audience, the best aspect of this softer performance was that it allowed for Yuki to tell a few stories here and there about certain songs. She even gave the audience a chance to learn, or at least understand some of their Japanese songs titles, like Meh No Mae which means “the view in front of you”, which as drummer Larry Gorman had once said sounds like caveman speech. Then there was Urusai Tori which means, “shut up bird”, this was also the point where Yuki expressed her dislike for Toronto winters, and jokingly wanted to op for resort-only tours. It was also nice to hear the covers Suzanne by Hope Sandoval, and the closer, Celeste by Donovan and Thursday which was inspired by French songstress Francoise Hardy. As an added bonus, a song entitled Goodbye which was written for the Rewolf album but was never recorded was played.

By far the most memorable of stories from the evening was told by Yuki as the rest of the band exited the stage. She explained that every summer she is fortunate enough to be able to go to the beautiful Martha’s Vineyard, where on one occasion she had mushrooms for the first time. Right at its peak, she realized she loved the trees, and they in turn loved her back. Yet on the decline she soon learned she actually hated the trees, and they hated her right back. It was at this point she and band mate James Hanna encountered a wounded bird could not be saved. On a brighter note, this event inspired the song dreamy track, Blind Little Rain. Yuki expressed her thanks and said, “Toronto has always been good to us.” Even though this crowd could have been a bit livelier, I suppose that’s the trouble with Monday night concerts.

Between the Buried and Me+ Devin Townsend Project+ Cynic+ Scale the Summit

Between the Buried and Me+ Devin Townsend Project+ Cynic+ Scale the Summit
The Opera House, Toronto
Cost: $28.13
Hand Stamp: Tiny star that faded almost instantly
January 25, 2010

With four acts for the evening, Devin Townsend and the Devin Townsend Project were greeted by a crow of fans that had clearly been waiting for them. It’s been a few year since Devin Townsend has been on tour, taking some time off to become a father and rid himself of some of his vices, but his Canadian fans are as strong as ever. This six song set was just a taste of what is hopefully to come from a full tour, and rumor has it that he may even have a full choir to accompany him. It’s interesting that for as heavy as Townsend’s music can be, he has quite the affinity for a wide range of vocals from a metal growl to an operatic high. Townsend is also quite the showman on stage announcing Supercrush! With, “this one’s for the ladies, because guys fucking stink.” He even took on the female vocals done by Anneke Van Giersberge formerly of The Gathering. Hopefully there will be more Heavy Devy to come in 2010.

On to Cynic, prog metal/jazz fusion five piece. In terms of style, they were definitely the odd ones out, and on this tour were even heckled by metal purists. When lead vocalist, Paul Masvidal asked the crowd to take a ‘yoga break’ and follow him with his hands in prayer from side to side, I was worried this may have been the point where those purists spoke out, but the crowd seemed to follow along in perfect form.

It would have been nice to have seen both Between the Buried and Me as well as Scale the summit, but for this show catching the middle was pretty good too.