JASON BAJADA + Lindy Vopnfjord + Ana Miura @ Yellow Door

By Döc Holidæ - Phantastiq Cypha- 01/13/2007

It all begins with Jason Bajada’s live session on F-Train 120 Monday January 8th. I was asked to set up and have everything ready to go on at around 1pm. Everything went well and after it all, Jason invited my assistant Kat and I to come to Yellow Door for his show on Saturday.

We fast-forward to Saturday as Kat picks me up to go to the show. We’re driving around downtown and neither Kat nor I know where the Yellow Door is -- all we have is the street Aylmer (which we did not know the location of either). By luck we found the street and after stopping numerous people, we were told the address.

With a $5 entrance fee for students and a comfy home feel to the basement-turn-coffee house, the Yellow Door makes the intimate even more so. As Ana Miura made her way to the center of the room, it was hard not to want to curl up with a mug and sit at her feet as she told her numerous stories of love and life. I’ve never been one for folk music but I can see what the attraction is; the music is soothing, the content is pure and the genre is fun. The theme of the night was puke stories as Ana told us of her fun times in Syracuse and each following act told their own puking story. As crude as it sounds, it wasn’t; if anything it made you more comfortable to know the artist felt they could share stories you would usually keep to yourself. Ana performed some songs from her album Tenacious Heart, "Dragon Fly" and "Transcanada" being two that stuck with me.

The second performer was Lindy Vopnfjord, of whom I had never heard of before. Long story short, Lindy learned how to play the guitar when he was two years old and played for Pierre Trudeau before his tenth birthday. It’s easy to assume he has something going and when he started playing with his partner Sally, there it was. Their comedic delivery and great sense of humor made for a great set and an even cozier atmosphere. If Ana Miura was the sister you hadn’t seen in years, Lindy was the cousin with all the crazy stories. Lindy and Sally performed numerous songs, notably "Pictures of You", "On My Mind" and the very interesting and beautiful song "Lover/Sister".

The last performer of the night was none other than Montréal’s Jason Bajada. His performance was more of the same smooth music and great stories -- continuing with the family analogy, Jason would be the quiet uncle who actually has really funny stories once he opens up. Telling us tales of his adventures in L.A. with his friend Nemo and then singing "Los Angeles Spills Beauty" was just perfect. I was lucky enough to hear him perform "That Sweater" beforehand, which I must admit has been stuck in my head since his CJLO session on F-Train 120. Jason ended the night and as I got to talk to all three performers after the show, it was as if we had known each other for years, making the whole experience ever more memorable.

I recommend visiting the website at www.yellowdoor.org and check the concert listing for the next show. Make sure you say hello to Holly when you walk in, because that alone will help make your day.

[Tune in to Phantastiq Cypha every Friday from 9am to Noon.]