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Corpus Christi - The Darker Shade of White
By Andrew Wieler - Grade A Explosives - 10/08/2009
I'm sure at one point or another, everyone reading this has been swayed by an alluring sticker on the front of an album. It may be something simple like a highlight of the singles, or a description of what the band sounds like. In truth, I'm all for these stickers when they tell me what the band sounds like, because if I'm going to throw hard earned money at something, I want to know what I'm going to be getting. So, when I was at CJLO and saw a sticker on the front of Corpus Christi's album, The Darker Shades of White, proclaiming that the album was "for fans of Killswitch Engage, As I lay Dying and Atreyu," I got a bit excited. Granted two out of three of those bands have considerably slipped in the quality of their music, but I figured, "Eh, why not?" , and thusly took the album home.
As I was popping it into my computer, set to write a review, I decided to look at the names of the tracks I'd be listening to, so I turned the CD over, and I saw something that made me very nervous. The album was released on Victory Records, which I affectionately call "One Trick Pony Records".
I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but Victory Records has done a slow, downward slide from meaningful and progressive label to a sad shell of its former self, releasing three archetypes of albums. First, we have the generic hardcore, featuring such bands as Arise and Ruin, Emmure, and about one hundred other bands. Second, there's the "My Chemical Romance/Taking Back Sunday/emo-ish" bands encapsulated by Aiden, Hawthorne Heights, Bayside, Silverstein, Funeral for a Friend, and so on. Finally, there's Between the Buried and Me albums, which, let's face it, are in a class all their own and as (pardon the pun) progressive as Victory can muster. This is a bit simplistic, but sadly, not too far off.
So, you may ask, "where, if in any of these categories does this Corpus Christi album fall?" The answer is an old category which Victory knows all to well. While my back was turned, Victory seems to have added a fourth type of genre to their roster, and that genre is... (drum roll) "melodic hardcore", which really is only a skip away from the hardcore they'd been releasing as of late, and harkens back to when they were putting out albums from the likes of Atreyu, Nodes of Ranvier, and Refused. Now there’s a whole new group of these melodic hardcore gents on Victory’s active roster.
For what its worth, the band refer to themselves as a “Christian metal” band. But, unlike a band like Still Remains, they don’t make intensely overt references to their religion in their lyrics. In fact, their lyrics are rather dark with lines such as, “Humanity only breeds death, yet we continue to believe in each other“, and “The urge for escape, the taste of cold steel on my lips, the rope around my neck”. As we all know, nothing says Christian values like suicide and a deep seated hatred for all mankind.
But what about the music on The Darker Shades of White? Where does the Cincinnati natives’ album play into all of this? Well, it hits all the right mixes of heavy, fast riff-age, the correct amount of double bass, and even provides ample amounts of clean, melodic and growling hardcore vocals. For all of these reasons, the album is pretty good. It is, as the sticker stated, comparable to Killswitch Engage, or As I Lay Dying. But, this album is almost too formulaic suffering from a copy/paste form of music writing which is all too common among all bands landing in the general “hardcore” bin.
Basically what it boils down to is if you really like melodic hardcore, specifically melodic hardcore that doesn’t really deviate much from other bands in the genre, then this Corpus Christi album is for you. Likewise, if you just have a passing interest in it, you’ll probably get one or two spins out of the album, but after that you’ll probably lose interest in it. And thus… “One Trick Pony Records” strikes again.
Warped Tour @ Parc Jean Drapeau
My admirably apt associate summed up the Warped Tour 2009 experience pretty well, so I won’t bore you with a second recounting of the day’s events. I also won’t bother with the obligatory “this was my sixth and last Warped Tour because I am OLD” spiel that encapsulated my reviews of the last two years of everyone’s favorite summer cash suck. Mostly since A) it probably isn’t and B) I’m not old...not yet, and in fact Warped Tour 2009 actually made me feel a lot younger than I’ve felt in a good long while (not like the jump from 15 to 22 is all that impressive…if I were 36 maybe that statement would mean more, but I’m gonna run with it.)
When I was younger I held this naïve assumption that while laypeople like me could judge bands favorably or unfavorably, there was a general sense of unity amongst “bands.” As I grew older, I realized this is starkly not the case and in fact musicians have been waging war amongst themselves, usually over the entirely silly concept of “credibility”, much longer than I’ve been on this Earth. This elitism has been especially present on The Warped Tour over the past give or take seven years. While initially founded as a summer, carnival inspired punk and ska tour, the lineups rapidly expanded to include representatives from such esteemed genres as emo, screamo, metalcore or, essentially, whatever happened to be hot amongst vaguely alternative kids that year. As the lineups became more diverse, the war of legitimacy raged on as the purists took up arms against the new kids, the punks glued their mohawks ever higher and the scene kids combed their hair even further down their faces.
Then came 2009…then came “crunk-core”…then came Brokencyde.
Admittedly, for a self-proclaimed music culture scholar, I did not see this coming. Who could have thought the once mighty hip-hop would…even COULD pervade pop culture like this? Never in a million years did I expect to see screamo kids attempt to rhyme-scream (or worse, lip-sync) over poorly constructed dance club beats. Try as I may, I did not see “crunk-core” coming. Now, admittedly, while they may or may not have attained this moniker, I’ve more or less determined Albuquerque’s Brokencyde to be a figurehead of this movement. Respected British author and commentator Warren Ellis has called the band "a near-perfect snapshot of everything that’s shit about this point in the culture" and I for one see it as a pretty apt description of these four pretty boys, decked out with their hair neatly coiffed and their guyliner (did you know that’s what they were calling it now? I sure as hell didn’t) eloquently applied screaming about tits and ass and throwing the n-word around like it was Tennessee in the 1960s. Despite having confirmation by other bands on the tour that these marvelous pretty boys were actually LIP-SYNCHING on the goddamn WARPED TOUR, kids turned out in droves to see them as well similar (read: similarly horrible) acts Millionaires, 3OH3, I Set My Friends On Fire and Jeffree Star. One could be very quick to crucify tour founder and organizer Kevin Lyman for tarnishing the almost respectable name of the Warped Tour like this, some would say almost beyond repair. However, I for one understand that times are tough right now, and in order to stay afloat at all everyone, even the punk purists, have to acknowledge (not accept, but at least acknowledge) that changes have to be made. To Lyman’s credit, he did manage to pack in a noticeable amount of “respectable”, old school acts in the form of NoFX, Less Than Jake, Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag, Big D and the Kids Table and earlier on the tour, The Bouncing Souls, to the point that the few screamo acts present (Chiodos, Silverstein and Underoath to name a few) almost seemed like the odd men out, sandwiched between trends long past and trends present (whether this signals the end of screamo in the mainstream remains to be seen.)
However, this new shift in performers had some previously unforeseen results: the legitimacy bar, once incredibly high, plummeted to the point that it all but disappeared and if you played your own guitars and wrote (and sang) your own songs, you were immediately accepted over the likes of the lip-synching pretty boys and scantily clad showgirls. Never in a million years did I expect to see any member of Bad Religion use the word “friends” and “Alexisonfire” in the same sentence. I was legitimately stunned to observe the playful back and forth between NoFX and Underoath as presented by their merchandise (mentioned above), especially after the very bitter and very public feud that occurred the last time they were on the tour together. For the first time since I was fifteen years old I saw “bands” (in general) united against a common enemy, playing their hearts out for a cause they believed in against someone they perceived as a threat (and rightfully so to some extent.)
Therefore, when Gallows frontman Frank Carter thanked the (substantial) audience for turning up to see them, you goddamn knew he meant it. Now, I know I promised not to retread the ground laid above, but I just have to take a moment to emphasize how fucking incredible Gallows were. I’ve said in the past that Gallows are at their entertainment peak when they are goddamn pissed off. This performance proved that what may previously have been intensity manifested by anger was now very much intensity motivated by love. Gallows, possibly more than any other band that I saw that day, were doing what they were doing because they legitimately loved to be doing it SPECIFICALLY in the face of some of the other acts on the tour. I’ve been fortunate enough to see Gallows four times now and while it’s already old hat for Frank, the elder Carter, to make his way into the pit to rough house with the crowd he very much saw himself as a part of, I was legitimately surprised to see usually reserved rhythm guitar player Steven Carter throw his guitar off and jump into the crowd smiling from ear to ear during the lead out of crowd favorite track “Orchestra of Wolves.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: believe the hype, Gallows are one of the best things going on in hardcore right now and they can only get bigger (and better) from here.
Before I wrap up, I want to mention one more act who I can honestly say not only shook me right to the bone physically, but reaffirmed the power of music to me in general: Minnesota’s own P.O.S. One of only two hip-hop acts on the tour (which is generally one more than usual), his set happened to be conveniently placed right inside the eye of the torrential downpour the pummeled Ile St. Helene that day. However, despite the rain beating down and the aural onslaught of the Anti-Flag performance happening a new yards away threatening to tear him town, P.O.S. ventured down off the stage, his microphone wrapped in a towel, and sang his heart out for the few fans dedicated enough to stand in a circle in the middle of a downpour to see a rapper perform at the Warped Tour. Despite the noticeably biting pellets of rain beating down on me, threatening cell phone destruction and future sickness, I stood my ground, marveled by the performance of this very small fish in the this very big pond.
So that’s that…another year, another Warped Tour. It’ll be interesting to see where the tour stands next year if the changes present this year are, as some are suspecting, only the beginning. Regardless, for a few brief hours I observed a glimmer of hope for honest, hard working musicians in a scene that is quickly growing away from them. What happens next is quite literally anyone’s guess, but chances are I’ll be around to document it (or at the very least ridicule it.)
Show Review: Warped Tour @ Parc Jean Drapeau
The rain. The kids. The runny make-up. It wouldn't be a Warped Tour without some acknowledgment about the fact that I am fucking old in relation to the Warped crowd. As they continue to be 16 and wear tight jeans, I realize the fact that my time as an attendant is quickly coming to an end. After swearing up and down that last year was my final year, promises of free entry, good times and a chance to interview some people I really admired me meant that I'd be getting into the (guyliner-dominated, severely terribly-dressed) ring once more to tango with the throngs of eternal teenagers and see some sets from bands that I both love and hate while braving the terrible, unholy weather.
Instead of a chronological list of events, I'd much rather rattle off the positive and negative aspects that I witnessed during the Montreal stop of the Warped Tour.
The good:
• No matter how bad music may ever get, Gallows will always serve as a reminder that it's not all bad. The band's 2 p.m. timeslot on the Hurley stage may have been just a tad too early for some, but compared to the band's inaugural run in 2007 (which found perhaps 60 people watching the band), the turn-out for their set this year was massive. The side of the stage was also loaded with members of other bands (P.O.S. and The Blackout singer Sean Smith could be seen, as well as Warped founder Kevin Lyman hanging out in back at the sound booth), displaying just how popular they were among their peers. The band did not disappoint, and from the opening line of "Abandon Ship" (the way-too-appropriate chant of "mayday, mayday") the crowd responded in kindness to the band's brand of throwback, ultra-aggro hardcore. After the first song was completed, pint-sized frontman Frank Carter joined the crowd, microphone in hand, imploring everyone to join in whenever they knew the words. The band then kicked off "London Is The Reason" off of the recently-relesed Grey Britain record. After that it was a haze of circle pits, hardcore dancing, sing-alongs and other assorted activities a rabidly enthusiastic crowd may participate in. Midway during the set Carter managed to make it to the soundbooth in the back and then used the soundman's mic in order to make it through the next few numbers before rejoining the band onstage for the closer, "Orchestra Of Wolves". During the final refrain of the song, guitarist Stephen Carter threw down his guitar and threw himself into the crowd, managing to be held up by the mass of sweaty, wet people assembled at the front as he helped his brother Frank shout out the closing refrain of "the hardest thing you'll ever learn/is just to love and be loved in return". An entirely enjoyable set marked by winning moments and great musicmanship.
• The elder mainstage bands all turned up in full spirits and put out consistent, crowd-pleasing bands. Less Than Jake had the unenviable task of playing a 1 p.m. slot that still managed to attract a large number of people as they made their way through the hits ("The Ghost Of You And Me", "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads", "Look What Happened" and "Last One Out Of Liberty City" to name a few) with their ever-present witty banter. They also played "Conviction Notice" (from last year's GNV FLA album) and introduced it by saying that the band had put on a full-length last year that no one gave a shit about. This brings up a very interesting point when it comes to a lot of the elder statesmen (and stateswomen) of the Warped Tour: the fact that while a lot of these bands still continually put out records, a lot of fans (as well as some of the bands themselves) acknowledge the fact that their most well-acknowledged work is perhaps behind them, and as such they manage to treat Warped Tour as a pseudo greatest hits set, serving both as an introduction to new fans who may be catching them as well as a high-five to the fans who've stuck around the band. That was a large problem with Reel Big Fish's set last year: apart from a smattering of classics ("Beer", "Sell Out" and their cover of Aha's "Take On Me") the band crammed their set with new (and forthcoming) material that left much of the crowd disinterested and confused.
Bad Religion (one of the few long-standing bands who has managed to keep putting out relevant material as well as maintain great record sales) also put on a great set, a mixture of old-school hits ("Fuck Armageddon, This Is Hell") to cuts from 2007's New Maps Of Hell such as "The New Dark Ages" and "Requiem For Dissent". Singer Greg Graffin was in fine form, looking like a cross-inbetween a shmaltzy Vegas crooner and a true punk rock stalwart. The rest of the band was in fine form, delivering machine-gun-rapid songs with little pause for a breather, apart from Graffin's announcement that the band would be back in September, as well as questioning the audience about their level of musical commitment. Topping things off with the one-two punch of "Sorrow" and "Infected", they exited the stage to a largely satisfied crowd.
Alexisonfire (who were playing the main stage on the Canadian dates of the Warped Tour) put on a fine performance, largely culling songs from Crisis and Watch Out!. The band treated the audience to "Waterwings", a track from their self-titled debut as well as the lead-off single from their newest effort Old Crows/Young Cardinals, the anthemic "Young Cardinals". The entire band were in great spirits, engaging in between-song banter and riffing off of each other to a great degree. They closed their set with Watch Out! lead-off single "Accidents" and added a large instrumental section at the end, one which allowed singer George Petit to toss himself whole-heartedly (and rather wrecklessly) into the crowd below before being crowdsurfed back to the safety of the stage by the time the rest of the band had finished up.
• Rap acts on this year's tour cranked out fine performances, for the most part. Shad K (as he will forever be known in my heart) showed up with an acoustic guitar and a Cosby-style sweater, delivering a partly self-effacing but fully engaging set that hit home as he played cuts from both The Old Prince and When This Is Over, lyrically seguewaying from one song to the next using clever wordplay, rendering his set into a half-hour journey.
Similarly, Doomtree collective member P.O.S. dropped one of the best sets of the day to a scarce crowd (due in part to the heavy downpour scaring off many). Taking a page from Frank Carter's book, the rapper climbed the barricade and then implored those in attendance to gather around him as he kicked things off with Never Better lead-off track "Let It Rattle", before continuing onwards with a set largely consisting of Never Better tracks (as well as Audition stand-outs "De La Souls", "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life", "Yeah Right (Science Science) and "Half-Cocked Concepts").
P.O.S. pulled off a set that was full of heart, and at the very core demonstrated an air of authenticity that was sorely lacking from a large number of bands that day. At one point he paused and gazed over at the circle pit currently going on during Anti-Flag's set and then said "you know, they may look like they're having a great time, but I can tell you this: we're having an even better time than the people watching the Anti-Flag set" before kicking into another song. The rapper managed to wear his heart on his sleeve at just the right moments, displaying a vulnerability and strength that was entirely in character with the rather personal nature of his lyrics. A pure joy from beginning to end.
•NOFX and Underoath having self-referencial merch. Given their prior Warped Tour problems, it was a nice surprise to discover that both bands were able to pick fun at each other in a light-hearted manner. Underoath had a shirt which depicted a lizard with crazy hair and sunglasses (who bore a rather strong resemblance to Fat Mike) with the writing "Underoath loves FAT dinosaurs". NOFX also had a t-shirt which depicted a rather crappy looking boat with "NOAH FX" scrawled off at the top. Simply delicious.
The bad:
•Walking in and witnessing Millionaires in full-effect at 11:15 in the morning. It was a terrible scene, as a total of 40 or 50 people gathered to witness three girls deliver a set that was largely devoid of talent or substance (songs with titles like "Talk Shit" and "Alcohol" definitely dig to the deeper social issues, natch). If the group were able to be clever or witty about their subject matter then perhaps it could be a bit more defensible, but the direct approach just makes the material that much more unpalatable as it comes off as juvenile and trite. Similarly, walking by and hearing Brokencyde be as profane as they wanna be (for no real reason at all) while delivering one terrible cut after another really disheartened me. For some reason there was a large contingent of people watching and I wondered just how many were there to watch the trainwreck unfold, and how many truly genuine fans there were. If I was to going to judge based purely on the number of Brokencyde shirts worn, then I'd have to guess that a quarter of the people turned out to really enjoy the set while the rest were there to see what all the online hype was about.
•I'm a big fan of honesty. So when I hung back near the sound tent and watched Innerpartysystem's set on the SkullCandy stage at around 6 p.m., I grew increasingly queasy. I watched as, during the band's 25-minute set, their soundman (frontman Patrick Nissley's brother Andrew) worked harder than 3/5ths of the band up onstage. He spent his time singing backing vocals, words which first appeared to be coming out of guitarist Kriss Barman and keyboarist Kess Cronan's mouths, but upon closer inspection were definitely not given that Cronan was a good foot away from the microphone half the time when he was supposed to also be singing. Soundman Nissley also spent his time tweaking the signal he received from various inputs via a midi controller (the Kaoss mini-KP), allowing various manipulative tricks that appeared to those in attendance (who weren't looking back) as if it was all taking place on-stage.
I have nothing against sound manipulation at all. Hell, one of my favourite bands (The Cooper Temple Clause) had their sound manipulator up onstage, tweaking knobs and flipping faders around. That band celebrated the fact that they had a member whose sole job was to ensure that the signal was changed whenever it fit the song, instead of hiding the member in the soundbooth and pretended that all was well.
Innerpartysystem, on the other hand, are not what they appear to be. I suspected something was afoot back in March when I saw them open for Underoath, as singer Patrick Nissley seemed, at times, to be nowhere near the microphone yet his voice was still loud, clear and constant. Witnessing yesterday's events, I finally understood what was going on. I think the band's doing a disservice to its fans by not bearing it all on-stage and having a large part of its sound up there.
•The same goes for bands that are either playing to backing tracks or live-correcting their vocals. If you can't do it live, then why bother trying to cheat? Hardly sounds punk rock to me. Why perform live if you're being largely aided by artificial means? It unfortunately does not make a lot of sense. Kevin Lyman conceded that some of the bands on this tour aren't bands that he'd necessarily listen to, but he also claimed that bands ended up on the tour due in part to the demand set out by what he perceives to be the Warped tour demographic. A tragic tale of capitalism winning a battle of the ever-present punk rock war.
•The rain. Fuck off, strange global weather trends. Damn.
•The fact that there's one main stage, instead of the usual two. That means that if you dislike a band (like, for example, my intense apathy for 3Oh!3) you have to wait an extra half-hour in order to see someone else you may enjoy on a large stage. People might argue that it also gives fans a chance to check out other stages (and perhaps it does) but the sound quality is rather lacking on the side stages and the quality of this year's roster left something to be desired.
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All in all, a very strange journey was undertaken during the course of the day, with many highs and lows at any given moment. Perhaps true punk rock (in its boxed, packaged form) is now the norm, but the tour's willingness to explore other musical avenues (both good and bad) means that the tour offers up something for everyone, even the purest at heart.
Fake Problems @ Underworld
Around mid-to-late 2007, Florida’s own Against Me! were burning up the charts and landing on seemingly everybody and their mother’s “Best of 2007” lists with their major label debut New Wave. This sudden hotness of Florida’s folk-punk elite inevitably resulted in many assumptions (or accusations, depending on who you ask) as to who “the next Against Me!” would be. The forerunners of this ham-fisted contest were undeniably New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem and their fellow Floridians Fake Problems (and Texas’ O Pioneers who, despite being the closest to AM! sonically, was all but knocked out of the running in most circles…probably to everyone’s benefit.) However, as The Gaslight Anthem blew up to super stardom and guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Against Me! themselves kinda faded back to a manageable level of popularity (as flavours of the week tend to do) and “the next Against Me!” ended up becoming pretty unnecessary a goal. Which left Fake Problems in a rather interesting place as they went in to record their sophomore full length late last year. After their brief flirtation with stardom, this scrappy folk-punk quartet found themselves with very few expectations as to the music they create, which manifested in one of the most creative, lyrically driven and legitimately GOOD records seen this year, appropriately titled It’s Great to Be Alive. Taking a lot of chances and succeeding much more often than failing, the story of Fake Problems looked to finally be getting interesting now that they’d escaped the shadow of Tom Gabel.
However, that being said, their performance in Montreal on June 6th felt more like an interlude in that overall story. Much like the beloved Marvel Comics What If..? series sought to answer mind busters such as “what if Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben hadn’t been shot?”, this show also felt strangely familiar to a classic “What If”…in this case, “What If Casey Lee Wasn’t in Fake Problems?”
I could be sappy and try to prove that every member of the band is equally important to the whole, but that would really be a lie. The backbone of Fake Problems is unquestionably vocalist/rhythm guitarist Chris Farren and lead guitarist Casey Lee. While both excellent dudes, bassist Derek Perry and drummer Sean Stevenson really are not as important to the overall whole. So, as the band took the stage with Casey nowhere to be seen (and later revealed to be back in Florida due to a family emergency) I quickly realized that I was in for an unconventional Fake Problems set. Armed with two touring musicians on trumpet and additional percussion respectively, the band admirably played through about 50 minutes of retooled material substituting horn and keyboard for Lee’s usual southern-fried guitar wailing.
While initially skeptical, I soon found myself wrapped up the unique qualities and nuances of the performance. The band was clearly out of their element and at times visually awkward, but they trudged on with the intensity and devotion I’ve come to expect from them. However, it was clear that they were struggling. Their older, more straightforward punk material was easy enough for them to get through and crowd pleasers “Sorry Okay Sorry Okay Sorry”, “Born & Raised”, “Crest on the Chest” and “How Far Our Bodies Go” came off without a hitch. However, the majority of the set was full of the more complex, fuller (and most importantly guitar heavy) tracks presented on It’s Great to Be Alive and while they tried their hardest, a keyboard intro to “The Dream Team” just doesn’t cut it. After this performance I wasn’t really surprised that they cancelled the remainder of their current tour not long after they left Montreal. Far from being a bad performance, I’m actually grateful I got to see it. While not as full or musically apt a performance, it was a stunning bit of proof as to why Fake Problems deserve all admiration that is heaped upon them. One man down and limping and they still took to the stage and still tried their hardest to make the relatively miniscule audience smile (less than a quarter of Underworld was filled that night), and for that they should be commended.
So, what is Fake Problems without Casey Lee? Answer: not quite Fake Problems…but not quite nothing either.
Josh Mocle used to host The Kids Are So-So on CJLO. Now he doesn’t. However, if you are so inclined, you can still follow his audio antics on The No Division Podcast over at National Underground.org
John Legend @ Metropolis
As I got to Metropolis around 7:15 p.m., I noticed that the place was already packed. I still managed to get a decent spot not too far from the star that hung to the right venue wall. Around 7:30 the show got started with Devon Anthony (John Legend’s little brother) opening up for him. Anthony sounds a little like his older brother but with a different style; he has more of a dub reggae vibe mixed with a typical neo-, Chris Brownish R&B style. His songs were focused on acts in the bedroom and the women loved it. They especially loved when he took off his shirt to reveal a tight body (with built, tatooed arms) for his last song. It was perhaps a little cheesy, but it won over the ladies. The act didn’t do much for me and definitely didn’t win me over as a fan. It was an unoriginal move.
Next up was India.Arie. Miss Arie gets on stage and opens up with a prayer, something she likes to do before she starts the show. It’s actually one of her interludes from her newest album, Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics. Instead of waiting until the end of her set to sing her breakthrough song Radio, the singer sang it first and after she was done asked the crowd who knew her for more than Radio, and a large portion of the crowd cheered. She then asked how many just knew her for the song, people who were too shy to admit that they don’t know much more about that, to stay silent except for one brave soul who admitted to it. India Arie, being in such great spirits, said that it was all good either way and that for her performance, she would take us through her fourth album (Testimony Vol. 2 Love and Politics') and sing a few songs from her other three.
She sang a few songs from her new album and while singing "I am Not My Hair" from her third album Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship, proceeded to take off her wig, a large head full of dreadlock which she had a large wrap around. After letting out a big a sigh of relief from taking the hot heavy wig from her head, she brushed her short short hair and continued on with the show.
The vibe of her performance was amazing. You could feel her essence, in-between the change of dresses and head wraps. For one of her songs she went into the crowd and rocked out with them. She also shared her talent for playing the flute. She sang "Brown Skin" and gave props to all the good men in the world. She really took the crowd on an enlightening journey. At the end she brought her mother on stage, who looks much like it could be her sister, and then she sang. Her voice is amazing and you know where India gets her talent from.
After India was done I felt fully satisfied and looked forward to seeing John Legend for the second time.
After a reasonable short break, John Legend stepped onstage. The stage set-up was amazing: there were women dressed with long sparkly tops and shiny tights and long hair weaves. Legend came on looking dapper in black pants and short sleeve back shirt and white tie. He started things off by singing "Let’s Get Lifted" from his first album, 2004's Get Lifted. He then began performing songs from his third album, last year's Evolver. He even paid tribute to Michael Jackson by singing "Human Nature". He also covered Bob Marley’s "Turn The Lights Down Low". He sang "Slow Dance" from his second album Once Again and brought a girl on stage to dance with him. It was more of a slow grind but the crowd loved it and I’m sure that girl had a fantasy fulfilled with Mr. Legend. Both Devon Anthony and India.Arie joined John Legend on stage for a song each, both very enjoyable experiences.
The thing I liked about John Legend’s perfomance was that he didn’t perform his songs like the album. He made full use of his band and piano and gave the songs a new sound.
The show ended the same way like when he was here in 2005, which my friend at work hoped for and that was him performing in his black wife beater. For his encore he came on and performed the Grammy Award-winning "Ordinary People" from Get Lifted.
Overall I enjoyed the show. It was a great, soulful R&B performance.
Osheaga Festival @ Parc Jean Drapeau
This year's Osheaga music festival went off without a hitch.... well, with the exception of a headlining act cancelation, torrential rain and ankle deep mud. This didn’t stop concert goers from flocking to the island however, with Saturday night capping at a whopping 30,000 spectators. Having Coldplay round out the evening will have that effect.
I first attended Osheaga in its first year, and it was nothing to scoff at. However, mediocre line ups and overlapping schedules always made me think that I would never again pay to stand around waiting for the one or two bands I wanted to see within a lineup of bands that didn’t seem to really fit. This year I was fortunate enough to land a press-pass, and so I gave it another go.
Once again this year, the line up and the schedule were disappointing. With the festival falling after All Points West in New Jersey, the bookings seem to follow those of the festival. However, none of the bands I was hoping to see managed to appear above the border. When Beastie Boys canceled, All Points West landed Jay-Z. Osheaga landed….no one.
In any case, there were some highlights. Saturday saw The Roots, being the typical party band, play an average set but a fun set. I have to salute the kid with the Tuba, who pretty much made their whole performance worth watching.
Lykke Li was a huge surprise. I’ve enjoyed her album, but found it ordinary. Live however, her band and her stage presence added a whole other dimension to the music that could not be ignored. If her album was anything like it was live, it would have won over so many more dusty hipsters than it already has. Also of note was emerging band The Rural Alberta Advantage who I predict will be the new Canadian band to watch for à la Wintersleep. Coldplay played an impressive set which was to be expected. As commercial as they are I still can’t help but love them and they pulled out all the stops.
Sunday’s heavy hitters included Cursive, Crystal Castles, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Anyone who’s ever been to Jean Drapeau after a heavy downpour knows what kind of state the rain leaves the island in. Cursive’s stage area had become one giant mud puddle, resulting in a hipster muddy dance party. The band played a great set with the mud being a bonus for some. I sat out Crystal Castles having seen them before and having never seen Yeah Yeah Yeahs before.
I’ve always hated The Decemerists. I find their music average at best and their set did nothing to make me think differently. I feel the same way about Arctic Monkeys but couldn’t avoid them as I found myself waiting by the empty stage during in an effort to get a better spot for Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a set worthy of a headlining spot. I always wondered if Karen O would be obnoxious on stage but alas she seemed incredibly happy to be there. Filled with energy, the songs off the new album, It’s Blitz came off bigger and better than expected and the old songs were classic and wonderful all at the same time. The set was everything I could have hoped for from that band that you’ve always wanted to see but never had.
And thus Osheaga wasn’t quite a wash—even despite the rain. But I still wouldn’t pay to attend. I’m hoping next year’s line up will change my opinion for the better.
--Katie Seline
Megadeth - Endgame
By Brian Hastie - Countdown To Armageddon - 09/15/2009
Megadeth
Endgame
Roadrunner Records
If anything, Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine must be applauded for his workmanlike ethic. The rather eccentric frontman/guitarist lay down the 'deth moniker earlier on in the millenium, only to decide to reform with new members for a pair of highly satisfactory albums (2004's The System Has Failed and 2007's United Abominations). These albums found Mustaine abandoning his desire to come up with "monster anthems"/hyper-accessible songs and instead become a veritable Memorable Riff Machine (patent pending). Both albums had great vocal melodies engaging songs and a the aforementioned avalanche of great six-string elements, so much so that nary a track could be labelled "filler". It's too bad, though, that with Endgame, Mustaine has dropped the ball. The entire 45-minute record reeks of a certain brand of sameness that's not outright unlikeable, yet somehow grows tiresome far sooner than you hoped it would. Lead single "Head Crusher" sounds almost indistinguishable than "This Day We Fight!" and "Bodies", with fast-paced riffing and a healthy dose of double-bass drum patterns. Upon multiple listens, one can kind of pinpoint differences in songs but it largely remains a body of familiar work, respectable though far from original. The situation's beginning to look a lot more AC/DC-like...
3/5
R. Brian Hastie
Umalali @ Kola Note
By Stefan Opryshko - Pan African Hour - 07/15/2009
Entering Kola Note to see Umalali as part of the Festival International Nuits D’Afrique (running from July 14th to 26th), I didn’t know quite what to expect. I was familiar with their 2008 album and I was familiar with Garifuna music in general (I’d seen the late ambassador of Garifuna music/culture Andy Palacio a number of times), but I was curious to see how the album (a lushly-produced, 5-years-in-the-making, multi-instrumented affair) would translate to a live show. I wasn’t disappointed. Well, there weren’t any horns, so I guess I was a little disappointed, but no big deal…
Joining the predominantly caucasian, upper-middle class, upper-middle age, neo-hippie world music crowd at one of Kola Note’s tables, I was a little choked at being forced to sit. But I decided to do as the natives do and pretended to mull over my stock portfolio and sit tight for the show. With no opening act, I didn’t have to wait long. Mr. Nuits D’Afrique came out and said his (thankfully) brief 'blabbity blah' before turning the stage over to the Garifuna group. Umalali (which means ‘voice’ in the Garifuna language) is essentially a showcase for the role women play in Garifuna music and culture. Garifuna, for those not in the know, is a cultural group of Central America, the descendants of shipwrecked African slaves and Carib and Arawak Indians who live predominantly on the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Entering the room far left of the stage, our attention was instantly caught by the powerful, soulful voices of the three women representing the Umalali project (the album contains songs by twelve women). Walking across the room, singing unmic-ed and a cappella, I was immediately entranced by the women, representing three generations and three countries of Garifuna culture. Sofia Blanco, from Guatemala, was obviously in charge. In her late 50s, her commanding, wailing voice rose above the rest while her stage persona was wholly captivating. Marcela ‘Chela’ Torres of Honduras, the most soft-spoken of the three, hers was nonetheless the leading voice on many of the evenings songs. The trio was rounded out by Desere Diego of Belize. In her late 20s, she represents a younger generation of Garifuna culture and is one of very few Garifuna women to make her living solely through music. She did have an unfair advantage over the other two (she was the only one who spoke English) but the whole night she shared a special rapport with the audience, leading dances, grabbing members of the crowd, leading sing-alongs (even when her mic cut out) and basically getting everyone all shook up.
The women were joined on stage by two hand-drummers who seemed to be having more fun than anyone else around them, a possibly stoned bass player (but what bassist worth his salt isn’t?), a bluesy, reverb-tastic lead guitar player, and a second rhythm guitar/backup singer/frontman who really loved his grandfather (more on that later). The guys were a great band, keeping the groove going, translating the near-orchestration of the album to a more raw, stripped-down live show while allowing the three women to really shine, which they did. Song after song, the infectious, heart-felt vocal melodies kept the audience’s attention rapt, while their frequent dance breaks and stage antics (like Sofia Blanco mime-fishing) kept it fresh. Amazing, basically, the women could have kept us interested long after the second set was over.
It wasn’t all tea and oranges however. Despite it being all about the women (who were amazing, did I mention that?), the boys felt the need to take over for a while. Maybe the ladies needed a break, but it definitely left a bit to be desired. Not that they were bad, but they lacked the charisma of the women and their interlude would not have been missed. But in case you DID miss it, they decided to play one song twice! Okay, it was composed by the lead man’s grandfather, and I’m sure it’s real significant, but twice? I actually think gramps ripped off the Friends theme for the guitar lick, so it definitely could have been skipped. Oh well, the ladies took over again and despite this minor lull, all was basically wonderful. The group was energetic, the rhythms were funky, the groove was heavy, the melodies were beautiful, the women were amazing (just thought I’d say it one more time) and the encore was "Merua"! Okay, they had already played that one too, but it’s everyone’s favorite, so why not? Basically very nice and good. 4.5 faux-dashiki-wearing, pony-tail-sporting world music fans out of 5.
You can catch Stefan as part of the Pan African Hour, airing on Wednesdays from 12 pm to 1 pm.
Steve Earle @ Le National
By Steve Musil - CJLO Presents - 07/09/2009
Right now the popular music scene has seen a revival of country and folk acts. Oddly enough, a few older punk rockers are making some interesting strives with the likes of Drag the River, Tim Barry, Saw Wheel, Wayne the Train Hancock & Hank Williams III leading the way. Ask anyone of them who have influenced their music, and I’ll bet dollars to donuts, they’ll say Steve Earle. One of the greatest living songwriters on the planet, Steve Earle was in town on July 9th to bring not only his brand of rebellious folk country, but the music of his friend and mentor, Townes Van Zandt.
It was a seated affair, which at first seemed odd, but as he took the stage armed with a nothing but an acoustic guitar and a shining spotlight, it seemed only fitting that we sit back and take in the knowledge he was about to bestow upon us.
During the course of the evening, Earle explained how he met Van Zandt in 1972, and how shy he was to even speak to him. He recounted the story of how Van Vandt “took up the whole first row” at one of his shows and heckled Earle to play "Wabash Cannonball". Earle confessed he didn’t know it, but decided to shut him up by playing the Van Vandt song "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold".
Those in attendance were lucky to hear songs that did not make it onto his newest album Townes. Steve had picked 28 songs the night before recording for his 2-disc set, but was only able to record 15 songs for the finished product. You could hear it in his voice through the stories he would tell, that Earle felt Townes Van Zandt deserved much more recognition than he got, and that he was grateful to be playing his friend’s songs to a new audience every night. As Earle said, “Van Zandt was a blues singer”, but not in the traditional way of blues where you state the problem, repeat the problem, and come up with no real solution. Van Zandt said there were two kinds of music. “The blues and zippity doo-dah, and this ain’t no zippity doodah”.
Of course Earle also ran through his classics, tracks taken from 1986's Guitar Town, 1990's Copperhead Road, 1995's Train A Comin as well as many other of his releases.
The almost 2 hour set saw the crowd singing enthusiastically along to “Devil’s Right Hand” and “I Ain’t Never Satisfied”. Little can be said about this show other than inspiring.
So, please do yourself a favor and check out Townes, along with Steve’s other classics from his extended discography. Also feel free to dig even deeper into the Van Zandt catalog, you won’t regret it. Earle was spot on in every way that night, and hey... He even said our food was better here in Quebec than in Ontario. The man knows what he’s talking about.
Novalima @ Lion D'Or
By Stefan and Driij - Pan African Hour - 07/21/2009
Driij: I scarfed down a gyro pita as fast as I could as I heard the sounds of a band warming up inside Lion D’or.
Stefan: I watched impatiently as he scarfed that nasty gyro. The freakin band is starting!
D: I apologized with oniony breath as we made our way inside. "We’re from CJLO," we said to the doorman, in a gangster pose.
S: ...I was actually the one who talked to the doorman, but anyways, we got into the venue and the band had begun to play their hippy/trippy intro, complete with cow jaw-bone shaker.
D: An ambient intro, soft murmuring sounds, but slowly the band raised the tempo, and broke into Afro-Cuban funkiness.
S: Yes, yes, said we, but the audience was a little bit harder to please. Maybe all the camera people dominating the front row (and almost getting in a fight with the guitar player) were getting in people’s way. Once the female vocalist came out though, the place started jumpin!
D: The singer moved her hips, and boogied down low to the stage floor. The night had begun, and the audience flooded in closer to the stage with eyes hungry for Afro-Peruvian electro-dub. The band was composed of eight figures: The front of the stage was occupied by two hand drummers, rocking congas and wooden boxes that they would sit upon. Also up front was the singer and the guitar player, who would momentarily twiddle with an effects box to create piercing noises overtop of the funky rhythms.
S: Backing them up was a bass player who kinda looked like a psycho killer (he had a crazy, intense look on his face and he would shake his head like he was about to explode) but who played nothing but the funkiest lines; a laptop DJ who added a layer of dub/electro to the whole ensemble; a keyboardist who did more or less the same thing as the DJ, but used more keys; and an amazing drummer who rocked the dope beats on timbales, snare, two cowbells, a woodblock and cymbals. Yeah!
D: In short, a tight, highly rhythmically orientated band, focusing primarily on creating incredibly sweet dance music of an Afro-Cuban flavour, but who were also ready for electro-dub experimentation, a la the UK dance scene.
S: As a live show, it worked incredibly well, getting the whole crowd moving (who were of a surprisingly mixed age-range and background) and shaking their feet. Their album (the one that we heard) seemed a bit disjointed, with vocals kinda tacked onto jams and then mixed by a DJ, but live was a whole different story. They were clearly built for the live show and their chemistry was obvious. They looked like they were having a great time, and so did we!
D: Hooray for Nuits D’Afrique! A great show, 5 cow jaw-bone shakers out of 5. If you ever get a chance to see this band, you gotta do it! Obey or perish!
You can catch the comedic stylings of Stefan and Driij as they host the Pan African Hour on Wednesday from 12 pm to 1 pm.
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