By Stephanie Ng Wan - We.Are.Canadian - 12/15/2007
Ah, Alexisonfire. I have to admit that I only got into this band because I randomly chose to review guitarist and vocalist Dallas Green’s solo debut, Sometimes, which he released under the moniker City and Colour. I fell in love with the record and then came upon the albums of his band and have become more open-minded towards post-hardcore music ever since. I guess it’s a bit of a reverse chronological order for most fans of the band, who probably enjoyed Alexisonfire first and then went on to follow the solo projects of the individual members (Green isn’t the only one who has done things outside of Alexisonfire). In any case, this being the third Alexisonfire show I’ve been to, I was prepared to be feeling my age and I wasn’t disappointed. Let’s call them one of my many guilty pleasure bands.
The crowd was certainly made up of a majority of teenagers -- all dressed in the current emo/fashioncore style that is so popular these days -- who stayed mostly on the floor and closest to the stage. Those of us either too out of shape or just plain uninterested in being bruised and beaten by the thrashing violence of the mosh pit sat at the tables furthest from the stage or up on the second floor of the Metropolis. Without a doubt, the venue was packed and showed, more than ever, that the popularity of this genre of music isn’t going to be fading anytime soon.
Alexisonfire have been on a cross-Canada tour for several months now with The Bled, Saosin and Anti-Flag but for the Montreal show, The Bled didn’t show up and we later found out through Alexisonfire lead singer, George Pettit, that the reason, which was kind of vague and not at all satisfying, was because “bands break down sometimes.” So Saosin and Anti-Flag opened up the show this time around, and it was funny to see an older punk crowd emerge for the latter in their full mohawks, leather jackets and studs. Once Anti-Flag finished their set at about 8:40 (the entire concert started at a very early 7pm), all these hardcore punks left the pit and let the younger screamo kids rush the stage in anticipation of the headlining act.
Alexisonfire hit the stage over a half an hour later, playing a set that concentrated on songs from Crisis, which is only natural considering it’s their latest disc and the one they were promoting for this tour. They played at least three-quarters of the record, including singles “This Could Be Anywhere in the World,” “Rough Hands” and “Boiled Frogs.” They also spoiled the crowd with some old favourites, such as “Pulmonary Archery,” “No Transitory” and “Accidents,” but I was disappointed that the one hour and fifteen-minute show didn’t include songs such as “Side Walk When She Walks,” “Hey It’s Your Funeral Mama” and “Where No One Knows.” It being a Saturday night, I don’t think it could have hurt if the show ended later than 10:25pm, but perhaps considering the age range of the audience, it was more than appropriate.
In any case, Alexisonfire were as explosive as always, and their high energy was only intensified by the sometimes blinding lights. The continuously fast pace of the music was matched by the crowd’s enthusiastic cheering and dancing, and it was quite a sight to hear the masses sing along to the lyrics and even finish the choruses of particular hits of the band.
The band members definitely played with all their heart on stage but there was very little-to-no audience banter, besides a few sentences here or there. Perhaps this is done so as not to break the flow of the music? In any case, there were also a few slower pieces performed, such as the Green-fronted one, “Happiness by the Kilowatt.”
Overall, while a bit on the short side, Alexisonfire’s stint at the Metropolis this December definitely showcased their talent and energy and let us know how much they truly love what they’re doing.
Tune in to We.Are.Canadian. with Stephanie every Thursday from 6pm-8pm
By Mike Bresciani - The Lonesome Strangers - 10/27/2007
How biased can a review of a Rogue Wave show be? Let’s find out…
Rogue Wave was back at the Cabaret Juste Pour Rire music hall after having played a split-bill with Nada Surf on their 2006 Winter tour. This time around, as headliners, the draw was significantly smaller, with the top half of the Cabaret being closed off. It didn’t matter, anyhow. The concert floor was full of eager fans waiting to hear their favorite Rogue Wave tunes.
A lot has changed for Rogue Wave since their 2005 sophomore release, Descended Like Vultures. For starters, there’s yet another new bassist in the band, as Patrick Abernathy took Evan Farrell’s place in the lineup in early 2007. Along with a new member, the band had just released a new album, Asleep at Geaven’s Gate, while switching over from Sub Pop to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. Asleep…’s sound doesn’t stray from their signature dreamy, introspective pop, and while Descended Like Vultures might’ve caught your ear upon first listen, their latest release may take a couple trips to sink in.
One has to wonder: when was the last time you went to a show, eager to hear some "new stuff"? Really, think it over. Although we look forward to hearing new material from our favorite artists, we seldom want to hear it performed, since we look forward to hearing our desired songs. Tonight was no exception, as people in attendance were calling upon Zach Rogue to perform their personal favorites. "Eyes" and "California" were probably the most anticipated songs of the evening, as members of the audience kept screaming out one or the other. The band did play a hearty selection from their entire catalogue, providing an obvious emphasis on the new record. Songs like "Lake Michigan" and "Harmonium" stood out, while "Chicago X 12" took special notice, as it was introduced as a song about drummer Pat Spurgeon’s need for a new kidney (which he did, thankfully receive).
Older songs like "Every Moment" and "Bird on a Wire" were given a live makeover, as they were played in a more up-tempo manner, while the rest of the Rogue Wave catalogue remained rather intact. This reviewers’ personal highlight of the show would be hearing the whimsical "Sewn up" from 2003’s Out of the Shadows, while the low-point was leaving the show not having heard "Love’s Lost Guarantee" after hearing the song over and over in the Wristcutters: A Love Story movie trailer.
How many times have we come across Rogue Wave without ever owning one of their albums? When one thinks of cross-marketing music with film and television, it’s easy to jump to a band like Rogue Wave (in a good way, of course). Their songs are everywhere, from blockbusters like Spiderman and Napoleon Dynamite, to television shows like Weeds, Heroes, and the defunct O.C. This is where the lines between "selling out" and "earning an honest living" become blurred; however, most fans and critics would presume the latter of the two. With this in mind, it’s fair to believe that a good chunk of their fan base was introduced through one of these many mediums, though there’s no shame in admitting it (yours truly downloaded "Bird on a Wire" years ago, assuming it was a tribute, and was pleasantly surprised…).
And so, for fans and newcomers to Rogue Wave, please note: even though the O.C. has always sucked, Rogue Wave’s music is still wonderful, and they remain at the top of their game.
Tune in to The Lonesome Strangers with Mikey B every Wednesday from 3pm – 5pm
By Jesara Sinclair - I Keep Hearing Noises in the Basement - 11/15/2007
Nobody told me it was an early show, and by the time I made it to Studio Juste Pour Rire, Child Abuse was about half-way through their set. Coming in, I was mostly just stoked on the blatantly politically incorrect name. The music was weird, tight and totally awesome. The guys had the fitting droopy-eyed rock star attitude about them, but they were barely moving to the weird, spastic sounds they were making, most likely due to the piles and piles of equipment taking up room on the stage. When Despised Icon took the stage after them, it was clear that a good chunk of the crowd had come for them. The hometown heroes played the crowd as much as their instruments.
The Locust then came on, dressed up like weird insects, as expected. Another creature, dressed like the band stood at the side of the stage taking pictures. I’ve been a fan of these guys since someone burned me a copy of their split with Melt Banana. For all the credit they get for being crazy, costumes aside, the show was focused on the music. I listened and thrashed and maybe spilled my beer a little bit in excitement as they stood in a line, making the weird noise that got me out to the show in the first place.
Great show, good sound, good energy, good bands, excited crowd.
(I’ve got to hand it to these kids. It was my first time at the Studio, but the only way out was past the merch tables. As kids filed out slower than usual -- due to the space being clogged by the line-ups for merch -- you couldn’t help but take a look and be tempted by t-shits, pins and records.)
Tune in to I Keep Hearing Noises in the Basement with Jesara every Monday from 4pm – 6pm
By Josh Mocle - The Kids Are So-So - 11/17/2007
It was bound to happen eventually. In fact, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for me to write a Dropkick Murphys review. The effect this band has had on me, the music I choose to listen to and in some ways the way I live my life in general, is immense (and slightly pathetic). This could either be the easiest review I’ve ever written or the hardest. That having been said, I’m committed to not letting this thing spiral into a mindless love-fest, however, I’m entirely incapable of judging whether it does or not. That one’s up to you.
Chicago’s The Tossers opened the show and to be honest, I can’t remember a band who made me physically yawn more (my lack of sleep the night before had NOTHING to do with it.) I’ve never seen a band who seems to solely exist in order to open for Flogging Molly (thus, them opening for Dropkick is also acceptable…I guess). However, unlike Flogging Molly, there really isn’t anything original about The Tossers. The potential for greatness is definitely there, what with the violin, tin whistle and electric mandolin, but they just don’t pull it off. Their stereotypical Celt-Punk really fell flat for me and just came off as a watered-down version of the band they were warming the audience up for. However, the (I can only assume) mostly Irish crowd loved it, so to each their own.
Next up were The Briggs out of Los Angeles who thoroughly disappointed me when I saw them open for Bad Religion earlier this year but who managed to completely turn it around for this performance. Taking the stage not unlike The Bouncing Souls (which makes sense given they’re pretty much the same band from the opposite coast), they roared through about forty-five minutes of aging pop-punk goodness. Like many of their contemporaries (the aforementioned Bouncing Souls, but also the Street Dogs and to an extent, Rancid), they deliver the same played out method of songwriting and performance but still manage to keep it interesting and fun; certainly not the greatest of all performances, but definitely not the worst.
Which brings us to Dropkick. The situation almost felt like a déjà vu (probably since this was my fourth time experiencing it) as the crowded room darkened, the “let’s go Murphys” chants began and the traditional Irish folk tune that I still haven’t been able to identify began playing on the house speakers. A moment later the band entered and ripped into “Famous for Nothing,” the first track on their new record, The Meanest of Times. While this made perfect sense given that this was the album release tour (dubbed, probably un-ironically, “the meanest of tours”) for that record, the fact that they didn’t open with “For Boston” was slightly disappointing. What followed was an hour and a half of Dropkick classics, ranging from their street punk songs like “The Gang’s All Here” to their traditional Irish-infused punk tracks like, amongst others, “Fields of Athenry.” Peppered in between were tracks off the new record, all of which managed to translate well live, as most Dropkick songs tend to do. A personal favorite was their performance of “Flannigan’s Ball,” which featured Spider Stacey of The Pogues and the mighty Ronnie Drew on vocals on the record. It still maintained its intensity when sung live by only Ken Casey and Al Barr, Dropkick’s usual mouth pieces. I have to admit though, while the band was still as tight as ever, other than the new stuff there really wasn’t anything else, well, NEW about their performance. While some bands manage to keep themselves consistently relevant and entertaining performance after performance, I’ve found that after a while (a.k.a. four shows over the course of two years), Dropkick kinda become slightly stagnant. Given my stance as a New England exile in Montreal, I’ve often equated Dropkick shows with a sense of “going home again.” However, much like actually going home, it does get boring after a while. Although there certainly were highs (which were very high) during the performance, the lows were also incredibly low.
But in the end none of that really matters because after three performances they finally got around to playing “Tessie,” which is enough to make the night a resounding success in this Red Sox fan’s head.
Go Sox.
Tune in to The Kids Are So-So with Josh every Tuesday from 2pm - 4pm
By Alex Robot - No Sleep Til Bedtime - 12/21/2007
The Dillinger Escape Plan is a band that I've now seen live four times, with one of these concerts (at the legendary l'X) being among the greatest shows I've ever seen. While this, of course, keeps my expectations rather sky-high, the fact that they've yet to fail me live (or on record) means that my faith, going into the show at Le National, was pretty unshakable.
After (unfortunately) arriving too late to catch what I heard was a great set by Genghis Tron, I settled in the lobby to wait out A Life Once Lost's generic death-rhythmery thing (rhythmarole?). Lobby highlights included much mockery at ALOL's expense by CJLO's hit comedy duo Korgull The Destroyer and Omar “I Just Work Here” Goodness (of Metal For Supper – The Afternoon Edition and Hooked On Sonics respectively). I like to imagine myself riding along in the backseat of the car rides home those two share...just imagine the topsy-turvy world where Omar actually plays the straight man!
A Life Once Lost finally wrapped up their business, and after taking a spot where I could see everything, Korgull and I waited out the somewhat lengthy soundcheck. To ask an editorial question here -- why did the promoter set Dillinger's stage time at 9:15, and then 9:45, and then still have the band take the stage at the more reasonable 10-something-ish? Anyway, I was ready to wait it out as the band had tons of lights set up (as all bands should), smoke already in the air, a projector fired up, and a glowing drum kit.
After the band set the tone with an intro of noise and creepy silent-film projection, The Dillinger Escape Plan lurched abruptly (always abruptly) into their set with the explosive “Panasonic Youth,” one of their more “straight ahead,” heavy songs, and things were kicked off in style. The stage was a mess of flailing instruments (and limbs), smoke, and, as advertised outside, “effets stroboscopiques.”
The set was pretty heavy on old material (a good thing, not that Ire Works is crap or anything), including a tune from the Under the Running Board EP and two from Calculating Infinity, though I suppose you can't even call it a Dillinger show without “43% Burnt.” The energy level was super-high and we were all treated to Ben Weinman ("the guy on the left")'s repertoire of guitar-player dance moves, which included the "jogging-in-place," the "ditch-digger" and the "suicide-jumper."
My major complaint would be that the portions were tasty, but few. The set clocked in at only about 45 minutes; I could easily pick 2 or 3 songs from every DEP full-length I would've included. No “Jim Fear,” “The Running Board” or “Hollywood Squares” added up to quite a few painful omissions. I was expecting the show to last longer than an hour, though maybe time concerns were involved. In any event, the performances were all pretty great, and any lineup issues didn’t seem to affect the band onstage. If anything, it was the crowd that wasn't up to snuff, despite the group invoking the age-old rite: "well, we were in Toronto awhile ago...that crowd was pretty even with you guys...."
Dillinger's live sound was incredibly polished, and the lights/projector/stage presence/insane guitar acrobatics commanded attention from anybody who loves a musical spectacle. At some point halfway through the set, though, singer Greg Puciato (no longer “the new guy,” now) remarked, "That old place, the l'X...that was the shit." And while I'd have to say that he was right, and that the Dillinger set I caught there stands above virtually every show I've ever seen, what I saw at Le National was far from disappointing and, in the words of that long-dead poet, so much better than half the garbage the kids are listening to these days.
Tune in to No Sleep Til Bedtime with Alex every Monday from 6pm – 8pm
By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 12/06/2007
It’s funny how expectations work. A couple of years ago, I went to a Libertines concert -- not to see them specifically (I thought they were over-hyped and undercooked), but instead to catch a rare stateside appearance by Wales-based post-punk band Mclusky. Most of the audience didn’t seem to agree, but I thought their taut menace and sly wit easily outpaced the more popular headliner.
So it’s perhaps understandable that I sympathized with seven-strong opening act, Los Campesinos!, even secretly expecting them to show up the national juggernaut that is Broken Social Scene with their youthful vigor and caffeinated tunes. I greatly enjoyed their sole release, the Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP, plus, well, they’re Welsh. The record is an ebullient collection of spiky, lightly-orchestrated pop with a refreshing sense of humour. Unfortunately, their relative inexperience was readily on display at Le National -- no thirty-five-minute set should feel as repetitive as theirs turned out to be. While the band’s songs feel reasonably distinctive from each other on record, their live renditions melded together into a trebly, vaguely irritating mass -- even their cover of Pavement’s “Frontwards” was seamlessly assimilated into the cheery blur. By the time they played their best song, “You! Me! Dancing!”, I found myself imagining a mash-up of every other song they’d played over the course of the evening (all of which were almost identical in arrangement and tempo). This is really too bad, because they had stage presence and charisma in spades, with all seven members contributing shouts, hand claps and even, by the set’s end, synchronized dance moves. They definitely show heaps of promise for a new band, but their songwriting needs work. Let’s hope they have some new tricks up their sleeves for their forthcoming full-length debut. (A specific note, guys: take it easy on the glockenspiel -- it gets awfully grating when you use it for nine tenths of your set.)
Unlike Los Campesinos!, Kevin Drew and his pared-down Broken Social Scene more or less conformed to expectations. While I enjoy Spirit If…, it lacks the spark of the “regular” BSS records, preferring to languish in more blessed-out, mid-paced rock songs that often overstay their welcome. Accordingly, when they surprised just about everyone by opening with Broken Social Scene standout “Ibi Dreams of Pavement” -– apparently not played by the band in over a year –- a level of excitement was reached that would not be matched again over the next two hours of the band’s set. By the end of the song, they had switched up their overwhelmingly dense four-guitar lineup (a mainstay throughout the evening) with a trio of horns for a truly show-stopping ending. The excitement generated from that stellar beginning was more than enough to propel the set’s first half, which was made up mostly of Spirit If…’s better songs, including “Lucky Ones” and “Safety Bricks”, as well as a pair of well-loved, older BSS songs, “Cause=Time” and “Stars and Sons.”
After a promising Brendan Canning-led song from his forthcoming album, there was a palpable dip in energy and excitement for a good chunk of the evening. The set’s last truly exciting moments were both derived from Broken Social Scene: Amy Millan of Stars subbed for Leslie Feist on “7/4 (Shoreline),” with the horn section once again providing a wonderfully cathartic close. This was followed by a particularly tedious near-ending segment, with an overlong take on “Farewell to the Pressure Kids” and two renditions -- one right after the other -- of “Major Label Debut (Fast).” It’s one of my favorite BSS songs, but when you’re nearing the two-hour mark and you have at least two dozen other songs to choose from, it’s a little hard to justify. Indeed, by the time they’d finally wrapped up the second version and its extended, blissed-out coda, many of the balcony-dwellers had already left. The other highlight came from the set’s last song, “It’s All Gonna Break.”
Surely knowing that it was a bit of an obvious choice for a closing number, Canning and Drew mixed it up a bit by performing the song’s first half by themselves, with their guitars harmonizing beautifully. It was a breath of fresh air, given the sheer bombast of most of the set’s arrangements. When the inevitable moment of reunion came, they had some fun with it, drawing out the moment and building anticipation as the other seven players rushed on stage. They paused, with Drew even sharing a few words with his bandmates, before picking the song up where they left off and immediately ratcheting up the energy.
While I enjoyed their set a good deal, I felt as though there was an unmistakable gap between the quality of Drew’s “solo” work and that of the group as a whole (with the exception of the lush single “Safety Bricks”), and I think that sense was palpable in the audience’s reaction. There was a feeling of anticipation after every few Kevin Drew song where we wondered: when would we hear another classic? Which would it be? I think I can safely skip out when they tour in support of Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning and, instead, wait for the undiluted form.
Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm
By Döc Holidæ - Phantastiq Cypha - 11/26/2007
It was an ugly day on November 26th as I made my way to the M.I.A. concert at Metropolis. I was somewhat excited and a little nervous; there was a lot of pressure to like her performance. I was attending the show with two dedicated fans, Electric Ant and Rae Rae from The Siamese Libertines and could feel the peer pressure. We’re not talking cigarette-style pressure, but more along the lines of knowing that the people you’re with are really into the music and will make this an enjoyable show no matter how much you like or dislike the music. With that thought in mind, I walked in, confident that this was going to be a great night.
Making a comfortable spot for ourselves in front of the sound man, we waited patiently for the show to start. The Cool Kids from Fool’s Gold Records were the opening act. Electric Ant, Rae Rae and I were lucky enough to have seen these two MCs and one DJ in NYC during the CMJ Music Marathon and were excited to see them perform again. We were not disappointed; The Cool Kids brought just as much energy to this show as they did to their New York performance. All I kept thinking was no matter where these guys are, I’m sure they put in everything they’ve got. From their on-stage banter, to the stories of being stopped at Canadian customs, to their line about being “the black beastie boys,” there was never a dull moment during their 45 minute set. When they were done, the crowd cheered and the houselights went back on.
At this point, music was playing over the huge speakers but no one paid much attention -– everyone was growing impatient to see M.I.A. It wasn’t that the intermission was long but after such a great opener, you don’t want the energy to go down. Just when it felt like we were waiting forever, the lights dimmed and a DJ hit the turntables with a hype-girl shouting: “Are you ready for M.I.A.?”. When M.I.A. finally came on, I excitedly moved closer to the stage and put my earplugs in ‘cause I forgot how loud crowds get (see The Roots review).
As I have mentioned on my radio show recently, I don’t know much about M.I.A. –- I don’t know her back story or any of her older songs. I’ve only experienced Kala, and to be honest, I wasn’t impressed. It’s not that the album is bad, but I just didn’t get into it, which was another reason I was nervous about attending the show. In any case, I tried to ignore my past reaction to the music and start to experience M.I.A. anew. I couldn’t tell you the name of her songs, I can’t even tell you which album they were from because there were so many tracks performed that night and all of them were amazing. M.I.A. has the best stage appeal I’ve seen since The Roots, and those who compare her to Lady S.O.V. are mistaken. M.I.A. and S.O.V. are not in the same boat when it comes to live performances.
As these thoughts were racing through my head during show, the song “Paper Planes” came on. It’s the only song I knew well enough to sing along to and I wasn’t alone. While it might not have been the crowds’ favourite, the track had quite a few people dancing up a storm. I couldn’t tell you what song she sang as she invited only women on stage, but I can say the women in the crowd were losing it. The girl next to me was dancing so hard she almost fell over, and another girl hit me in the chest with her flailing arm. Obviously this song struck a note.
After clearing the stage, M.I.A. invited everyone back on a few tracks later to the same result from the crowd. As she ended her show and left the set, it was evident the crowd wasn’t done with her. She took the stage for a few more tracks and gave us all something to take home: an intense concert experience. I can easily say I’m a born again M.I.A. fan and I can’t wait to see her next performance in Montreal.
For M.I.A. and The Cool Kids’ hipster-style show at Metropolis, I give a Category 4 Storm Watch.
Tune in to Phantastiq Cypha with Brian every Friday from 9am-12pm
By Stephanie Ng Wan - We.Are.Canadian - 11/22/2007
Earlier this year, a small independent movie called Once, featuring Glen Hansard, frontman of Irish rock band The Frames and budding Czech singer Markéta Irglová in the lead roles, hit theatres. Deemed the musical of our generation, Once generated quite a bit of buzz for a film shot for just $160, 000 (peanuts in comparison to the blockbusters of our day).
Though Hansard and Irglová did know each other prior to the shoot, it was the time they spent making the John Carney-directed motion picture that allowed them to fall in love, both on-screen and off. The pair not only wrote and performed a majority of the songs in Once but the experience enabled the two to work together on an album they called The Swell Season, which was released in April 2007. While The Swell Season is actually the name of the record, with the artist names being Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglováwith Marja Tuhkanen and Bertrand Galen, the musicians are being billed as “The Swell Season” on tour.
Last Thursday, November 22nd, the group came to Montreal’s Le National and not only brought songs from the album of the same name to life, but also captured the audience’s attention with live renditions of songs from Once as well as part of Hansard’s discography with The Frames.
Hansard and Irglová hit the stage at about 9:10pm, almost 40 minutes after the opening act, with a bassist and violin player in tow. While Irglová took the lead vocals from time to time, it was evident that Hansard was the leader of this musical project. Having been in the music business for over a decade with The Frames, he was in control and his voice rang loud and clear when it needed to be, and softly but strongly when you wanted it to be.
Irglová looked even more her young age of 19, with her small frame sitting behind the grand piano, and her voice, though normally very subtle, seemed even more subdued when she sang alongside Hansard and his booming voice. Despite the overwhelming experience Hansard and the rest of the crew had over her, Irglová’s timid persona was endearing and added to the mood of the pieces she sang. Highlights were the tracks from Once that had Hansard and Irglová front and centre, such as “Falling Slowly”and “Lies”. Irglová even held her own during her solo vocal performance of “If You Want Me,” a tune that is hauntingly romantic, both in the film and on the Le National stage.
Hansard, for his part, was telling personal anecdotes, going off on tangents here and there and loving every moment of it. Near the beginning of the set, when someone from the crowd requested he play the “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy” song from Once’s opening scene, Hansard briefly hesitated but could not contain his appreciation after the audience burst into enthusiasm and cheer as he played the short but memorable number. The fact that Hansard could laugh at himself, and at his art, was refreshing; at the end of the song, he joked that because he agreed to perform it, no one would remember the heartfelt music the band would play in the rest of their set.
During a series of songs by The Frames including “Lay Me Down” and “What Happens When the Heart Just Stops,” Hansard not only allowed himself to indulge in telling the drawn-out stories behind the songs, but also showed us his talent with his guitar. In my opinion, this is where his personality really shone.
But of course, it was the songs from the movie soundtrack that got the biggest reaction as murmurs of “they’re so cute” could be heard throughout the crowd in reference to the way Hansard and Irglová interacted on stage. The group played for more than an hour and a half and the standing ovation they got during the encore brought tears to Hansard’s eyes. Throughout the entire show, Hansard could not stop saying how much the show meant to him and by the end, from the looks of it, the fans felt the same way.
Tune in to We.Are.Canadian. with Stephanie every Thursday from 6pm-7pm
By Emily Kerrigan - On The Rocks- 11/25/2007
Sunday, November 25th 2007 brought some serious talent to Montreal’s Metropolis. Bedouin Soundclash put on one heck of a show. The venue was packed and full of energy from the get-go, and the band managed to cater to the musical taste of both the young and old.
The show started off on a high note, with vocalist Jay Malinowski taking center stage. As usual, Eon Sinclair strutted his stuff on bass guitar, with Pat Pengelly adding some sweet percussion on drums. They played music from all three of their albums (their first record, Root Fire, was released in 2001, with Sounding a Mosaic and Street Gospels released in 2004 and 2007 respectively). Although they kept in touch Root Fire, they concentrated on their last two albums, playing their popular breakthrough single, “When the Night Feels my Song,” and saving “Walls Fall Down” for the very last song of their set. They stuck to recreating their recognizable style, a constant throughout their albums, complete with reverb and glottal stops. The performance was so dead-on that anyone there could have mistaken it for listening to the actual album, minus of course, the pumped fans and the extra touch, a keyboardist, appearing for several songs throughout the show. The instrumental addition gave certain songs a bit more flavor and intrigue. Besides their own material, Bedouin Soundclash also did a cover of The Ramones’ “I Want to be Sedated,” mixing it into their own original song, “Saint Andrews.” This went over well with the crowd, boosting the already enthusiastic atmosphere.
The music was clearly the determining factor of the performance’s amazing outcome, but the great set and lightshow definitely helped. The set was relatively simple, consisting of large white boards with a black palm-tree silhouette printed on top. The lights were aimed at the boards to create different colour contrasts and effects. The whole thing was pulled off with the utmost accuracy, complete with strobe lights flashing to the beat of the music (when appropriate, of course). Everything about the show was easy on the eyes and easy on the ears, and kudos definitely go out to the people who orchestrated the whole thing. The musicians were the stars that night, but the sound and lighting technicians did their part and made what would have already been a great show into a fantastic one.
To everyone who was unfortunate enough to miss this concert, condolences to you. Just be sure to catch Bedouin Soundclash the next time they are in town -- if their performances are as consistently amazing as this one was, you will not be disappointed.
Tune in to On The Rocks with Emily every Thursday from 10am-12pm
By Jackson MacIntosh - Track Marks - 11/21/2007
“We’re an extremely important and successful rock band” were the first words out of Tom Fun Orchestra frontman Ian MacDougall’s mouth during their set at the decidedly urine-scented Les Saints. MacDougall’s deadpan restraint in assessing their situation was admirable, as there were about 90 people in a club built to accommodate about 500. Things probably looked pretty bleak from up there. They’d drove 20 hours from Sydney, Nova Scotia the day before to play their first Montreal show, and they’d been busking in the metro all day to drum up support for their show. While they’d made a handsome sum in loonies and toonies, it clearly hadn’t been successful as a promotional effort.
Before I write too much, I think it would only be proper to admit that many members of the Tom Fun Orchestra are close friends of mine, and that I’ve seen them about 50 times in the past two or three years. I grew up playing music with them, and we’re all from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. I’ll probably be fairly partial towards them because they’re my pals -- and that’s what we do with our pals when they start making headway against the swift current of Failure River and we can see they’re not too far from the sandy beaches of Success Point. Just today I saw their new teaser EP advertised on the iTunes front page, and it warms the cockles of my cockles.
So it was especially nice to see them win over the sparse crowd, which seemed to increase continually throughout the evening. They play folk instruments, but I wouldn’t dare call them a folk group; it’s more like a hillbilly wall of sound. There are three guitars, a banjo, a fiddle, an accordion, a double bass, a trumpet, some drums, and sometimes a mandolin, and they are all being played hard at almost all times. There’s an admirable irreverence in their live shows, and Ian’s an excellent showman with a good growl.
The opening band, Mars Hill, were not quite as rewarding to see, although they are clearly technically proficient and serious about what they do. I gather that they recently moved to Montréal from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in a bid to be closer to where the action is. While I admire their take-the-bull-by-the-horns attitude, I am not so fond of their jam band sensibility and the overall sterility of their sound. They’ve built up a loyal following on the East Coast, though, and I imagine that within their particular niche they are held in high esteem. They make excellent gouda in Prince Edward Island, and I’m pleased to see that they now have other kinds of cheese to export.
Moving on. By the end of the night, the Tom Fun Orchestra had the audience riled up enough to have them demanding an encore, which they provided in the form of a song called “No Sex with Monks” which concerns some of the finer points of the Roman Catholic Church. It was met with uproarious approval and applause, and the band members showed their enthusiasm by piling on top of one another, which is very dangerous, considering they were all holding sharp-edged musical instruments; I am surprised nobody lost an eye. What a foolhardy young group. If they come to your town, I would recommend going to the show, but bring and helmet and wear some kneepads if you really want to be prudent.
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