RSS

By Stephanie Ng Wan - We . Are . Canadian - 04/30/2008

I’ve been going to concerts for over a decade now (doesn’t that make me sound old) so I’m certainly no stranger to the live show.  My taste and expectations have changed over the years and have also been adapted and adjusted to go with the times, different musical genres and the ebb and flow of the music industry.  What with pirating going over the roof and labels as well as artists struggling to find ways to make revenue and maintain a career in music, prices for concerts, merchandise and the like have skyrocketed.  One would expect, or at least hope, that the quality of what we are being offered will too.  Now I agree that quality is greater than quantity but I think -- no matter how well an act performed a set -- that sometimes you just can’t fit all the quality necessary to satisfy everyone in a short amount of time (a.k.a. quantity). 

Let me explain. I’m a fan of Lifehouse and have seen them before their show at the Metropolis last week.  The show was good, the songs were strong and the crowd was very enthusiastic.  But the group played less than an hour and ten minutes and despite the fact that the crowd waited around after their ONE song encore to chant -- uselessly -- for the American rock band to come back and play the ultimate fan favourite, “Everything,” for what felt like ten minutes (it was probably more like five), the entire effort was to no avail as lights came up and the venue staff nudged everyone away from the stage.  We were left a bit flabbergasted by the fact that we hadn’t been kicked out earlier and that the Metropolis actually allowed us to wait around and uselessly use our voices and stamp our feet demanding Lifehouse return because, at some point, I think we all felt a tiny glimmer of hope that the group would actually come back.  But alas they did not. 

Not only was the original Montreal date on the tour postponed due to an illness affecting the vocals of singer Jason Wade, but it was switched to the Metropolis, a venue almost three times the size of Club Soda, where Lifehouse was originally booked to perform -- which, to my surprise, was almost filled to capacity last Wednesday night.  Lifehouse made no mention of this nor did they apologize for having to reschedule.  But wouldn’t you think that being able to go from the Club Soda to the Metropolis would have encouraged the group to stay a little longer and indulge fans who waited over a month more to see them? 

Aside from the length, as I mentioned previously, Lifehouse were in full form that night.  They definitely rock harder live than what they’re known for on the radio (i.e. the semi-sappy pop rock ballads that admittedly, I enjoy).  Wade’s voice was strong and he seemed to have made a full recovery from whatever was ailing him a few weeks before and he did talk to the audience in between songs every once and a while.  On the backdrop of the stages were circus acts such as the “Miniature Man” and “Live Legs” and to go along with this theme was the carnival-inspired music that preceded Lifehouse’s set at 10:07 pm. Normally a trio, the group added an extra guitarist on tour, which certainly contributed to their more full rock sound.  Singles they played included, “Hanging by a Moment,” “Spin,” “Whatever it Takes,”  “First Time,” and the song that gave them the most of their popularity, “You and Me” on acoustic guitar.  Other tracks included oldies such as “Simon,” “Am I Ever Gonna Find Out,” “Someone Else’s Song” and more recent tunes such as “From Where You Are” and “Better Luck Next Time,” where Wade shared the vocals of the chorus with the bassist, Canadian Bryce Soderberg.  The encore consisted of only one song from their 2007 release, Who We Are, called “Broken.”

While Lifehouse are pretty formulaic alternative rock, there is something about them that has managed to break the mainstream and enable their music to differentiate them from other bands in their genre.  Their songs are catchy, sometimes harmless and other times reflect on human emotion, and people find both the lyrics and music very easy to relate to.  I would have loved, therefore, to hear just a few more of their songs from their four-album discography (including the aforementioned “Everything”) just to feel completely satisfied.  I know I’m not alone on this sentiment as others who attended the show revealed feeling similar after discussing it.

As for the opening acts: Crash Parallel (who currently have a single on the radio), played a fairly standard, not-so-memorable thirty-minute set.  They were followed by a very energetic and loud-mouthed Matt Nathanson, who was talkative and flirty throughout his set and played some fun pop rock for almost forty minutes.

Tune in to We.Are.Canadian. with Stephanie every Thursday from 6pm – 8pm

By Eli Levinson - Bender Night - 04/25/2008

As I came up to le Studio Juste Pour Rire on Friday April 25th to see Streetlight Manifesto, I saw something that made me apprehensive: tons of similarly dressed teenagers. They had a similar punk/suburbia/ska look to them, and you could tell they were REALLY looking forward to the show that was about to start. But how would they react? What sort of crowd would it be?

When I entered the venue and saw The Johnstones finishing their loud, fast, entertaining but ordinary set, I could tell this was to be a party night. The crowd was just getting started to skank and rock out.

When Streetlight finally came out, the place went berserk -- it was similar to how 12 year-old girls react to Britney Spears. When they actually started playing, the entire floor became this huge "push-pit." Not a mosh pit, but a mass of bodies pushing each other. I'm not gonna lie, it sucked. It wasn't a mosh pit, it wasn't even really much of a concert crowd…it was more akin to a really packed metro car. That being said, these fans KNEW their Streetlight. I have never seen so many people singing along and knowing every single word to every single song than I did at this show. Seriously, it really reminded of a pop concert. At the same time, because of the energy and obvious passion of the crowd, they gave the band the kind of response that most artists only dream of. There was love here. And the band reciprocated.

Streetlight Manifesto is a 6-piece ska band formed from the remnants of Catch-22. They play a newer form of ska (fourth wave?) that is extremely complex and technical, going far beyond the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure that permeates punk-rock and its brethren. They have loads of breaks, tempo shifts and solo sections, -- it's awesome. Every member pulls his weight. They can all keep up with each other, playing sixteenth note patterns at 140 bpm, which can be overwhelming at times.

Their setlist was made up primarily of their latest release, Somewhere in the Between, which is a wicked album. It explores themes of social justice, philosophy, criminality and politics. The lead singer, Thomas Kalnoky, is a lyrical genius with a great sense for how to integrate his vocals into the complex and layered mix that is Streetlight Manifesto. The rest of the band were on backing vocals, which provided tons of epic moments of awesomeness. The band was amazing at those little moments. The horn section was amazing, although during the show they were not loud enough in the mix, but you could still hear them and know all the virtuosity they brought to the music. The bassist is an remarkable musician -- he never stops playing his ridiculously high-speed patterns. He was even playing high-speed sixteenths on an upright bass, which boggled my mind. Finally, the drummer. He is one of the better ska drummers I have heard. He does not simply provide a beat to be played over, he takes an active role in the songs, adding a significant component to different sections and the like.

To conclude, Streetlight Manifesto puts on an awesome, energetic live show that illustrates why they are fast becoming one of the most popular and respected ska bands around. Check them out then next they come to town, but be warned about the throngs of teenagers.

BENDER NIGHT BENDER NIGHT BENDER NIGHT! - Wednesdays 11pm – 1am

By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 04/23/2008

Before I get to the educational portion of this review, I'd like to say a few words about local openers The High Dials. I was struck, while listening to their last release War of the Wakening Phantoms and seeing them perform live, by the skewed nature of musical popularity. Their songs are slickly written and played, loaded with hooks and vocal harmonies, and some of them even stick in the mind after you've heard them, a rarity for indie-pop acts. Here's their problem: they lack…something. If they were British, they'd come here and headline venues twice the size of Lambi. If they were more eccentric and less workmanlike, they could develop Wolf Parade-like levels of fan devotion. If they had a younger and/or handsomer frontman, they'd make the indie girls swoon. As it is now, they show up, play their smartly written tunes expertly, and leave. When they want wider exposure, they appear in a Rogers ad, since none of the major online publications I visited had written a word about them. Are they the greatest unknown band ever? Definitely not -- much of their material doesn't stand out as memorable despite their obvious skill, and their albums meander far longer than they need to. Nevertheless, they deserve considerably better than they're getting.

Moving on,

Simon's Guide to Enjoying a Stoner Rock Concert While Not Stoned

I was a little concerned that I was going to be reviewing a Dead Meadow concert while not under the influence of any drugs. In my case, I simply don't do any of them, but perhaps you may find yourself in a similar predicament due to a lack of funds or some other complication. So here's my guide to getting the most out of your substance abusers of choice and their unholy racket.

1. Show up tired. This is the important one. If you're too alert, you won't be as inclined towards enjoying the slow, crushing grooves that typify good stoner rock. You might even find them a little annoying. When I arrived for the show, I was already a little bushed, so I sat down to watch the openers. Crucially, however, I stood up for Dead Meadow, preventing me from actually falling asleep -- if not necessarily preserving my attentive faculties. The other important thing to keep in mind is that any self-respecting stoner band should have some accompanying visual component to go with those grooves -- and indeed, Dead Meadow were projecting images evoking cell division all over the stage. To get a good sense of how tired I was, keep in mind that it took me a full ten minutes to figure out that the little black devices at the front of the stage were not, ineffective little fans, but projectors, and that they weren't hooked up to a sophisticated computer program, they just had little lava lamps inside them. Another good sign that the fatigue is working is that you might start to compose your own (terrible) songs while fixating on inane details around you. For instance, when I turned to spot The High Dials' Rishi Dhir staring at Dead Meadow bassist Steve Kille's remarkably nimble fingerwork, I started to piece together a song called "The Bassist Was Watching the Other Bassist." I forget how it goes now.

2. Show up relieved. Try to make sure you don't have to go to the bathroom during the show, since the longer you stand in one place, the more likely you are to be pleasantly entranced by the sounds being hurled at you. Plus, you never know when an actually distinct track will arise from the sonic morass to lift your attention a bit -- in this case, Feathers standout "At Her Open Door." Not that their set overall wasn't solid -- it was actually surprisingly engaging throughout -- but during certain stretches I was waiting for a hook or two. Regardless, your unbroken presence will heighten your overall enjoyment.

3. Stand on the bassist's side. Trust me, when the band starts to play, and you can barely stand upright due to following the previous instructions, you'll want to be getting the full force of that droning low end. Before long it will be a comfort to you, not unlike the sound of waves on a brisk summer night by the beach, or mild traffic going by your window in the late evening. Except that in this case you're probably surrounded by very sweaty people in what should be a distressingly confined space.

Follow these simple steps and you'll be good as blitzed.

Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Friday from 2pm - 4pm

By Comma Chameleon - Semicolon Cancer; - 04/01/2008

Let’s start with White Denim. WD set the stage on fire with a decently energetic opening set and loosened up the deadpan and slightly mutinous crowd at the Cabaret that night with a series of successful swinging singles. Unfortunately, the main act, Tapes ‘n Tapes, didn’t fare so well; after a number of selections from their new effort, Walk it Off, coming three years after the original 2005 release of their collection of print-worthy material, The Loon. This was a bit past disappointing and slightly tiring, and after the fifth new tune failed to impress the crowd with an upbeat crunchy redundant screeching rocker, they resorted back to their tried-and-true crowd favourites, including “Manitoba” and “Insistor,” which I was highly anticipating (from my perch at the foot of the stage I spotted its position footed near the bottom of the set list which was right below the electronic table of keyboardist Matt Kretzmann).

Coming off the end of the night, after Tapes finished screwing up the good buzz that finally rippled through the hordes of deadeyes who showed up to this gig by jamming in some more unknown and incomprehensible stuff from their new release, it dawned on me that frontman Josh Grier (pictured, foreground) should drop the axe once in a while and let Kretzmann (pictured, left) work the board more often; after all, it is the highlights on The Loon that are enriched with some stimulating electronic buzz accompanying the guitar scrawl, and I think we all like it better that way. Or else, for God’s sake, think of introducing some new hooks, harmonies, bridges, and chord progressions before I dawdle off home to listen to my roommate cover Third Eye Blind and attempt both tenor and falsetto choruses at the same time.

Note to self: go check out more White Denim.