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By Jordan-na Belle-Isle - Canadian Invasion - 06/29/2005

On a humid Montreal Wednesday evening, a packed Metropolis housed three of those newfangled emo/screamo quasi-punk bands that are all the rage with the young ‘uns these days. It was a threesome of angst-ridden music with only one winner who emerged sweaty and victorious from the weeping anthems, pained shouts and quick guitars.

First up was Kill Radio from Los Angeles and who could easily be placed in the pop-punk category, with their blond golden boy lead singer elliciting schoolgirl screams from the females. Kill Radio’s repertoire consisted mostly of catchy, slightly angry, punk. The kids dug it, pumping their fists to the rhythm, throwing their bodies in the air. Yes, there was a mosh pit but aside from that, Kill Radio’s set was pretty safe, bordering on radio-friendly. The only thing preventing these guys from being Clear Channel’s bitches was their staunch anti-Bush/America sucks stance. “We’re from America but don’t worry; we’re the good ones”. Their merch featured T-shirts that mocked Bush. More power to them yet their opposition seems to be their only raison d’être, just another band that cropped up with the anti-Bush movement, hopping along for the ride. Politics in music is a good method of getting your message to the younger generations but it occasionally begs the question: are you just trying to cash in on a political movement that easily profits financially from its popularity? It seemed to be the case with Kill Radio who seemed a bit too safe and flat with their political “message.”

All in all, Kill Radio’s set was pretty neutral; I didn’t love or hate it. I won’t rush out to buy the album nor will I clamp my hands over my ears when their songs pop up on some punk kid’s myspace. They were an ideal first opening act, enjoyable but not even close to stealing the show. It made it easy for Story Of The Year to make their grand entrance. This will henceforth be known as the “spaceship has landed” entrance: blinking lights in the darkness and weird atmospheric noises that suddenly explode as the band hops on stage and rips into one of their quicker songs. At first, Story Of The Year gave off infectuous energy with their jumps, spins and screams. They sang about being oppressed and standing alone, the omni-present sensitive themes set to loud punk guitars and screaming lyrics. This band is fully aware of their role as entertainers for the young minds. It was all about audience participation, one gimmick being that whenever the lead singer would say “Montreal”, the crowd had to scream the drummer’s name. They maintained a safe balance of acting like cocky rock stars (“Who wants to lay out drummer? He has a really huge cock.”) to feeling the plight of the common teen. Hey, we might be on stage, but we suffer just like you. It seemed a bit too well-orchestrated and the lack of spontaneity and sincerity left me a bit cold. Yet despite my personal criticism, Story Of The Year seems to understand the anger and thoughts of their target audience very well and manage to package it all very neatly in a way that reflects that anger but never in a deep or dangerous way. Teen angst has become a commodity and these guys know exactly how to cash in with their catchy singalong anthems.

Headliners Alexisonfire could teach Kill Radio and Story Of The Year the benefits of not trying too hard yet stepping up to the plate by being honest about what you do. They didn’t need the buildup entrance or to rile the crowd or to wax political. From lead singer George Logan’s first signature scream, the crowd was with them. Their energy was not derived from juvenile pranks like jumping off of speakers or from capitalizing on a common enemy; it came from their music and fed the crowd into an hour-long set that ended all too quickly. Logan sounds a lot less like Scooby-Doo live, his deep-throated screams meshing beautifully with Dallas Green’s soaring vocals, backed by tight guitars and drums, surprisingly easy and pleasant to listen to while still knocking a punch or two and kicking your ass. Their music is creative and avoids the stereotypical singalong choruses which are standard for empty, insta-hits; it’s not so much about the glaringly obvious, spoon-fed themes. It’s music that makes you think and listen in a different way while giving you room to feel and experience through your ears and body. Just like Kill Radio and Story Of The Year, Alexisonfire are angry but they project this emotion in a way that is believably raw and unpolished so you can see the beauty and the filth. Alexisonfire does not make their music safe or easily marketable; it’s an acquired taste. If you like it, it’s because it reaches you on a specific level, not because all the kids are singing it. Their success lies in the fact that they have managed to take their music to a mainstream audience that obsessively buys merch and goes to show in copy-cat herds by simply doing what they do without the gimmicks and hype.

[Tune in to Canadian Invasion every Friday 4pm – 6pm]

By Mikey B - The Lonesome Strangers - 06/09/2005

A good No Use For A Name show is a pretty regular occurrence here, considering the fact that they’ve played Montreal twice in the last year and a half. As far as most hard-working punk acts go, NUFAN has still got chops, and they haven’t pussed out and gone pop like so many other punkers out there.

Rocking out alongside NUFAN were local boys Mute, The Reason and their tag team brothers in New Jersey’s Bigwig. It was fair to say that most people weren’t all that enthused for any of the bands. If The Reason catered to many of the younger generation of punks, I didn’t happen to see many coming together at the Metropolis that night.

The show was seen by many as a double-bill starring Bigwig & No Use For A Name, two bands that have a massive Montreal following. No big surprise here, since we are living in one of the biggest punk music hotbeds in North America. For this particular show, either band could’ve opened. On this night of course, Bigwig opened for NUFAN as the newly revamped four-piece scorched through a 40-minute set of tunes spanning three albums. Songs like “Best Of Me” drew fury in the pit, while the poppier “Girl In The Green Jacket” received a massive sing-a-long. Funny how these over-the-top vegans haven’t found the need to release an album in over four years. 2001’s Invitation To Tragedy was a blast from the pants of punk rock at its best: fast and raw. Some might see this waiting period as a downer, while I see it as a good thing. So many punk bands nowadays are churning out an album every second year, which can be a good thing if there is progression or change. So when Bigwig’s album comes out, you can bet it’ll be well worth the wait.

Speaking of new albums, No Use For A Name has got one, and it’s called Keep 'Em Confused. This show was apparently a “CD release party", which is kinda cool although I’m assuming they’ve done this in every other city before Montreal. They were selling the albums for 10$ at the merch table, which is refreshing after almost having bought a Motorhead T-shirt for 45$. Over the last six years, listening to and seeing NUFAN play, I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with an album or live show. Like most of their live shows, NUFAN played a good mix of old and new songs covering their eight albums. Personal favorites included “Justified Black Eye”, “Not Your Savior” and everyone’s favorite “The Answer Is Still No”, a song which frontman Tony Sly begs the question, “what’s your name?”

”FUCK YOU, THAT’S MY NAME !!!”

No Use For A Name hasn’t changed a bit, although since their last release, Tony Sly had teamed up with Lagwagon’s Joey Cape on an acoustic album where they would both be playing NUFAN and Lagwagon songs. It might not be something most punkers out there could be very fond of, nonetheless I rather enjoyed some of these acoustic renditions. Thankfully, NUFAN hadn’t gotten soft after the split acoustic album. The only thing that changed was Tony Sly’s hairdo, which had that slick emo-licious part to the side that most “punk” kids at Foufs like to sport. Other than that, this NUFAN show was just as good as any other I’ve seen. As always, the setlist was solid, the crowd was nuts and I was in awe of Matt Riddle’s (formerly of Face To Face) superb bass-playing skills. Still, I lacked that feeling of closure I get after seeing a great live show, even though I got to see one of my favorite punk bands play an amazing set with some good friends of mine. I feel as if I’ve been seeing the same No Use For A Name show and listening to the same No Use For A Name album for the last few years. Nothing’s changed and they’re just as good as they’ve always been. I might just be getting bored.

[Tune in to The Lonesome Strangers Tuesdays 12pm - 2pm]

By Lina Harper - Ivy Gives Good Rashes - 06/13/2005

Since their debut album in 1995, Ivy has known some small successes in their lives as soft indie rock darlings. The three-piece band played to an intimate crowd on Monday June 13th at Cabaret (2111 Saint-Laurent). The low turnout was perhaps due to the cost of the tickets ($15) or the sweltering heat of the temporary sauna we called Montréal. If only people knew that the joint is nicely air-conditioned, intimate and the sound quality is pretty on par with the bigger venues in the city.

After getting to the show a bit late, missing Hexes and Ohs (who I've gone to see before and are Montreal's next big musical IT couple, in my opinion) and part of Astaire, I sat comfortably in the cool basement-like cave of the Cabaret with my pint of Boreal ($5.75 + tip). Ivy opened with a spectacular light show and some sultry vocals and bass. The band's chemistry was soon on display. The entire experience seemed to synthesize and anesthetize the crowd, which was probably around my age -- late twenties to early thirties. Singer Dominique Duran and bassist Adam Schlesinger maintained a humorous casual rapport with the crowd, joking about the appropriateness of a disco ball effect for their next tune. When it came time for their older stuff, breathy Dominique sang "The Edge Of The Ocean", clearly a crowd favorite. She also talked to the audience in perfect French, saying she was a Parisienne in America. She currently writes songs about and in her adopted city of New York, where the band recorded their latest album In The Clear, the fourth one released on EMI July 11th. Lyrical rhymes focused on the coldest of the American city ("trying to get out, people are so angry"). Ivy is also known for having their "Edge Of The Ocean" song in the Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke film, Before Sunset. Also, listen for "I'll Be Near You" in Bee Season with Juliette Binoche and Richard Gere in theaters this fall.

Also, be sure not to miss the band's beautiful graphic-interfaced website for updated information about their current tour.

[LINA HARPER is a freelancer who gets poison ivy when sojourning through the Laurentians woods sometimes, but thinks it's all a big joke]

By Alex Huynh - Losing My Edge - 06/19/05

A caveat before this review begins: I am a late arrival in the world of Sleater-Kinney. My appreciation for the band derives almost from a sense of duty and respect for their work, rather than from boundless passion cultivated through years of excellent releases. Nope, I bought my first Sleater-Kinney album when One Beat came out in 2002, and only because I had heard The Hot Rock a few weeks before and it just felt apropos. The reason why I underline this is because once a veteran band has reached a certain level of "importance", their latter releases basically get a free pass from longtime fans and critics alike (see: Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo). Having those albums serve as an introduction to such groups is akin to watching a television drama series starting from the third season. Sure, there is plenty to appreciate and admire, but lacking the backstory and missing out on the progressive development of the characters severely handicap one's ability to fully grasp the work at hand. Thus, perhaps I am in a rare position to judge this show stripped of any context other than the here and now.

One could deduce that the crowd consisted mostly of hardcore fans, because surely the size of the audience would have doubled if anyone with a passing interest in Sleater-Kinney would have shown up. The sense of intimacy grew as a result of opener Dead Meadow canceling, and thus rendering this into a type of "An Evening With". Legend has it that an impromptu karaoke set broke out, with Sleater-Kinney backing up any brave soul who would step onstage and belt out Corin Tucker vocals. The show began officially with "The Fox", the opening track of their new album The Woods. Right off the bat, everything sounded tight and perfect. Too perfect. They were performing like a well-oiled machine, but perhaps that came at the expense of primal intensity. The first few songs were right off the new record ("Wilderness", "Modern Girl", "Rollercoaster") and they were adequately performed, but it seemed as though they were hooked up for an arena sound which didn't quite fit them. Eventually, they readjusted and what had felt homogenized in terms of one big sound was disintegrating and out came three very distinctive yet cohesive musical personalities. Perhaps it coincided with the older songs being played, but it suddenly felt more challenging and interesting (yet oddly danceable) than at the start.

Tucker's signature vocals were in full display, even though she was caught looking bored at times. Carrie Brownstein pulled off a few classic rock moves and her performance grew incrementally as the night went on, especially when it was her cue to unleash a guitar solo. However, the true MVP was drummer Janet Weiss, as she managed to infuse life in what would have been an insufferable performance of the epic "Let's Call It Love". As minutes ran into the double-digits and as both guitarists slowly ran out of ideas, Weiss muscled the song to a satisfying finish as it segued into their new single "Entertain". It bears to mention that preceding that near-catastrophe was arguably the highlight of the night, "Jumpers". Whereas great moments seemed fleeting throughout the concert, this particular rendition was more inspired and the intensity level was finally sustained. Equally impressive was the performance of "Everything", a song that can be found on the CD single "Entertain".

It is surely a bold move for an established band with a discography that can rival any to focus so much on a new album, but that is a credit to the solid material on the record. It is also a statement that Sleater-Kinney refuses to start playing the nostalgia card, as they are still in their creative prime. Live performance-wise, they appear to be still finding their footing and experimenting with the new songs. Right now, they seem to be playing it safe and not let the songs go to more interesting places. When they do jam out, it is rather tentative aside from the powerhouse drumming. Underneath this good show is possibly a great show a few months down the line.

[Tune in to Losing My Edge Sundays 2pm-4pm and Tuesdays 8pm-10pm]