"Don't Steal Our Sun (You're Just Killing Fun)"

I had a burst of writing energy today, but don't expect nearly as much in the future. :-) Actually, some of the items below were info that I came across last week that I had not had a chance to mention, so forgive me if it's old news.

Is it uncool to like The Thrills, especially when post-punk sounds currently rule the alternative music airwaves? I don't nearly hear enough about the band in the media and I guess that is why they slipped under my radar until now. I got my first taste for the band when my buddy and I went to Coachella. While my buddy took some shelter from the heat that day, I went exploring the Coachella grounds and the airy melodies of the band drew me to the tent they were playing. There were just too many people in the tent for me to get myself close enough to really enjoy the concert so I stood near one of the side entrances of the tent and watched the band for 2-3 songs. They had a country-rock sound, with Beach Boys-influenced vocal harmonys, which was thoroughly enjoyable and perfect music that afternoon.

I think maybe it was having missed out on The Cardigans' show in Toronto this passed Thursday which got me looking for a fix for my live music craving. So then I came upon the info that The Thrills were playing in Toronto(yesterday) and I remembered that I liked what I heard from them at Coachella. I did some research on the band, checked out there website, read some reviews, listened to some song samples, saw some streaming videos, and I convinced myself to go see the band live. No regrets whatsoever. So read my review below:

concert review: The Thrills w/ Matt Mays and El Torpedo, Phoenix Concert Theatre (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) May 15, 2004

This was an early show. I still find it strange to walk into a concert venue when it is still daylight outside. I walked into a surprisingly sparse crowd. The openers, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, had not yet come on so I bought a drink and fiddled with my digital camera. It wasn't long before Matt Mays came on. I hadn't even know he was going to open the show because it hadn't been published in the paper. I had found out that Matt Mays was going to be the opener when I had passed the merch desk on the way in, was looking at some of The Thrills' merch, saw the Matt Mays CD and the guy at the desk(who definitely worked for The Thrills) asked me if the Matt Mays CD was good and I had expressed that it was a good CD of 'country-rock'. Matt Mays opening up the show was an entirely logical choice.

Not much to say about Matt. If you like early Wilco, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, you'll dig the music. I think I'd have dug the music even more if they added some pedal steel guitar now and then, but that's just my opinion. I think I'll pull out Matt's CD and listen to it again. Matt did tell a story about him and the band driving from Ottawa and their van breaking down...partly due to all the gadgets running off the van battery at various times(eg. DVD player, Playstation One) but also getting caught in a traffic jam on the 401). Poor guys.

So then a lengthy intermission followed as The Thrills' roadies set up the stage and gear. Once the roadies finally finished, to everyone's surprise some half-naked,chubby, pasty caucasian dude in a towel came onto stage and gave the audience a look like he had made a wrong turn somewhere. But then he started to banter with the crowd[some girl in the front row took some pictures of him], told some jokes and I realized it was all part of the show. So after some brief laughs he made the perfect rock n' roll introduction as he introduced the band and the band came on stage. Perfect.

The Thrills played a great set of slightly-countrified rock songs, sort of a countrified Teenage Fanclub, with hints of Wilco, Grandaddy(mostly in the vocals), Beach Boys, and some might say The Eagles[does only knowing "Hotel California" justify me making this comparison ;-) ] The vocalist enthralled the crowded and didn't miss an opportunity to thank the fans for welcoming the band back to Toronto for the second time within six months. One of the guitarists had an anti-Bush T-shirt, although the band never brought politics into their stage banter. If I remember correctly, the band returned for one encore, playing a new song as well as their 'sunny' "Don't Steal Our Sun". Thoroughly enjoyable concert!

I think this was the first concert I ever left, when it was still light outside.

Check out my pictures here. [they're kinda crappy, because I didn't use my flash(except for one picture)...oh well]

BTW, I bought The Thrills CD "So Much For The City" today at Futureshop. It was priced $10.99 but when the customer service rep scanned it at the register, it scanned at $13.99 and she told me that it was store policy that if an item scans at a higher price than stickered, they will knock $10.00 off the stickered price. So she sold it to me for $.99, plus tax. Hey, I told her I don't mind paying the $10.99, but she insisted, so who I am I to complain?

Hey, I finally found out what song that was that I've been digging for the past month or so but was never able to catch the name of until now. It was "Darts of Pleasure" by Franz Ferdinand. While I was at HMV today they were playing the CD, and I was in the store long enough to hear about half the CD, including "Darts Of Pleasure". Now I know what all the fuss is about! I didn't purchase the CD today, but it's on my wishlist!

The Fall Media Project is hosting two The Fall related items for download:

- a concert(in mp3 format)
- an .avi(of decent quality) of the band performing the song "Walk Like A Man" (live in Irvine, Magnum Leisure Centre on 20th February 2004)...Mark E. Smith has aged apparently, but then haven't we all.

Now, if The Fall would come to Toronto...I'm still pissed off ever since they cancelled their last planned Toronto tour date from a couple of years ago.

King Cobb Steelie is set to release their fifth album "Destroy All Codes Now" on June 29, 2004 through Outside Music. A Canadian tour for the summer/early fall is being planned.

Did ya' hear? Mandy Moore has signed to Sire Records. Currently Sire Records hosts bands such as The Distillers and The Von Bondies. Sire was also The Smiths label in the past. Yes, Mandy Moore, of "I'm missing you like candy" and A Walk To Remember fame. Actually, it's not too surprising that Sire Records has given her chance since Mandy Moore has eclectic taste in music, as seen by her recent(well not that recent; more like fall of 2003) "Coverage" CD which features covers of songs by the likes of XTC, Blondie, Joni Mitchell and The Waterboys.