You know, ever since I finally caught Neko Case live earlier this year at the Phoenix, I regret having missed her on her previous excursions through town. Now I'm determined to try to catch her each and every time she comes to Toronto(or vicinity). I thought Harbourfront would be an interesting venue. A metropolitan area lakeside venue doesn't necessarily conjure images of down-home country performances but it turned out to be quite decent. The crowd mix was an interesting combination of indie-types, yuppies, older folk and other assorted music fans, and I didn't spot anyone that necessarily fit the country-music stereotype. The New Country 95.3 was sponsoring the event, but as I overheard someone near me express, does that radio station even play Neko Case? Maybe they have on occasion, but aren't they a 'new country' station? I got to Harbourfront in plenty of time to grab a great seat near the front. Patience is a virtue, and I'm glad I got there early to grab a good spot, but damn those metal seats are uncomfortable after a while.Openers, the Corb Lund Band came on a little after 8 pm. They had none of the interesting wardrobe that say Neko Case's Boyfriends, The Sadies have. My initial guess of their country music would have been more along the lines of what you hear on CMT and to a certain extent that was true. However, their music turned out to be a pleasant surprise. For the most part, the music hit its marks well with generous doses of pedal steel and twangy guitar, and equal amounts of twangy(but not too twangy) lead vocals from Corb Lund. The guitar player was pretty versatile with a great arsenal of sounds from the usual twangy arrangements to a great slide-guitar technique. The most interesting contribution instrumentally was the stand-up bass, the bassist with great finger plucking rhythms but at one point also pulling out the bow for an almost classically-influenced arrangement. Lyrically, Corb was a hoot singing songs about drinking whisky and beer, getting a pickup truck out of the mud, and a song about his horse. Although the music of Corb Lund and his band of "Hurtin' Albertans" is a little more hokey than I usually like my 'country' music, their musicianship is undeniable and there was enough lyrical wit to place them a cut above the usual country fare.
If Neko never makes it to the Grand Ole Opry, at least this performance felt like what I might imagine it would be like. If Neko's tours of small and midsize clubs(like her show at the Phoenix) came off like down-home country barn-burners, in contrast, there was something almost majestic seeing Neko Case and The Sadies up on the large stage of Harbourfront. The Sadies(well, at least the Good brothers) were dressed to the nines with their modest but cool suits. In contrast, Neko was alot more casual with her red t-shirt, sporty slacks and black low-cut Converse. She was very girl-ish, almost unassuming, but as the opening notes of her vocals shot through the PA system, there was an other-worldliness quality that commanded the audience's attention. Seriously, on especially the slower ballads like "Make Your Bed" for example, I literally got goosebumps. Highlights of the night included "The Tigers Have Spoken", "Train From Kansas City"(an audience request) and the scorching "Rated X". Neko and The Sadies also played a selection of great new tunes which should appear on her next album, which I think is scheduled for this fall. All in all, a very satisfying show on a beautiful summer evening by the lake. [photos]
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The Tofu Hut has an interview with Feist. [via Brooklynvegan]
Download a torrent of Broken Social Scene's free show at Harbourfront in Toronto from last summer(Aug 27, 2004). [via Brooklynvegan via Largehearted Boy]
The Big Ticket has an mp3 of Ted Leo/Pharmacists performing a cover of Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device" as well as an mp3 of a full band version of "Loyal To My Sorrowful Country" which Ted originally performed solo on the "Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead" EP . The rest of the Ted Leo-themed post is also quite insightful.
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