NYC & CMJ (October 23-24, 2010)

  School of Seven Bells @ Santos Party House, NYC: photo by Michael Ligon

For the record, let's wrap up my fifth and final day in NYC and CMJ, which took place over a month ago. Perusing some of the notes I jotted down in my iPhone, time and datestamped 2 am on October 24, I wrote:

"Today it was Broadway and back to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Vegan day party and wandering, the back to the Lower East Side to the Cake Shop, a walk on the QueensWilliamsburg Bridge at sunset, picking up dinner at Tiny's Giant Sandwiches ( http://bit.ly/ck3wVL ) then night time at Santos Party House. NYC and CMJ it's been swell."

While the previous four days all had it's high points, the fifth day/night was a near perfect experience to end off my trip. The Brooklyn Vegan day party at Public Assembly in Williamsburg began for me with a satisfying solo set from Ted Leo, with the added bonus of Ted asking me to hand him his drink part way through which I did successfully without dropping it and making a fool of myself. I stayed at Public Assembly for a few more set including a satisying though energetically muted set from Australian indiepop group The Crayon Fields with lead vocalist Geoff O'Connor mentioning that their setlist was written up on napkins then made a humourous remark (in his slightly fey, dry tone) that the set would be 'very clean' (or something along those lines). Injecting the festivities with a good dose of energy was Nashville's Heavy Cream featuring a 3/4 female membership who played a thoroughly enjoyable set of old school punk rock and a snarling female lead vocalist. Met a girl who worked at Criminal Records in Atlanta who I chatted with in between sets and then I headed out to the main room which was packed to catch what I could of Titus Andronicus' set. Back to the Lower East Side and Cake Shop I went to try to catch an afternoon set from A Classic Education who's set I either missed or never happened so I grabbed a beer before heading out to wander the neighbourhood. I took a relaxing walk to the middle of the Williamsburg Bridge as the sun went down, then grabbed a delicious pulled pork sandwich at Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop part of which I'd scarf down as I waited for the first band to come on at Santos Party House, for The Windish Agency CMJ showcase.

That final night, while featuring some more than decent acts, also included some sporadic socializing and I guess when one's in a strange city all by one's self, it does somehow motivate one to come out of one's shell. So yes, I did get to talking briefly with a cute Asian local girl with a camera and then a lengthier conversation with a bubbly Chicagoan lovely who I was standing beside near the front of the stage. The music was almost an afterthought, but overall the band lineup made for a musically varied and satisfying evening. Although the first band Los Angeles' Superhumanoids I thought had a terrible name, they did prove to be a satisfying musical act with boy-girl vocals and a dreamy pop sound to boot. Knoxville, Tennessee trio Royal Bangs seemed hell-bent on bringing the rock after the first band, and somehow live seemed a little less interesting than what I'd heard on their MySpace. Local up and comers Cults were the first band I was interested (and as it seemed so were many others in the audience also eagerly awaiting them) this night in seeing live and their stripped down brand of Motown-ish indie pop did impress in the end.

Rounding out the night were two Brooklyn acts that really need no introduction to most of you, first with dream-pop shoegazers Asobi Seksu who played a blistering set with the stage enguled in purplish and reddish hues, then rounding out the night was School of Seven Bells(the duo of Alejandra Deheza and Benjamin Curtis, with touring drummer Zachary Saginaw) with their sultry, rhythmic, electro-fied, guitar driven dream pop, who could very well be my new favourite current band if only I ever get around to buying their most recent album, this year's Disconnect From Desires. The occasion was made even more special as the band's drummer Zachary Saginaw announced to the audience that he had something important to ask his girlfriend, and after several tense minutes of waiting for his girlfriend(who was apparently backstage somewhere) to come on to the stage, everyone knew what was about to happen and he asked her to marry him to which she did say yes. The band continued on with an encore, and then it was over. I decided to end things off on that high note, so no late night sets for me since I had to get up the next morning to pack and get to the airport. Much thanks to the random people I met, to all the bands I saw during the festival who put on great sets, and to well the New York City for being it's wonderful, diverse and spectacular self. We shall meet again.

Photos: NYC & CMJ (October 23-24, 2010)
MySpace: Ted Leo
MySpace: The Crayon Fields
MySpace: Heavy Cream
MySpace: Superhumanoids
MySpace: Royal Bangs
MySpace: Asobi Seksu
MySpace: School of Seven Bells

NXNE 2008 - Day 2

concert review: NXNE @ various venues (Toronto, Ontario), June 13, 2008

The Pack A.D. @ Sneaky Dee's (June 13, 2008)


Ted Leo and The Pharmacists [MySpace] @ Yonge Dundas Square (9 pm)

It was a dream come true for me that NXNE got Ted Leo and The Pharmacists to play a free set in the heart of downtown Toronto. Ted and the group played mostly old faves plus several new tunes with the incendiary spunk they're known for and one of the musical highlights was their integration of Daft Punk's "One More Time" during one of their own tunes(which title escapes me at the moment). I half expected some political banter though Ted did make some some humourous comments along the lines that Canada's motto should be the country of polite discourse, making some sort of reference to some comments being made to him by fans near the front of the stage. Ironically, there was some older man in the crowd waving an American flag and spitting out expletives about Canada I think and and how the US was better, or at least that's what I think he said. A little later on, some younger guy started ingratiating himself to that older guy, then suddenly took the US flag out of the guy's hand and threw it away and then had a laugh about it. He had it coming. As the thunderstorm clouds gather over us the rain started to fall slowly and then faster as Ted and the band finished out their set in fine rock n' roll fashion just as the full-on downpour began. Good thing I had my umbrella.

Great Lake Swimmers [MySpace] @ Reverb (10 pm)

I originally had nothing on my sched for 10 pm but with the torrential downpour I decided to go to the Reverb to check out the pastoral, folk-rock sounds of Great Lake Swimmers, moreso because it was only a streetcar ride down Queen St for me (and no I hadn't even realized the irony of the torrential downpour and seeing Great Lake Swimmers). Playing as part of a CBC Radio showcase, I only managed to catch a few songs of Tony Dekker and his band who were playing to a packed house. Following Great Lake Swimmers was Toronto's Laura Barrett. I wonder how much of a crowd stuck around for her because it seemed like half the crowd(me included, though I was only leaving because I wanted to check out Young and Sexy at Sneaky Dee's) was exiting the venue after Great Lake Swimmers' set.

Young and Sexy [MySpace] @ Sneaky Dee's (11 pm)

I've been meaning to see Young and Sexy live for a while and had managed to miss every one of their past shows in Toronto. I'm not particular familiar with their catalog save for a select few songs but still those few songs I've heard were impressive works of pop sophistication albeit performed with an air of nonchalance. I've read accounts that they aren't a great live band, and perhaps on a certain level they don't have much of a live show, but like seeing that other west coast pop band The New Pornographers, sometimes the songs are enough. Young and Sexy had some nice melodies, with instrumentation that was sometimes airy but other times adding a little more intensity. Some insane fan at the front of the stage was dancing up a storm, initially entertaining, but then it was just a distraction. Vocalist Lucy Brain acknowledged him and mentioned to the crowd that he was a superfan from back west who came to many of their shows.

The Pack A.D. [MySpace] @ Sneaky Dee's (12 am)

I stuck around for The Pack A.D. who I'd heard good things about and the female guitar/drums duo did not disappoint. They were one of my favourite sets of the festival. The White Stripes comparisons are accurate but more specifically only as it relates to The White Stripes garage rock interpretation of the blues. Guitarist plays with a fiery intensity, playing some great guitar riffs and bluesy slide guitar and she sings like Janis Joplin, while drummer Maya Miller keeps the beats simple allowing Becky's voice and guitar to really take centre stage. Fave moment of the night was when Becky laid her guitar on the floor and strummed it with reckless abandon.

The Diableros [MySpace] @ Silver Dollar (1 am)

This was the first time in a while of seen The Diableros live and the first time since the personnel changes in The Diableros who's only original members are founder Pete and guitarist Ian, and now add Keith[on guitar] of Hamilton Trading Company, Mike [on drums] of Proof of Ghosts and Craig [on organ] of Fjord Rowboat. The songs blend of groaning organ, ringing and washes of guitar and Pete Carmichael's vocal yelp were great to get acquainted with although it seemed they played mostly newer songs becaues I think I only recognized one tune off of their debut. With the addition of Mike on drums, he's added a little more rhythmic texture as I'd always found orginal drummer Phoebe Lee more simplistic - not a bad thing per se, but I think I like Mike's drumming better.

Check out my photos from Day Two of NXNE over at my Flickr.

Me and You and a Bottle of Buckie

concert review: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, The Constantines @ Berkeley Church (Toronto, Ontario), April 3, 2008

Last Thursday, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists and The Constantines made up a dynamite double-bill for a taping of Beautiful Noise down at Berkeley Church. On any other night at any other venue, that double-bill would be an all-out foundations-shaker but I got the impression that both artists were holding back just a tad. After all this was television. But if they were a little more reserved than usual, they still exuded a visceral live energy that's lacking in a lot of other bands on their best nights.

The Constantines opened up the night in fine fashion with "Young Lions" with other memorable songs of the night including "Hotline Operator", "Working Full-Time", and "Young Offenders". Bry worked in some humorous banter here and there including his admission that he and the band were wearing makeup which drew a chuckle from the crowd. I've seen The Cons live a few times now and this set they were relatively more subdued. Sure, more than a few people took part during the the verse of 'Can I Get A Witness?!' during "Young Offenders" but overall the set wasn't the sweat-fest I'm used to seeing The Cons. A few new tunes(I'm assuming off their newest album "Kensington Heights") were performed whose unfamiliarity to me is only adding to the difficulty for me in spitting out this review. One relevatory moment for me though, was during "Hotline Operator", probably my favourite song of the evening - The Constantines make a kick-ass soul band. I should make mention that Bry's parents[well, I think they were] were in the audience, and his father especially, whooped it up almost louder than anyone. Now, that's parental encouragement.

As I'd mentioned back in October 2007 about Ted Leo and The Pharmacists' show at The Mod Club, I'd reached a point that I said I needed a break from seeing them live. At that point I'd already seen Ted Leo live five time(that Mod Club show making it six times) and while it's always an enjoyable experience to see Ted Leo live, his set list was becoming overly familiar. Not much necessarily changed set-list wise this time, with much of the set concentrating on his most recent disc "Living With The Living", with some scattershot older 'hits' like "Me and Mia", "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?" and "Timorous Me", but I guess time makes the heart grow fonder. I wasn't as impatient as last time about hearing these songs again; I still wished he delve deeped into his catalogue every now and then. Like The Constantines, Ted also took an opportunity to introduce some new material which likely will be on the next album, apparently to come out this September(at least from what I'd overheard a young audience member mention). Perhaps the greatest part of the show was watching the reaction/participation of the younger crowd at the front of the stage, whether it be a top-of-the-lungs shout of 'Bomb.Repeat.Bomb' or the group of four young ladies at that front that danced with gleeful abandon. To be sixteen again and have a reaction like this.

MySpace: The Constantines
MySpace: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists

Living With The Living

concert review: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Georgie James @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario), October 7, 2007



Before Sunday night's show, I'd already seen Ted Leo and The Pharmacists live five times[1,2,3,4,5], and at this point it's almost redundant to even review this most recent one. Let's first say, a Ted Leo show, is a Ted Leo show - it's always a good time. Still continuing with the 4-member line-up he brought to town the last time he was at The Mod Club back in May but now with new bassist Marty Violence(who replaced long-time bassist Dave Lerner who left The Pharmacists this year), Ted and the band were as incendiary as ever, playing many fan-favourites mostly from the last three albums but also reaching back to "The Tyranny of Distance". The encore included Ted's now familiar covers of The Pogues' "Dirty Old Town"(which Ted performed solo) and Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device". It's been 6 times now that I've seen Ted Leo live. A personal best for me. At this point in time, Ted's general set is so overly familiar that I'd wish he'd play some of his less-performed tunes(eg. "The Crane Takes Flight") but otherwise I think I'm going to take a break from seeing him live at least until after he releases a new album.

Openers for the show were Washington, DC pop group Georgie James, who recently released their newest album "Places" through Saddle Creek. The five piece features the frontperson duo of keyboardist Laura Burhenn[who I'd predict could be indie rock's next big girl-crush] and guitarist John Davis. It was an impressive set of sunny pop melodies and girl-boy vocals backed by vibrant(but never twee) rock instrumentation. I'd love to see them again when they (hopefully)come back to Toronto.

My photos from the show over at Flickr.

For further details on the show check out cuttingandwitty.com.

MySpace: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
MySpace: Georgie James

Bomb Repeat Bomb

concert review: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists @ The Mod Club(Toronto, Ontario), May 2, 2007

I went to the Ted Leo and The Pharmacists show last Wednesday(May 2, 2007). I missed first openers Tusks(from Toronto), and caught only a few songs of young Melbourne, Australian trio Love of Diagrams' wiry post-punk but Ted Leo and The Pharmacists' set alone made it an enjoyable evening. The last few times I've seen Ted Leo/Rx it's been as a trio but this time around they were joined by James Canty(of French Toast, Make-Up, Nation of Ulysees) on guitar. The addition of a second guitar resulted in even more blistering versions of songs like "Sons of Cain", "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?", and "Bomb Repeat Bomb". The set list was a good mix of Ted's last four albums("Living For The Living", "Shake The Sheets", "Hearts of Oak", and "The Tyranny of Distance") and included new song "Old Souls Know" plus a few cover songs(The Pogues' "Dirty Old Town" and Chumbawamba's "Rappaport's Testament: I Never Gave Up") during the encore. I've seen Ted Leo live several times and his banter's sort of hit and miss, but this night he had a few zingers - the city of Hamilton, ON got bit twice(poor Hamiltonians, but it was mostly in jest). Ted also said he didn't like the Raptors(but then he said he wasn't necessarily a fan of his hometown New Jersey Nets either, so it's all fair). Eye Weekly and Chartattack reviewed the show so go read their reviews for more specifics accounts on the show. I'm just too lazy at the moment - let's just say, Ted was sweating buckets so you know he was giving it his all. By the way, I've found a new use for my digital camera - I recorded short video clips of each song in the set to help me compile the set list afterwards. I won't bother posting the video clips since they're crappy at best, but the set list is below(and as accurate as I could make it out):

Set List
The Sons of Cain / Dial Up / Me and Mia / Army Bound / Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone? / Old Souls Know / Coleen / The High Party / Annunciation Day - Born on Christmas Day / Bomb Repeat Bomb / Counting Down The Hours / Hearts of Oak / Little Dawn / Bottle of Buckie / Unwanted Things / Biomusicology

Encore
Dirty Old Town / Timourous Me / Walking To Do / Rappaport's Testament: I Never Gave Up (Chumbawamba cover)

MySpace: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
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Upcoming confirmed shows at Harbourfront Centre - Hawksley Workman will play a free show on June 4, Toronto's Do Make Say Think will be there on Canada Day(along with the previously announced, Final Fantasy), and Ninja Tune's The Cinematic Orchestra will perform as part of the Beats, Breaks and Culture festival sometime between July 6 and 8(my guess is that they'll headline on July 7 which is a Saturday night).

Australian outfit Radio Birdman (apparently legendary in their home country) will be touring North America in June and July and will make a stop for a show in Toronto at Lee's Palace on July 6.

Victoria, BC's Immaculate Machine make their return towards the east coast starting at the end of July and will be in Toronto for a show at Horseshoe Tavern on August 1.

Thanks to A Quiet Revolution for pointing me towards video of Jenn Grant performing on Halifax live show Pop In Sessions. Her debut album "Orchestra For The Moon" comes out on May 15 and Jenn will be back in Toronto for a show at Horseshoe Tavern(with Royal Wood and Tanya Davis) on June 15.

Head over to The Musebox to submit an entry to win tickets to Dinosaur Jr.'s upcoming show in Toronto at Phoenix Concert Theatre on June 8. Check out the CBS website for the band's live performace of new song "Almost Ready" on Late Show With David Letterman.

Who Do You Love

The new Ted Leo and The Pharmacists album "Living With The Living"(Touch and Go) is out tomorrow in Canada. Ted Leo is featured in the new issue of Punk Planet(print magazine) where he discusses touring, politics and the "power of song to create change". Chartattack had a Q & A with Ted recently while Pitchfork kept things more casual and picked Ted's brain for his favourite music and such. To get you in the mood for the new album, here's some live video of Ted performing a few of the new songs solo:

YouTube: Ted Leo - 'A Bottle of Buckie' (live solo @ AOL The Interface)
YouTube: Ted Leo - 'Who Do You Love' (live solo @ AOL The Interface)

The full Interface session can be heard/download here. Video from the session(including Ted interviewing for a Job at AOL) can be seen here.

AOL Spinner is also currently streaming "Living With The Living" in its entirety.

Of course, there's Ted Leo's MySpace where you can listen to several tracks off the new album.

Ted speaks out about being a vegan.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists will be in Toronto for a show at The Mod Club on May 2, tickets onsale now.