Eleanor Friedberger, Teen @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (June 5, 2013)

   Teen: photo by Michael Ligon

Let's time warp back to the beginning of June when a NYC double-bill took over the Horseshoe Tavern, with the Brooklyn-based band TEEN opening for Eleanor Friedberger. TEEN [yes, in all caps] is the project of Kristina Lieberson, keyboardist for Here We Go Magic and whose membership also includes her sisters Katherine and Lizzie as well as member Jane Herships [taking time out of her own folk project Spider]. A bit of a schizophrenic approach musically from a base of guitar, drums, keyboards, bass and vocals, their songs varied from new-wavey, synth-pop to artier, more idiosyncratic excursions. For the sake of a song or two, vocalist Lieberson provided some interesting vocal inflections. Adventurous listening but perhaps a bit frustrating if all you want to do is hum along. The band's most debut full-length In Limbo (produced by Spaceman3′s Sonic Boom) was released through Washington,DC label Carpark Records in August 2012.


   Eleanor Friedberger: photo by Michael Ligon

The last time I'd seen Eleanor Friedberger live was during the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City this past October during which she performed solo but it was just over a year ago that I'd last seen her perform with a band when she played a show at the Garrison. Comparing her recent show with her set at the Garrison last year, it was quite apparent how much more engaging she was, and how much more fun she seemed to have this time around. It wasn't like a night-and-day difference between the two shows - the improved vibe of this show was far more subtle than that - but to me it made a world of difference. In support of her second full-length entitled Personal Record, she continues to hone the pop-craftmanship [alternating between upbeat and melancholy] that she mastered on her first LP Last Summer. My lack of notes for this show makes it difficult to really review it set-wise but a perusal of the her set lists on setlist.com around that time[eg. her set list in Chicago @ Empty Bottle on June 7] seem to indicate she was playing the same/similar set list across different stops on the tour ie. an even mix of songs between the first and second albums. I bought the vinyl of the new record and even got Eleanor to sign it for me after the show. Still a small but loyal fan base in Toronto it seems, it was a decent turnout for the Wednesday night of this show, a larger turnout I'd estimate than the maybe half-full turnout for her show at the Garrison last year. Criminally under-appreciated in my opinion, but for now I'll bask in the glow of being in that club of her early supporters.

Photos: Eleanor Friedberger, Teen @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (June 5, 2013)
Bandcamp: Teen
SoundCloud: Eleanor Friedberger
Video: Teen - "Better" (music video)
Video: Eleanor Friedberger - "Stare At The Sun" (music video)

Canadian Musicfest - BADBADNOTGOOD, Cookie Duster @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 23, 2013)

  Cookie Duster: photo by Michael Ligon

It took a while but here's the last part of my coverage of this year's Canadian Musicfest. I ended this year's festival, as a traditionally do, on the Saturday night and dropped anchor at the Horseshoe Tavern for two sets. At about a quarter past eleven, Toronto's Cookie Duster took to the stage. You can read up on the history of the band here but this is the project of Brendan Canning(of Broken Social Scene) and Bernard Maiezza, and the current lineup includes Jeen O'Brien, guitarist Matt Murphy(of Superfriendz) and drummer Damon Richardson (Danko Jones). I couldn't help but feel an Emily-Haines vibe emanating from vocalist O'Brien - she sang wide-mouthed with enthusiasm, and perhaps not as much swagger as Haines, but it appeared she was trying. It wasn't hard to imagine some of these songs as Broken Social Scene songs - songs that went from sprawling, to groove-based, and others which definitely presented their distinct pop choruses. The band's single "Two Feet Stand Up" from the lineup's 2012 full-length LP When Flying Was Easy was one of the more infectious songs I'd heard in a long time and I was glad to hear it live. Not everything was as instantly catching as that but in the end I thought the variety was refreshing. While one might think of the band as a supergroup of sorts, I really felt the members gelled well together.

Photos: Cookie Duster @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 23, 2013)
Facebook: Cookie Duster
Twitter: Cookie Duster
Video: Cookie Duster - Two Feet Stand Up (Official Video)


  BADBADNOTGOOD: photo by Michael Ligon

With Cookie Duster's competent warm-up, I was ready to end the night with Toronto's BADBADNOTGOOD. Having missed seeing them live on numerous occasions, I made up my mind that this would be the night I would finally catch them. Comprised of Matthew Tavares on keys, Chester Hansen on bass, and Alexander Sowinski on drums, and on that night also including a Leland Whitty on sax and flute, the band worked the crowd hard with their sublime mix of free jazz, hip hop, groove. This was the band's first show ever at the Horseshoe Tavern, and there were moments of intense feeling in the crowd as individuals tried, with only partial success, to get a mosh pit going. As the band approached the conclusion of their set and appropriately prepped the crowd for one final blast of their sonic, almost punk-ish, fury, the crowd took the cue, a mosh pit broke out and in a fit of spontaneity I threw myself into it. Not the first time I've done that but not something I've done very often either, and but the rush you get from it is unlike no other. Yes, I ended up spraining my right foot [I think somebody stepped on my foot] and it took me several days before the pain subsided to a tolerable level, but it was totally worth it.

Photos: BADBADNOTGOOD @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 23, 2013)
Facebook: BADBADNOTGOOD
Twitter: BADBADNOTGOOD
Bandcamp: BADBADNOTGOOD
Video: BADBADNOTGOOD - UWM (Feat. Leland Whitty)
MP3: BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2 (full album) *

* or go to the band's website to download BBNG2 in CD quality format

Lowell, Savages @ Canadian Musicfest, Toronto (March 22, 2013)

  Lowell: photo by Michael Ligon

On the Friday night of Canadian Musicfest, I chose quality over quantity, only checking out two sets that night, but both buzz-worthy acts that in my opinion lived up to the hype. First up was Toronto singer-songwriter Lowell at Lee's Palace who was totally unknown to me before the festival. According to the her bio on the Canadian Musicfest website, over 4 days in April 2012, she worked in the studio with Grammy award winning producer Martin Terefe and the other members of the Apparatjik collective (Magne F (Aha), Guy Berryman (Coldplay) and Jonas Bjerre (MEW)) to create a mini-album entitled Apparatjik Presents lowell: if you_ _ can, 5olve thi5 jumble?, her debut which was released in late October 2012. Tagged as one to watch in 2013 by The Grid TO, she's only 21 years young but has already made some headway in Europe. Lowell's multiple appearances during this past Canadian Musicfest were apparently her first live shows in her hometown, and by what I heard at Lee's Palace that night, I was impressed. With a bank of keyboards in front of her and with a drummer accompanying her, it was a no-frills performance of subtle rhythms, whirring keyboards and Lowell's girlish vocals. I don't recall if she played her rhythmic pop single "Shake Him Off" but I can hear why she often has been compared to Swedish singer Lykke Li. I didn't quite get a full helping of her music since I arrived to the venue a little after she started her 9:30 pm set [the venue already being at almost 75% capacity] and her set seemed all-too-brief, but I look forward to checking her out live again. I'm usually hard to impress when it comes to artists / bands that are that young, so to come out of her set with my interest piqued was a nice surprise.

Photos: Lowell @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (March 22, 2013)
Facebook: Lowell
Twitter: Lowell
Video: Lowell - "Shake Him Off" (music video)


  Savages: photo by Michael Ligon

Next up on my agenda were buzz act Savages from London, England who were scheduled to play a set at the Horseshoe Tavern at around 10 after 11 pm. This was the first of two appearance they had scheduled during the festival [they played a midnight set at Lee's Palace the night after]. I'd gone to the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City in October of last year and Savages were actually one of the buzziest acts of the festival, and I managed to not catch any of their appearances so I definitely thought I should make up for that. As dangerous-sounding as their name implies, the all-female four-piece consisting of Jehnny Beth on vocals, Ayse Hassan on bass guitar, Fay Milton on drums & Gemma Thompson on guitar, specialized in a spiky post-punk sound that had echoes of Siouxsie and The Banshees, Joy Division, Gang of Four, and Public Image Limited. The band had appropriately dark attire to go with their dark post-punk sound, Jehnny's stark vocal attack like a sonic punch in the face, while the band with Fay's propulsive drumming, Ayse rumbling bass, and Gemma's spiky guitar sound, sliced through the air. While Jehnny had an air of perhaps being a bit scary, she was really only like that when she zoned in to her vocal performance - she was quite thankful to the audience, the few times she spoke to us. I was too young in the late 70's / early 80's to have experienced the post-punk era first-hand, but this I imagine may have been the closest facsimile, minus the smartphone cameras that a good number of audience members had of course. The band's debut full-length entitled Silence Yourself is set to be released on May 7 via Beth's own label Pop Noire and through Matador Records.

Facebook: Savages
Twitter: Savages
Video: Savages - "Husbands" (live on Later with Jools Holland, 2nd October 2012)

The Old 97's, Teddy Thompson @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 6, 2011)

  The Old 97's @ Horseshoe Tavern: photo by Michael Ligon

Update[April 18/2011, 12:31 am]: Review now up.

While I'd barely caught on to the No Depression movement during its first wave except for hearing Uncle Tupelo's song "Whisky Bottle" off a promo cassette including with an issue of Alternative Press [back when it was a good magazine], I really started digging the alt-country scene in the mid-to-late 1990's with bands like Wilco, The Jayhawks, and a little ol' band called The Old 97's. I remember coming across a used copy of the band's debut major label album (but 3rd studio effort) entitled Too Far To Care in a Cash Converters. I'm not sure exactly what it was that convinced me to pick it up but I was immediately blown away by it's raucaus lead-off track "Timebomb" and by melancholy tear-jerker country ballads like "Salome". It was 1997 since that album came out and while Wilco, and to a lesser extent The Jayhawks had gone on to greater popularity, The Old 97's remained in relative obscurity, eventually their major label deal with Elektra records ending three albums in with 2004's Drag It Up and the band recording with the LA-based New West Records ever since. A fellow concert-goer reminded me that it was strange how the band never went on to greater popularity if but on the lady-killer looks of it's frontman Rhett Miller. I don't recall how often the band have played Toronto but the last opportunity to catch a configuration of the band was back in November when The Old 97's Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond were scheduled to play the El Mocambo and it got cancelled, so rather than let another opportunity slip away, there I was at the band's show at the Horseshoe Tavern on April 6.

I arrived a little into opener Teddy Thompson's set. It was only after I started researching that I found out he was the son of musical couple Richard and Linda Thompson and with such a pedigree, you'd expect some musical talent, and Teddy does definitely have it. With a competent although rather unspectacular rhythm section accompanying him, they performed a selection of originals mixed in with a cover of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" illustrating Thompson's supple guitar playing and melodic vocals. Thompson's music, a mixture of country, folk, and jangly Byrds-influenced pop music, hits all the right notes in terms of authenticity and I found myself impressed with his songwriting but at the same time, it felt somewhat faceless, like I've heard it before. Already five albums into his career, his most recent being this year's Bella released this past February, Thompson continues to promote his musical wares, although ironically even part of Thompson's banter was a self-deprecating reference to his stalled musical career.

The Old 97's are vastly underappreciated in my opinion, but I fully expected a full-house for The Old 97's show at the Horseshoe a week and a half ago. As it turned out, there was a good loyal crowd on-hand but not the sell-out as I'd hoped. A mixed crowd of young-uns and older fans, the band consisting of Rhett Miller – lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Murry Hammond (bass guitar, occasional lead vocals, backup vocals, Ken Bethea (lead guitar) and Philip Peeples (drums and backup vocals) tore through a set including encore that lasted almost two hours by my count. The setlist included a bunch from their most recent album The Grand Theatre Volume One but with their indie album Wreck Your Life and their major label debut Too Far To Care getting multiple representation with some scattershot songs from a few of their albums plus a cover of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" also being included in the setlist.

Guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples were the more energetic of the foursome, tearing ferociously at times through their guitar and drum arrangements, although frontman Rhett Miller was no slouch at the mic, often his arm in mini-windmill motion against his drum strings. Bassist Murry Hammond was the most laid-back of the bunch but when he took to the mic accompanying himself for a rendition of "Valentine" it was one of the finest moments of the night. The Too Far To Care songs seemed to be the most popular of the night so when approximately nine songs into the set twang-inflected "Barrier Reef" finally showed up, the crowd perked up.

My only criticism of the night was that overall, the crowd while appreciative, was just too mellow. So while crowd faves like "Doreen", "Four Leaf Clover", "Rollerskate Skinny", "Big Brown Eyes", and "Timebomb" were everything an Old 97's could have asked for, I wished the crowd showed more energy. Especially, during encore closer "Timebomb", I'd have hoped the crowd would have been ALL OVER THAT and have collapsed in a bucket of sweat, but it did not happen. Such a reaction, or lack thereof, I won't necessarily blame on a Toronto apathetic music audience but really more on old age. But, hey if Rolling Stone fans of the elder generation can still bust a move during their shows, why can't older Old 97's fans do the same?

Photos: The Old 97's, Teddy Thompson @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 6, 2011)
MySpace: Teddy Thompson
MySpace: The Old 97's

Cults, Magic Kids, Superhumanoids @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 4, 2011)

  Magic Kids: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [April 12/2011, 11:40 pm]: Sorry for the delay. Review is now up.

I didn't know exactly what sort of turnout to expect for the show at the Horseshoe Tavern last week on Monday night. Its headliners Cults, and middle act of the night Magic Kids have both had their own share of buzz and press, but I heard nary a peep about this show from the local press leading up to it. And with that night bringing some nasty weather, I thought that would have scared a few people away but in the end I was pleasantly surprised that at least by the time the second act of the night Magic Kids hit the stage, the 'Shoe had a healthy turnout.

The bands bookending the night(first openers Superhumanoids, and headliners Cults) were bands that soundtracked my last night of CMJ in New York City last October. Los Angeles four-piece Superhumanoids were the tightest band of the night in my opinion, and while they may have protypical melodic indie sound propelling their songs along with boy-girl vocals, guitar, bass and keys they do it well. They don't quite fall into dream-pop territory but there was a certain dreamy quality to their songs, mostly with the vocals of lone female member Sarah Chernoff and her keyboards, while the guitars(courtesy of male vocalist Cameron Parkins and the rhythm section(bassist Max St. John and drummer Evan Weinerman) had a bit more muscularity to even out things. It was a sparse crowd at this early point in the evening which is a shame that more people didn't catch them. Next time Toronto.

Memphis, Tennessee buzz band Magic Kids were up next and while headliners Cults were the band most people were there to see, there also seemed to be some palpable excitement for Magic Kids as well. The band's 2010 single, the Brian Wilson-influenced "Hey, Boy" was one of my favourite songs of last year and although I never really got around to listening to the rest of their debut-full-length Memphis, if the rest of the album was anything like that single, I'd expect it to be a good set. The quite young-looking outfit led by lanky frontman Bennett Foster dressed in ripped denim jeans, and slim denim jacket buttoned up and the rest of the band were dressed comfortably, with a certain hipster, geek-chic quality, The band ripped through a fun set of pop music, bowing to the alter of Brian Wilson melodically, with a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs' in the vocals, melodic keyboard arrangements, ramshackle guitar and bass and overall played looser and more casual than I'd heard them on record. With two keyboards setup in the middle of the stage for later use in the set, main keyboardist Will McElroy was set up at stage left with violinist/vocalist Alice Buchanan beside him, with drummer Ben Bauermeister at the back of the stage, and frontman Bennett Foster, guitarist Alex Gates, and bassist Michael Peery taking up center to stage right. With Bennett, Alex and Michael lined up the right side of the stage together, it was an interesting configuration to see all three approach their mics at the same time to sing together. I've read the band described as a budget Beach Boys which is somewhat apt as although the band does possess a similar melodic sensibility, vocally and instrumentally they are a lot less precise. But they who says they were trying to be. Fun, fun, fun.

Somewhere along the lines between the first time New York group Cults played in Toronto last August at the Horseshoe and this show, the band has garnered a following. I'd already picked up on that when I saw them during CMJ last October, although part of the excitement in the crowd that time also had to do with they were a hometown band. But yes, Toronto has taken a liking to them. According to their Facebook page, Cults is offically the project of vocalist Madeline Follin and guitarist/vocalist Brian Oblivion, but as a touring act at least for this show were rounded out with a drummer, bassist and second guitarist. The band straddled between Motown-ish pop influences ("Go Outside", "Most Wanted") with a more blues-y, rock sound and wasn't afraid of a bit of reverb. The band(other than vocalist Follin) were perceivably and actually young but at least felt like a band and were up to the task as musicians. On the other hand, while vocalist Follin did impress with her strong vocal dexterity, her way-youthful appearance and wholesome stage presence formed a bit of a disconnect with the rock n' roll frontwoman presence she perhaps was trying to achieve. Vocally, FOllin excercised her vocal pipes with an abundance of melodic and blues-y tones, with the emotions that coincided visible in her facial expressions, but part of me also wished she'd cut loose physically in a fit of euphoric release a la Janis Joplin. Aside from such criticisms, it was a brief but enjoyable set and for the night overall, a more than satisfying indie triple-bill.

Photos: Cults, Magic Kids, Superhumanoids @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 4, 2011)
MySpace: Superhumanoids
MySpace: Magic Kids
MySpace: Cults

The Vaselines, Schwervon! @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (October 30, 2010)

  The Vaselines @ Horseshoe Tavern: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [Nov 8/2010, 11:23 pm]: Review now up.

Connotations of sex dominated the Horseshoe Tavern last Saturday Night with ahem, The Vaselines, the night's headliners, and openers Schwervon! whose band name I'm not aware of its meaning but for all I know could mean something totally dirty. Scottish indiepoppers The Vaselines were in town promoting their new Sub Pop full-length Sex With An X, an album title already keeping consistent with the night's theme.

To be more accurate, it wasn't so much the night's music that was sexually charged as it was the humourous banter from both acts. Due to a family emergency of Dum Dum Girls' frontwoman Dee Dee her band had to cancel some dates including their opening slot for this show, so this is where New York band Schwervon! stepped in. Not as lovey-dovey onstage as the only other husband-and-wife indie rock duo I can think of, Mates of State, Schwervon!'s Nan Turner on drums/vocals and Major Matt on guitar/vocals there was still a cuteness factor to it, especially when Turner stated that her and Major were a couple, as if it was something we should know. It was Nan that kept up the spontaneous banter, with a bit of a nervousness behind it but ultimately endearing, and sometimes funny when she mentioned that they slept with openers The Vaselines the night before. Schwervon! played a decent brand of garage pop with harmonized vocals, for the most part not so serious especially lyrically such as when they sang a song about love and food/cooking. They're definitely of the ilk of indie rock as I remembered it in the 90's ... very D.I.Y., not necessarily instrumentally accomplished but with definitely, or at least occasionally knack for some good songs. Not that indie rock these days is bad, in fact it's very good at times, but it seems today's indie rock is so much more serious.

The first and only time I'd previously seen The Vaselines live was at last year's Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. Playing a set that was primarily focused on their 'classic' material but also touching on the new album, I remember it being infectious and fun, and full of witty banter. In retrospect also, thinking of The Vaselines also just reminds me the dynamite city of Barcelona that I was in for over a week last year. Last year's set at Barcelona had The Vaselines' original members Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee but was also made extra special as their hired guns for the show were Sons and Daughters' drummer David Gow and Belle and Sebastian's Stevie Jackson and Bobby Kildea on lead and rhythm guitar(or was it bass?) respectively. For last week's set at the Horseshoe, Eugene and Frances were joined by two unknown indivudals to me on bass and lead guitar. Having only been casually aware of their 'classic' material, my impressions of the new material are that they don't differ too much sonically though I will say that live the band come off far more livelier and punchier than on record. I'm one of those fans that want to hear the recognizable material, although I won't necessarily vocalize it unless it feels appropriate, but I was glad to hear tracks like "Molly's Lips", "Son of a Gun", and "Jesus Don't Want Me For a Sunbeam".

Like last year's set at Primavera, one of the most memorable things about last week's show was The Vaselines' Frances McKee totally hilarious and at-times, sexually charged banter. She reminded me of actress Alyson Hannigan's character in American Pie...someone ordinary looking although cute enough but surprisingly a total horndog. If you were a first-timer to a Vaselines show, I'd imagine you'd never guess that Frances' banter would have included topics such as erections or sperm as skin care(yes, you read that last one correctly, even if Frances did not state in so many words)...those two topics should pull in some unsuspecting and ultimately disappointed Google'rs to my site. Ha. Playing off a comment made by Schwervon's Nan Turner earlier who said she and husband had slept with The Vaselines the night before, The Vaselines Frances McKee innocently expressed that yes they love them, then devilishly and cheekily added something along the lines that the bed's was gonna get moist that night. Elton John wrote "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" but if The Vaselines were to rewrite it they'd probably change the word 'fighting' to 'fucking'. And on that note, I'll just end this and say it was a good show for a Saturday night.

Photos: The Vaselines, Schwervon! @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (October 30, 2010)
MySpace: Schwervon!
MySpace: The Vaselines

Music Vice has a review and photos from the show as well as the set list.

Also here's some video from the show courtesy of afternoonsnacks.

Teenage Fanclub, Elephant Stone @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (September 23, 2010)

  Norman Blake & Gerard Love of Teenage Fanclub: photo by Michael Ligon

It's been a good five years since Scottich power popsters Teenage Fanclub last played Toronto touring their last album Man Made but with a new album to promote entitled Shadows, the band have once again hit the road, last week stopping in for a two-night stint at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. I was fortunate enough to take in the second night.

Opening the show were Montreal's Elephant Stone. Brainchild of Rishi Dhir, a founding member of Montreal psych-pop veterans The High Dials, Elephant Stone mined similar pysch-pop territory with the usual bass, keys, guitar, and drums but infusing their sound at times with sitar. With Dhir on sitar sitting on a raised platform onstage was somewhat of an odd spectacle in the Horseshoe Tavern of all places, and while Dhir's sitar licks were admirable, I found the instrument a bit at odds with the band's instrumentation at times - on a decent track like "Savage Soul", for me the sitar sticks out like a sore thumb. It was actually the sitar-less songs that made the stronger impact on me. It's probably no coincidence that given the band's name, they reminded me a lot of The Stone Roses circa their debut album and ultimately that provided me a level of satisfaction. But on the other hand, given the choice, I'd still rather listen to The Stone Roses.

Rereading my review of Teenage Fanclub's last show in Toronto at The Mod Club on July 25, 2005 I was reminded of my observations of the band at the time having grown older are far different from the scruffy long-haired lads I'd seen when they appeared on Saturday Night Live back in the early 90's. Five years later and that hasn't change; and in the case of vocalist Norman Blake, he's postively looking Dad-ish. On the other hand, Gerard Love looks as boy-ish as ever, while lead guitarist Raymond McGinley has cropped his hair from the last time he was in town and looking somewhat more dapper these days. Filling out the band was drummer Francis MacDonald and a touring keyboardist/guitarist.

After kicking off the set with a nice rendition of "It's All In My Mind" from Man-Made, the band played a song off the new album Shadows entitled "Sometimes I Don't Need To Believe In Anything" which I'd not heard previously but did maintain my belief that The Fannies are as relevant and vital as they ever were. Then the band cranked up the guitars for Bandwagonesque favourites "Alcoholiday" and "Star Sign". It's no doubt that the band has mellowed over the years especially on new album set inclusions like "The Fall" and "Baby Lee" and encore inclusion "Sweet Days Waiting" but it's something I'm willing to accept so long as their setlist(like last week) still includes more upbeat and or harmony-laden favourites like "Don't Look Back"(one of my personal faves of the night), "I Need Direction", "Ain't That Enough", set closer "Everything Flows", and encore closer "The Concept". A deeply satisfying evening from one of the best bands ever. With lead vocalist Norman Blake now residing in Kitchener, Ontario with his wife who is Canadian, I still don't expect The Fannies to be playing Toronto that often given the rest of the band is still based in Glasgow, Scotland, but perhaps we'll get some solo shows from Mr. Blake every now and then. You know, I'm starting to see a trend. Norman marries a Canadian and moves to Canada. Mr. Joe Pernice (of The Pernice Brothers) did the same thing(ie. marry a Canada and move to Canada) a few years back. Not that I'm condoning all our good Canadian women being swept up by non-Canadians but hey if it means bringing up a few good musical artists up our way, that might be worth it.

Photos: Teenage Fanclub, Elephant Stone @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (September 23, 2010)
MySpace: Elephant Stone
MySpace: Teenage Fanclub

Titus Andronicus, Hallelujah The Hills, Yellow Fever @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (July 14, 2010)

  Titus Andronicus: photo by Michael Ligon

What seems more and more like a rare occasion for me, I actually got out to a show on a Wednesday night last week at the Horseshoe Tavern, specifically to see buzz-y Jersey rockers Titus Andronicus and also to see Boston's Hallelujah The Hills who I'd remembered liking when they opened for Silver Jews at Lee's Palace in September 2008. Also on this night's bill were unknown entities Austin duo Yellow Fever, although having read some good things about them on Pitchfork I was intrigued to check them out.

I arrived a little after 9 pm with Austin duo already into their set and a small audience present. The duo, of the guitar-drums variety, played a set of askewed pop music, with a penchant for succinct guitar playing and drumming, and dry vocals. My mind kept wandering to images of early 80's post-punk, or more recently a band like San Francisco's The Aislers Set, minus the reverb. The band was most satisfying on more straight ahead tracks like the more poppy "Culver City". They were comfortable enough on stage, but didn't feel much motivation for banter, although perhaps that'll change as they continue their exhaustive North American summer tour. Catch them in your town.

Next up were Boston's Hallelujah The Hills. Specializing in an amalgam folk-rock influences like cello and working-class roots-rock, the set was occasionally anthemic but otherwise much of it was infused with a sense of urgency. Occasional cello and brass, melded nicely with conventional rock instrumentation and the raucous lead and group vocals. The band's second album entitled Colonial Drones is out now through Misra Records and based on their live set and the favourable response from the crowd, they'd be a band to keep your eye on.

The band I was there to see specifically was New Jersey's Titus Andronicus. With fellow Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem also in town that night, Titus Andronicus' frontman Patrick Stickle thanked the crowd for choosing to see them over Gaslight Anthem. Much of my motivation to check them out was based on liking their raucous single "A More Perfect Union", a sublime slab of sloppy rock n' roll. It seemed that I was a little behind the curve as the venue was comfortably packed by the time the band hit the stage, and as the band performed each song, there was many a fan singing along.

Named after the Shakespeare's earliest and bloodiest work, it's the latter description that really was reflected in the Titus Andronicus' visceral rock n' roll attack. It's that attack that took me off guard because the young band didn't quite look like they were capable of it - for example, one look at violinist/guitarist Amy Klein who looks like a high school girl in her knee-length cut-off jeans and I'd never have thought she'd be rocking out as much as she did. Whether intentional or not, the band's sound was like an homage to classic influences likes The Clash, The Replacements, Bruce Springsteen, Sex Pistols and The Pogues, and for the most part doing those influences justice. Perhaps the band utilized the formula on several songs a little too often where they'd start a song with a subdued Pogue-ish / Shane McGown-ish folky vocal before the band dropped like a rock n' roll bomb, but no doubt the formula was used to good effect each and every time. And when the crowd is slam-dancing AND body-surfing, you know the crowd is loving it. As a bonus for the night, the band invited ex-guitarist Liam Betson, who's also recently transplanted to Toronto (for what I don't know), to join them onstage for a surprise rendition, and what turned out to be a sincere version of Weezer's "Undone". It seems there's been such a diversity in music genres lately, I could have almost imagined someone about to declare the death of rock n' roll. But Titus Andronicus prove it isn't that time yet and hopefully it shall never be.

Photos: Titus Adronicus, Hallelujah The Hills, Yellow Fever @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (July 14, 2010) (still to come)
MySpace: Yellow Fever
MySpace: Hallelujah The Hills
MySpace: Titus Andronicus

Japandroids, Love Is All, The Two Koreas @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 3, 2010)

  Japandroids: photo by Michael Ligon

Last Saturday night at the Horseshoe Tavern presented a triple-bill that musically varied from artist to artist(from local post-punk outfit The Two Koreas, to Swedish skronk-pop group Love Is All, and Vancouver indie-punk guitar-drums duo Japandroids) On the other, what the bands had in common, were energy, although the opening bands couldn't surpass the intensity of the audience response during Japandroid's set. Two words - body surfing.

Although I'd arrived during The Two Koreas set partway I'd imagine there wouldn't have been much difference had I arrived right at the start. The Toronto outfit don't stray very far from their influences, most obviously The Fall especially in lead vocalist Stuart Berman's Mark E. Smith sing-speak. Musically, they achieve an urgent post-punk racket with solid drumming, steady bass rhythmns, and alternately wiry and brashy guitar playing. But for the number of times I've seen the band through the years, while I do enjoy the band on one level, there's an element of diminishing returns - like listening to Stereolab(who I like alot) who with each successive album seem less and less to surprise me.

It was Sweden's Love Is All who were the main draw of the night for me. It was strange to see Love Is All not playing as headliners as they did at the same venue in December 2008. It seemed barely half an hour that the band ended up playing but within that time the music felt even more deliriously energetic than ever. Pint-sized vocalist Josephine Olausson singing was bright and enthusiastic, frequently on keyboard but occasionally tapping out some rhythms on a cowbell. The band on bass, guitar, drums and sax, were in good spirits and played energetically. It's funny that while there was a certain enthusiasm within the crowd, there was also a level of restraint that was a little disappointing. The band is currently promoting their newest album "Two Thousand And Ten Injuries" out through Polyvinyl which(from the songs I've heard) don't nearly match the brilliance of their debut album "Nine Times That Same Song" or the satisfaction of 2008's "A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night" but I'll definitely give it a chance.

Headlining the night was I(Heart)Music Poll fourth hottest band in Canada of 2009, Vancouver guitar/drums duo Japandroids consisting of guitarist/vocalist Brian King and drummer/vocalist David Prowse. The fan set up adjacent to vocalist Brian King wasn't likely just for effect (although the wind did cast a cool effect upon Brian's shaggy locks) as the band's set (or more accurately the audience) collapsed into pure chaos, broken beer bottles on the floor, body surfing and all. Initially, I'd been near the front(with camera in hand) but soon head to fall back(then later towards the left side but closer to the stage). Rare do I see body surfing at the 'Shoe but the mosh pit was intense as one could get in the confines of the venue and the body surfing was persistent. Although this wasn't an all-ages show, it felt like one, and I imagined the mostly-young twenty-somethings thinking as they moshed and body-surfed, adulthood's a drag. Enjoy your youth. Signed to Polyvinyl in 2009 with their debut full-length "Post-Nothing" released that year(released in Canada through Unfamiliar Records), the band will be releasing in May an EP's compilation entitled "No Singles".

Photos: Japandroids, Love Is All, The Two Koreas @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (April 3, 2010)
MySpace: The Two Koreas
MySpace: Love Is All
MySpace: Japandroids

The Clientele, Field Music @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 19, 2010)

  The Clientele: photo by Michael Ligon

An English double-bill featuring prog-rock-pop practioners Field Music and the sparkling, approaching-on-twee pop of The Clientele took over the Horseshoe Tavern a week ago Friday (yes, and sorry for the lack of punctuality on this review). Although I was only casually familiar with both bands, I'd fully expected to be at least fully engrossed with headliners The Clientele whose pop sounds were up my alley, but in the end both bands failed to ignite any spark in me.

Openers' Field Music were interesting if anything, my previous live experience with them being offshoot The Week That Was fronted by Field Music's Peter Brewis who played Canadian Music Week in 2009. As with The Week That Was, Field Music pop music isn't straight-laced, instead choosing a more cerebral approach. Dare I say prog, but the melodies weren't so straightforward, and the rock instrumentation was multi-layered and intricate. The core of the group, brothers Peter and David Brewis, exchanged vox, guitar and drumming duties at times, with David taking reigns of keyboard duties. Not to say there weren't flashes of brilliance at times, but as a pop guy who usually likes his melodies of the infectious variety, Field Music were somewhat challenging. At the very least, it was refreshing to hear a band that could actually play their instruments well. The band's newest album "Field Music (Measure)" is out now.

London-based four-piece The Clientele were up next, the band comprised of Alasdair MacLean (vocals and guitar), Mark Keen (drums), James Hornsey (bass) and Mel Draisey (violin, keyboards, backing vocals and percussion). Over the course of their set, The Clientele illustrated a variety of pleasant pop sounds(jangle, pastoral chamber-pop, and even brandishing a bit of guitar rock) but therein lied part of the problem - it was all too pleasant sounding sometimes, to the point that during the course of the beer I was drinking, I was starting to fall asleep. If all their songs were performed with as much urgency as "Bookshop Casanova" for example I'd have imagined being more alert but that wasn't the case. Maybe it was just an off-night for me, perhaps still not having fully-recovered from the previous weeks Canadian Musicfest, as any of the studio recordings I'd heard from The Clientele I quite liked. Maybe it's just one of those bands where I'd rather listen to the record that see the band live. Oh, well. The band's most recent effort 2009's "Bonfires on the Heath" is out now.

Photos: The Clientele, Field Music @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 19, 2010)
MySpace: Field Music
MySpace: The Clientele
Video: The Clientele - "Bookshop Casanova" (music video)

Dead Letter Chorus @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 16, 2010)

  Dead Letter Chorus: photo by Michael Ligon

One of the highlights for me at this year's Canadian Musicfest was a charming folk, alt-country outfit from Australia called Dead Letter Chorus. Making their Toronto debut at intimate Toronto venue, The Painted Lady, it was a brief set but one that managed to adequately convey their strengths including strong melodies, attractive male and female vocals, and a tight-knit musicianship. Their Painted Lady set was one of two showcases(the other being at the Rivoli a few days later) which the band performed for Canadian Musicfest but before embarking on a short Canadian tour with Charlottetown's Two Hours Traffic, they also stuck around in Town to play Nu Music Nite at the Horseshoe Tavern this past Tuesday - officially it was to celebrate the Canadian release of their debut album "The August Magnificent" (which originally was released in their native Australia in 1998). I'd timed my arrival at the venue perfectly just before Dead Letter Chorus kicked off their set, and while it was a generally thin crowd, there seemed to be a curiosity (and perhaps a few spectactors that were familiar with the band) that motivated some to move a little closer to the stage. The band's sound varied a little over the course of the set, going from sombre, noir tones to sunnier rootsy pop songs, and it's with the latter on songs like "Magnolia Farm" and "Down In Your Valley" where I feel they excelled. The band has two strong lead vocalists with the effervescent vocals of Gabrielle Huber and the effortless, casual vocals of Cam Potts, a competent rhythm section with bassist Tristan Thorne and drummer Lee Carey, and guitarist Michael Faber was particularly expressive both in his stage persona and guitar-playing.

I had the chance to speak briefly with bassist Tristan Thorne who I'd purchased their CD at the merch table for affordable $10 Cdn (unlike the $20-$30 it might cost in Australia as they'd bantered during their set). They had no plans on attending SXSW this year, instead as Thorne revealed, focusing their efforts on touring Canada, a place where they felt they belong, which is maybe the nicest compliment I've ever heard from a band touring our fair country. A sentiment such as thing should perhaps not be too surprising as Dead Letter Chorus' Huber and Two Hours Traffic Liam Corcoran collaborated and wrote a song together which they performed at this year's ECMA's as part of the SOCAN Songwriters Circle, and leading to the Sydney meets Sydney iniative. And now both bands are touring together across this fair country. While I already have plans on April 3, the night Two Hours Traffic/Dead Letter Chorus stop in Toronto at Lee's Palace, I do highly recommend you check the Aussie's out (and of course our own Two Hours Traffic).

For full tour dates go to Dead Letter Chorus' MySpace.

Photos: Dead Letter Chorus @ Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (March 16, 2010)

The Sadies, Ron Sexsmith @ Horseshoe Tavern (December 31, 2009)

  The Sadies @ Horseshoe Tavern: photo by Michael Ligon

It seems that other than my solitary blog post last week, this year's blogging has been falling by the wayside. I did have a chance to wade through my photos from The Sadies New Year's Eve show finally. The show wasn't my first choice by any stretch, but having found myself going solo that evening I weighed my choices, narrowing them down to perhaps checking out the indie rock bill at the Tranzac or seeing The Sadies at the Horseshoe. In retrospect, if I'd gone to the Tranzac I'd probably have ran into some familiar faces so while the lack of familiar faces at the Horseshoe was a little disappointing, I think my entertainment value was more than fulfilled. At least the hour long wait in line to snag a ticket at the door was made more bearable chatting with a dude about Guided By Voices, Amy Millan, Cracker and such.

With ticket acquired, I decided to duck out for some street grub and walk down to Nathan Phillips Square ever so briefly before jumping on the streetcar back to the Horseshoe with openers The Schomberg Fair already into their set. While fellow bloggers whose music opinions I respect are fans of them, I can't say I'm there yet. The trio's twang-inflected, gospel, rock is admirable on it's own terms - vibrant drumming, thrashed-out vocals, and twangy guitar and banjo - but I wasn't really feeling it as I should.

While I'm not a really big fan of Ron Sexsmith, it was still a treat to catch him in the intimate settings of the Horseshoe Tavern, given he'd just played Massey Hall earlier in the year. Mr. Sexsmith played a low-key solo set with vocals and guitar which only made it more clear how melodically rich how his song's really are. For the purposes of a NYE bash, Mr. Sexsmith was kind of an odd choice, as he's probably more well-known for his mellowness than anything, but over the course of his brief set he kept the vibe loose, a perfect warm-up for The Sadies' marathon session.

I guess I can check 'saw The Sadies on NYE' off my to-do list. While I don't grab their albums to listen to nearly as much as I should, after witnessing their NYE's gig, I must concur that The Sadies are just about the best live band in Toronto. With the Good brothers(Travis and Dallas) decked out in their signature Gram Parson's-inspired embrodiered suits, The Sadies' first set which started around 11:30 pm and lasted about an hour, had it's share of moments but was only a warm-up for their marathon second set which went to nearly 3 am. The Sadies' sets were a blur of musical influences ranging from country, garage, rock, and psychedelia and so expertly played, especially the Good brothers' guitar licks, that labelling the band any one genre wouldn't do them justice. The band's set was a mixture of fiddle playing, twangy-surfy guitar rock, psychedelic jams and straight-up garage rock. At various times, they were joined onstage by Ron Sexsmith, Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor, and the Good brothers' mom and dad and cousin, but it all felt very loose and unrehearsed, like any good party should feel. As the night wore on, and things got hotter and the band shed their jackets. The sheer endurance they displaed was awesome to watch and really there are few bands that can accomplish what The Sadies can in one night. It was all the more surprising that after their second set ended, the band expectedly came back for an encore and proceeded to play ten more songs. Pure insanity.

Photos: The Sadies, Ron Sexsmith @ Horseshoe Tavern (December 31, 2009)
Myspace: The Schomberg Fair
MySpace: Ron Sexsmith
MySpace: The Sadies

St. Vincent, Gentleman Reg @ Horseshoe Tavern (August 8, 2009)

  St. Vincent @ Horseshoe Tavern: photo by Michael Ligon


You read the name of a music artist on the internet or in print or see photos of them enough times and it's bound to pique my interest to check them out when they come to town even if I've hardly heard a note of their music. That is the case with Annie Clark aka St Vincent who's touring in promotion of her recent album "Actor", stopping in for a sold-out show at the Horseshoe this past Saturday night.

Opening the show was local Reg Vermue who goes by Gentleman Reg who's seemingly been touring non-stop but still found the time to open for this night. I only caught his live set briefly at this year's Pride and the first and only other time I'd seen him live was back in 2005 at Tranzac as part of the farewell show to Guelph indie record label Three Gut Records. I'd primarily only known Reg as a some-time member of gay-friendly indie band The Hidden Cameras. Reg with a band in tow that included drummer Dana Snell(of The Bicycles) plus members on keyboards and bass played a set of gay pop-rock songs. Ok, 'gay pop-rock songs' might be somewhat of an over-generalization but it does at least apply part of the time. Reg's tunes had an exceptional melodicism and the instrumentation thankfully had an oomph(especially Dana's drumming) giving the songs a certain emphatic delivery. Reg came off as a frontman both humble and humourous, the latter especially when he asked the audience whether they like his black shirt, then asked them if they wanted to rip it off, adding further that it was a particularly 'rippable' shirt. His most recent album "Jet Black" is out now through Arts & Crafts, and maybe I should check it out.

Admittedly, I hardly heard a note of St. Vincent 's music before deciding to pick up a ticket for the show weeks ago. Yes, popular(well, popular in terms of blogger/critic hype)opinion can sway me. Or perhaps, it was just the numerous lovely photos of Ms. Annie Clark which did it for me. But also the numerous album reviews were of particular persuasion as well. What was apparent immediately listening to St. Vincent's set was the dichotomy that could be found within the sonics of the music, between prettier sounds and harsher ones. Annie's angelic vocals gave the quieter, folkier material a particular etherealness and other prettier sounds could be found for example with the woodwinds and violin within some songs. But as if to balance it out in some sort of musical yin & yang, there were also bits of fuzz-tone guitar played by Annie and on one track skronky saxophone that expressed the band's 'uglier' sound. One song title I recall Annie mentioning was called "Laughing with a Mouth of Blood" a phrase she described as a reference to a comedic joke that's funny but also perhaps hurtful, a further reflection of the yin & yang that St. Vincent is about. There was a whimsicality & playfulness at times during the show but there's no denying that perhaps there was a bit of melancholy now and then.

Photos: St. Vincent, Gentleman Reg @ Horseshoe Tavern (August 8, 2009)
MySpace: Gentleman Reg
MySpace: St. Vincent

Rural Alberta Advantage, Hooded Fang @ Horseshoe Tavern (July 30, 2009)

  Rural Alberta Advantage @ Horseshoe: photo by Michael Ligon


I've been back from the Osheaga Festival in Montreal for a few days now but been lazy about writing lately so I apologize. Coincidentally, Toronto's own Rural Alberta Advantage played Osheaga although I missed them but fortunately I'd caught them a few days prior when they played a hometown CD release show at the Horseshoe Tavern for their debut album "Hometowns" recently released in the US through Saddle Creek.

Opening the show were curiously-named Toronto band The Wilderness of Manitoba, a band name who in my mind conjures images both mythical and mysterious in quality. A sampling of their tunes over at their Myspace reveals indie-folk songs that are sombre in quality with a nice meshing of male and female vocals and spareness to the instrumentation. I'd arrived late and only caught the tail-end of their set during which I'd also been chatting with someone, but what I recall hearing from the band was more upbeat folk-rock and little less interesting than what I recall from their MySpace. Call me a sucker for the quiet stuff. I do hope to catch a full set from them in the future.

The first and only time I'd seen Toronto indie-pop band Hooded Fang was at an instore at Sonic Boom on Record Store Day back in April. While that performance was generally tight, this time around it was a looser, less-perfect performance. Lead vocalist Daniel with his makes-all-the-girls-swoon suave vocals and female vocalist Lorna whose whose own sweet vocals were attractive traded off vocal duties throughout the night but sparkled best on their song 'Land of Giants' on which they both sing.
On 'The Pageant' Lorna referred it to as their 'sexy' song, a song that sounded like a modernized version of lilting, fifties-melody, doo-wop song. The gang went on full-on twee on the keyboard-pop, female sung 'Circles N Blocks'.Add in some nicely added trumpet and trombone at times and it was a formula that definitely harkens back to my indiepop tastes from over a decade ago. I'm not saying they sound dated. They definitely seem to be in a minority in Toronto playing indie-pop and I'm glad they do it well.

I run in to and meet various bloggers, photographers, and strangers at various shows but it seems that Toronto's Rural Alberta Advantage was a unifying factor as it brought many of the people I've met or recognized from other shows, all to one place. Nice to meet a few new people and see old faces. But it wasn't just blogger central of course as the show was sold out (and really us bloggers don't make up but a miniscule portion of the music fans/concert-goers in Toronto). This being only the second time seeing RAA live(the first time being during CMW back in March at the Gladstone, I will vouch that it only took but the first time seeing them live to be convinced of their impeccable talent. Their deceptively simple set up of acoustic guitar [Nils Edenloff], drums [played impressively by Paul Banwatt], xylophone, tambourine, handclaps [the last 3 instruments enthusiastically performed by Amy Cole], and vocals are all that was needed to reveal songs that are full of melody and lyrical richness. They've been pegged as an indie-folk trio but make no mistake of them being mellow - they played with an energy and enthusiasm that trumps that of most amplified bands. At the same time, it's not about making a racket(although Paul Banwatt's drumming was fluid as a waterfall), but they're definitely based in song and songwriting. The hometown crowd(myself included) made them feel more than welcome. There were some overly enthusiastic individuals like the drunk dude and his equally drunk girlfriend who were yelling constantly it seems, or in the girl's case hugging or touching random persons like myself. And while some perceived such behaviour as an element of douchebag-ness, you can't deny that it added an element of entertainment and made the night memorable. Although, the band concluded the night with a 3-song encore, it was main-set closer 'Edmonton' which made it for me - strummed four-chord guitar, with both Paul and Amy both banging out on drums and Nils singing 'What if I'm only satisfied when I'm at home, Sittin in a city that'll never let me go' - gives me a lump in my throat every time I hear it. Although if Nils was feeling torn between Toronto and his home province of Alberta, I think that night Toronto felt like home.

Photos: Rural Alberta Advantage, Hooded Fang @ Horseshoe Tavern (July 30, 2009)
MySpace: The Wilderness of Manitoba
MySpace: Hooded Fang
MySpace: Rural Alberta Advantage

concert review: Land of Talk, Zeroes, Little Scream @ Horseshoe Tavern (January 15, 2009)

Land of Talk @ Horseshoe Tavern (Jan 15, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


concert review: Land of Talk, Zeroes, Little Scream @ Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto, Ontario) - January 15, 2009

A Montreal musical invasion took over Horseshoe Tavern on a blistery cold Thursday night last week. On the heels of their latest album "Some Are Lakes", Land of Talk made good on a promise to reschedule a previously cancelled Toronto date, and heck no one counted their recent opening set for Broken Social Scene at Sound Academy as a proper substitute. A couple of unknown entities (to me at least and I assume to others) opened up the night giving some proof that perhaps Montreal has not fully tapped it's musical talent pool yet.

The so-obscure-she-doesn't-even-have-a-MySpace first opener female artist who goes under the name Little Scream opened up the night at a point where the Horseshoe had already filled up respectably for an early time slot. I arrived part way through the set though what I'd heard was intriguing enough. Singing with a stark vocal quality that reminded me of Cat Power, there was a rocky folkiness to the lone guitar instrumentation. The cool blue light that draped her person was in a way appropos - the music didn't evoke much warm tones. Performed with a little more dramatic flavour than your average singer songwriter chick, I think she'll appeal to fans of Cat Power, PJ Harvey, and Toronto's own Katie Stelmanis.

Young four-piece Zeroes looked like the sort of lads that you might expect to be your run-of-the-mill indie rock but surprisingly distill a range of influences that you wouldn't expect from a band that young. There music wasn't really pop at all but there was still an accessibility. A solid rhythm section kept things structured while the music had an experimental, post-punk, progg-ish quality reminding most of a less gimmicky Clinic. First impressions are important and I'll admit that Zeroes do make a decent one.

One has to admit that it was mighty decent of Land of Talk's Elizabeth Powell to go on with (rather that cancel again) the Toronto date of the band's tour which touched down at the Horseshoe last Thursday, especially considering that she'll be undergoing voice surgery at the end of the month. Her performance last Thursday didn't necessarily point towards any vocal problems, her raspy robust vocals being as delicious as ever, but such satisfaction comes with a slight of level of guilt, at times during the set I was hoping that Ms. Powell wasn't overdoing it at the expense of any permanent damage. Elizabeth, come back from your surgery stronger than ever. Their debut EP "Applause, Cheer, Boo, Hiss", a release I've admired for quite some time now, was mined generously for their set, as was their debut full-length "Some Are Lakes" which I've only really delved into with more effort recently. While the difference between the two might be that the raw visceral quality of their debut EP has been toned down ever so slightly for their full-length, the full-length does manage to continue their streak of scruffy pop songs enveloped within a simple yet robust rock guitar/bass/drums sound. Not a guitar solo to be heard, with only slight forays into simple guitar melodies and arrangements, Ms. Powell's casual guitar playing amplified with a little crunchiness is as perfect a compliment to her raspy vocals, neither one ever overshadowing the other. Wasting little time with banter, the set and encore went by quick, though it was long enough to quell any disappointment. By the time the band walked off the stage, most of us were melting, perhaps a little to do with the body heat and the heating in the venue, but let's not underestimate Land of Talk's contribution.

Photos: Land of Talk, Zeroes, Little Scream @ Horseshoe Tavern (January 15, 2009)
MySpace: Land of Talk
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New all-ages event "Dapslove Presents: All Ages" promises to organize indie rock shows every other month to take place at Rolly's Garage on Ossington. The first one took place last weekend.

Pitchfork reports that Final Fantasy, as well as Johnny Marr, contributed to the latest Pet Shop Boys album entitled "Yes" to be released in Europe on March 23 with a US release date still to be confirmed.

REMG confirms that K'NAAN has a date at The Mod Club on February 24. His new album "Troubadour" comes out February 24.

Globecat has an interview with Love Is All's Josephine Olausson.

These Lights In Our Hearts They Tell No Lies

concert review: Richard Hawley, Ferraby Lionheart @ Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto, Ontario), December 5, 2007



As part of the Horseshoe Tavern's 60th Anniversary celebrations, Mercury Music Prize-nominee Richard Hawley with opener Ferraby Lionheart came to the venue on December 5 last week. Sold out, if not at least close to capacity by the time Mr. Hawley hit the stage, the Tolkien-esque-named Ferraby Lionheart from Los Angeles and his band opened the show with a pleasant set of introspective if not sometimes sunny folk-pop tunes. For my first listen, there was a hint of promise - a few sparkling melodies here and there and the spare band instrumentation compliments the melodies nicely. If the audience was only politely receptive to Ferraby's set, it was only probably because we were impatient for Mr. Hawley to come on.

Pulp references aside(I was never a big Pulp fan and didn't even know Mr. Hawley was in the band at one time), I really first knew Richard Hawley through his association with A Girl Called Eddy who Mr. Hawley had produced her debut album from a few years back, a striking, emotional album of Bacharach-esque melancholic pop songs. I've only recently caught onto Mr. Hawley's output, initially through his MySpace and more recently with his most recent album "Lady's Bridge" which I picked up based upon the recommendations of many bloggers and critics. Starkingly romantic at times but also able to cut loose a little with a little twang and rockabilly, Mr. Hawley's an enigma in the pop scene, at least in terms of mainstream exposure. Richard and his band, a mostly bespectacled bunch decked out in black suit jackets, white shirts and dark jeans, with Richard sporting a greasy, tousled, pompadoured hair style, took the stage to a warm reception from the near-capacity audience. After a few salutations from RIchard, he cheekily got things going by saying "Let's Ballad" to the amusement of at least some of us who picked up on that quick quip. Romantic set-opener, "Valentine" got things underway nicely. In the preceding banter to next song "Roll River Roll", Richard said that the song was written about the Great Sheffield[his hometown] Flood of 1864 and that in an ironic twist several months after he wrote the tune, Sheffield experienced a flood. His most familiar tune to me so far, "Tonight The Streets Are Ours" was greeted with glee from me and even with the canned strings played through a synth, it still sounded glorious. I can only imagine how great a live string section would sound. As an aside, "...Streets..." sounded a lot like Scotland's Edwyn Collins, making me want to revisit some of his works. The venue-appropriate, pop-abilly romp of "Serious"(with Richard asking the audience if we wanted to hear some rockabilly) got a few in the crowd cutting a rug on the spot where they stood. Overall, it was one of my favourite shows of the year and a worthy addition to the Horseshoe Tavern's illustrious history. Just hope it doesn't take Mr. Hawley twelve years(the length of time he'd said he'd last been in Toronto) to come back.

Here are my photos from the show.

More reviews of the show over at chromewaves, It's Not The Band I Hate..., Eye Weekly,

MySpace: Richard Hawley
MySpace: Ferraby Lionheart

On a related note:

- there's a FLAC download(over at nyctaper) of Mr. Hawley's performance at Bowery Ballroom on December 1, 2007.
- Richard gives a heads up that you can now download his recent London Apple store session from iTunes.

Lucky Horseshoe

The Toronto Star's Greg Quill celebrates the Horseshoe Tavern's 60th birthday emphasizing the venue's illustrious past in booking acts that go on to greater things while Toronto music-vet Moe Berg waxes nostalgic about his 'Shoe memories.

So is it safe to assume that Blue Rodeo will be one of the surprise guests playing at the Horseshoe as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations? If you click the first link above and go to the right grey sidebar on that page, Blue Rodeo are listed as part of the celebrations, although this is yet to be confirmed on the Horseshoe Tavern website - the Horseshoe website currently lists December 17 & 18 as featuring surprise special guests. Hmmmm.

The Alchemy Between Us

concert review: The Besnard Lakes, Young Galaxy, The Airfields @ Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto, Ontario), October 12, 2007



Having already seen live two of the three acts at the Horseshoe Tavern last Friday night, The Besnard Lakes and The Airfields, it was a pleasant surprise that the relatively unknown act to me, Montreal band and recent Arts and Crafts signees Young Galaxy, were the most entertaining.

Toronto C86-influenced indiepop group The Airfields were the first openers of the night, as well as last minute replacements for Australia's New Buffalo, apparently due to Visa troubles. I know The Airfields can make their live set count like they did back in April at Sneaky Dee's, but this night was a fairly no-frills set of just good indiepop music. The band did just come back from Pop Montreal and maybe their still tired but I'm hoping the next time I see them live they'll infuse a little more energy into their set. On the plus side, the band was performing songs from their newly released limited-to-100-copies "Yr So Wonderful" 3-inch CD single which I snagged a copy of at the merch table and which you can currently listen to over at their MySpace. By the way, Frank Chromewaves shot the photo that graces the inside cover of the single.

For a moment, I'll skip ahead to headliners The Besnard Lakes. I saw them live back in March at Lee's Palace during Canadian Music Week and this time around their sonic blend of pyschedlic influences, 70's rock and Brian Wilson was as about as enjoyable as it was back in March. I'm no sooner becoming a bigger fan of them though unless perhaps they starting writing more songs like the haunting and spacious "Disaster" which has to be one of the freshest takes on Brian Wilson's influence I've heard in a long time. The Besnard Lakes can bring the jam-my rock but sometimes it 's more than my patience can take post-midnight.

Montreal's Young Galaxy were the sandwiched act of the night, but rather than get lost in the shuffle, they were the ones that stood out the most and got the best audience response. Young Galaxy is the brainchild of Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless. Stephen was once a guitarist with Stars, but Young Galaxy[even with the co-frontpersons role of Stephen(guitar/vocals) and Catherine(vocals/percussion)] don't sound much like Stars in my opinion. Rounding out their sound with bass guitar, keyboards and drums, and enshrouded during much of their set in smoke-machine smoke and coloured lights, the band performed a tight set of pop music spanning the genre from the spacious, synth-y "The Alchemy Between Us", to the spare, solemn electro-pop of "Swing Your Heartache" and the magnificent, invigorating "Outside Your City" featuring the lead vocals of Catherine McCandless who transformed the song into something reminiscent of 90's Sub Pop indiepop group Velocity Girl. Yay, Velocity Girl. I could listen to "Outside Your City" all day. Of all the Arts & Crafts artists Young Galaxy possess the slickest pop sheen, but at least from what I witnessed last Friday, not to the detriment of the music.

As usual I took some photos at the show. Smoke-machine overload. Whoah.

More reviews/photos of the show over at It's Not The Band I Hate... and petenema.com.

Video: Young Galaxy - "Outside Your City" (music video)
Video: The Besnard Lakes - "Disaster" (live september 17, 2007 @ the hi-dive in denver) *
MySpace: The Besnard Lakes
MySpace: Young Galaxy
MySpace: The Airfields

* courtesy of dthawkley

Sound of Success

concert review: A Northern Chorus, Jenn Grant and The Night Painters @ Horseshoe Tavern(Toronto, Ontario), June 15, 2007





Considering all the times I've mentioned singer-songwriter Halifax-by-way-of-PEI's Jenn Grant(as far back as September 2005), I'd be totally remiss if I didn't mention Jenn Grant's recent CD release party(for her debut album "Orchestra For The Moon") at the Horseshoe Tavern last Friday night. I won't let blind admiration affect my judgement of the actual show - it wasn't perfect. Comparing Jenn's 11 pm set to A Northern Chorus' headling set(and how subsequently the crowd thinned) it was obvious most people were there to see Jenn that night - it helped that she had a lot of press last week including in Eye Weekly, JAM, and The Globe and Mail. Not at capacity but decent enough, and only to draw larger crowds in the future. I was disappointed in the sound mix which I thought was unnecessarily loud, all the more peculiar since during Jenn's banter she mentioned this was the first time she actually had a sound guy work the set, with bandmate Sean MacGIllivray going so far as to have the audience applaud the sound guy. However, that aside her set showcased songs off her debut album showing why she is one of Canada's up-and-comers. A little help from some friends brought the songs to life. Her band included The Heavy Blinkers' Dave Christensen's twinkling keyboards/glockenspiel, Jason Burns on drums, Sean MacGIllivray on bass guitar/background vox, and surprise guest Toronto's violin extraordinaire Julie Penner adding her own flavourable arrangements. Also Jenn had a few friends help out on background vox at times including fellow east coaster Tanya Davis who had performed her own set earlier on in the night. I missed her set but one of the highlights of the evening was Tanya's sublime spoken word interlude during the performance of Jenn's "Dreamer". Dressed in a white summery skirt-top, black leggings, strawberry-blond and rosey-cheeked, Jenn exuded her wonderful east-coast charm. Obviously surprised by the turnout, she was refreshingly modest and appreciative about her rising star. Thankfully, Jenn and her band The Night Painters had what it took to deliver the musical goods. Excursions into pop, folk, and country, with Jenn's jazz-inflected vocals combined for a thoroughly enjoyable set.

While I've only ever been casually familiar with Hamilton, ON's A Northern Chorus, I must say that they really impressed me last Friday night. Plaintive vocals(Stu Livingstone & Pete Hall, with added background vox from their cellist), guitars that alternately shimmered then crashed, and generous amounts of cello combined into intricate, spacious indie-post-rock. The one welcome facet to their music is the fact that their recent material are more song-based, concise(even up-tempo at times) yet still maintaining an atmospheric quality in their overall sound(check out songs off this year's "The Millions Too Many" over at their MySpace). It's a shame the crowd thinned out just before the beginning of their set. A band this good that's practically in Toronto's backyard(Hamilton, ON) definitely deserve more local recognition.

MySpace: Jenn Grant
MySpace: A Northern Chorus

The Hope Edition

concert review: My Latest Novel @ Horseshoe Tavern(Toronto, Ontario), March 12, 2007



Prior to Clinic's set at Lee's Palace a few nights, earlier that night I checked out Scotland's My Latest Novel at Horseshoe Tavern. With my CMW schedule last week already picked out, I missed the band's headlining set at The Drake on March 9. They were booked to play a late night headlining set at Kathedral on March 10 and I'd headed to the venue that night after The Pipettes show at Rivoli only to find out My Latest Novel's set had been cancelled. Ultimately, everything came down to me catching My Latest Novel at the Horseshoe on Monday night. Fortunately I was able to see them on Monday night and even though it was only a half an hour set it was so totally worth it. With the pastoral vocals of lead vocalist Chris Deveney over the exquisite folk-pop instrumentation, the songs melodies revealed themselves beautifully. For many of the songs, violinist Laura McFarlane's pretty violin arrangements were in my opinion a central part of their sound, while keys and xylophone fleshed ou the sound further. While My Latest Novel are purveyors of the great Scottish pop traditions they also utilized somewhat less pop conventions like spoken word verses and extended gradually louder codas. The band performed songs off their debut album "Wolves"(Bella Union) but also introduced at least one new song which unfortunately I don't recall the name of although it likely could be "I Declare A Ceasefire" or "If The Accident Will" which were a couple of new songs the band played in Aberdeen, Scotland recently and which will be included on the band's second album according to a post at their MySpace. Not necessarily grandiose(thankfully), but very much expressive, My Latest Novel make pop songs that make one feel.

Here are my photos from the show.

MySpace: My Latest Novel
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Jun 8/07 - Dinosaur Jr @ Phoenix (onsale Mar 17/07) via Ticketmaster.ca