Bolster Your Holster

Yesterday was a day of local Edmontonian talent. My wife and I started out the evening with Kris at Litfest, where we saw the book launch of Devil’s Cinema. A non-fiction account of the Mark Twitchell (Dexter Killer) case written by Kris’s good friend Steve. It was great to see hometown talent return and to see the success of a friend. It was also great, because we had never been to a book launch/Q&A before.

After that we grabbed a poutine at La Poutine and headed over to Wunderbar for some music. Yes Nice! is a band that has been mentioned on the blog before in the best of lists. They are a indie-pop act that runs the gamut on styles.

Their set was preceded by a band called The Mondrian Shift which was a bi-lingual band featuring female lead vocals, keyboards, and violin in addition to the guitar, bass and drums. They performed a combination of french and english originals and 3 covers, and although they alled looked to be in the age range of 16-20, their music was rather cohesive and put on a very good show.

The next act was a Winnipeg band called Les Jupes. Les Jupes seemed to have some more live experience than the youthful Mondrian Shift, and their energetic set had several highlights. A male guitarist/vocalist with a deeper than average voice paired with the female keyboardist/secondary vocalist were handily backed up by the bass/synth player and extremely impressive drummer. We were pleasantly surprised by Les Jupes and thought that they were a great complimentary act to Yes Nice!.

Yes Nice! put on a very danceable set featuring music from both of their releases and a few new tracks that hinted at their sound progression on their upcoming album to be released this year (hopefully). Their new material was very much inspired by the 80′s and classic funk. New track “Hot River” was a very dancey standout that I am definitely looking forward to. Yes Nice! seem to be improving their live performance with each show, and their onstage presence, crowd engagement, and obvious enjoyment help elevate the experience. They are playing tonight in Calgary if you are around.

Ultimately it was a great date evening with the wife, who is going with Kris tonight to see Ben Folds with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Winspear, which should prove to be a good show.

here is a video for their great track “Horses”

- Shaun

Photo Courtesy of Wade Kelly

Yeah, that was awesome. I just found another piece of confetti in my shirt and the concert ended almost two hours ago. I don’t think a concert can really top the spectacle that Prince pulled out at Rexall tonight. He entertained with funk jams, classic hits, reinterpretations, guitar mastery, dance moves that would cripple most 50 year olds and just an amazing dance party that had everyone up on their feet (except that one guy behind Prince who just sat there with the spotlight on him).

Sure it started an hour late and we may have been gypped out of an encore or two, but clocking in at 2hours and 15 minutes, I don’t know if I could have taken much more without passing out. Prince focused on his old hits and I don’t believe he played one song from after the late 90′s. He knew what the fans came for and he delivered. It seemed like a cavalcade of hits with the set beginning with ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, ‘Delirious’ and ’1999′. We heard most of Purple Rain, ‘Raspberry Beret’ and ‘Sign O The Times’ as well. There were few songs that were not known, maybe only one, which Shaun quickly identified as ‘Get Wild’, an old NPG Track from the mid-90′s. It was all about the jams inbetween and how he segued the songs together, it just kept everything going with no time to sit down or take a breath. The covers were phenomenal as well. A tight rendition of ‘Play That Funky Music’ made me unable to stop moving and really kept the first part of the show rolling.

The crowd was the most unique I’ve seen at Rexall. People from ages 18 – 60, with most around 35 – 45 or so. Lots of 80′s style, lots of cougars, lots of everything, but everyone was there to have a great time and it looked like they did. I didn’t see anyone having a bad time, well maybe that guy who was sitting the whole show, but maybe he was just tired.

On a personal note, the highlights of the show were getting to hear ‘Cream’, ‘Hot Thing’, ‘D.M.S.R. (show closer!!!) and ‘Purple Rain’, which was just fantastic with the aforementioned confetti covering the crowd in purple and gold. I can’t stress this enough though, every song was fantastic, even the teases of classic hits in the middle, it kept me wanting more, but feeling satisfied with what we got. The one thing I would have changed, and I believe Shaun would agree, is that we should have got tickets for the ladies in our lives, the concert and dance party would have been that much better with them there to enjoy it with.

Best concert of the year? Hands down yes. Best concert of my life? It’s right up there. In what will likely be the only time I see Prince, he certainly brought the house down. And now I’ve got a new life motto: Dance, Music, Sex, Romance.

The name of this band is The Black Keys. Their latest album is called Brothers. They have defied all odds and played a sold-out show at one of the largest venues in Edmonton. Personally I’m surprised at the concert being sold-out, I guess Sonic 102.9 (a local radio station) has more pull in this town than I’ve been led to believe, but everyone seemed to be having an awesome time rocking out to the blues infused sound of two guys from Akron, Ohio.

Flash back 5 years and The Black Keys were still obscure enough to not sell out a 500 person venue in Edmonton, 2 years ago they still would have trouble filling the Starlite Room (a local 500 – 750 person venue). Even a year ago they may have had trouble doing that. Over the last 8 months or so radio stations across North America have picked them up, they’ve been on Saturday Night Live and their music has been featured in at least a few commercials. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that 80% of the people at the concert first heard the Black Keys sometime in that 8 month timeframe and were a bit oblivious to more than half the show, but I didn’t see anyone having a bad time.

They opened their set with five numbers from their first few albums, a nice shout out to some of their older fans, with some blazing guitar work from Dan Auerbach. After finishing off this introduction with their cover of the Kinks track “Act Nice and Gentle”, they invited out a bassist and organist to play some tunes from  Brothers and their contribution to the Twlight soundtrack, “Chop and Change”. These tunes were the big crowdpleasers of the evening, but I wished more people were dancing. Well one guy was, but he was also giving the devil horns after every song, so who knows if he even knew where he was.

What followed was a few more songs by just the duo of Auerbach and Patrick Carney, and then a quick two song encore. The length of the set was the only real disappointment of the evening. The Black Keys have over 75 songs in their repetoire and played only about 15 or so for a set that totaled about 75 minutes. An additional 30 minutes of music would have been welcome since the concert seemed to build and build and just stop.

Overall it was a great show that sounded excellent (at least from the floor). I still think the sound of The Black Keys is better suited for a smaller venue, but I was surprised at how they made Rexall Place their own for the night.

As mentioned last year, my wife and I attended Iceland Airwaves in October as part of our honeymoon in Iceland. It is a fantastic festival that awards the opportunity to see loads of great bands and make lots of musical discoveries.

It all started with a little rain and line up. We were in line to go see someone at the main venue. And then it started to rain. Rather than stand in line in the rain for half an hour we decided we would go grab a pint of the delicious brew Viking across the street at the pub. We walk in and there are about 20 people conversing in the lovely local language we don’t speak. We grab a Viking, and then this group of “Kids” take the stage. We move up closer to the stage and 40 minutes later we leave with giant grins on our faces. This band was amazing. They are often compared to Sigur Ros for obvious reasons, but they are not a mere copy. This is Icelandic Post-Rock with purpose. It is sweeping and powerful. It is driving and melodic. It is commanding and beautiful.

Following the show, we get back in line abuzz with what just happened. Right behind us are some other Canadians that are talking about them as well. They had seen them earlier in the festival and had to go see them again. We get back home to Canada to find out they have nothing to buy or listen to. Eventually they release a few tracks on their site to download and listen to, and they are great. But not enough.

This week their debut album Ólgusjór was released on iTunes. A lot of bands recordings can’t live up their live experience, and the opposite is true of many. Ólgusjór is a magnificent album. The only thing it lacks is the sight of these youngsters and their giant smiles as they play along. This is music made by people who love music.

Below is a sample of the album in the form of the track Í Draumi. A piano based number that is driven but the repeating drums and then escalated by those awesome horns and accented by strings. The rest of the album is as good or better, so head over to iTunes and buy the album to support this talented young group from Iceland.

-Shaun

Timber Timbre‘s newest record, Creep On, Creepin’ On, has slowly become one of my favourite albums of 2011 and in the recent weeks leading up to their show last night the excitement of seeing them again was at its tipping point. Playing to a quiet, yet obviously excited, crowd at Edmonton’s Avenue Theatre, Timber Timbre did not disappoint playing the majority of their new release and a handful of tracks from 2009′s Timber Timbre.

The night opened with Tasseomancy, whose new album, available in August, has been produced by Timber Timbre. They sounded like a female-led version of Timber Timbre with some obvious influence from Loreena McKennitt, 60′s psych-folk and a little bit of prog. They played five tracks and I liked 3 of them, so I’m looking forward to checking out their album when it gets released. After their set, the soundtrack to Twin Peaks came on the PA and I couldn’t of thought of anything better to listen to before seeing Timber Timbre.

The stage was dimly lit by three red lights, as fitting as any lighting could be without using actual lanterns to illuminate the stage. Timber Timbre opened with a trio of tracks from Creep On, Creepin’ On, each one slowly down slightly and much more eerie live than in the studio. My highlight of the show came from two tracks that I’ve never paid much attention to on their respective albums. Until The Night is Over was transformed into a gypsy dirge that highlighted some instrumental parts that are hidden on the album version. As it ended it morphed into ‘Lonesome Hunter’, which after hearing live, has become the hidden gem on Creep On. ‘Lonesome Hunter’ was the best sounding of the new tracks, but set closer ‘Woman’ could easily give it a challenge with it’s guitar pedal lazers and staccato piano. An encore of ‘Trouble Comes Knocking’ ended the show masterfully, but I couldn’t help wanting more, feeling like I could listen to Timber Timbre all night.

Here is a video of ‘Lay Down in The Tall Grass’ from  the show. The video is crap, but the sound quality is decent. Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80bFHvBPMzk]

Time to do a little Dap-Dapin’ with the Dap-Kings? Oh, hell yes!

The one and only Miss Sharon Jones graced Edmonton last night and put on one of the finest shows this city has seen. Two full hours of pure soul, rip-roarin’, dance-o-matic tunes from one of the tightest acts around. It really was an experience to see The Dap-Kings live, sure the records are great, but in concert it is a whole different story. Get into a groove, let Miss Jones do her thing, and bring it all back together. Extended jams of such classics as ’100 Days, 100 Nights’, ‘Window Shopping’ and ‘Better Things’ included impromptu dance explosions, audience members on stage, horn section freak-outs all overseen by the voice that is Sharon Jones. Capping off the night with a cover of James Brown ‘It’s a Man’s World’ was a perfect end to a spectacular evening that proved that soul and r&b still lives strong. Check out the videos and photos below for a slight glimpse of the show.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7u_JxLiZe8]

Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears got everybody into a groove opening the night with a strong 50 minute set of funky blues-rock. They complemented Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings perfectly, I couldn’t think of a better band to have opening the show.

This review is really about the videos and photos below, check ‘em out:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsJrDTe_ROA]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmgWI1AR5Uk]

We knew it would be crowded. We knew it would be sweaty. And we knew it would be loud.

The minimalist stage was just four Marshall stacks and two strobe lights. Lead singer, Alexis Krauss, wearing her Chicago ‘Bells’ jersey and lava pants jumped across the stage screaming about Canada or Edmonton or trying to sing along with the prerecorded music and backing vocals. Derek E. Miller, possibly played guitar, though since every note was exactly the same as on record, no one will really know. Sleigh Bells live performance is like listening to their debut album, Treats, really loud with a bunch of tall, sweaty, white guys jumping around. It was full of energy, but at only 35 minutes and with little evidence that Sleigh Bells were actually ‘playing’ the songs, it was underwhelming. Luckily, I went in with those expectations, and mostly to hear how loud they could make the concert. I don’t think I suffered any hearing damage, so it wasn’t loud enough!

Best surprise of the evening: Neon Indian. Having listened to Psychic Chasms I didn’t think I’d end up hearing a full band playing dancey-pop music. I was very surprised and look forward to checking out their new album, which they mentioned had just been completed. The only disappointment with their set was that the vocals were mixed way too low and the treble was way too high. It sounded like a lo-fi version of lo-fi music. Neon Indian also played a longer set than Sleigh Bells, maybe they should have been the  headliners…

Oberhofer, a Tacoma quartet, opened the show. They got the crowd going and it seemed like they garnered a few fans. Personally, I thought their songs were half excellent, half terrible. Most things I didn’t like came from the Jonas Brother-esque lead singer, Mr. Oberhofer himself, whose vocal style could use some work.

Overall, all three bands seemed to enjoy their concert in Edmonton,and most faults were likely due to the, once again, horrible acoustics of the Starlite Room. It was a loud, bass-heavy, slightly underwhelming, but enjoyable holiday Monday evening down at the Starlite Room.

Last week Lykke Li’s MTV Unplugged show was aired in the US. The performances were then made available for streaming. However us Canadians that were interested in watching these fantastic stripped down versions were instead presented with a lovely message stating that “this content is not available in your country”. I will refrain from getting into the whole debate about whether the internet should have nationally boundaries, but I was displeased. Today, MTV decided to play nice and let us Canucks enjoy as well.

As with all MTV Unplugged sessions these songs are brought down to the basic elements and the focus is on the song and the performance. Lykke Li’s songs and style suit this format quite well. There are a couple of great surprises as well. She covers the fantastic “velvet” by the Big Pink and a stunning version of “Possibility”, the best song on the Twilight: The New Moon OST. And of course you can’t go wrong with “Dance, Dance, Dance” in all its raw percussion glory.

Head on over to MTV’s Uk Site to view this intimate performance

On one of my last nights in Delhi I was convinced by a friend of mine that we should go out in search of some qawwali music that was supposedly happening in a mosque in the Muslim part of town. Turns out to have been one of the most memorable musical experience of my time in India.

Qawwali as explained to me is basically Muslim gospel music. It’s devotional music from Pakistan typically and I’m pretty sure sung in Urdu. The bıggest name attached to thıs style ıs Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who has gained world wide attention. It’s worth watchıng hım perform.

My evening didn’t include Khan but it was pretty great. Just to fınd the mosque we had to get ask the people on the street to take us down a labrynth of allyways full of stalls selling flowers and sugar for offerıng, musıc, books and other Islamıc paraphalıa. After a dısorıentıng 10 mınutes we popped out ınto a clearıng and were ınstructed to leave our shoes and don head scarves. There were close to 100 people all sıttıng and watchıng a group of men sıng and play ınstruments whıle the waited  to enter the mosque to pray. It was some of the most beautıful musıc I’ve ever heard. It was also the fırst tıme I saw that sort of celebratıon ın an Islamıc place and the fırst tıme I would thınk to assocıate exuberance wıth Islam. It was eye openıng.

My apologıes ıf there are strange letters ın thıs post; I’ve made ıt to Istanbul and the Turkısh keyboard ıs makıng thıngs dıffıcult.

Krıstyn

Half the battle is getting there….

The other night I went to a local show by a Toronto sextet that I knew very little about. We nearly missed the show as neither myself, nor my partner in crime was particularly committed to the band. We arrived just before they began and within the first minutes of the song St. Francis, we looked at each other, and knew, it was one of those shows. They were good. Really good. The music was solid, the vocals were beautiful and the addition of the cello and violin was perfect. Beyond all that, they were just damn cute! The front lady of the band Ohbijou, Casey Mecija, is barely five feet but mysteriously manages to fill the entire stage. I certainly walked away with a little crush. Ohbijou has been garnering a lot of praise across Canada as it seems I am not alone in my opinon. They just finished up their Canadian tour tonight for their second album Beacons. The evening reminded me of the lovely feeling you get when you discover a new band, or see an unexpectedly delightful show.  So much of the music I love is tied up into who introduced me to them, where I saw them or where I was in my life when I heard it. I had listened to Ohbijou’s album briefly but didn’t fall in love until I heard them live and the moment was right. Half of the fun of music is the experience of it, and the rush of emotion it evokes and this band is well worth discovering.

Black Ice

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