Review: The Wooden Sky, Hooded Fang, Brian Borcherdt / Field of Fur @ Lee's Palace, Toronto.

The Wooden Sky sold out Lee's Palace on Friday night!

Although I've seen them in much smaller (but always full) rooms, I shouldn't have been surprised. These guys have been at it a long time---the better part of a decade---and they've been getting good press in recent months. Their 2006 album, When Lost At Sea, was (and still is) fantastic, and their new If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone solidifies their place as one of the country's top folk-rock bands. The word has clearly gotten out.

The night started with Brian Borcherdt, of Holy Fuck fame, whose solo output---quiet, contemplative, almost fragile---is rather different from the dance tracks put out by that other band. He was accompanied for a few songs by the talented (and very busy) Julie Fader, and then she left the stage and a drummer came on. The last few songs were from the two men's new project, Field of Fur, which had debuted the week before at the Boat. Nothing made a particular impression on me, though I'm keen to see Brian perform his solo work in a less cavernous venue.

Next up, Hooded Fang. This is a great band who came out of nowhere in 2008 to blow away the Toronto indie pop scene. Its members have since entrenched themselves in the local arts community, and . . . but that's not relevant to their set. What is relevant is that the 7-piece performed songs we know and love and some new ones, to be released sometime in 2010. And they sounded great, and the band seemed to be having an appropriate amount of fun up there. A small but enthusiastic bunch of us were dancing at the front, and I can only imagine that many of the more restrained audience members were happy they'd come out to see them.

And then, the headliners. By now the venue had really filled up, and it was getting pretty hot up at the front. (I admit to having a part in moving a some of the truly awesome set decorations so that, squished up against the very high stage as I was, I could see the band. I wasn't alone in this.) The four main players---Gavin Gardiner (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Wyatt (bass, vocals), Simon Walker (guitar, keyboard, vocals), and Andrew Kekewich (percussion)---were joined by violinists Edward Huizinga and Mika Posen, as well as Jonas Bonnetta (guitar, vocals) and Sylvie Smith (vocals) for a couple songs. The extra players really added a nice touch, especially the violin parts.

Including a three-song encore, the band played for over an hour. The Wooden Sky can move from serious rocking-out to a more pensive attitude like few bands I know, and this comes out live even more than on their recordings. We were treated to most of the songs on the new album as well as a smattering from When Lost At Sea. Not every tune is a smash-hit, to my mind, but there were no throw-away tracks. I really appreciated the rockier songs on Friday night; they really showcase the strength of Gavin's voice. (blogTO has the full set-list at the end of their review.)

It's always nice to see good bands start to get the attention they deserve, and to have them fulfill their promise. Friday night's set was pretty awesome. I can't wait to see the Wooden Sky again . . . though I might not like that I'll have to put up with a larger venue and hundreds more people to do so.

Download: The Wooden Sky, "Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me)" (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, 2009).
Download: The Wooden Sky, "Oslo" (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, 2009).
Download: The Wooden Sky, "North Dakota" (When Lost At Sea, 2006).
Download: Hooded Fang, "Fall Leaves" (Hooded Fang, 2008).
Download: Brian Borcherdt, "Scout Leader" (Coyotes, 2008).

Photo credit: Frank Yang. He's got really beautiful shots of all the performers.

Great Lake Swimmers Live Review: the Comic

Via the Great Lake Swimmers and the Rapidian:

"An easy-to-follow cartoon picture story and critical review of the live musical performance by The Great Lakes Swimmers and The Wooden Birds at the Ladies' Literary Club on October 20, 2009, hosted by the enthusiastic but unqualified reviewers Wendy Withrow and Matthew Reidsma."

Char2d2 Small Vampires EP and Concert Review

Char2d2, consisting of Charla McCutcheon (Bella) on guitar and Eric Breitenbach (Lefinn, Heatwave) on drums, opened for Victoria band Immaculate Machine Saturday, September 12 at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver. I was truly blown away by their set, as I had gone in with no expectations and very little knowledge beyond name recognition.
For this reviewer, there are a few things you need to check off in order to deem a set truly excellent.
As for them?
- Packed dance floor after only a few songs: check
- Responsive crowd: check
- Band members sincerely enjoying their time playing together: check (big grins all around)
- Presence of other musicians: check (rumors have it that Tegan of Tegan and Sara was around)
- Positive audience bathroom reviews: check

What truly caught me off guard was the ability of this duo to fill up the lounge with more energy and sonic presence than many considerably larger bands I've seen. Charla's guitars did not seem sparse even without the presence of bass, and Eric kept the rhythm driving and pounding throughout their much-too-short set.

Below is the set list of songs that they played, mostly off their Small Vampires EP (except for the starred ones):

Only Man For Me
You Are A Small Vampire
Don't Want To
I Am Safe
B-Day Girl**
Some Will Have To Go
Torn Apart**
Take and Send

Since grabbing a copy of it at the show, I've been listening to Char2d2's debut EP Small Vampires (what is it with vampires anyway?) on repeat. It's a disc full of lovely romantic pop ditties that are guaranteed to stick in your head.

I cursed myself for not putting the album on my iPod as I was humming You Are A Small Vampire the entire commute to school and back. And why not? Charla has an excellent sense of melody, which is combined with a lovely girlish voice, bright melodies and sweet choruses such as,

can I be the one that you wake up at 6am?
and we talk to the clouds till we fall back asleep again

The result is an uplifting album which will make you vow to love your cherished ones just a little bit more. 

The Small Vampires EP, like their set at the Biltmore, is short and sweet, and ends much too quickly. It leaves you smiling but wanting more, like a single forkful of cake. Hurry up with the full length please!

Small Vampires was written and co-produced by Charla McCutcheon, with the other half of that producing team being Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara. 

Char2d2 will be playing at Victoria's Rifflandia Music Festival on Saturday Sept. 26 at the Metro Theatre. Make sure you catch them; you will not regret it!

You can buy Small Vampires at Maple Music or on iTunes.
You can find Charla of Char2d2 on MySpace and Twitter.

Review: Friends In Bellwoods 2 release party @ Lee's Palace, 28 Aug.

On Friday night I went to one of the best shows I've been to all year. At Toronto's Lee's Palace I and several hundred others were treated to an excellently put together and performed show to celebrate the release of the Friends in Bellwoods 2 compilation. The evening featured Waterloo-based electro dance group Bocce, hometown favourites Ohbijou, the lovely Forest City Lovers, and the expanded band version of Jonas Bonnetta's solo project, Evening Hymns. I have seen all these bands before (though not Evening Hymns as a 7-piece), and went into the show expecting to have a nice time. I did not expect the musical spectacular that it turned out to be. Silly me.

I missed the first song or two of Evening Hymns' set, and when I got there the venue was already pretty busy. A good sign. Jonas was still playing that sparkly silver guitar I saw him use during a solo performance a few months back---good. The addition of Sylvie Smith (The Magic) on backing vocals, James Bunton (Ohbijou) on drums, Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky) on guitar, Andrew Wyatt (The Wooden Sky) on bass, and others made for an impressive lineup. Mid-way through their set, Sylvie Smith took over lead vocals, singing her contribution to the compilation, "On Our Own." On the record, her voice is strong and clear; live, it was even better. A real standout track. Another inspired moment was when most of Jonas' band cleared off, making way for the members of The D'Urbervilles, dressed up to mimic their friend Taylor Kirk (Timber Timbre), whose song "Magic Arrow" they covered for the album. And so they performed it for us. Great stuff.

Jonas recently arranged for Out of This Spark records to release his next album, coming out on 3 November. Promises to be a good one. Listen to "Dead Deer" on his MySpace. Or just watch this live video, taken by Colin Medley at a Wavelength show a while back:

Next up was Forest City Lovers, one of the top local folk-pop acts. This band had fewer tricks up its sleeves, but did bring in extra strings for a few songs (Jenny Mecija and Anissa Hart from Ohbijou). More importantly, the band performed a strong set with their full lineup. It was nice to see them sound so good and seem so confident in their set. Good! I like this band a lot, but the stars never fully align whenever I see them live. Friday night, they did. They played their track off the compilation---"Minneapolis," which also kicks off the preview podcast I did last week---as well as songs from their recordings. Look for a new 7" from the band sometime in the next few months.

The biggest draw of the night was Ohbijou, a band that's had a lot of successes over the past year, building on a longer history of community involvement and strong musicianship. I missed out on their CD release show earlier this summer, so tonight was my chance to get up to speed on how the band's been doing. And, well, they were great. I've sometimes found Ohbijou's recorded output hard to really get into. I am a fan of the folkier indie rock out there, but for a some reason Ohbijou never did it for me as much as it does for so many other people. Friday night was the moment when things clicked between me and the band. Casey Mecija and the rest of her bandmates seemed really excited for the event, and their energy added sparkle to their quiet songs. The didn't play too many of their own songs, calling up guests---Nils Edenloff (The Rural Alberta Advantage); Reg Vermue and Kelly McMichael (Gentleman Reg); Basia Bulat; and others---to sing and play with them, and it all made the set more festive. Consider me now much more firmly in the fan category.

At this point things could have ended, but no: the event's organizers had one more band for us. Bocce took to the stage ready to get the real party started. And my oh my did they ever. The dance floor was hopping and the guys seemed not at all phased to be playing to such a large crowd after such brilliant sets of music. I hung back near the soundboard, but it gave me the perfect sightline to witness the craziness of Casey, Kat Burns (Forest City Lovers), and Greg Santilly (The D'Urbervilles) rapping. During the encore, seemingly everyone who had performed that night, and even some who hadn't, piled on stage, jumping up and down and having a blast. So was everyone in the audience. Take a look for yourself.

What a great night of music. You can purchase a copy of the 40-song double-disk compilation from a variety of actual and virtual stores. All proceeds go to the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank. Details here.

[Photo credit: staceymccool.]

Review: The Wooden Sky @ Sonic Boom, 24 Aug.

On Monday evening roots rock band The Wooden Sky played a free set in the basement of Toronto's Sonic Boom Records. The place was nearly full, and we were all treated to a full set of songs new and old. The 5-piece performed tracks off their new album, If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, just out this week, as well as 2006's self-titled disc. The band's front-man, Gavin Gardiner, was in fine form, and the other band members were too. I was sitting at the front with a few others, and enjoyed myself immensely. I've seen this band a couple times in the past, but it's been many months, and it looks like they've settled into their new lineup really well.

The new album will appeal to the band's existing fanbase: there are no big surprises here. And it should solidify The Wooden Sky's place as one of the country's top younger (but experienced) roots bands. Gavin's got a great voice, and tells compelling stories. The string-heavy band---bass, guitar, banjo, violin, but also keyboard, harmonica, and percussion---adds intensity and musical interest. The addition of female backing vocals on the disc adds a new layer to the band's sound. The first track, "Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me)," captures the band's calmer moments well. On the second, the pace is quickened and keyboard comes in; on the third, the drums play a larger role. But then we're back to a quieter mood... until the freneticism comes in part-way through the fourth song. And so it goes. There are few standout tracks on the album. But this isn't a slight: it's all worth listening to. My own favourites are the less rockier ones, including "An Evening Hymn," "Something Hiding For Us In The Night," and these two:

Download: "Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me)" (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, 2009).
Download: "Oslo" (If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, 2009).

The band's been on the road this summer, playing living rooms, backyards, and other smaller spaces. They head back out near the end of September, backing up Elliott Brood across the continent. Sounds like a brilliant pairing to me.

[Photo credit: Frank Yang.]

Review: RAA, Hooded Fang, Wilderness of Manitoba @ The Horseshoe, 30 July.

The Rural Alberta Advantage played at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern last night Thursday night, to a sold out, jam-packed crowd of friends new and old. It was their "hometown" CD release for Hometowns, the album they put out independently in early 2008, but have now re-released on Saddle Creek, their new US record label. They've been touring the US this summer, after earning a lot of buzz when they opened for Grizzly Bear in a church during SxSW. Their beautiful, exciting record got heard by thousands of new people thanks to eMusic back in November. And the band's been on the up-and-up since then. But us here in Toronto have known we had a treasure for some time. And so, more than 4 months after their last Toronto show, the RAA came back to us.

The night started off appropriately lovely, with the gorgoeous vocal harmonies and instrumentation of a newer Toronto band, The Wilderness of Manitoba. Some of the members of this band had hosted the RAA at their home back in March, and Nils, Amy, and Paul must have liked what they heard then and invited the WOM to perform last night. The band seemed both comfortable and a little nervous about performing in front of so many people on the relatively large Horseshoe stage. Very quickly they created a happy, calm mood with their nature-inspired songs. At moments they reminded me of Fleet Foxes; at others, of Great Lake Swimmers. "Evening" was a set highlight, as was their last song, whose name I don't know. (Sorry, oops.) The mix was a bit off, and the instrument changes between songs took a second or two too long for my tastes, but I chalk that up to a venue like the Horseshoe not being super familiar with their vocal-heavy, acoustic sound, and the band's lack of experience in playing bigger shows. Overall, a pleasing opening set that made them a good number of new fans, no doubt. As I write this I'm listening to their first EP. It's not yet officially out, but those of us at the show got a chance to pick it up. It's great. I may listen to it all night. I look forward to seeing how this band develops.

Next up was Hooded Fang, another local band with a very Canadian name. This group specializes in pop, and came out of nowhere in 2008 to blow the local music scene away with their happy energy and catchy hooks. Not to mention the strong vocals of leads Daniel Lee and Lorna Wright, and good musicianship showcased in their recorded output. Last night the band---whose female members dressed for the celebratory occasion that it was---performed many of the songs off its self-titled EP, as well as some new ones that will presumably appear on their full-length, coming out this fall. A new release from Hooded Fang makes me happy. Unfortunately, the band was rather low-energy last night. Their lack of pep meant they couldn't keep the attention of some of the people up at the front (where I was), and it's really too bad. Perhaps it was nerves, because by the last song a few more of the band members seemed into what they were doing. If they'd had that energy all night, it would have been a fantastic set.

Last up was of course the stars of the evening, the reason why we all paid $13 or more to be there, and why the show sold out even before the first band started playing. The road has done wonders for this always-strong band. I fall in love all over again with the RAA every time I see them, but last night was extra special. Amy Cole's backing vocals were stronger than ever, piercing or blending in with the songs perfectly; Paul Banwatt's inventive, exciting drumming was on better display than ever (helped by a stage set up that had him in a row with his bandmates); and Nils Edenloff's singing was more confident and his banter less awkward (but still endearing). The crowd was jubilant and singing along, and the band was thrilled with the turnout. It was super hot in there, but I didn't really mind. The only negative---other than the drunken few causing a bit of trouble at the front---was that the show wasn't particularly intimate, so we didn't get to hear "Goodnight," a live-only song they perform once in a while, as appropriate. Ah well, I can't have everything.

Oh, RAA, you are amazing. We loved you before, but you looked and sounded completely at home playing for 350 or so people in a way that I did not expect. (Silly me.) What a great way to celebrate your years of hard work and more recent acclaim. It seems a bit strange to me that a band I've seen 15 or so times here in Toronto pretty quickly got much bigger than they were, played a bunch of shows elsewhere, and then came back even better than they were before. And yet there you have it. How exciting.

[Photo credit: Michael Ligon from For the 'records'.]

Home County Folk Festival, a rousing success!

Home County Folk Festival, has been a part of Southwestern Ontario for 36 summers in London. Where other events have come and gone, Home County has continued to offer a weekend of FREE music and arts, taking over Victoria Park attracting upwards of 150,000 fans over the course of the weekend.

When the list of performers was released this year, the festival served notice that it was taking a step forward, looking to become a must-do event like for the next generation of artists and music fans. With 2009 Polaris Prize shortlist nominees Elliott Brood & Joel Plaskett; 2008 & 2009 (respectively) Juno nominated siblings Jill & Matthew Barber; perennial surfpunk faves, The Sadies; and, then Danny Michel, Home County is certain to be a dot Canadian Indie festival radar.

The concert highlights…
Joel Plaskett (solo) / Peter Elkas

The Aeolian Hall | 7.16.09
The festival kicked off at The Aeolian Hall. Having sold out a 9:00pm show quickly, a second, show was added. Peter Elkas took the stage for a short set and then Plaskett took over at 6:30 and 9:00pm solo – enlisting Elkas for help on many songs. Elkas took advantage of the hall’s grand piano and both he and Plaskett showcased one of Canada’s top ranked venues for acoustics. Plaskett’s night had no setlist, playing songs the audience’s called out. In the end, fans – many who paid to see both shows – were treated to four plus hours of music.

Jill Barber

Victoria Park - Mainstage | 7.17.09
The festival proper, got into gear Friday afternoon at the park. The crown jewel this year was the show closer on the first night. Juno nominated and ECMA award winning Jill Barber performed a free concert in the park’s bandshell. Barber’s music is a love note to a bygone era, and seeing her play the bandshell, under a starlit summer night was poetic. She encouraged dancing, and as one longtime festival going couple commented, "this is the most people we’ve ever seen dancing at the main stage". Barber delighted fans both young and old, and judging by lineup to meet her after the show and get a copy of the CD signed, had made many new fans.

The Sadies

The Aeolian Hall | 7.17.09
One of the troubles with festivals, is that often performers you want to see will be playing at the same time. Friday night pitted The Sadies – part of the late night series of shows at The Aeolian Hall – while Jill Barber was playing downtown. As any Sadies fan knows, they aim to please, and they do not leave the stage till the crowd has had their fill. With Barber’s set in the rearview mirror, there was plenty of the Sadies still to be had. Dallas, Travis and company treated a packed Aeolian Hall to the gamut of their material including their patented fretboard tradeoff. Their show brought an interesting juxtaposition of punk and energy in a hall that was constructed to house classical concerts. A real treat in the old lady.

Matthew Barber / Elliott Brood

The Aeolian Hall | 7.18.09
The elder Barber in the pair of musically (and visually) stunning siblings, also was part of the Home County late night concert series. Barber, now knee deep, working on the material of his fifth album, took the time to feature some of the new songs, as well as favourites from previous albums. Like his sister, he shares an ability for hilarious between-song conversation.

Elliott Brood batted clean up on the night, with their legendary energetic live show. They encouraged people to leave their seats and the resulting energy virally filled the hall. True to reputation, the Brood finished the night with their trademark ‘pan-core’ in which the band hands out dollar store baking sheets and wooden spoons, enlisting anyone who wishes to add to the ‘ambience’ of the song by banging on the cookware with the spoons. Where the night started with the gentle tones of Barber, it ended loud and spent with Elliott Brood.

The workshop highlights…
A common facet of folk festivals that makes them so attractive is the workshops, song circles or ‘singers in the round’. Artists are put together, who don’t normally share a stage, given a theme, and then encouraged to approach that theme in song. Home County did not disappoint in this respect.

Truth & Beauty hosted Jill Barber who was flanked by The Good Lovelies and Emma-Lee put five women on the stage, each with a wonderful voice in their own right, while they explored songs that did not necessarily lie, as Good Lovelies said, but certainly were beautiful.

The Art of Song Production was led by Danny Michel. The Sadies and Matt Barber filled out the workshop stage. The session had a decidedly more electric sound ranging somewhere between electric Dylan and Folsom Prison Cash. It was exciting to see the artists interact so fluidly.

Heartaches and Hardknocks appropriately had Matt Barber leading, Luke Nares and Fraser. A late add to the workshop, was Elliott Brood. While both Barber and the Brood were well known, Nares and Fraser were fresh faces. Fraser had a very Timber Timbre feel to his songs, and Nares’ self proclaimed mellow-choly softened the energy quite nicely.

The highlight of You’re Never Too Old to be a Fool in Love hosted Jory Nash was the tossup between Nash’s story telling and the very unique sound and stage presence of Little Miss Higgins. Danny Michel and Jill Barber also in this workshop proved that love was a topic that transcended age, and served up a gamut of song inspiration.

The epilogue…
In the end, the festival ran from Thursday night till Sunday evening, and it was an epic success no matter how you look at it – It had so much for everyone. The fans that have been attending this from year one, all the way up to the new fans attracted by the next generation of music that played such a large part of the weekend, had more than their share of things to do and see this weekend. You couldn’t do it all, but you certainly could think about how great next year is going to be, before this year’s festival had even completed.

For a pictorial recap of the weekend, see my pictorial recap here.