Show Review: Zeus bring thunder to Pontiac

News: They have a new album "in the can," as Neil Quin put it, to go with Say Us and Busting Visions.

2 things that surprised us: (1) How outstanding the band's vocals were. Beautiful, pitch-perfect harmonies. "We do rehearse," Quin confided. (2) There were several obvious fans in the audience at the Pike Room, belting out lyrics and even wearing jackets with the band's name hand-stenciled on them. 

Details: In Greek mythology one of Zeus' symbol is the thunderbolt. Zeus the band from Toronto came with the first thunderstorm of the year.

Songs we loved: (1) The really promising new material we got to hear FIRST because Pontiac was the first stop on this tour. (2) "Are You Gonna Waste My Time?" and "Love/Pain."

2 things we liked: (1) How easily and democratically Carlin Nicholson, Mike O'Brien and Quin shared vocal and instrument duties while Rob Drake anchored it all on the drums. (2) Once Zeus realized the audience really knew their music, they added extra favourites to the set list.

What we didn't like: Nothing. This will be one of our top shows of the year for sure.

Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images

Show Alert: The Pack A.D. Engage Pontiac

Fri., Mar. 7
The Pike Room @ The Crofoot ~ Pontiac, MI 





Maya and Becky are back, just north of the former chicken processing facility that has produced their latest album 'Do Not Engage.' Jim Diamond - Ghetto Recorders (catl) has once again nailed it, wider in range than before, but still a welcome explosion of sound to your ears.

http://music.cbc.ca/artists/The-Pack-AD

Show Alert: Trick or treat?

It's a little of both. A treat that so many great Canadian indie bands are playing shows in the Windsor/Detroit area over the next few days. Trick if you can get to more than just one. We'll be at Born Ruffians on Wednesday, Lindi Ortega on Thursday. Smell our feet.

Weds., Oct. 30

Born Ruffians (alt pop/rock from Toronto), The Magic Stick, Detroit: They were last here on the same date in 2010. Listen: "Oh Man"

BRAIDS (atmospheric electronic from Toronto) The Loving Touch, Ferndale: The buzz band from 2011 is back with a new album. Listen: "December"

Rah Rah (alt rock from Regina, SK) and The Blue Stones (blues rock from Toronto), Phog Lounge, Windsor: Can't go wrong here. (Pssst, it looks like Ian Blurton is producing the next Blue Stones album). Listen: Rah Rah, "Art and a Wife"; The Blue Stones, "Rolling with the Punches"

Thurs., Oct. 31

Lindi Ortega (alt rock/country from Toronto via Nashville), The Pike Room, Pontiac: We're not big country fans, but we're big Lindi fans. Excited to finally see and hear her incredibly emotive and powerful voice live. Listen: "Don't Wanna Hear It"

Bear Mountain (folk-flavoured electro pop from Vancouver) and The Belle Game (arty alt pop from Vancouver), The Magic Stick, Detroit: Bear Mountain was a big hit with CBC Radio 3 blogger friends at NXNE this year. Listen: Bear Mountain, "Two Step"; The Belle Game, "Wasted Light"

Fri., Nov. 1

Repartee (pop rock from St. John's, NL) and The Fisher Kings (alt blues rock from Windsor), Phog Lounge, Windsor. Listen: Repartee, "I Would Die Before You"; The Fisher Kings, "Get Behind Me"

Show Alert: Hollerado bring their So It Goes tour to Pontiac

Tues., Oct. 7
The Crofoot - Pike Room - Pontiac
Opening for The Features

Cover art for Hollerado's new album, White Paint.

When we first attended NXNE in 2010, we did it all wrong. We didn't stay in the city. One of us had a media pass, the other had a wristband. We didn't have a schedule. And we left on Saturday to see a show in London, Ont. (a great show, three Polaris short-listed bands, but still...)

Friday night we wanted to see an artist and a band we absolutely love at the Dakota Tavern: Old Man Luedecke and The Wheat Pool. Silly us. After an expensive cab ride because we were late, we wilted at the sight of the long line. S2W's media pass meant immediate entry, but N2D of the lowly wristband had to wait in line.

Always the gentleman, S2W refused. After realizing entry was futile, we took another expensive cab ride to catch part of Sloan at Yonge-Dundas Square. They were good, but hungry and dispirited we made our way to the nearby Hard Rock Cafe. And found out Hollerado were playing there. It was only a year after they self-released their first album, the rock-solid Record in a Bag, but obvious that a lot of people had the record out of the bag.

It was like the heavens opened and beautiful music spilled out and fountains erupted and the sun shined down on us-- okay, so it was the band cranking through irresistibly fun singalongs like "Riverside" and "Got to Lose," spraying beer at the ceiling in unison and confetti raining down. By the time the show was over, we'd had the time of our lives, and it was all worth it (just don't ask us what it took to get home that night).

We still keep some of that confetti in our backpack.

Hollerado are very like a college student, balancing classes and partying. They sound like they're not taking anything too seriously, and yet writing about death, World War II, doing creative presentations on Americanarama, and referencing Kurt Vonnegut. If Record in a Bag was a freshman, the long-awaited follow-up White Paint is absolutely a sophomore. They've matured a bit, but they're still having a good time.
 

Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images

Show Alert: Get stoned

Elephant Stone
Sat., Aug. 17
The Pike Room - The Crofoot, Pontiac
w/ Red Stone Souls and The Men From Corporate

There are a lot of Canadian indie bands and artists channeling the 60s these days: Jay Arner, Malcolm Jack, the Shilohs... but Elephant Stone (Montreal) have been tuned in since 2009. Keep heading north on Woodward Saturday night to Pontiac and leave the Dream Cruise behind for Elephant Stone's dreamy psych-pop infused with sitar. It's their last North American show before they head off to Europe to continue touring their second full-length eponymous album.

Listen: "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin"

PHOTOS - Hannah Georgas @ Pike Room - Jan. 31, 2013

Hannah's voice and band are what make the beat stuff beat; it's not robotic and the dance floor was hopping under the red and blue lights of the Pike Room.

Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images

Show Alert: ISLANDS - Wed Feb 29 - Pontiac, MI

Islands WSGs @ Magnetic Recording Studio

http://www.thecrofoot.com/events/1768.html

http://www.rksrecording.com/rental-halls-in-oakland-county.htm

http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/artists/Islands

	Wed Feb 29, 2012
	Pontiac, Mich. (map)

Show Review: Said The Whale - We Are The City

Canadian indie shows coming through Metro Detroit can be a lot like rare bird sightings. They happen with little warning and appear at odd times. Most people aren't even aware of the event. Some people see them and don't know the significance. But for a few, getting a glimpse of the Vancouver whale warbler or the Kelowna mourning dove and hearing their songs is something special.

We're kidding about the birds, but the bands are real. On Sun., Oct. 16, Vancouver's Said The Whale and Kelowna, BC's We Are The City flew into town for their first visit to Michigan at the Crofoot's Pike Room, earning a spot on our top shows of 2011 list.













We Are The City had a fly-by last March when they played Windsor's Phog Lounge. This time the band-- Cayne McKenzie at the mic and keys, Andrew Huculiak at the kit and guitarist David Menzel-- brought their forte/piano, creative, progressive alt pop to Pontiac. We love McKenzie's agile, Broadway musical vocals and the variety of their songs . Some have jazz inflections, some are just fun, some are thoughtful; some are just bites of musical bliss like "Dark/Warm Air" (with Huculiak taking a turn at singing).

Whether Said The Whale is winning America remains to be seen, but they'd won us over even before "Emerald Lake, AB," became our NXNE 2010 theme song. In 2011, they won over Juno voters to take home the New Group of the Year award; their video for "Lines," an homage to the movie Back to the Future, was voted Best Video by CBC Radio 3 listeners in the 2011 Bucky Awards. The band is personable, engaging and earnest, on stage and off. So are their irresistible songs that frequently evoke a strong sense of place ("Mermaid sits on a tide-washed rock in the harbour..."), and robust harmonies led by heartthrob Tyler Bancroft's appealing tenor to Ben Worcester's grainier counterpoint.

As the band prepares to release Little Mountain, the much-anticipated follow-up to their debut LP Islands Disappear, in March, whale-watchers will be happy to know the band is returning in April with not one, but two dates: Apr. 16 at Windsor's Capitol Theatre, and Apr. 17 at PJ's Lager House in Detroit. No binoculars required.

Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images

Show Alert: Austra w/ Young Galaxy and Tasseomancy

Tues., Nov. 29
The Crofoot - Pike Room, Pontiac

Tasseomancy's Ulalume is available
as a waterfall candle + vintage matchbook
+ digital download package.

Hopefully you don't feel broke from all that Black Friday consumerism, because you'll want to Feel It Break tomorrow night (Nov. 29) as one of the year's best lineups of Canadian indie talent plays Metro Detroit. Tasseomancy (Toronto) opens with otherworldly, label-defying music from their August album, Ulalume, then join headliner Austra ("ow-stra"). Fronted by powerhouse vocalist Katie Stelmanis, few bands in Canadian indie this year have generated as much buzz as Austra (Toronto). Their debut release Feel It Break was barely out a month before making the Polaris Prize short list, and went on to strong short list contender.





We're also looking forward to another opportunity to see/hear Montreal's Young Galaxy (2010 @ Call the Office), who've had back-to-back albums on the Polaris long list: Invisible Republic and this year's Shapeshifting. With Young Galaxy, you don't just get buzz, you get The Buzz in My Flesh.

Show Alert: Said The Whale w/ We Are The City @ The Crofoot

Sun., Oct. 16
The Pike Room at The Crofoot, Pontiac
Doors at 5 p.m
 
Sometimes getting a band to come to your city is as simple as asking. More often it involves a lot of waiting, hoping, near-misses and then, finally, when you least expect it-- Camilo the Magician steps in and suddenly there is no difference between real and a show.

"I need to see where you made that card go..."

Every Sunday the Crofoot features a lineup of Metro Detroit bands playing the Pike Room with an early door time of 5 p.m. "We got a call from Said The Whale's agent looking for a date in Detroit," said Chad Nicefield, talent buyer for The Crofoot. "We already had our local show going on in the Pike, and our Eagle Theatre and the ballroom were too big, so they agreed to combine the local acts and their tour package."

"Watch my eyes, put a coin in my hand now and squeeze real tight, I'll make both sides heads..."

The results bring the intelligent, picturesque alt pop of Juno award-winning Said The Whale (Vancouver) to the Detroit area for the first time ever, along with the spare yet expressive alt rock of  We Are The City (Kelowna). Our review of We Are The City's show at Windsor's Phog Lounge in March remains our third most-viewed post; read (and hear) more about Said The Whale, the subject of CBC Radio 3's first documentary, here and here.


Local bands opening for Said The Whale and We Are They City:


Sean Earle
Trey Simon
Suitable Paradise
Kisses For Charity
Armour The Lion
 

Venue Spotlight: the Crofoot

Where: 1 South Saginaw, Pontiac, Mich.

What: four different venues for shows--the Crofoot Ballroom and Balcony, (capacity 1100); the Eagle Theater (capacity 600); the second floor Pike Room (capacity 250); and the Vernors Room (capacity 75).

We've seen: You Say Party! We Say Die! (now known as You Say Party!) in the Pike Room (two weeks before the untimely death of drummer Devon Clifford); the New Pornographers (Crofoot Ballroom); Dan Mangan (Pike Room).

The Crofoot's talent buyer Greg Baise was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule for a short Q&A with N2DS2W. We wanted to know:

N2DS2W: How long has the Crofoot been bringing independent Canadian bands to Pontiac?

Baise: Since we opened almost three years ago.

N2DS2W: List some of the bands you first brought in. How were they received?

Baise: Some highlights have been our two New Pornographers shows, Neko Case solo, Destroyer, AC Newman, and Stars. Stars was one of our biggest shows when we first opened up. I think this show was huge for a variety of reasons. First of all, right away we earned the reputation for being the best club in the area, for both bands and fans. Our sound system is unmatchable, and the amenities that bands get here are comparable to what one would find in the top European clubs. Another factor is definitely proximity to Canada and Windsor in particular, as well as the commercial alternative stations that originate in Windsor and actually play most of these artists.

N2DS2W: Who are some of your favorite Canadian indie artists?

Baise: I'm a huge fan of the Sadies, Toronto's cosmic country kings, which played here the other night.

N2DS2W: Do you have a “dream” Canadian indie band/performer you’d like to book?

Baise: A surprise Leonard Cohen show would be pretty cool.

Many thanks to the Crofoot for supporting Canadian indie artists. Our next show at the Crofoot is Hey Rosetta!/Hot Hot Heat on Sat., Sept. 11 in the Pike Room.

Show Review: Dan's the Man

With all due respect to The Wooden Birds, the billing was backwards last Thursday at the Crofoot in Pontiac.

Andrew Kenny's thoughtful musical arrangements and lyrics reminded us of driving across the open farmland and prairies of middle America: steady rhythm, soft undulations and a clear view of where you're headed. The Austin, Texas-based band (pictured below) and their mellow, southern-inflected brand of ambling country rock was no doubt well-received in Louisville, Ken. where they played the night before.

But based on heads alone Dan Mangan was the headliner in the Pike Room that evening, and it was obvious that audience appreciation-- which included our fellow CBC Radio 3 bloggers Wapuche and jojodillon-- went far beyond body count. A confessed introduction to Kentucky bourbon in Louisville appeared to have no affect on Mangan and his band: guitarist Gord Grdina, bassist John Walsh and drummer Kenton Loewen.

They enthusiastically delivered the majority of Nice, Nice, Very Nice, a few selections from Postcards And Dreaming plus a new song composed while on tour, concluding with a rousing "Robots" sing along. Mangan seemed genuinely surprised everyone knew the words. So were we. Ring the bells that still can ring and sing your stupid head off to the ones who are not listening... We're listening, Dan. We're listening.














Photos: Yort Images