Fifty-five.
That's the number of shows/bands we will have seen this year, after
Rah Rah this Wednesday at the Crofoot's Vernors Room and our grand finale, Elliott BROOD at Lee's Palace in Toronto for New Year's Eve. With rare exception, each was a noteworthy (NOTEworthy, get it?) performance. Yes, we love our life. And Canadian indie music.
Here is our who, when and where for 2010:
February:
Yukon Blonde w/Two for the Cascade @ Windsor's Phog Lounge. Two for the Cascade gets our vote for Best Opening Band We'd Never Heard Before.
March:
Brasstronaut @ Phog Lounge. One of our top shows for the year.
You Say Party! We Say Die! (Now You Say Party!) @ the Crofoot's Pike Room. We still get choked up every time we think of this show; drummer Devon Clifford tragically passed away only two weeks later.
April:
Raised by Swans @ Phog Lounge. Didn't know much about them before the show, total fans afterwards.
English Words @ Phog Lounge. Due to some glitch, English Words went on stage first and played a too-short set, making them our runner-up for Band We Most Wanted to Hear More From.
May:
Yukon Blonde @ the Magic Stick.
June:
Megan Hamilton w/Ryan Bourne @ Phog Lounge.
The New Pornographers @ the Crofoot Ballroom.
NXNE (read it and weep): NxEW showcase @ the Gladstone Hotel—Volcanoless in Canada, the Mountains & the Trees, Olenka & the Autumn Lovers, Rock Plaza Central, the Coast, Horse & His Boy and Amos the Transparent; Sloan @ Dundas Square; Hollerado @ the Hard Rock Cafe.
Besnard Lakes w/Ghostkeeper and Young Galaxy @ Call the Office, London, Ont. Three Polaris short-listed bands in one night? Doesn't get any better than that. Oh wait, it does.
Library Voices@ Phog Lounge. (Let the gratuitous linking to our own posts commence.)
July:
Black Mountain @ the Magic Stick.
Islands w/Gregory Pepper and His Problems @ the Magic Stick.
Yukon Blonde @ Phog Lounge. Yes, for the third time.
August:
The Wilderness of Manitoba w/ The Mountains & The Trees @ Phog Lounge. What a great night, even though the Windsor bakery failed to deliver the cake ordered for Russ's birthday celebration and Russ's backpack with his phone and camera got loaded into Jon's car and ended up in Toronto...
Young Rival @ PhogPhest 2. Because it was race day at the Michigan International Speedway, we only made it in time to PhogPhest for Young Rival. It was well worth the effort.
Dan Mangan @ the Crofoot's Pike Room. Singalong to "
Robots." Nuff said.
September:
Hot Hot Hot w/Hey Rosetta! @ the Crofoot's Pike Room. Hey Rosetta! gets our vote for Band We Most Wanted to Hear More From. Six songs was just waaaaay too short. Okay, we'll stop whining about it now.
LOLA @ Victoria Park, London, Ont.: Minotaurs, Fond of Tigers, Land of Talk and Caribou. All for FREE.
Bend Sinister w/ the Zolas and Will Currie & the Country French @ Phog Lounge.
The Pack a.d./Young Rival @ Phog Lounge. Man, those women can rock.
Holy Fuck @ the Magic Stick. Holy (fill in the blank), "
Lovely Allen" was transcendental live.
October:
Olenka & the Autumn Lovers w/ The Locusts Have No King @ Phog Lounge.
Rah Rah w/ We Were Lovers @ Phog Lounge.
Born Ruffians w/ Forest City Lovers and Meligrove Band @ the Majestic Cafe.
Hannah Georgas w/ Jody Glenham and Allie Hughes @ Phog Lounge. A very special show.
November:
Two Hours Traffic @ PJ's Lager House.
December:
Rah Rah in the Vernors Room @ the Crofoot (this Wednesday).
Elliott BROOD @ Lee's Palace, Toronto (New Year's Eve).