Show Alert: Elliott BROOD returns to the Capitol Theatre

 Sat., Mar. 30
Capitol Theatre, Windsor
With The Locusts Have No King and 24 Sussex

Tickets available at the door, Phog Lounge, Jam Space and Dr. Disc in Windsor

Elliott BROOD  |  The Locusts Have No King  |  24 Sussex

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Imaginary Cities, Foam Lake, Boats and bad show reviews

Have you ever wondered why we don't write reviews about "bad" Canadian indie shows and bands?

There are several reasons. For one, we've had a long-standing policy of giving bands the benefit of the doubt. Do you perform your job perfectly every day? Neither do bands. Do you think your work should be judged by that one off day? Neither should bands.

Occasionally, we hear from friends or Facebook that a band is "bad." That happened with Saskatoon's Foam Lake, one of three bands on the bill at Windsor's Phog Lounge on Thurs., Mar. 21. They rocked through a generally tight, enthusiastic set with strong vocals. Songs like "True Hearts" and "Baggage" show they can hit the radio-friendly mark. We'd encourage them to be more confident about the "experimental" listed along with alt rock on their Radio 3 profile and evident on their album, because there's some potential there.















Sometimes show quality is affected by extenuating factors: sound, technical difficulties, illness, border issues that leave band members behind. Instead of deeming these "bad" shows, we're usually impressed by the musicians' dedication to overcoming those factors. They've even resulted in some magical moments. The drummer for Imaginary Cities (Winnipeg) had to fly home for a family emergency just before their show. They were apologetic. We were entranced. The lack of drums let the vocal synergy between Marti Sarbit and Rusty Matayas shine, and we all enjoyed providing the percussion, hand-clap-style, for "Ride This Out."  A true case of less is more.















Why have we been using "bad" in quotation marks? When it comes to music, "bad" is just as subjective as "good." Some people would have called Al Tuck's show in 2011 "bad." But we were utterly charmed by his shambling demeanor, entertaining ramblings and brilliant music. Boats (Winnipeg) on Thursday is another example. Lead singer Mat Klachefsky's falsetto on helium is already polarizing. His delivery is apopletic; so is the band's alt pop occasionally, but ultimately we find it intriguing and creative.















The truth is, we don't write reviews about "bad" shows because we rarely seen them. Really. We're into our fifth decade on this planet, and both us have a long background in music and radio. We've seen hundreds of shows. We know bad when we hear it.

Sure, negativity sells. Like a car accident, it's hard not to slow down to look, or read. But we're not here for the page views. We're here because we love Canadian indie music, and the hard-working bands that play it.

Photos

Show Alerts: March goes out with a shout

When March comes in like a lamb and rains, it goes out like a lion and pours. And roars when it comes to Canadian indie shows in Windsor and Detroit this month. Two left and counting

Tues., Mar. 26
Shout Out Out Out Out
Magic Stick Lounge, Detroit
With Heloise & The Savoir Faire


THE show we've most looked forward to in March. We'd love this Edmonton band for the titles of their songs alone: "Chicken Soup For The F*^k You," "Now That I've Given Up Hope I Feel Much Better," "Your Shitty Record Won't Mix Itself." But accompanying the words filtered through a vocoder is some of the best dance/house/electronic music we know. These are real songs with a beginning, middle and end, not just stretches of repetitive mindless beats for the feets.

Listen: "Never The Same Way Twice" from their 2012 release, Spanish Moss and Total Loss



Sat., Mar. 30: Elliott BROOD, The Locusts Have No King and 24 Sussex, Capitol Theatre, Windsor. We never miss a BROOD show if we can help it, and with all of them parents now, who knows how long they'll keep touring? Locusts are a Windsor favourite, too.


CBC Music Searchlight: Top 5 Regional Winners Revealed

Voting for the regional finals closes Thursday, Mar. 7, 2013 at midnight ET.


As a past Searchlight finalist ourselves, we know how exciting it is to be in the running. While we congratulate bands we love from around Canada who have made it in the Top 5, we'd like to shine a special searchlight on Windsor (for reasons that should be pretty obvious).