Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
Photos: Rah Rah @ Magic Stick Lounge 3/5/2013
Two Hours Traffic were stuck in paper traffic, Rah Rah rocked it. We never get tired of this band.
Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
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
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
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
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
CBC Music #Searchlight: The Big 8 Revealed
The voting for the top 8 closes Sunday, Mar 31 2013 at midnight ET.
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.
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: The Top 16 Revealed
The voting for the first tournament round closes Sunday, Mar 24 2013 at midnight ET.
Show Alert: The Unquiet Dead with Meanwood and The Cheap Speakers
Friday, March 15 at Villains Beastro in Windsor for a Canadian Music Week Preview Showcase
CBC Music Searchlight: National Long List Revealed
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).
CBC Music Searchlight: Regional Short Lists
You can vote for your favourite artist once per day. Round two ends March 3, 2013 at 11:59 PM ET. The Top 5 acts will be revealed on March 4, 2013 at 9:00 PM ET.
Show Review: Glory be to the personal voice
We were proud parents when our younger daughter recently won two gold keys for her artwork the first time she entered the Scholastic Art & Writing competition. While art is as subjective as music, her teacher said they were gold key-worthy because she expressed her "personal voice."
Listening to Shotgun Jimmie and By Divine Right Feb. 9 at Windsor's Phog Lounge made us think of what that art teacher said. Personal voice. It's what separates nice from wow, good from great. Out of all the bands and singer-songwriters we see, the standouts are the ones with the ability to make a unique and personal connection between creator and listener.
Sackville, New Brunswick's Shotgun Jimmie expresses his personal voice with everyday scenes, experiences and observations framed by honesty, indie rock hooks and a foil-pan kick drum that doubles as a snare. (Minus the kick drum, the same could be said for his cheeky stage banter.) Whether backed by Attack in Black (Still Jimmie), as a nearly one-band man (on his new record coming out in March, Everything, everything - You've Changed Records) or solo on stage, with Jimmie it's personal.
It's been a rare occasion that we've seen a Canadian indie band that dates back to 1989, and have hits from the late 1990s. It may be even rarer for any band to perform songs from a new album coming out in May 2013 (Organized Accidents - Hand Drawn Dracula) that we like even more than the ones we already know. Especially to wafting incense, a glowing stage angel and a bass drum that asserts "Glory Be." All are a testament to the personal voice of Jose Miguel Contreras, the one constant in By Divine Right's cast of musicians that now include bassist Alysha Haugen and Geordie Dynes on drums. Contreras' art is a mixed media that dabbles in multiple genres and decades. The result is original, timeless and wonderful.
Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
Listening to Shotgun Jimmie and By Divine Right Feb. 9 at Windsor's Phog Lounge made us think of what that art teacher said. Personal voice. It's what separates nice from wow, good from great. Out of all the bands and singer-songwriters we see, the standouts are the ones with the ability to make a unique and personal connection between creator and listener.
Sackville, New Brunswick's Shotgun Jimmie expresses his personal voice with everyday scenes, experiences and observations framed by honesty, indie rock hooks and a foil-pan kick drum that doubles as a snare. (Minus the kick drum, the same could be said for his cheeky stage banter.) Whether backed by Attack in Black (Still Jimmie), as a nearly one-band man (on his new record coming out in March, Everything, everything - You've Changed Records) or solo on stage, with Jimmie it's personal.
It's been a rare occasion that we've seen a Canadian indie band that dates back to 1989, and have hits from the late 1990s. It may be even rarer for any band to perform songs from a new album coming out in May 2013 (Organized Accidents - Hand Drawn Dracula) that we like even more than the ones we already know. Especially to wafting incense, a glowing stage angel and a bass drum that asserts "Glory Be." All are a testament to the personal voice of Jose Miguel Contreras, the one constant in By Divine Right's cast of musicians that now include bassist Alysha Haugen and Geordie Dynes on drums. Contreras' art is a mixed media that dabbles in multiple genres and decades. The result is original, timeless and wonderful.
Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
Show Alert: It's going to be divine, right?
By Divine Right w/ Shotgun Jimmie
and James O-L and the Villains
Sat., Feb. 9 ~ Phog Lounge, Windsor
This is where we pinch ourselves to make sure we're not dreaming. Canadian indie legends By Divine Right? (Look for a new album from BDR in May 2013.) Shotgun Jimmie, on his way to becoming a legend? (Transistor Sister ranks as one of our favourite albums). And Windsor legends in the making James O-L and the Villains, all for only $10? We live a divine life, indeed. The early bird gets the ear worm in this case, because this one will be a sellout.
and James O-L and the Villains
Sat., Feb. 9 ~ Phog Lounge, Windsor
This is where we pinch ourselves to make sure we're not dreaming. Canadian indie legends By Divine Right? (Look for a new album from BDR in May 2013.) Shotgun Jimmie, on his way to becoming a legend? (Transistor Sister ranks as one of our favourite albums). And Windsor legends in the making James O-L and the Villains, all for only $10? We live a divine life, indeed. The early bird gets the ear worm in this case, because this one will be a sellout.
The Walkervilles cover "Valerie"
We're constantly impressed by the amount of Canadian indie musical talent we see in Windsor-- and from Windsor. And talented directors like Sean McLeod make it possible for you to see them too. Here's another video from McLeod of up-and-coming Windsor band The Walkervilles.
www.thewalkervilles.com
www.sean-mcleod.com
www.thewalkervilles.com
www.sean-mcleod.com
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: GuitarZAMM!
The Blue Stones and Little Foot Long Foot
Sat., Feb. 2
Phog Lounge ~ Windsor
*This may be loud and dancey.
Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
Sat., Feb. 2
Phog Lounge ~ Windsor
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| The Blue Stones |
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| Little Foot Long Foot |
Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
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