SoundSalvationArmy

Get ready, Hillside. Guelph group Green Go are going to blow. you. away. Guaranteed. Hometown heros always make for a great show and these dudes have been demanding their pound of sweat from audiences all over southern Ontario.

I’m not a big fan of electronica. I just have bad memories of terrible 80s songs, I guess. But groups like Holy Fuck, Shout Out Out Out Out and Bocce have been slowly curing me of the shivers I get when I hear a synthesizer.

Green Go joined their ranks last year when I discovered their single “Mad Man Max.” A few songs from their album Borders started to find their way onto my iPod and I wrote about them for the entertainment blog I created for the newspaper I worked at. I said they should have made it onto the lineup for Hillside Inside. They didn’t.

But they DID sign to Pheromone Recordings and release their album Borders in April. Right around that time, word started to spread about their Remix Project, in which they took songs from their favourite Canadian groups and put their own spin on them. They got favourable writeups in the Star and the Globe and various other rags. And now, they ARE playing Hillside! Ahhh, sweet vindication!

Borders is alternately dreamy and funky and gritty. They have risen up out of the basements where they played for years and are coming into their own as a group that you should watch out for or, at the very least, get out of their way. Their album is a sonic smorgasborg and if I, a person who loathes most electronic muisc, loves this, imagine what it will do for you! The thing that sets them apart from most electronic/synth groups are the vocals. Several tracks see accomplished pianists Ferenc Stenton and Jessica Tollefson employing some harmonized shout-singing that is charmingly bossy and frantic. Fun and funky pop is the order of the day for “Brains For Breakfast” and “Danger Bay,” which uses my all-time favourite thing: hand claps. You guys, I am a sucker for hand claps! They’re sassy!

The Remix Project Vol. 1 sees Green Go reinterpreting songs by The Rural Alberta Advantage (not actually from Alberta) and Gentleman Reg (not actually an albino). “Sleep All Day” and “How We Exit” are fantastic in their own right and it takes a great remix artist to do more than put an annoying dance beat under the song. Green Go will not ruin your favourite song. They will rebuild it. They will make it better, stronger, faster. More danceable.

Green Go perform noon Saturday on the Lake Stage at Hillside Festival. Be there. Get funky. Get sweaty. Dance!

Gentleman Reg performs Sunday at 5 p.m. on the Island Stage. The Rural Alberta Advantage play at 6 p.m. the same day on the Lake Stage.

Buy Green Go albums and MP3s on Maple Music and iTunes.

 

 Green Go - Brains for Breakfast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Green Go - Danger Bay: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Gentleman Reg - We're In a Thunderstorm (Green Go Remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Rural Alberta Advantage - Sleep All Day (Green Go Remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Canadian content, electronica, Gentleman Reg, Green Go, Guelph, Hillside Festival, live music, mp3, remix, The Rural Alberta Advantage

If I could pick one new band at Hillside that I think you should absolutely not miss, it would be Montreal’s Silver Starling.

They’re new-ish and intriguing. The handful of songs up on their myspace page are really, really good. I sense some Wilco and Arcade Fire influences in their music. No surprise on the latter, as member Marcus Paquin is a recording engineer who’s worked with AF in the past. And he sounds a lot like Win Butler.

Especially on “Caught in Your Glow,” where his voice is tremulous but fierce. He sounds like you sound when you hear a noise in the middle of the night and bravely call out into the dark “Who’s there!?” The song is especially sweeping and glorious. The guitar cuts through the string stuff and there are some chord changes halfway through that are really reminiscent of U2 at their most poperatic.

My favourite track is their jaunty, friendly song, “Ghosts.” It starts out tip-toeing along at a gentle whisper, then turns into a full-blown march. The rhythm of this song is so parading, I almost expect them to have a drum major on hand. Maybe I could volunteer. I always wanted to be a drum major.

Silver Starling are also on the bill at Virgin Festival in Toronto this year. Be on the lookout for their debut album on Last Gang Records. It’s set to drop September 22.

 

 Silver Starling - Ghosts: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

P.S. Hillside updates for you! Sunday is now SOLD OUT. There are Friday tickets still available and you MIGHT be able to figure something out last-minute on the ticket swap board. You never know! Performer schedules and shuttle bus schedules (It leaves from the Stone Store at 14 Commercial Street, which is literally right next door to me) are up on the website.

I’m getting excited! Because of the music, yes, but also… food! Hillside’s food is RIDICULOUSLY good. I don’t see Diana Downtown on the vendor list this year, which is too bad, because their pakoras and samosas and curries were delicious. Meals that Heal is back, as is Sausage Brothers. I am going to eat so much sausage, you guys! And roasted corn! And ice cream! And Feng’s Dumplings! OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!

Things you should remember: It looks like rain is being forecast for this weekend, so bring an umbrella and rain gear. Bring a blanket and a low chair. Bring your Hillside mug (or buy one from a vendor) to drink beer. Bring a refillable water bottle cuz the tanker trucks full of cold, free water are back. Bring sunscreen and a hat. Bring appropriate clothing. Bring a swimsuit if you want to take a dip in Guelph Lake. Most importantly: Bring your appetite for music, food and fun!

Tanis entries Canadian content, Guelph, Hillside Festival, live music, Montreal, mp3, Silver Starling

Ontario-based mega choir-group Bruce Peninsula have their work cut out for them Saturday at Hillside Festival. They’re performing on the island stage at the same time that indie darling Julie Doiron is on the lake stage and guitarist Kristin Sweetland plays the main stage.

If quantity of people is any indication of a good show, BP’s set in the steamy, revival tent-setting of the island stage will be a barn-burner. Tent burner? Whatevs. We be worshippin’ music, so you best get to prayin’.

Bruce Peninsula’s large choir-like group has a bit of a rotating membership, but the grounding basis of gospel, blues and folk remains solid as a rock. What they do, they do well; that is, sing traditional American folk songs with a hollered spiritual bent. Neil Haverty’s gravelly voice inquires, the heaven-sent female choir responds. Of the female chorus (which consists of Misha Bower, Katie Stelmanis, Kari Peddle, Ohbijou’s Casey Mecijah and others on occasion), Misha Bower’s deep, dark voice stands out.

She is expressive and wounded on “Weave Myself a Dress,” moving from a slight warble to a full-blown wail that flows perfectly into the call and response gospel asthetic of “Crabapples,” my favourite song from their full-length album, A Mountain is a Mouth.

The album made the long list for the 2009 Polaris Prize, but was unfortunately edged out of short list competition. It’s too bad, because the final group of artists up for consideration this year is kind of repetitive. Many have been nominated before and while I don’t doubt that Joel Plaskett deserves to be there, I don’t want the Polaris Prize to start to be like the Oscars, where artists who should’ve won in previous years are awarded for efforts that are passable, but not amazing. I wish there’d been room for Bruce Peninsula.

When I was a grade-schooler, I had this amazing music teacher, Mrs. Weimer. She taught me that the human voice is the most powerful instrument. Bruce Peninsula reinforces that, and then some. Their set at Hillside, in a hot, crowded tent will no doubt be intense (get it? In tents? Get it? Awwww, nevermind) and worthy of your applause. Especially if they play “Lift ‘Em Up/Jack Can I Ride” the best, wildest traditional songs they sing on their 2008 7″ release, which, incidentally, has some of the most beautiful design I’ve ever seen.

Their albums are available on Zunior and iTunes. Check them out!

 

 Bruce Peninsula - Lift 'Em Up/Jack Can I Ride: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Bruce Peninsula, Canadian content, Guelph, Hillside Festival, live music

You probably don’t know the name Afie Jurvanen, but if you’ve listened to certain Canadian indie musicians in the last few years, you’ve probably heard him. He’s played with Great Lake Swimmers, the Stills, Howie Beck, Amy Millan, Jason Collett, Hayden, Zeus and Feist.

But now is the time for you to hear him and see him on his own. Jurvanen, now playing under the name Bahamas, released his album, Pink Strat, today on Nevado Records.

This week is a fine start to what I’m sure will be a grand solo career. First, Pink Strat (named for the beat-up fender guitar he favours) is released. The first single “Already Yours,” is being featured for free on iTunes. And in the tradition of all the artists in my posts this week, Bahamas will be playing at Hillside!

Jurvanen picked up a thing or two, playing in such esteemed company. His voice reminds me of Jason Collett’s, but more lonesome, less sure. The shy, sexy way the songs are arranged is positively Feistian (she sings on a few tracks) and his pacing is reminiscent of Great Lake Swimmers (various members of tht band, the Golden Dogs’ Dave Azzolini and members of Zeus perform here as well.)

Indeed, if you combined all of the above, you’d have an approximation of what’s on offer here. I’m not complaining about the similarities though, because Jurvanen doesn’t let his guest stars or influences steal the show. He and his musical abilities are front and centre and that’s as it should be.

There’s a melancholy thread running through all these songs. They’re mostly about lost loves or loves that haven’t happened yet. One of the best tracks is “Try, Tried, Trying,” which does a magnificent job of highlighting Jurvanen’s musical talents. Multi-instrumentalist Jurvanen crafts a song with a steady if sparse back beat and proceeds to fill it out with bluesy guitar solos and his tremulous, wounded vocals. “Lonely Loves” is an echoey plea for love, filled with some excellent little guitar noodles. It’s also given a boost by the breezy backup vocals provided by Feist.

As much as I love the original songwriting on display on this album, I’m incredibly impressed by his efforts at covering a new-wave punk song.

“(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World” has been covered and covered and covered. I love the original by Wreckless Eric and I am not impressed by many versions I’ve heard from musicians who attempt to put the same kind of spin on the song. Imitating the plaintive growl of the original is not going to work, and Jurvanen wisely doesn’t even try.

Whereas Eric Gouldon makes you believe he’s going to get the girl, if only he sings hard enough, Jurvanen knows he isn’t going to get her, cause she’s gone. He makes the song into a remorseful memory about what might have been. Where the original is all hard corners and unexpected gasps and wails, this version is a sweet, sensual number kept moving by finger snaps, lazy, easy guitar licks and a lilting piano. It reminds me of nothing so much as Marcellus Hall’s haltingly romantic “Love Letter.”

And apparently, he’s good enough live to impress the folks at Chart. They gave his set at NXNE last month a mark of 88 out of 100. Here are some upcoming tour dates for you if you can’t make Hillside. And in October, he’s embarking on a Quebec to B.C. tour of the country with Amy Millan. Check his myspace for more details.

Aug. 1-2: Kee to Bala with Sam Roberts Band, Bala, ON.
Aug. 6 - The Dakota Tavern, Toronto, ON.
Aug. 7-9 - Wolfe Island Festival, Kingston, ON.

You can buy Pink Strat on iTunes and Nevado.

 

 Bahamas - Try, Tried, Trying: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bahamas - Lonely Loves: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bahamas - Whole Wide World: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Afie Jurvanen, Bahamas, Canadian content, Feist, Golden Dogs, Great Lake Swimmers, Guelph, Hillside Festival, Jason Collett, live music, Zeus

I’m going to preface this entry by mentioning that I recently wrote a piece for the Toronto Star about some upcoming festivals in southern Ontario that you can go see this summer if you wanted to get out of Toronto. I was just there last week for the Neko Case show at Massey Hall (I was gonna review it and then I had interviews and stuff to do, so I didn’t, but she was brilliant, obviously.) and she said she was glad she could make it to town for the biannual garbage strike. What I’m trying to say is: Toronto smells. It’s not their fault, but really, if you can leave that behind for a weekend, why wouldn’t you?

One of the festivals I mentioned in the article is Hillside in Guelph and it starts Friday. One of the commenters on my story rightly points out that you cannot call this festival “little.” And I did not. So there. The commenter also says it is now nearly impossible to get tickets. This is true. But it is also true that I said there are Friday passes left. And if you wanted to, you could buy some. Like, say, if you went to TicketPro, you would find tickets for Friday. AND Sunday! Man, look how nice I am!

I decided that this week, I would pick a handful of groups that I love who are performing at Hillside and write a bunch of entries about them for this poooooooor commenter who tragically could not plan ahead or get his ass online to buy tickets when they went on sale and apparently could not be bothered to click a link where tickets for two days are still available. You can’t tell, but I’m crying a single tear for this commenter.

ANYWAY! Hillside is famous for its community spirit, commitment to environmentalism and ability to pick unknown bands right before they make it big. There are a few groups on the roster this year that I think are poised to blow up huge and I thought, why not talk about them here while I’m figuring out what to see when?

Leading off is Regina’s Library Voices, one of my favourite discoveries from last year.

Yes. This photo is accurate. There are ten members of this group writing clever lyrics, soaring harmonies and creating a whirling dervish of sound. Library Voices made a six-song EP - Hunting Ghosts and other Collected Shorts - that is filled with hooky pop music that alternately yells its greatness from the rooftops and whispers its witty bon mots in your ear. But there’s always an urgency to it, like: “Listen! Listen! Please listen! Oh! Get this part… hear that? Yeah! We are on the same page! The best part is coming up… man! So awesome! Right?” Like they croon on the title track, “time is of the essence.”

At first, the only song I liked on Hunting Ghosts was the single, “Step Off the Map and Float,” but the more I listened, the more I heard. God. That sounds so lame, but it’s true. I don’t get people who claim that indie music is inaccessible. That is so fucking lazy and untrue. For instance, “Love in the Age of Absurdity” has a wailing guitar solo and a woo-woo-woo chorus of which Weezer would be jealous.

And how - HOW? - can you not love a band that extensively references Kurt Vonnegut in its lyrics? On “Things We Stole From Vonnegut’s Grave,” jaunty guitar riffs meet handclaps meet lush harmonies meet the shouted chorus of “And so it goes, and so it goes.” This equals big fun. We are who we pretend to be, so we must be careful who we pretend to be, indeed. The title of this post is what Vonnegut requested for his epitaph if, God forbid, he should die. One cannot presume to know what Vonnegut would have thought of a band incorporating his words into their lyrics, but I guess he might be amused. And so it goes.

And they continue to grow, musically. The dynamics on their new song, “Drinking Games” (which you can stream on their myspace because I don’t have it), are amazing. It’s like the goddamn Beach Boys I’m picking up so many good vibrations from this shit!

I can’t wait to see them live. It’s my experience that most collectives are great live. There’s more that can go wrong, sure, but the energy is always infectious and I’ve never had a bad experience with seeing groups that have more than seven members. Library Voices play Saturday, which is the one day of the festival that is sold out at all points of sale, so it’s a good thing you’re here!

The group joins Rah Rah, the Polymaths and Goldenmile in the growing category of great groups from the Reeg getting some much deserved buzz. They’re all on Young Soul Records, which hasn’t got a very up-to-date website, but maybe that’s because they’re busy signing more great groups. The Queen City should brag long and loud about these talents. Maybe then they wouldn’t all move away and I would no longer have to hear jerks from Winnipeg rag on the city as a talentless void. As if Winnipeg didn’t suck too. But I promise, Ontario, if you catch Library Voices on tour in Ontario in July, you will not be sorry. Here’s some tour dates, so you have no excuses!

July 21 - Toronto, On - @ Horseshoe Tavern
July 22 - Hamilton, On - @ The Casbah
July 23 - Windsor, On - @ Blind Dog
July 24 - Peterborough, On - @ Montreal House w/ The Burning Hell (Oh man, DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!)
July 25-26 - Guelph, On - Hillside Festival
July 28 - Toronto, On - @ Horseshoe Tavern
July 29 - London, On - @ Call The Office w/ Songs From A Room
July 31 - Thunder Bay, On @ Apollo

You can read about their tour adventures on their blog, and buy their stuff on zunior, sonic unyon and iTunes.

 

 Library Voices - Step Off the Map and Float: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Library Voices - Things We Stole From Vonnegut's Grave: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Library Voices - Love in the Age of Absurdity: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Canadian content, collectives, Guelph, Hillside Festival, Library Voices, live music, Regina, Toronto Star

A friendly reminder from your favourite u-loving neighbours from the north: It’s Canada Day. For five more minutes! Hooray!

I used to love Canada Day when I was a kid. Because it meant that somewhere, somebody would be serving vanilla cupcakes with white frosting and red and white sprinkles. Today, I was sadly without sprinkles. Unless you count the rain, which meant very sad fireworks. But I do have a six-pack of Sleeman’s in the fridge and an iTunes playlist filled with songs that contain a bunch of Canadian references Americans won’t get. That’s gotta count for something.

We’re so weird up here with our snow, our maple syrup, our free health care and our great, unknown musicians. We have more amazing musical acts nobody’s ever heard of than you can shake a stick at! I’m both resentful and resigned to that fact. Like, it’s AWESOME and you don’t know what you’re missing, you ignorant buffoons who think of Canada and think of Nickelback and Anne Murray and Celine Dion! On the other hand, get away from my favourite bands, America! Get your own! KnowwhatImean?

It’s rare that I just go buy an actual physical album without worrying if it will be any good. Rarer still is the purchase of a TRIPLE album without worrying if it will be any good. Who the heck even MAKES a triple album nowadays? Probably the same guy who makes a concept album about being a teenage rocker in the Maritimes. Probably the same guy who rhymes Saskatchewan with Catchin’ On. Probably the same guy who falls asleep with the TV on because at 3 a.m. they play O Canada. Probably the same guy who owes a lot of his recognizance to the fact that Canadian store Zellers used his song in a commercial. Probably the same guy who writes a song about loving a town (Halifax) with the same ferociousness that he hates another (Kelowna).

Joel Plaskett is the PERFECT example of a guy who is incredibly popular in Canada, yet will probably never become a HUGE success in the U.S. And I’m sure he’s fine with that, just as I am sure many people don’t understand why he’d be fine with that. Sometimes, it’s enough that your countrymen and women love you.

Hell, I could be wrong about that, though. Because other times, it’s nice to have Sir Paul McCartney hand pick you to open his only Canadian show on July 11 in Nova Scotia. It’s fitting, since to me, Plaskett’s music has always felt like hallowed middle ground between the seedier side of the Beatles and the friendlier side of the Stones. Macca can’t go wrong to have an intensely local artist with cross-country appeal open his show.

Plaskett has always stayed true to his roots. He relentlessly tours the country, but calls Nova Scotia home. His shows sell out everywhere (except maybe Kelowna) because he just keeps throwing out pop songs that are both extraordinarily catchy and deeply personal. In short, he does exactly what all great artists should do: Makes everybody who listens to his music feel like he wrote the song just for them.

Down at the Khyber is an album full of straight ahead rock and roll that is perfect to listen to if you happen to be driving anywhere in Canada. And not just because Plaskett liberally sprinkles his songs with references to cities across the country. The title track has Plaskett in Edmonton, longing for home and the Musquodoboit Harbour. Meanwhile, the tune It’s Catching On brilliantly rhymes the title with Saskatchewan, Light of the Moon relates the touring artist’s feeling that “this country’s a coalmine and I’m a canary” and tells of the desire to “flirt with the waitress in Sault Ste. Marie.” And what to say about True Patriot Love? Who among us (Canadians) hasn’t fallen asleep with the TV on, only to wake up to the CBC’s end of programming music — the national anthem. Oh, Canada! True patriot love, and all that jazz.

Lest you think all Joel Plaskett is good for is referencing Canadianisms, there is Through and Through and Through. In a world that loves singles, he is endlessly experimenting with the album format and Three is probably his craziest venture yet. It’s three albums, each with nine songs apiece, many with one word repeated three times as the title. Three is a magic album and Through and Through and Through is the first single that reminds us that “good things come in threes.”

I think you should help make it THE JAM of this summer because the imagery? It’s beautiful, thanks for asking. If anybody ever wrote the lyrics “I’m the Berlin Wall, I’m a communist/You’re a wrecking ball in a summer dress” for me, I’d be hopelessly devoted. I love the harsh horns and the lazy licks and its lyrics are achingly sweet and tasty, like a melted Freezie. The female vocals featured on Three are a welcome addition that allow Plaskett to ease up on his falsetto, but his witty lyrics and hooky pop sensibilities are still there. Gosh, he’s so great! All I want right now is a balcony or a back porch so I can laze around and listen to this slice of summer on repeat.

What’s that? You want a few MORE songs about Canadian cities by a couple of my favourite Canadian bands? Who am I to protest?

Hello City is from the Barenaked Ladies’ first album Gordon. Pat and I have both said that we would unironically include Gordon in our top 10 desert island records. It’s fucking awesome, both for the novelty songs the Ladies were peddling (the sweet and funny Be My Yoko Ono, the painful truth of Grade 9 and the very pointed New Kid On the Block), the more serious and wistful laments (Wrap Your Arms Around Me, What a Good Boy and the Flag) and stuff that sits somewhere in the middle (like Enid, Brian Wilson and Hello City).

Hello City is about Halifax. I don’t know why I like songs about Halifax so much, maybe because I’ve never been there, but long to go. Before I moved to Ontario, I had a really specific idea of what it would be like to live here. Like I’d feel more Canadian somehow. I remember hearing postal codes from Ontario at the end of TV shows I’d watch as a kid. I used to think those that started with N and M were so exotic. Much better than boring ol’ S. Now that I’m here, I feel a pull to head even further East because that’s clearly where the magic happens.

Anyway, I love Hello City both for its references to Halifax and its musicality. BNL are much more than a gimmick band with one hit. They’re accomplished musicians and vocalists. Somebody from America once asked me how embarrassed I was that the Barenaked Ladies were from Canada. After I stopped choking to death, I was all “What the what?” Why would I ever be embarrassed of the Ladies? It’s not my fault America turned them into a one-hit wonder. One Week isn’t TERRIBLE, but if you ask me, Stunt is where it all starts going wrong, mostly because other people found out about them. See? I jealously guard my favourites. I should’ve stayed a little closer, I guess, because after Steven Page left the band, I don’t know if they’ll ever be the same. I miss their earlier music, which you can buy on iTunes and Amazon.

On the other end of this equation is The Parkas. On the edge of being known beyond their southern Ontario beginnings (and Emmet’s blog), they are good. Really, really good. Their lyrics are clever, their song titles are witty, their music is dirty, country/rock-tinged fun and you should buy their albums. I’m partial to their song My Life of Crime from the album Now This is Fighting (on sale now at Endearing Records), because it is full of references to Guelph. Yep. The Parkas are good little Royal City rock and rollers who name check Goldie Mill, the Speed River AND St. George’s Square. But the lyrics are only part of the reason I love it. Right at the heart of the song, there’s this sparse bit populated by just a lonely bassline and that urgent, growling vocal. The moment is broken by a guitar riff straight off the Dazed and Confused soundtrack. The song slowly builds back up into a whirling, sorrowful dirge that laments their lack of funds and wasted ambition.

The Parkas are releasing their third full-length album later this month in Toronto. If you’re in the T dot on Saturday, July 25th, head down to the Silver Dollar and check out The Parkas play a raucous show with Whitebelt Octopus. Get it while you can. From the latest state of the nation on their website, it sounds like they might be getting ready to take an extended break.

 

 Joel Plaskett - It's Catchin' On: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Joel Plaskett - True Patriot Love : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Joel Plaskett - Love This Town: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Joel Plaskett - Through and Through and Through: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Barenaked Ladies - Hello City: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Parkas - My Life Of Crime: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Barenaked Ladies, Canada Day, Canadian content, Guelph, Joel Plaskett, Saskatchewan, The Parkas

Great performance alert!

Every Hillside Festival fan in this city should head out to the Guelph Little Theatre Saturday, where Mark Seymour (Hunters and Collectors) will be performing with Royal City musical royalty Sue Smith, one of the co-founders of Guelph’s famous Hillside Festival.

It’s a star-studded lineup that also includes Jeff Bird (Cowboy Junkies), Nick Craine (Black Cabbage) and Marta Pacek from Melbourne. They’re all accomplished folkies who make beautiful music.

Seymour kind of reminds me of an Australian Jim Cuddy. He’s an acclaimed singer and songwriter and he has an earthy, lived in voice that’s capable of raw tenderness. He could sing the phonebook and I’d be swaying lightly, holding a lighter aloft. Especially on one of his older songs, Mississauga. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Mississauga, but very few people compose songs about it without adding the word Goddam. And I love Throw Your Arms Around Me, from his new release, Closest Living Thing.

Sue Smith’s slinky I Need a Band and a Tango Partner from her album I’m So has a bunch of funky, rolling piano bits and hot guitar licks that set off her bluesy voice just… so. It’s perfect for listening to on a hot night with a cold beer.

Do yourself a favour and snap up some early tickets for this show (Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.) They’re $20 in advance at Ground Floor Music on Quebec St., $25 at the door. Or if you want tickets and you’re from out of town, contact one of my favourite music promoters in the city, Lil Milanovich at milanovichlil@hotmail.com and she’ll set you up.

You can buy the music of Sue Smith and Mark Seymour on Maple Music. And iTunes, of course.

 

 Mark Seymour - Throw Your Arms Around Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Mark Seymour - Mississauga: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Sue Smith - I Need A Band And A Tango Partner: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Canadian content, Guelph, Hillside Festival, live music, Mark Seymour, Sue Smith

I remember watching a band from my high school perform when I was in Grade 10.

“These guys suck,” I thought.

Lo, my first moment of sneering criticism. Sigh. I remember it like it was yesterday! I don’t know if they ever got anywhere with their music. Probably not. Reflecting back, they really were terrible. Their name was ripped off from plenty of punk groups of the day. The letters FX played a role. Bad news bears all around.

Since then, I’ve suffered through more than my fair shair of teeny boppers acting tough and playing terrible music. I became convinced I would never see a good young band. Kids today! They’re either making music that is terrible and pretentious or terrible and twee! Where are my wax cylinders! Harumph! I’m weary of the whining pseudo punk rockers and the uber-precious emo kids. You get, like, so much material from hanging at the mall? You know? Generally, I ignore any music that is made by a person under the age of 20. This means that I can pretend the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus don’t exist! Win-win!

Then The Canned Goods came along.

photo by Ryan Pfeiffer Photography

This band of 13-17 year olds is a throwback to a time before any of its members were born! If the White Stripes and the Black Keys had a baby and that baby grew up listening to the Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin and the Who and started a high school band, the Canned Goods would be it.

Their song Julia is a frickin’ tour de force. From the moody opening bass line to the cranky, stuttering guitar, the song is both familiar and distinctive. The band wears their influences on their thrift-store sleeves and in a lot of ways, you can tell that they’re young, but refreshingly so. They’re not trying to be anything other than what they are: Talented teenagers who are feeling their way through their musical influences and carving out a spot on the local scene. They’re doing a goddamn good job of it, too. They’ve performed alongside a lot of great local groups and it’s only a matter of time before they’re going to be getting national press and headling shows of their own.

Guitarist Tyler Bersche has a strong command of his instrument, carving sharp chords and riffs that cut into a song. He also contributes vocals that compliment singer Lexy Troyak’s wails. When I met her, I literally could not believe she was 13. Her voice is raw and mature and miles better than the warbling bullshit being offered up by fakey divas like Avril Lavigne. I don’t know what Grace Slick sounded like when she was 13, but Lexy sounds an awful lot like her now and I suspect her voice is only going to get better as she gets older.

Where many high school bands fail is in the rhythm section. Often, kids haven’t learned to lock that in yet and as a result, they’re all over the map. Not so here. Bersche and Troyak might command the attention, but Elliott Gwynne on bass and Ben Millar on drums totally knocked me out. They give the group a strong backbone laced with elements of funk and jazz on which they hang the vocal hooks, fuzzy guitars and psychedelic riffs.

I won’t detract from the group’s appeal by saying that they’re good “for their age.” They’re just good. And they’re going to be huge. Get in on the secret early and you can say you knew them when.

Check them out tomorrow at the Guelph Multicultural Festival where they’re playing Riverside Park’s main stage at 4 p.m. They’re also going to be performing at the first ever Sunlight Music Festival on Aug. 18 at Riverside Park. That festival also features local musical guru James Gordon and benefits Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, so plan on attending!

 

 The Canned Goods - Julia: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Canadian content, Guelph, high school bands, live music, local music, The Canned Goods

It’s probably obvious from my Stones post, but the thing I love most about summer is putting music on and letting it wash over me. The best music for this, in my opinion, is a combination of raunchy rock, funk, soul, blues and jazz. I dip heavily into what I guess you’d call “oldies” at this time of year. But in the early days of what I assume is going to be another sweltering southern Ontario summer, I’ve been digging something from this decade with a retro feel.

The Paint Movement is from Mississauga. I guess if you’re from suburbia you either want to move away or make the most of it. Their first album, Our Eurythmy, is the most. The sweeping, layered rock movements fuse so seamlessly from indie rock into jazzy funk/soul digressions that I’m sure you’ll be grooving right along, enjoying some fine indie rock when all of a sudden, you’ll think “Holy frijole! I’m listening to a jazz song!” Don’t worry, jazzbos. We won’t tell anybody that you like it. It’s our little secret.

Groovy Bones is easily my favourite song from the album, out now on Nevado Records. It doesn’t even bother to disguise itself. It just blasts you with horns and percussion, announcing its jazz affiliation early. But the subtle touches of soul put it in another category. After a blazing drum solo, you get a hint of a smooth guitar riff that leads you unawares into a full-on horn assault. I like it when groups can surprise me and The Paint Movement does. Frequently.

It’s like listening to Broken Social Scene duel with the Menahan Street Band. But where Broken Social Scene and Menahan revel in being of a certain place and time, The Paint Movement feel less tethered to a location. I’ve only ever been through Mississauga on my way to somewhere else more exciting, so maybe that’s on purpose.

Here’s what I really think about the Paint Movement: The jazz parts are excellent. They aren’t fooling around. They really know their stuff. I am impressed. The indie parts are fine but… that’s it. They’ve been reluctantly compared to Broken Social Scene in almost every review I’ve read. That’s great, but I want them to break out of those comparisons because I think they’ve got something entirely different going on with the fusion of indie and jazz. They’re making me wade out, sticking my toes in when I want to dive into the deep funk/soul/jazz vibe. The world needs more Medeski Martin & Wood-esque groups. Memo to the Paint Movement: This could be you.

Anyway, I definitely don’t mean to detract because I really love this and can’t wait to hear more as they develop. The soft brush drumming on Cat’s Meow is fantastic and I dig the sax and trumpet that snake in and lend songs like Faults and Knock Knock their vibrant, jazzy flavour – then again, I always think there should be more trumpet. The wish of a biased horn player? Maybe, but what’re you going to do about it?

The Paint Movement plays the Ebar tomorrow night in Guelph with Bass Lions at 8 p.m.

As a special treat because I love that you love live music, I have two pairs of tickets and two copies of Our Eurythmy to give away to the first two people to send me an email at tanisfowler@gmail.com. C’mon guys! Let’s give some stuff away! Free stuff!

 

 The Paint Movement - Groovy Bones: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries bass lions, Canadian content, ebar, free stuff, Guelph, jazz, live music, nevado records, the paint movement

So there’s some crazy shit going on in the states right now. A bunch of old, rich, white people are protesting a tax increase by… buying tea bags? Sounds like a bunch of somebodies failed history. And economics.

Since, you know, taxes have actually been cut if you make less than $250,000. And if you don’t make less than that? Fuck you, that’s what. Also, the ORIGINAL Boston Tea Party? Was about taxation without representation. Not whatever this ridiculous display of entitlement and misplaced rage is on about.

Just how stupid is this? Well, Shepherd Smith, an anchor on FOX NEWS, is actively calling for people to get a grip and I quote “read a newspaper with a different viewpoint than your own to get some context.” Let me repeat that: FOX NEWS is calling for reasoned debate and context. And reading. Um, is the earth rotating backwards? Is the sky orange? Do I have a great, bushy beard? Things are getting crazy out.

This is all just an excuse to run this photo and talk about the original being better than imitators. I’m not a remix fan. It is rare when I like a remix or a mashup. It’s not my fault that they’re usually lame.

But I’ve seen the light recently. You will recall that I loved the Diplo remix of M.I.A.’s Paper Planes. Which was itself, cribbing from Straight to Hell by The Clash.

I was forced to further examine my prejudices concerning remixes when one of my favourite local groups, Green Go, started their remix project, which saw them take several songs, awesome in their own right, and rework them.

Women, Gentleman Reg, The D’Urbervilles, Born Ruffians and the Rural Alberta Advantage all get the remix treatment on the Guelph group’s remix project.

They wisely steer clear of messing with the songs TOO much, but the remixes all enhance what’s there, rather than slapping a drum track behind it.

Somebody else on another blog said it better than me: The best remix, I like better than the original. I believe that person was talking about the Gorillaz 19-2000 soulchild remix, which was released as a b-side. He argued it should have been on the album and called the original something that better fit his idea of a typical remix, that is: “interesting to hear once, inessential, and in the way of the version I’d rather hear.”

That’s not EXACTLY how I’d classify any of the original songs that Green Go chose to remix. Because I love all of them. But probably the best is the updated version of Women’s Black Rice. It’s just a little tastier the second time around. They don’t slouch on any of the other remixes and their version of the Born Ruffians’ song This Sentence Will Save/Ruin Your Life is inspired.

Their original stuff is pretty spiffy, too. It’s like a kinder, gentler, Shout Out Out Out Out or a raunchier Metric. I’ve written about Green Go before and said publically, before they started doing the remix stuff, that they should be added to a Hillside Festival bill. I have a feeling that the remixes might just do the trick for getting them the notice they deserve. They’ve been favourably reviewed in Exclaim! and the Toronto Star and I’d like to think my own little voice shouting from the hilltops that they’re awesome counts for something, too.

If you live in Guelph, be sure to hop down to the eBar TONIGHT, where Green Go, who just signed to Phermone Recordings, are holding a CD release for their new LP, Borders, which will be available to the masses on April 28. But you should come out to this show anyway. For $5 (or PWYC), they promise a good time. Well, they don’t. I do.

 

 Women - Black Rice (Green Go remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Rural Alberta Advantage - Sleep All Day (Green Go Remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Gentleman Reg - We're In a Thunderstorm (Green Go remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The D'Urbervilles - Dragnet (Green Go remix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Born Ruffians - This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life (Green Go Remix) : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Green Go - Cash Money Gremlins: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Born Ruffians, Canadian content, Gentleman Reg, Green Go, Guelph, live music, local music, remix, the D'urbervilles, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Women