Sound Salvation Army

It’s a fine line between theme and gimmick. One has to wonder if/when the Library Voices literary bent will come back to bite the group.

The Regina band’s latest album, Summer of Lust, is out today. Like their previous releases it pairs immense pop hooks with wry lyrics stuffed full of literary name-drops, references, and allusions. Roughly equal amounts of press has been given to the band for its catchy musical arrangements and its willingness to play up their apparent bookworminess, be it in song titles (”Things We Stole From Vonnegut’s Grave,” “Reluctant Readers Make Reluctant Lovers,” “If Raymond Carver Was Born In The 90s,” “Bodies Of Fiction,” etc) or in lyrics (authors like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Joseph Heller and Richard Yates are mentioned in just one single song). It’s a device that plays to a decidedly hipster fan base, but while it might be seen as charming by some it can also be interpreted as pretention, having the potential to drive away listeners before they even push the play button.

That would be a shame, now more than ever. The band has hit a stride, paring down this year to its smallest line-up yet (six people) and quickly recording an album that overtakes its predecessors in nearly every way.

Like their previous albums, the band leads off Summer of Lust with an unimpeachably rock-solid lead track. “If Raymond Carver Was Born In The 90’s” is a terrific piece of pop that is also emblematic of the album as a whole. Awash in keyboard and synth sounds (I’m pretty sure there’s some theremin in there as well), it’s an upbeat rock song that simultaneously laments and celebrates the road-weary life of touring musicians trying to live their dream. I will admit to not being familiar enough with the American short story author referenced in the title to know if the song’s theme echo his work but either way the song starts the album out on a high note, introducing new listeners to the swirling synths and Carl Johnson’s desperate tenor that are the hallmarks of their sound.

From back to front this record is extremely upbeat, taking on galloping rhythms and elements of classic early-era pop and rock songs to give the tracks some backbone. Take for example the early-release track “The Prime Minister’s Daughter,” a song deftly released a month before Canada’s federal election (nearly five months before the album release date). The group’s first blatant protest song, singer Carl Johnson shimmies his way through another pointedly synth-drenched track whose lyric condemns the Tory government for rolling back arts funding. It’s a pretty damn perfect song, an incredibly catchy number that pleads with Stephen Harper’s daughter by name to realize that there are young musicians in Canada that have to work double shifts tending bar just to be able to afford to live while making music. The wryly disingenuous line, “Ordinary people don’t care about art,” is a perfectly back-handed swipe at the Harper government (or any government for that matter) that uses the idea of imaginary “meat and potatoes,” blue-collar citizens who demand to see less “frivolous” spending as a justification for reducing support to areas they don’t like or understand.

The plight of the beleaguered musician is here in full force, but there are other thematic arcs on the record as well. “Anthem For A New Canadia” isn’t as geographically centered as its title may suggest; like single “Generation Handclap” it uses modern technology as a jumping-off point to express something between criticism, concern, and observation about the current state of adults who aren’t quite adults; they’re the people approaching their thirties who don’t have a home, aren’t settling down and having babies, or even have what’s typically considered a “career.” They’re the people who, as lyricist Mike Dawson puts it, “write letters to home and then send them by phone.” It’s a succinct encapsulation of how the times, they are a-changin’.

Like any good poet, Dawson also tends to over-romanticize his sexual dalliances. “Be My Juliette Gréco, Paris 1949″ is a great example in which he compares a lover he is “always coming back to” to Miles Davis and the titular French singer. How a 30 year-old Saskatchewanian has an intimate knowledge of the age “before Photoshopped hips and collagen smiles” is beyond me but it makes for a good, obscure reference (akin to the average John K. Samson song) that will send listeners running for their Google search bar (see what I did there?).

Lyrics aside the album’s production helps feed the more immediate sound the band has cultivated, the studio less of a presence than on their previous full-length. The tracks have a “live from the floor” feel that scrapes off the polish of the last album that glossed up the songs to an almost absurd degree. While synths and keys are the most prominent musical force here Brennan Ross’ guitar also shines with creative leads soaked in reverb that help fill out the arrangements in a wonderful way. Paul Gutheil’s saxophone also continues to be a delightful break from the norm, although it seems to have been used more sparingly this time around.

The liner notes for Summer of Lust feature (surprise!) a quote from Pablo Neruda that sums up the album for me, although probably not in the way the band intended. “I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too,” it reads. That accurately describes my relationship with the band because, while I could not have enjoyed a handful of the songs on their previous records more, they haven’t stuck with me in a very big way. As much as the songs on Denim on Denim were archetypal pop songs of the highest order the album as a whole had no staying power with me; it isn’t something I frequently seek out, something that I crave. Summer of Lust is a different creature altogether, an album that is delightfully cohesive and decidedly memorable. It’s another accomplishment for Regina’s music scene that should have an impact far and wide.

Here’s hoping that unlike Dickinson, Plath, and Thoreau they’re appreciated in their own time. I promise you, reluctant readers, if you can get past their occasionally-cloying literary crutches there’s plenty for you here.

 

 Library Voices - The Prime Minister's Daughter: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Library Voices - If Raymond Carver Were Born In The 90's: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can buy Library Voices albums through their website or via iTunes. They’re also touring like the dickens with a ton of Canadian dates already booked.

Pat entries Canadian content, hipsters, indie pop, Library Voices, local flavour, local music, Regina

Parting is such sweet sorrow, you guys. It will be even more so this Thursday night at O’Hanlon’s in Regina, however, as the mighty Polymaths take the stage for the last time. Ever. In the world.

The shame of it all is that they only got one full-length CD out in their time together; one completely incredible full-length CD. It should have made my Best of 2009 list — and likely would’ve been somewhere near the top — but since I’m not as plugged in locally as I used to be I totally missed it’s initial late-December release. I picked up Home Again early this year and it’s been a resounding, poignant listen that I just can’t leave alone.

Keeping in line with their own history (on the So Long, Castle Road EP) there’s a lot of Regina in these songs. The presence of our fair city in Craig Fink’s lyrics shows itself in a variety of forms, from the obvious-to-those-that-are-from-here references in “The Longest Bridge Over The Shortest Span Of Water” (see the wiki for historical footnotes) to more subtle references to prairie life as compared to living in “London-town” or at Queen’s University (both in the comparative mecca of Ontario). There’s almost a thematic arc to the album; softly strummed opener “Age Sixteen” sets the stage with Fink intoning a tale of a young person leaving home for good only to plead ninety seconds later, “Go home.” The album ends with the slow, harmony-draped “Letter From Home,” a spiritual sibling that sees Fink insisting that he can’t/won’t go back to where he’s from.

Those songs, along with the half-dozen or so in between that touch on the same topic, hit close to home for nearly every young Saskatchewanian, I think. Our province’s legacy in the last several decades has been that of a feeder community; our young people inevitably go off to more exciting (re: less flat) places to seek their education and/or fortune. The line, “I’d like to remind you that home is where your shit is piling up” rings true to my generation’s experiences; while we go elsewhere we rarely REALLY leave. For one, the cost-of-living shift between places deemed desirable when compared to Saskatchewan is often stark and makes it tough to take your whole life with you. Moreover, it’s a hard place to get away from. People from other places may not realize it, but the prairies never leave your blood. As blog favourite Emmet Matheson recently opined on the always-delightful Bulldozer With A Wrecking Ball Attached, you’re always from here whether you like it or not.

Fink expertly captures the love/hate relationship that a lot of young people still have about places like Regina. The latter-half track “Winter At Queen’s” sees him lamenting an intense homesickness while studying away from home; the man who once railed against the prairie weather is now idealizing it after seeing the colour of the grass on the other side. Hearing his insistence that he wants to have “a spot to plant his soul” ready and waiting for him is what truly makes Saskatchewanians Saskatchewanians, the cathartic push/pull of needing to experience more but wanting to hold on to that pastoral quietude that defines us as a region and a people.

That’s not to say that this album is unlistenable for anyone that has never seen the sun rise over five hundred kilometres of flat prairie. The other half of the songs here are laudable critiques of love, working retail, and the fragility of dreams. While the Saskatchewan suite of songs stand out to me lyrically, the remainder of the tracks often rise above even those numbers.

Frankly, some of these songs are fucking astounding in how completely amazing they are. The band is firing on all cylinders in this recording, expanding their no-nonsense guitar-bass-drums-keyboard 4/4 rock and roll to incorporate genuine moments of soul music with incredible effect. The two stand-out tracks are both slower songs that begin with patient musical build-ups and Fink’s gentle singing (which transitions into near-growling insistence over their running time). “Unreliable” is the first (and possibly only) truly classic soul number written by Regina’s rock and roll underground, a tense, perfectly-arranged track that gives Fink the opportunity to exorcise the demons of a hundred spurned lovers, culminating in a note-perfect guitar solo that adds just the right amount of chaos into the closing. “Burst Into Flames” is a rumination on personal shortcomings and the conflicting nature of reality versus the dreams of our youth, a genuinely affecting number with a mournful tenor that feels like an ending, and not a good one. “I’m laundry hung out on a line,” Fink admits, before insisting with his last breath that geography might once again be playing a part in how he and his character’s lives end up.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, at least half of the band members are leaving Regina for grad school. If the lyrical content of this album is any indication I have every confidence they’ll be back some day. Saskatchewan might be the one place where you can go home again.

I can’t say enough about this album, and this isn’t future-nostalgia or pre-beak-up hysteria. I’ve been spinning this disc non-stop for months and it is worth every revolution. I don’t understand how this record and this band aren’t getting the acclaim and attention that your Library Voices or your Rah Rah are having showered upon them. No, they don’t have 14 people in the band and they don’t give away free candy at shows. They write the balls off some smart, passionate rock music and make no apologies for it.

Come out to O’Hanlon’s on Thursday and let them know that’s still worth something. Send them off to grad school with some fucking smiles on their faces.

 

 Polymaths - Sputnik Sweethearts [4:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Polymaths - Unreliable [4:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Final show is Thursday night at O’Hanlon’s. BE THERE. Click right here for more information.

Get the record from Regina-based Urban Planning Records; it comes in a crazy paper case!

Pat entries Canadian content, indie rock, local music, Regina, rock, soul, Urban Planning Records

Sometimes it just feels like you’re listening to something special.

In the last year or so I’ve written about a number of current/former punk rockers that have made the shift to acoustic singer-songwriters. So many, in fact, that even writing those words kind of makes me want to roll my eyes a little bit. Just sayin’.

But Matt Gaud is something else, people. He’s the genuine article, the real deal, the bee’s knees. If the cat wore them, he would be it’s pajamas.

Gaud is a former member of Means, a Regina-based Christian hardcore/metalcore band (no joke, that’s a thing) that did quite well for themselves, having toured through Canada and the U.S. more times than I have (to be certain). After that band’s dissolution he’s played his rootsier, folksier solo material under a couple of different names, including his own.

I had intended to write about his latest iteration back in February after seeing him open for Library Voices, a show that was recorded for broadcast by our friends at CBC Radio 2 (stream that business at their website; you might as well, you’re paying for it, right?). Seated before a half-full Exchange, Gaud fired up his throaty vocals and got to playing a set of mostly-downtrodden, lovelorn, and longing numbers. His melodies and playing are natural and unforced and he’s an understated performer, his great, bushy beard hiding the face of a poet.

Admittedly, I was at first drawn in more by his insanely-good cover of Hot Water Music’s “Trusty Chords” than the originals, but once I heard the cover my attention was piqued.

Like early Dylan or Iron & Wine or Bon Iver he relies on his acoustic guitar and a harmonica for his live performances, choosing to flush out the recorded tracks subtly with bass drum, bass, some electric guitar, and some phenomenal trumpet work. Seriously people, it isn’t that easy to make trumpets sound this plaintive and downtrodden.

Those horns are one of the focal points on the first track featured here, “Energy.” The trumpet melodies swell in the intro and chorus, setting up Gaud’s pained lyric about a patient potential paramour waiting for a shot at love. The percussion is lower in the mix, but the subtle cymbal work also provides some build and cresendo of it’s own. “Wheels,” the other standout track you’ll find below, makes use of an insistent kick drum that propels the song’s tale of an unexpected wrench being thrown into the minutiae of everyday life. The wailing harmonica recalls Springsteen’s Nebraska, but with the benefit of a proper studio to record it.

This record has emotional heft, but Gaud presents it in a relatable, everyman kind of way. No frills, no unnecessary wording or calculated metaphors. He lays it bare and relies on the quality of his songs and his raw talent to carry the results to the listener’s ear. “Worry” is perhaps the best example of this, hinging on the plainly-stated admission, “I don’t know where we’re going/but I like where we are.” Simple and direct but poignant nonetheless.

I was spurred to actually write this piece after reading an incredibly lauditory review on another website. While it’s likely a little premature to agree with Frank Turner’s assessment of Gaud as “a fucking legend,” if you’re a fan of this style of music then Borrowed Chords, Tired Eyes is a pretty fucking good start.

 

 Northcote - Energy [4:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Northcote - Wheels [3:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s worth noting that Northcote is on the bill for the massive, amazing, incomparable indie rock wank-fest that will be Sled Island Music Festival in Calgary the week of Canada Day. I’ll be there, cheering Matt on from the front row. Help him get there:

Physical: Maple Music
Digital: iTunes is a thing

Pat entries acoustic, Canadian content, local music, Northcote, Regina, solo material

In the mood for a little death country? Me too.

So I’m gonna maybe possibly perhaps go see Elliott Brood tonight at The Vinyl.

It’s cold and dreary and I feel the pressure of make-believe deadlines and no money beating down on me. I’d like to remedy that with a little heat, a little booze, a little power, a little rock and roll. I want to feel that kick drum through the fuckin’ floor and with Elliott Brood taking the stage, I know I will. It’s been two years since they released their Polaris-nominated and me-declared brilliant album, Mountain Meadows, so maybe they’ll be playing some new stuff. Who knows?

I just think it would be a shame for you to miss a chance to see this band live. Because I think they’re one of the best little touring acts in the country right now and they play with an intensity I’ve rarely seen duplicated.

Come see them live! Doors at the Vinyl open at 7:30 p.m. (early show).

Can’t see ‘em in Guelph?

Mar. 26 - Montreal House (MOHO) in Peterborough, ON
Mar. 27 - Avening Community Centre in Creemore, ON
April 15 - Call the Office in London, ON
July 16-18 - Dawson City Music Festival in Dawson City, Yukon

 

 Elliott Brood - President (35): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Elliott Brood - Fingers and Tongues: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Elliott Brood - Miss You Now: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Get their shizz at their official store, zunior or iTunes. Get it! Now!

Tanis entries Canadian content, death country, Elliott Brood, Guelph, live music, local music, mp3, The Vinyl

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

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

Paradise is not always a tropical island in the sun or a luxurious hotel. Sometimes, it’s a store filled floor-to-ceiling with old albums, plaster casts of teeth, racks of second-hand clothing, musical instruments and knick-knacks up the wazoo.

Last night, a bunch of people who love music and the arts, performed in just such a place. The Family Thift Store is downtown Guelph’s least likely, but most fantastic concert venue.

I’ve written about the saga of Ray Mitchell’s junk store here before. But now the end has come. And so for the last week, Ray and his daughter, Jenny Omnichord, have been holding a series of concerts called Thriftstock to try and show the Royal City what it will be missing when the store closes its doors.

Ray is what we in the biz call a character. He always has a good quote, his store, which is filled with “treasures and mysteries” is always great for a photo, and more often than not, people are prone to disregard much of what he says, labelling it hyperbole and balderdash. Which is why I guess it took many months before anybody paid attention to his claims that the city was going to buy up a bunch of property on Wyndham Street and demolish it so the new library could have frontage on a main street.

It turns out, Ray’s predictions were true. The city does plan to buy up the block, tear it down and build a new library with some greenspace. And who’s going to protest a library? Nobody. But due to some troubles with a landlord, last night was, well, the last night.

Ray has provided this community’s artists, musicians and entertainers with instruments, equipment, friends, materials, a place to perform and a place to sleep. For the last week, they’ve been paying him back with shows. Groups as varied as Knock Knock Ginger, The D’Urbervilles, The Magic, Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy, Richard Laviolette, Innes Wilson and his Opposition, Greg Denton, The Saltlick Kids and many more have performed at the Thrift Store in the past week.

Tonight, Wax Mannequin, Scott Nightingale of Guelph group Ragg Mopp (who I’m sorry, I can’t find any other information on, though I’m pretty sure they’re on NoFi Militant Records, but somebody correct me if I’m wrong) and The Burning Hell (Pat’s written about them here) performed. All these groups are quite fitting. Scott played the very first show at The Family Thrift Store. At the time, they all assumed it was a one-off. Then Wax Mannequin called because he was on a tour of alternative venues. He’d just played a grocery store and wondered, would the Family Thrift Store host him? Sure, said Jenny, who in addition to releasing solo albums, plays omnichord and sings with The Burning Hell.

It was a bittersweet goodbye, but I think the Burning Hell was a great choice to end it all with.

Their song The Things That People Make (parts one and two) is perfect for Ray, who is famous for his window displays. Once, he was approached by an art student who asked him to display a pig carcass tattooed with images of naked women as a statement on gender politics. Liberal use of an air freshener did not deter the flies. He’s taunted Leafs fans (as should we all), entreated local politicians to retire, called them bigots when they deserved to be called bigots, and just generally stated his mind via the found art he arranges for all to see. The displays may not all be my cuppa tea, but I think they’re great because they’re pushing boundaries and envelopes and buttons and other things that sometimes need to be pushed. Ray makes things and artistic people gravitate toward him. And now that his store is gone, they won’t. It’s as simple as that. Now, Ray could return in a different location, but until he does, there will be a gap and we’ll all be the worse off for it.

Late last night, when all but Burning Hell front man Mathias Kom and Jenny had left the makeshift stage, it got quiet and Jenny said she felt honoured to be the last to sing there. There was a moment of applause for Ray, who stood there, silently holding his sleeping grandson, Otis. Then, Kom announced they were about to retire a song he’d written about Guelph, one of his favourite places besides his hometown of Peterborough. And they sang Municipal Monarchs and at the chorus, the whole place sang along:

We’ll be municipal monarchs
With crowns made of oak leaves and birch bark
Our subjects will be loving and loyal
After all, this city is royal.

 

 The Burning Hell - The Things That People Make: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Burning Hell - The Things That People Make Part 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Burning Hell - Municipal Monarchs: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Many of these artists are available on Weework Records, Zunior and, yeah, iTunes.

Tanis entries Canadian content, Guelph Ontario, Jenny Omnichord, live music, local music, the Burning Hell, The Family Thrift Store, Wax Mannequin

Several years ago, a friend turned me onto Danny Michel. He was common knowledge on the Canadian indie scene by then, but I’d only just heard of him. I agreed to go see him play at a tiny campus bar in Calgary and his charisma and musical ability blew me away.

I bought two CDs that night, then went home and downloaded the rest. I even paid for it! Support independent artists, guys!

Then I moved to Guelph and heard through the grapevine that he lived in the area. He’s played a few shows since I’ve been here, but then he went on tour with Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe and was never around.

The closest I’ve come to seeing Danny play here was watching a Burning Hell set at Hillside Festival last year and standing right behind him. He and Hawksley Workman were watching the show together and instead of being like “why hello talented, artistic, gentlemen who are also very handsome,” I was like “I’m drunk and sunburned.” So I just stood thre and watched the show with them. It was a nice little Hillside moment. But earlier this year, when I heard he was playing the Dublin Street United Church, I knew I’d try to attend.

That show takes place tonight and I’m excited! I love seeing shows in churches. They’re such great venues. Oh, and, um, yay God? And stuff?

Seriously. The acoustics are always amazing and this church in particular has a great, warm sound that I think will really heighten the Danny Michel concert experience. I saw Matthew and Jill Barber play there last year and they were great. I can’t wait to hear If God Is On Your Side performed in a church. Also, if he could perform Elvis’ The Song of the Shrimp from Girls! Girls! Girls! I would be an extremely happy girl.

Because I always try to immerse myself in the music of a particular artist before I see them live, I’ve been perusing my complete Danny Michel catalogue and marvelling at his progression as a songwriter and musician.

His latest, Feather, Fur and Fin is, while not wildly, insanely better than any of his earlier albums, has a different feel. There’s more experimentation with sound and breaks and lyrics and it took awhile for me to warm up to it, but it’s one of my favourites now. It’s hard to beat the nostalgia of Two Hearts on 2003’s Tales From the Invisible Man, where he sings about making out on the shag rug and croons “I got no beepers, no pagers. Just Farrah Fawcett-Lee-Majors” but he manages with the intense howl of “You’re the last match in the pack!” on I’m ‘a Love You Anyway. And whoever suggested the baritone sax and glockenspiel (I’m blaming McLean) has my eternal gratitude. Michel digs a little deeper with every record and I respect that.

I’m gonna go ahead and give you a Danny Michel sampler. And I strongly encourage you to give ‘em all a listen, go out to shows and buy, buy, buy.

And also make sure you check out this amazazing video for Feather, Fur and Fin, featuring more than 3,500 photos taken in Belize.

Right? It’s awesome! So you should come out tonight. Dublin Street United (It’s on the corner of Dublin and Suffolk in Guelph) at 7:30. The opening act is jazz singer Roxann Potvin and she is quite fine. To hold tickets, email milanovichlil@hotmail.com or get ‘em at Ground Floor Music.

 

 Danny Michel - I'm 'a Love You Anyway: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Danny Michel - White Lightening: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Danny Michel - Two Hearts: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Danny Michel - Fireworks: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Canadian content, churches as venues, Danny Michel, folk rock, Guelph Ontario, Hillside, live music, local music, mp3

I missed Jason Collett’s set at Hillside Festival last year (though I saw him play at the Sunday Morning Gospel Hour and a Half) and somehow managed to bypass his 2008 album, Here’s to Being Here.

But I’ve been listening to it in advance of his show tonight at the eBar. Frankly, it’s been providing me with the perfect “Now-I’m-Unemployed-but-Life-Goes-On” soundtrack. Combined with Joel Plaskett’s new triple album Three, which I’m still absorbing, Here’s to Being Here has been filling my days with beautifully crafted, rootsy numbers that tell me I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Roll On Oblivion does just what it says it will: You’re immersed in an ocean of folk-pop on a particularly tranquil day, with waves of chords just rippling over you, out to the horizon. And once you’re done splashing around in the ocean, there’s a sprawling afternoon before you, a perfectly good hammock stretched between two palm trees and absolutely no intention to honour any engagements. I imagine just crawling in there and listening to the Lou Reed-esque nasal tone in Collett’s voice on Not Over You and crying to myself because dammit, I still wish I had a job and I’ll never really get over losing this one, no matter how hard I convince myself I am.

I see my future in this album, too. I could picture listening to Out of Time, with its “ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-oooohhh!” studded chorus and Rolling Stones strut on a cool, spring morning, curlers in my hair, getting ready for work and sipping coffee on a city balcony somehwere, while the streets wake up around me. There’s nothing hurried or urgent in Collett’s music and the album’s title, Here’s to Being Here, is really resonating with me. It’s something I’m learning to appreciate. Being here - right here, where I am right now - is just fine. This week is about pausing and reflecting on that.

Collett will be supported by his labelmates, Toronto group Zeus. They’re releasing their debut album, Something Awesome on Arts & Crafts sometime this spring. Right now, they’re offering a few tracks for free. They’re all catchy, sweet-sounding rockers that do pop a solid by representing.

But my favourite is The Renegade. Its piano track has a boogie-woogie feel that reminds me of nothing so much as the Beatles on Lady Madonna. Sure, sure, everything’s influenced by the Beatles. But finding yourself compared to them on your first outing is no mean feat. Keep it up, guys, and you’re going to find yourself big, stupid music stars.

But that’s not all! Local boys Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy will be on the bill, too.

Fine purveyors of tonics to cure what ails you or murder you silently in your sleep, this foursome’s last album, Orchard Songs on Guelph’s Digital-D.I.Y. label, Out of Sound, is a triumph of gutter-crawling, lyin’, cheatin’, heart-breakin’ murder ballads.

It features many sad songs masquerading as happy songs, like True Love Killed My True Love’s Love For Me, which sets a cheery pace that wouldn’t be out of place on an Archies album. But it’s better than that, because overlapping the shiny, happy rhythm are melancholy vocals and pedal steel the way it was meant to be played, dammit. Though they’ve been around for awhile, Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy are a new discovery for me and I’m definitely hoping to see more. Their website says a new album is due out this year, so be on the lookout!

This show is a benefit concert for Out On The Shelf, a queer library and reference centre in downtown Guelph. It’s a fine and worthy organization you should support by attending the show. Come on out! It’s from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. tonight at the eBar. Tickets are $12 if you bring a food donation, or $14 without.

 

 Jason Collett - Roll On Oblivion: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Zeus - The Renegade: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy - True Love Killed My True Love's Love For Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Arts & Crafts, Canadian content, Guelph Ontario, Jason Collett, live music, local music, mp3, murder ballads, Out of Sound Records, Out on the Shelf, Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy, Zeus

This weekend was the 39th annual Regina Folk Festival. Like most of the big folk festivals in major Canadian cities, “folk” is a very loose term, as most of the headliners wouldn’t typically be lumped into that genre. Still, it’s a relatively small, very well-organized and well-attended festival that is continually drawing “bigger” acts every year, thanks I’m sure to a brilliant artistic director.

Finances restricted myself, my lady Jenny, her sister and her little boy to one day’s worth of paid attendance. We chose Friday, which saw main stage acts including: Final Fantasy, the Weakerthans, and closer Broken Social Scene.

Final Fantasy’s Owen Pallett is a bit of an anomaly at the best of times and I think live performance reinforces that. It takes a lot of guts to put on the show that he does; a single, small man occupying a large stage with nothing but a violin, two microphones, and a couple of keyboards constructing intricate songs out of numerous (recorded live) loops and live playing and singing. Not easy to pull off, as evidenced by a couple of occasions where his foot-tapping got a bit out of control and accidentally stopped entire songs in the middle of a verse or chorus, only to have them awkwardly re-started again. He’s a consummate professional, though, and aside from those odd missteps the performances were flawless and filled with heart.

The Weakerthans offered little that wasn’t seen a few months ago in their latest touring performance here. Granted, for the constantly-growing crowd that’s all they needed to do. They’ve played the festival numerous times and they seemed to genuinely enjoy their set.

After fetching a few blankets from home (the perks of attending a festival two blocks from your apartment) and standing in an interminably long line at the beer gardens, we settled into a nice spot for Broken Social Scene. While much of their set was spent drinking beer and enjoying each others company without having to worry about the boy (he’d fallen asleep between sets), I was still very impressed with the show the Scenesters put on. Only seven or eight band members made the trip, and perhaps the neatest aspect of their performance was their willingness to open up the stage. Members of local acts and other performers with lower profiles at the festival were brought on to fill in missing components (female vocals, horn section, etc), to a very nice effect. They played an energetic set with a fairly representative mixture of their work, promising to come back soon to do a real show.

My personal highlight, however, came the next day when we didn’t actually have passes to the main stage events. We took Solan to play in the park after breakfast and were in an ideal position to take in a set by Old Man Luedecke. As I mentioned in a previous post, Luedecke is a very lively, spirited songwriter who pens very real, touching, and relatable songs about things like napping and breakfast. He expressed some mild concern at the beginning of the set (when only about five or six people including us were watching) about being relegated to the Children’s Stage, saying he wasn’t sure if that meant he was supposed to play kids songs. Thankfully he stuck to original material, beautiful songs about kissing at the airport and a woeful character named Monsanto Jones whose parents brought the ire of the GMF grain giant just by naming him. Between songs he proved just as entertaining, relating stories and inspiration in a very loose, comical fashion. Ironically, despite his reticence, I’d find it hard to imagine he’d perform anywhere else; banjo music is apparently the perfect soundtrack to the innocent twirling, running, and frog-jumping that mark the dancing of toddlers and infants. By the end of the set, his crowd had grown to probably about 100, each of them grinning and singing along when prompted.

The free performances on three stages throughout the park (centrally located in “lovely” downtown Regina) are a brilliant idea. National bands just gaining renown (Woodpigeon) and local acts doing the same on a smaller scale (Library Voices, Rah Rah) got a showcase that ensured maximum possible attendance, due to their freeness. It’s a great idea that really speaks to the character of the festival itself. All in all, a great couple of days.

 

 Old Man Luedecke - At The Airport [2:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Library Voices - the Lonely Projectionist [4:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Broken Social Scene - Major Label Debut (fast) [3:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Final Fantasy - This Modern Love (live, Bloc Party cover) [4:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Old Man Luedecke: Zunior and physical albums
Broken Social Scene: Zunior and physical albums
Library Voices: physical albums are available through Young Soul Records, but good luck finding them.
Final Fantasy: Zunior and physical albums
the Weakerthans: iTunes and physical albums

Pat entries banjo music, Broken Social Scene, Canadian content, festivals, Final Fantasy, indie rock, live music, local music, Old Man Luedecke, pop rock, rock, the Weakerthans