On a school night!
I went to a show on a Monday and it combined a couple of the oddest things that can happen at a show: knitting and tables and chairs.
Alright, so there’s probably far odder things that can happen at a rock concert, but this is a Monday night. At an Ohbijou show. I don’t think I’ve seen a full set of tables and chairs set out at a “rock” concert at the Exchange since Tegan & Sara’s first cross-Canada tour about ten or eleven years ago. At that gig it made some sense but 95 times out of 100 I just don’t get that mentality.
The knitting thing seemed a little stranger. See, when we first arrived we took one of the empty tables at the back of the room to hold our coats and relax through the opener, Saskatoon’s Slow Down Molasses. The band is fairly engaging, boasting some seven members and probably 14 or 15 instruments in any given song (including a trombone! Yahtzee!). Their indie/country/sleepy conflagration of sounds varies at times from hypnotic gentleness to rousing rock, punctuated by melodica, toy piano, even a goddamn typewriter. I’m not entirely sure how one plays a typewriter musically or what qualifies one to “play” a typewriter, but it was a hell of an interesting thing to see. That’s for sure.
Anyhow, the table in front of us had a couple of young ladies sitting at it drinking some manner of brown ale and knitting. Knitting at a rock venue. At first it seemed kind of disrespectful, but to some extent it did also fit the scene. There were a lot of gentle-looking people there, people that look like they would knit a thing.
The next surprise came when the headliners took the stage. Lo and behold the knitters themselves were among them, heading for piano and violin alike. It seemed vaguely appropriate.
Bandleader Casey Mecija and her band are knitters through and through, metaphorically and, apparently, literally. If nothing else they provide a perfect soundtrack to a night of hand-crafting a scarf or any similarly-relaxational activity. Mecija has described her gentle, frequently-orchestral music as songs written for her boyfriend. She has an extremely strong singing voice that trades off between wistful ache and loving lilt, a commanding presence that fits the compositions perfectly. The songs frequently pulse with insistent bottom-end, pushing the vocals and sprightly guitar along while swirls of violin and cello flesh out the prodigious melodies. Despite being overtly gentle, there are outbursts of emotional intensity that are quite stirring.
In a live setting she’s clearly the focal point of the group. The other five members remain mostly static while she switches between piano, guitar, and bass. Her voice, much like the group’s playing, is unshakable and virtually flawless throughout. This was absolutely one of the most representative live performances I’ve seen, especially in this small a setting. These folks can play like crazy.
The set seemed to go by quickly, the performance rather engaging. I didn’t spend the whole set at a table, I didn’t sit a chair. But I don’t think Ohbijou would mind if I had. The beauty of their music flows regardless of setting or elevation.
Ohbijou - St. Francis [3:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Ohbijou - New Years [2:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Ohbijou - Darcy [4:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Slow Down Molasses - Slow Motion [3:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadOhbijou tunes and tees can be found in their online store and through Zunior and iTunes.
