Sound Salvation Army

I’ve been busy this summer, moving to Toronto, starting a new job, hanging out with friends, doing some freelance writing, running on the beach, roller skating on the boardwalk, going to ToRD bouts, running around Kitchener/Waterloo in my draws and listening to new music at local shows.

But really, I live right by the beach and most of my summer has been spent there, getting sand in uncomfortable places. So far, there are no computers there. Yay! It has been one, long, beach party! Surf surf surf!!!

I’m sure you can understand why I haven’t found time to write about any of this. I’ve just been letting emails from promoters pile up in my inbox and having intense twitter arguments with Pat about the musical worth/artistic merit of Lady Gaga. Stay tuned for an epic post of epicness resulting from said twitter fight. That fight also sort of jump started me into remembering that I have two blogs that I am ignoring and that I need to pay attention to them.

I also tend to wait too long and write too much. Well no more! I am turning over a new leaf!

Please enjoy these songs from five artists I have been digging this summer:

The Canned Goods, my favourite little Guelph group that is growing up splendidly, played the main stage at Hillside Festival this year, and will be performing at Pop Montreal in September!

Toro Y Moi, whose beats are not necessarily phat, but blissfully curvy in all the right places. Check him out. You’ll like it. I promise.

M.I.A., who seems to hate the Internet that loves her so, but who makes up for it with interesting music.

Rah Rah, who can apparently be compared to Christian rock group Hillsong United and also “learned to write songs” according to two music reviewers in their home city of Regina. To this I can only shake my head and say: Nope. No. They are miles above Jesus rock, and they’ve ALWAYS demonstrated an ability to write songs. So yeah. Take that, dudes who get paid to do what I am giving away for free! Forget killing the music industry. I hope the blogosphere kills the shitty excuse for “arts journalism” that is currently on offer.

And San Francisco beach pop enthusiasts Sonny and the Sunsets, a project from musician/artist/novelist Sonny Smith, whose 100 Records project (where he wrote and recorded 200 different songs by 100 different fictional bands with 100 different album covers, all loaded into one jukebox and available for visitors to listen to) is currently available for you to see at Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn.

Please continue to have an excellent summer!

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Tanis entries M.I.A., miserable excuse for arts journalism, music, Rah Rah, Sonny & The Sunsets, summer, The Canned Goods, Toro Y Moi

Ola, amigos! I’m feeling festive cuz it’s so nice out here! I can finally run outside again, the arena isn’t freezing cold during derby practice and my cats are done shedding. Another sign of impending summer: Hillside tickets went on sale this past weekend.

Weekend passes sold out in record time, as usual. It’s been my experience that you can find some on craigslist or kijiji or some extremely last-minute options (like, day of, people putting signs up) at the Stone Health Store on Commercial St. You can also still gain entry via volunteerism.

Site favourites performing at Guelph’s big/little music festival include Basia Bulat, Calexico, Corb Lund, Shad, Stars, Sarah Harmer and local teens The Canned Goods — I’m super excited to see them score a spot because I know it was a big goal for this group. Don’t miss them!

As always, it’s a good, solid lineup worth the hassle of festival-going. If there’s one festival that might change your mind about festivals, this would be it. I’ve seen a lot of these acts before and they will inevitably put on a great show. Gord Downie is performing with his backing band and I know for a fact that Hillside organizer Sam Baijal is super excited about scoring Los Lobos. I’d love to see those performers play with Sarah Harmer and Calexico, respectively.

There are a host of other performers that you can check out on the official Hillside site. Hope to see you there!

Tanis entries Calexico, Canadian content, concerts, Guelph, Hillside Festival, live music, mp3, Sarah Harmer, The Canned Goods

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.

I saw their name on a poster for a show last year when I was still writing for the daily rag. Of all the groups on the roster that night, they were the ones that caught my ear. Which is no mean feat when you consider all they had available online at the time was a shakey facebook video with terrible sound.

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!

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