AWmusic

I fully expected Sneaky Dees to be crowded and didn’t expect to get in but it was almost empty. Fiasco was already on stage and there were maybe 30-40 people there watching. I will give Fiasco kudos for treating the small audience to an energetic, give-it-their-all show and, fortunately, the crowd seemed to appreciate it. This band has an interesting sound, a mix of punk, old King Crimson-style prog rock and all out noise. The guitarist played some blazing licks and tricks. The mostly instrumental music is obnoxious (but in a good way), in-your-face and loud. Sound of the City in the Village Voice called it “…a 20-odd minute blast of instrumental fury.” and I can’t argue with that. The songs are blistering and are almost free-form in nature. They start off with a direction and then veer off into a frenzied, speed and tempo twisting art form, coming back to finish the song with a gut-burning blast of noise.

The crowd, though small and mixed, really did seem to appreciate the talent on stage. This trio from Brooklyn, NY, are very talented for sure. Jonathan Edelstein (guitar/vocals), Lucian Buscemi (bass/vocals) and Julian Bennett Holmes (drums) give you everything they’ve got. There is no doubt that they intend to make an impression on you and to make sure you don’t easily forget them. Would I see them again? Depends, last night after they left the stage and I was sure I was deaf I thought not, but this morning after rereading my notes and considering the show, I just might. If you like raucous music that seems to have no structure or direction then this band is for you. If you are curious about them, visit them on MySpace. Their tour dates don’t include anything around here right now but that might change. This was only their second visit to Toronto so there is hope they will return.

Oh You Horny Monster by Fiasco

The other band I saw was Shellshag. This is a male/female duo of guitar and drums but before any comparisons are made to the White Stripes, these are stand-up drums. I was really impressed by this duo, they are another Brooklyn band – I wonder what is in the water down there – and have a much larger sound than you would think given there is just the two of them. They have really good vocals and they blend together in killer harmonies. There is a certain darkness to some of the choruses that is off-set by more melodic verses and dense guitar jams. The end of their set was complete with a frenetic shredding, ear-piercing feedback-laden guitar solo that, if I wasn’t partly deaf before, left me with no hearing at all. It was exhausting watching it.

The songs varied from slower ballad-like tunes to manic tunes that made me fear for their instruments lives. Would these guys kill their instruments before the end of the show and if they did what would they shred next? “Little Birdie” is a slow melodic pop-ish song that has some really good vocal phrasing while “Happiness” is a harder, louder song with fuzzy guitars. The pair face each other over a home-made Y-shaped mic stand and I think this gives them an element of performance art as well as a stronger emotional connection that infuses their music. I really enjoyed this pair and would see them again when they come around. Shellshag played at this years SXXW and have been praised by many for their live show. They are lumped into that now meaningless genre called “punk” – frankly, I think “punk” has become the catch-all for music that is loud and raucous and isn’t easily lumped into any other category – although I wouldn’t label them at all. They are kind of like many of the bands that I’ve seen the past three days, in a category of their own, making music that the mainstream crowd may never latch onto. A look over the tour dates listed on their MySpace page shows that there are no shows in the Toronto area on their books in the near future. But be sure that when they come back, I’ll make a point of seeing them and maybe you should, too.

Happiness by Shellshag

I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see Five Blank Pages or Green Go last night but that’s what happens when things happen that are out of your control. The Over The Top Fest had some very interesting bands that lived up to the “over the top” label. All the bands I saw were very different from the others but all had a balls-to-the-wall, no-holds-barred attitude that makes me wonder who they will showcase next year. This was the eighth year for this festival of music and theatre and for anyone who has not heard of it please look for it next year and try to attend some shows. These bands deserve to get recognition for their innovative and often unique approach to music. These are the bands that you aren’t going to hear on mainstream radio but who are making music that is truly original and worth our support. Without bands like these making uncommon, one-of-a-kind music then all music would stagnate and we would end up with only bland, beige, boring tunes. Get out there and support indie music in all it’s forms, don’t be afraid, it won’t bite but it might make your ears bleed.

Tags: concert, Over The Top