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Their set was interesting, Catherine MacCandless’ voice has the haunting quality associated with Nancy Wilson of Heart. It made for an interesting dichotomy in that my eyes were telling me it was not Nancy Wilson but my ears where telling me a different story. The melodies are beautiful and MacCandless’ voice carried even over the conversations all around me. She sent shivers up my spine a few times. Stand out songs for me were “Swing Your Heartache” and a cover of The Stills “Destroyer”. Personally, I think Young Galaxy has the potential to become one of Canada’s biggest bands.

Swing Your Heartache by Young Galaxy

Rebekah Higgs started out the night with an ethereal voice which instantly brought comparisons to Leslie Feist. I think I also detected a little bit of Enya in there and maybe just a touch of Sia. Higgs voice can be very powerful and true even when she is full-throttle. Mostly her songs are a dreamy mix of keyboards and guitars with looping and lots of reverb. This gives the music a lush, large sound with all the production. Her sweet melodies were like honey on my ears after the last few nights of rock ‘n’ roll. The audience was appreciative and I was surprised to see how she seemed to hold them in her hands without any tricks. If you like Feist you are sure to like Higgs and to those who say, “Do we really need another Feist clone?”, I say “Why, yes, I think we do.”

Parables by Rebekah Higgs

Two Hours Traffic was the third act I saw last night. I had decided to reacquaint myself with them after a disastrous (at least for me) introduction two years ago on the same stage. Then they sounded like they needed a refresher course on how to tune their instruments now they sound polished and ready for the big time. The crowd obviously agreed since they swarmed the stage and the ‘Shoe managed to fit in as many people as it could uncomfortably hold. I don’t think anyone left disappointed.

Two Hours Traffic delivered a terrific set of poppy, danceable music that really did have people on their seats dancing. “Jezebel” is a retro-sounding Weezer-ish song that immediately had the effect of lifting your mood no matter how down you felt. They also played a few new tunes off their upcoming new album. “Territory” was the best of the ones they played. As with all Two Hours Traffic songs this was another very upbeat tune that dared you not to move your feet. “Backseat Sweetheart” was the song of the set, though. Very catchy melody with an unrelenting bass and drum beat. They are a great band to see if you are feeling a little down or you just want to go out for a fun evening with friends and dance the night away.

Backseat Sweetheart by Two Hours Traffic

The Golden Dogs, on the other hand, took the stage with a vengeance. This is a take no prisoners band. They took control of the crowd and the night and never let go. Their sound is reminiscent of the B-52’s with a little bit of Brian Wilson and a Totoish/Steely Dan vibe from time to time. This is feel good music delivered with a self-assurance that makes you pay attention. They never stopped, going from one song to the next with no introductions or breaks. The drummer is absolutely astounding, driving the songs and supporting the rhythm section while the guitars screamed. The crowd was again up dancing on their seats for the entire set. Great band, probably my second favourite of the one’s I’ve seen at CMW. My favourite? The Handsome Furs hands down.

By day Sneaky Dee’s is a Mexican restaurant but at night it’s a hub of culture and indie music. I’ve never had a chance to check out the second floor venue before tonight and I was going in with high expectations. At first glance I was disappointed with what I saw but once I got a chance to settle in the location has this sense of mystique to it that I grew to love. This evening showcased Baptized in Blood, A Textbook Tragedy, Forgiven Rival and Sights & Sounds. The Saturday evening show at Sneaky Dee’s was actually the first show to sell out for Canadian Music Week and in all honesty coming into tonight, I was going almost completely blind. With the exception of Sights & Sounds, I had never seen or heard of either of the other bands. I already spent the previous three days attending venues of my choice but I wanted to take a risk on my final day. If I never take a chance to listen to an artist outside my genre preference then I might never be able to expand my palette. It also gave me the opportunity to give each group a fair and neutral shot and pitching their sound. Call it a musical equivalent to speed dating shall we?

Baptized in Blood began and set the pace for the rest of my evening. My ears perked during initial sound tests when I started to hear the use of distortion pedals. For whatever reason, the name of the band never eluded to anything in my mind prior to that very second. The play it safe voice in my head was having a field day of laughter. Luckily I didn’t listen to it because I actually enjoyed Baptized in Blood’s set list. From the very first moment lead singer Johl Fendley uttered the words ‘’Good evening Toronto, get the fuck over here” he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. Roughly 150/200 people in the front end closest to the stage came over for the set. Some of the smaller scale concerts I’ve been to in the past had the impression that the band was fearful of the audience and would always reassure them of their appreciation for attending. I know it’s good common courtesy since fan and band go hand in hand but try and understand it from my perspective. Sometimes you have to have no compromises with your music and that’s the first impression I got from them. The “stay or go we don’t care” attitude means you never compromise to appease the mass audience, and you know what? Not a single person left. Early into their performance most of their songs were fast beat and high paced with a lot of noise. Most of their songs were new samples from their upcoming album and one cover song (sorry I don’t have the name). I got a serious Iron Maiden 1980s style heavy metal vibe with a bit of a signature twist to give them style.

Baptized in Blood – Lightning Speed

From Vancouver BC, A Textbook Tragedy followed up with an identical but different take of heavy metal. The vocals didn’t do it for me. They were a lot lower in tone and felt more aggressive. Their rhythms were more clearly syncopated then Baptized in Blood. For that reason I found it hard to follow with each song. All members of the band really used the entire length of the stage to show their energy. The crowd responded well to those high energy actions during songs ‘Dude I’m On Alesse’ and especially ‘Intimidator’. The anomalous guitar sequences matched well with tempo changes in their music. Complete and abrupt stops in some of their songs felt like a mind reset and doesn’t let you settle in, but for this type of music that’s a good thing.

A Textbook Tragedy – Dude I’m On Alesse

Forgiven Rival takes the flow of the bands before them and takes it a step further. The members of Forgiven Rival really moved as one, they shared and fed off each other’s energy and it’s hard to describe but it felt to me like they could sense and react off each other’s movements. Once again, hard to describe but it was constant and easy to see during their set. Their music seems to combine aspects of metal with dissonant guitars with vocal clarity and beat of post hardcore. I got a Silverstein vibe out of them during ‘They Grey’. Meanwhile other songs like ‘Like The Affects of Wind’ really define their sound and clearly set them apart from anything I’ve heard during Canadian Music Week.

Forgiven Rival – Like The Effects Of The Wind

Stepping out of the land of obscurity and into familiar territory Sights & Sounds were the band people wanted to catch. It was the buzz outside in line and it was the buzz in Sneaky Dee’s. Fifteen minutes of sound testing, equipment check and crowd chatter the stage lights black out. A single note played on what sounded like a synth. It roared through the entire room. Loud enough to get everyone’s attention and loud enough to shake the entire second floor….literally. After it dimmed down the stage lights came on and the band got into their set. My first wise crack thought was ‘Why didn’t any of the other bands do this?’ It seems like a simple method to make an impression on the audience during a venue where you get roughly forty five minutes to make a first impression on mostly new listeners. By comparison the music of Sights & Sounds sounds very soft. A good portion of their set included material from their upcoming album ‘Monolith’. Lead singer Andrew Neufeld has a voice that can hit a decent range of highs and lows. Even with excellent support vocals from Matt Howes, Andrew would occasionally put high emphasis and stress on the Shure SM58 (which is not easy to do) causing the output to distort, break and squeal at times.

Sights & Sounds – Neighbours

Sneaky Dee’s second floor venue is dark and mysterious and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t had a chance to see it for themselves. At almost every venue artists sell their music to people and it can get cluttered with an on-the-spot setup. At the back on the right hand side they had tables set with everything you could want from the artists. It’s a great setup and gives people instant gratification with something tangible. On Sunday I ‘want’ to attend the concert at the Phoenix but there are a few factors out of my control so I never added it to my formal itinerary. Canadian Music Week wasn’t only fun. It was also informative. In the afternoon on Saturday I attended a few conferences at the Fairmont like ‘Can Artists Afford to Give Away Their Music for Free?’, ‘The Trent Reznor Case Study’ and ‘Words and Music: Hear Here, The Songwriting Listening Session’ I wanted to see the other side, I wanted to see the artists perspective to music. Most of these were open forum discussions about how to maintain and evolve with the changing industry. Although I didn’t pen down any formal notes I did take down some rough discussion overviews. I really value the opinions of the reviewers at AWmusic (you the readers as well) and it would be interesting to get their take on some of the overviews.

Starting off day 3 of Canadian Music Week I was not too sure how my night would fare, as the previous night held quite a bit of disappointment, but nonetheless I was excited since two of my favourite bands were playing that night. Ten Second Epic and The Johnstones were set to perform during the night and I was also excited to check out what Dead and Devine had going for them later on that night as well.

To start things off that night I headed to the place where I had finished off day 2 of Canadian Music Week. The Kathedral was playing host to Ten Second Epic that night and even though they were not the headlining act that night, I definitely felt that they should have been. So before going on stage I was able to get an interview with guitarist Dan Carriere who gave me a better look into the band, which will be posted at a later date.

Ten Second Epic, if you ever get the chance are a band who should not be missed. Throughout the first half of the night at the Kathedral, the crowd was nowhere to be found, but as soon as Ten Second Epic hit the floor, people came flooding in and they got going. The band plays a very sort of pop rock sort of sound with a lot of tunes that you catch on to and want to sing along with. They ended up playing a lot of new songs of their latest album “Hometown” which had just been released a couple weeks earlier. They all looked like they were having an amazing time on stage, which is the main aspect of being in a band, if you can’t have fun playing on stage then why bother to form a band in the first place. They were very solid in their performance, with songs that were very motivating , vibrant and energetic. They had totally pumped me up and had me forgetting what a lousy night I had the previous day. The vocals had a distinct sound to them, were very clear and the backup vocals added a nice touch and complimented the lead vocals. Andrew(vocals) was always moving and jumping about as always which always adds a good atmosphere to any live show, the more a band is moving and alive, the more the crowd is going to get going, which really worked out well in the end. There a band that really stood out among the rest of the bands that I had gone to see in the 3 days that I had been covering Canadian Music Week, there’s just something about them that makes them unique from most other bands and because of this, they’re going to keep getting farther and farther in the industry. They even put on a cover of “Thin Lizzy’s”, The Boys Are Back In Town which was actually executed very well. Although I didn’t think the lead vocals totally fit into the song, everything else was nailed bang on including the backup vocals. Overall it was a performance I entirely enjoyed and I actually can’t wait until they’re back in Toronto again.

Right after their set had finished I had to rush myself over to the El Mocambo because in just an hour or so, The Johnstones were going to set stage, and they have been the band that I have been waiting all week to see. If I missed them at all, I don’t know what I would have done, they’re just a phenomenal band that seems to change up their live performance each and every time and puts on one of the best live shows that I have seen to date.

Took me a bit of walking to get from The Kathedral to the El Mocambo venue, but I made it. I actually made it in time to get my interview done with The Johnstones bassist Brent Marks who gave me one of the best interviews I’ve had with any band. He was insightful, honest, and overall just fun to talk to, and the interview should be up along with all the others in the next week or so.

Soon as it was time for The Johnstones to come on stage they had some intro music for their run onto the stage, and what would you know, they came on stage half naked. They’re so unpredictable and you can never really know what to expect from them, but one thing you can always be sure of is a good time and lots of laughs. This guys pull the biggest antics onstage, pushing each other around, getting in each others faces, they do stuff that most other bands wouldn’t do, which makes their live show all that much more better and fun to watch. In my honest opinion, watching The Johnstones live is even better than listening to one of their albums, which is saying a lot since I love their EP’s. They’re just not like any other band out there to date, they have their own sound, and have their own stamp on music. You can’t not feel upbeat around these guys, they’re music is just so happy and bouncing, that if you’re not smiling during the show, there is something definitely wrong with you. All the crazy stuff they do on stage also shows how into the band and performance they really are, they love music and have fun with it and the audience around them. They act like one huge family and it adds to the syncopation and enjoyment of their music. The vocals are intoxicating, each song can basically be sung along to, there is basically nothing you can’t love about The Johnstones. Ryan Long even took the stage for a couple minutes for an outrageous and amazing drum solo. They are one of my favorite bands for a reason, and getting another chance to hear all my favorite songs by them live was the icing on the cake for me of Canadian Music Week, and I really absolutely can’t wait to see them again sometime soon.

Last show of the night was walk in the opposite direction heading back near the Kathedral again but this time heading over to The Bovine Sex Club to check out Dead and Devine who had already played a show earlier that night at the Opera House, going on just before Silverstein.

Dead and Devine are another great band to get into, they play loud and everyone loves it. The only disappointment here was that they only played 3 or 4 songs that night. It was totally understandable though, they had played a show earlier that night, and now playing at 2 in the morning, well anybody can understand that they would be pretty tired at that point. The Bovine really seemed to look like it suited the bands look, they just really suited the atmosphere and look of the Bovine, and just looked right at home there. There hardcore vocals were solid, loud and intense, and for the most part each song was nailed pretty well, although the vocalist did sort of look muddled at points but again its totally understandable due to the nature of the night. The crowd got angry and rambunctious at one point just because the set they played was so short, they went on asking and cursing for more to no avail. Dead and Devine, coming all the way from Burlington had also just finished their new album “Machines We Are” which will be released sometime during the summer, where they played at least one new song off the album to quench the curiosity of their fans. Overall they were pretty solid, but I think it would have been a lot better to have seen them when they had been in their prime that night at The Opera House, but oh well beggars can’t be choosers.

Overall day 3 of Canadian Music week had been the best night yet so far, with interviews galore, a couple of my favorite bands going on stage that night, what more could a guy ask for. It was a solid night that I’m not ever going to forget and I really doubt day 4 will be able to top the amazing success that day 3 held that day. I will just have to wait and see what day 4 holds in store for me as I attend The 9th Annual Independent Music Awards, with guests Anvil, Hey Rosetta, USS, and more.

Lifetimes by Ten Second Epic
Bank by The Johnstones
Third Times The Charm Right by Dead and Devine

This evening I once again returned to the Cadillac Lounge. The bands may have been different but there was one major factor that changed the evening over the one before, people. On Thursday the Cadillac Lounge was relatively quiet giving ample opportunity for personal attention towards audience and band alike. Today however, as the night progressed it got so crowded standing room only would be considered an understatement. Some performances used the crowd to their advantage really heightening the experience while others tended to be drowned out by the very people they were performing for. Tonight showcased Chiwawa, Casual Projects, Two Foot Falls and Redeye Empire.

Hailing from Montreal Chiwawa began the evening with their performance that started like trickery in a sense. The first couple of songs would begin in a very subdued and in an almost prissy schoolgirl fashion, (first analogy that came to mind at the time) then would quickly dissipate into a fast muddy guitar sequence as if to say ‘GOTCHA!’ These sequences would lead to some breathtaking guitar solos in songs like ‘Junkies Of The Rhythm’ and ‘Quantum Leap’. Other times it felt like they unnecessarily dragged on. As they continued on with their set you could see lead singer Laurie Gordon become more comfortable with the crowd and take center stage to overwhelming applause. One of their final songs sounded like a cover of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Don’t You Want Somebody to Love?’ It was an interesting take but it didn’t hold well against the original.

Chiwawa – Hell Sweet Hell

Casual Projects quickly hit the stage setting up for their performance at 10:00. It was at this point that the crowd element started to really kick in. In the blink of an eye the lounge started to fill with people. Most seemed like fans and others just regulars. Casual Projects are a good example of how to use the crowd to your advantage. Their style of alternative hip hop played well involving the crowd in rhythm and rhymes. Similar to Chiwawa, it seemed like early in their set they played it safe then getting more comfortable as time progressed. Most of their songs like ‘Golden Eggs’ had a very fast tempo with quick but clean rhymes. Others like ‘Move Along’ towards the end changed it up with an easy to keep beat but still keeping the people on their feet moving to the music. Unlucky for Casual Projects the stage lights cut out four/five times during their performance leaving them jamming in the dark every so often.

Casual Projects – Golden Eggs

Toronto natives Two Foot Falls followed with a somber run through. Vocalist Mike Robins has a voice that can hit home the seriousness of the music they’re performing. Some of their songs like ‘Why Can’t I Get Over This’ felt like I was travelling up a mountain. Their music reaches this culmination or high point in melody or lyrics then releases towards the end. The majority of the set contained lyrics with themes like missed opportunities and regretted moments. These themes for whatever reason really hit home with me and makes me wonder if they’re based on a real person (or persons). Close to the end of their set for every one individual leaving three or four would enter. This added an element that I never considered at first, how well could the sound system handle the band from different spots in a full capacity? I would soon find out.

Two Foot Falls – Why Can’t I Get Over This

Even before Redeye Empire hit the stage ready to go I was wondering if it could work. Standing room only, early sound tests sounded muffled from my perspective. During the first song it was difficult for me to hear lead singers Mike Redmond and Gabe Davis’ voices over the different conversations milling around. I understand that in no way should people stop what they’re doing and stand in attention but I was there for the music and was determined to find a different vantage point. Moving over from the right side of the stage to the front, then back left, I got a real sense of the limitations the Cadillac Lounge had in terms of sound amplitude. For that reason I can’t provide an opinion about their performance in good faith. It would be illegitimate and dishonest. After checking their myspace page they have a TBA performance on Saturday at 8:00. If anything gets finalized I’ll be sure to check it out. My apologies to Redeye Empire.

Redeye Empire – Coward With A Gun

Nothing ever goes quite perfect when you have that many people together in a limited space and that’s okay. At the end of the day I still left with a positive experience. I still hold firm that with the right amount of people Cadillac Lounge has a real personal and inviting feel to it. Saturday I’ll be heading down to Sneaky Dee’s for day four of Canadian Music Week featuring Baptized in Blood, A Textbook Tragedy, Forgiven Rival and Sights & Sounds.

Day 2 of Canadian Music Week saw me heading downtown to the Opera House along Queen St. to see a quick performance by As Blood Runs Black before hitting the road again and heading off to the Reverb for the rest of the night. Little did I know that it was the Opera House where I should have spent the entirety of my night.

Getting into the Opera House I was treated with a spacious room which in the past would have most likely been a stage for opera shows but had now been transformed into something for more or less a rock type of scene. Since it was an all out metal show that was going on tonight the huge open space between the bar and the stage was ideal for the full on mosh pits that were bound to happen throughout the night.

As soon as I entered I found that I had arrived just as the band were finished setting up. Soon as I knew it they started things up and a circle pit automatically formed, one that I almost got involved with. As Blood Runs Black played an amazing yet very short set before finishing for the night, but in that time they were able to pack the place and have them moving the entire time. The vocalist seemed to be amazing at motivating the crowd to do anything he wanted. He even got a bunch of the crowd to hop the barricade and come on stage with them for a couple minutes and at one point threw the mic into the crowd to have them sing along. The band played some complicated and crazy guitar riffs while the drums turned out to be mainly cymbal and double bass driven. The vocals were pretty solid as well ranging from a good screamo sound to a full on death metal sound. Everything seemed to mesh together perfectly throughout their set. Although they were able to play fast, some of the solos and breakdowns just sounded off and some just didn’t feel right in the song. “My Fear Has Become Phobias” was generally my favorite song they played during their 20 minute set not just because it was an energetic and intensely booming song, but at one part the guitarist went through the bassists legs and started playing guitar there for a good chunk of the song. The backup vocalists were not given any mics at all which I found weird, so they were not heard in the least, but generally they were able to play an amazing set especially since they were not the headlining band and still packed the house to maximum capacity getting the crowd totally pumped and into it.

After leaving the show I decided to head back in the other direction towards The Reverb where I thought I would be treated to an amazing set by rock legends CKY who I had been promised an interview with later that night. As soon as I got into the Reverb I was disappointed with the news that CKY had bailed out of the show at the last minute and had instead promised to be back in June of this year. It was the biggest let down of the night, I was in shock, I had been promised an interview with one of my favourite bands, and to go out to see them that night and be told they weren’t going to even be playing that night, it just downright ruined the rest of the night for me as well as for many others who decided to leave right after the news hit. I decided to stick around for the show nonetheless and see what talent might be showcased throughout the rest of the night.

The Reverb was pretty spacious although not as much as some other venues and also felt a bit grimier than some of the other venues as well, with a whole lot of incents burning at all times filling up the room. Now because CKY didn’t end up showing each of the three performances were lengthened to an hour to make up for the lost set, but this didn’t help my negative mood at all so I just sat back and waited for what was to come.

Bleeker Ridge were the opening band that night and it felt as though they just totally flopped that night, especially when they had an audience of maybe 20 people who wouldn’t even go near the stage for the most part of their set. There opening song had me feeling like they were trying o be a Gun’s N’ Roses wannabe band but came off a whole lot messier and for the most part just didn’t look the part either. They generally were able to play fast but at times they would actually screw up on the openings of some songs and would have to start again. One of the guitars also sounded really out of tune in one song, I’m not sure if it was planned to be that way or not but it just didn’t sound right to be honest. Some of the playing just sounded totally broken at parts and I’m not sure if it was just my negative attitude or what, but for some reason this band was doing it for me at all. They went on to play a slow song for the 10 or so girls that were in the audience who all seemed to be fans of the band as they each knew all the words to each song. The one entertaining aspect of the band though was the drummer, he played those drums so wildly and amazing he actually came off looking like the drummer Animal from the Muppets. They played a song called “Alibi” which they had apparently just written within the past week or so which actually came off as really catchy, had a great opening guitar riff and a great little breakdown and chorus. In the end it seemed like they really didn’t get anybody pumped as there was a total lack of movement save for four drunken guys who crowded the stage and begged for an encore after they were finished their set.

Next up was a band called Dommin, an suffice to say I really think they should have been the band headlining the entire night, because their set blew away the other two bands by a good mile or so. First of all each member in Dommin looked the part; each wore some form of black attire with some sort of styled black hair. They even started off their set great with a synth lead in including some thunder effects that led into a catchy guitar riff and then some soothing yet dark vocals. Each song had some sort of depressing presence around it but the guitars and drums helped to ease the dark tension by bringing about a more intense exciting sort of atmosphere. By the middle of their set they actually attracted almost a full house, and kept that audience rocking right until the very end. Not even the headlining act had a full audience. To my surprise I actually found that there were no screamo vocals added into any of the songs, they kept the vocals clean for the entire night. The synth was probably the best aspect of this whole bands performance as it added a new atmosphere to each song and even had a new effect to go along with each one. The guitars followed the synth into a great lead in each and every time and I also found that each song would start off a little slow but would work into a much faster pace. “Dark Comedy” played like creepy carnival organ grinder music, but if you added in vocals, a wailing guitar, and some booming drums into it. It was by far by favorite song of the night other than their Depeche Mode cover of “People are People”. As soon as I heard them play this cover I was finally able to pick up on the influences brought in by them which helped to make a much more dark and intense version of the band. Overall the band was an outstanding no hold bars dark rocking good time, they played in tune and in sync with each other and were by far the best performance at The Reverb that night.

The final band of that night was Port Amoral which I had heard some good things about beforehand. It turns out that a lot of the crowd had left right after Dommin had left leaving less than half the crowd there to listen on. The first thing I noticed about the band was the out of shape drummer, all he was wearing was a headband, socks and shoes, glasses, and some bright red underwear. It kept more than a few people distracted from the actual music at hand. These guys definitely looked the part and played alright for the most part, but it was weird, I just found myself not enjoying myself anymore that night. I couldn’t stand them after the fourth song. The songs just overall felt somewhat repetitive, I think that they were definitely a poor choice to choose as the final act of the night. The one guitarist actually stood in place the entire time I was there repeating the same head banging motion the entire time. He didn’t do anything else other than that, and for some reason it just annoyed me that he didn’t try to move anywhere else on stage, it was as if he was one of those old music robots that would be bolted to the ground at those old pizza/ballroom places that just felt cheesy to watch. It seemed the one that was enjoying himself the most on stage was the drummer flailing about on his kit, always with a smile on his face. I decided to head downstairs after the fourth song was over, I couldn’t take any more of them that night.

I headed downstairs to the Kathedral to catch the last half of legendary Canadian punk band SNFU, straight out of Edmonton. Ken Chinn of SNFU is an ecstatic and hilarious vocalist for the band and has been with the band since they were first conceived in the 80’s. SNFU has actually changed the history of punk as we know it today, and is one of the leading bands out there today still in the genre. Kenn Chinn aka Mr. Chi Pig is probably the main reason for going to any of SNFU’s shows as the antics he has going on onstage are like nothing else, and are definitely a live band not to miss. They had the whole crowd going the entire time, singing along to each song, joking around, it was great. One thing to note here was that I was having a much better time than I had at the Reverb. This band was more alive, more powerful, and energetic. They had the punk look and played some of the best music of the genre that I have heard to this date. Seriously in all honesty my mind was basically blown by their entire performance, it was just that good.

After the show I asked Ken Chinn if I could get an interview with him for the site, he promised me that if I waited just a few minutes he would be glad to help me out. Throughout this waiting period he would walk by me and tell me another thing he had to go and do before doing the interview with me. After a full hour of waiting, he comes out of one room fully geared to leave, asks me what the hell I was still doing there, tells me to f**k off because he had better things to do. This was one of the biggest insults I’ve faced from any band. The next time maybe before they promise an interview and have someone waiting around for a good hour before being let down, maybe SNFU should just STFU.

As for the night in general, I think if I had stayed at the Opera House or had of gone to see The Trews right after having seen As Blood Runs Black, the night would have been totally saved, but because of all the let downs and disappointments that night, I can only hope that Day 3 of CMW will be better.

My Fears Have Become Phobias by As Blood Runs Black
Fuck You by Bleeker Ridge
My Heart Your Hand by Dommin
Devils In Denial by Port Amoral
Drunk On A Bike by SNFU

Coastline by Gentleman Reg

The ‘Shoe isn’t the best place to see a live band, the sound often isn’t the greatest and you are left craning your ears trying to understand the singer. And with a capacity crowd the acoustics changed leaving the sound often a bit dead. This may account somewhat for the rather lack-luster set by Gentleman Reg. I found that the crowd near the front was far more engaged than at the back, which can probably be attributed to the ‘Shoe’s wonky acoustics.

Chad VanGaalen, however, didn’t have any problem getting the crowd going. Right from the first note of the first song, “Willow Tree” he had us in the palm of his hand. It was amazing to hear the crowd singing right along with him, this is usually reserved for the last song in a gig or at least a few songs in. “Willow Tree” is a hauntingly beautiful song played on banjo with soft, thin harmonies. I’m not a person who tears up easily but I found myself wet-eyed. In fact, I found myself tearing up on a few other occasions during his set.

VanGaalen is without a doubt the best singer/songwriter I’ve seen in quite some time. His sound can only be described as: vocals like Win Butler; lyrics from a Ian Curtis notebook; melodies from a Neil Young songbook, and a rhythm section which at times sounds like they were stolen from Bauhaus. A friend of mine who was there texted me this morning describing VanGaalen as a nihilistic Damien Rice. I wouldn’t compare VanGaalen with Damien Rice, though there are loose similarities. Both right songs that can only be described as grey but where Rice’s can be unremittingly dreary, VanGaalen’s aren’t as likely to send you to the nearest bar to drown your sorrows.

If you missed Chad VanGaalen then you’ve probably missed what, for me, will be a definite highlight of the CMW’s. If you missed Chad VanGaalen then you won’t be able to see him again for a while judging by his MySpace tour listings. And if you missed him this time, don’t be foolish and miss him next time he comes around. I will definitely be there and so should you. Next time though, I don’t expect that I’ll be seeing him in such an intimate a setting as the ‘Shoe. I fully expect that he will be filling much larger venues.

Willow Tree by Chad VanGaalen

Day two of Canadian Music Week brought me to the Cadillac Lounge. The inviting atmosphere and tempting heated outdoor patio almost clouded my attention for a moment but nothing could cause me to yield from hearing the lineups for the evening. Andy Stedman, Agpak Mum, Captains and My Jerusalem rounded out the list.

The British singer/songwriter Andy Stedman began the evening with a soft set list. The clear vocals and deep lyrics caused the crowd to take notice. One of the highlights of his set was the song ‘The Butterflies’ which managed to tug at my heartstrings but even with songs like ‘Middle Of The Sea’ he was never limited to the theme of sadness to make a good song. Even with a busy schedule Andy still managed to include some of his light humour between songs which warmed up the crowd and left me with a great first impression.

Andy Stedman – Middle Of The Sea

Agpak Mum followed with their flavor of ominous introductory music. Relying heavily on their tempo and melody most of their songs would start off strong and tend to waiver off as they progressed. Very bass heavy melodies combined with synths and even (what looked like to me) bongo drums. It was difficult to enjoy because the moment the vocals began it felt like they were competing against each other.

Agpak Mum – Shot With Your Shirt Off

From Sydney Australia, Captains were my pleasant surprise of the evening. Admittedly, I found it hard to follow with the chorus of the first two songs. I was listening with an ear waiting for generic and was thrown off when I didn’t get it. The contrasting duet vocals of Matt Cambell and Arezo gave songs like ‘Take a Photo of Me’ real character. Well met with good tempo changes their lineup was strong.

Captains – Take a Photo of Me

Providing my evening with closure was My Jerusalem. Audibly the first thing that caught my attention was the violin. Bands like Tantric could attest to the difficulty in finding the niche to give the instrument attention without it dominating the music. My Jerusalem took the challenge by alternating the way in which it was used. From tempo to melody, from background to foreground it was used between songs to change the flavor of their music.

My Jerusalem – Bury It Low

I’ve visited the Cadillac Lounge a few times prior to this evening but never mainly for the music. The crowd was more muted then the regulars normally are. This allowed the artists to be the showcases. Tomorrow I’ll be returning to the Cadillac Lounge once more for Canadian Music Week day three. The venue will be hosting artists; Chiwawa, Casual Projects, Two Foot Talls and Redeye Empire.

To kick off Canadian Music Fest I decided to check out the Tattoo Rock Parlor, my favorite spot in Toronto to head to most weekends to relax, listen to some good rock music, have a couple drinks, and generally have a good time.

The lineup tonight consisted of Bury the Bully, Isles of Thieves, Songs from a Room, and one of my newly favorite purely Canadian bands, Inward Eye. The lineup looked like a solid one and promised to be a full night of entertaining rock and punk rock mixed in with some free food and a couple drinks, I mean where could you go wrong here.

Upon arriving at the Tattoo Rock Parlor I found myself treated to a VIP seating area for the Media and Press which held some perks for the night and made the whole experience that more enjoyable.

The opening band for the night was Bury the Bully all the way from Whitby, Ontario. These four guys were amazing; they were fast paced, had some very nice clean vocals, had a very positive and soothing sound, were lyrically beautiful, and overall had some very nice breakdowns. “Army of Love” was possibly their best song of the night and was played perfectly, with a perfect break down in each verse; it was a mix of fast and slow paced tempos and made for a great opening into Canadian Music Week.

The most anticipated band of the night was by far, Inward Eye, a band that has gone far since they first started up playing their first CMW way back in 2003. They’ve done so many great things since that time, including releasing an EP earlier this year, and going on tour with The Who not that long ago. This was the band I had been waiting on all night, and they definitely did not disappoint. With a sound that hit into both punk, rock, and reggae, they were able to get the crowd moving and excited. They were eclectic, energetic, and sold themselves to the audience as a live show not to miss. They were all over the place, jumping about, they couldn’t stand still, and were totally drenched by the end of their set. They had come to do what they did best, pump up an audience with their Clash-esque sound and drive their catchy tunes into everyone’s heads. Right to this point I still have the song “Shame”, their number one single at the moment, stuck in my head. Their catchy lyrics and fast paced playing helped give them the edge of the night and were the band that made the first night of CMW a night that I’ll hopefully never forget. I got a chance to interview the band a little later on that night and as for day 1 of CMW, I am proud to say that even though this one has just begun, I’m already excited to see what’s in store for next year.

It was also good to run into some friends I hadn’t seen in a while and to also bump into the guys from October Sky. They are in town checking out The CMW’s. They are currently in the process of booking a tour due to start later this year. I would advise everyone to keep an eye out for them and if they come to your town definitely go and check them out. You are guaranteed to have a great time. They are also in the planning stages of another album so that is something else to look forward to from these talented guys.

The Tattoo hosted the CMW launch party with bands Bury the Bully, Isle of Thieves, Songs From a Room, and Inward Eye providing the music. I missed the first band but caught the rest, and of the three I thought Songs From a Room were the best. They played a rocking set of good hard rock with a sometimes classic, sometimes country feel to them. To me the sounded a bit like The Trews at times and a bit like The Band but not consistently like either. The vocals on one song would remind me of Colin MacDonald or the bass on another, Rick Danko. “Believing” was a catchy punkish tune that had me tapping my toes and the audience head banging. All in all they were a good, tight band that played a strong set of rock songs that kept the crowd moving. You can visit Songs From a Room on their MySpace page.

Believing by Songs From A Room

The first band I saw, Isle of Thieves, didn’t fair as well, in my opinion. The singers voice reminded me of Liam Gallagher, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the songs didn’t quite measure up to Oasis standards. In fact, for me, the songs didn’t measure up to anything, they were just another pop/punk Fall Out Boy-ish band adding nothing new to the musical landscape. Not to say they weren’t a good band, just not my cuppa. They played their songs enthusiastically enough but the smallish crowd didn’t seem all that engaged by them. After about four, however, all the songs started to sound the same and I found that I just stopped paying attention. They were competent enough musicians but I think they need a bit more experience and a few more years to really come into their own. You can hear Isle of Thieves on their MySpace page.

Hollywood by Isle of Thieves

This brings me to the last band of the night, Inward Eye. I had been hearing a bit of buzz about them and they have a song on light rotation on the radio so I was looking forward to seeing them live. I must say that these guys have a lot of charisma on stage and give 100%. They left nothing on the stage, ending their set dripping with sweat. The energy they expended could have powered a small town. For only having three guys in the band they had a much bigger sound than the previous two five-piece groups. They really filled the room and the crowd of about 250 were very appreciative.

Inward Eye are a very tight, crisp band with solid songs and great musicianship. However, after a few songs I had this creepy feeling that I had heard all these songs before only done better. And then it dawned on me, all the songs sounded like someone else’s from the Devo-like “Second Class Citizen” to the Green Day-like “Shame”. They also had a song similar to U2’s “Stay (So Faraway, So Close)”, a song with the drum beat ripped right out of Dave Clark Five’s “Bits and Pieces”, the obligatory Ska song, a song that started out remarkably similar to Bo-Diddley’s “Hey Bo-Diddley!”, and a revisit on Green Day. That being said, the crowd ate it up and I guess that is what is important in the end.

The three guys ended the night with a cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown”. They really did rip it up, complete with a murderous guitar solo that took no prisoners. Normally that would be a good thing but it didn’t really fit into the song. Of course I’m a purist when it comes to classic songs and have a lot of trouble with covers that deviate too much from the original so that is my cross to bear.

Inward Eye have a new EP coming out, apparently, they kept repeating that the next song would be on the EP which kind of had me thinking just how many songs they were planning on putting on it. All in all, I wasn’t sold on them and would probably not see them again. That being said I would recommend them to anyone who wants an energetic show that will get you moving. Check them out on their MySpace page.

Shame by Inward Eye

Tonight I’m off to see The Framework at Wrongbar and after that off to the Horseshoe to catch We Are Wolves and Malajube. I may also try to catch Andy Stedman at the Cadillac Lounge. I’ve seen the Framework before and really enjoyed them so I hope they don’t disappoint me. Andy Stedman writes wry, often witty, folkish tunes. He is very entertaining and I would highly recommend catching him if you like folk/rock with a bit of a twist.

Gladstone Hotel; a hidden gem in Toronto’s West end for anyone willing to travel west of Bathurst played home to one of the opening venues for Canadian Music Week. The mellow and relaxed atmosphere of the hotel’s northern ballroom showcased The Job, Everything All the Time, Foxfire, Lioness and Mansion. Although I didn’t stay for Mansion’s entire set, there was one word that could describe the evening in its entirety, energy. Each band had a strong presence from set to set giving the crowd more and more as the night progressed.

The Job began the evening with a post-hardcore vibe, splitting their time between existing tracks and unreleased material (available for purchase in an after party). After giving their album a run through cover to cover, I can say with confidence they sound better live. The CD does not do the band justice. There are a lot of minute details you can make out in person that makes The Job shine. It’s an appreciation that I’m grateful to have experienced.

The Job – Problem

Everything All The Time approached the stage for setup to a crowd with positive apprehension in their eyes. “How could this momentum continue?” the crowd thought but did not utter. “Ask and you shall receive” was the message the group returned as they began. This was the first moment; I got the impression of energy. From something as simple as a tempo change to a moment as profound as the crowd cheering the lead vocalist to hold a pitch note, Everything All The Time did everything right in my eyes.

Everything All The Time – Lazy Days

Following the theme of energy Foxfire took it to another level. Prior to this venue I had never heard any of Foxfire’s material so I wanted to keep an open mind. One of the things that caught my eye immediately was the amount of energy lead vocalists Neil and Hannah had. Jumping, clapping, joining in the crowd and sharing microphones exemplified a lot of minor actions visually, but it demonstrated the amount of heart Foxfire puts into their craft. They finished their set with an extended version of the song ‘Your Love is Not Enough’. The music didn’t appeal to me but I will not be so quick to dismiss it completely.

Foxfire – Love is Not Enough

Rounding up my evening was the band I was looking forward to the most, Lioness. Lioness combines a good helping of rock and soul. The first time I heard the song ‘Harder They Fall’ I immediately made a connection to The Bellrays. Secretly I had my fingers crossed behind my back hoping the crowd would enjoy them as much as I was going to. After their first song I scanned around to see roughly 100-200 pairs of eyes glued to the stage in awe. It was nice to see them move, tap and shake their heads to songs like ‘You’re My Heart’ and ‘What You Do Will Come Back to You’. Venessa Fischer has a booming voice that helped make the bands presence known.

Lioness – You’re My Heart

Gladstone Hotel’s northern ballroom provided the perfect atmosphere to tonight’s headliners. The crowd responded well throughout the entire evening. Each band provided their own flavor but from my perspective it felt like Everything All The Time and Lioness stole the show. I spoke briefly to members from The Job and Everything All The Time after their sets and it was unique to hear their perspective from the stage. All this energy after just day one, not bad for a little hidden gem west of Bathurst.

George’s schedule for tonight: Thursday @ Cadillac Lounge: Andy Stedman, Agpak Mum, Captains, My Jerusalem, The Rosie Jones Band (Toronto/myspace)