Posts Tagged ‘concert’
Ra Ra Riot and Maps and Atlases At Lee’s Palace Sept 11
As I said in my post about Princeton, the crowd was jammed pack for both Maps and Atlases and Ra Ra Riot.
I actually didn’t realize Maps and Atlases were playing until the day of the show and I didn’t get a chance to listen to their stuff going on. All I knew is that I figured that they had a large fan base with their large amount of myspace hits.
I had no idea what to expect but I think not knowing the band definitely hurt the experience. Maps and Atlases are a math rock band and I tend to struggle with that genre for unexplained reasons. Anyway during the performance, I tried to make out the vocals to no avail. They probably could’ve left the mics at home as it probably didn’t add that much to their performance. Vocals tend to be weak at Lee’s Palace anyway and it was pretty evident with a band like Maps and Atlases.
Maps and Atlases really showcased their technical proficiency. The band can play their instruments pretty well with a ton of guitar solos and a unique drum setup, the band was at the very least supremely talented. It does count for something, I can’t really deride them as much as I didn’t feel their performance. Good band nonetheless and really impressed with the skill of the drummer. Was it a glockenspiel with his left hand and drums with the right? That’s got to take serious talent. Overall, I dug the performance.
Witch by Maps and Atlases
You And Me And The Mountain by Maps and Atlases
Ra Ra Riot harnessed the energy given off by the crowd and put it into their performance. I wasn’t as big of a fan as the crowd was of Ra Ra Riot’s performance. The crowd was absolutely insane for them at one point starting a moshpit. A lot of singing along but let’s be honest while the band was just good, vocals were lacking but with facilitated by the crowd singing along. The band did screw up at point where singer Wes Miles said that it was one of the band’s biggest fuck ups. Either way, if you compare bands Princeton gets the one up for making sure that the show must go on.
I wasn’t a big fan of Wes Miles’ stage presence. He had this move where he would caress his heart area to try to seem passionate. The problem is that he kept resorting to that move and really it just looked kind of lame. Ra Ra Riot wasn’t all bad but it just felt like I was at a different concert from the crowd, it was full of energy but I guess a little too much as it seemed like a clear over reaction to the band’s style of music. While Ra Ra Riot didn’t necessarily disappoint, I don’t think they were great and I’ll be on the fence if I want to see them again (seems like it’s hard to get me out anyway so probably unlikely).
Not a lot of great photos of Ra Ra Riot. They were high energy and moving around quite a bit, making it really difficult to take a shot with my camera.
Dying Is Fine by Ra Ra Riot
Winter 05 by Ra Ra Riot
Check out the photo album here.
Apologies for the much less passionate post after reviewing opening band Princeton. Princeton was just in my eyes much more memorable and they could use the promotion anyway…
K’naan and Girl Talk Concert Review
K’naan preformed first, with his clever blend of hip hop. His songs were slow and relaxing to listen too, but that vibe changed when K’naan sang an acapella version of his song “Wavin’ Flag” and got us to sing back the lyrics. After that song, his music picked up and got the whole crowd dancing. K’naan’s preformance was awesome and made me like him more for his down to earth style.
Watching Girl Talk live feels like a huge deal for me, because that’s how his music should be listened too. Your supposed to be in a large crowd of people dancing like crazy as Gregg Gillis jumps on his table and removes pieces of his clothing. Mostly all of his songs were played with a few new samples added. I love how the whole show was set up, with people dancing up on the stage and confetti being blown into the audience. The energy that Gregg Gillis has is insane! Its cool how someone who mashed up a bunch of popular song samples has become so mainstream. I can’t even imagine how much fun it would be to see Girl Talk in a club setting.
Princeton At Lee’s Palace in Toronto – Sept 11
On a sold out night with scalpers outside asking for and selling tickets to a sold out show featuring Ra Ra Riot, Maps and Atlases and the opener Princeton, it was set for a fun night. I was excited to see Princeton as I’ve had ample opportunity to listen to their debut release, “Cocoon Of Love” which is full of excellent well crafted tracks. I’d review it by now if it wasn’t set for a September 29th release. Be sure to expect a good review though.
Princeton, actually named on a street they lived near (see NYT article) and not the preppy university are led by the two Kivel twins Jesse and Matt (Jesse being a former worker at Force Field PR if that name rings a bell among you fellow bloggers). With both brothers sharing bass, guitar and vocal duties, it’s hard to tell between the two on the record. Live, one was well dressed (Matt) and Jesse wore glasses and orange shirts branding a Phil and The Osophers shirt (nerdy goodness indeed).
Anyway, on record Princeton had multiple instruments and in a live setting they used a much stripped down set. However, they were absolutely fantastic. Sometimes keeping things simple is the best strategy and they ended up turning most of the crowd into fans (tons of swaying and had more and more people creeping up as the venue was filling).
They sounded excellent in Lee’s Palace. Which I have to say, keeps disappointing me on sound quality. Only two bands have sounded superb in this venue, The Walkmen and Princeton (everyone else seems to be plagued by vocal issues or something).
The Kivel twins also have a ton of stage presence, getting both the crowd involved (effectively getting the crowd handclapping during songs) as well as the band showing off that they can continue a song without halting after Matt Kivel’s mic cord fell out during the song Korean War Memorial. The Kivel Twins then just sang out the rest of the song on that mic alone. Great stuff. The band will go far based on their stage presence.
My own personal highlight would be when Princeton played Sadie and Andy. Matt Kivel sung his own and the female vocals and hit every note. Not sure if it mattered that I knew all the songs on the album but at least my girlfriend said “they were the best of the 3 bands that night” and I have to agree.
While they didn’t have the biggest fan base going into the night, they converted me into a fan and I can only hope they gain even more. Here’s to hoping the reviews for Cocoon Of Love are good (as they should be) as I hope they end up doing very well once their album is finally released. Check out the rest of their tour dates with Ra Ra Riot and Map and Atlases (be sure to look out for tomorrow for photos of Ra Ra Riot and Map and Atlases):
12 Sep MOHAWK PLACE – Buffalo, New York
13 Sep GROG SHOP – Cleveland Heights, Ohio
14 Sep THE BASEMENT – Columbus, Ohio
16 Sep SCHUBAS(SOLD OUT) – Chicago, Illinois
17 Sep VARSITY THEATER – Minneapolis, Minnesota
18 Sep FORWARD MUSIC FESTIVAL – Madison, Wisconsin
19 Sep PYGMALION MUSIC FESTIVAL – Urbana, Illinois
20 Sep FIREBIRD – St. Louis, Missouri
21 Sep THE BOTTLENECK – Lawrence, Kansas
23 Sep GRANADA THEATER – Dallas, Texas
24 Sep EMO’S – Austin, Texas
25 Sep WAREHOUSE LIVE – Houston, Texas
26 Sep SPANISH MOON – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
27 Sep BOTTLE TREE – Birmingham, Alabama
29 Sep THE MASQUERADE – Atlanta, Georgia
30 Sep CAT’S CRADLE – Carrboro, North Carolina
1 Oct 9:30 CLUB – Washington DC, Washington DC
2 Oct TROCADERO – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
3 Oct PARADISE ROCK CLUB – Boston, Massachusetts
8 Oct THE TERRACE CLUB W/ LE LOUP – Princeton, New Jersey
9 Oct TWISTED BRANCH TEA BAZAAR W/ tUnE- YaRds – Charlottesville, Virginia
10 Oct DUKE COFFEE HOUSE – Durham, North Carolina
More photos after the jump as well as a video of Martina and Clive Krantz.
(more…)
Daniel Johnston – Live at Venue, Vancouver
Photographs by Jennifer Picard. More photographs at Flickr.
It was a surprise to open the Georgia Straight and see a listing for Daniel Johnston at Venue. Venue is a “new” live music venue in Vancouver. Anti-climactically, all that really means is that The Plaza has given itself a new look and a new name, perhaps trying to wedge its way into the market once belonging to the recently closed Richard’s on Richards.
Why would Daniel Johnston, the subject of the intriguing 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston, be on tour?
As it turns out, the forty-eight-year-old Johnston is releasing an album of new material and has embarked on a North American tour in support of that album, titled Is And Always Was, to be released in October. The artist and musician’s trademark DIY-sounding recordings have been met with much praise over the last twenty or so years, and Johnston is often hailed as one of America’s greatest songwriters.
Ford Pier, a trio of aging troubadours who would seem less out of place at a wedding, seemed on odd choice for an opener. A low-budget version of The Police or Dire Straits, the three-piece’s weak guitar riffs and exaggerated rock star kicks were almost embarrassing. “You don’t wanna know what I’m into,” sang Pier. It’s true. The crowd was not really all that interested.
Daniel Johnston’s appearance onstage was a blessing: track pants, a stain on his shirt, skate shoes and crazy hair.
“I love you all but I hate myself,” Daniel Johnson sang, causing a wave of sadness and pity to wash over the crowd, hushed by the sincerity of his songwriting. A lack of eye contact with his audience made for what felt like an exploitative performance. However, his songwriting shone again and again, and the honesty in his vocals and lyrics shattered any doubt that he was in this one hundred percent.
“I had a dream that this guy was sentenced to death because he wanted to commit suicide…and it was me,” Johnston said with a smirk, a segue into his next song: “The show must go on, it’s never really over.”
Launching into a new song on his tiny guitar, he played for about ten seconds and then stopped. “Let’s try another one,” he said with a smile and a chuckle, completely and endearingly awkward.
During “There is a Sense of Humour Way Beyond Friendship”, his hands shook violently, his whole body tremoring, bringing new meaning to the term “tortured artist”.
He was later joined by a guitarist, allowing him to concentrate fully on his vocals. “Don’t wanna be free of hope,” he sang during “Life in Vain”. Somehow, the majority of his catalogue would appear otherwise.
“Grievances” was excellent, with its honesty and his fists shaking at his sides. “I’ve come this far and I know that I can make it,” he intimated during “Silly Love”.
A major highlight was the Beatles cover “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”. The crowd joined in on the chorus; the room was full of magic and electricity.
Innocence and sadness, honesty and self-expression, a need for connection: these are the themes in Johnston’s work. It is apparent as to why Kurt Cobain might have related to this man: the darkness, a lack of love, mental instability, sensitivity.
Joined by Ford Pier and an additional guitarist, Johnston followed a short break with a number of rockier favourites, including “Casper the Friendly Ghost”. On the band’s instrumentals he leaned on the microphone with both hands and closed his eyes, concentrating on feeling.
“There was a day when I was so lonely,” he sang.
And then he ran off the stage mid-song with his laminated music binder under his arm.
The crowd demanded more, so Johnston returned to the stage with the beautiful simplicity of “True Love Will Find You in the End”.
Perfectly imperfect.
MP3:
Daniel Johnston – Grievances
Daniel Johnston – Silly Love
The Calm Blue Sea at NEU+RAL Concert Review
Allan and I went to see The Calm Blue Sea Monday night at NEU+RAL. While the tickets were basically a steal ($5 to see three bands including TCBS–Sleep for the Nightlife and Reverse Mount Rushmore), there weren’t many people there…I think maybe not more than 20. Nonetheless the music played that night was great! Unfortunately we did have to skip out on Reverse Mount Rushmore due to some circumstances.
I have to say off the bat that I have been to a few post-rock shows and I have never been to a show that ever sucked. I get easily disappointed with the pop bands that I see live, and that could be because of the acoustics of the venue or maybe they just truly suck ass. It is always guaranteed that a post-rock show will never be disappointing, and that probably lies in the fact that it’s all instrumental so they really need to know how to play, and do.
Neither of us had ever been to NEU+RAL before. It’s a pretty small club in the basement of a building on College Street, but the acoustics of the place isn’t so bad. Sleep for the Nightlife, hailing from our very own Toronto, Ontario, played first, but we only got to see half of their set (we were a little late, on my account. Sorry Allan 
). I had never heard of them before besides some MySpace songs the night before the show, but they were quite entertaining and personable performers onstage. They played a few songs I recognized from their MySpace, including “i heart pandas.” They have more of a jazz- and metal-influenced, fast-paced appeal (I was reminded of The Samuel Jackson 5 often), which kept me on my feet throughout the entire set. I think towards the end of the set, the tempo started getting a little off, but I can’t place any blame because I would never be able to keep up that kind of pace if I was playing the drums like that for an hour.
The Calm Blue Sea came on next playing songs from both their albums. I was actually surprised (and a wee disappointed, not to dis the other band) they were the second band because they are most popular of the three (loosely according to MySpace hits, anyway). Unfortunately, it being two days after the actual show, I’ve forgotten what they started off with, but I do remember they played a few of my favourites from both their debut and Siegfried (we reviewed it here). I really was ecstatic to hear “Literal,” only the microphone was on way too low to hear the vocals. Damn you, sound guy! But all is good. Their performance was awesome, and everyone was so into the music. We ended up hearing some pretty awesome tunes such as “We Happy Few,” “The Meeting”/”The River that Runs Beneath this City,” “The Treasure,” and “The Contest.” And as soon as they came, the soon they left. I believe their set was about an hour, which doesn’t ever seem long enough when it is music you enjoy. I wished they could play longer though, but seeing as they were sandwiched between two other bands, it’s understandable that they couldn’t. I’m a bit disappointed that they were sandwiched between the two bands, leaving little (or no possibility, really) for an encore, despite there being just a few of us. I’m sure I’m definitely not alone when saying this, since someone from the crowd yelled out, “One more!” I couldn’t have agreed more.
We recorded some tracks but I suppose we were standing too close to the speakers as my crappy camera compressed a lot of the sound, making it sound really distorted. I always feel bad about taking pictures of bands playing live, just because I think the flashes from the camera are distracting and blinding…but enjoy the few pictures we took that night in the “more” link below.
Here is the rest of the band’s tour schedule:
The Calm Blue Sea’s Remaining Fall ‘09 Tour Schedule
Sept 9 @ Brillobox – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 9pm
Sept 10 @ Bernie’s – Columbus, Ohio – 9pm-
Sept 11 @ Convenant Church – Cincinnati, Ohio – 8pm
MP3s:
The Calm Blue Sea – Literal
The Calm Blue Sea – The Treasure
The Calm Blue Sea – The Cross
Datarock @ Foufounes Électriques review
Like any rising star, Datarock came on two hours late to kick off their 2009 North American tour at Les Foufounes Électriques (translates to The Electric Pussies) in Montreal last Friday. But the wait and having to endure Orange Orange was well worth it (thank god for the ridiculously cheap drinks at Foufs – are there bars where you can get beers for $2.50 all night in Toronto?). Say what you will about Datarock and their superficial lack of originality – they put on a damn good show.
I was a little surprised to see Datarock playing at a bar after reading the interview where they expressed their desire to fill “proper” venues. Foufs, catering mainly to a punk crowd, is also a bit of an odd choice for Datarock. There was no scoffing or bitterness from the crowd though. There were three or four enthusiastic teenagers trying very hard to start and sustain a moshpit. Security and the rest of the audience were not amused but I was sort of glad to see that they were having a good time – albeit at the expense of many others.
Datarock joked around the with the crowd about gay kisses and technical difficulties in between a set mostly filled with songs from their debut album. I was pleased because Datarock Datarock is undoubtedly their better album but I would have liked to hear “True Stories” live. I was all set to scream “I LOVE DAVID BYRNE” and everything. Should have done it anyway.
Audience participation was easily achieved because of Datarock’s simple, catchy lyrics. This is important! There’s nothing more embarrassing than a mic angled off the stage being accompanied by confused murmurs and feet shuffling.
Datarock is a genuinely likable band. This is true of the band members and of the band itself. Datarock would have been the most popular kid in high school. He would have been elected student council president without even having to run.
The night ended with a semi-ironic rendition of “Time of Your Life”.
Sorry I didn’t get any photos. My parents even sent me my good camera. The light show was just too intense for me to get any good shots.
Lykke Li and Miike Snow Concert Review
This being my second time seeing Lykke Li I went to the concert expecting it to be amazing, and thankfully I was right. After seeing Lykke Li in Feburary I became an even bigger fan, her vocals are even better than recorded and her energy and stage presence really adds to her music. Not to mention her hip hop covers which really get the crowd going.
While the entire concert wasn’t amazing, a Toronto based band opened for the opening act? The lead singer looked possessed and sounded like a goat had three members that were useless as they just stood there and OHH and AWWWED every once and a while. If you are reading this girl with the guitar, go solo, seriously, go solo.
Miike Snow has become one of my favourite bands, not only because they are amazing live but there music is catchy and fresh. Im going to admit, I went in thinking Miike Snow was just a guy with a mac book, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a full band and a DJ. Tonnes of energy and sound just as good live as they do on their album, I would defiantly go see them again.
Lykke Li finally came on after I went onto the patio to watch the fucking crazy lightning storm, considering she doesn’t have much material to perform her set wasn’t exactly the same as her previous performances I’ve seen, my only complaint is that I didn’t really like her new material, it was a bit country western for me. I also like the fact that she gets a bit hood when she sings, she gets low and crumps, My friend Alexander who was pretty drunk, continually kept saying “its sexy when a white girl got the flava of a black girl” (yes he is black). While that was the highlight for him, the real highlight of the performance for me was when Miike Snow came out on stage and remixed some of her songs and danced, the lead singer of Miike Snow also helped with Li’s cover of Knocked Up by Kings of Leon, which is one of my favourite songs. As well, her set was just a bit short, I would have liked for it to be longer, but none the less shes amazing and I will definantly go see her again the next time shes in Toronto.
5/5
Shambhala 2009
Said to be the largest (10000 people) and longest (12 years) running electronic festival in Canada, Shambhala took place last weekend in Nelson, B.C. The festival had over 150 Djs spinning throughout the five day event. On the roster were names like AC Slater, Jack Beats, Treasure Fingers, Benga and many many many more. Music played from 12pm each day until 10 am at five huge different themed stages in the middle of a forest. Decorated with lasers, podiums, waterfalls and different layers of dance floors, it felt like you were in a large club instead of the middle of nowhere. Everyone pitched their tents anywhere they could find a spot near the venue, allowing you to come back and forth from your tent to any of the stages. A huge change compared to other festivals I’ve been too where your trapped by the stages and are forced to buy the 9$ food.
The amount of music was overwhelming, but you always could walk through Christmas light illuminated pathways to another stage if you wanted to listen to something different. My favorite stages quickly became the Village (drum and bass) and the Fractal Forest (mostly electronic). All the Djs did an amazing job, giving the crowds a great variety of music to dance too, as well as remixing all those hits that you like to hear while you’re out.
Being my first time attending Shambhala, I can say that it was a awesome experience. All made so by the loud music and the friendly community. It’s hard to believe that a festival this size has only survived by word of mouth with no corprate sponsors. All these aspects and more only add too the charm of Shambhala.
AC Slater – Calm Down
Jack Beats – Get Down
Jack Beats – What
Rock the Bells 2009, Vancouver
1 pm, making my way to the front gates of Rock the Bells, I already felt an energy run through me as the sounds of Biggie echoed through the air. After picking up my ticket and passing through the minimal security, I entered the grounds and as Red 1 took the stage I looked around, getting a feel for what I was in store for for the next ten hours. The relentless blast of sun mixed with the marijuana haze that continually covered the crowd. The $7 beers being injested just as quickly as the free flowing water provided. After a couple minutes of wandering, I made my way closer to the stage to catch teasers of classic Rascalz tracks “Northern Touch” and “Top of the World”… Not a bad start.
After grabbing some much needed water, I met up with friends and proceeded to get as close to the stage as Chali 2na stepped up. This set blew me away…. Live band backing. A bass player that looked like he just fell out of the 80’s provided some of the most rugged basslines I’ve heard come out of hip hop. Chali 2na has a vocal flow that matched any of the sounds, whether they were funky or dark. Up next was Slum Village and although I haven’t listened to much of their stuff, I was really impressed with their set – still going strong despite two fallen members (R.I.P).
By this point the sun was starting to cook me, I’m really not a summer person. Begging for shade I made my way over to the small spot of covered area and crammed myself in with everyone else feeling the drain of the weather. This is where I would stay as Slaughterhouse played their set – I can’t lie, I’m not the biggest fan.
Up next was Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko, I was waiting for this. I made my way as close as I could get and as they tore through tracks like “Welcome To The Midwest”, “Riotmaker” and “Caribou Lou” (can you tell Everready is my favorite album) the energy in the crowd continually grew. Even prompting a couple girls flashing their tits…. With a little coaxing from Tech N9ne, of course.
By this point I was starting to get a little drained, I’m not a kid anymore and I could feel the sunburn forming on my neck and arms…. So back to the shade it was. At this point Supernatural busted out some of crazy freestyles, including a point where he was asking for objects from he crowd and proceeded to incorporate those items into the rhymes. Afterwards the other host B-Real came out and busted out a couple classic Cypress Hill tracks, that set the crowd a blazin’ (with energy and clouds of marijuana smoke).
Next was Common, another set I wasn’t too eager for…. So I proceeded to rest my already tired legs, getting ready for the next couple hours of standing I’d undergo. Common was better than I thought, even dropped a couple of freestyles incorporating Vancouver landmarks, which was nice.
After checking the set list, it looked as if Reflection Eternal wasn’t going to play – “Oh shit, that’s who I wanted to see the most” said one of my friends. As RZA took the stage, we became convinced that was the case.
RZA was fantastic, dropping both Wu Tang and solo tracks. The best part of his set was “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” performed by Ol’ Dirty Bastards son….. Not saying it was a particularly great rendition, but he was funny as shit. Even after the set he almost refused to get off the stage as they set up for Nas & Damian Marley. Even when told he had to go, he just went up to the DJ booth and started dancing around there. Classic.
Just when I thought it was going to be the last set of the night – stage set for the last performance, Reflection Eternal make their appearance…. Well, sort of. A 20 min set was a little disappointing, being that this was one of the acts I too most wanted to see. Fuck.
Oh well, I knew what was coming next and had been anticipating this all day. By this time I was pretty exhausted from the day long beating from the sun and heat, but the excitement gave me that burst of energy. As Nas stepped out and the music dropped, that rush filled my body and I felt as though I could go all night. The hour and a half long set from Nas & Damian Marley was simply amazing. Both artists dropping some solo sets, as well as combined. As I looked around, the entire crowd was on their feet, a sea of people jumping, dancing and singing along. Without a doubt this set made the day, as long and draining as it became. 11 pm, I leave with a sunburn, beaten legs and a new collection of memories.
Although artists dropped out a couple days before, including KRS-One (that one pissed me off a little), the show was pretty damn good… I’m already looking forward to Rock the Bells next year.
Tech N9ne – Welcome to the Midwest
Reflection Eternal – This Means You
Damian Marley and Nas – Road To Zion
Parkas w/ Whitebelt Octopus, Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy @ the Silver Dollar
I went to see the Parkas on Saturday night and I’ve finally recovered (note: part of this may be moving and/or drinking related).
The Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy was the first band up, who I missed… next time.
Next, the Whitebelt Octopus, who drove all the way from Ithaca, NY, performed his brand of incredibly vulgar, superbly hilarious, white-boy-electro-rap songs for about 40 minutes. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t supremely shocked by all the “hat” (see photos below), the number of MF bombs, and the number of references of him beeing his el on some tees, but after the initial shock, I had an awesome, awesome, time. He writes the kind rhymes that kids in grade school write, subject matter aside. They’re certainly not clever, or thought provoking, or anything else particularly moving, but the rhymes combined with the hat, dancemoves, and electro-beats were nothing short of entertaining. I think had the set gone on longer, it would’ve been a little too much, but I would definitely, definitely, go and check the Whitebelt Motherfucking Octopus if he swims his way back up to the T.Dot.
The Parkas, while they share the same sense of humour as the Whitebelt, their set took a different sort of tone. Yes, they made jokes (often at the expense of other members of the band, as is their way), but there was an underlying sense of sadness/nostalgia (this makes much more sense if you know that this was the Parkas last show ever). But I think the Parkas, knowing it was their last show, really savoured every moment. They weren’t always perfect – not that I could really tell other than based on the ‘I definitely just screwed that up’ looks that they would flash each other – they played music like I imagine they would’ve when they first started as a band: a little bit drunk and ripping away on their instruments.
And, if I haven’t plugged their stuff enough, a reminder that their soon to be released, post-humous album, You Should’ve Killed Us When You Had the Chance, is out soon and is excellent. A couple of songs from their new album:
[mp3] The Parkas – Don’t Say No
[mp3] The Parkas – The Gang’s All Gone
Whitebelt Octopus
The Parkas
