Royal Canoe @ Biltmore -- 03/25/13

I don't think it's any exaggeration to say Royal Canoe is among my favourite live bands right now. They are constantly touring and seem to come through Vancouver every few months, which mean I've had the fortune of seeing them a few times in the last year and a half, and every time I do they continue to impress me.
(Also, how cool is that gig poster?)

Opening the night was Vancouver's Christopher Smith. I had seen him once before, but sandwiched between two great bands, and he kind of got lost in the shuffle, so I was interested in seeing him again. His dark and moody, yet lush alt-pop sound was pretty captivating, though a lot of the songs were kind of the same tempo.
There also wasn't much banter from Smith, but I later found out he was suffering from food poisoning, so even though that wasn't noticeable, it could have been the reason.

He did a cover of Fever Ray's "If I Had A Heart", and highlights of the set were the haunting "Pillars and Pyre" and the final song, I believe called "No Light Could Pass Though Me so I Have a Shadow", which built up to an intense ending; definitely the strongest song.
I have a feeling that Smith's music is the kind you appreciate more and more as you continue to listen to it, so I am looking forward to seeing him again after getting better acquainted with his most recent album, Earning Keep.

Soon after that, the six members of Royal Canoe took the stage with their assortment of instruments. With dual drummers -- one on a full kit and on on a drum pad and floor tom -- and as many keyboards and synth as they had members, it was actually the first time I had seem them where everything fit properly on stage.

They started the set with the insanely infectious "Show Me Your Eyes" off their most recent 7" Purple and Gold building dense and intricate wall-of-sound electro-pop that manages to be both complex and catchy. 

They sprinkled the set with a few new songs, building anticipation for the new album that they teased would be out late spring/early summer. The new songs sounded like a great progression of their sound, and I can't wait to hear how the new album sounds.

There were a few older songs in the set, too, including one song I never thought I would hear. It was the song that introduced me to to the band and hooked me, and one that I always lament (sometimes loudly) they never play live. But after the pestering of a certain blogger or two, they played it for the first (and likely last) time in a few years, "Kasparov", a ridiculously catchy love song between Garry Kasparov & Deep Blue with plenty of clever wordplay & chess puns.

They followed that up with "Bathtubs", a bombastic song with as many musical twists than some bands have in full albums, and another new tune, before finishing off with "Nightcrawlin'", a dark and lush song with the vocal processors on Matt Peters' voice giving it a deep and electronic, almost demonic, quality. And then they were of course back for an encore, with "Dear June" starting soft before bursting into a frantic ending, a great way to end the night.

Royal Canoe is one of the most interesting, most unique, and just flat out best live bands right now. They are incredibly tight and just full of energy, and never fail to impress. The last few times I've seen them, I've been with people who had not, and the reaction has been the same: "Wow!" 

Christopher Smith CD Release w/ Snowblink & The Belle Game @ Waldorf -- 09/12/12

Last night was the CD release party for Christopher Smith's latest offering, Earning Keep. He was joined at the Waldorf by fellow Vancouverites The Belle Game and, a last minute addition to the show, Toronto's Snowblink. They were supposed to have a show at the Rickshaw on the same night, but I guess something happened and they were added to this bill.

Starting off the night was The Belle Game, the six of them (seven when Andrew Lee was out to play trumpet) packing the stage of the Waldorf. They filled the room with their indie-rock-slash-chamber-pop sounds and Andrea Lo's powerful voice -- even though they admitted she was feeling under the weather -- with songs from their upcoming album Ritual Tradition Habit.
Highlights included "Wasted Light" and the powerful "River", and the whole set was brought to an explosive climax with the first single from the new album, "Wait Up For You"; which, despite featuring the ever-prevalent singer-on-a-floor-tom for the intro, had an amazing energy & soared to an ending with Alex Andrew hopping off stage to finish off his frantic solo in the crowd.

Next up was Christopher Smith, joined by a few familiar faces; including Peter Carruthers on bass and Michelle Faehrmann out for a few songs on cello. He had a folksy, yet lush, rock sound, though a lot of the set was about the same tempo. It picking up slightly towards the end, with the last song, "No Light Could Pass Though Me so I Have a Shadow", being the highlight of the set, and definitely having highest energy, building to a grand crescendo of the band rocking out.
There wasn't much interaction through the set, a couple "thanks", here and there, but he preferred to let the music speak for itself. 
It was a perfectly enjoyable set, but he was overshadowed by the other two acts of the night.

And finally, Snowblink took the stage to round out the night. I'm not sure if it was because it was pushing midnight on a Wednesday, or that they were a last minute addition, but sadly a lot of the crowd had dispersed, leaving only a couple dozen people. But that was their loss, as from the moment they hit stage, the duo of  Daniela Gesundheit -- whose guitar had antlers mounted on it -- and Dan Goldman -- also on guitar -- were amazing.  Daniela had a great presence and charisma on stage, as well as a stunning voice, and their ethereal dream-pop was captivating.
Even though the set wasn't technically "perfect" -- they had a couple issues throughout the night -- it felt very natural and loose, with them playing off the glitches perfectly and connecting with the small audience; at one point handing out bells so they could ring them on cue during one of their songs, and almost chatting one-to-one with people.
Highlights of the set included current single, the infectiously catchy "Black and White Mountains", which had  Daniela on a drum pad, and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper", which was introduced with  Daniela simultaneously apologizing and saying "you're welcome".

All in all, it was a great night of music, with the acts being different enough, but still working perfectly together. I would see any one of the three again, especially Snowblink, who I hope is back soon for a longer show.