Whitehorse w/ Daniel Romano @ Commodore -- 1/26/13

About five or six years ago, I first saw Melissa McClelland as an opening act, and part way through her set she invited her husband up on stage to play a song with her. Turns out the husband was Luke Doucet, and it wouldn't be the last time the couple shared the stage. Sadly, I hadn't had the chance to see either of them live since then, either in their own solo shows or as Whitehorse, so I was very excited to hear they were starting their latest tour in Vancouver.
Add to that the opener of the night -- a gentleman I saw in Toronto at the NXNE festival, but was too tired to fully appreciate the set -- and it was sure to be a good show.

Leigh Eldridge Photography
And that gentleman was Daniel Romano. The former Attack in Black frontman has gone a much more country route in his solo material, which was evident before Romano played a single note. He took the stage dressed in a full on Cowboy Suit, covered head to toe in rhinestones, topped off with a cowboy hat.
With his only backup being Aaron Goldstein on pedal steel, the duo was at the edge of the stage, in front of the certain, and started off the set with "Time forgot (to change my heart)", with a very old school, traditional country sound. A lot of the set consisted of slow tempo, sad songs, but there were a couple upbeat numbers, like the upbeat "Chicken Bill"

As Romano brought the set to an end, he decided to have a little bit of fun with the last couple songs, first a cover of a Roger Miller song, and then their version of the oft-covered "When I Stop Dreaming" originally by The Louvin Brothers. Romano said the duo had only practiced it a couple times in their four-day van drive from Ontario to BC, and Goldstein stepped off the pedal steel to take over vocals.

While it was, overall, a little too Country for my personal tastes, I could still appreciate their talent. Both Romano and Goldstein were excellent performers, and it was apparent that a good portion of the crowd was there as much to see Romano as they were for Whitehorse.


Leigh Eldridge Photography
It wasn't too long after that the curtains parted and we caught a glimpse of the set, a few banners with a painted version of what I assume was Whitehorse (the city), before Whitehorse (the band) took the stage. Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland first roused the crowd into singing the beginning of "Killing Time is Murder" before grabbing their instruments and kicking off the set.

It was only the two of them -- no backing band of anything -- and while they mostly stuck to guitar, or sometimes bass, there was also a keyboard, a kick drum & a floor tom, and an array of percussive instruments from a steel drum to maracas and even some pans to bang on. The couple used these to their full advantage, creating rich loops to continue on as they played, more often than not coming right to the front of the stage to share a microphone (when not using the telephone receivers on their individual mics for vocal effects).

The chemistry between the two was as amazing as you would hope, with the couple playing off each other perfectly-- both musically and with their banter. They went for over an hour, covering nearly their entire catalogue, which consists of songs written as a duo as well as some of their individual, older songs reworked. Highlights included Doucet's "Broken", about an ex-girlfriend (which brought on some joking and teasing) and McClelland's "Passenger 24", which started soft and slow before exploding with energy; as well as the dirty and badass "Achilles' Desire" and the beautiful "Mismatched Eyes" with the back-and-forth vocals, both off the latest album The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss.
Wrapping up the main set with "Jane", they came back with the soft and sweet "Night Owls" and capped off the night with their cover of Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", getting a large chunk of the crowd to sing along, and even continue the chorus after they had put down their instruments, taken a bow and left the stage.

Going into the show, I already knew that Melissa has a gorgeous voice and Luke is a fantastic guitar player, but I figured they would also have a backing band playing with them. I was not expecting it to be just the two of them, effortlessly building each song before the crowds eyes, with the help of their looping pedals. It was a fantastic show, and I wouldn't hesitate to see them next time they're in town.

setlist
Killing Time is Murder, No Glamour in the Hammer, Radiator Blues, Wisconsin, Emerald Isle, Mismatched Eyes (Boat Song), Broken, Devil's Got a Gun, Annie Lu, Out Like A Lion, Achilles' Desre, Passenger 24, Jane.
(encore) Night Owls, I'm on Fire [Bruce Springsteen cover].


Photos courtesy of Leigh Eldridge Photography

North by North East: Thursday

I had dubbed my second day of NXNE my "unplanned" day. I was just going to go with the flow, and see where the day took me. In the evening, this resulted in five shows, all in different venues, and all bands I hadn't seen before.

First, though, was the Audio Blood Rooftop Riot party. They boasted free Steam Whistle and vitamin water --  and later on frozen treats to combat the blazing sun -- with a number of the bands on their roster performing. The bands throughout the day were all pretty good; not too much that really caught my attention, but nothing that I didn't like either. There was a two-piece that was pretty good, but since they never said their name, I still have no idea who they are, and Sandman Viper Command put on an energetic set. But it was Les Breastfeeders that I was impressed by most. The francophone rockers had a good energy and catchy songs, and had their set not been at 3am, I probably would have caught them again later in the night.

Then it was on to the evening shows, the first stop being El Mocambo for Boxer The Horse. The PEI four piece had a straight up alt rock sound that was fun and catchy, with hooks aplenty. There wasn't much by way of stage banter, though, with only the briefest interactions with the crowd. But they let the music speak for them, even breaking a bass string at one point, with songs like the upbeat "Sentimental/Oriental" and a few covers, Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You" and "New England" by Billy Bragg. Despite the invading bass from downstairs, they still put on a very solid set and I'll be sure to catch them again in the future.

The next stop was The Velvet Underground for Stella Ella Ola, a project with a few of the members of Hollerado. The four-piece all shares vocal duties, with kind of a sloppy garage-pop sound that
They had a good energy, and were definitely having fun on stage -- especially Jake Boyd, who doffed his shirt at the slightest provocation -- but it almost seemed more like drunken buddies up there to have fun. Which is probably exactly what they were going for. I knew not to take it seriously, I know they're not trying to be anything more than a fun time, but I still just couldn't get into it.

Bishop Morocco was next over at the Rivoli with a dark sound and deep vocals very reminiscent of The Smiths or Joy Division. They had a bit of a muted energy with not much banter, and were not necessarily bad, but the show just seemed kind of flat.

The Great Hall was the next destination, for Daniel Romano, who I am woefully unfamiliar with. He took the stage with what can only be described as a sequined cowboy outfit, guitar in hand and pedal steel player in tow. He serenaded the crowd with his alt-country sound, beautiful lyrics and incredible talent. Part way through the set, he was joined by a drummer and bass player to fill out the sound, and brought the set to a rousing ending.
The show was good, but there was a bit of a disconnect as I was a little too tired to fully appreciate it; but I'll definitely have to see him again the next time he's through town.

The last stop of the night was sure to keep me awake, the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern for a throwback to the 90s, Bran Van 3000. Arriving a couple minutes into their set, their boisterousness was immediately apparent, with a stage packed full of horns and others for their disco-pop-soul sound. It turns out I knew more than just the one song when they played "Astounded" mid way through the set, and after the lead singer "grew" a pair of giant butterfly wings, they ended it off, as everyone expected, with their hit "Drinkin' in LA". With clusters of balloons through the crowd and confetti shot from cannons, the crowd was going wild, singing along with nearly every word.

As for tonight, I do have a plan; there are free shows from Eight and a Half, Plants and Animals and Matthew Good at Younge & Dundas Square, and then the tough decision of Brasstronaut (who I just saw), Rah Rah or Yamantaka//Sonic Titan (neither of which I've seen) all playing at midnight.