beekeeper EP release @ Biltmore -- 02/09/13

One thing I really enjoy is watching new or young bands grow and evolve as they go.
The first time I saw beekeeper, I certainly didn't dislike them; Devon Lougheed and Luke Cyca had a great energy and obvious passion, but they were a bit... all over the place.
However, in the last couple years they have been joined by Brandi Sidoryk (the brains behind Sidney York) on bass, have a few tours under their collective belts, and have been through the latest Peak Performance Project. And having seen them a few times since that initial show, I can say all that has definitely helped them tighten up as a band and become a bit more focused -- or as focused as beekeeper can be.
That work and improvement definitely shows in their latest EP, Shout At People, the release of which they were celebrating at the Biltmore.

Kicking off the night was The SSRIs, who were definitely a good fit to be opening the show. With a loud and frantic rock sound that was a little psychedelic, a little noise-pop, they started the night off with a bang. They were high energy, if a little too chaotic or schizophrenic at times, but they seemed to grab the growing crowd's attention with their set.

Second up on the night was Young Liars with a ubiquitous synth-pop sound that seems to be popular in the local scene right now. I have seen them a few times before, opening for other bands, and their sets have always struck me as just "okay". Many of the songs blend together, and they don't have much of a stage presence, but I don't necessarily think it was bad. The upbeat pop got lots of people into it and moving, and they put on a decent -- if forgettable -- show.

And finally, as a pre-recorded "phone message" filled the room, beekeeper took the stage and launched into "Table and Bed" from their debut album BE KEPT. They started strong and hardly let up for a set full of frantic, poppy math-rock full of mid-song-changes in time signature, key and tempo. You never know where any given beekeeper song is going to go once it starts -- for example, one of my favourites of the night (and off the new EP) was "Oh Hi!" which starts off as a rock song, but takes a left turn with a country breakdown, and even includes a kazoo solo.

Other highlights of the set were "Drownings" which was the most sincere and calm moment of the night, with just Devon on guitar and Brandi & Luke coming to the front of the stage to sing backups; "Pinwheel Revolution" which, for a brief moment, took advantage of Brandi's opera background; the awesomely titled "I Don't Need Hope, I Need Whiskey"; and the "Classic Canadian Cover" they learned for the Peak Performance Project where they tease a bit of Rush, but then swerve into Alanis Morissette's "You Learn", Brandi and Devon sharing vocals for an interesting and cool version of the song.

The aforementioned energy and passion has multiplied exponentially, and the trio has great chemistry -- Luke and Devon both occasionally back up Sidney York, so they are no strangers to sharing the stage -- and Devon isn't shy of chatting with the crowd, giving shout outs, continually asking if everyone wanted to "do something weird", and inviting everyone up for their now-traditional "family photo", the stage packed with fans who danced their way through the last song, "Believe, Believe".

beekeeper may not be for everyone -- their songs are anything but traditional and many can definitely be called "weird" -- but you can't deny the talent of the three musicians and the enthusiasm they pour into the band, and you can't help but be stung by the amount of fun they have on stage.

setlist
Table & Bed; Good News; Sudden Cuckoo; You Learn [Alanis Morissette cover]; Oh Hi!; It's The Blood; Pets Eat Their Masters; Drownings; Pinwheel Revolution; I Don't Need Hope, I Need Whiskey; Believe, Believe.

Rich Aucoin @ Media Club -- 03/02/12

Right off the bat, I don't think there exist words to do Rich Aucoin's live show justice. But I'll try.
After seeing him open for Arkells last year, and turn the Commodore into a giant dance party, I was ridiculously excited to see him live again, and especially interested to see him at a much smaller venue, like the Media Club.

I missed the first band of the night, Bradley, but got there just in time for Young Liars to hit the stage. I've seen them a couple times before, and they always put on a decent show; though their songs tend blend together a bit, and lead singer's voice can be a bit rough at times. But despite that, they have a fun and upbeat synth-pop sound, and put on an enjoyable -- if a little forgettable -- show, and I can definitely see them getting better as they grow as a band.

And then Rich Aucoin hit the stage, first introducing himself then ducking off stage for the "trailers" and "opening credits" projected on a screen, which cut back and forth between video clips and fun "facts" about various members of the audience. It was one of the few times that I have seen a crowd riled up and psyched before the performer played a single note. And the videos went on throughout the night, with various internet memes between the songs, which were set to various video footage, like from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
Joined solely by drummer Tony Dallas, Aucoin then burst out with an unparalleled energy, getting the crowd to repeat choruses and shout along to songs, the lyrics helpfully on the projection screen. He barely stayed in one place for too long, playing the keys, up to the front of the stage, and even running through the crowd several times, occasionally even to the back of the room; and at one point getting everyone down to one knee, to leap up with a burst of confetti. There was also his usual rainbow parachute brought out for everyone to dance under, and also a second, matte black one and he got all the lights down low to make the club almost completely dark.
But of course the fancy videos and showmanship were just part of the show, with his incredibly catchy and upbeat pop-rock driving everyone to dance, keeping up the incredible energy throughout the whole night. Both "PUSH", with its Daft Punk sampled intro and the bombastic "It" were among the highlights of the show.

Without a doubt, and without hyperbole, Rich Aucoin's live show is one of the best I have ever seen. It's fun, and uplifting, and will leave you with a full heart and grinning for days on end. One of the lines he had everyone chant was "When you give it all up, you get it back", and I can't think of a better way to sum up the show; Rich more that gives it all up, and deserves everything he gets back.

41st & Home EP Release Party @ Biltmore -- 07/18/11

It's always interesting to watch the progression of a band. The first time I saw 41st & Home was at their CD release a little over a year ago. I honestly didn't even know who they were -- I was just going to see Aidan Knight and We Are The City -- and I thought their set was okay.
Between that show and now, they took place in last year's Peak Performance Project, had some minor lineup shakeups, have been selected again for this year's PPP, recorded a new EP, and just gained a lot more experience in general.

First up was Young Liars, who had all the synth on stage with them. Their set was full of upbeat and poppy synth driven songs-- unsurprisingly -- which were good, but seemed to all kind of blended together, without much variation. Despite that, and a bit of a lack of stage presence, they were still entertaining, and a perfectly good choice to open the show.

Oh No! Yoko was up next, who I have heard a lot about to be the next big "it" band. And when I saw them the first time, I thought they definitely had potential -- and still do -- but while their hype have grown massively since then I don't think their talent has caught up to it just yet.
They were joined by Evan Konrad of Bed of Stars on guitar, and they really do put on an energetic live show with some catchy pop-rock, but, much like Young Liars, they didn't seem to have too much variation or depth. Aside from one slower, quieter song, a lot of them bled together, ending and starting abruptly. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the band, but I sometimes feel like I am one of the few people who haven't bought into the hype, I just don't seem to think they're as utterly amazing as many others seem to.

And finally, it was time for 41st & Home. They took the stage with faces painted, and joined by some friends; Andrew Lee playing trumpet and Christine McAvoy on saxaphone for a few songs. The band has gotten leagues better in the last year -- I'm sure in no small part due to the aforementioned Peak Performance Project -- and it showed right off the bat. Some of their songs still follow the "rise to a grand climax" structure, but their newer stuff especially is a bit more varied. They started off the set with the first couple tracks from their new Raised By Wolves EP, the instrumental "Summons", during which Thom broke a string on his guitar, which led into the handclapping "Modern Medicine". There were some feedback problems during the first few songs, but those were sorted out and not terribly distracting.
Mid way through he set they had even more friends join them when members of The Belle Game and The Ruffled Feathers came out for backup vocals on the intense "Wilderness Eyes" (which was one of the few times Andrew Lee was not on stage, despite the fact that he plays for all three bands sharing the stage) and later for some extra drumming, on the floor in front of the stage, for "Gorbachev". Other highlights were the always grandiose "Eva" and "Hummingbird", which had a very dynamic and intense ending, which was definitely helped out and given depth by the horns and sax backing the band up.
They also brought back the "Tuning Jazz" when Thom needed to tune his guitar, instead of standing around in awkward silence, or try to talk and tune, their keyboard player Patrick played some smooth jazz until Thom was ready to go. They ended the set with the title track, and last song, from the EP, without bothering with the whole faux-encore, which always makes me happy, when bands play straight through through to the end.

They put on a really fun and energetic show, and it's been pretty cool watching them progress as a band. Hopefully they will continue this upward progression to their next full length.
And, hey, they got to play last at their own CD release this time!

setlist
Summons, Modern Medicine, Memory Boy, Great Bear, Wilderness Eyes, Hummingbird, Sleeper, Eva, Gorbachev, Raised by Wolves.

West Coast Pop w/ Young Liars, Oh No! Yoko and Kingdom Cloud @ Red Room -- 04/30/11

Another Saturday, another West Coast Pop show. This one was focused on young local(ish) talent.

Kicking off the night was Kingdom Cloud. I had heard good things about the young Kelowna band, so was eager to see them live; and they did not disappoint. The trio hit the stage in matching white jeans, blue shirts and scarves and launched into a very energetic set of infectious pop. All three members were brimming with enthusiasm, especially Evan, the lead singer/guitarist and keys, who was all over the stage. And the drummer, who sliced her hand open early on but kept going, despite the blood. They had some great, catchy songs -- with awesome titles like "Turbo Ranger" and "Love Goblin" -- though some of them sounded maybe a bit similar-y.
It was a really fun set to watch, and especially considering they're all pretty young, I have no doubt they'll grow from a good band into a great band sooner rather than later.

Next up was Oh No! Yoko from Abbotsford. With more of a rock edge to their pop, they had good energy, but lacked a little in banter or crowd interaction. They, too, suffered the problem of a lack of variation in songs, but that's not always a terrible thing when the songs are so catchy. The set also included a pretty cool cover of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule The World". Another young band that has the potential to go on to big things, I will definitely be looking forward to what they do in the future.

And finally was Young Liars, hitting the stage with almost as many keyboards as members. The synth heavy set was full of poppy songs, but at the risk of sounding repetitive myself, they also had some pretty same-y sounding songs. Though as all three bands are still young, with one (or no) albums out, it's a lot easier to cut them slack for something like that. They were a bit lacking in stage presence, too, but still put on an enjoyable set nonetheless.

In all, a good night of music. It's always interesting to see bands progress, and these were three up and comers that will no doubt have bright futures.