Amplify! MDD Fundraiser w/ The Belle Game, Ruffled Feathers & Sidney York @ Railway -- 10/20/11

With Media Democracy Days coming up soon, it was time for the annual fundraiser show at the Railway. This year it featured a trio of great acts, fronted by lovely ladies, and even though the sound at the Railway was unusually wonky a couple times throughout the night (the sound guy showed up late, which could be a contributing factor) it was still a hell of a night of local music.

First up was Sidney York, with a set similar to the one she played last week. But even though it was familiar, it was no less fun. With six members packed on to the small Railway stage (a theme for the night), there wasn't as much room for moving around, but the whole band was brimming with energy.  The crowd was into it, too, clapping along for a few songs, including "Roll With Me" and the insanely catchy "Dick & Jane", and shouting & dancing along to "Mile High Love", which closed the set. Even when they toned things down for the heartfelt "Go Home, Atticus Jones", they were still captivating. As mentioned above, there were a couple hiccups in sound, but still a fantastically enjoyable set, and just added more reason for Sidney York being one of my favourite new artists this year.

The Ruffled Feathers were up next, who have been getting better and better with each time I've seen them. They started off starting of with "Home" kicking off a really fun set of their high energy chamber pop.
While Gina Loes handled most of the lead vocals, there were a couple songs where they traded off to other members; for "Lead Me to Destruction" Charley Wu took care of vocals and Andrew Lee handled them on "Rosin and Horsehair", which also saw Wu playing his mandolin with a bow. Both songs had their own uniqueness without betraying the overall sound of the band -- Wu's had a bit of a 50's vibe while Lee's had an almost spaghetti-western feel to it. They weren't the only ones, though, as throughout the set each member of the band got their own moment to shine.
Another highlight of the set was their latest single, "Blueprints for a Failed Revolution" from their forthcoming album Oracles. And if their set was any indication, is going to be a good one, which I am eagerly anticipating.

And wrapping up the night was The Belle Game, who kicked off with "Bloom" from their just-released EP, which started soft but swelled to a grand climax, setting the stage for their layered sound. They were occasionally joined by Andrew Lee on trumpet, doing double duty for the night (one day there will be a show where he plays in each band, mark my words).
Much like the bands before them, they two had a great energy and stage presence, even with a packed stage. Highlights of the set were the awesomely-titled "I Wish You Weren't Like A Dead Lover (Sometimes)", building up to a smashing ending, with singer Andrea Lo and guitarist Alex Andrews going nuts on a floor tom, and "Shoulders & Turns", where they urged people to get cozy and dance. They wrapped up the set with "Sleep to Grow", which had Adam Nanji taking his guitar into the crowd, and were called back for what may have been an actual legitimate encore of one final song. 

On any given night, any one of these three bands would have stolen the show and been well worth seeing on their own, and seeing them all together made for a grand show.

Ruffled Feathers @ Biltmore -- 08/13/11

It was a bit of a busy night in music, and so I ended up catching a couple of shows. First was off to the Biltmore for an early one, and then late starter at Backstage Lounge.

I got there a little late, so only caught the tail end of Mercy Years. It was their first show, and they had a pretty catchy indie-pop-rock thing going, with boy/girl vocals. Nothing groundbreaking -- the whole time they reminded me of someone, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it -- but still pretty fun. Their last song was definitely the best of what I heard, ending with big group vocals. It was their first show, and they sounded pretty good for it, so I wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Next up was Rags to Radio, who had a bit more of a garage sound. They had a good energy, but a lot of the songs sounded pretty much the same – especially at the beginning of the set; even their cover of "Money (That's What I Want)" sounded pretty similar. They also had more than their fair share of "whoa-oh's" in lieu of actual lyrics, which was a little distracting.
But that being said, with things like a cowbell-conga-line going through the crowd you could tell they were having fun, and I really liked the last song -- which had more of a brass and drums, big band/swing style -- so that showed me they had potential, but they definitely need work, musically.

Closing out the night at the Biltmore was The Ruffled Feathers, who just keep getting better each time I see them. Fresh back from Oregon where they recorded their new album, they were as tight as ever with their incredibly infection chamber pop and each member (be they in a shirt and tie, fancy dress or tank top) overflowing with enthusiasm and joy, and that definitely seeped into the crowd.
Kicking off the set with "Blueprints for a Failed Revolution", the bulk of the set had Gina Loews on guitar (or ukulele) & main vocals, backed by trupeteer Andrew Lee & Charley Wu, on keys and mandolin. But the two of them also had their turn on vocals, and Gina swapped with bassist Matty Jeronimo for the last song, highlighting the band's diversity.
They showed off their new songs -- my favourite of which was one that may or may not be named "Trick of the Light" -- as well as covering Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' "Home", after their own "Home", complete with their own modified dialogue in the middle between Gina and Charley.

It was a really fun show, and I can't wait until the new album is out -- and speaking of which, in case you missed my post about it, the band has a Kickstarter Project going to raise the money to get their album professionally mixed. They're a little over half way to their goal, but they only get the money if they reach that goal, so if you have an extra few bucks, why not help out?

But it was only 11 when they ended and the night was not done yet, as it was off to the Backstage Lounge next... (post coming later this evening)

Steph Macpherson with Mike Edel and The Ruffled Feathers @ The Railway -- 06/22/11

Even though I've seen Steph Macpherson a few times this year, it's always been opening for someone else. So when her co-headlining tour with Mike Edel stopped at the Railway, I was excited. And add Ruffled Feathers to the mix, and you got yourself a show.

Up first was The Ruffled Feathers, with their rich chamber-pop sound and usual assortment of instruments, from slide trumpet to ukulele, megaphone to mandolin -- which was at one point played with a bow! I have had the chance to see them a couple times this year already, and the have been improving each time. The songs, and each member of the band, were brimming with energy.
Most of the set had (the adorable) Gina Loes on vocals, but there were a lot of group vocals, as well as other members, Andrew Lee and Charley Wu (both only slightly less adorable) taking over from time to time. They ended the set with their new one, “Blueprints for a Failed Revolution” and and older one I didn't catch the name of, but started slow and soft and built to a great big ending.

Victoria's Mike Edel was up next, and he had an upbeat and energetic folk rock vibe going. His voice, at times, reminded me of both Colin Meloy or Marcus Mumford, or a bizarre cross between the two, but didn't sound like a copy of either. He had a good mix of faster, upbeat songs mixed with a few slower ones, and part way through the set, he broke out a Gretsch White Falcon, which is a guitar I want, even though I don't, and probably never will play. He also brought out another secret weapon near the end, Steph Macpherson for backup vocals on a song, and getting the crowd to join in as well.
His set did seem to go on a bit long, though. While the set was enjoyable, it definitely dragged on a little toward the end.

And rounding out the night was Steph Macpherson, whose band included Edel on guitar and Savannah from Redbird providing backup vocals. Her set had a good mix of older songs – the emotional “Letters” was a highlight -- and new. The new ones sounded really good, especially the last two; the first I didn't catch the name of, but was quite good, and the final song of the night, Steph's entry in the Shore104 Song Search Competition, was “Summer Salute” which is a fantastic song, very upbeat and insanely catchy ; definitely my favourite of the night and a great song to end the show – and start the summer – with.
(In fact I decided then and there that it would be my “summer jam” of this year).

Hey Marseilles w/ Ruffled Feathers and Henry & The Nightcrawlers @ Biltmore -- 02/10/11

It's always kind of odd going to a show where you are looking forward to the opener more than the headliner. I think for this one, the order of the lineup was the opposite of who I wanted to see most. Henry is always great to see live; after seeing them last month at the Media Club, I was interested in seeing The Ruffled Feathers again; and I had never even heard anything from Hey Marseilles.

Up first was Henry and the Nightcrawlers, and it's always fun to see who Henry has on stage with him. Last night was Tom & Zach from The Zolas, on keys & bass and Andy of We Are The City on the drums. The first few songs of the set were plagued by crackling speakers -- which, in all my time going to the Biltmore, this is only the second time I can remember audio problems -- but they were corrected a few songs in. The pause while fixing was a bit of a momentum killer, but they managed to get that, and the crowds attention, back soon enough, especially with the always incredible ending of "On A Week Night".
Aside from the usual songs off the debut album, there was also a new one which sounded pretty good, and the set closed with an extended ending on "100 Blows", which had each member of the band just go nuts for a great climax.

The Ruffled Feathers were up next, with a wide assortment of instruments, from the slide trumpet to the mandolin. As I mentioned last time I saw them, they are a very fun band to watch live. Not only is the music itself bubbling over with energy, but each and every member looks like they are having a ton of fun on stage. They had a good portion of the crowd up front dancing along, too. Near the end of the set they announced they were going to play their song "Home", followed by a different "Home". Turns out it was Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes (see a decent-quality cellphone video here), and a pretty fun cover, aside from a brief unplugging mishap. They ended the show with one of the members go into the crowd with a megaphone, and all the members lining the front of the stage -- even the drummer, with a snare.
 

Finally was Hey Marseilles. They started off with a maritimey sound, before pretty much channelling The Decemberists. I love The Decemberists, so I still liked the set well enough, but it was almost distracting how much they sounded like them. There was a stage full of people with strings and horns, but most damning of all was the lead singer, who both sounded like, and had the same cadence as, Colin Meloy. Even the lyrics were rather Meloyesque, just without being as verbose.
There were a couple songs, most notably the last of the night, that sounded a bit more like the band was branching out into their own sound -- though still very maritime-folk -- that were quite good, but for the most part, I couldn't get past the heavy influence (to put it nicely) of The Decemberists.

Even with those complaints, though, it was still a fun night of music.

The Ruffled Feathers w/ Julia and Her Piano, Katie Schaan & Thomas Kolb @ Media Club -- 01/06/11

One good way to kick off the year, music-wise, is three nights of great local(ish) talent in a row. Night two had some acts who were all friends with each other, which always adds a nice touch to shows.

First up was Thom Kolb of 41st & Home playing a solo set. He mentioned it was his first time doing so, and only seemed a little nervous at first, getting more relaxed as he went. Playing all original material, except for one 41st & Home song, he had a bit more of a country twang to them, even breaking out the banjo for a song. I was somewhat surprised by the tone of the songs, but they ended up being quite good. The other difference between 41stThom and soloThom was he was quite a bit more chatty, telling stories behind the songs, or sometimes just completely random, but usually amusing.
The set also included his first time use of a looping pedal, which he successfully pulled off, and ended by getting a good number of the musicians playing later to come on stage with him to help on backing vocals for a song about Steveston*
*fun (and absolutely true) fact: Steveston was once known as Salmonopolis. Why they changed it, I can't say.

Katie Schaan was up next, starting with a really cool song that consisted solely of her singing over looped clapping and "ooh"s, no instruments. It definitely highlighted her incredible voice, that just seemed to effortlessly flow out of her.
Starting on keys, she gradually moved to guitar and ukulele, her set included a cover of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes", with Thom backing her up, a version of her "Last Night" song from the Peak Performance Project bootcamp (she was there as part of Steph Macpherson's band), and then ended when she called all of her friends in the crowd to come right to the front so she could serenade them with her final song.
There was also one point where she called out a certain blog for writing that all her songs were written about boys & crushes -- which, to be fair, she pretty much admitted at the time -- and went on to play a song that was decidedly NOT about any of that. (I think I got, as they say, "served")
Perhaps it was due to a bit better of a venue, but I enjoyed her set even more than the last time I saw her, so here's hoping she is back from the island soon enough.

Much like Schaan, last time I saw Julia & Her Piano it was at a chatty café (in fact, the same café, just different times), and I mentioned wanting to see her in a better setting, so her being third up was nice. It was just, as the name implies, Julia McDougall on stage behind a piano, with her smooth voice and catchy folk-pop songs grabbing the attention of the [strangely] seated crowd. She was also incredibly vivacious, with a kind of dorky charm (which I say in an absolutely positive way), joking around between songs and being just generally full of energy. Even when she messed up a song a little, she rolled with it, joked about it, instead of letting it get to her.
The set ended with a song that usually included a trumpet solo from Ruffled Feather's Andrew Lee, but he was not on stage, so she improvised something... which mostly consisted of mocking and embarrassing Lee, who was sitting right by the stage.

Finally, closing out the night was Ruffled Feathers, which included the aforementioned Andrew Lee, formerly of the aforementioned 41st & Home. They had a very upbeat and poppy sound, incorporating instruments like the trumpet and mandolin (how can you not love a mandolin?). The set was also pretty fun to watch, with members using a megaphone, a couple coming through the crowd, and a few small bubble wands being handed out to people in the front. Aside from a couple giveaways -- a draw for t-shirts and throwing paper airplanes with a download code for their EP -- there wasn't too much banter/talking between songs, but they had enthusiasm to spare while playing.
Most of the set consisted of the more high energy songs, but there were a few slower, more relaxed ones as well, as well as the requisite dance-with-that-special-someone song (introduced as such, even). They seemed to imply that were written by various members, and while there wasn't a vast difference between songs, there were definitely a few that stood out more than others, and that could be the reason.

In all, it was another fun night in local(ish) music, and while all four acts of the night put on good sets, I think ultimately, Julia and Her Piano kind of stole the show.