Tracks on Tracks Launch Party @ Electric Owl -- 05/09/12

Vancouver's Green Couch Productions have been hard at work lately, partnering with VIA Rail and CBC Radio 3 for Tracks on Tracks, taking music fans across the country on the rails. Starting from Vancouver, the music train will be heading east, picking people up along the way, and pulling in to Toronto just in time for NXNE.

Not only will the train be packed with music fans, but bands as well, playing acoustic sets on the train and a few electric platform shows in select towns. Green Couch hand picked a few bands to make the trip; Adaline, The Matinée, Portage & Main, Maurice, Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party, and The Belle Game, and listeners of CBC Radio 3 took part is a giant online poll to select the final three; Chris Ho, Shred Kelly and Sidney York. And if that wasn't enough, CBC Radio 3's own Grant Lawrence will be making the trip, broadcasting his show from the rails.
And to start things chugging along, they threw a fund raising launch party at the Electric Owl.

Kicking off the night was an acoustic set from The Matinée. Matt Layzell, Matt Rose, and Geoff Petrie atop stools started off with their usual opener, "L'Absinthe" and Layzell monologuing in the middle of the song about the story behind it, and their excitement for the train. The short set also included a few new songs, including "Young & Lazy", which had the band channelling some heartland-rock for an amazingly catchy song. After a couple more, including a cover of Ryan Adams' "Let It Ride", they brought their set to an end with the rollicking "Sweetwater", which is going to be a fantastic sing-along song for the train.

Next up was Good for Grapes, filling the stage with people, and instruments like horns and keys and an accordion. Despite being from Vancouver, they have a very Maritime-folk sound, with that clear Celtic influence. They began with an instrumental, an intense sonic assault, and they didn't let up for the rest of the set. Even though there wasn't much banter or talking, the young band had a fantastic energy on stage  -- especially the accordion player, who couldn't stand still for a minute and was hollering the lyrics without a microphone. While the set felt like it may have gone on a little long, it was still highly enjoyable and their enthusiasm was very infectious.

And wrapping up the night, Portage & Main, another band will be making the trip on the train, and were visibly excited for it. They kicked off the high energy set with the opening two songs from their self titled debut, "Nothing" and "What Have I Done?", and were firing on all cylinders from the beginning. It's hard to imagine they've only been a band for a year, as John Sponarski and Harold Donnelly have such a great chemistry together, playing off each other (both musically and personality-wise) perfectly.
One of the highlights of the set was definitely "Sweet Darling", a fantastically intense and raw dirty blues-rocker, and they wrapped up the night with their usual set-enders; first "I'd Never Climbed a Mountain", which starts soft and builds to a great intense ending, followed by the bar-room sing-along "Carolina".
If this night was any indication, the train trip is going to be a hell of a ride.

If you want to help support Green Couch, you can do so at their IndieGoGo page; donations will grant you everything from a simple "thanks" to t-shirt to postcards from the road to associate producer credits for the film.
And, most exciting of all, if you're not on the train you'll be able to live vicariously through this blog. Because I will be. And I'm sure I'll be bringing updates from the rails, whenever possible.

Portage & Main and Redbird @ Media Club -- 03/09/12

On the eve of their [almost] cross-country tour, Portage & Main and Redbird got together to throw a little going away party at the Media Club. Both bands were among my favourite new bands (and albums) last year, so I was excited to see them together.

First up was Twin River, comprised of Courtney Ewan and Andy Bishop (of Red Cedar and White Ash Falls) and joined by some familiar faces; Malcolm Jack of Sun Wizard on bass and Dustin Bromley of Pleasure Cruise and about eight other bands on drums. It was their first show in that incarnation, and they sounded pretty tight; Ewan took lead vocals for most of the set, and their folk-alt-country sound set the tone for the night. Though nothing from the set really stood out, it was still enjoyable, and I am definitely interested in hearing more from them in the future.

Next up was Redbird, led by the beautiful voice of Savannah Leigh Wellman with John Sponarski on guitar and Ben Appenheimer and Graham Serl on bass and drums, respectively. They kicked off the rootsy-rock set with "Therein Lies the Grey", immediately captivating the packed Media Club. Savannah has a great stage presence, and good banter, especially the back and forth between her and Sponarski.
A few new songs were sprinkled throughout, including one called "I Fall Again", which really caught my ear, and "The Tower", their new single which has one of my new favourite lines "Nostalgia is a fool's addiction", and after Sponarski tore it up with a solo during "In The Hands of Ghosts", the set ended with another new one, "Roll Over Me".

setlist
Therein Lies the Grey, West Wind, Wandering One, Set Me Free, I Fall Again, Oh Please My Heart, The Tower, In the Hands of Ghosts, Roll Over Me.

And finally, Portage & Main took the stage, Sponarski and Harold Donnelly splitting vocals and guitar, with Georges Couling on keys and sharing the rhythm section with Redbird. They began the set with "Nothing", and from the get go, they were firing on all cylinders. They had a great energy as they rocked through their set.
Savannah joined them for some backup vocals on "Rocky Mountain Wanderer" and they slowed down a little with "When You're Gone", but ramped the energy right back up with a new one, a dirty swamp rocker called "Sweet Darling".And after one of my favourites of theirs, the slow-building "I'd Never Climbed A Mountain", they wrapped up the show with the bar room sing along "Carolina", not only getting everyone to join in on the chorus, but pulling friends on stage to join them.

In the last year, I've been lucky enough to see both Portage & Main and Redbird multiple times each, and I can safely say that this was the best show I have seen from either band. It could have been the atmosphere -- with half of the Vancouver music scene at the packed Media Club -- or wanting to leave on tour on a high note, but both bands pulled out all the stops for a great show.

setlist
Nothing (Take What You Need), What Have I Done?, Better Man, Rocky Mountain Wanderer, When You're Gone, Tonight pt. 2, Sweet Darling, I'd Never Climbed a Mountain, Carolina.

Sweetheart Serenade @ Rio Theatre -- 02/14/12

To be honest, I don't usually pay much attention to Valentine's Day. I usually just let it slip by unnoticed, but when Hip City puts together a show like the Sweetheart Serenade, with a few local acts playing intimate acoustic sets at a venue as nice as the Rio? Well, I wasn't going to miss that.
There were five acts throughout the night, and they all had short sets, so I'll [try to] keep it brief. But first, one thing that bugged me was an incessant buzz or hum throughout the night. It wasn't that noticeable when songs were played, but it was pretty prominent otherwise; if the person on stage was transitioning or bantering. I noticed it last show at the Rio, too, but hopefully it was just a one-off thing. I usually like shows at the Rio, so I would hate for this to be a persistent problem.

But on to the show itself. First up was Hannah Epperson, armed only with her violin and looping pedals. Interestingly enough (probably not that interesting), every time I've seen her has been at a show involving Zach Gray. Her set was short, but she showed off her fantastic violin skills and masterful loops, with a voice that fit perfectly for a few of her own songs, and an instrumental cover of "Can't Buy me Love". She also has the best awkwardly-charming stage banter this side of Aidan Knight, joking with the crowd between songs.
But the short set wouldn't be the last we saw of Epperson, as she was without a doubt the hardest working musician of the night.

Next up was Sunny Pompeii, the solo project of Said the Whale drummer Spencer Schoening. At first he was out alone for a couple songs with a folky charm, both original -- one that started "Last night I dreamt I kissed Neko Case" which immediately became a favourite -- and covers, before being joined by Epperson for a song and bandmate Simon Marmorek for the second half of the set. The covers throughout included the likes of Akron/Family, Grizzley Bear and Animal Collective and while Spencer's voice was a little worse for wear thanks to recording earlier in the day, their original songs were quirky and entertaining.

Next up was Tariq, who was backed by his Brasstronaut bandmate Sam Davidson on clarinet and space clarinet EWI, but performing his own songs. In contrast to Brasstronaut's ethereal sound, Tariq was more straight forward folk, almost with an alt-country twinge to the songs. He kept the theme of love songs going, though had mostly sadder love songs, and the strength of them was definitely Tariq's lyrics; a perfect example being "Front Row Seat", a love songs related through concert seating, with some clever and poignant lyrics that was not just my favourite of his set, but one of my favourites of the night.

John Sponarski, Harold Donnelly and Georges Couling of Portage & Main took the stage next. They, too, were joined by Epperson for a song, "Rocky Mountain Wanderer", and Savannah Leigh Wellman of Redbird (and honourary Portage & Main member) was also out for most of the set providing backup vocals. After the building "I'd Never Climbed a Mountain", they brought their set to an end getting the mellow crowd a bit more energized to sing along to the two-word chorus of "Carolina".
Some of their songs are as good, if not better, when stripped down, so it's always nice to see them play a more intimate acoustic show.

And finally The Zolas wrapped up the night. Zach and Tom took the stage and, once again, Hannah Epperson was out to lend her violin. They played a couple new songs, starting with "Ancient Mars" that had Tom on the drum pad, before feigning leaving, but were of course out for more; a cover of Radiohead's "Codex" and another new(ish) song "Strange Girl", where Zach decided to spontaneously jump on the drum pad mid-song for hilarious (yet awesome) results.
That seemed to be the end of it but they were out one last time -- in what may have been a rare legitimate encore -- for the crowd favourite "You're Too Cool" before ending the show.

In all, it was a really nice night, and all the performers on stage looked like they were legitimately having fun and were all really loose on stage, creating a really nice and intimate feel. Perhaps appropriate for what day it was.

The Second Annual Movember Mo-Off @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 11/30/11

As November draws to an end, so too do the lifespan of many men's nose neighbours. Of course I mean the moustaches sported for Movember, to help raise awareness for prostate cancer. And to end off the month with a bang was the second annual Movember Mo-Off, the brainchild of Savannah Leigh Wellman. As well as three pretty kickass bands, there were prizes for best 'stache, a barber station to shave (or just trim) the cookie dusters with before and after photos, a photobooth, moustache shaped cookies and lots of mustachioed men in attendance; to either the chagrin or delight of the ladies.

The first band of the night was Redbird, with a mix of songs off their debut EP, We're All Friends and Lovers Until it Falls Apart, and newer ones. I've mentioned before my soft spot for female singers with a strong voice and a little bit of a roots bent (an affliction I blame on the likes of Neko Case) and Savannah's great pipes and beautiful songwriting definitely fit that mould. The guitar riff on "Therein Lies The Grey" will get stuck in your head for days and "No Game" contains one of my favourite lyrics of the year, "My subtlety sabotages me / so please read between the lines".
Another highlight of the set was a new songs which I didn't catch the name of, but saw the band rocking out a little harder than the rest, with a great solo from guitarist John Sponarski.
Redbird has definitely been one of my favourite new bands this year, and I was glad to be able to see them one more time before years end.

Next up was another favourite new band, and a double shot of Sponarski with Portage & Main. They were fresh off a tour with Treelines, which would explain three quarters of the band joining John, Harold Donnelly and Georges Couling; Matt Kelly on pedal steel, Steve Lockhart (with his usual enthusiasm) on bass and Grant McKinnon keeping things incredibly tight on drums. It probably helped that they had spend the previous two weeks playing together, but as a whole they meshed phenomenally well, and it was probably the best set I've seen from P&M this year (and I've seen them a few times).
Highlights of the set were the fantastic harmonies of the catchy "What Have I Done" and the intense "Tonight pt 2", plus a new song, a complete rager, revelling in dirty southern rock. They rounded out the set with my favourite of theirs, "I'd Never Climbed A Mountain" which builds to a soaring ending, and finished in their usual way, with the great singalong "Carolina".

Finally, wrapping up the night was a band I have seen thrice in the last two weeks, The Matinée. And even thought it was the third time, it still felt fresh, as they did a good job of changing up their sets; most of the songs were the same, but they would throw in different touches, like a bit of "Another Brick In The Wall" slipped into a song and a cover of Ryan Adams' "Let It Ride". They were missing keyboardist Dave Young, but were still firing on all cylinders, with their usual blend of folk, roots and rock and great energy & presence, especially lead singer Matt Layzell (even with his self-described creepy moustache).
They didn't end up starting til around midnight, so the weeknight crowd had thinned out a little, but as soon as they kicked off with "Let Her Go", everyone there was into it, with the usual clapping/stomping break in "Sweet Water" and singing along to "Rocking & Rolling". After the great drum breakdown in "The Road", that has each member bashing on various drums, they ended the night with "Stomp", which starts with Pete Lemon shining on drums and builds to an insane climax, featuring one of many face melting guitar solos from Matt Rose.

Not only was it a night of three killer bands, but they ended up raising over $1,500 for Movember. I'd say it was a huge success.

Portage & Main with Julia & Her Piano and Ma Petite @ Nyala -- 07/22/11

It may seem like an odd place for a show, in an African cuisine eatery, but Nyala on Main St hosted some local bands on Friday night that were bound to be a good time.

Up first was Ma Petite, the new project from Aussie-transplant Indiana Avent, which consisted of a few familiar faces, like Treelines' Matt Kelly on keys and banjo. It was the first show for the band, who had an adorable folk pop sound. Avent has a really nice voice, and is a great storyteller as well, with many of the songs full of charm; like "Man About The Moon" and my favourite from the set, "I Like That You Like Books". They also threw in a cover of AA Bondy's "Oh The Vampire"
The set was really intimate and relaxed, with Indiana joking with the band and the crowd throughout the set, but as was the case for the rest of the acts, the sound wasn't the best, which was understandable since it was a restaurant first and venue second. A really good set though, and I am definitely interested to hear more.

Next was Julia & Her Piano, which was not just Julia MacDougall and her piano, but also Andrew Lee (who plays in all the bands) on trumpet. It was her last show here in a while, since she's moving away, and much like Ma Petite, it was pretty intimate with lots of charmingly awkward banter -- the bulk of it being aimed at humiliating Andrew through various stories, which were pretty hilarious; the two play off each other very well, both in song and repartee.
Driven by her piano (obviously) and her strong voice, Julia's music is incredibly catchy folky-pop, with "When The Birds Come Out" and "Some Summer Night" being a couple stand-outs, as well as a new one that she ended the set with, called "Oyster Babe".

And closing out the night was an acoustic set from Portage & Main, also joined by Matt Kelly on pedal steel. They initially had a member on the upright piano that was there, but they quickly found it was not ideal, and switched to the keyboard. As seemed to be the theme of the night, their set was the most laid back I have seen them, with lots of joking and chatting between songs, which was great. It definitely helped that it was a small room with many people who knew each other.
I've see Portage & Main a couple times so far this year, but this was the first acoustic set, and the songs translated perfectly, especially "What Have I Done" and one of my favourite of theirs (or, as they jokingly pointed out, the one I always say "sucks the least") "I'd Never Climbed A Mountain". They, too, slipped a cover into their set, The Stones' "Dead Flowers" and ended with "Carolina", getting everyone to sing along.

As mentioned above, the sound wasn't the best, but I have definitely heard worse, and it was an especially fun night of local talent.

setlist
Nothing (Take What You Need), What Have I Done, I'm Going Down Tonight, Follow Me My Love, When You're Gone, Dead Flowers [Rolling Stones cover], Rocky Mountain Wanderer, I'd Never Climbed a Mountian, Carolina.