Bend Sinister @ Venue -- 07/19/12

It's been four years since the last full length album from Bend Sinister -- 2008's Stories of Brothers, Tales of Lovers -- and while there has been a couple of EPs to tide us over since then, the wait for their third full length is finally over with the release of Small Fame last week on File Under: Music. And to celebrate, they threw a hometown album release party at Venue.

The first band of the night was Young Pacific, who I unfortunately missed, getting there just as the second band, Fields of Green took the stage.
When I saw them in the Peak Performance Project last year, I thought they had loads of potential, but they were still young and needed some time to grow as a band, to become more cohesive, and in the past year they've made huge strides; not only earning a spot in the PPP again, but they also scoring top three of this year's Fox Seeds competition.
Their sinthy, prog-rock-ish sound comes with great energy from the whole band, especially drummer Johnny who is insanely animated, and their live show has definitely gotten tighter. My favourite of the set was a song which I missed the name, but included a fantastic instrumental section that started slow and soft and then grew to a huge climax of swirling guitars and intense drumming. I am definitely looking forward to see how they fare in this year’s Peak Performance Project.

And then it was time for Bend Sinister who hit the stage and immediately launched in to “She Don’t Give It Up”, as they played the whole new album front to back. The piano driven prog rock evoked sounds from some of the classics from the 70s, but never in a derivative way; they aren’t stuck in the past, but have made the sound their very own.
The band also has an unparalleled energy; Dan Moxon is a monster on the keys, and both guitarist Joseph Blood and bass player Matt Rhode were rocking out in power stances, and coming right up to the front of the stage to get people clapping along.
Highlights included the catchy “Got You On My Mind”, the intense “My Lady” with a great instrumental breakdown, and especially the back to back combo of “Hot Blooded Man” and “Black Magic Woman”; the former being an explosive and insanely high energy rocker, and the latter a slower and more sultry jam.
After wrapping up with the psychedelic “Quest for Love” they were back for an encore of a few older songs, including the anthemic and uplifting “Things Will Get Better”, a fantastic cover of Supertramp’s “The Logical Song” and ending the night with an old favourite, “Time Breaks Down”.

Bend Sinister was one of the first Vancouver bands I really got into when I first started exploring the local music scene, and they remain one of my favourite. Especially with shows, and albums, like this. There are few bands -- local or otherwise -- that can match the energy and intensity from the band, and their live show is hard to top.

setlist
She Don't Give It Up, 
Don't You Know, 
Man of Faith and Virtue, 
One Shot, 
Got You on My Mind, 
My Lady, 
We Know Better, 
Give It a Rest, 
Hot Blooded Man, 
Black Magic Woman, 
She Lost Her Rock and Roll, 
Quest for Love.
(encore) The News, Things Will Get Better, The Logical Song [Supertramp cover], Time Breaks Down.

Bend Sinister @ Club Push -- 01/21/12

Back when I was just getting in to local independent music, one of the first bands I came across was Bend Sinister. I saw them opening a show where they blew away the headliner and soon after heard a song on the CBC Radio 3 podcast, and since then they have remained one of my favourite local bands; especially to see live. So of course I was going to go check out their show for the PuSh Festival at "Club Push" (usually known as Performance Works on Granville Island) which, in a nice "full circle" way, was sponsored by R3 and hosted by Lisa Christiansen.

Opening the night was Pleasure Cruise, a fairly new band that actually formed on Twitter, when they were looking for a vocalist and Jody Glenham answered the call. Their lo-fi, retro, fuzzy indie pop sound puts you on a beach within minutes of hearing it and Glenham's voice finds a good balance of seductive and upbeat to fit the sound perfectly.  Starting off with "Weeks & Months" from their EP Business Or... the set was filled with energetic, summery songs, and even included a cool cover of "It's my Party". Other highlights were "I Really Wanna Know" which bursts into an energetic ending, and my favourite off the EP, "Summer Fling".

Next up was Nick Krgovich, who I didn't realise until his introduction was from the Vancouver band p:ano, and more recently, No Kids. He hit the stage alone, but despite that it was just him and his keyboard, he had a myriad of effects and back tracks to flesh out his sound, with twitchy synth, looped drums and midi sax as well as a projection screen behind him that matched up various old movie clips to the songs -- and matched up quite well. At first, I wasn't sure what to think of the electronic/ambient/poppy sounds, but it definitely grew on me as he went on, with Krgovich's stage presence -- and dancing -- definitely helping.
Aside from his own songs, he threw in a few covers, the best being of k.d. lang's "Constant Craving", and while I am not sure it's something I would listen to a lot, it was definitely a really interesting set, and I wouldn't hesitate to see him again live.

And finally, Bend Sinister hit the stage to wrap up the night, starting off with a new song. In fact, the bulk of the set consisted of new material -- with Dan promising an EP in March and a full length later in the year -- that sounded fantastic. The new songs had the familiar Bend Sinister prog rock sound and Dan Moxon's distinct vocals, but you could definitely tell the growth of the band, with a few songs having a bit of a bluesy vibe. My favourite of the new songs was, hands down, "Hot Blooded Man", an absolutely intense song  which almost immediately became one of my favourite songs of theirs; and one I can't wait to hear recorded.
Among the few old songs were "Don't Let Us Bring You Down" and "Things Will Get Better", bringing people to the dance floor. And keeping with the cover song trend, they broke out their rendition of "Don't Stop Believing" before wrapping up the main set with another new one, "She Don't Give It Up". They were back out for the encore with another older song, "Time Breaks Down" before ending with the heaviest song of the set, "Quest for Love".

Dan Moxon in an amazing ball of energy behind the keys, and the rest of the band more than keeps up for one of the most energetic live shows. If this set was any indication, the upcoming album is going to be their best yet.

Dan Moxon @ CBC Vancouver -- 07/29/11

The Musical Nooner free concert series at CBC Vancouver is back. Well, it's been back for a while now, but despite wanting to see a few of the previous acts, today was the first day I was able to go check it out.

And it was a good day to do so, to see Dan Moxon (of Bend Sinister) fame with a baby grand piano on the outdoor stage, backed by drums & bass. On his own, he was much more mellow -- and a bit more folky -- than the intense energy of Bend Sinister, which gave a great spotlight to his talent on the piano and incredible voice. The set consisted of a good mix of his own songs, some covers, and a couple Bend Sinister songs. Paul McCartney's "Every Night" was covered early in the set, and there was also a slowed down and much more calm version "Julianna", which is one of my favourite BS songs, which was really cool.

Part way through they took a short break for Radio 3 host Lisa Christiansen to interview Dan, before he was back into it with David Bowie's "Starman", "Long As I Can See The Light" by CCR and a few more original., including a couple I really liked, "You Remind Me Of A Girls I Once Knew" and "New Year's Day".

The set came to an end with "All The Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople, then another Bend Sinister tune, "Don't Let Us Bring You Down". It was actually the second time for that song, since the show was being recorded and fire trucks went by when he played it earlier -- but, of course since the universe has a sense of humour, at almost the same point in the song, police went by, sirens blaring.

It was a really cool show, and I love the concept of the free outdoor nooner shows, so I will definitely have to be back for another. And with upcoming acts like Louise Burns, Sun Wizard, Kathryn Calder & The Crackling... how could you stay away?

West Coast Pop! w/ Bend Sinister, The Racoons & Rococode @ Red Room -- 02/19/11

The West Coast Pop concert series kicked off in fine fashion last night at the Red Room, where it will be running every Saturday for the next 13 weeks. Future acts include 41st & Home, Kyprios, The Dudes, Treelines, and the show I am most looking forward to thus far: We Are The City with Aidan Knight and Analog Bell Service. There will also be more shows announced soon (like, next week soon).

As for the first show... I am not going to lie, I am still disappointed that Young Galaxy had to drop out, but Bend Sinister is always a good time, and the other band I really wanted to see was still on the bill.

That band? Rococode. I had seen this new project from Laura Smith and Andrew Braun in December at the Biltmore (and acoustic at Sitka) and was really impressed, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing them again. Despite being a brand new band, they are not unfamiliar with playing together, which helped them sound incredibly tight. Braun and Smith shared vocals -- and for at least one song, keys -- for some insanely catchy power-pop songs, and even though the crowd was a bit thin due to an early start, they soon drew everyone's attention and filled the dance floor area. I have no doubt they won over more than a few fans, and I especially can't wait until they have some recorded material out; one of their songs, "Empire", was still stuck in my head all morning.

Next up was The Racoons who, after a bit of a false start, got right into it. They were a bit harder rocking, and at times reminded me a little of The Constantines, in both sound and especially vocals. Their songs were good, if lacking a little in variety, and they had a pretty good stage presence as well. I did have some issues with the sound, though. The other two sets sounded fine, but for some reason, the bass was really overpowering; especially at the start of the set. That aside, I did enjoy their set; I wasn't overwhelmed by it, but I liked it well enough and would be interested in seeing them again.

And rounding out the night was Bend Sinister. They are always incredibly fun to watch live, and last night was no exception. Even being the first show with the new bass player, they were firing on all cylinders, with intense energy from the whole band, especially Dan Moxon. Sprinkled throughout their set were some new songs, as they teased a new release at some point. They were definitely "Bend Sinister songs", lively and enthusiastic, and one of which was introduced as "an ode to Hall & Oats". Among the older songs, "CT" and "Dr. Lee" were both highlights, being incredibly frantic, and the pairing of "Don't Let Us Bring You Down" leading into "Things Will Get Better" was pretty great.
At the end, they broke out a Billy Joel cover (I think "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)") before an intense ending with another new song (I think) and, refreshingly, just left the stage, all done with no encore. I think I've ranted before about how I think the encore break is a waste of time, now that everyone expects it, so it's always nice to see a band just use their full time without it.

In all, a damn good launch to what is sure to be an excellent concert series.

Music BC 20th Anniversary w/ Bend Sinister, Brasstronaut & Treelines

Music BC sure knows how to throw a hell of a party. They are, of course, one of the forces behind the Peak Performance Project, and a great organization supporting local music. They celebrated their 20th anniversary last night with a show at the Biltmore featuring three great BC bands.

Kicking off the night was Treelines, the latest in a long line of bands to move down to Vancouver from Kelowna. All four members exuded energy on stage, and put on a very dynamic performance. They were joined a couple times by Andrew (not Adam) Lee -- formerly of 41st & Home and currently of Ruffled Feathers -- on trumpet for a couple songs, including their Bucky nominated "Summer Song". At one point they broke out their recently released rendition of "Little Drummer Boy", which was a very Sam Roberts-esque twist on the classic. A few new songs were thrown in, as well, "Cartographer" and one temporarily dubbed "Cowbell" (I'll let you guess why). Neither of which were really that much of a departure, musically, but still piqued my interest for more new material. Even when they brought the energy down, like with "Canadian Airlines", they were still engaging, and an incredibly fun band to watch live.

Brasstronaut was the second band of the night, and the last two times I had seen them I either had to leave early or there were conflicting bands, so it was great to finally be able to see a full, proper set again. Mount Chimaera is one of my favourite albums of the year, and I am always amazed that the band is able to pull off the rich, lush sound in a live performance. Started off with "Insects", a kind of darker and ominous song, they played a good amount of the album, as well as from the Old World Lies EP. "Slow Knots" and "Six Toes" were pretty incredible live, and I can't let a Brasstronaut performance go without mentioning me favourite [looking] instrument, the Space Clarinet. The set ended with one of my favourite songs of the year, the Echo Songwriting Prize winning "Hearts Trompet". As the song grew and grew to an epic finale, each member left the stage, one by one leaving only the drummer, going nuts, and Edo at the end. It was an insanely good set and just reminded me why I like Brasstronaut so.

Finally, rounding out the night was another band to originate from Kelowna, Bend Sinister. Even though I have been a fan of the band for a few years now, I have only seen them live a handful of times; I always seem to have bad luck when it comes to seeing them. Case in point: last time I only caught the last two of their songs, because I was coming from, interestingly enough, seeing Treelines play an acoustic set. But I digress.
As energetic Treelines was earlier in the night, they had nothing on Bend Sinister. Dan Moxon has always been intense live, and this night was no different, with him actually knocking over his keyboard and mic stand at one point. He also, at various points, played the keys with drumsticks and picked it up to play it, keytar style. And that's not even mentioning the rest of the band, who more than kept up. They played a good mix of their older and newer stuff, hitting things from all their albums. Another of my favourite songs of the year, from their Spring Romance EP, "Things Will Get Better" was definitely a highlight, as well as "CT" and the always great "Time Breaks Down".

The show was one of, if not the best all-around-lineup I have seen this year, as each of the three I would (and have) see a show with them headlining with no hesitation.
I talk a lot about the "Vancouver music scene" and such, and I have a feeling it would be a mere shadow of what it is without Music BC.