Kathryn Calder @ Media Club -- 04/18/15

About eight or nine years ago, I went to go see The New Pornographers play a show here in Vancouver, and discovered Immaculate Machine opening for them. They quickly become a favourite, and that was due in part to co-lead singer and keyboardist Kathryn Calder (who, later in that show, joined The New Pornos on stage to fill in for the absent Neko Case). Since then, Immaculate Machine broke up, Calder officially joined of The New Pornos, and as of earlier in the week, she has three solo albums to her name.
So just days after the release her latest, self-titled album, Kathryn Calder returned to Vancouver to celebrate with a show at the Media Club.


I missed the first opener, Ford Pier, getting to the Media Club just as he was wrapping up. But I certainly didn't want to miss Louise Burns and Her Victims, as she called her backing band. The dimly lit stage was fitting with her darker, noir-pop sound, with songs off her two albums so far, Mellow Drama and The Midnight Mass, as well as teasing her upcoming with a couple new songs -- including one that I didn't catch the name of but had almost a moody-Fleetwood Mac feel to it.
Louise joked about her stage banter (or lack thereof), rather letting the music and her captivating stage presence speak for her.
My two favourites of the set came at the end, and were on pretty opposite ends of the spectrum; first the most rocking song of the set, "Emeralds Shatter", followed by the gorgeously haunting "Heaven", Louise's powerful voice filling the room.


Thanks to the 10:30 curfew, it wasn't long before Kathryn Calder was out, kicking off with the absolutely beautiful "Slip Away" off her first album Are You My Mother?, starting soft and building to a big, indie-pop ending. She went chronological from there with "Turn A Light On" from Bright & Vivid, before the first single from the new one, an incredibly bubbly and catchy anthem "Take A Little Time".
Switching between keyboard and guitar throughout the set, Calder was visibly (and vocally) happy that the latest album was finally released, and that energy definitely came through on the songs, from the upbeat and jaunty "If You Only Knew" to the more down tempo and somewhat bittersweet "Song in Cm", featuring special guest Sam Davidson on the clarinet (who you may know from Brasstronaut).
Kathryn played right up until curfew -- not even bothering with the silly encore tradition -- finishing off the night first with perhaps my favourite off the new album, "When You See My Blood", another song that starts off slow and erupts into a chaotic ending, and the ending the night off on the heartbreaking "So Easily".


Be it with a band or performing solo, I've seen Kathryn multiple times at various points, and it is always enjoyable seeing her perform live. And I am really enjoying the new album, as well. Add Louise Burns to the mix, and it was a great night of tunes.


setlist
Slip Away; Turn A Light On; Take A Little Time; Blue Skies; New Frame of Mind; Beach; My Armour; One, Two, Three; Song In Cm; City of Sounds; If You Only Knew; Arm in Arm; When You See My Blood; So Easily.

Rah Rah @ Media Club -- 03/05/15

I didn't even notice that The Media Club had (apparently?) been closed for the last couple months, but the other day they celebrated their grand re-opening with one of Regina's finest, as Rah Rah teased their upcoming album, Vessels, out this spring
Though, it didn't seem like much had changed; there was a fresh coat of paint and the bathrooms were not as dank as they once were, but it may still be a work in progress.


First up was Savvie opening the show. Recently transformed from the folksy Redbird, Savannah Leigh Wellman has tongue-in-cheek called her new sound "Sex Rock" (though doesn't specify whose tongue in whose cheek), with crunchy guitars and reverb-drenched vocals to get your hips swaying.
The set was pretty much a shorter version of her recent album release show, playing most of the recently released Night Eyes, with songs ranging from the sly "Break You In", the grittier "Gravity", and the smooth groove of "I Fall Again". My favourite of the set, "Dreams of Surrender", was an intense heartbreaker of a song with Savannah's vocals soaring and culminating with Jason Blood shredding on guitar.


Not long after, the five members of Rah Rah packed the stage. There wasn't as much instrument-switching as previous shows -- most notably, Erin Passmore did not hop behind the drum kit, rather stayed up front on keyboard and guitar. Nearly all members shared vocal duties, but the bulk were split between Erin and Marshall Burns, as they burst out the gates with what I think was a new song, followed by "Art and a Wife" from their previous The Poet's Dead.

The set spanned all three albums as well as teased their upcoming Vessels, with a few songs that really got me excited for the new record. Particularly one called "Chip Off the Heart" (and probably not the mondegreen "Chipmunk for Hire") with Kristina Hedlund on lead vocals. Other highlights included "Henry" with its gang-vocal chorus, the chaotic climax of "First Kiss", and "20s", with a line that has started to hit a little too close to home, "I spent my twenties on rock & roll, I'll spend my thirties feeling old".

As the main set came to a close, they finished with a pair of songs that could only come from a Regina band. First "Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel" which is my favourite of theirs, likely a shared sentiment as just about everyone in the room was singing along, especially "in Regina... Saskatchewan" as Erin and Marshall's voices blended together beautifully. Then they closed out with "Prairie Girl", Erin's voice once more soaring over the ridiculously catchy song.
But of course, they came back out for a couple more, leaving the crowd with a couple more new songs, one sweet song, and one that they were playing live in front of people for the first time ever.


Rah Rah is a ridiculously fun band live, each member full of energy and enthusiasm, and the show was a great tease for the upcoming album. When they first released "Good Winter", I liked it, but I thought it wasn't that big of a departure from The Poet's Dead. But the other new songs sounded like a really great step forward, and I am looking forward to Vessels even more now. And eagerly anticipating the following tour.

Paper Lions @ Media Club -- 11/14/14

Flashback to two years ago -- almost to the day. I was at the Media Club to see PEI's Paper Lions as they came through town, and I remember looking around at the modest crowd and being so angry. This is a band that way more people need to see live! I thought. Cut to this past weekend, as they rolled through town again, still touring strong on their 2013 album My Friends, this time to a packed and sold out club.


Opening the night was Djavin Bowen and the Uproar. Maybe. Despite the promo material saying Lonesome North, lead singer Djavin Bowen introduced themselves as such, and even hinted it was a temporary name. Whatever they are called, the seven-piece included members of Young Pacific and other local bands, and even a trumpeteer -- whose tuxedo was in contrast to the rest of the bands' t-shirts and denim -- to fill out their sound.
With a high energy, their songs were filled with an indie pop vibe, occasionally sauntered into folk territory, and had some catchy songs; a few that were definitely made to sing along to, and an ambitious cover of Arcade Fire's "Sprawl II" that broke down into some folksy harmonies at the end.
The set was a little rough, perhaps because they are a fairly new band, but is was not bad. Not great either, but someone to keep an ear out for in the future (if you can figure out what they're called).


Not long after it was time for Paper Lions, starting with lead singer John MacPhee taking the stage alone, with a drum machine pumping out the beats to "Bodies In Winter" as the rest of the band burst in mid-song. From there they hit the gas on their incredibly infectious indie rock, spanning from old favourites like "Sweat It Out", that had the crowd appropriately yelling along with the chorus, "I'll sweat it out from nine to five, to sweat it out on Friday night", to a rockin' song from their newest EP, Acquaintances, called "Do You Wanna".
Songs ranged from the softer, harmony-laden "Ghostwriters" to the all-out-rocket "Strawberry Man", which goes all the way back to their time as the Chucky Danger Band. The latter they may have even broke some strings -- or worse -- as the band had to quickly duck off stage to fix it while John told the story about the video for their next song, "Travellin'".
After one of my favourites, the ferociously catchy "Lost The War", they wrapped up the main set with "My Friend", John jumping into the crowd at the end to proclaim each person in the crowd his friend, doling out hugs and high fives while singing.
But of course, they were not quite done as the encore began with drummer David Cyrus MacDonald exploding into a drum roll that would make "Wipeout" blush, as the band joined him for the fierce "So Lonely", and wrapped up the night with one of my favourites from the new album, "Sandcastles", leaving the crowd with the sentiment "We build sandcastles, knowing that they'd wash away"

Paper Lions are such a strong live band, the four members having incredible chemistry together on stage, with near-perfect harmonies, and put on one hell of a fun show. I'm already looking forward to the next time they're through town.

setlist
Bodies In Winter, Stay Here For Awhile, Sweat It Out, Philadelphia, Don't Touch That Dial, Ghostwriters, Do You Wanna, Little Liar, Strawberry Man, Travellin', Lost the War, My Friend.
(encore) So Lonely, Sandcastles. 

The Darcys @ Media Club -- 10/15/14

The Last couple times that Toronto band The Darcys were through town, it was in the opening slot for someone else. And both times, I felt the set was criminally short. So lucky for everyone, they hit the Media Club as they came back around on their most recent tour, on the rainy Wednesday night.


I only caught the end of the first band Hollow Twin, who seemed interesting, before the next band, The Lion The Bear The Fox, featuring Christopher Arruda (the lion) on keys and Cory Woodward (the bear) & Ryan McMahon (the fox) on guitars. All three of the musicians had solo careers, to various degrees of success, but joined together for something more than the sum of its parts. Arruda even admitted he was close to quitting music before joining up with the other two, in the introduction to a song that he wrote for his two friends & bandmates. Another highlight of the set was the final song, an incendiary stomper of a song, that transitioned a little into Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall".
Solo artists coming together can always have mixed results, but the three of them meshed so well that you would think they've been a band all their lives, their three voices intertwined for some great alt-folk harmonies.


And finally, it was time for The Darcys. They started off with the dark and moody "Close to Me", the first track from Warring, as they were celebrating the (just over) one year anniversary of the album's release.
Most of the set focused on the dense and atmospheric art-rock of the album, with songs like the more upbeat and driving "Pretty Girls" and "Itchy Blood", with its slow-simmering intensity. Singer Jason Couse has a great stage presence to him, with a voice that ranges from haunting whispers to soaring heights, and even up into the falsetto.
They reached beyond the album a few times, for some older ones like "Don't Bleed Me" from their self-titled, as well as a couple new ones; near the end of the set they prefaced a song with the fact that they were going to rock & roll now, before playing a new song called "LA Jesus", a huge rocker that I immediately wished I could play on repeat (the only thing I had in my "show notes" for that song was "fucking killer")
The set came to an end, appropriately enough, with the final song off Warring, "Lost Dogfights", seeing Couse coming up to the very front of the stage and just pour his soul through the microphone, before the band brought the song to a swirling ending. But as they went to leave the stage for the faux-encore, they realised there wasn't really anywhere to go in the Media Club, so just stayed there and proclaimed it was now the encore. Jason teased a cover, saying it was only the third time they played the song live, before getting everyone remaining to put on their red shoes and dance the blues with David Bowie's "Let's Dance".


I can't remember the last time The Media Club sounded so good, and this is going to be a show to remember, especially as The Darcys inevitably move to bigger and bigger venues.

Miss Quincy @ Media Club -- 05/03/14

Miss Quincy's third album -- and first with backing band The Showdown -- came out a month ago, and they've been touring non-stop through western Canada ever since. But they wrapped up the the tour in Vancouver at the Media Club to celebrate Roadside Recovery, an album produced by The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer's Matt Rogers.

Ben Rogers & The Bloodred Yonder started the night, his band including some familiar locals, brother Matt "The Axe Murderer" Rogers and John "Johnny 99" Sponarski. He began the set with a country twang that set the mood for most of the set, weaving stories in (and out) of his songs.
Part way through the set, he dismissed his band for a song, introducing a murder ballad as he strummed the guitar alone, and aside from his own material he broke out a cover of a Muddy Waters song.
To be honest, a lot of his set was just a little too countrified for me, but there were a couple songs that picked things up I liked; a call & response audience-participation song called "Panhandler", and last song of the night, which I didn't catch the name of but ended with the entire band going all out -- especially both Ben and Sponarski, tearing up their guitars.

Soon after that, Miss Quincy was joined by her trusty sidewomen in The Showdown as the four-piece started with an almost hymnal song called "Take It To The Well". A slow-dancing song came early on, as they gradually built up the intensity through the set with their rockin' bluesy sound.
Miss Quincy's raw, powerful vocals were definitely the star, but the backup vocals of keyboardist Christie Rose blended perfectly. Part way through the set Rose even took over vocals for a cover of Dylan's "Love Sick".
Other highlights included "What Is Life If It Ain't Strange" and "Rush Hour Traffic With a Hangover" as the set climaxed with my favourite of the night, the badass and sultry "Bad Love", the first single from the album.
After the gritty "Wild Fucking West" and one other, the band was done for the night, but Miss Quincy and Christie Rose came back for one last song, a sweet acoustic Patsy Cline cover.

The set had a great energy; it's always nice as an audience member when you can tell the band is having fun, and all four members of the band were obviously having a blast on stage. I've had a soft spot for bluesy rock for many years now, and Miss Quincy & The Showdown are definitely a band I'll be seeing in the future.

Brendan Canning @ Media Club -- 11/29/13

No one can ever accuse Brendan Canning of not being a hard working, busy man. The Broken Social Scene co-founderhas his name to about a half dozen bands, and now that Broken Social Scene is on a hiatus, he has been busy with his new solo album, his second counting Something For All Of Us, under the "Broken Social Scene Presents" line.
But in contrast to Broken Social Scene's bombastic, grandiose sound, his new album You Gots 2 Chill takes a tone fitting exactly with its name; it is laid back and mellow.

I got to the Media Club just as Dinosaur Bones took the stage. With a dark indie rock sound, the band had a great presence on stage. A few times they got the crowd clapping along, and had an effortless energy.
They were supporting their newest album Shaky Dream, and with songs like the moody "Career Criminal" being one of the highlights of the set, and I am definitely going to have to pick up their album.

It wasn't long after that that Brendan Canning was up. Joined by Hark on backup vocals (who opened the show and I unfortunately missed), Canning and his band played in front of a projection screen showing stock footage and old videos (including the old science film Powers of Ten)
After an instrumental intro, he launched into "Plugged In", the first single off the new album, setting the tone for the set with it's very laid back mood. Throughout the set, Canning was occasionally joined by members of Dinosaur Bones, and part way through the set invited a friend up on stage, Torquil Campbell of Stars. Campbell joined backup vocals for "Late Night Stars" -- appropriately enough -- and then a pretty amazing cover of Drake's "Hold On We're Going Home"
The band also took the time to stretch their musical legs, as a few songs ended with extended jams; Canning even mentioned after the swirling ending of "However Long" that they did some on-the-fly improvising. The set ended with the soft and beautiful "Last Song for the Summer Hideaway" and while the rest of the band left, Canning stayed to perform one more song, a solo acoustic instrumental.

It was a great show that was marred a little bit by a shitty crowd. The Media Club has always been bad for noise and conversation, and combine that with a Friday night and Canning's chill set, and the din got to be a bit much at times. But Canning managed to get the crowd to shut up for at least one song, the quietest of the set, and the noise seemed to die off after that. Noise aside, Canning is a hell of a performer, and I would love to see these songs in a more fitting venue.

Paper Lions & Jordan Klassen @ Media Club -- 11/16/13

It seemed like the universe was against Paper Lions playing Saturday night at the Media Club. Three quarters of the PEI band had to make the drive from Edmonton to Vancouver the day of the show -- lead singer John McPhee had arrived early by plane -- and while they left Alberta with plenty of time, blizzard conditions, traffic accidents, highway reroutes, and Vancouver's infamous year-round 24/7 road construction caused them more than a little grief getting to their headlining set at the sold out Media Club.

In fact, their co-headliner, Jordan Klassen almost ran into the same problems, only arriving at the venue when the opening act was supposed to go on. A quick line check delayed the show by a little while, before Emilie Mover took the stage alone for her opening set. She had kind of a jazzy vibe, and her set included a couple covers, including a Townes Van Zandt song, and one in French which was probably the best song of the set. I feel she would have been a lot better with a full band behind her, but with just her, it wasn't necessarily bad, just not very memorable.

After a little bit of stalling, and some more quick sound checking, Jordan Klassen was up next with his newly slimmed down band. Now a four piece, the band consists of old members Jocelyn Price on keys & backup vocals and Simon Bridgefoot on drums, as well as newcomer Mike Noble. They managed to capture most of the same scope of the larger band, and had just as much energy. Especially Jordan, who is always bounding around the stage while switching from guitar to banjo to ukulele.
With a set featuring songs off his recently released Repentance album, Klassen started with "Call and Answer", starting quiet and growing to a rambunctious ending. His rich folk-pop ran from the big and intense "The Scribe of Doorposts" to the much quieter  "Goodhart's Law" which almost got the Media Club silent (no easy task).
He wrapped up the set with the whistley "Go To Me", another song that builds to a big ending, and the more mellow "You Are The Branches"

setlist
Call and Answer, Anatomical Literacy, Ranchero, Balcony, Strengthen Me With Raisins, The Horses Are Stuck, The Scribe of Doorposts, Piano Brother, Goodhart's Law, Sweet Chariot, Go To Me, You Are The Branches.


At this point in the night, the remaining Paper Lions were still a little over a hundred kilometres away, but since John was there and ready to go, he took the stage for a short solo acoustic set. Explaining the situation, he started with a song about their previous tour van's unfortunate run-in with a moose, and played a really strong set. Keeping it loose, John told stories between songs, and getting everyone to sing along to his acoustic jams, including a nice cover of Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill".

Had worse come to worst, that would have been a pretty good show, but not long after John finished, the rest of the band showed up from their 16 hour drive, and immediately set up & started their set -- hitting the stage at 12:30, two hours after their scheduled time.

The stunning harmonies of "Philadelphia" kicked off the set as they channelled all their pent up energy and frustration into high energy rockers like "Don't Touch That Dial" and "Sweat it Out", the chorus proclaiming "I'll sweat it out from 9 to 5, to sweat it out on Friday night". The set spanned from new and old, from the ridiculously catchy "Pull me In" off of the new album My Friends, to the explosive "Strawberry Man" that goes all the way back to when they were known as the Chucky Danger Band.
They got everyone singing once more for "Little Liar" and "Lost The War", and wrapped up the set with "My Friend", John jumping into the crowd to tell individual members of the remaining audience "I know you are my friend".
Despite that it was almost 1:30 when they wrapped up, the crowd still clamoured for more, and they obliged with one last song, "Sandcastles" for an energetic and emotional ending to a long day.

The potential for disaster was all there, and I would not have blamed the band at all if they had just decided on a shorter set. But the fact that immediately after driving for 16 hours, they put on a top notch set was incredibly impressive.

setlist
John solo: The Night That We Survived, Polly Hill, Solsbury Hill [Peter Gabriel cover], Ghostwriters, Trouble, I'm On Fire, Travelling. 

Band: Philadelphia, Don't Touch That Dial, Sweat It Out, Pull Me In, The Sheriff, Bodies in the Winter, Little Liar, Strawberry Man, Stay Here For A While, Travelling, Lost The War, My Friend.
(encore) Sandcastles. 

Elliott BROOD @ Media Club -- 09/29/13

Ten years ago, Mark Sasso, Casey Laforet, Stephen Pitkin got together and released Tin Type, the very first Elliott BROOD album. To celebrate that anniversary, they embarked on a tour of smaller clubs and venues. In Vancouver, that meant the very first place they played here, The Media Club. And considering the last time they were here they sold out the Commodore, a place with five times the capacity, it was sure to be one hell of a show.

As an added bonus, opening the night was John Sponarski of Portage & Main. He took the stage armed only with an acoustic guitar, the occasional harmonica, and his secret weapon, Savannah Wellman of Redbird helping on vocals. John played a set of his own solo songs, which were a little more countrified than the roots-rock of Portage & Main, and his voice a little more gruff, contrasting nicely with Savannah's lovely voice.

The songs were personal and full of emotion, as John told the stories behind them between songs. He admitted it was only his second time playing solo after he flubbed a song, but that can be somewhat forgiven as he also explained that some of the songs were a mere two days old; even the "oldest" ones had only been written a couple months ago. 

My favourite of the set was the last song, a passionate song that was equal parts celebration and lamentation as a reaction to a band breaking up, with a bit of a sing along. It was a great song, and I am not sure if John plans to do more solo shows, or get some hired guns, but it would sound killer with a full band giving it their all. 

Before Elliott BROOD even stepped on stage, the packed crowd was already buzzing, and there was an explosion of enthusiasm as the trio started off with "Will They Bury Us?" from their latest album, Days Into Years. They played a lengthy set that spanned their entire ten years, and those years of experience has refined their live show to a well oiled machine of "death country".
They are an incredible live band, full of energy and fiery passion. Everything from the songs to the banter seemed effortless, Steve's incredibly tight drumming, Mark switching between guitar and banjo and ukulele, Casey playing guitar while playing bass pedals with his feet.
They got the crowd into early on with the massive sing along to "Oh Alberta", everyone clapping and stomping along, and it hardly slowed down from there; even the the softer and more sombre "Northern Air" had an intensity to it. "The Valley Town" garnered another huge sing along, and they wrapped up the set with "Fingers and Tongues".
But they were only off stage for a moment before jumping back in, somehow upping the energy and intensity with the instrumental barn burner "Chuckwagon", and the night came to and end with the absolutely explosive "Write It All Down For You" and every single person stomping and "hey! hey! hey!"-ing along. It is normally an impressive song to see live, but with the culmination of all the energy and emotion in the room, I am surprised the floor wasn't stomped clean through.

Elliott BROOD is normally a very impressive live show, but put them in a small venue filled with the most passionate crowd I've seen in a long time, and you have one unforgettable show. I can only hope they'll be back to the Media Club for their twentieth year anniversary.


setlist
Will They Bury Us?, T-Bill, Wolfgang, Oh Alberta, President (35), Garden River, The Bridge, Rusty Nail, Northern Air, The Trail, Bowling Green, Lindsay, If I Get Old, Only At Home, The Banjo Song, Old Dan Tucker [traditional cover], The Valley Town, Hold You, Fingers and Tongues.
(encore) Chuckwagon, Johnny Rooke, Write It All Down For You.

Sidney York @ Media Club -- 04/12/13

Hot off the heels of showcases at both SXSW and CMW, and wrapping up work on a new album, Sidney York stopped by the Media Club for a preview of their new material. The album isn't due out until the summer, but they teased us with almost the entire new album.

Starting off the night was Jamison Troy, the Vancouver singer songwriter taking the stage armed with an acoustic guitar in hand, and joined by Nick Russell on electric guitar. His songs were all very earnest, his smooth voice conveying personal songs, full of emotion. But there also wasn't much variation from one song to the next.
It was a solid set, and I would see him again -- especially as he continues to grow as an artist -- but wouldn't necessarily seek out more.

Next up was Seattle pop-rock band, New Heights. They had a soaring sound, with a decent voice from lead singer Travis Graham, but they didn't have much stage presence, even when they tried to awkwardly joke with an increasingly disinterested crowd. They weren't really all that bad -- aside from flubbing the opening of a song and starting over -- but overall, the set was pretty inoffensive and forgettable.

It wasn't long after that Sidney York took the stage. Brandi Sidoryk & Krista Wodelet -- a pair of classically trained musicians who make the core of the alt-pop band --  were backed by Neil Dorin on bass, Devon Lougheed on guitar, and Luke Cyca on drums. Both multi-instrumentalists, Brandi on vocals and keys also pulled out a guitar, ukulele, and french horn for different songs, and bassoonist Krista helped out with vocals and dabbled on keys, synth and ukulele. And they were both bounding with energy; Krista bubbled over with enthusiasm, and the only times Brandi stood still was when she was behind the keyboard, and sometimes not even then.

They kicking off the set with the title track, "Hearts", and after a few favourites, like the infinitely catchy "Dick & Jane" getting everyone clapping and along, they went into the bulk of the new album. Ranging from the soft and lovely "Let The Sparks Fly" to the frantic, almost punk-tinged "The Lion. The Tiger. The Bear.", the new songs had an undeniable edge and depth to them.

A song about our love affair with technology, "Electrolove", was the catchiest of the set and bound to be a hit single, and they ended with two songs that turned out to be my favourites of the set; first a swirling and chaotic song called "I Could Swim", with some fantastic drumming from Luke, and one that I hope is called "Weapons Grade Love" called "Watch Your Back", with great overlapping vocals from Brandi & Krista.

Regular readers (all 17 of you) will know that I've always liked the band, but this was the best I've seen them live; maybe they were invigorated from wrapping up a short tour, or maybe they were excited for playing the new material, but everything was so tight and energetic. If the album is even half as good as the live interpretations, it's definitely going to be an album to look out for.

setlist
Hearts, Mile High Love, Dick & Jane, Math & Fractions, Let The Sparks Fly, The Lion. The Tiger. The Bear., Electrolove, I Could Swim, Weapon's Grade Love Watch Your Back.

Wil @ Media Club -- 12/14/12

It was eight years ago that I went to see Wide Mouth Mason at the Commodore Ballroom, and was transfixed by the opening act, an acoustic roots-rocker who simply went by the name of Wil. I've seen him at least a dozen times since, and I am continually impressed, each time I see him play.

Unfortunately I missed the opening act Ryan McMahon. There were conflicting reports on show times before the night, and I got there thinking I was just in time to see him, but it turns out he had just finished his set. 

It wasn't long after I arrived that Wil took the stage, joined only by Kevin Haughton on drums, at the sold out Media Club, visibly appreciative of the support. You can always tell when an artist is going through the motions thanking the crowd and when they are genuinely touched, and Wil was definitely the latter. His roots-rock sound and rough, soulful voice filled the room, the raw emotion pouring out and his passion for playing immediately apparent, as he candidly hoped for the opportunity to continue playing for many years to come. 

Wil opened the first set of the night with "Rain On" and after a few songs, he went off the setlist and started soliciting requests from the crowd, playing a few older songs, "Mama" and "Dance With The Devil". He also lived up to his "I Break Strings" moniker snapping a string during "Tell You Twice". And as many strings as I've seen him break, he never seems to be trying to do it to live up to a gimmick, but rather just from the sheer intensity of his playing -- his hands are often a blur flying across the body of the guitar. 
And the strings aren't wasted; his wife takes the discarded strings and makes jewelry from them, selling them online and at shows.

After about an hour, Wil ended the first half of the night with a crowd favourite (and mine) "Honey Pie", an incredibly catchy and fast paced, slide guitar driven song. He was back out soon after for the second half of the night, kicking off with the building energy of "Cooder Mountain" and playing a few more songs, including the darker "The Deal" and wrapping up the night with another amazing showcase of his quick hands on the guitar with a song I didn't catch the name of. 

As if it isn't already apparent, Wil is one of my favourite performers to watch live, and as long as he keeps playing shows, I will always be there. 

setlist
Rain On, Gold, Hold Me On, Both Hands, Wedding Dress, Roam, Mama, Dance With The Devil, Tell You Twice, Honey Pie.
Cooder Mountain, Always With Love, Hey Now, The Deal, [mystery song].

Sidney York @ Media Club -- 11/15/12

About a year and a half ago, I developed a bit of a musical crush on the band Sidney York (and maybe a few of the members too) and since then I almost haven't been able to shut up about them -- they were definitely one of my favourite musical discoveries of last year.
I was also recently lucky enough to travel across Canada with them, and a few other bands, by train as part of Tracks on Tracks, and I was excited to see them play for the first time since that experience.

Starting off the night was We Need Surgery, a five-piece from Vancouver -- who actually formed in South Korea of all places. They all came across as talented musicians, lead singer Miso Stefanac had a versatile voice and bass player Paul Johnson stood out, but the problem was their lack of originality. They were definitely influenced by the mid-00's indie rock scene, with many songs sounded like a Killers or Bravery b-side rather than something unique.
They also gave off a bit of an "arrogant" vibe (for want of a better term) like they didn't really want to be there -- I'm not sure if it's something they were going for to build a mystique, or if it was an accident (or they really didn't want to be there), but they didn't have much of a stage presence.
If they worked more towards a sound of their own, I think they could definitely be a strong band, but while the set wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't that interesting.

Next up was one of the top three bands in this year's Peak Performance Project, Dear Rouge. When I saw their Peak showcase at the Red Room, the sound wasn't all that great so I was looking forward to seeing them again in a better venue. Though they were plagued with a few technical problems -- namely issues with the kick drum -- but they recovered fairly well, changing the setlist on the fly and not succumbing to an awkward silence while they tried to fix it. 

The duo of Danielle and Drew McTaggart lead the band to create a very dancey, electro-pop vibe with lots of energy from the two of them, especially Danielle who hardly stood still all set. There was definitely more focus on her throughout the show, despite the fact they're hyped as a duo. 

As I thought last time, I think they have an amazing potential, but because they are still so new, they just need  some time to grow into themselves as a band. Near the end of the set there was shades of that, as they pulled out a cover of Tommy Sparks' "She's Got Me Dancing", during which they seemed to really click and kick into full gear, which carried through into the last song, their current Peak single "Thinking About You". 

They're playing the Commodore for the big Peak finale show next week, and I am definitely interested to hear how that goes, and see how they progress after that.

And wrapping up the night was Sidney York. You wouldn't expect to find a classically trained opera singer & two concert musicians -- playing the oboe and bassoon no less -- in an indie-pop band, but that's the background of the three ladies behind Sidney York, Brandi Sidoryk, Sheryl Reinhardt and Krista Wodelet.
The three were joined by a few familiar faces backing them up; Jeremy Breaks (Redgy Blackout) on guitar, Mike Young (The Matinée) on bass and Luke Cyca (beekeeper) on drums.
On the surface, a many of their songs come across as just fun, upbeat and poppy music -- albeit with a unique instrumentation -- but most of them are much darker or sexier (or both) than they initially appear, which is a quality I always love.
Most of the set focused on songs from last year's Apocalyptic Radio Cynic album, but they played a couple new songs, both of which a bit of a departure, but nothing too drastic, and were much more collaborative. You could tell they were written by the three of them together, as opposed to the older songs written by Brandi before the other two joined the band. Especially "Electrolove", a song about having a love affair with technology, which featured the three of them all playing the same keyboard at once. Judging by the pair of new songs, I'm really looking forward to the next album, which Brandi mentioned is starting production next month.
The three of them have a fantastic energy, but especially Brandi, who bubbles over with liveliness and a contagious enthusiasm that got people stomping and clapping along for the ridiculously infectious "Dick & Jane", and singing along for "Roll With Me". They wrapped up the set after about an hour with the explosive "Mile High Love", capping off a great and fun set.

setlist
Tea As It Should Be, Cold In Here, Dick & Jane, Doctor Doctor, Math & Fractions, Roll With Me, Lion Tiger Bear, Electrolove, Apocalyptic Radio Cynic, Mile High Love.

Paper Lions @ Media Club -- 11/15/12

You know when you see a band, and it boggles your mind why they aren't as big as they deserve to be? That was the feeling after seeing PEI's Paper Lions. They're on the tail end of a cross-Canada tour and they hit Vancouver on a Wednesday night to a modest crowd at the Media Club (they were also competing against the double bill of Elliott BROOD & Wintersleep at the Commodore).

Evidently I completely (and obliviously) missed Pigeon Park -- which was unfortunate -- and got there just before Winnipeg's Les Jupes went on. Part of the Head in the Sand label, the four-piece had a dark and moody, yet catchy, rock strengthened by the driving guitars and deep vocals of Mike Petkau, occasionally contrasting with the backup vocals of keyboardist Kelly Beaton.
They had a good stage presence, and mid-way through the set, during some technical troubles with their keyboard, Petkau covered smoothly, replacing the potential awkward silence with a couple purposefully corny jokes.
It was a solid and enjoyable set, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of them in the future.

It wasn't long before the PEI quarter Paper Lions took the stage, launching into "Don't Touch That Dial", the high-energy and fun song setting the stage for a night of incredibly infectious pop-rock with tight harmonies from the band. All four members are excellent musicians who blend together perfectly, all with a great stage presence; especially lead singer John McPhee, who was switching between guitar and keys with an effortless charm, chatting with the crowd between songs and encouraging everyone to dance along with songs like "Sweat It Out", which proclaims "I'll sweat it out from 9-5 to sweat it out on Friday night". 
Other highlights included "Ghostwriters" from their most recent release, the stripped down acoustic EP At Long Creek, "Strawberry Man" going back to their days as the Chucky Danger Band, and "Travelling", which got the crowd singing along. They also sprinkled in a few new songs from their upcoming album -- recorded here in Vancouver -- teasing a release date of early next year.
They "ended" with my favourite of theirs, the raucous "Lost the War", before coming back out for a couple more, a song written after an unfortunate meeting between their tour van and a moose, and yet another new song called "Philadelphia".

The show was just over an hour full of energetic and fun indie-pop-rock, and if it was any indication of their new album, it is going to be fantastic.

Ma Petite Single Release @ Media Club -- 09/28/12

Australian musician Indiana Avent -- who has played violin with people like Bon Iver, Dan Mangan, Gotye, and many more -- has been living in Canada for the last year or so, making her debut album under her own band Ma Petite. With the help of some of Vancouver's finest, the album is almost ready to see the light of day, and to give it a little bit of a tease she took to the Media Club for the launch of the first single.

Opening the night was Garrett Kato, though unfortunately I got there a bit late and only caught his last song. The rootsy rock of Redbird was up next. Lead by Savannah Leigh Wellman's strong voice, she was joined by John Sponarski on guitar & Ben Appenheimer on bass, as usual, and brand new addition: Malcolm Holt from The Gay Nineties on drums.
Opening with "The Tower", the set was a mix of songs from last year's debut EP, We're All Friends and Lovers Until it Falls Apart, and new songs, including an absolute rocker, "I Fall Apart", my favourite of the set.
Redbird continues to get more and more polished in their live show, both musically and stage presence, with some good banter -- especially the joking (and teasing) between Savannah and Sponarski -- and I really can't wait to see how that translated to their next release.

Not long after, Ma Petite took the stage, with Indiana and a few familiar faces, including Olivier Cléments (one of Aidan Knight's Friendly Friends), Ben Appenheimer (once again) on stand up bass and Matt Kelly (of all the bands) on guitar and keys; Jordan Klassen even joined briefly by on guitar.
Indiana's great sense of storytelling shines through in the songs -- and her stage banter -- for some adorable folky tunes, which she admitted, "boys or birds", with one of my favourites being "I Like That You Like Books", a catchy song about having a crush on the customer while working as a barista.
After a few songs, the band took a break while Indiana did a couple on her own, then they were back for a cover of AA Bondy's "Oh The Vampire" and the song of the night, "Man About the Moon", which starts soft and explodes into a joyous ending. Both that and "Goodbye Sweetheart" following had bouts of group vocals, before the set came to an end -- sans fake-encore -- with a song about adjusting from Australian to Canadian climates, "Two Big Thick Ruffled Coats".

It was a lovely set, and the only problem wasn't with Indiana or the band, but rather the volume of the crowd. I don't know why it is, but the Media Club always seems to have the most talkative crowds, and while the front half of the room was rapt by Ma Petite, the back half (near the bar, of course) was getting almost disruptively noisy.

The Mocking Bird @ The Media Club -- 05/18/12

One of the first shows I saw this year was the CD release show from The Mocking Bird, the new project from Vancouver's Bob Kemmis, and turned out to be an excellent show. So given the opportunity to not only see them again, but also a redhead with an amazing voice as one of the opening acts, I had to take it.

The lovely Ali Milner was started off the night, with just herself behind the keys for "According to the New York Times", before the rest of the band kicked in half way through the song. Her upbeat, jazzy sound was driven by her incredible & soulful voice, and Ali was a natural performing, with an effortless charm and great stage presence.
Highlights included "Don't Forget To Call Me" and "I Want To Be Loved By You", as well as a few brand new songs, one of which, the high energy "Waiting", was my favourite of the set, and a couple covers; Shania Twain's "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under" and the final song, a fantastic version of the Rolling Stones' "Gimmer Shelter", which ending with each member leaving the stage one by one until only drummer Richard Brown was left.

Next up was The Never Surprise,  the duo of David Gaudet and Nick Eakins joined by a few familiar faces; Niko Friesen on drums, Robbie Driscoll on bass and Andrew Braun on keys. Starting off with the catchy "Sun Goes Down", the set was full of their smooth, indie-folk sound. I have seen them a few times before, but this was the first time where they added keys to the mix, and it helped flesh out their sound exponentially. The band also had a great presence, though there wasn't much between songs -- though David did joke at one point they were working on their banter.

And finally, The Mocking Bird hit the stage, a little after midnight. Joining Bob Kemmis -- all in matching shirts -- was a great assembly of talent, including Erik P.H. Nielsen on bass (who also played with Ali earlier), Pat Steward on drums and Shaun Verreault on guitar. There was also a small horn section on a few songs, packing the small stage at the Media Club with nearly a dozen musicians.
The set started off with "Grace", the first song off of No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, which immediately set the tone for the ridiculously catchy, roots-rock, with great and clever lyrics. Other highlights were the insanely catchy "Where's Your Get Up?" and the dark "Love You Hated Him" which built to a huge ending.
Once again, Kemmis was a great stage presence, with a charm and sense of humour that was evident in both the songs and banter, and the combined talent and experience on stage came together for a fantastic band.

Unfortunately, due to the set starting after midnight and transit cutting off at 1, I had to run and miss the tail end of the set, which I hate, but aside from my pet peeve of shows where the headliner ends up going on at almost 12:30, it was a pretty great show; a night full of excellent local musicians.

beekeeper @ Media Club -- 05/05/12

A couple months removed from the release of their latest 7", beekeeper returned home and gathered some friends to swarm the Media Club for their official release party.

Starting off the night was Fine Times, with a strong synthy-pop sound (one member even had a tower of keyboards almost as tall as he was). While the set started off a bit slow, they picked up momentum as they went, songs getting more and more catchy. Despite the awkward pauses and silence between songs -- and general lack of stage presence -- they put together a pretty entertaining set and I wouldn't mind catching them again sometime.

Next up was the first -- and likely last -- show from Brother Act, a band consisting of a few familiar faces. Led by David Vertesi and Shad, and backed by Devon Lougheed, Peter Carruthers, and Johnny Andrews, their set was brief, with only four song set of sloppy garage rock and purposefully rough vocals from Vertesi; a real contrast to his usually smooth baritone. With fun titles like "Men In Love Are Like Old People Trying To Use Computers" and smiles plastered over all the musicians faces, you could tell they were having a blast on stage, and that enthusiasm was definitely picked up by the crowd.

Next up was The Belle Game, the six members -- seven, when joined by Andrew Lee on trumpet -- crammed onto the Media Club stage for a set of mostly new material. The new songs definitely had their usual grandiose sound, but also showed growth from the band. Highlights included an amazing showcase of Andrea Lo's powerful voice, "River", and "Sabbath" which had a little bit of Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River" snuck in. Another new one was spontaneously renamed "Denim and Leather" and the band ended with a couple familiar songs, "Left This Place" and "Sleep to Grow", which built to an explosive ending.

And finally, wrapping up the night was the sometimes incomprehensible, often catchy, and always fun beekeeper. The trio of Devon Lougheed, Luke Cyca, and Brandi Sidoryk have a great, high energy (with Devon jumping around so much he had to enlist the audience to borrow a belt) and their songs are rarely straightforward; not going just from point A to point B, but rather following Devon's manic energy all over the map. Songs like "Table and Bed" and "Pinwheel Revolution" both have halting, alternating or even overlapping vocals and "Pets Eat Their Masters" showcases the band's 90s influence.
Other highlights from the set include the title track for the new 7", "Take Me Back (To The Place)" which name drops some Vancouver landmarks, and the finale to the set, where they asked for as many people as possible to jump on stage for a giant "family photo", something Devon mentioned they had been doing on their previous tour, and couldn't wait to try it out at home.

And the "family" theme was pretty fitting for the night. With a lot of familiar faces both on stage and in the crowd supporting their friends, there was a lot of love and friendship buzzing through the room, and that made for a fun night of music.

Steph Macpherson @ Media Club -- 05/04/12

Celebrating both the release of her debut full length, Bells & Whistles, and the kick off of her spring tour, Steph Macpherson's hit The Media Club last night for a night of fine folk-pop tunes.

First up was songstress Jody Glenham for a stripped down set, with her acoustic guitar and backed just by an electric guitar. Her set had almost a coffee-house vibe, with a collection of low-key, but heartfelt songs. The focus of which was definitely Glenham's strong voice that was simultaneously soft and beautiful, yet powerful. Highlights were the haunting "Gypsy Babe" and the last song of the set, which I didn't catch the name of, but was a bit more upbeat and higher energy than the rest -- an energy that was not necessarily missing from the rest of the set, but would have been a welcome addition.

Prairie Dance Club took the stage next, with a pretty straight ahead country/roots-rock sound. There wasn't much banter or interaction, just a set of solid and boot-stomping songs, including a cover of Tom Petty's "Honey Bee". It was a rockin' set, and while there was really nothing to fault from the band, there wasn't much that really stuck out either; perfectly acceptable music that kept the night rolling.

And finally, rounding out the night was Steph Macpherson, with a backing band that included Mike Edel and Jason Cook on bass and drums, respectively. She started off with the first two songs off her album Bells & Whistles, the title track and "Bent & Unkind", both good examples of her heartfelt and vulnerable lyrics.
Part way through the set the guys took a rest while Steph performed a couple songs acoustic, "The Distance" from the new album and "Letters" from her prior EP; both heartbreaking and beautiful songs, showing off Steph's rich voice. The rest of the band was back out to join her and ramp up the energy for the end of the set, the powerful "The Verdict" and the insanely infectious "Summer Salute", getting the crowd clapping along before the one-song encore, a pretty strong cover of CCR's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"

When I first saw Steph in the Peak Performance Project a couple years ago, I liked her, but thought she was just missing that "edge" to set her apart from all the other female-folk-songer-songwriters. Since then -- and with the new album -- she has definitely gone a long way to refining that edge, and if she keeps on the path she's on, she could be on her way to being the next Kathleen Edwards or Sarah Harmer.

setlist
Bells & Whistles, Bent & Unkind, Silver Platter, Keeping Time, The Distance, Letters, Best of Us, The Verdict, East, Summer Salute.
(encore) Have You Ever Seen The Rain? [CCR cover]

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.

Last Night In Music: Adaline, Ma Petite and Sidney York -- 03/08/12

Okay, it was a bit of a busy night last night, with about a half-dozen shows worth seeing. Islands at the Rio, the Evolution1079 Birthday party at the Railway and Ruffled Feathers out at UBC were all among them, as well as three other shows I wanted to see. So how did I decide? Well, I didn't. I saw them all. So to paraphrase another blog's title, here is Last Night In Music. (Which also ended up being an accidental celebration of International Women's Day)

The first stop was at CBC Vancouver for the CBC Toque Sessions. The series is just about wrapping up, but there are still a couple more to go. The shows are free and are being recorded for broadcast later of Radio 2 and their On Demand section (sidebar: check out the snazzy new CBC Music website).

The former Vancouverite -- now Toronto resident -- Adaline was back in town with her sexy electronic-pop sounds, joined by her backing band and occasionally a small string section, which included Hannah Epperson and Michelle Faehrmann.
The set kicked off with the energetic "Rebels of Love", and went through most of her new album Modern Romantics.
Adaline was all over the stage throughout the set, behind keys and synth and even coming right up to the front, and "threatening" to come down and sit on the laps of the front row. Her great stage presence and confidence was only overshadowed by her incredibly powerful voice, most apparent during the slower "Cost Is Too High", which was a more stripped down song with just her brother on the keyboard backing her, until the strings swelled up at the end.
There were a couple snags in the set, but she rolled with them quite well; at one point when the electronic track failed to kick in at the beginning of "Sparks", she just continuing with different lyrics, jokingly dubbing it the "Screw Up Song". But that aside, it was a very entertaining set, with other highlights being the raw "Lovers Collide", the raucous "Stereo", and "The Noise", a moody song that closed the set.

setlist
Rebels Of Love, Wasted Time, That's What You Do Best, Keep Me High, Say Goodbye (I Won't Even), Stereo, Lovers Collide, Chemical Spill, Sparks, Cost Is Too High (Not To Love), The Noise.

---

After a quick bite the next stop was to the Media Club for Jamison Troy's CD release show, to catch the adorable Indiana Avent as Ma Petite. First up, though, was Two Bicycles, another project from Teen Daze's Jamison. They had a bit of a chill, almost folk-ish vibe, with a prominent saxophone to round out the sound. Some of the songs were a bit similar, but the short set was pretty good, and I wouldn't mind catching them again in the future.

Soon after, Ma Petite hit the stage, Indiana joined only by Ben Appenheimer on stand-up bass. The minimalistic folk-pop set was driven by Indiana's lovely voice and her fun songwriting, with songs like my favourite of hers, "I Like That You Like Books"; "Mittens", about the Australian's first Canadian winter;  "Adventure Wednesday", which is about exactly what the title implies; and the birthday song for "Benny Apples". Indiana was also really talkative on stage, chatting with the crowd and introducing each song, getting people to come fill the empty gulf in front of the stage and leading a sing along for the end of "Man About The Moon".

setlist
Morning Song, Lonesome, Adventure Wednesday, Mittens, How to Make a House a Home, Benny Apples, Man About the Moon. I Like That You Like Books, Two Big Thick Ruffled Coats.

---

And then as soon as Ma Petite ended, it was a rush to get over to the Biltmore in time for Sidney York. Though my timing was perfect, as they hit the stage mere moments after I walked in the door (clearly they were waiting for me).
The normal trio of lovely ladies -- Sheryl Reinhardt on oboe, Krista Wodelet on bassoon and of course, Brandi Sidoryk on keys, french horn, ukulele and vocals -- were joined by Luke Cyca, Colin McTaggart and Neil Dorin something on drums, guitar and bass, respectively, but it was the girls who really stole the show. I've been able to see Sidney York more than a couple times in the last few months, and I think it's safe to say this was the best set I've seen from them.
There was an incredible high energy from the three of them; Sheryl and Krista ran through the crowd clapping at the start of "Dick & Jane", and Brandi was exploding all over the stage the whole night, even bouncing with energy when just sitting at the front of the stage, with people from the crowd joining her for "Roll With Me". Brandi also did a great job of talking and joking with the crowd, acknowledging the intimacy of the show, and even mentioning "fun facts" about specific people in the audience she knew.
Other highlights were the dark "Math & Fractions", the softer and heartbreaking "Go Home, Atticus Jones", where the boys took a break, and "Mile High Love", which ended the set with a bang.

setlist
Tea As It Should Be, Math & Fractions, Cold In Here, Apocalyptic Radio Cynic, Go Home Atticus Jones, Dick & Jane, Doctor Doctor, Roll With Me, Mile High Love.

Despite some timing worries for the latter two, pulling off the triple-show went off without a hitch (though I was sad to miss some of the others on both later bills), and though it was a bit of a hectic night, it was three somewhat different shows to make a pretty great night of music.

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.

Royal Canoe @ Media Club -- 03/01/12

The last time Royal Canoe was in town, I was -- for some reason -- on the fence about seeing them. But after I did, I wrote "next time they come through town, there will definitely be no fence-sitting". Well, add Hannah Epperson and Elias to the bill, and it was almost a no-brainer to hit the Media Club last night.

Hannah Epperson started off the night with her violin and looping pedals, and immediately wowed the crowd with both. The loops from her amazing violin playing created a great depth from the first songs, which featured a little bit of Beirut's "My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille", and her soft voice fit in perfectly.
Between songs she had some awkward-but-endearing stage banter, and charmed most of the crowd into coming up and sitting cross-legged at the front of the stage. Her short set ended off with what she said was her favourite songs -- and my favourite of the set -- "Murder of Crows".

Next up was Elias, who are hot off the release of their new album Fossils. They started the set with a song I didn't catch the name of, but was one of my favourites of the set, with guitarist Rob Tornroos on vocals, as it built to a giant swirling climax. From there they played mostly from the new album, with a good energy on stage from the whole band -- especially lead singer Brian Healy who was rather engaging, even jumping off stage to run through the crowd and get everyone clapping at one point.
While there are times I think their dark, alt-rock sound may be a little too "Fox-Rock" for me, I can't deny that they have an incredibly solid live show, no doubt honed by their years of playing, and are always enjoyable to watch play.

And finally, Royal Canoe rounded off the night. The stage was absolutely packed with the six members and all their instruments; including but not limited to guitars, bass, several keyboards, and a drum kit & a half. So it was no surprise that they created a huge wall of sound with their synth-driven electronic-pop.
Highlights of the set included the catchy "Hold On To The Metal" off their latest EP, appropriately titled Extended Play (and available on 3.5" floppy disk at the show), "Dumb Waiter" from their first album Co-Op Mode, and the creepy "Nightcrawlin'", which ended the set with lead singer Matt Peters' unique voice filtered through a second microphone, with all sorts of vocal effects. They were back out, though, for a one song encore, which was sadly not "Kasparov", definitely my favourite song of theirs that I haven't seen either time they've played here. But despite that, it was still a fantastically fun and damn good set; they teased being back in May, and I think by this point, going to the show will be a foregone conclusion.