3am Mixtapes: Episode Forty Eight: Then & Now

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general like best Winnipeg bands.  Some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Songs by Fictionals Bands from Movies and TV Shows.

This week I’m gonna throw something a little different out there, the Top Six Then and Now Songs! Let's jump on the time trampoline and we'll hear an older song from a band, and then back to the future to hear one of their newest.

Compare and contrast:

"Kasparov" & "Nightcrawlin'" by Royal Canoe
"Swing Your Heartache" & "In Fire" by Young Galaxy
"Acid Tongue" & "Slippery Slope" by Jenny Lewis

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Listen on Stitcher | Direct Download

Royal Canoe @ Fortune -- 06/21/14

Two days into the Vancouver International Jazz Fest, and they've already shown me two of the best shows I've seen so far this year. Last night it was back to Fortune for one of my favourite groups to see live, Royal Canoe. It had been a while -- since before the release of their new album Today We're Believers -- but I was glad to see them back, especially on a stage that could hold all of their equipment and persons.

Starting off the night, however, was hometown band Copilots. With kind of a droning rock sound, they teased songs from an upcoming album, but a lot of them had the same vibe, and the lead singer's vocals were a little buried. The set didn't really do much for me -- aside from one song near the end, introduced as their dancey-song -- and can be summed up in their last song, a ten+ minute song that just kind of meandered through different sounds and dragged on to end the set.

As soon as they finished, the guys of Royal Canoe hit the stage to set up their stage-full of equipment; dual drums, mountains of keyboards and synth, a whole table for effects pedals and more, the six-piece band always fills the stage. Leading off with the high energy "Show Me Your Eyes", and by the second song, "Hold On To The Metal", the crowd was already clapping and singing along. In fact, it was a great crowd overall, lots of singing & clapping, and "recognition whoos". None more so than the massive "Bathtubs", one of the highlights.

I've said before, Royal Canoe is one of the best and most interesting bands, especially to watch live, with a vast range of sounds and influences reigned in to one great electro/pop/rock sound. And they proved it again with a set focused on the new album (and its preceding EPs), ranging from the soft and introspective "Exodus of the Year" to the R&B flavoured "Summersweat".

They finished off the set with Matt Peters' distorted vocals on "Nightcrawlin'" but were called back for one more from the crowd, a fantastic cover of the 90s R&B jam "No Diggity" by Blackstreet. I always like it when bands do something fun and unexpected with the obligatory encore -- aside from just another couple songs -- and this was a perfect example of that.

I've seen them a half a dozen times now, and while they have always blown me away, this was by far the best show I've seen from the Winnipeggers. They were tight with an amazing energy, feeding off the crowd's enthusiasm and giving back tenfold.

setlist
Show Me Your Eyes, Hold On To The Metal, Just Enough, Exodus Of The Year, Stemming, Bloodrush, Summersweat, Birthday, Bathtubs, Button Fumbla, Nightcrawlin'.
(encore) No Diggity [Blackstreet cover]

3am Mixtapes: Episode Twenty Six: Matthews

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general like best international bands. Or some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Bands That Sounds Nothing Like Their Names Imply.

This week, it's the Top Six Matthews! Even though Matthew is a common name, there seems to be an unnatural amount of Matts in music. Want examples? Here are six (well, actually, nine!)

These are the Matts I know I know:

"Young & Lazy" (acoustic) by The Matinée
"Ode to the Prairies" by Treelines
"Hold on to the Metal" by Royal Canoe
"On the Hood" by Matt Mays & El Torpedo
"Dust On My Collar" by Matthew Barber
"Via Dolorosa" by Matthew Good

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Direct Download

3am Mixtapes: Episode Twenty: 2013 Favourites

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general like favourite Maritime Bands. Or some might be a little more... esoteric. Top Six Songs From Musical Episodes of TV Shows.

Now, tell me, who says two weeks into 2014 is too late to do a 2013 Favourites list? I scoff at them! Scoff! But anyway, this week is not necessarily the Top Six Songs of 2013, but rather Six Of My Favourite Songs of 2013. There was a lot of good stuff released last year, and I'm terrible at picking favourites as it is, so this week is not THE Top Six Songs of 2013 but A Top Six Songs of 2013.

Featuring:

"The Wolf" by Phildel
"River" by The Belle Game
"Nearly Midnight, Honolulu" by Neko Case
"Sandcastles" by Paper Lions
"Bathtubs" by Royal Canoe
"Push the Sky Away" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!



 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Direct Download

Royal Canoe @ Biltmore -- 03/25/13

I don't think it's any exaggeration to say Royal Canoe is among my favourite live bands right now. They are constantly touring and seem to come through Vancouver every few months, which mean I've had the fortune of seeing them a few times in the last year and a half, and every time I do they continue to impress me.
(Also, how cool is that gig poster?)

Opening the night was Vancouver's Christopher Smith. I had seen him once before, but sandwiched between two great bands, and he kind of got lost in the shuffle, so I was interested in seeing him again. His dark and moody, yet lush alt-pop sound was pretty captivating, though a lot of the songs were kind of the same tempo.
There also wasn't much banter from Smith, but I later found out he was suffering from food poisoning, so even though that wasn't noticeable, it could have been the reason.

He did a cover of Fever Ray's "If I Had A Heart", and highlights of the set were the haunting "Pillars and Pyre" and the final song, I believe called "No Light Could Pass Though Me so I Have a Shadow", which built up to an intense ending; definitely the strongest song.
I have a feeling that Smith's music is the kind you appreciate more and more as you continue to listen to it, so I am looking forward to seeing him again after getting better acquainted with his most recent album, Earning Keep.

Soon after that, the six members of Royal Canoe took the stage with their assortment of instruments. With dual drummers -- one on a full kit and on on a drum pad and floor tom -- and as many keyboards and synth as they had members, it was actually the first time I had seem them where everything fit properly on stage.

They started the set with the insanely infectious "Show Me Your Eyes" off their most recent 7" Purple and Gold building dense and intricate wall-of-sound electro-pop that manages to be both complex and catchy. 

They sprinkled the set with a few new songs, building anticipation for the new album that they teased would be out late spring/early summer. The new songs sounded like a great progression of their sound, and I can't wait to hear how the new album sounds.

There were a few older songs in the set, too, including one song I never thought I would hear. It was the song that introduced me to to the band and hooked me, and one that I always lament (sometimes loudly) they never play live. But after the pestering of a certain blogger or two, they played it for the first (and likely last) time in a few years, "Kasparov", a ridiculously catchy love song between Garry Kasparov & Deep Blue with plenty of clever wordplay & chess puns.

They followed that up with "Bathtubs", a bombastic song with as many musical twists than some bands have in full albums, and another new tune, before finishing off with "Nightcrawlin'", a dark and lush song with the vocal processors on Matt Peters' voice giving it a deep and electronic, almost demonic, quality. And then they were of course back for an encore, with "Dear June" starting soft before bursting into a frantic ending, a great way to end the night.

Royal Canoe is one of the most interesting, most unique, and just flat out best live bands right now. They are incredibly tight and just full of energy, and never fail to impress. The last few times I've seen them, I've been with people who had not, and the reaction has been the same: "Wow!" 

Royal Canoe & Krief @ Waldorf -- 09/14/12

One of my favourite guitarists is The Dears' Patrick Krief, so of course I was a fan of his previous solo project, Black Diamond Bay. Well, Patrick is back with a new solo album, simply under the name Krief, and when I saw he was coming back to Vancouver I knew I needed to check it out. And then, when I found out Royal Canoe -- who played one of the best shows this past spring -- was on the bill too? Well, this was going to be one hell of a show.

Though there was a bit of confusion surrounding the show. There was a big mix-up with the set times of the show, so not even the bands knew what time they were going on until the last minute, and even earlier in the same day I had seen conflicting reports about whether it was Krief or Royal Canoe headlining the night.

One thing that was for sure, the opening band was Lost Lander, from Portland. It was the first show of a small tour of the Pacific Northwest with Royal Canoe, and they were an good choice for an opener. Strong, dark indie pop with some nice boy/girl harmonies between the guitarist & lead singer John Gnorski and Sarah Fennell on keyboard, they put on a very enjoyable set, with a good stage presence. Though there was a bit of chatting with the growing crowd a little between songs, there was also a few awkward pauses, and they wrapped up with the two best songs of the set, "Cold Feet" and "Belly of the Bird / Valentina" from their debut album DRRT.
They were nothing too mind-blowing, but put on an entertaining set, and I wouldn't mind checking them out more int he future.

Next up was Krief, whose set started a bit slow, as they had to chance the mic cable after the first song. But from the second song on, they filled the room with a blues inspired indie-rock sound, and deep & cinematic, beautifully textured songs. Krief didn't say much during the set, just letting the music speak for itself, and did it ever; the lush songs not only evoked emotion from the lyrics, but the musical arrangements as well. Highlights included "Simple Lives", with its soaring chorus, and the catchy "Perfect Bodies".
After the rocking "What We Wanted", an older Black Diamond Bay song, they closed out with the title track from the recent album, Hundred Thousand Pieces, starting soft then exploded with intensity, and featuring an extended, amazing, face-melting solo from Krief.
It was a pretty fantastic set, and hopefully it won't be another three years until I get the chance to see Patrick Krief playing his solo material live again.

That right there would have been a show worth seeing, but there was still Royal Canoe to wrap up the night. As with the other times I've seen them, they almost had more bodies and equipment than the stage could fit, the six members with an assortments of keyboards, synth, effects pedals, dual drums and more. There was one point where, to get to the other side of the stage, Matt Schellenberg had to hop off and walk around.
They started the set with "Hold On To The Metal", a great example of their complex, yet catchy wall-of-synth rock sound. Their live so is so tight and refined, with densely layered songs that still remain accessible. Highlights of the set were a couple new songs from their recent 7" Purple and Gold, a sexy slow jam called "Summer Sweat" & the crunchy "Show Me Your Eyes", and the bombastic "Bathtubs".
The set seemed way too short as they played right up to the curfew, not bothering with the encore fake-out, ending the set with the incredible "Nightcrawlin'", featuring Matt Peters again using the effects mic to run his voice through what I dubbed the "demonic processor", to give his vocals a deep and electronic quality.

I've said it several times before -- and I'm sure I will again -- but Royal Canoe is one of the best, and most unique, live bands in Canada right now, and I will be there without hesitation next time they're in town. And with Krief on the bill as well, for another excellent set, this was an amazing all-around show.

Shows of September

Well, I haven't done this in a while, but after a bit of a summer lull, the concert season is back with a vengeance in the next few months, with September packed full of top notch shows. So here are a few I'm looking forward to...

September 15th: Rich Aucoin at the Biltmore
Regular readers (all seventeen of you) will understand why this is my most anticipated show of the month. Rich Aucoin's live shows are unparalleled; incredible energy, great audience participation, and more fun than you can possibly imagine.

September 29th: Bloc Party at the Vogue
After a bit of a hiatus, Bloc Party has finally returned with a new album, and accompanying tour. It's been three and a half years since I last saw them live, so I'm a little anxious -- both to see them, and to see if they live up to how great they were live previously (which, I'm sure they will be)

September 14th: Royal Canoe & Patrick Krief at the Waldorf
Royal Canoe is another favourite live band, and when you add Patrick Krief -- formerly Black Diamond Bay, Dears member and one of Canada's best guitarists -- to the bill, this is one show not to miss.

September 27th: Limblifter with Acres of Lions at Venue
Confession time: I've never seen Limblifter live. Or even Ryan Dahle when he struck of into his own solo career. I am fairly certain this isn't going to be the original lineup, but I'm sure it'll still be a blast of good ol' 90s CanCon Alt Rock. Plus, Acres of Lions is opening, and they're always fun to see live.

Thursdays starting September 13th: Peak Performance Project Showcases at the Red Room
The Peak Performance Project is back this year with an all new (well, mostly) group of bands. The showcases, which run for five Thursdays (skipping the 27th) are not just to introduce the public to this year's crop, but the bands will be judged on their live shows as one of the criteria to determine the winner.

There are a bunch more shows, too (check the sidebar), but these are the five I am most looking forward to. See you there?

Royal Canoe @ Waldorf -- 05/22/12

It's only been a couple months since the last time Royal Canoe was through town, but I was blown away both times I had seen them previously, and despite some other shows going on that night, it was a pretty easy decision. Plus, I still hadn't been to see a show at Vancouver's Waldorf Hotel, strangely enough, so it seemed like a good show to break in the venue.

Opening the night was the lovely looping violin of Hannah Epperson. She immediately grabbed the crowds attention with her amazing layered soundscapes and a soft but captivating voice. Her set included a Beirut cover, "My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille", as well as her own material, the intricate "Murder of Crows" and "We Will Host A Party", which she closed with, and was probably my favourite of the set.

Not long after, Royal Canoe packed the stage with six members and their assortment of instruments; two drummers, several keyboard and a ton of synth and pedals to create their unique and layered synth-pop wall-of-sound. The band has managed to hit that sweet spot with songs that are dense and complex, yet undeniably catchy and accessible, and their live show is incredibly refined and tight.
They started off the set with "Today I'm A Believer" and the infectious "Hold on to the Metal" off their most recent EP, simply titled Extended Play. Highlights throughout the set included "Dumb Waiter", off their debut album Co-Op Mode, and the dark "Nightcrawlin'", which ended the set with Matt Peters' vocals filtered to give himself deep, almost demonic tone. After tremendous applause, they were back out for one more, "Dear June", which starting soft then exploding into a frantic and explosive ending; a perfect way to end off the night.

Every time I see Royal Canoe live, I am more and more impressed by them, and they are definitely one of the most unique -- and best -- live acts touring Canada right now. It was a great night of music and even the noise bleed from whatever event was happening upstairs couldn't detract from it.

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.

Royal Canoe w/ Rococode @ Media Club -- 09/27/11

I'm not really sure why, but I was a little on the fence about this show. Not that I didn't want to see Royal Canoe, but it just almost slipped by. But then at the last minute, the day before, Ghostkeeper had to drop out, and when they were replaced by Rococode... well, that tipped the scales a little.

Rococode were great, as usual. The roco-harmonies between Laura and Andrew were super tight and spot on. They started off with the haunting "Dreams" before blasting into "Empire", which always gets stuck in my head and after a few more, they ended their short set with the raucous "Blood", with Johnny Andrews' drumming really driving the song home. I have seen them a few times so far this year, and even though they recently released a two song 7", I am more than eagerly awaiting their full album. But their next show will have to suffice, which is their showcase for the Peak Performance Project next Thursday.

Not long after Royal Canoe hit the stage, which was packed with equipment, including at least guitars, bass, six keyboards, and a drum kit and a half. The stage was so full that when they were switching around, they had to hop off stage and go around. But it wasn't all just for show, as the six members of the band perfectly recreated they unique sound, that you wouldn't think they'd be able to pull off live. Starting with "Soothsayer", their set included some new songs as well, such as the moody "Exodus of the Year". Another new song, "Nightcrawlin'" was also a highlight with Bucky using dual microphones, a regular one, and one for crazy vox manipulations with his assortment of effects pedals. They ended the set with the slow-burner "Dear June", not bothering with the whole faux-encore routine -- which is something more bands should do.
They had a really good live energy, and while it was cool to see them in a setting as intimate as the Media Club, I definitely want to see them in a bit bigger venue -- or at least on a bigger stage -- so they can stretch their legs. And although I was quite disappointed that they didn't play "Kasparov" -- definitely my favourite song off of Co-Op Mode and probably one of my favourite songs from last year -- it was still an insanely fun and damn good set. Next time they come through town, there will definitely be no fence-sitting.