Meligrove Band

WHO: Meligrove Band
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: July 10/07

I find it hard to write about things I like instinctively. The easier it is to dance to, the harder it is to write about.

This band has played together for eight or so years, and sounds like it. They are in-sync with each other and starting to sound quite polished. It felt like one of the tightest band's I've seen at a club show in a long while. And they rocked in an indie-rock way, while still being poppy, which is pleasing to both boys and girls alike.

For the most mainstream comparison I can dredge up, lead singer Jason Nunes's voice has a tinge of similarity to Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent, minus any screaming back-ups from other band members (funny... both bands come from Mississauga). Not content to just be a good singer who puts a great deal of intensity into his vocals, Nunes can also handle the keyboards like a classically trained pianist, and play a mean guitar too. Oh, and all the other members can sing — in harmony with each other at that.

Meligrove Band is starting to get noticed. The press is picking up on the Toronto-based group. Still, they stay extremely accessible on and off stage. Their banter between each other on stage suggested a local-band type camaraderie with the crowd. Maybe it was the three days they spent playing Nintendo in Saskatoon prior to the show, but this article suggests otherwise.

They are a great band, and they must know how good they are, yet they don't find it necessary to craft a wall around themselves that other groups sometimes do.

Listen, listen, listen and then maybe someday you can be one of those people who can say "I liked Meligrove Band when..."

http://www.myspace.com/meligroveband

I'd also like to note that scheduled openers Novillero have disappeared. No one seems to know where they are or why they couldn't make it. It was disappointing, but local dude Will Robbins (usually with Pearson) stepped in to fill the bill, playing among other songs, a nice but weird cover of Outkast's Hey Ya.