Saskatchewan.Sounds

J-School

2007-11-07T08:35:00.001-08:00

No posts for a while? Well, school is crazy. The hard-working class of 2008 is doing an internet news project for the Saskatchewan election.

Check it out here for news, commentary, context and up-to-the-minute results:

www.jschool.ca

Thanks,

Jeanette

Keeping Up, Checking In

2007-09-24T22:11:00.001-07:00

www.myspace.com/basiamyspace

That's all.

Regina-Time

2007-09-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

As some of you may be aware, I've relocated to the Queen City to finish the rest of my journalism degree. I'd like to continue the sounds, but most of them will be in Regina from now on.

And because of the craziness of school, posts may become even further apart and way less "professional", but I'd like to continue my little stories about music.

So, without further ado... I announce: "Saskatchewan!Sounds"

Um... oh the exclamation mark? No barbs at million-dollar ad campaigns in that title.

Keep reading,

- J

The Canmore Hotel

2007-09-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some next-morning photos from the Canmore Hotel. Pictured are members of The Grass and some band photos of everyone. The Grass were great to play and hang out with. Derek the sound dude (third picture in) was both a good sound dude and a willing photographer.

Tour Wrap

2007-09-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, it's done already and I'm home... home? in Regina, listening to Neil Young in a coffee shop and wondering what just happened to me. All I know is that I wish I was still on the road, somewhere between Calgary and Victoria, singing funny little songs and scribbling in my notebook.

After Victoria we headed east, across the ferry and to Edmonton. In between Edmonton and Victoria was a night of camping in the mountains, crazy amounts of road construction and twisted pavement snaking through the mountains. What the prairie navigators didn't realize was that the amount of ground covered in the mountains is roughly half that covered driving flat out across the prairie. Still, it was beautiful, and aside from occasionally jangling nerves we emerged in the flatlands unscathed.

Edmonton was a good show. In between gourmet Buddhist vegetarian cuisine and bubble tea, we played a fun set in this really cool art-space with a band called Aurora and a talented dude named Eamon McGrath.

The the next night was the ultimate tour wrap-up — an old-school party at the Canmore Hotel with equally old-school band The Grass. By old-school I mean getting slightly liquored up, playing the tambourine so hard I bruised my leg and possibly getting turfed from the bar. All in a night's work.

Check out all the photos for more concrete details on the happenings.

-J

Hiding Out in Victoria

2007-09-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

While the rock stars played board games on the ferry to Victoria, I took the chance to take some tourist photos. Check them out.

We're currently camped out at the Fury and the Mouse house, awaiting a final practice of the superband. Tonight we play (I think I get to play the whole show) at Lucky Bar in downtown Victoria. Come one, come all!

Van-city, Day Two

2007-09-04T12:52:00.001-07:00

Day Two in Vancouver was lots of fun. Went for breakfast with some People for Audio, some All Purpose Voltage Heroes, some People Versus as well as a little Ladyhawk.

Then it was a day spent with Shena, who works at Mint Records in Vancouver. Attempts to visit craft stores and button stores were thwarted, but we did visit a knitting store and The Foundation, which is an awesome vegetarian restaurant on Main Street.

The show Sunday night was at Little Mountain Studios, an art gallery/studio space/DVD rental store. The band let me play mini piano for the whole acoustic set, and it went really well. Didn't stick around for the groups after, but heard To Bad Catholics and the Greenbelt Collective were good. Olivia from FanShaw played a solo set, and she was incredible. She also plays with The Choir Practice. Her great lyrics and beautiful voice need to be heard by more people.

Van-city, Day One

2007-09-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

The band played three shows in Vancouver. The first was at a fantastic deck party hosted by Joy and Jacob from the band The People Versus.

It was a great afternoon of music on a roof deck overlooking Commercial Drive. A couple of my favourites were the the bands e.s.l. and Johnny Wakeham and Featherwolf. e.s.l.'s singer Marta has a really cool voice. She also plays with the band girl nobody, who have a new album coming out on Jericho Beach this September.

After the deck party Slow Down played a set at Hokos, a cool little venue/sushi/karaoke bar. I played the mini piano for a couple songs. The owner filmed a lot of the show and posted it on YouTube (click the link). The All Purpose Voltage Heroes also played an extremely energetic set, while dressed in construction outfits and making boxes. Check them out, they really rock. Ryan Walter Wagner rounded out the night with an acoustic solo set.

Oh, Alberta

2007-09-03T15:57:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from the first leg of the journey. We left Saskatoon Friday around noon, and arrived in Calgary just in time for some bacon wrapped corn at The Palomino, where the band played. They played a good set, up next to local acts Summer Abney and Drunken Public Love. I sold several CD's, and one of the guys pictured in the fan club photo paid me five bucks to watch his sweater. I'm glad to have made a contribution.

Then it was back in the van for an overnight drive. Patrick handled the worst of the driving, and then Ryan drove all morning until we got to Merritt. The fourth photo was taken just as the sun was coming up in the Rockies. It was a beautiful drive.

Slow Down, Molasses: ON TOUR

2007-09-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

WHERE: West Coast
WHEN: Aug. 31-Sept.9

www.myspace.com/slowdownmolasses

Hi Mom,

I'm in Vancouver, on tour with this band. We are all alive and having a great time. Internet use is too scarce, but perhaps photos and more posts will follow!

-Jeanette

Field Festival

2007-08-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Field was... well, it was last weekend already.

Because of the monsoon-like conditions I left my camera locked in the trunk of a car for the entire weekend. So, no pictures from this event, but a few thoughts.

Interesting:

1) Lily's On Mars.

This band came out of nowhere. This group makes the strangest music, but that's what makes them incredibly interesting. Five word description? Punk Rock Albertan Gypsy Music. Girl-wonder Duck sang in Cree, Spanish and French, and singer Dusty Ross counterbalanced with his strange 1950s movie-star style. Combined with hula hoop performance, it's clear they do whatever they want to. It's on the verge of working seamlessly.

2) Emaline Delapaix and the Delistocracy.

Who is she? What does she do? I have no idea, but she did sing some ABBA. Didn't really get the crowd going, but she has a very pretty voice.

3) Birds are Dinosaurs.

Not content to be crazy with just a horn section alone, this Regina octet has an oboe. Trippy, transcendental or whatever they were going for. Late at night in a grove of trees, it worked.

Tried and True:

Also saw some good local acts who are always fun to watch and/or heckle. Paul Kuzbik is now a trio, and a good-sounding one. Featuring former Despitado members, Regina lads Geronimo are doing some good things. Saw the Deep Dark Woods play a ramblin', old-time rockin' set, and Volcanoless in Canada destroyed a box of macaroni.

Oh, and The Weakerthans were there. They played some new songs, which were nice, and some old songs, which were nice to sing along to. John K. Samson is cute.

Field Festival has some promise. In bridging the distance between the province's two largest cities, it definitely has the potential to be a truly Saskatchewan festival. If they continue to think about showcasing local acts, along with bringing in a few solid headliners, there is room for this event to grow in the next few years. Kudos to the organizers for making an attempt, and to the community of Craik for getting into it as well, letting a couple hundred people trample all over their nice little regional park.

Field Music Festival

2007-08-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Field Music Festival is this weekend. The weather network is predicting cold, I'm bringing a toque and mitts, and I'll dance to keep warm.
With two stages going all night and camping it should be fun if the cold doesn't get us down.
The line-up this year is pretty impressive. The festival had a number of applicants from as far away as England, but they've kept the focus mainly on artists from the Prairies. While it might have something to do with cost, it's also acting as a way for local artists to get some exposure up next to The Weakerthans, who in their first Saskatchewan show in a long time, are likely to bring a sizeable crowd.
Check out this article for more about the band.
Check out this link for more about Field Festival.

Line Up

Friday:
MAIN STAGE
4:00-5:00 PM Joelle Fuller Band
5:30-6:30 PM The Nancy Ray-guns
7:00-7:30 PM Emaline Delapaix & The Delistocracy
8:30-9:30 PM Volcanoless in Canada
10:00-11:00 PM IBO & Kindread
11:30-12:30 AM DEF 3
1:00-2:00 AM Grand Analog
SECOND STAGE
4:45-5:45 PM TBA
6:15-7:15 PM John Fettes
7:45-8:45 PM Birds are Dinosaurs
9:15-10:15 PM Tribal Vibes
10:45-11:45 PM Bunnyhug
12:15-1:30 AM DJ Neon
1:45-300 AM The Gaff
3:15-4:30 Record Playing Grant
DAY 1 ENDS

Saturday:
MAIN STAGE
1:30-2:30 PM The Deep Dark Woods
3:00-4:00 PM Paul Kuzbik
4:30-5:30 PM Arms Up
6:00-7:00 PM The Wheatmonkeys
7:30-8:30 PM The Rebellion
9:00-10:00 PM Geronimo
10:30-11:30 PM The Weakerthans
SECOND STAGE
2:15-3:15 PM Lily's On Mars
3:45-4:45 PM John Powers
5:15-6:15 PM Li'l Andy
6:45-7:45 PM Slowdown Molasses
8:15-9:15 PM These Hands
9:45-10:45 PM Adverse Vital Signs
12:00-1:30 AM Square Sound Round Body
1:30-300 AM Hard Toe
3:00-4:30 Mikhail
DAY 2 ENDS

Immaculate Machine

2007-08-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

WHO: Immaculate Machine
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: Aug. 16

I've been listening to Immaculate Machine's Fables albums since slightly before it came out this June (just had to assert my street cred).

Sometimes it really helps to get to know songs really well before shows, which is admittedly something I don't always do. I liked that the Victoria-based trio mixed up their old ones with the new, although the new really did seem fresher, sparklier, and strangely more youthful.

I would have loved to hear Kathryn Calder (who does some time with The New Pornographers) sing more ballads from the new album. I was waiting for the Regina line — "I've never been so glad to see Regina before" — in the song Northeastern Wind, but I think I may have missed it. Her voice is such a treasure, so quiet and unassuming, yet enchanting and incredibly nuanced. At times fellow vocalist and guitarist Brooke Gallupe's voice overpowered hers, as he puts a lot more push behind it, but some of the best moments vocally were when the pair listened carefully to each other in their harmonies.

Immaculate Machine did play C'mon Sea Legs, which was redemption for me. I didn't realize it but that song has infected my brain on several occasions, and served as a rallying cry for any scary thing I've had to do during the past few months.

The group is just about done their summer tour behind the album, then according to drummer Luke Kozlowski, the hard-working band is travelling up and down the west coast, then over to the east coast, then perhaps overseas in the new year. It might be all work and no play, but the unmistakable joy I detected on Kozlowski's face as they locked tightly into their up-tempo songs shows that it's worth it. And it was worth it for me, so they should know their hard work isn't wasted on these ears. Cheers.

Pictures coming soon.

Spiral Beach

2007-08-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

WHO: Spiral Beach
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: Aug. 16/07

Spiral Beach blew my mind.

"How old are these guys?" I heard from audience members over and over.

What I was focused intently on was their aesthetic. They decorated the stage with rope lights and pylons before the show. They had a sign with their names on it up behind them, just in case we couldn't remember who they are. Their merch table was illuminated, with a shining, rotating disco ball and black light glowing on the prices for their stuff.

The skinny foursome is travelling around the country on their own, like a rag-tag band of orphans, societal misfits, Oliver Twists. Two of them are brothers, their parents are folk singers. On one hand I feel like someone should just take them in for the evening and mother this Toronto-based foursome, but on the other hand it takes astounding gumption and maturity to hit the road as a Toronto-based indie-band when you are just barely old enough to buy cigarettes.

It's not their first tour either. Definitely more is to be expected from these young, ambitious upstarts, with their keyboard based pop. They put so much energy into the show, and creating not just a perfunctory performance, but actually trying to entertain their audience.

I was too transfixed to take pictures, which is unfortunate, because their frizzed hair and matching outfits added greatly to the neon horror-movie vibe. So cool.

Check out their myspace: www.myspace.com/spiralbeach

Regina Folk Fest

2007-08-13T22:34:00.001-07:00

WHEN: Last weekend.
WHERE: Regina
WHAT: Photos. Because I'm slightly lacking in verbosity these days.

REGINA FOLK FEST

2007-08-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

WHO: Dallas Green (City and Colour)
WHERE: The Legion, Regina
WHEN: Aug. 10

Dallas Green played a show at the Legion after the Folk Fest got rained out by a torrential downpour that basically came out of nowhere.
I was bar tending, but he sounded pretty good to me, and the place was fairly packed. I love his music, and his voice. Managed to sing along to Coming Home in between popping beer cans and rye and cokes. I wish I could have paid more attention to Mr. Green, but such is life. I'm sure he would have liked to not have played the Legion instead of the Folk Fest stage, but kudos to being a good sport anyways, I guess. Those that did focus on the show were not impressed with his lack of stage banter and what-not, but I liked what I heard.

REGINA FOLK FEST

2007-08-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

WHO: Sarah Slean
WHEN: 7 p.m.

I made it for half of her show. She's amazing. (said with breathless voice)
Dressed in a floaty fuschia dress, she looked like she might drift away as she unleashed her powerfully enchanting voice. From breathy vixen to French chanteuse, she drifted between moods and sounds. Her best stuff was her new material - particularly a song written while alone in Paris, and her all-out finale. I'm not sure what it was called. Her piano playing is also incredible although went unnoticed as I stood rapt in her voice.

WHO: LOS DE ABAJO
WHEN: 8 p.m.
Like a Mexican mariache band with a taste of heavy metal. This show was unexpected. It always seems to be the bands don't expect to be good that are. This was a dance party and a half, culminating in a conga line.

WHO: The Hylozoists
WHEN: 9:30 p.m. (ish)

Xylophone fever. Or actually "vibraphone." Like a symphonic dreamscape with no lyrics. Drifting. This would be much better... on weed.

WHO: Buck 65
WHEN: 10 p.m. (ish)

Between trying to figure out where to go for volunteering and taking a few photos (all of which will appear soon) I didn't get to see much of this show, to my great disappointment. He's a great, theatrical performer with a serious appreciation for formative hip hop music. A little bit funny for an East-Coast Canadian dude, but hey, that's the beauty of the unexpected. I will try hard to see him again at some point in my life. Which might be hard, because I believe he now lives in Europe, where I'm sure he's huge.

Corb Lund

2007-08-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

WHO: Corb Lund
WHERE: Saskatoon Exhibition
WHEN: Aug. 9/07

Corb Lund is an artist who I think deserves a ton of respect. The crowd at this show ranged from Amigo's goers to legitimate cowboys. It was a great performance, and although I left to write this review — I am very excited to hear what he has to say on his new album, and to see how many CCMA awards he picks up this year in Regina.

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

2007-08-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

WHO: Black and the Rodeo Kings
WHERE: Broadway Theatre
WHEN: Aug. 8/07

So many shows, so few days. Read this review here to get a sense of what this show was like. Perhaps I'll write more later.

Nickelback

2007-08-08T00:33:00.003-07:00

WHO: Nickelback
WHERE: The Saskatoon Exhibition
WHEN: Aug. 7/07

I went to the Nickelback show. Read my approximation of it here.

From what I can tell, Chad Kroeger really, really wants people to like him.

* photo by Gord Waldner/The StarPhoenix

Arms Up

2007-08-08T00:33:00.001-07:00

WHO: Arms Up
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: Aug. 4/07

After winning Louis' Battle of the Band, Saskatoon band makes CD, gives it away for free at CD Release party. Lots of harmonies. Lead singer reading from The Life of Pii while wearing a cape. This band is evolving and finding itself. Perhaps in time for Pop Montreal, where they will play this October.

Jiminy

2007-08-03T17:53:00.001-07:00

WHO: Jiminy
WHERE: Lydia's
WHEN: Aug. 2/07

Jiminy is a new band on the scene, a funk-ska-plus turntables fusion that instantly brings to mind thoughts of other funk-band-in-town The Huxtabulls.

First performing at open-mic a couple months ago, the group went straight to headlining a show, albeit the open-mic-champion night at Lydia's. How they became open mic champions is unclear. The band members didn't know.

Either way, the bar was packed. The first evening of Fringe helped to draw the crowd, plus the sizeable number of friends the band members have.

Notably missing was jazz guitarist Andrew Dickson who played with the group in their first performance. Notables were Enver Hampton on guitar and Kayleigh Smith on keys. Other than that... If I were a grade-school teacher I'd write, "needs improvement" or some other perfunctory keep-trying type of remark. Oh wait. I just did. Seriously though, there is a lot of potential here, but that's the beauty of open mic.

All Hail the Duffster

2007-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

WHO: Hilary Duff
WHERE: Credit Union Centre
WHEN: July 30/07

Hilary Duff is evolving. I swear. Her show last night was so much good clean fun it almost hurt. It's likely I was the only person there who wasn't either in high school or younger, or towing a five-year-old.

I left a little early to write this review. However, my sister ensured me that things didn't get much more salacious after I left.

While the Disney treatment was good, I feel optimistic in thinking Hilary Duff may have room to grow with her career. The bottom line for me is that she doesn't have to perform (she's super rich) and yet she does, and sings hard even for crowds that aren't sold out. For now, she gets the benefit of the doubt.

The Buttless Chaps

2007-07-30T07:34:00.001-07:00

WHO: The Buttless Chaps
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: July 28/07

The Buttless Chaps are a good band who make the kind of music that I dream about making at night. Luckily I avoided the fan club treatment, although I really liked their work.

What happened onstage seemed more like play. At times it became a keyboard party, with three people playing keys while Dave Gowans sang, everyone in the band smiling at each other like they were in on some secret we'd never understand.

Gowan's guitar and countrified vocals (I love his deep voice) blended in such an odd but delightful way with all the electronic quirkiness.

"Neil Young Trans," said a friend. The reason I qoute anonymous friends is that everyone has such good insight on the musical experience. Mostly more than me because I always overthink things.

So at risk of doing so, I will say that the vocoder duet with Ida (of Great Aunt Ida) was tentative and delightful and seemed like so much fun, and the set flew by in far shorter amounts of time than Friday-night shows usually do.

Luckily I was able to acquire both recent CDs and some Buttless Chapstick, so along with filling my ears with memories of the Buttless Chaps, I can also rub them all over my lips. Clever marketing.

Welcome to the Carbon Dating Show

2007-07-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

WHO: soso/Maybe Smith/Carbon Dating Service
WHERE: Amigo's Cantina
WHEN: July 26/07

So many smiles. So much dancing. Or at least that was the show I saw.

Hip hop artist soso warmed up the crowd, playing only three songs. By the end the crowd was bobbing along. His music is minimal accompanied by his turntable and electronic devices and Maybe Smith on guitar. The rumour flying around is that soso’s new album will drop in November, and word on the street is that it is going to be amazing. For those who don't know, he's kind of a big deal. Soso has a Japanese tour coming up, as well as an October appearance at Pop Montreal in the beginning of October.
I’d like to offer up this nugget as a review: “I like this a lot more than I thought I would,” said friend with big smile on her face.
For me, it was great to see him live. Soso’s chill beats have an occasional home in my CD player (occasional is a compliment nowadays) and I think despite a little hesitation off the top, he put on a performance that ensured I'll go back for another.

By the time Maybe Smith took the stage the crowd was warm. Very warm. Actually they were hot and sweaty in the late July heat. Although the sound from the back wasn’t as good as usual (perhaps due to larger than usual crowd and louder than usual volume), at the front and centre it sounded quite good. Maybe Smith ripped through what seemed like a short set, including all the hits — Bloody Nose receiving the biggest sing-a-long. The songs are hits because people were singing along and dancing wildly, cheering and clapping. Well practiced after the cross-Canada tour, the band was greeted warmly by an enthused hometown crowd. The highlight was when someone brought a package of sparklers and fired them up mid-song. It was magical.

You’ve been served.

Perhaps we should talk about what’s happened to the Carbon Dating Service lately, if it isn’t already known. Given the royal love-up by CBC Radio 3, Carbon Dating Service was toured around Canada, featured on the r3 website, music blogs such as i (heart) music, and according to rumour sold out shows in eastern Canada.

The CDS (I'd like to think I'm cool enough to abbreviate them) was the headlining act, hosting an official CD Release party for their new album Polyentendrii. With so many band members it seems inevitable things will seem scattered at times, but the horn section worked tightly in tandem with each other and the group definitely got a groove on. Dressed in matching t-shirts reading "Support the Synchrotron Awareness Tour, Sponsor a Beam Line," jeans and ball caps, the loose uniform was interesting if not a little blah. Perhaps this band should go Polyphonic Spree pre-Fragile Army and get some robes. That would be cool, although probably a little warm for summer. At press/bed time, CDS had just played an evening-making cover of Space Hog’s In The Meantime. I doubt this song could have pleased anyone else like it pleased me. With fiddle player Toby Bond stepping up to sing rather poorly whilst dressed in a shiny sexy-nurse costume, and a horn section reinforcing the “ooooh, ooooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, ooooh” chorus, it was bliss. And yes, I loved that song in high school. Thanks CDS, you made my night and gave me many fond memories for the future.

Nathan

2007-07-25T19:56:00.001-07:00

WHO: Nathan
WHEN: July 19/07
WHERE: House Concert

This post should probably be titled "how not to ruin a good experience by giving a band the fan-club treatment after they play."

The reason for this is that I saw Nathan play a particularly special and intimate show on the rooftop patio of a local singer-songwriter who holds house concerts in her home.

It was a magical experience — the band bantering back and forth, telling stories of how they met and smiling adoringly at each other. The chemistry between singer Keri Latimer and singer/banjo/accordion player Shelley Marshall is smoldering.

Apparently — so the story they told goes — the two met when they were both dating a trucker named Nathan. Who knows if it's true, but it's a good story all the same.

They rolled through songs from their past three albums (the band debuted their first album in 2001), trading instruments and bringing out the Wurlitzer.

With their aching alt-country sound I feel like the captured the loneliness of growing up in a small town and being a little bit different from anyone else. They even have a song called Trans Am.

Nathan could have done anything and I would have loved it, but unfortunately (fortunately for me, not for them) they chose to play the song Gasoline, which is one of my favourite songs right now. This choice resulted in my grinning maniacally at them from where I was standing and then mobbing them after the show so I could buy their new album and then get signatures. It was too much really.

However, whether or not they enjoyed the enthusiasm from someone who is usually more composed around music-people, they did create a life-long follower with this performance.

Dear Nathan: I will always love you. Signed: Superfan.

The Tragically Hip

2007-07-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

WHO: The Tragically Hip
WHERE: Bessborough Gardens
WHEN: July 18/07

Yes. I was there and completed a life goal by seeing this band.

I particularly enjoy this review of the show, although it is quite the love-up. I left wishing I'd seen the band ten years ago, when they were raw and full of testosterone, knowing they still had to prove it to people. Still, despite his many road miles and enough fans to never need to try again Downey moved around the stage like an electric jellyfish, loose and full of energy. Guitarist Rob Baker also proved his chops on a particularly emotional steel solo on Wheat Kings, his long hair hanging in front of his face.

Overall, I'm so glad I had the good fortune to be there. The Hip's music has so much complexity, and although I love them in rock-show format, I also have a not-so-secret dream to hear Gord Downie perform an intimate acoustic set that lets his beautifully poetic lyrics take precedence. But that's just me. Rock on.

Photo is by Gord Waldner/The Star Phoenix, www.canada.com

Quiet on the Home Front

2007-07-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

My blog is neglected, my brain is full of musical things. My personal computer is dying and it hates the blogger.com site. However, I'm going to be welcoming a new computer into my life shortly, and my publication schedule will become regular, photos will be featured on most posts, and the universe will realign itself.

Here's what I've been up to for the past few days:

- We Were Lovers. I happened to have the good timing to catch their first show ever while I was in Regina last Friday. And what a show it was. Although Elsa Gebremichael and her frequent companion S.J. Kardash can be seen performing with several local bands (including From Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z, and The Blood Lines) this band is Gebremichael's, a chance to showcase her music, great voice and good looks. Dressed in a ruffled black velvet dress, she dazzled under the red lights above O'Hanlon's small stage. There were a lot of instrumental and not enough vocals (just a consequence of the sound system I believe) and the band seemed pretty tight, especially for a first show. All my friends kept talking about how good it was afterwards, and how beautiful she was. I'm not one to focus on superficial things, but I think it's very important to note. There was a lot of dancing, a little too much booze, I can't remember their song titles, but I'm hoping to see them again before the summer ends.

- Alphababy. Nice guys, good show and someone handed me a tambourine, effectively making me part of the music (or so I'd like to think). To avoid conflict of interest, I'm not going to write anything else. Check out their myspace.

- Craven Country Jamboree. Yes, Craven happened. Musically amazing, emotionally draining. I'd like to post more, and probably will. Or I'll write a book about it.

- Big and Rich, Cowboy Troy, Two-Foot Fred. Gretchen Wilson. The Muzik Mafia. An insane party, it was almost impossible to contain my excitement about this show. Their shtick is so preposterous but their charisma (and John Rich's raw talent) make it work. Big Kenny is a rock star. Plain and simple. This duo deserves respect. They sing about Saving Horses and Riding Cowboys, and then Big Kenny launches into a plea to end genocide in Darfur. Not in that order, but by the time his manifesto began they had me engrossed. Still, I'm afraid most people were far too drunk to catch any of it. I literally have 1/3 of a notebook full of notes about this show. It was wild. Hopefully I'll expand them into something eventually. Or you could just ask me to talk about it to you for about an hour. Who wants to talk about Big and Rich for an hour? Come on people.

- Carrie Underwood. She can sing. She can really sing. And she's gorgeous. I only caught a portion of this show, and from my lackluster vantage point, I couldn't really analyze it, but I think there is a reason for all those Grammy awards.

- Stars. Their new album is available from iTunes although it doesn't come out in physical form until Sept. 25. It's undergoing something of an analysis right now. I'm not sure if it can top Set Yourself on Fire, as the album was all I listened to for umm.. approximately two years. And that's not really an exaggeration.

Meligrove Band

2007-07-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Watch This

2007-07-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

Mostly because I love this Joel Plaskett song, and the video they've created looks nothing like the Lindsay Lohan-esque Young Hollywood treatment I saw playing in my head every time I listened to it. Darn it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKDgkcx9ric&NR=1

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

2007-07-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

WHO: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? + Shapes and Sizes
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: July 8/07

There is nothing so humbling as seeing something you can't understand and having much more musically astute new friends unravel it for you.

"As if Wolf Parade kidnapped a polka band," said Rich.

"Think of it like a death machine coming to kill you," said Ryan.

"Are you serious?" I say. He nods. "Did you make that up yourself?" I ask. He nods again.

And the wheels began to turn. With closed eyes. Seeing the giant monstrous machine- constructed out of the awkwardly juxtaposed sounds clashing and stomping together.

Menacing horn lines. A tuba. The audience grabbing noise makers from a germy jumbled bag of items on the floor and using them to construct blunt and awkward sounds. Everyone driving towards inevitable doom, picking at the edges of something strange and very weird, with lead singer Josh's little boy baby babble patching it all together. This wasn’t really music the ear could easily grab and hold onto. No melodies, no easy to find beats. But obviously They Shoot Horses, Don't They? has a band of believers, a sparse and devoted crowd including three people who drove up from Regina for the Sunday night show. At the same time, it wasn't fun. It wasn't comfortable or easy to understand.

Will this show provoke further listening as I stare down a copy of their CD on my desk? Perhaps. But it was some music, a moment, a death parade, a circus in a bag.

Openers Shapes and Sizes were almost as equally odd. A former Victoria band supplanted to Montreal to join the compendium of boy/girl vocalist groups with a poppy synth sound, although they seem to be skirting something outside of those conventions. The strongest moments came when their drummer used a beat you could feel underneath the meandering art project going on over top.

The group didn't seem like they truly wanted to be there (they announced it was their last stop on the tour with They Shoot Horses, Don't They?). What was intriguing about the group was female vocalist Caila Thompson-Hannant's voice, which she alternately pushed and held back, letting it wander up freely into her higher register. Definitely interesting and will prompt future listening so I can learn how to understand whatever it was they were trying to create but didn't quite reach.

Damo Suzuki

2007-07-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

WHO: Damo Suzuki
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: July 7/07
(photos by Maja Montgomery)

I was so intensely focused on the energy the musicians created in this performance that my shoulders knotted themselves up and I spent most of the show in pain.

After the show everyone in the audience looked bewildered over what they had just experienced. The musicians walked off stage not understanding what just happened. Not sure how they had created such a complex vortex of sound, orchestrated by Suzuki, hands clenched tightly around the microphone - channeling energy into it like it was a matter of life or death. Me left wondering how to dissect it. I don't think I can.

Suzuki's democratization of music - travelling around the world and playing improvised gigs with local musicians in each place - is an intensely important project. Surely it was empowering for the musicians to understand that they could create that kind of sound. Because his caliber of talent forced them to play towards that, to strive harder and drive towards the creation of such a finely pointed transfer of energy between the audience and the musicians. It was, in a sense, returning the music to the people. Suzuki deconstructed the idea of a "band" and broke down any of the rock poser musical pretention surrounding music, focusing on the creation of an experience specific to that place or time. As he describes it, the musicians are "sound carriers" and he was focused on creating a communication in sound with the audience and the players.

After the show everyone kept asking "do you think they could have done it on their own?" Yes, but they need to understand how to focus on the music the way Suzuki does, breaking down their own walls and simply working towards the communication of sound together.

For more on Damo Suzuki's Network, check out: http://www.damosuzuki.de/

Pride Tiger and Golden Smoke

2007-07-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

WHO: Pride Tiger w/ Golden Smoke
WHEN: July 5/07
WHERE: Amigo's

It happened. Good show. Update soon.

Mr. Something Something

2007-07-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

WHO: Mr. Something Something
WHERE: Lydia's
WHEN: July 5/07

Caught the tail end of this group's Lydia's show. I like this band. I have a song by them on my myspace. They have great energy. Lead singer Johan Hultqvist is intensely focused on stage, his eyes set on the creation of music. I've been told he drinks sleepy-time tea before shows and feeds off the energy of the crowd.

They are a band who tours. A lot. I first saw them at the Junos only a couple months ago. They grab the crowd with their ability to make you dance, but their music carries a message.

Check out http://www.mrsomethingsomething.com/ for more.

Elliott Brood

2007-07-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

WHO: Elliott Brood
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: July 4/07
(www.myspace.com/elliottbrood)

This is a band whose eccentricities make them interesting.

A kick drum made of a suitcase, a banjo, a painting of Chief Joseph on the back of a guitar and a set of Roland PK-5 pedals (a take on the Moog Pedal, which the Rock Snob's Dictionary describes as a "squelching old school synthesizer" invented in 1965 and favoured by Beck).

But don't ask them to analyze themselves.

"It's just the way we do it," said Mark Sasso, lead singer, banjo player and guitarist.

The Ontario-based group started out as a twosome in 2002 but later added a drummer. Their lack of bass and a three-piece simplicity adds a raucous old-time country element to their sound.

The show itself was fantastic fun and the dance floor far too small. In the long set they showcased their own unique songwriting and sound (which at times drew comparisons by my friends to everyone from Modest Mouse to the best of the country old-timers ), and an encore of rocking countrified covers of Neil Young, Johnny Cash and the White Stripe's Hotel Yorba.

Any band true enough to their roots to write Saskatchewan into one of their songs — Oh, Alberta — gets my respect. By the crowd clustered around the trio after the show it's apparent that their style is drawing a solid following and will continue to do so for some time to come. Tour on Elliott Brood.

For more great music, check out their label Weewerk Records. Elliott Brood are label-mates with the Great Lake Swimmers and United Steel Workers of Montreal, two more great bands doing exciting alt-country things.

Emm Gryner

2007-07-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

WHO: Emm Gryner
WHERE: Lydia's
WHEN: June 30/07

Emm Gryner is unfortunately not as much of an anomaly in Canadian music as she should be. An accomplished musician who runs her own Canadian record label (Dead Daisy Records), has toured with David Bowie and The Cranberries, and who plays a mean Thin Lizzy cover, Gryner should be selling clubs much larger than Lydia's.

But luckily for the audience, we were able to see her up close at this show. Gryner has a rock star exterior, a hardened skin over her heart. Her own songs were beautiful, and I wished she played more of them — Black Winged Bird stood out — but she can also do covers. At one point she accompanied herself solely on bass guitar for a Thin Lizzy cover. It was strange to see someone do this, but oddly fitting, as the low notes provided a solid accompaniment that didn't compete with her amazing voice.

She then ripped through a full set of covers of old Irish songs, covers of '80s rock, and a few of her own gems. The appreciative audience begged for more and she closed off with a cover of Pour Some Sugar on Me. I wish we could have experienced more of her intensely personal stuff, but regardless, Gryner was great to see.

For more context on Gryner's accomplishments,check out this article, which appeared in The Star Phoenix before her show.

Kirby Criddle

2007-07-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

WHO: Kirby Criddle
WHERE: Lydia's
WHEN: June 30/07
(photo from www.myspace.com/kccmusic)

The Emm Gryner show also showcased local talent Kirby Criddle, who is quietly making sweet, sincere music out of her Saskatoon home.

"i like to write songs, record them once on my kitchen countertop, and then put them on the internet. be gentle, it's my soul you're sinking your teeth into," she pens on her myspace page.

She doesn't have to worry. That soul exposed is what could warm any critic's heart. The way she laid bare the stories behind her song endeared the audience so much you could literally see them turning their rapt attention onto this picturesque pixie sitting up on the stage with her acoustic guitar.

As long as Criddle keeps that purity and honesty in her music, she'll do alright.

Becoming a Music Snob

2007-07-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Just a random thought. I've been viewing my transformation into a music-snob with a sort of birds-eye view, if that makes sense. As in, I can see myself becoming a music-snob because I always hated all those things music snobs said.

For example: Feist is too commercial. I liked her when I saw her at ... yadda yadda this club.

But the reason — and I realized this when I was listening to the new Velvet Revolver CD and fantasizing that I could see them play at Bud's on Broadway, all squished up on the dance floor — is that they are so accessible at the small clubs.

Because when the White Stripes played the bowling alley, there was a lot of "oh my god this is the White Stripes," but it was also a chance to see the band. I mean really connect with them and understand what they were doing on an intimate level. To see the interplay between Jack and Meg White that you can never see at the big show, even if you are three feet away in the orchestra pit.

So when stupid rock-snob verbosity starts spewing from my mouth, just asks me to justify it, because I usually can.

White Stripes x 2

2007-07-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

WHO: The White Stripes
WHERE: Eastview Bowl, Saskatoon and TCU Place, Saskatoon
WHEN: Surprise Show @ 3 p.m. July 1/07
Concert @ 7:30 p.m. July 1/07

It's a little hard to find extra words for this experience.

Check out the article I wrote for The Star Phoenix.

For the night's performance, check out this colourful and contextual review penned by former colleague and Chart writer Dan McRae. His words rank higher than anything my musically-fatigued brain can pull together at this very moment. Cheers.

Bengough, Saskatchewan?

2007-07-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.gatewayfestival.ca/

This caught my attention because of the proximity to my hometown. I kept noticing all these interesting acts were booked to play in Bengough, of all places. A town, near but not dear (grr... rival towns) to my heart.

So after I noticed Jeff Healey, and my friend Tyler Lewis, and then Elliott Brood, and the Cracker Cats were all playing the same weekend in Bengough, I got curious and decided to research.

By doing that I found out that, super but "not-so-rocking" band from Regina, power-pop quartet The Polymaths are also going to play.

Looks like I have no good reason not to go home for a weekend. Three cheers for Bengough, and whoever is behind this small-town-SK upstart festival. Hip-hip-hootenanny!

Ndidi Onukwulu

2007-07-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

WHO: Ndidi Onukwulu
WHERE: Bessborough Gardens
WHEN: June 30/07
(photo from www.ndidi.ca)

This was one of those shows where I really regretted not bringing my camera. Ndidi Onukwulu was fierce. With a demure ruffled black dress cinched at the waist by a fiery red belt, lips painted the same shade to match and tattoos winding up her legs, Onukwulu displayed the passion inside of her in appearance alone. One part a lady and equal parts fire and musical fervor, this woman can sing the blues, and work a crowd.
"I used to be in a relationship with someone who would leave me at home all alone. So to get back at him, I wrote a song about him," she told the crowd. Almost all her songs had stories attached — a musician outside the New York City projects she lived in for a while who just played to make people feel better, and a song she wrote for the children of the world suffering in wartime. "Our children are our future," she said to some appreciative clapping and cheers from the audience.
Her narratives weren't just sob stories either. You could really feel the acute way she perceived the pain in the world and used her music to try and make it better.
At the end of the show she asked for a cordless microphone, got down off the stage and moved through the crowd, bringing everyone in the gardens to their feet for her last song, dancing with any audience member who wouldn't stand.
Her guitar player Madagascar Slim (a three-time Juno Award winner) also deserves a mention. At first I was impressed by the way he built a whole song with just his guitar alone, but he later revealed to the crowd he was using digital looping. Regardless, he was able to fully accompany Onukwulu with his guitar alone, provide a full, rich sound and have time to let loose with some solid blues riffs.

C'mon and The Get Down

2007-07-02T21:44:00.001-07:00

WHO: C'mon, with The Get Down
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: June 28/07

The perfect counterbalance to the concert I saw earlier in the evening, C'mon played a fiery set with The Get Down out of Edmonton opening for them. (I missed The Split Lips)

The show made my face feel like I had a slight case of wind burn. When The Get Down played, I literally stepped up to the stage and felt the wall of sound daring me to come closer.

Good rock is not about musicianship. Okay, well musicianship elevates good rock to astronomical levels, but good rock, the decent kind that gets you revving, is about the loudness. Good rock is about stepping up to the wall of sound and daring it to break your eardrums. The rush comes from slowly tearing your eardrums to pieces as you bask in the guitar solo raining down on top of you.

And that was the first band I saw.

Before C'mon got to the stage there was a good buzz in the room full of rock fans waiting to watch C'mon's bass player Katie Lynn Campbell, who has also played with Nashville Pussy.

What happened when she got onstage – and the show kicked ass really, it was epic – was that she proceeded to rock, take something like eighteen shots, and display a smoldering chemistry with guitar player and singer Ian Blurton . Their partnership (they are together offstage too) was so captivating that I didn’t even hear the drumming until nearly the fifth or sixth song. Which is, in my opinion, the sign of an amazing drummer. You don’t know they are there until isolated on the stage, a deft –tap-tap-tap- on the high hat, as the wall of sound moves backwards for a few moments. All this good, pure but distorted noise came from only three people. They played into the crowd, literally climbing into it. At one point,Campbell played her bass guitar in the middle of the audience, writhing on a table while we all stared in awe of her. Then she handed her bass off to an audience member so she could go to the bathroom but leave the band playing, an admission that she knew everyone in this room could at least play the bass guitar. We’ve all tried to rock that hard and failed. But they respected us for that, and so we respected them. Especially when a crazed Blurton started smashing his guitar into his already-trashed amp. This band really plays their instruments, to the point where almost all their gear looks like it's spent time in a war zone.

Come’on deserves a much more rock sounding name. But, that indie-rock name (and inclusion on the Exclaim! summer sampler) got me to that show, and so whatever flag they have to fly under they should keep flying it. Because they rock. Hard.

Coco Love Alcorn

2007-07-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

WHO: Coco Love Alcorn
WHERE: House Concert
WHEN: June 28/07

It feels like forever since the Coco Love Alcorn experience but the fact that I've made time to listen to her album Sugar three times in the last crazy four days is a sign that I'm onto something really good.

First of all, she performed her Saskatoon show in a house. It was my first house concert, and I can understand why people say they have a hard time going to shows in any other setting after attending a few of these.

She seemed a little out of sorts with being so close to us the audience at first, but after a couple of songs we were all on the same wavelength. Getting to see her perform these songs up close and very personal basically turned me into a fan for life.

The highlights that stick out to me are as follows:

1) Her beautiful tribute to her bicycle.
2) The song Mary Goes Round. Check it out.
3) Her scat solos.
4) Her sweet introduction of her husband, who she married eight months ago, fell passionately in love with instantly and now travels across the country making art projects with.
6) Her "imaginary band." As I listen to the CD, I keep envisioning her up on the little stage, asking us to imagine the band in our head.

Alcorn plans to tour back through Saskatchewan again in the fall. If you are into female jazz singers with powerful voices and an emotional mastery of their music, check her out.

What's up now?

2007-06-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be time for a check-up. While you might think my musical odyssey should be wrapping up right about now, it's not. I've seen 14 + 3 (Julie Doiron, Calvin Johnson, Slow,Down Molasses) + 2 (Antibalas, Mobadass) = 19 artists since last Thursday. In the home stretch I think I'm going to focus on quality rather than quantity. So here is the list thus far, keeping in mind plans often change in rapid fashion:

Coco Love Alcorn
Ndidi Onukwulu
Emm Gryner
The White Stripes

If you've got suggestions for a show that should be checked out, let me know. And then after Sunday night, I'm going to hibernate with a few cups of tea, jazz CDs and a couple of good books. Grandma style.

Antibalas

2007-06-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

WHO: Antibalas
WHERE: Bessborough Gardens
WHEN: June 26/07

So. tired. too much. blogging. Please read someone else's thoughts on the show. Thanks. For my part of the record though, it was fun to dance to, and the crowd had extremely good karma.

Julie Doiron/Calvin Johnson/Slow Down, Molasses

2007-06-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

WHO: Julie Doiron, Calvin Johnson, Slow Down, Molasses
WHERE: Le Relais
WHEN: June 25/07
* photos by Maja Montgomery

Let's start some dialogue, because I didn't like it. Well, to be more accurate, I didn't like 1/3 of it. That third was Calvin Johnson. I didn't do my homework before I went to the show and had no idea what he was doing. My uneducated, visceral reaction was that (keeping in mind I was sitting on the floor, my foot was asleep and I had a migraine) this guy was kind of nuts, everyone was laughing at him nervously and that his voice was atonal and unbearable. Then I read his wikipedia and apparently he's an indie-god in some circles and a prolific and established D-I-Y song-writer and artist. Sorry. I still didn't like it, although I will say that his song-writing is very interesting. Under better circumstances it's something I'd like to spend more time understanding, and when Julie Doiron sang with him, she turned the weirdness into a beautiful song. So that's that. Please tell me why I should have loved him.

As for Julie Doiron, she's definitely a treasure. Her personality on stage is endearing and her voice is beautiful. The show did go on really long, and felt a little self-indulgent at times because of its disorganization. But I think for the audience (most seemed to be big fans) it was a really nice experience to see her so open and up close and sweet. Her songs felt real and true, with a lot of references to snow and cold, her voice practically chilling you with its aching honesty.

Finally, Slow Down, Molasses pleasantly surprised me. They are a band who isn't afraid to play quiet, which takes some guts. It's far easier to just bang loudly on a drum kit, strum some heavy power chords and plunk a three note bass line. I'm sure these guys have spent plenty of time doing just that, but now seem to be progressing to well-rehearsed upwardly mobile level of musicianship. Plus I have a deeply rooted affection for banjoes and lap steel. An ace in my books, I'm continually impressed by the amount of local talent Saskatoon has and this band was no exception.

Holy Mother Mother of a ...

2007-06-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

DANCE PARTY! Okay, so I'll tone down the obnoxious capital letters, but I almost forgot about Friday's Mother Mother show after so much condensed music appreciation.

WHO: Mother Mother
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: June 22/07

This show was very exciting to me. I've had it pencilled into my calender, no make that inked into my calendar in big capital letters for more than a month. Why, you ask? Well because Mother Mother play the catchiest songs, with the craziest hooks and put on a damn good dance party. At times like synthy-dance-pop, at times weirdly folky with a beachy west-coast sentiment, and sometimes just damn good, Mother Mother are becoming one of my favourite bands, if for nothing other than their incredible quirkiness.

They play again at the Regina Folk Festival. I will stalk them - ahem - follow them there. I encourage others to come and enjoy their quirky pop goodness.

Volcanoless In Canada followed Mother Mother. I was going to just chill out, but ended up dancing to this show too. It was odd but fun to hear screamo again. I hadn't since my early-university appreciation of Alexisonfire. This local band is fresh off a NXNE show in Toronto, and sounded pretty good at their Friday performanc.

Cadence Weapon

2007-06-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

WHO: Cadence Weapon w/ DJ Weezil
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: June 26/07

After Herbie Hancock I wanted nothing but more live music. I went to see Cadence Weapon's short but snappy set at Amigo's.

Once again, someone else went to far more work on this particular evening to describe the event far better than I have any desire to right now. Read local indie-rock critic Silas Polkinghorne's review here.

My review? It gets the dance-tastic seal of approval.

Herbie is The Bomb

2007-06-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

WHO: Herbie Hancock
WHEN: Saturday June 23/07
WHERE: Bessborough Gardens (Jazz Fest)

Things are getting a little scattered in blogsville, mostly because there has been an overall overattendance of musical events.

But, I thought Herbie Hancock deserved a BIG mention because of his amazing performance Saturday night. It may just currently reside in my top-3 concerts at the moment, mostly because of the way he brought me to tears playing Maiden Voyage despite the crush of loud people around me, including beard-dude, who I silenced with my evil glare midway through the song.

There are no photos for this event. I wasn't sure what proper festival etiquette would be, so I went sans camera, which is kind of a regret of mine.

For a more cohesive and educated evaluation of the performance, check out local critic Bill Robertson's review of the show.

I'm just glad I got to see such a legend perform in my life time. And he did it all with only three other musicians and no fancy lights, cameras or disco balls. And he had a keytar. Well worth the ticket price, that's for sure.

Jazz Fest

2007-06-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

While I wrap my head around all the music I've seen lately, I thought I'd post an image of the Bessborough Gardens from yesterday. This is what Jazz Fest looks like in Saskatoon. There were more people Saturday and Sunday, but it was cold outside yesterday.

And Shena read my mind...

2007-06-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

WHO: Carolyn Mark
WHAT: Her new album!
After sort of a ho-hum Tuesday, I came home to find the most cheery thing at my doorstep. Mail! And not only was it mail, but it was an envelope addressed to me from the lovely Shena Yoshida at Mint Records.
I've been spending all my money on shows lately, and obtaining new music that doesn't just land itself on my desk during the day (ie. purchasing it) has been slipping a little. So you can imagine my obvious delight when this album was in the envelope I just opened. Carolyn Mark is a recent addition to my list of much-loved female singer-songwriters. I may choose to love this album blindly, or I may write a review, but either way hooray to Shena for saving the day, and providing me so much happiness.

REVIEW: Champion

2007-06-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Champion maestro of techno-funk groove

Jeanette Stewart, The StarPhoenix

Published: Monday, June 25, 2007

Sunday's festivities at the Bessborough Gardens had all the right details -- from the exhuberant high-kicking dancers with incredible stamina, to the small children running across the grass with helium balloons, and the stylish young people out to have a good time.

What Sunday's SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival line-up also offered was a solid day of music, mixing up local acts Tim Vaughn and the Huxxtabulls with db Clifford's funky keyboard pop and Moses Mayes' jazz fusion.

In their second night opening the main stage show, Moses Mayes put on an even more energetic performance than the night before. The audience, obviously willing to get the dance party started in advance of Champion, easily got into the group's funk grooves.

The night was only beginning to cool by the time Champion and his G-Strings began. While a long day of excellent music and plenty of sunshine might have tired out a less-willing crowd, the audience began to pack in close before Champion even arrived on stage.

Champion started to build the suspense immediately with his opening techno loops. A quiet groove established, Champion slowly and patiently built up the energy. A polite mosh pit had begun before the song even crested into its first real wave.

Sporting his trademark thick black frames and clad simply in long shorts and a loose-hooded sweater, Champion began to bounce, conducting his four guitar players who reacted to his hand signals.

Teasing energy out of an oh-so-willing audience, Champion (Maxime Morin) controlled the music with two laptops and a control panel to shift the volume of his techno loops up and down. His guitar and bass players sported the same casual gear -- perhaps a conscious effort to make the performance more about the music than the musicians.

In the throng of people moving easily to the pulsing groove, the energy rushed through the dancing bodies. By the time vocalist Betty Bonifassi began her part, the crowd was in Champion's hands. Outside the dancers, away from the heat created by so many jumping bodies, the people in lawn chairs began to stand, dancing tentatively along.

And this was only the first song. At press time, the sky was only beginning to dim to a dusky blue as the sounds of Champion's unique techno soundscape echoed off the downtown apartment towers.

jstewart@sp.canwest.com

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007

REVIEW: Jon Ballantyne

2007-06-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Ballantyne at ease on his home turf

Jeanette Stewart, The StarPhoenix

Published: Monday, June 25, 2007

Back at home at The Bassment on Friday night, Saskatoon-born Jon Ballantyne played to an intimate and appreciative audience in the venue's first SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival show.

Ballantyne seemed open and at ease among the members of the hometown crowd, displaying the incredible craftsmanship that has led to the now Manhattan-based jazz pianist locking down two Junos -- the most recent netted in an April visit to Saskatoon.

Simply grinning and bowing to the audience between each song, Ballantyne chose to let the piano "do the talking," comfortable in the familiarity of the crowd as he indulged them in more than an hour of performance.

His hands floated high above the keys, touching down deftly to make the instrument respond to his command. Ballantyne can pull the music out of his instrument while seeming to only brush the keys.

He displayed the restraint needed to play slowly and quietly, his hands skimming the keys confidently in long sustained runs up and down the piano. His embellishments spare and well-placed, Ballantyne focused on crafting tonal ideas and beautiful lyrical passages; yet at times he was also brash in his obvious command of the piano, pulling out pulsing bass lines and utilizing the instrument to its full potential in solo performance. Without his usual backing quartet, he was still able to create the interesting dialogue usually provided by several instruments.

Ballantyne closed with a punch, leaving the audience with his version of Thelonious Monk's Mysterioso. Lightning quick, his right hand ripped up and down the keyboard in tight chromatic lines as his left hand provided the rolling bass.

The Bassment proved a great venue to showcase Ballantyne's skills. The audience sat near the gleaming piano, watching his hands skim over his instrument as a single drop of sweat formed at his temple. Dim lighting and the flicker of candlelight created a quiet ambiance and intimacy. Not only could you hear Ballantyne breathing in tandem with his phrasing, but the audience reaction was also audible. Along with the clinking ice in glasses and the popping of blister packs of gum came one or two appreciative "wows" after almost every piece.

Local opening act The Bachelors of Music warmed up the audience with a varied set list, opening with a tight swing and closing with a looser funk. The group consisted of Brett Balon on keys, Matt Lucuik on trumpet, Paul Suchan on tenor sax, Graham Pritchard on guitar, Dave Anderson on bass and Roger Mercier on drums.

jstewart@sp.canwest.com

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007

Overload

2007-06-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

So here's the rundown. Plans have changed and shifted, and the ultimate power music weekend will now end after the White Stripes concert July 1st. More opinions and some pictures should appear in the next little while. Four days down. Seven to go. Artists seen:

Tim McGraw
Faith Hill
Lori McKenna
Jon Ballantyne
Mother Mother
Volcanoless In Canada
Moses Mayes
Herbie Hancock
Cadence Weapon
The Rebellion
Tim Vaughn
The Huxxtabulls
db Clifford
Champion

I need sleep.

Ultimate Power Music Weekend Approaches

2007-06-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

Fueled by sugar-free red bulls and an insatiable thirst for live music, I will soon be embarking on a journey of music appreciation that knows no bounds.

Ten shows in nine days. Pure musical gluttony of the utmost variety:

Tim McGraw/Faith Hill
Jon Ballantyne
Mother Mother
Herbie Hancock
Christine Jensen
Champion
Julie Doiron
Antibalas
Coco Love Alcorn
Oral Fuentes

Reviews/pictures/love-ups will follow soon.

Jiminy Cricket

2007-06-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was at Lydia's and saw Jiminy play, almost by accident as I was going to leave but stayed until they were done their mini-set.

Someone should really pay these dudes (and girl) to play somewhere. Their sound was impressively dance-able and high caliber for the open mic stage.

I'll check them out again and you should too.

Cracker Cats

2007-06-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

WHO: The Cracker Cats
WHERE: Underdog Music
WHEN: June 16/07

There is something so freakin' cool about the Cracker Cats. Maybe it's the fact that they unabashedly play bluegrass, cradle mandolins and banjoes and yet still rock out like all good bands should.

They have such an authentic quality about them - pulling up to Underdog slightly late in a beat up station wagon and then neglecting to plug the parking meter, asking an audience member to do it for them when the parking meter dude interrupts the performance to ticket them.

Their three-part harmonies can induce lumps in the throat and put a huge smile on your face. The audience ranged from 20-somethings to an old man on a bicycle who yelled at them to kick it up a notch. Like a far cooler version of the Dixie Chicks, the Cracker Cats kick ass.

Rebekah Higgs

2007-06-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

WHO: Rebekah Higgs
WHERE: Amigo's
WHEN: June 15/07

Rebekah Higgs could do great things if she doesn't mind spending a few more years plugging away at underattended shows. Most of the crowd split after Aucoin played his mind-numbing set, which is unfortunate because Higgs has a charming sparkle that deserves more listeners.

Her current album is a short, sweet and sincere set of love songs, which were good live, except for what seemed like an over-use of an effects microphone.

What was kind of cool is that Higgs went to high school in Saskatchewan, even though she hails from Halifax. There were a few of her Caronport alum out in the crowd to see her, and stayed all the way through the extremely late start, interested in seeing a former classmate try her hand at the music biz.

Friday Night Crazy

2007-06-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Who: Rich Aucoin
Where: Amigo's
When: June 15/07

Aucoin is biking through Canada dressed as the grinch. It's earning him a lot of press for his album, which synchs up to How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It's also one of the weirdest things I've ever seen/heard, capped off by Aucoin cutting off a handful of his hair to make a statement about cancer research.

Unfortunately the music was too mellow and I actually started to fall asleep. The whole show is more likely enjoyable in a home setting, watching the film up close instead of on a projector. A little too low key for a Friday really.

Chris Velan

2007-06-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

Who: Chris Velan
Where: Lydia's
When: June 14/07

Velan started off slow but things got infinitely better once the patchouli people arrived to dance barefoot.

At first I felt bad for Velan as the crowd talked over him.

But things got better. The first song had only one loop. By the end of the second set, he was throwing in multiple loops, layering tracks - turning himself into a veritable one-man electrical band.

What’s great about him is his back story. He worked in Africa, making a documentary about The Refugee All Stars (No, not the Fugees). The music found him, and he came back to Canada, inspired by the the sounds of Africa.

So now he tours club to club. I don’t know if it’s a happy life, but he retreated into himself when no one was listening, and looked out when people were dancing.

Velan makes fun music. The most mainstream comparisons I know are Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. I could imagine him jamming out with the pair on some beach somewhere.

If we were friends, I’d bring him to every campfire possible. He’d be such a hit, with or without his loops.

This Blog is Experiencing Technical Difficulties

2007-06-18T23:27:00.000-07:00

Or more like, my dying computer is rejecting blogger.com. I have a backlog of pictures ready to share, but an extremely uncooperative computer will not let that happen.

Apologies.

Musical Candy

2007-06-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

RIHANNA: Good Girl Gone Bad

I have Rihanna on my iPod. I love it.

Today I was listening to it while riding home from work, in need of a little musical cheer.

Sometimes, all a person really wants to listen to is something sweet, highly produced, and easy to digest.

It's the type of thing I'd usually take pot shots at, but I don't want to. Sometimes it's good not to be challenged.

Megan Lane

2007-06-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

After two bands at Amigo’s and two 7-11 taquitos on Friday night, we were still not completely satiated, so we went over to Lydia’s where Megan Lane was still rocking out.

Lane is incredible. I have never heard a woman play guitar like she does in person. I adored Bonnie Raitt when I was younger, and now I adore Megan Lane. This is the second time I’ve seen her, and even though it was only a couple songs, it was still awesome.

She didn’t stop playing until after the lights had gone up and they literally had to shut her down. And, like last time, I danced around and sang Get Up (Sex Machine) for the rest of the weekend.

Maybe Smith: On Tour

2007-06-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

WHO: Maybe Smith
WHERE: Amigo’s
WHEN: June 8/07

Colin Skrapek’s (aka. Maybe Smith) magnetic stage presence is undeniable. While checking out the crowd I heard at least two clusters of girls turn to each other and go “I love him” with shiny wet doe eyes.

Skrapek has that lead singer quality, the charisma. The stage magnet. His voice raises all sorts of comparisons to all sorts of credible singers, yet he is unique. He conducts the band along with him, sometimes you could feel his energy literally driving them along, steering them through the music and pushing them harder. He puts his all into the performance, at one point banging two mallets on a drum, singing and sweating so hard it was literally flying off his face.

And then in Peter Parker fashion, Skrapek comes off the stage and puts his glasses on. He’s soft spoken and extremely nice.

CBC Radio 3’s Grant Lawrence recently hosted a podcast called “Saskatoon Secret,” in which they unveiled Maybe Smith as the next big thing, an unsigned treasure soon to break it big. Whether or not that happens might depend on who Skrapek finds to steer through his songs. While the show had lots of energy, there is no denying Skrapek is the main attraction.

Maybe Smith and Carbon Dating Service will tour across Canada from June until August, with a stop at O’Hanlons in Regina on June 29 and a possible Ness Creek appearance July 19. Maybe Smith also plays the Regina Folk Festival in August.

For a reference point to Maybe Smith, check out his myspace and listen to the song Open War. www.myspace.com/maybesmith. Clap along.

Carbon Dating Service

2007-06-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

WHO: Carbon Dating Service
WHERE: Amigo’s
WHEN: June 8/07

One of my friends said “they should have called this band Band Practice.” Ouch. I think she was referring to the huge numbers of musicians in the band rather than the need for polishing. I think.

This band seems to be an incestuous combination of a couple Saskatoon groups. I’m too new to know who everyone is, but that’s the vibe I got, especially after most of the band just stayed on stage to play with Maybe Smith.

A mash up of eight different players, the list of instruments included a horn section, harp, the standard guitars, keyboards, a zylophone, a fiddle, many singers who then played instruments who then switched with other people and played different instruments. I’m not sure if so much versatility is a good thing.

Bottom line is, they had the sort of Broken Social Scene sound that made that group and other groups with similar sounding names really popular during the rise of boy/girl lead singer combo indie bands. I’m not sure how much longer the public’s musical palate will be attuned to such collaborations before they will demand something fresh and mind-blowing. It was a fun show, and if Carbon Dating Service had done it first, I’d be singing their praises. But, I’m tempering my opinion because, well, it's been done before.

I Like The Flu

2007-06-10T23:14:00.000-07:00

I love buskers, especially the ones with even a smidgen of talent. Okay, there’s this guy on Broadway who just strums the strings of a beat up acoustic guitar really aggressively and yells swear words and I love him too.

The point of this is, is that I saw a bunch of kids setting up instruments across the street from the Bessborough Hotel on Friday at lunch time. I probably wouldn’t have waited through their set-up except for the fact that the double bass player was a good foot and a half shorter than his instrument and I wanted to see what was going to happen.

Well after the lead guitarist noodled his way through a Guns N’Roses song in the sound check, the band played some jazz. It was fun, the bystanders clapped, the sun shone and someone threw a five in the open guitar case. Everyone wins.

The manager/adult with the group said they are all in high school (except for the bass player, who is in grade 6) and play lots of gigs around town.

The point of this is, is that groups like The Flu make Saskatoon into a fun city to live in, and gives it a little bit of a big city vibe. More Flu please.

Skinnamarinkydinkydink, skinnamarkinkydoo

2007-06-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

I spent quite a bit of time at the children’s festival last week. It was awesome.

People who entertain children for a living have a really tough job. It seems like an isolating profession. While playing for drunks in a bar is one thing, at least drunks dance if there is something even remotely close to a beat. And they will come give you high fives after the show. Imagine trying to entertain a crowd of squirming five-year-olds with only a guitar. Sharon and Bram can.

Yes, the Sharon and Bram of Sharon, Lois and Bram. Lois is retired.

The pair hokey-pokied it old-school in Saskatoon last week. It was a blast from my childhood, and I made the mistake of sitting in the second row so I sort of felt compelled to perform all the actions – which I remembered. I probably had the biggest goofiest grin on my face, and looking around I think all the parents in the room were also having as much fun (or more) as their kids were.

Sharon and Bram deserve more credit than they get. Their songs are legendary, they have sold four million records, and they can still pack a tent full of five-year-olds 30 years after they started entertaining. It’s like the Rolling Stones, but for small children.

Jordan Trask

2007-06-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

WHO: Jordan Trask
WHERE: Played with Wine @ Amigo's
WHEN: June 2/07

Trask is an awesome drummer. He usually plays with local blues-rock guitar goddess Megan Lane, but apparently moonlights for the hip hop group. His beats really drove the performance Saturday... and he does a pretty stellar job when he plays with Lane too.

Hip-Hop Debauchery

2007-06-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

WHO: Wine (LEO37 & Al Buddy Black)
Magnolius (Liquid Serebral & Dexter Noizulli)
Abyss ... dudes from Smokestack

WHERE: Amigos
WHEN: June 2/07

This night wasn't originally intended to go on the blog, but because the show was so awesome I thought it deserved a spot. With the help of star photographer Maja Montgomery and her ubiquitous camera, I am able to recapture the evening for your viewing pleasure.

* All photos courtesy Maja Montgomery

Wine (Al Buddy Black and LEO37)

Liquid Serebral

Dexter Noizulli

Ladyhawk

2007-06-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

(May 28/07, Amigos)

Don’t immediately discredit me, but I went into the Ladyhawk show blind, or more appropriately, largely unfamiliar with their music. A friend at work told me they were "so good," then couldn’t go to the show. I found someone else to go with, and am glad I did, if for nothing else than something to do on a Monday.

The sound was refreshing - good rock music without being too mellow or too weird or too cookie cutter. The rock part was solidly there, with driving melodic bass lines from up-front and out there bassist Sean Hawryluk and steady beats from Ryan Peters. The pair were completely in sync for the whole show. Much appreciated.

The band was in town for the Dinosaur Jr. gig the night before and gave a shout-out to the now reunited mid-90s alt rock group. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to consider Ladyhawk a descendent, especially with singer Duffy Driediger’s vocal delivery often resembling J Mascis’ pleading tone.

Ladyhawk got two encores at Amigo’s, a first for the band, we were told. Not sure if they were deserved, but the chant “back to work” would likely shame any honest musician into trying to eke out one more song.

Good show. I’d go see them again in a year or so, and I’ll likely buy their album when I’m in the right mood. Well played Ladyhawk, for a Monday.