I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

With an audience where only the fans in the front row knew them well enough to sing along, Yukon Blonde was one of those delicious surprises that only a music festival like CMF can serve up on an (almost) otherwise tasteless platter. They captured everybody’s attention faster than you can say “record deal”. Both the roaring crowd and this fresh, 6-piece, Kelowna-grown band were in utter jollification singing and dancing along to the guitar-based, harmonics-infused, feel-good-about-life music. Keep an eye out for these guys….

All hail the front woman! The Balconies: finally an act with a chick leading the dicks! Though they suffered some technical difficulties, some even from rookie mistakes (wonky duct-taped mics, occasionally inaudible vocals, and some missed cues), give them some time to tighten up live, and The Balconies could become ubiquitous. Jacquie Neville who fronts – and demolishes – the rest of this 3-piece pack matches her killer voice with hard as hell baselines, and a mélange of grunge, punk power pop. Throw in some edgy attitude and a little demonic subtext, and The Balconies could corrupt even the sweetest of Susie Q’s. But it is fun music – never serious – making their performance all the more inclusive, and a must-see.

Next up were the boys from The Wooden Sky. Only one or two songs in their entire 9-song set did I actually recognize as being The Wooden Sky that I knew. Gone were the velvety soft melodies and tender-hearted vocals of their latest album, favoured was a performance driven by heavy folk rock. Gavin Gardener began the set outfitted as your typical hipster country bumpkin, only to rip off his glasses and tear away the plaid and carry the rest of the hardcore folk set in a dirty, over-sized beater. Surprisingly lacking in texture, this fast-paced performance of screaming vocals and hard-working instrumentals was nonetheless unapologetic, showcasing an alter-ego, an unfamiliar layer of the band’s meaty musical personality.

Two Hours Traffic held the prime set spot, but didn’t deserve it. Indeed, their wimpy pop sound, their conservative and uninspiring stage presence, their stale riffs and processed arrangements, and Liam Corcoran’s baseless vocals were all a disappointment for a billowing crowd awaiting their arrival. Traffic barely received a quarter of the response that (far lesser known) Yukon Blonde and The Balconies garnered. Re-affirming the age-old argument that there can be a negative correlation between talent and popularity- Two Hours Traffic sucked.

Although the crowd thinned out after Two Hours Traffic, spirits seemed to have lifted once The Junction hit the stage. Though the two bands share some musical characteristics, there are important differences that favour the latter. The Junction has way more edge, harder riffs, and what looks like a genuine desire to be on stage. A definite product of The Strokes/Killers/Kooks musical generation, The Junction perform with a refreshing sense of light-hearted humility. They are nevertheless a little predictable, and their sound a little “been there, done that”, so give the album a good listen before venturing out to their live show.

as reviewed by Brittany Smith

photography provided by Nancy Kim

Everybody was excited for CHARTattack’s CMF showcase on Thursday night at the Horseshoe, and for good reason. Whipping together some of the best raw talent that Canadian music has to offer, the night consisted of performances by Magneta Lane, Amos The Transparent, Green Go, Hollerado, The Besnard Lakes, Great Bloomers and Arietta. It was a palpable plethora of the many shades of the indie music scene and (luckily) they all basked in the bright light of victory that night.

Amos The Transparent took to the stage first (we missed openers Magneta Lane). Here is a mid-level indie band capturing the hearts of audiences everywhere, probably because they play with so much of it. Kicking off their set with “Catch and Release”, you couldn’t help but venture to the pit in want of becoming part of this 6-member musical family. Going back and forth between their traditionally slower, almost emo-pop sound, to lengthened bridges and intensified jam sessions, Amos’ live performance is filled with nice surprises; layers of sound, beautifully held harmonies, pan-band vocals, call and answer sequences with the crowd, and even friendly sing-a-longs onstage with friends as seen during the tail end of “Greater than Consequence”, creating one of those inexplicable, tingly concert moments.

I don’t even want to review Green Go. I just want you to go see them, and by the looks of the audience, so do they! This electro-pop dance party machine is meant for the stage. Even the most brooding of hippies awaiting The Besnard Lakes couldn’t help but bust a move – no matter how teeny it was. A decidedly awesome, pumped up mix (think Arcade Fire meets Talking Heads meets Fujiya and Miyagi), Green Go has excavated their own super sound through duet-styled vocals, tons of synth, commanding lyrics, undeniable creativity, and a full band behind ‘em- including a really, really tight drummer. Turning the mainstream into electro (even the haters) one audience at a time.

Hollerado came out like fire with front-man, Menno busting out the windmill and immediately declaring “I’m outta tune and I fucking love it!”.  Their energy un-chartable, the drum solos possibly un-re-creatable, the fist pumps from the audience definitely un-stoppable, Hollerado make a sledgehammer to the head feel like a walk in the park. With hard riffs, incredible pace, tons of sweat, they still manage to deliver catchy melodies which, coupled with their straightforward lyrics, make sing-alongs and clapping sequences possible. These guys define power pop. The only thing missing were the drunk, shirtless babes whipping their sweaty bras on stage. The album does not do justice to the spectacle that is Hollerado. Go see them. Oh yeah, and the lead singer horked on himself.

The Besnard Lakes were next on the bill. Not much to say that hasn’t already been said about them, however the crowd appeared to dwindle a bit once they hit the stage..??

**this is the point where our photographer’s camera died. Sorry!**

Great Bloomers are hard to pigeon-hole. Not your typical country, rock or even alt folk, but rather a little of each. Throw in the piano and some beautifully-crafted melodies, mix in the refreshing hooks and the 5-member harmonies, add a little orchestral twang, and a pinch of grit of and you’ve got a splendid musical salad perfect for those interested in feeling good while digesting. From songs of foot-stomping quality (“Speak of Trouble”) to sounds reminiscent of old Broken Social Scene (“This Aint You”) but with stronger vocals, Great Bloomers are a band you’ll want to see again and again. Even though the crowd thinned out before their set began, both the remaining fans and the band fed off of this more intimate, highly pleasurable atmosphere.

As reviewed by Brittany Smith

photography provided by Renee Rodenkirchen

Saturday, February 20th was “Alt Country Rock’N'Roll” night at The Horseshoe and on the bill were four local indie acts: Golden Hands Before God, The Diableros, The Schomber Fair and La Casa Muerte. We missed out on watching openers Golden Hands Before God (sorry fans!) but having previously  heard great things about The Diableros, we decided to venture out early to see if we could catch their set. Having only briefly listened to a few of their tunes on their MySpace page prior to the show, we actually arrived at The Horseshoe somewhat excited to see the live version. We got there just in time to witness five guys on stage setting up their instruments. After grabbing a beer or two, they finally began to play and play they did, but with absolutely NO enthusiasm. They each knew their individual parts well; strumming the guitar and hitting notes on the keys, however this was done with no passion or what appaeared to be any pleasure. Not one of them even cracked a smile during their entire forty five minute performance.

We didn’t get a chance to grab their set list, so it is hard to comment on individual songs, but honestly that didn’t even matter as watching them was THAT painful. The crowd seemed to mimic our sentiments as a few swayed trans-like to the beat of the song and the rest resorted to the bar. A few drinks were what you seemed to need to get through this performance. All wasn’t lost though, the drummer was actually great and eventually started to pull the attention away from the rest of the band.  He was hitting those drums with such enthusiasm and gusto as if he also knew how boring upfront was and therefore tried to make up for it! My verdict? Buy the album, avoid the show.

Next on the bill were bluegrass alt rockers The Schomberg Fair. We were pretty excited for them to take to the stage and relieve us from the comma we were in and they didn’t disappoint. They came on stage and literally rocked the house opening their set with “Angels Wings”; a fast paced song that appears on their latest album Gospel. This song literally begins and ends with a bang with lead vocalist Matt showing off his banjo skills. These guys just really know how to put on a show, and with tons of experience and tours under their belt, it really becomes a treat for those able to catch them live. One thing that really struck me was the contrast between lead vocalist’s Matt and bassist Nathan’s voices. Nathan, or Nate rather, has a voice that literally sounds like the instrument that he plays and when they sang in unison it actually created the most amazing sound that is uniquely their own. From beginning to end the crowd were either singing along or dancing- two key reactions that any musician would hope for.  My verdict? Buy the album AND see the show!

The Schomberg Fair play CMW on March 13th @ Sneaky Dee’s.

photography provided by Nancy Kim.

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