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

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

NO SHAME is an independent music series in Toronto that puts the talent first. This isn’t about making money, it is about exposing up-and-coming acts that are making a name for themselves on the indie circuit. NO SHAME have been one of the largest advocates for indie talent and we are very excited and proud to announce their 100th showcase at the Horseshoe this Friday, September 18th with live performances by Green Go, Ruby Coast, Pick a Piper and The Skeletons Four. Founder Lauren Schreiber has been the driving force behind this concert series and is a firm believer in promoting local talent. As a huge thank you to everyone that has supported NO SHAME over these past 100 shows we have two tickets to give away, as well as a copy of Green Go’s album Borders.

To win No Borders and two tickets to Friday’s show please email concerts@iheartthemusic.com with your name and number and we will pick a winner on Thursday!

“NO SHAME strives to present bands that are passionate, innovative, creative, thought provoking and fun; and often all of the above. NO SHAME strives to present the best local artists, the best up and coming artists, and the best long-overlooked artists. NO SHAME seeks to be non-discriminate; every genre is welcome, and if you have something to say and you can say it well, you will always have a place here. Thanks to everyone who has made NO SHAME a success thus far.”

-Lauren Schreiber

Green Go have built up quite a reputation as the house-party-destroyer, terrorizing neighbours all across Ontario. That rep is hard to build, and twice as hard to keep up, however, the release of their full-length album, Borders, and their release party at Wrongbar let them confidently plant their flag, solidifying themselves as the young ones your parents told you not to play with. Before the night began, iheartthemusic met with lead singers Fez and Jessica backstage at Wrongbar to ask a few questions and to shine some light on the band that’s making waves in Toronto.

iheartthemusic: You guys are part of this new disco movement that’s been emerging as of late, is this something you set out to do or did it just happen?

Fez: For me, it was something I was excited about. I remember hearing The Rapture for the first time and thinking, “Wow, their live show must be a big dance party.” But I think it’s more about taking from bands that just like to get people moving.

Jess: We don’t really set out to have a specific sound; we never started with that. We just started writing, Fez and I, and that’s just what came out of us. Now as a 5-piece, we still write what we like – there’s no… trying to capture a certain sound. We’ll maybe hear different songs from different bands, and we are definitely influenced by our peers, but we still try to add our own touch to it.

iheartthemusic: Speaking of your peers, you guys did your remix project in February, and took a bunch of artists that don’t usually get remixed. How important was it for you guys to move away from the bands that seem to usually get that treatment?

Jess: It wasn’t really about that. It was more about taking our friends’ music and putting our spin on it as a tribute to them because we love their music so much. So it was about taking music that we admire and just having fun with it.

Fez: I mean, everyone remixes all those big bands, so what’s the point?

Jess: And taking something like The D’Urbervilles and turning that into a club mix – since we’re such good friends, it’s like why not bring them into the club scene?

iheartthemusic: A lot of bands have trouble turning their live presence into something equal on record, but you guys did a really good job of that on Borders. Was it hard to do?

Jess: It wasn’t really. We had to think about it, like we had to be able to translate our live show. We made some changes to the way it was recorded so we could capture that raw, basement sound as much as possible.

Fez: Just trying to get more of a live sound, to have a bit of that imperfection.

iheartthemusic: It adds character.

Fez: Yeah.

iheartthemusic: And some of the songs have been in the works for a while?

Fez: Oh yeah. They’ve been recorded in different ways in the past, but I guess now we see that the new recordings were the way they were meant to be. It’s taken a long time to get those songs to that point.

iheartthemusic: One last question – Green Go’s 5-year plan?

Fez: Umm, still be a band 5 years from now? [Laughs] That would be amazing.

Jess: We’ll see what happens with this release, but I want to be playing music with these people for as long as possible. We’ve only just scratched the surface, and there is a bit of pressure taken off now that we have some people we work with who will help us. That is really important so that we can be musicians instead of being managers and booking agents and publicists all at once; we can focus on what we’re supposed to be doing. So hopefully more shows, more touring, and more fun – more partying. [Laughs] I’m not done yet.

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Following a couple of stellar opening sets by Everything All The Time and The Magic came the act that 300 people came to see. Green Go took the stage with a confidence that most bands can only aspire to gain. Breezing through tracks off Borders, it was clear that these fresh-faced kids were vets; turning their live performance into a party in its purest sense. No restraint, no qualms, just a dance party that the crowd were eating it up, singing along to faves like “Brains For Breakfast” and “Cash Money Gremlins.” Their elongated instrumental jams were enough to rest your vocal chords before the next hook, and more than enough to turn those who doubted the Guelph, ON natives into those forking over some cash at the merch table. Even busting out a new song (which is a make-or-break thing for most bands) drew cheers and a clap-along that had most people wondering what b-side that track was on.

A release party couldn’t go any better: a sold-out crowd and a bunch of happy, dehydrated fans are all a band could ask for. If you haven’t seen Green Go live, do it. Seriously – go. See them before they hit the big stage, and enjoy the up-close-and-personal experience that few bands can offer, let alone perfect. Guess those house parties really paid off.

interviewed and reported by Sebastian Galvez

photos provided by Amy Young

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