Whale Tooth Free For All (Jimmy Jazz 6/17/10)

Whale Tooth had to compete with NBA Finals, Game 7, 4th Quarter and did a respectable job of it. Despite my split attention I can recall the five piece putting on a catchy set. The front woman was dressed in hipster vogue yet had a pop-friendly voice with a classic sound I couldn't quite place, but it was complimented well by the occasional male vocals. Not only that but she was an animated dancer, rivaling the drummer in that regard, though he gets respect for doing it while sitting behind a drum set. The five piece actually broke from their quick and catchy tunes for an extended dance breakdown in one of the tunes, that had both the band and the crowd moving. Their triumph on stage almost evened out the disappointment of another Lakers championship.

Jimmy Jazz may not always be the most happening bar on the block but when they're hosting local bands things change. Tonight was no exception as the young Guelphites kept streaming through the door to see the latest from Dancehall Free For All. They've been bringing their danceable mish-mash of genres to the masses since high school and have no signs of stopping. Having made two albums already, a self-titled and last year's 9-5 Lives, this show saw them back with yet another soon-to-be-released disc. The six young men were dressed to the nines, complete with skinny ties, while playing a bunch of new tunes, which obviously did not yet have the crowd recognition but went over okay nonetheless. As the set progressed they did add in some old faves and a cover too but the biggest reaction must have been for the guest rapper. At first I thought he was a punk messing with their mic but soon realized he was welcomed by the band as he spit a mostly unintelligible (for the sound) verse over some Dancehall instrumental doodling. After his departure they did a handful more, including one of the more difficult attempted singalongs I've heard. Tossed in for good measure was a drum, to bass to keyboard solo while the sax and horn section deserve mention. To round out the sextet props to the guitarist, as well as the leader - the man with the voice. It was a slightly underwhelming set when compared only to previously great DFFA gigs. Their closer saw their rapping friend come back up for a chilled out reggae-style song before an additional encore offering finished off the night.