Billy Talent III - One thing about this Ben Kowalewicz rock group is that they are unwavering in their sound. BTIII sounds much like BTI (and BTII for that matter) but since they charged out of the gate at such high quality they left themselves less room for improvement. This is not a criticism, in fact I am still a fan of the new music despite my tastes changing since that original album (was that back in high school? sheesh). In subtle ways they've polished their chops and honed their songwriting, and the lyrics have consistently told a strong story - from Standing in the Rain to the new The Dead Can't Testify. If the crowd (that I read about) at Edgefest is any testiment to Billy Talent remaining relevant, they have no need to reinvent their sound, this is just fine.
Alexisonfire Old Crows, Young Cardinals - Disclaimer: This is based on one quick listen through my sh*tty laptop speakers. That said, the previous albums had improved from one to the next in my opinion though some fans of hardcore music would disagree with me, but I liked the increased melody and decreased "Ra Raaa". In fact, Crisis even came in at the top of my year-end list when it was released back in '06. I'd heard the vocal dynamic had changed even further on this album, and though it will take a more thorough listen to distinguish all of this my first impressions are that something has changed. In no means does it sound bad, but I wasn't taken by any of tunes in the first go-round. They've earned my benefit of the doubt so I'm going to spend some time with this in the days to come. (Update: First track in through headphones this time and I'm already enjoying it more)
Dancehall Free For All 9-5 - This young sextet burst out of the Guelph high school scene a few years back with a brass section, pop sensibility and unbridled enthusiasm - wowing crowds in order to earn a Hillside up & comer spot which allowed them to win over even more. The first EP was short and sweet and managed to capture most of that live energy. On the second album things haven't let up a whole lot, though the songwriting has seemed to mature just as quickly as 18 year olds do. Again they are brief (9 tracks, clocking in under 27 minutes) but the tunes are still catchy, and fleshed out musically now that they have had some time and experience under their belts. Perhaps it is toned down slightly in terms of poppiness, but there is much more lying underneath to make up for it.
Hayden The Place Where We Lived - This one is really cursory since I listened to it once, while traveling and wasn't paying particularly close attention. However nothing grabbed my ear throughout, not even in a haunting or lovely way as Hayden is capable of. I've read this is a breakup album that is more pop than most of Hayden's previous work, and so far it isn't stacking up to even his latest release of just last year In Field and Town. He is a grower though, hopefully this one can grow on me too.
Bidiniband The Land Is Wild- The effort from former Rheostatic Dave Bidini. Not sure he's going to carve out enough of a name for himself with this effort to lose the Rheo precursor but this is an entirely listenable disc. The eight-minute How Zeke Roberts Died caught my attention with its story. Song Ain't Any Good is somewhat true in its statement musically, but is interesting enough to stand out. I'll give it a couple more spins to see if there are any more keepers.
The Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca - That Stillness is the Move song is flippin great. There are a couple more tunes I like from this album, but after that one being the leadoff that I'd heard I had high high hopes and it couldn't quite live up. Ah well, I'll take one great song anyday, the other decent ones are a bonus.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
First Impressions of Alexis, Bidini, Billy, Dancehall, Dirty, and Hayden
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Alexis the Second
Johnny Truant crashed through what sounded to me like a very similar set to the show at Guelph the week previous. Even with some familiarity to their material I'm still not totally won over, but that is probably just because I'm no longer into the metal-scream scene much at all these days. Instead of getting the guys to turn to their female friends this time and tell them what relations would inevitably be happening between them sometime over the next four years of university he reversed the gender roles at this show. Otherwise it was another solid set that probably won over a number of fans.
Alexis came out to a raucous crowd - especially considering the small size of the venue, or perhaps that added to it by reverberating the energy off of the low ceiling and close walls back at the crowd and the band. George said that it was the best show they'd played all tour (and it was the final night of the tour!) and he probably wasn't just playing to the crowd. The bodysurfing left a bunch of people on stage since there was practically no gap and this allowed George to not only take a guy's bandanna before tossing him onto the sea of hands, but also to pick a girl right up and chuck her at the low over hanging ceiling. It was a scary sight and you could see the shock on Dallas' face when it happened. After the song Dallas joked that she was dead until her friends and her made it clear that she'd survived the crash. George promised her anything from the merch table if she decided not to sue them. It was a funny scene.
We'd heard beforehand that soundcheck had been cut short since Dallas' voice had been paining him and it was apparent in a few of the songs as he refused to hit the higher notes, and sometimes trailed off to allow the crowd to fill in the words. It was a valiant effort though and during the closer, again Happiness by the Kilowatt, he carried on (and also dropped the Constantines lyrics - mustn't have just been a Guelph shout out).
Though the setlist was mostly (if not entirely) the same, the order had been changed up except for the show closer, and the encore. Accidents this time was a family affair as all of Johnny Truant could be seen onstage, and offstage, on top of the crowd, as there was quite a bit of stagediving. In fact Kenny from Moneen again was invited onstage, this time for the encore, and ended up surfing while singing, and nearly pulling some raised scaffolding off of the roof and down onto the crowd. As an observer from the back it was a tense moment though I imagine Kenny, the band and the mosh pit were oblivious to the near destruction. It was a fitting ending to what appeared to be a rocking tour from the two shows I'd taken in.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Alexis O-week Fire
Johnny Truant were a brash metal band from the UK, that cursed and ripped through a decent set. They were pure screaming, though not screamo, tending towards classic metal stylings with a side of thrash. The shirtless frosh in the pit certainly enjoyed it, though the well-dressed timid girls in front of me didn't really know what to do with themselves. Dallas checked them out behind me until getting swarmed by girls, and Wade hopped on stage to rasp through a song with them as well.
After some disappointing showings from UoG frosh/crowds in recent years (such as the Moneen/Silverstein show with <100 people a few years back) I was impressed to see the gym rather full with rabid Alexis fans. The bands seemed to appreciate this and played off of it. Plus when I go to AoF again on Monday in Waterloo i shouldn't hear "you guys are so much better than those aggies down the road at Guelph."
Alexis opened with the Crisis opener, Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints which I believe I remarked on after their last show since that opening line of "This is from our hearts - sincerity over simple chords. It's a long time coming when you're givin' it everything" is a great opening statement. They were as tight as ever - playing the vast majority of Crisis actually with Boiled Frogs and Mailbox Arson being some standouts. Naturally there was the crowd-pleasing .44 Calibre Love Letter (straight from my heart!) and a smattering of older tunes throughout. I'd noticed that the guitar tech setting up the stage looked really familiar and my suspicions were verified when they asked Kenny Bridges of Moneen to join them onstage for a song (and AoF tune). Exciting news is that they are working on a brand new album and they busted their way through a couple new tunes from that. The first was rather screamy, call and response chorus that featured mostly George screaming. The latter allowed Dallas to showcase his vocals at points while keeping the energy up. Seems that the follow up to Crisis has promise - and I can only hope that it is on par. During one of the songs Dallas dropped an ode to Guelph by including a verse from the local faves the Constantines - "years from now, they will make water". They closed the set with Happiness by the Kilowatt which didn't seem like a suitable ending to me. Luckily they came back for an 8-minute jazz encore. At least that was the joke before ripping into a satisfying rendition of Accidents.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
More Beer, Less Pants!
Cutting Edge music festival - Grand Bend
Concert, camping (campcert) and drag racing.
After a gorgeously lazy day, biking down to the park and reading/napping in the shade of a tree Sonya picked me up and we began our journey to musical sanctuary. A couple hours and some livestock/graveyard driving game later we pull up to what we see will be an absolute gongshow. There are 700+ tents by our conservative estimate in a giant field. It's only 6pm but we already see people everywhere. Picking our way through we see a giant slingshot bombing people 3 rows over with water balloons, we are asked if we're drunk yet and see all sorts of other shenanigans and people running about semi-clothed and everyone with a drink in hand. Finding a relatively quiet corner we set our tent up in the wind and wander about to check out the grounds.
The Reason are on first and play some fun and slightly poppy but still respectable punk. Sonya loves them, i think they are decent and we head back to our site for a drink. All weekend there is just the one stage and usually about 20 to 30 mins between bands, just enough time to make the 5 minute walk back to the tent, have a drink, and then walk back for the next act - a regiment we followed for most of the weekend.
Next up are Ill Scarlett who bring "the reggae the rock and the ska punk and dub." They're fun and upbeat and got the reggae vibe at times.. the small frontman packs a punch, and the dred-locked guitarist is the visible reggae inspiration. They play an energy-packed set that the crowd lovingly appreciates. Finishing with smoke-em-if-you-got-em "Mary Jane." but disappointingly not playing "life of a soldier" :(
This time back at the tent some of our neighbours are sitting about so we join this mixed group of about 6 or 8 guys for a bit of a chat and drink. Back for the night-closers, Moneen. The crowd is perhaps half the size of Ill Scarlett's but they rock every bit as hard, in fact much harder. they absolutely rip on those guitars, trying to shred my face off and doing a damn good job. the sound is spectacular from the front row and i join the mosh pit for personal fave "are we really happy with who we are right now?" and then for some other songs that went over so well. ("Passing America", and the final tune "Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do.") The singer sings from on top of the crowd, standing-surfing style and then climbs up on the speakers while another member does the same before crashing back to the stage in unison. Quite a spectacle and it is incomprehensible how small the crowd was, considering these guys have been busting out this kind of energy at their shows for years.
It's about midnight now and Sonya and I walk back to the tent a lil drunk and we have another drink, while wandering about checking everything out. We come across a few fires (despite the full-out ban in the county) and chat the fire-tenders up. Play some drunk football in one of the aisles and just take in the scene of punkers getting their drink on. (and a fight rolls up on the side of our tent at one point)
I head out to the parking lot to grab more drinks and on my way back stop at the dance tent. Honestly these guys just brought their own gear and are mixing a sick dance party for a horde of people who are just loving it. i don't partake but smile broadly as i walk by. back at the fire there are a few cute girls hanging about and debating (Old School vs. Anchorman etc) and just loving life. A few more trips around the campground and a visit from (honestly) super-cool security who tell us we can keep our fire as long as we keep it small. People start to disperse as it's after 5am now and I don't even know how that happened but I crash til about 930am.
Sonya wakes me and says she's going to check out the races which we can hear. I groggily agree to join her and we walk over. There's just some souped up cars racing a straight 1/4 mile and it's cool enough. I read a bit and nap, check out some more races (the fastest guy i see hits 197mph and does the 1/4 mile in 7.06s.
Saint Alvia Cartel (an apparently up and coming band) are up first at noon. They play some punk rock with a lead singer that reminds me of the guy from Smash mouth and generally don't impress.
Shad is next, a rapper from London On., who has some decent flow. "I self-deprecate more than I boast, and I boast a lot" is the gist of one of his lyrics. There's a few seconds of Kanye tossed in there, over a remix of a Kanye song supplied by this kick ass DJ. He plays a bit of local hero K-OS ("every day is saturday night, but i can't wait for sunday morning" in honour of his set being real early on a sunday) He jokingly rips out some Boyz II Men. I like the set and the crowd is decent for an early in the day hip hop set at a punk festival.
The Junction, who a friend loves -and I wanted to see based on that- are a 3-piece that play rock that is okay with me but just doesn't translate live. I find I'm kinda bored and Sonya comes up 1/2 way through and I tell her she hasn't missed much. the drummer is the most interesting of the three though.
I catch a huge crowd of about 200 people form in about 30 seconds as the promise of a fight happens. by the time i arrive one guy is telling the other to punch him. he obliges. twice. the third time is dodged and the guy getting punched now becomes the puncher and just packs a flurry, punching and kicking and going crazy til people realize he's not actually landing any blows, just phantom punches. He's joking! the first puncher is visibly relieved and as the little girl behind me sums it up "they were going to fight, but then they hugged."
the crowd is a mix. there is obviously a good contingent of 19+ people but there's also a lot of young punks. 15-18 age group that are there for a good time, and to get drunk and out of control. In fact the crowd at the stages is bigger on the all-ages side than the 19+ side.
I go back and catch Social Code while being puke-splattered on by some mid-afternoon drunk guy. Yuck. Also a guy dressed solely in a garbage bag slips onto the stage, does a back flip off of it, and runs off exposing himself to the entire crowd. i laugh real hard and the band gets a kick out of it (i imagine the garbage bag guy gets a kicked-out because of it) The set is decent and they are catchy enough though their lyrics leave a lot to be desired. I believe the word "forever" was present in every tune they played.
Ten Second Epic are up next and they have a pretty-boy singer, but at least he has a good voice and some stage banter - albeit pretty generic things to say. I like them cuz they are better musically and lyrically than social code, but not as catchy and hooky. toss up.
Attack in Black play some straight up rock and get the first encore of the festival - mostly cuz their set is barely 30 mins (when most people are doing 50+) They come back and play a yawner, wasting the opportunity.
Protest the Hero are a hardcore band with a lot of hardcore fans. They have some sick guitars but i m not familiar with the music and after my buzz starts to wear off a bit im not feeling the mosh pit much more and go to MSTRKRFT who are spinning in the dance tent. they ve got a decent sized crowd and though they sound like most of the other beats i ve heard emanating from this tent all day, at least i recognize the DJs and there s a crowd to dance in. i do get my groove on for awhile, i watch a girl dump an entire beer on her chest by accident and then just dance it off. They only use one sample i recognize from their album (it's 2 djs, including ex DFA'79 Jesse Keelor, who kinda take turns/work together to mix) a bit of fun.
Alexisonfire are the headliners and main event. All the other bands had some people coming to see them but Everyone was here to see alexis. the place is packed up but i get close enough. They play 1/2 their songs off the new album which is fine with me cuz it was my overall favourite from last year and by far my favourite of their 3. Opened with "Mailbox Arson" and kicked out "No Transitory" as an older track. There was no ".44 Calibre Love Letter" which is usually a fan favourite at the live shows of theirs that i've caught but the encore is "Accidents" and is solid. At one point they cut a song 1/2 way through, turned up the lights and told us all to step back cuz the barriers had begun to buckle. that's how intense the crowd was. it was near the beginning though so it didn't kill the mood too much. They overall rocked and were really sweet to see live as a headlining set, since i ve only ever seen them in opening/short festival sets before (warped tour).
Everyone comes back from the set sweaty and ready to party. We get a fire started and curl up around it with the neighbourhood girls and boys. We have our fire put out twice (and start it back up each time) Fireworks are going off around us. All sorts of shenanigans ensue.
i was woken up by a man with a megaphone at my tent window the next morning, which wasn't the coolest thing in the world, but after he moved on i watched a couch fly by with a very dust-covered young man laying on it (being dragged at top speed by a car that was rallying around corners). The rest of the long weekend was thankfully spent recouping on the beach.
Oh my goodness the things i saw at Cutting Edge. It was like it's own society with no-word-of-a-lie 700+ tents in a field filled with music (and alcohol) fueled punks just having a great time. The things that went on are so ridiculous if taken out of that setting that i was amazed. Some of the bands were duds, as expected, the headliners rocked, as suspected. The racing was fast, the camping was nuts and the festival was a success. I hope this was Year One of a lasting tradition!
