City & Sara, Ra Ra-Sleep (+Special Hip Guest)

Ra Ra Riot

Ra Ra Riot have a dense sound with a lilting vocal delivery and that is exactly what came across at Toronto’s amphitheatre on Saturday night. The six piece began a stellar night of music to those patrons that knew about their excellent sound and specifically showed up for it, and those that were just early enough to be introduced to it. The ever-prompt amphitheatre had them mid-set as I found my seat, perfectly coinciding with my most favoured track Too Dramatic from this year’s The Orchard. This upbeat tune pulsed its way throughout the gorgeous early evening shadows. With the skeleton of an electric cello rumbling and the violin streaking overtop they won people over in short time.

Wintersleep

Returning to past Wintersleep albums is a reminder of their strength as songwriters, managing to craft catchy songs while incorporating exquisite guitar work. That being said their live show has yet to translate that as well, at least in the situations I’ve seen them. Opening this set they treated us to new New Inheritors such as Mirror Matter before dropping that catchy as all get-out Oblivion. It appeared a difficult task to translate to this huge venue that was slowly filling with mostly non-fans. Even a blistering version of recent single Black Camera wasn’t enough to draw people in as the amazing guitar breakdowns were being lost in the ether. Miscommunication led them to rush into finale Weighty Ghost, which they put a slightly new spin on as they do to most live songs which may have disappointed those radio fans who yelled in recognition off the top. Realizing they actually had time for two more songs after this was a blessing as they rocked Archaeologists with loose vocals, leaving them with the somewhat synthy, tempo-changing Trace Decay as their strongest performance in finale. Give this band a headlining spot in a moderately sized club and I bet they’d have the power to floor ya.

Tegan and Sara, City and Colour after the jump..

Tegan and Sarah

Tegan. Sarah. Admittedly nervous at the start (massive crowd? opening for Dallas?) it took a few songs before they really began to translate, despite the hearty response to them off the top. They shine at their most vulnerable and so it was songs with revealing lyrics like The Con, and numbers such as the slowed down Back in Your Head – laid out over acoustic guitar and synths - that really hit their mark. In fact there was a midset section that removed much of the presence of the backing trio (drum, bass, keys/guitar) and put the focus on the band’s namesakes to great effect. Teegs and Sassy did So Jealous ‘classics’ such as the title track, Walking with a Ghost, Speak Slow and Where Does the Good Go? There was also a neat version of Nineteen that had the mid-song vocals over just an ethereal guitar. To close it out they brought everyone back for a rocking Northshore and after giving authentic, heartfelt thanks the two of them alone used The Con’s closer, Call It Off for an emotional singalong leaving a hanging T&S presence as they exited the stage.

City and Colour

City & Colour is Dallas Green and that's just how this show began, Dallas strumming a guitar in his suspendered Canadian tuxedo for 10,000 or so (mostly) screaming fans. Partway through opener Comin' Home he was joined by his backing band who were present for about half the set. "I said I wouldn't say anything... but 'Holy $h!t'" were some of the first words Dallas muttered to the audience a couple of songs in, and of course the crowd went crazy. Back and forth from acoustic to electric he mixed in cuts from both albums as well as a couple of new tracks to boot. A vocal-only outro to Hello, I'm in Delaware resounded, while Save Your Scissors had the crowd's voices in unison covering the chorus for him after the band had left again. A knockout was the harmonica-laden Body in a Box, which preceded the predictable Tegan and Sara accompaniment - at least it was for the oil spill response song freshly written by Mr.Green. The girls held their own with their vocals but didn't produce particular magic on their only song.

That Girl had the couples in the house (both gay and straight) reaching for each other's hands, while Sometimes was reworked as a rocker with legit electric guitar solos and everything. To close out the set he followed T&S' lead by closing with an album closer - the slow burn of Bring Me Your Love's As Much As I Ever Could.

Lights out, "I Love You Dallas'" drowned out by cheering for the encore. This eventually brought him back out alone to the piano to play an "almost cover" of Alexisonfire's Happiness by the Kilowatt. Euphoric right? But as the cry went all morning at Buskerfest - wait there's more!

To paraphrase the man of the hour's introduction to the next and final song of a rather solid evening of performances, "I brought my friends back out with me for this one," backing band strolls on stage as the lights shine on them, "and I brought another friend with me too. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Gord." The introduction by first name only was all that was necessary as speculation had been running rampant all day about this potential collab. Spontaneously the crowd went officially bonkers - the guy directly in front of me impulsively jumped in her lap and hugged the sh!t out of his girlfriend - as the reigning god of Canadian rock sang his verse and backed up the chorus on Sleeping Sickness. Gord Downie and Dallas Green embraced both before and after the song, as caught up in the moment as we all were. As Dallas pointed out - I feel sorry for those who decided to beat the traffic by sneaking out early.

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Band of Horses, and other Toronto Island Bands (Pavement, Beach House, Zeus, Timber Timbre)

Despite being on Toronto Island and in line before doors were set to open most of the patrons did not make it in before the bands began, with us being no exception. The Beauties and Flash Lightnin’ had come and gone.

Zeus was wrapping up their last couple tunes as the sun broke out to match our exuberance of finally making it into the venue. The huge and still relatively empty space didn’t allow Zeus to crank up the energy as they are capable of, but the sound did come across clearly, especially during the guitar solos. They did their go-to Genesis cover That’s All but overall didn’t leave much of a distinct impression.

Timber Timbre’s music seems more appropriately suited for a darkened basement club and was therefore out of context on this now-sunny afternoon in the glorious nature of Toronto Island. Taylor Kirk – the mastermind behind it all – even commented on how he was about to play an awful song on a nice day before picking his guitar and keeping slow, distinct time with a simple kick drum. He was accompanied by a lap steel which was being bowed, and deeper in the set the sound was filled out by a female violinist, a clarinet and a subdued sax. He cut the speed of Until the Night is Over in half during its live rendition. The set didn’t particularly fit the vibe and didn’t much improve my previous opinion of his music being a slight yawn played live.

Beach House are receiving a lot of love lately and the music does seem suited for lazy days in the sun, even at a beach house. However the live performance was not all that entertaining for someone with only a cursory knowledge of their music, and from what I heard even fans weren’t particularly blown away. The duo played their guitar and synths, backed by a drummer, and the music swirled lazily while the female did a take on headbanging that didn’t sync up all too well. Repetitive vocals didn’t do anything to increase interest and eventually the set passed us by.

By the time Band of Horses hit the stage I was ready for something to impress me, and this set was the prescription the doctor had ordered. For some reason I find it funny that middle-aged dudes are often behind some of the most adored hipster music of the day, and from Band of Horses made this thought resurface. Regardless of their appearance they are a group of five hard-hitting great musicians. Often combining three guitars simultaneously, both electric and acoustic, they remade their already stellar album cuts in impressive fashion live, featuring tracks from all of their full lengths. Their technical playing was pretty darn great, and that unique voice coupled so well. Infinite Arms has taken longer to gain traction in my playlist but the performance of the new material improved its chances (though unfortunately Northwest Apartment wasn’t included). What was included, saving the best for last, was The Funeral which the crowd clapped out with great appreciation for a fantastic performance.

Pavement were before my time. I missed them in their prime, and despite all the good I'd heard and checking them out via their recently released Quarantine the Past 'Best Of' I couldn't get into them. After the exuberance of BSS I couldn't be much bothered with them here either. The five-piece, (including two drumsets) did open with Cut Your Hair which is the one song that I had dug. I couldn't get into the set though, even with Kevin Drew and the Band of Horses lead singer joining them onstage early in the set for a collab. After a beer Pavement played the soundtrack to our walk to the inevitably long ferry line back to the city.

For the main event of this day, curators and co-headliners, Broken Social Scene check this review that was actually published soon afterward.

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Danny Michel, Solo, Sunlight Music Fest 2010

Danny Michel took the honour of headlining the fledgling Sunlight Music Festival in Guelph with grace and ease. Playing a very loose, solo set Danny oozed charm while entertaining the crowd gathered on the benches and grass encircling the Riverside Park bandshell. As mentioned he was unaccompanied on this occasion and worked primarily with his electric red guitar, swapped out briefly for a beat up black telecaster and augmented at times by his harmonica. It is the song writing that sets Danny apart moreso than his catchy, seemingly-simple music so this arrangement was just fine.

In keeping with this feeling his looping was understated and unobtrusive, as he laid down a few base samples for the first song while mirroring a child who was dancing and prancing near the stage. However for the catchysweet opening track from new album Sunset Sea Danny jovially noted that there were about 15 instruments on the album and that he’d do his best to replicate at least two, before playing Maybe You Can Find It In Your Heart. He described this album as being very happy and that feeling could certainly be heard on This Feeling – written on a bus riding in the Caribbean. Wish Willy played the part too. Older tracks were also put in the mix, with his environmentally-conscious Feather, Fur and Fin and a reinterpreted version of White Lightning that worked really well, especially with the mutli-layered ending (one of the few times the sampling was emphasized).

Throughout the show Danny was easy-going, playing with his cadence and with the kids in the audience. On I Will Love You For Miles he had a false start, momentarily forgetting the line and looking around to no one in particular, but laughed it off and began again with renewed confidence. A few songs also had false stops since the step of the sample pedal didn’t take effect but none of this detracted from the show, in fact it made it that much more personal. Adding to that was Danny laying bare his favourite song he’s ever written, Who’s Going to Miss You?, for good reason.

Leaving on a playful note the closer was Tennessee Tobacco, an upbeat ditty that had people tapping and bobbing along. So much so that they turned this kinetic energy to encore-worthy applause and received If God’s On Your Side, Who’s On Mine? in return. Danny Michel played a relaxed, easy-going set to a parkful of pleasant, fortunate people.

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Saturday Round-up with Jason Collett, Beauties, Wooden Sky +more (Hillside 2010)

A promising workshop between Flashlight Radio and Zeus failed to meld the two groups very well, creating chocolate and vanilla cake, not marble. Rather than play together it was mostly a back and forth that saw FR play New Constellations and Z rocking Marchin’ Through Your Head with the other band simply adding a little extra guitar and obligatory tambourine and some shakers in the background.

Read more for Jason Collett, Wooden Sky, The Beauties, Emerald City, and Chris Trapper

Chris Trapper played solo acoustic singer-songwriter stuff on his guitar or uke. It wasn’t bad but the fact that it took me away for The Canned Goods closing song was a bummer.

That early set finish did afford me the opportunity to check in on Emerald City. Like The Canned Goods they are a rather young band, but they seemed to have more unbridled energy, though perhaps less poise. Most members sang at one point or another, often overlapping too. Of note instrumentation-wise, they used a stand-up bass, as well as bowing a cello at times and included a whistle solo, which was the fashionable thing to do this weekend it seemed.

The Wooden Sky had a packed tent, and it wasn’t all due to the rain falling outside. Out of the gate they seemed to be a rockin’ band but the energy waned as the songs slowed mid-set and things didn’t quite live up to their promise. With the finale some of this was recouped on a percussion-centric that brought on a solid hand clap. The crowd reacted with more hand-clapping than seemed due, but perhaps I just wasn’t feeling it.

The late afternoon son came out in time for Jason Collett’s timeslot. From backstage while grabbing volly dinner I could hear the Angel of Kensington. Rounding to the front I saw Jason, backed by Zeus of course, playing Love is a Dirty Word including that wicked bass riff. As I’ve felt before while watching his show, if I could choose the setlist I think that it could be a great show, but with major songs missing its hard not to feel slightly underwhelmed. At least he pulled out the prerequisite I’ll Bring the Sun in the blazing sun while sweat poured down his face as he strummed his beat-up acoustic guitar, and Zeus rocking out behind him.

The Beauties had a tough task to follow-up Flash Lightnin’ but with a bit more notoriety bringing the fans out already, and the sound traveling throughout the grounds they were up to the challenge. I was stuck in line for the loo during Fasion Blues but they had plenty of other bluesy rock’n’roll tracks to fill out the set. Die, Die, Die was a rambler that played on with varied pacing and instrumental interludes but showed just how tight the band are together (following their Toronto tavern residency). They extracted a huge singalong during Devil Do which was a bunch of fun. For a finale they had a big jam during which they would encircle the drummer, build up the song, let it cool off, only to do it again and again until the top finally blew off and left us all pleasantly exhausted.

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Richard Laviolette, Oil Droplets, and Lime Parade (Sunlight Music Festival 2010)

I'll be honest - the country, folk of Richard Laviolette and the Oil Spills doesn't normally do it for me (I'd prefer his other incarnation with the Hollow Hooves). However being a local upstart quickly gaining popularity, and the strength of the backing band, along with endorsements for their live performance I stuck around to see if there was anything to it. As it turns out there is. Behind Richard and his acoustic guitar were an accordion, banjo, couple more guitars and drums that livened up the sound (unfortunately some of the regulars like Jenny Mitchell and Geordie Gordon were replaced on this evening, though the understudies fared just fine). When they stepped it up it felt like a jamboree, with dueling guitars and banjo solos that were good fun. Funeral Song stands strong on the album and did so again live. As a finale they threw down a Neil Young cover, Music Arcade, and bid us adieu.



Lime Parade are a young, Guelph band trying to cut their teeth. Their apparel, shiny silver dress and sunglasses all around ended up being louder than their sound which pretty tamely wrapped the female vocals. The four piece used bass, keys, drums, ukelelee and guitars to play their brand of indie rock, as well as tossing in a kazoo on a respectable rendition of Feist's 1,2,3,4. On their closer they claimed to let loose but it still seemed a little bridled. The highlight of the set was another numeric cover, Bedouin Soundclash's 12:59 a song I'm especially familiar with but had no reason to be disappointed by this version. Props.

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Hillside 2010 - Friday Night Recap

A clean-shaven Beardyman kicked it all off on the main stage. Blinded by the afternoon sun that had busted through after an ominous day he composed blazingly danceable tracks by feel alone. Amazingly this beatboxer does not use samples or records but instead composes entire tracks by recording his vocals on the fly and whipping them into club beats. Only during his "sound check" did he perform a full-on beatbox track which turned out to be the highlight, even though the rest was great. Unfortunately it was still mid-afternoon and things were just getting underway so the rather sizable dance party that did form was only a fraction of what it could (and I argue Should) have been.

Read on for First Rate People, Warped 45s, Laura Marling and Flashlight Radio!

First Rate People were hard to pin down. As a young band, both age and experience, it may simply be that they haven't yet found their sound since it varied greatly from song to song. Not to say that it didn't sound good at times as this five-piece swapped vocal duties, even letting the female drummer in on the action. Songs were short, bass was groovy and the few tracks I caught were alright.

The Warped 45s were a quick, upbeat take on country, complete with a singer in a cowboy shirt. Their keys were poppy akin to Will Currie from the quick glimpse I had.

Laura Marling has been receiving quite the buzz for a solo twenty year old out of the UK. Up for the Mercury Prize she brought her music to Hillside's main stage. With a powerful full band behind her on most songs Laura's nicely accented, soft voice still managed to come through. The dynamics of the songs were pleasant, as were the tracks where she strummed solo on her acoustic guitar, using lulls to to her advantage.

Flashlight Radio were quite enjoyable live. Their deliberate instrumentation was offset well by the powerfully pretty vocals of the female lead singer. Laid over an acoustic bed the song Leaving caught attention - and did I mention they were pretty?

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Shad and Hey Ocean reverse roles (Hillside '10)

I'm nearly out of adulation for Shad's live show. Not because I'm growing weary of it, but in fact just the opposite. His live show is even more polished than ever and his charisma comes off completely naturally. Added attraction at this show was the guest vocals of the acoustically and aesthetically pleasing Ashleigh from Hey Ocean on Rose Garden.

Another contribution to this performance was his Hillside-themed freestyle rap which I captured below.

With a joke about Hillside being like BC-away-from-home Shad introduced another member of the British Columbian band Hey Ocean, the bass player for Rock to It amongst other songs. The woman-empowering Keep Shining fit the Hillside vibe, as did the everyone-empowering Compromise. The only downer was the lack of TSOL bangers Yaa I Get It and We, Myself and I but older Out of Love Part II helped to fill the void.

As an indication of how much he pulls in his crowd, myself and friends pushed off a hugely anticipated Holy Fuck set so we could stick around for the end of Shad. No one was upset with the decision, especially as he played a crowd-friendly set pulling out classics interspersed with new TSOL songs, guests and freestyling.

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Bent By Elephants (Hillside '10)

A full contingent of elephants hit the stage; seven of them playing violins, trombones, horns, guitars, bass and drums - often in unique ways. Early on the female drummer left her post to bring only one drum to the front of the stage so the group could play a song with limited instrumentation but layers of vocals that came off really neat. Adding to the song was the bowed saw. With all that backing instrumentation they could really build up the music before the strong lead female vocals impressively kicked in. On Sask. Pool the lyrics ask "How high can you go?" and her range responded resoundingly high. A pretty good show from an emerging band.

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Shane Koyczan (Hillside 2010)

With Shane Koyczan being a spoken-word artist it is an intimidating task to attempt to describe his appearance at this year's Hillside Festival using only words. Making the task all the more difficult is the fact that it was the most moving performance of the year. The man did a mixture of spoken word pieces, both with and without musical accompaniment consisting of a male cello player and two females on keyboard, guitar and backing vocal duties. Shane sure can make you feel feelings through his seemingly simple stories and poems. Reactions ranged from smiles and laughs, to hugs and tears as he told tales of his childhood and Haikus about STDs (separate stories). The most affecting by far was that of a young, terminally-ill boy that Shane had met in the hospital and really needs to be heard for full-effect. That full effect was felt by every last person who crammed the tent to witness this wordsmith's magic, and they were unrelenting in their appreciation which brought a visibly touched Shane Koyczan back out for an unaccompanied encore that was met with more passionate applause.

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The Acorn Falls on Hillside '10

The sky is falling! No wait, it's The Acorn dropping double drum sets and dueling guitars on an expectant Hillside audience. Bringing Ottawa-indie from their recently released No Ghost they represented it well live, tossing in some beloved Glory Hope Mountain tracks like Crooked Legs for good measure too.

Secondary drumming with plenty of drum-edge tapping was really getting it done, and the one-armed hardcore tambo-shakin' while simultaneously keeping the drum and cymbal beat was spiffy. (All the while donning rubber boots in true Hillside/Wellington Brewery fashion.) Misplaced, a sparsely arranged but lovely tune held its own live, eliciting a slow clap/sing-along. Slightly more upbeat were Cobbled from Dust and Restoration but it was the title-track "single" No Ghost that finally had people shuffling along to the melodies. Returning to a tried and tested classic in Flood Pt.1 for the finale was a commendable choice, as was adding the phenomenal mid-song two-way guitar breakdown.

As the new album is still growing on me I wasn't fully blown away by this No Ghost-heavy set but it was enjoyable nonetheless, and their return to the stage for a workshop with The Wooden Sky the next day upped their cred further.

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