Monthly Archives: July 2009
André Ethier with Steamboat at the Dakota Tavern
Just a quick blog post tonight because I have to be up early tomorrow to leave for Sackville. I shot this on Sunday at the Dakota, where Steamboat were finishing up their eight-week residency. They brought out special guest André Ethier for a few jams, including the song Cop Killer from his last album Born of Blue Fog. I’d say the night was a success – when I got there after work it was at capacity and there was a group of Steamies (official name for Steamboat fans) up front dancing their butts off the whole night. Anyway, check out Steamboat and André if you haven’t already, they’re both 100% radical and wholeheartedly endorsed by the proprietor of this blog (me).
Dog Day at Soundscapes
It’s tough coming up with anything interesting to say about these in-store videos. Dog Day played at Soundscapes a few months back, they’re awesome, it was cool, what else is there to say? I got their new album on limited edition sky blue vinyl because I’m a sucker for any records that are limited edition and coloured. Good thing the album kicks ass.
Richard Laviolette at the Tranzac
I didn’t get off work until midnight last night, meaning I missed Taylor’s big gig, but I still made it to the Tranzac afterwards for the latest OOTS presentation. Luckily that seemed to be where most people ended up after the Timber Timbre show so I was still able to see some friends, which is key. I missed the first few acts (Chris Yang and Gavin Gardiner) but got there just in time to see Guelph’s Richard Laviolette, whose quiet masterpiece A Little Less Like a Rock, a Little More Like a Home was a favourite of mine a few years back, and who I last saw at SappyFest about a year ago. However, in stark contrast to that show, yesterday Richard was backed up by his new-ish band (well, it was the first time I’ve seen them) the Hollow Hooves, who brought some welcome muscle to his fragile sounding songs. It was a very different performance than I’m used to him putting on, but I liked it all the same.
I ducked out after a few tunes to catch up with some friends outside, but hopefully it’s not another year before I see Richard again.
The Rural Alberta Advantage at !059
I hope Nils doesn’t cut off my balls for posting this video. It’s from way back in March at a house party during Canadian Music Fest, and they were playing at about 3 AM. As you can see, I was literally standing two feet away from them so the sound ain’t too great (not that it was much better in person). This was their third show that day and they were (self-admittedly) a little sloppy. Still, I think there is some value in sharing this video with y’all. The Rural Alberta Adavantage have been receiving a lot of attention lately, starting last fall when their self-released record Hometowns (which the band had been selling at shows in handmade packaging for several months) was featured on eMusic, a website that I wasn’t too familiar with but which apparently has quite a few users. That raised their profile significantly and soon they were playing successful shows in New York and at SXSW, which I was lucky enough to attend.
Yes, seeing them play to a packed church in Austin, Texas was quite special, especially since the first time I saw The RAA was in my hometown of Oshawa at the Velvet Elvis way back in November 2006. While the size of the venue and audience has changed, one thing that hasn’t changed at all in the last three years is the music – it’s still the same three people playing the same songs with the same instruments (I assume). That’s why I was so happy to see Hometowns get rereleased last week all across North America (on vinyl to boot!) care of Omaha, Nebraska’s Saddle Creek records. It’s a great record that faithfully captures their live performances while adding nice flourishes and here and there to flesh out their sound. The songs are memorable and the lyrics are heartfelt – it really couldn’t be a better representation of their music. It’s a nice story that I witnessed first-hand which shows that sometimes things don’t happen overnight. That’s why you’ve gotta stick with it people!
For bonus points, check out this “interview” I did with Nils back in ’06 (a good year).
Casey Mecija feat. Evening Hymns at Whippersnapper Gallery
Yesterday, after I “launched” my new website, I realized that I didn’t have anything new to post. Thankfully I uncovered this gem that I shot last month during NXNE. I wasn’t able to take in too many shows that week due to my work schedule, but Casey and Jonas we’re playing right across the street at Whippersnapper so I ducked out and caught a few tunes, including this one – a boisterous take of the track “Thunderlove” from Ohbijou’s new album Beacons. It was a lot of fun seeing them play together, they should do it more often. Evening Hymns have an album called Spirit Guides pretty much in the can, so hopefully we’ll have it in our hands by the end of the year. I’ve heard a bit of it, sounds pretty epic.