Friday, March 12, 2010

CMW: Day 2

Day 1 of CMW was a fantastic evening with The Noble Rogues.  We had rehearsal.... deal with it.

Day 2 was a fantastic evening of catching up with Newfies and griping about the opposite sex.  We were at my home away from home this week, the Horseshoe Tavern.  Opening the night were 3 bands I don't care to either mention or ever think of again for that matter.  Seriously... there is a loaded gun in the bathroom, it's not too late to take the honourable way out.  Just be sure to aim away from the mirror... seven years bad luck, you know.

Yes that just happened... deal with it.

At 11pm, one of my favorite bands in the world, Hollerado, converged on the stage like a group of drunken children.  After winning a quarter of a million dollars, touring China and South America, and nationally releasing their debut full length, Record in a Bag... one could say that the boys were doing pretty well for them selves.

However, my usual fanboyism must be interrupted with a bold statement; this was the worst gig I've ever seen the Manotick quartet play.  I'll immediately start back pedaling about that statement by saying that even their worst gig is still one of the most enjoyable live experiences most bands will ever dream of.  I'm not sure if their current schedule and success has just left the guys exhausted, or if all that fame is going to their head, but the technical problems, slightly off vocals, and general cohesion of this band on a rainy Thursday in Toronto... was lacking.

Still, for all my complaining, I was reminded what makes this band so good at the end of their set when drummer Jake Boyd plainly said the words, "all that industry bullshit doesn't matter" to a crowd full of industry types.  Hollerado has worked their asses off to get where they are and could never be accused of taking the easy way out.  They wanted to release their album in ziplock bags, so instead of caving to label pressure, they started their own label.  They wanted to travel to strange, remote destinations like China and SA, so instead of signing with Sony and playing NY and LA over and over again... they said fuck it and used their own winnings to fund the tour.

I listened to their last song and finally, regardless of any other issues, let myself get lost in Hollerado land.  It's a beautiful, fun, care-free place which I envy those four guys for being able to live in it 24/7.  To me... this was a true sign of a great band, to be able to take a shitty night and still grab every member of the audience into your world by the end of the set.

Maybe I was just tired and cranky, or not in the mood to enjoy live music last night, but when Besnard Lakes followed, try as I may, I simply couldn't get into it.  I'm a huge fan of Dark Horse, and have already enjoyed the early release tracks from their new album, Roaring Night.  That said, their live show was just too much of an out there jam for me to be drawn into.  Being an experimental band is one thing, but holding the same note for 2 minutes goes beyond artistic and just becomes boring.

Man... I was a real bitch last night.  I'm off to see some of the most energetic bands in the world tonight, so I promise I'll stop being grumpy.



-Losing that sensation of being senseless all the time