Shanies: Concert of the Year

As I get older, this awards gets trickier every year, because I have to be able to dig back into my memory and recall which shows I actually went to in the last year. My calendar has become a fairly reliable source of verifying that it was indeed in 2018, however, given that I'm not always even following my calendar's orders and getting a healthy dose of rock n roll at least once a week, even some of those entries are suspect.

However, fortunately, there is usually at least one or two stand-outs that jump to mind quite quickly, and this year was no different. A great find of a band from a few years back - Unknown Mortal Orchestra - finally came to Toronto this year to play the Danforth Music Hall in support of their new album, Sex & Food. While previous years of this award have found me headbanging along to epic riffs, what drew me into the UMO show this year was how infectious their tunes were and the uncontrollable urge by me, and everyone in the audience, to want to dance. I recall bumping and grinding to the melodies of Ruban Nielson, all set to a strange backdrop of their stage setup that seemed to involve actual living plants.

Perhaps most beautifully about the show, when I searched YouTube, I was only able to find 3 videos that were published. My hope (and belief for my enjoyment) was that this meant that maybe, for once, a group of people simply lost themselves in the music and were having such a good time that they forgot to pull out their fucking phones. :-)


-So I'll give you more than I got; try so hard and refuse to stop

Shanies: Concert of the Year

This thing almost never gets swept by a single set and this year is no different. Few things will bolster the ranks of seeing one of my favourite bands live as getting to see another of my favourite bands along side them and this year was a wall of rock n roll that graced the Phoenix in Toronto on Friday, March 11, 2016.

When Monster Truck and The Temperance Movement play a small tour together, Shane goes. However, life is even better if Shane goes with his best friends. Life is even better if the stars align and the evening turns into one of those beautiful nights where inhibitions flutter away and you dance like everyone's there but no one's watching. And hell, it never hurts if Phil from the Temperance Movement sneaks out into the audience and decides to party with you for a while. These are the makings of incredible nights.

The sound, the energy, the people, the lights, the drinks... all just right. That's why this night was, without a doubt, my concert of the year.

-Connected end to end and in between to hide the things that see unseen

Shanies: Concert of the Year

2015 was a bit of a sad year for me. I say this, because I likely went to fewer than 50 shows this year... which is really something of an end of an era. Time pressures, late nights getting harder, work getting more involved... in short, I'm getting old.

Still, I tried to get out and rock out whenever possible and had some incredible nights all the same. That said, one night in particular always seems to shine through and this year, much in line with me complaining about being old, my night was a bit of a throwback. It was one of those rare lineups that made very little sense on paper - sleazy-smooth Belgian rockers and Canadian rasta-bluesmen - but executed so well, all under the high roof and expensive beers of the Danforth music hall.

Triggerfinger opened up the night and, while I love my local boys, kinda stole the show. Their drummer loomed in the background on the kit like a flesh-and-blood Animal - bashing drums with his head, eating the cymbals, having to visibly contain his energy during quiet parts - but the spotlight was clearly on frontman Ruben Block. Even though the man looks like he could be in his late 40s or early 50s (though I'm admittedly completely guessing), I don't think I've ever seen a frontman with more smooth, sexy, and fun presence. He danced across the stage while grinding out licks on his guitar that mystified the crowd. However, what impressed me the most about this set was the band's integrity. Instead of simply rifling through three minute, crowd-friendly hit after hit, the band mixed up hard rockers with slow blues burns and some long, twisted, anticipatory tracks like my personal favourite, Baby's Got a Gun. This was the best set I saw all year, hands down.

Big Sugar, being the local heroes, obviously headlined in the evening. In just under an hour and a half set, I don't think I've ever seen any band pack in more songs, and in particular, singles. As any band would, they really wanted to play and share some of their newer music, however, knowing their crowd, still had to get through their extensive back catalogue. They solved this by storming through single after single of verse & chorus... playing 2m versions of nearly every song that had ever been on the radio to make sure they whole crowd was engaged. They cut up the hit-fest with long sessions of their latest Reggae-fusion, hyping the crowd about the Liberal's impending legalization of weed. And of course, no night would be complete without Gordie's signature rock version of Oh Canada.

The night ended with an incredible encore that saw both bands on stage producing a veritable wall of sound. Eddy and I walked out of the venue, ears ringing and smiles on our face.

-May my ears ring forever

Shanies: Concert of the Year

Always a tricky award as so many factors can go into making the perfect night, the concert of the year is typically awarded to the show from the past 12 months that absolutely blew my mind. Some years, I have highlighted the epic glory of an entire night and others I have locked in on one specific set that left me grinning ear to ear.

While the entire night was a blast when I stepped into Adelaide Hall for the first time back in November, this year, it's one band alone who's making off with the prize. Few things are better in my world that stumbling upon an amazing new band and to do so in a live setting is the cherry on top. Thus, when I was introduced to the opening line from Alert the Medic, I knew I had stumbled across something special.

In the unfamiliar (but fucking awesome) surroundings of Adelaide Hall, I watched as the quartet of Nova Scotians ripped through high-energy song after song. Polished, harmonic, playful and emotive, one could see the markings of a band who had spent some time in front of the monitors. A reluctant crowd who, like me, probably didn't know much of this band began as arm-crossed skeptics, however was won over by AtM's infectiously catchy, upbeat and fun tracks. By the end of their set, the whole place couldn't help but bounce and sway at least a bit to some of the more well-written live tunes I've ever heard.

Add these boys to my list of must-sees.



-Calm your head to the wind of tomorrow

Shanies: Concert of the Year

2012 was an absolute wrecking ball of a year in terms of live shows. I dropped a ridiculous amount of money on tickets and saw even more shows for free through playing a ton with the Rogues before we split. This was the year that solidified Toronto as one of the best music scenes I've ever experienced. We still need to work on surgically removing the pole from most audience member's asses, however, in terms of the line ups and the venues in this city, she can't be beat.

NXNE is always a fun time, partially for the ability to putz around downtown TO, peeking into random bars and stumbling across interesting new bands.  However, this past year, I went against tradition on a Saturday night and parked myself at the Bovine for what I can now definitively state was one of the best shows of my life, surpassing a 2007 Pop Montreal line-up that I thought would never be toppled. This show also helped push the Bovine past the Hideout as my favourite TO venue (the upgraded sound system & new layout this year made all the difference).

The line-up was unquestionably a huge element of the incredible night, piecing together some of my favourite local bands (Romeo Liquor Store, Organ Thieves, The Mercy Now, Little Foot Long Foot & Flash Lightnin'). Add in a dash of some of my favourite friends in the world, a healthy dose of beer and a Toronto crowd that was stacked with people wanting to let loose and have some fun... and we've got a party. The night would be the first time I saw Romeo (a band I'd been tracking for 3 or 4 years) live, the last time I would see LFLF play with Caitlin, my introduction to the Organ Thieves, and an always-fun opportunity to see Darren from Flash Lightnin peel paint off the walls as he strutted across the bar.

It was one of those perfect nights, and just like after the 2007 Pop Montreal BSL show, I don't know if I'll ever see anything like it again.

Honourable mention goes to Refused @ Sound Academy - after waiting a decade, it was worth every second of the wait.


-You don't have to love me, but you've got to love this lullaby.