Say what you will about my musical taste and my sources for finding new music, but at the end of the day... it works. Finding myself knee-deep in a business degree, I have started to learn, and actually admit to myself, the value of marketing as a tool for providing people with information. In my case, today at least, marketing showed me a fantastic new band.
I believe it was a Ford commercial which, upon hearing it for the first time, sent me into a state of elation. SchwaB is a fuzzed out, hoppy, electro-analogue acid trip based in my old stomping grounds of London (ok... I was in Oxford... but close enough). The best word I can use to describe these guys is simply 'weird', which to me is one of the greatest compliments I could give a band. Their music is infectious, strange, danceable, and incredibly original. It combines elements of 60-70s psych-rock with modern garage rock, all the while keeping a groovy feel which makes one want to.... SchwaB?
In addition to being picked up by Ford to sell one of their latest attempts at corporate survival, their song 'DJs In a Row' was featured on the It's all gone Pete Tong soundtrack. I highly encourage you to check out both tracks below, strip naked, smother yourself in raspberry jelly and join the air force. If you're not feeling the air force, just concentrate until you become a lemon.
-Easy come and easy go ain't how I'm living anymore
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Strike Twice
Well, in my foolishness, I decided that today would be a good day to host a BBQ. Don't get me wrong; it's a great day. It's around 30 degrees and contrary to that lying bastard of a weatherman, it's not raining and actually quite sunny. Still... the day is not without regret.
My regret is that tonight, I will be missing Flash Lightin's CD release party at the Horseshoe. In addition to featuring one of my favorite local bands, Huron, the night will likely be filled with a bluesy swill of loud guitars, southern stompin beats and enough sexy rock and roll to take your pants clean off. This TO power trio eats other rock bands for breakfast and I for one, would be a little intimidated by them on stage. I'd say a little more, but I think their website sums it up nicely:
"This music isn't looking to your new haircut for its cues; it just wants your hips and hearts to do what comes naturally – preferably with a shot of good bourbon to ease things along."
If you're anywhere in the vicinity of the shoe tonight, I don't even need to tell you to go, because odds are, that thumpin beat will drag you right on in.
-Pick yourself up off the floor, that light can't hurt you anymore
My regret is that tonight, I will be missing Flash Lightin's CD release party at the Horseshoe. In addition to featuring one of my favorite local bands, Huron, the night will likely be filled with a bluesy swill of loud guitars, southern stompin beats and enough sexy rock and roll to take your pants clean off. This TO power trio eats other rock bands for breakfast and I for one, would be a little intimidated by them on stage. I'd say a little more, but I think their website sums it up nicely:
"This music isn't looking to your new haircut for its cues; it just wants your hips and hearts to do what comes naturally – preferably with a shot of good bourbon to ease things along."
If you're anywhere in the vicinity of the shoe tonight, I don't even need to tell you to go, because odds are, that thumpin beat will drag you right on in.
-Pick yourself up off the floor, that light can't hurt you anymore
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Give it a Spin
Never would I have thought it would be so difficult to fill a roster when booking a venue. As I prep for The Noble Rogues' August 21 farewell gig at Rivoli for our bassist, Ian, I have tried, with great difficulty to offer a number of local bands a no-strings-attached stage to play and possibly even a bit of beer money. The one positive that's come out of all this is that, in scouring the TO music scene for descent bands to check with, I'm coming up with a lot of solid sounds coming out of Hog town.
Today, I got in touch with a band called Revolvers. They're a fantastic throwback to when rock and roll was more raw, and in my opinion, more real. They've drawn a little attention from local rags, Now & Eye, but have managed to fly under my radar for quite some time. I wish I could tell you more, but for now, all I can say is that I like what I hear.
You wanna know a bit about these boys? Brother, you ain't alone.
-We're all lost and found so try to pick me up when I'm trying to settle down
Today, I got in touch with a band called Revolvers. They're a fantastic throwback to when rock and roll was more raw, and in my opinion, more real. They've drawn a little attention from local rags, Now & Eye, but have managed to fly under my radar for quite some time. I wish I could tell you more, but for now, all I can say is that I like what I hear.
You wanna know a bit about these boys? Brother, you ain't alone.
-We're all lost and found so try to pick me up when I'm trying to settle down
Monday, July 26, 2010
Logs & Tongues
What a weekend of music. After catching Wide Mouth Mason at the Harbourfront, Saturday was supposed to be filled with pre-production for The Noble Rogues next album. Due to some technical difficulties, we just ended up drinking and playing a lot of poker instead. However, we did make good use of our night.
Ever since NXNE, we'd been itching to see The Speaking Tongues live again, and, in the past, the Horseshoe hasn't done me wrong. The boys hit the stage at 11pm and started to tear it up as they know so well how to do. Throw in a bit of the 'ol harmonica, some spicy guitar, and those gruff, in your face vocals, and you've got yourself a gig that I could get a little cozy with. The only negative which I have to point out is that a lot of the intimacy was lost from their last gig. I think this was primarily because the 'shoe is so much larger than Hideout, and just a trickier room to get comfortable in as a band.
It got me to thinking; maybe the shoe isn't such a great a venue. A lot of bands who I normally love live, have been swallowed up by the size, coldness and usually uninvolved crowds present. I think to pull off the shoe well... and I mean damned well, you just have to be so bloody sure of yourself that nothing will give you even a moments pause to hesitate and think twice.
Enter Mr. Bob Log the third. Now I've seen a few one man bands before, and I'll openly say, they've all stunk up the joint. As I pointed out in a previous post, the issue with a one band band is that if you are having an off night, you have no one to fall back on. The solution? Be awesome 100% of the time. This seems to work for Mr. Log.
Now, I suppose it helps if you're wearing a rocket ship helmet with a microphone shaped like a phone receiver attached to it while you grind around stage in your 1 piece velvet jumper. I'm sorry, if that sentance alone doesn't make your realize the level of awesome we're dealing with here, then you're reading the wrong blog. Known for crowd surfing in an inflatable dingy, playing a song called 'Shit on My Leg' while having two women sit on either of his knees (he uses both legs to operate a kick drum pedal and a high hat pedal) and constantly pleading with the audience for more 'liquid applause', Bob Log is the definition of the word showmanship. Active for almost 20 years, Log currently hits over 150 shows a year while touring in more than 30 countries. I'd say more... but seriously.... just watch the damned videos.
-Why do you say this life just isn't fair?
Ever since NXNE, we'd been itching to see The Speaking Tongues live again, and, in the past, the Horseshoe hasn't done me wrong. The boys hit the stage at 11pm and started to tear it up as they know so well how to do. Throw in a bit of the 'ol harmonica, some spicy guitar, and those gruff, in your face vocals, and you've got yourself a gig that I could get a little cozy with. The only negative which I have to point out is that a lot of the intimacy was lost from their last gig. I think this was primarily because the 'shoe is so much larger than Hideout, and just a trickier room to get comfortable in as a band.
It got me to thinking; maybe the shoe isn't such a great a venue. A lot of bands who I normally love live, have been swallowed up by the size, coldness and usually uninvolved crowds present. I think to pull off the shoe well... and I mean damned well, you just have to be so bloody sure of yourself that nothing will give you even a moments pause to hesitate and think twice.
Now, I suppose it helps if you're wearing a rocket ship helmet with a microphone shaped like a phone receiver attached to it while you grind around stage in your 1 piece velvet jumper. I'm sorry, if that sentance alone doesn't make your realize the level of awesome we're dealing with here, then you're reading the wrong blog. Known for crowd surfing in an inflatable dingy, playing a song called 'Shit on My Leg' while having two women sit on either of his knees (he uses both legs to operate a kick drum pedal and a high hat pedal) and constantly pleading with the audience for more 'liquid applause', Bob Log is the definition of the word showmanship. Active for almost 20 years, Log currently hits over 150 shows a year while touring in more than 30 countries. I'd say more... but seriously.... just watch the damned videos.
-Why do you say this life just isn't fair?
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Open Wide
Last night officially made my top 5 live performances of all time. I'd been waiting to see Wide Mouth Mason play live for around 15 years, and as a friend pointed out, they're an obvious influence on my style. They played a free show at the Harbourfront center and while the crowd didn't go insane (it's hard with those stupid benches) my jaw was firmly rooted on the concrete surface below for an hour and a half. What I expected was to hear a live rendition of some of the songs which defined my youth.... but I got so much more.
This set did two fantastic things; first it broke the barrier of my 5 best concerts of all time and second (which may have caused the first) it easily took the spot as the most tight live set I've ever seen. These guys have been doing it for 17 years, and there may be something to be said for that whole 'practice' thing. I knew Shaun Verreault was a monster on the guitar when I heard him play with Jordan Cook in Guitarmageddon. What blew my mind was the ease with which we switched back and forth between so many different styles; rock, blues, jazz, peel-paint-off-the-walls (that's a new style).
I lie a little when I say that 'these guys have been doing doing it for 17 years' as they did have a new member last night. Bassist Earl Pereira has chosen to part ways with the band, however, filling in for him was yet another of my idols; Mr. Gordie Johnson. I knew Grady had worked with the trio before (on their third album, Stew) and I knew they had toured together before... but I never could have anticipated the joyful union I saw before me. While Johnson is another God of the six-string, he seemed just as comfortable working his way around the bass. He and Verreault had fantastic chemistry together and Johnson was able to fill Pereira's shoes with ease.
Somewhere in all of this, drummer Safwan Javed was of course keeping this trio tighter than a dill pickle jar, but who really cares about drummers, right? :-p
They worked through 90 minutes of material, blending old with new, WWM with Big Sugar with Kenny Wayne Sheppard with blues classics. I found myself shaking my head in awe the entire time and was completely lost in the music. According to my roommates, there was a girl who was hitting on me between songs, but I was barely giving her the time of day since I was so enthralled by the tunes. Yet the moment which blew my mind the most was to hear that Mason was heading back into the studio soon, and Gordie wasn't just a pretty face on stage; he'd be joining them.
Yes... that was the sound of my brain going *pop*.
-Call your name, but you're never there
This set did two fantastic things; first it broke the barrier of my 5 best concerts of all time and second (which may have caused the first) it easily took the spot as the most tight live set I've ever seen. These guys have been doing it for 17 years, and there may be something to be said for that whole 'practice' thing. I knew Shaun Verreault was a monster on the guitar when I heard him play with Jordan Cook in Guitarmageddon. What blew my mind was the ease with which we switched back and forth between so many different styles; rock, blues, jazz, peel-paint-off-the-walls (that's a new style).
Somewhere in all of this, drummer Safwan Javed was of course keeping this trio tighter than a dill pickle jar, but who really cares about drummers, right? :-p
They worked through 90 minutes of material, blending old with new, WWM with Big Sugar with Kenny Wayne Sheppard with blues classics. I found myself shaking my head in awe the entire time and was completely lost in the music. According to my roommates, there was a girl who was hitting on me between songs, but I was barely giving her the time of day since I was so enthralled by the tunes. Yet the moment which blew my mind the most was to hear that Mason was heading back into the studio soon, and Gordie wasn't just a pretty face on stage; he'd be joining them.
Yes... that was the sound of my brain going *pop*.
-Call your name, but you're never there
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