CMF: Best and Worst

Wednesday Night:

Zeus, Jason Collett, and Bahamas at Lee’s Palace

Jason Collett has always a staple in my music library but for some reason, Wednesday night was my first experience with his backing band Zeus and Afie Jurvanen’s one-man-magical act, Bahamas. The three groups came together in what I would call one of the most incredible collaborations I’ve ever seen live. The stage was set like a cozy living room (equipped with vintage lampshades that kept getting in the way of Collett’s flounce of hair and during Mike O’Brian’s guitar raises) which made the performance feel even more like a family act who’ve been touring together since childhood. It’s going to be hard to listen to any of these three amazing bands alone now that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them work so well together.

Vivian Girls at Wrongbar

My night changed from chilled-out jam sessions to a frenzy of angst, whisky and lo-fi punkrock with Vivian Girls. After dodging a mouthful of Jameson spit out by lead guitarist Cassie Ramone and almost getting punched in the face by a superfan, I found a somewhat safe spot to snap photos and enjoy the raw sound of the Girls’ music. However, that very sound that I fell in love with listening to their CD started to fall short on me seeing them live. Besides girl-crushing on bassist “Kickball” Katy Goodman and her spunky stage presence I can’t call their show a highlight of the fest.”

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Parallels at The Roosevelt Room

Well, I guess I should have known that this was the former drummer for Crystal Castles!  Because Parallels gave off a strong CC vibe as soon as they took to the stage.  I was not familiar with their music prior to checking them out and decided to go in completely fresh.  What did I decide?  Well, I think I like them (dare I say it) – better than Crystal Castles.  I think that lead vocalist Holly Dodson has more flare and charisma on stage.  Plus, Parallels seemed to have more to it than the chiptune / electro sound.  A little more depth and maturity in its sound.  Dare I say, it felt wrong to be rocking out and partying this late on a Wednesday eve but damn, it felt good.  Plus, I think that this performance from Parallels made me a fan.

TV Heart Attack at The Hideout

This Vancouver based four-some took to the stage to a fairly packed Hideout at the beginning of Canadian Music Fest on Wednesday evening. With their catchy indie-pop, it wasn’t hard for them to win fans over.  However, what was unfortunate was the horrible feedback every couple of minutes.  Lead singer Jason Corbett didn’t seem all that impress either stating, “We came from across the country to play for you guys, is it possible to get the sound fixed?”.  Considering all sets for CMF, you get a strict 30-40 minutes to play with and no encore – I could understand the frustration.  However, it didn’t feed into the music as the guys gave a spirited performance.  If you like a generic indie-pop sound, then you’ll more than likely really like TV Heart Attack.  They aren’t doing anything different, but they certainly enjoy what they are doing. Kudos.

Review and photos by Amanda Scriver

Thursday Night:

Misstress Barbara and Beast at the Guvernment

This was the M for Montreal event, unfortunately hosted at the Guv. I had never been there before, but had heard it was a dive..it was. I walked into the venue and noticed the scarce amount of people in attendance, I was bummed. The misstress was on at this point, and I was actually excited to see her. I had heard about Barbara’s music a long time ago but never really took the time to listen. The juno nominee had the minimal crowd dancing as if the room was full, singing her lyrics like they actually knew them.

Next was Beast. I had seen them before in Montreal last summer, which wasn’t impressive in the least, I was expecting the same at this show. I was wrong. They came on, the crowd grew, got lowder, they exploded. Their show was electric, her voice was loud and their presence was wonderful. Normally I wouldn’t be into this kind of music, but in the case, you can’t help but enjoy what you’re listening to when the performance is good. They should always perform at a smaller venue.

Review and photos by Dominique Dunphy

RJD2 & Breakscience at Mod Club

Opening for RJD2 was Breakscience, the best surprise of the Fest. Imagine the heavy dubstep sound of Rusko but experiencing the beat dropping with a live drummer hammering out the breaks. Percussionist Adam Deitch and Key-J Borahm Lee make an amazing team and seeing them live is something you want to talk about long after their set is over. Visit their myspace to learn more on how this awesome progression in modern drum & bass was formed and obviously rock out to some of their tunes while you’re there.

RJD2 rocked as always and he opened his set wearing a bedazzled version of a robot costume. Nuff said.

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Donnis at Wrongbar

Arriving at Wrongbar to review another band, I found that Donnis was still on stage wilding out, which I was pleasantly surprised.  I’d taken a listen to his Myspace and had him on my list of “To See” but he didn’t make the final cut.  But getting the opportunity just by chance was awesome.  This dude has swagger and can rile up a crowd like nobodies business.  His flow reminded me of a mix between that of Kid Cudi, Drake and Lil’ Wayne – surprisingly all of those artists are somewhat affiliated with Young Money.  Donnis however is not, he’s on A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold label. With A-Trak’s backing and his sound going for him, I see bright things in Donnis’ future.  It seems that already has quite the following in Toronto.  These bros who were standing beside me knew all the words to the tracks (shockingly!) and kept shouting for Donnis to come back out to do an encore after he was done.  Take note Toronto, Donnis is going to be the next best thing.

Review and photos by Amanda Scriver

Keys N Krates at Wrongbar

I have seen Keys N Krates now three times and I’ve never been disappointed.  This performances was no different.  A full band set up playing all your favorite hip-hop and indie-rock songs while live remixing them is always a setup for a good time.  I think the thing that makes Keys N Krates so different and unique is the live energy and soul that goes into this group.  For example, drummer Adam Tune drum kit broke mid-set but still kept a beat while trying to fix his set.  The band never lost their flow & kept going.  I’m sorry, but that is skills.  Considering it was also a Thursday night, Wrongbar was seriously busting at the seams with people going nuts. So yea, Keys N Krates isn’t performing their own music.  But they are doing a damn good job of taking other people’s music and making it sound hella good.

Review by Amanda Sriver, photo by Kelly McElwain.

Timber Timbre at The Great Hall

Apparently this was THE show to get into on Thursday evening.  I was one of the lucky ones that got in.  Media badge / Performer badge / VIP badge / whatever – it did not matter – you weren’t getting in.  I know people who lined up at 8PM and did not get in.  Lucky me just strolled up to the venue at 10:45PM and happened to get in.  How, I do not know.  But I did.  Regardless, this Timbre Timbre performance was a few things: haunting, raw, emotional and understated.  With just a 3-piece band set up on stage and dim lighting – every note that was hit in his performances hit you in such a way and made you think, THIS is the way blues should be played. While I did find at some points it was a little (dare I say it) slow,  lead singer Taylor Kirk admitted, “We’re playing all our slow jams tonight”.  If he was kidding, I don’t know.  But at least he said it, not me.

Review by Amanda Scriver, photo by Kelly McElwain.

AudioBlood Showcase: Leif Vollebekk, Make Your Exit, Sandman Viper Command at El Mocambo

Happening at the same time/around the corner from RJD2 was AudioBlood’s Showcase at the El Mocambo. AudioBlood has coveted so much young talent in the indie rock scene, it makes me sick… in a happy amazing way. They manage rising rock group The Balconies (who played an electric show at the Horseshoe Saturday night) and Sandman Viper Command who finished off the showcase Thursday night. Sari Delmar, founder of AudioBlood Media, certainly has en eye for rising talent in the current music scene so be sure to keep your ears perked and eyes peeled for these up-and-coming bands. It also helps that Delmar is an awesome chick who is always down to hang out, drink beers and see great live music, naturally.
Be sure to check out their myspaces and AudioBloodMedia.com to learn more about the acts.

STAR EYES + THE CAPTAIN (TROUBLE & BASS) AT THE SOCIAL – PHOTOS BY AL D

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Friday Night:

Vitamins for You at Wrongbar

I’ve had the opportunity of seeing Vitamins for You before and really enjoyed them.  They’ve always been on point and really tight.  Whilst they were setting up, it seemed as if they were going to be providing quite the show.  Creepy mask with lights for eyes and makeup. Hooded capes.  Smoke machine.  All of this was on point to providing what seemed to be a very interesting show.  But something seemed to be lacking here.  First and foremost, the set times at Wrongbar were running a bit behind.  Which was fine. But it seriously seemed like they played the same song / same note for a good duration of their set.  Maybe I’m wrong?  I mean, I did enjoy them. But it did seem repetitive.  Stage presence: amazing.  Actual set: not so amazing.  To say the least, I was a little disappointed.  I can’t say that these guys didn’t give it their all.  They looked like a bunch of sweaty drag queens by the end of their set as the makeup sweated off them.  I don’t know what didn’t work.  But something was just off.

Review by Amanda Scriver, photos by Kelly McElwain.

The Acorn, Plants and Animals at Lee’s Palace

CMW, or CMF as it is officially now, really pissed some people off this year. We saw evidence this whilst waiting in line for the Chromwaves Showcase Friday for The Acorn and Plants & Animals. Although equipped with Media and Performer passes we still waited in the bone-chilling rain for just about an hour. If you had wristbands, forget it, you weren’t getting in. During the hour we saw a ton of people getting denied, most of them throwing their frustration and “fuck’s!” at the bouncers who shook it off with indifference while they munched away on burritos. Either way it was well worth the wait. Not only were the Acorn and Plants & Animals ridiculously good, the Molson Canadian girls were giving out a free beer upon arrival. Amazing.

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Saturday Night:

Yukon Blonde, The Balconies, The Beauties, The Wooden Sky, Two Hours Traffic, The Junction at The Horseshoe Tavern

Just looking at this lineup I should have known I was in for one of the best concerts of my year so far, let alone just the festival. Guiness in hand, friends all around and a grin from ear to ear, I was so completely blown away of all the performers, especially the first four.

Yukon Blonde
These West Coast rock’n rollers take the cake for my favourite new band of the fest and overall. And I mean not just any cake, I’m talking chocolatey layers of harmonious classic rock iced with early Kings of Leon and topped with a million birthday sparklers all lit at once.

The Balconies
Throw a quirky brother, his electric older sister and her drumming boyfriend into a firecracker and set it off during the middle of the night and watch the confetti of stars and glitter explode in the sky. Ridiculous way to explain a show, right? Well I’ve seen the Balconies play tons of times in the past year, but something about Saturday night was simply too amazing to put into conventional words.

The Beauties
Usually the Sunday night band for the Dakota Tavern, this bluegrass folk rock group thankfully took their famous set to the Horseshoe. This was the peak for me during the night – something about five older men harmonizing to songs about the simple life and love just gets me going. NOW magazine named them the best roots/country band in Toronto last year, and it’s clear to see why.

The Wooden Sky
These alt-country rockers started off their set with a couple of easy-going and gorgeous songs which soon turned into a sweaty mess of sing-a-longs and hair tossing. They pretty much used a form of foreplay on the crowd and we were willingly (and happily) taken advantage of in the end.

Two Hours Traffic and The Junction brought the night closer to a perfect end but paled in comparison to the previous four groups. Both very talented and enjoyable to say the least, I still caught myself thinking about how amazing the last acts were.

Review and photos by Courtney Yip

Electric Six at Lee’s Palace

Dear Electric Six – thank you for coming back to Canada after such a long hiatus.  You have been missed.  It seems though that you have missed Canada too.  Every single time that Electric Six comes to Toronto, Dick Valentine (lead singer) waxes poetic for his love of Canada.  I mean, when you live in Detroit and live so close to the border and your drummer is apparently from Sarnia, ON – it’s no wonder you love Canada so much.  Regardless, I was shocked at how many salacious Electric Six fans there were in the building and it made me proud.  I thought I was the only one and apparently, I’m not.  Thank god.  Unfortunately (like last time) – their synth player Tait Nucleus? could not make the show as he is suffering from Lymes Disease.  So much of their hits (Synthesizer, Gay Bar, Dance Commander, etc.) were played sans synth.  It didn’t really matter because the boys were ready to freaking rock and that they did.  Covering hits from all of their albums and then finishing out the night with some reggae, with some playful banter.  This was the Electric Six show that was three year in the making.  Dick Valentine also let the crowd in on a secret that he’s starting another Toronto based band called Swashbuckler and debuted one of the tracks that night.  Shall we be hearing more of them to come?  Who knows.  What I do know is I’m super stoked I didn’t miss this show.

Review and photo by Amanda Scriver

Hot Panda at Lee’s Palace

Edmonton’s own Hot Panda have a great sound to them that reminds me a lot of the old Detroit indie scene.  So it’s no surprise that they were opening up for Electric Six, from Detroit, this evening.  This four-piece playing everything from catchy trumpet riffs, bouncy synths, an occasional cowbell or kazoo – it was hard not to get on board with what Hot Panda was selling. Lead singer Chris Connelly is a showman among showman and definitely had the crowd on its feet.  He also let everyone know how proud the band was to be playing on the infamous Lee’s Palace stage.  They definitely made good use of their time and made those in the audience Hot Panda fans.

Review and photo by Amanda Scriver

Sweet Thing at Lee’s Palace

I’ve been following this group since they started.  I guess it helps when a friend of yours is in the band.  But regardless, I had yet to see them live.  So when I heard they had been opening up for Electric Six on their Canadian dates, I knew big things were ahead for them.  Fast forward to the show at Lee’s – Sweet Thing is on stage and without bias, all I can say is they have such an infectious stage presence and each member of the group genuinely looks as if they are (dare I say it) enjoying themselves.  Lead singer Owen Carrier engages every member of the audience to join the group with hand claps and sing alongs and by the end of the performance, if you aren’t leaving a Sweet Thing fan – then I don’t know why not.  The music itself is wonderfully upbeat, infectious brand of indie rock. The duelling guitars, soulful harmonies and all those handclaps have got everyone on their feet & ready to dance.  Yes Sweet Thing, you’ve won this battle.

Review and photo by Amanda Scriver

Sunday Night:

Born Ruffians at the Phoenix

Being a huge fan of the Ruffians’ older material, I was extremely excited to see this band perform. Walking in, the crowd was quite large, larger than I had expected. I notice the first bar only served juice, water, and carbonated beverages, weird, so I make my way to the beer, naturally. I had no idea who the band before was, apparently Parlovr, but their sound was completely generic sounding it didn’t stand out at all. Five minutes before the Ruffians’ set Courtney and I make our way to the front, walking by I notice the crowd getting younger and younger, then I realized, ugh. The 13 year olds were going crazy as the band started to appear on stage,  jumping, fist pumping and pushing everyone around. Born Ruffians were good, they played a lot of their newer tunes, along with a mix of their older material. I’ve never seen a crowd try to mosh and crowd surf to a band with a sound like this,  but I guess they knew how to get the fans going. Their stage presence reminded me of the energy Vampire weekend possessed, and overall I was impressed.

Review by Dominique Dunphy, photos by Courtney Yip

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