Jess Hill @ The Railway Club -- 09/22/10

As I mentioned in my first Peak Performance Project Showcase post, Jess Hill's music has had an immediate effect on me. I'm pretty sure it's because I have a soft spot for alt-country women with powerful voices (see also: Neko Case, Carolyn Mark, Jenny Lewis, Kathleen Edwards, et al), but from the moment I heard her I had a new musical-crush.

Shiloh Lindsey was first up, though, and she was pretty good. An alt-country sound, but a little on the twangy  side for my taste. There also didn't really seem to be that much by way of diversity through the songs... They were still good, just not quite my taste, I guess.

Up next was Jess Hill, who started her set much the same way as the Showcase, with an a capella song which she launched into while the bar was still chatting. But her powerful voice effectively shut (most) everyone up (almost) immediately, before the band kicked in for "Orchard". She's got a great sense of songwriting and story telling, with a lot of her tunes having an edge, or even a darkness to them, and that just compliments her folk style and voice perfectly.
Mid way through, the two members took a break and she played a few songs alone, as well as a tale relating moths, and their being drawn to light, to love. It's awkward to relay, but made complete sense in context, and the way she told it. After a couple solo songs, the band came back, and she did another song that started off a capella, but then the band crashed back in for one of the more upbeat songs of the set. It was probably my favourite song of the show, and I am not quite sure the name of it (venturing a guess, I'd say "Digging A Hole"), and am eager to get a recorded version of it. She ended the set with "From Above", and even though guitarist James Lamb, who was at the Peak Showcase show, wasn't there -- he had to drop out of this show at the last minute -- it in no way detracted from the show. At least not that I could notice. (Though, it would have been cool to see him there, too)

I'm honestly not really too sure how Jess Hill will fare against the predominantly indie-pop-rock offerings of the Peak Performance Project, but from what I've seen so far, and in my humble opinion, she more than deserves to at least be in the top five.
And, hey, the two bands I was rooting for most last year ended up in the top three, so here's hoping!

The Peak Performance Project Showcase #2 @ The Red Room -- 09/16/10

The Peak Performance Project is a multi-year contest in which The Peak, along with Music BC, picks 20 BC musicians/bands a year and makes them stars.
Last year it was won by We Are The City, and they have barely slowed down since winning. This year it seems like the competition is a lot tougher; at least half the bands I have either liked before the contest, or have grown to like because of it. I definitely do not envy the judges on who should take it come November.
Part one of the project was a rock & roll boot camp where they went on a week long retreat where industry pros helped them refine their craft. Phase two is a series of shows at The Red Room, four artists a night for five weeks, each playing a 45 minute set, which includes a cover of a classic Canadian song. I always love it when bands play covers live, so that is one aspect I am definitely looking forward to. That, and seeing who everyone picks (I am going to keep a running tally on how many Neil Young and Leonard Cohen songs we get -- so far, one Young, no Cohen).

I fully admit, going into the P3, I had a few artists that I was already fans of, so I may have a bias towards. One of those is Aidan Knight, whose album Versicolour I am in love with. He came out with his backing band, The O'Darlings, but without a drummer -- only having a couple floor toms on stage with them. Kicking the set off with "The Sun", he then went through a few new songs, visibly excited and enthusiastic to be there and playing for us. A few times through the set, he chatted to the crowd, with his own humble banter that comes across more charming and funny than awkward. Another new song featured some borrowed Simon & Garfunkel lyrics, and is a song I hope to hear recorded very soon. After intense endings to both "North East South West" and "Knitting Something Nice For You" he played his classic Canadian cover, which was a really slowed down and melancholy version of "The Light Is You" by Said The Whale. While is was a great cover, I do have to question its status as "classic" song. He ended the set as he usually does, with "Jasper", which had the whole crowd singing along with him from the beginning, and then to cap off the song, he jumped into the crowd with his guitar, surrounded by people singing. It was a pretty amazing sight, and just helps prove why he is one of my top picks to win the whole project.

Next up was Yes Nice, who I had heard a little of and was looking forward to. But the first half of their set, they seemed really unenthusiastic, almost like it was more of a chore for them to be there; not even talking very much. But half way through they broke out their Canadian cover, the theme song to The Raccoons, which was pretty awesome and full of energy. The rest of their set kept it up, and if their whole set had the same level to it -- or at the very least, mixed it up a bit -- I would have liked the set a lot better. Once they got into that groove, they were a lot more enjoyable to watch. They ended with "Horses", the most upbeat and poppy song about the apocalypse I have ever heard, which even had the chorus projected on the wall, for a sing-a-long... but after the natural one for Aidan, it seemed maybe a little forced. They also wove through the crowd before the set, sneakily putting small pieces of blue tape on people, and when they hit the stage, they too were adorned with tape. I am not really sure what that was about, but... it was something.

Debra Jean and the Means was third of the night, with Debra Jean Creelman being formally of Mother Mother. Both her and her backing band were all very talented, but there was just something... missing. They had a very eerie and creepy rock sound, but it was a little... "generic" is too negative of a word, but it just didn't strike me. She also didn't use her range very much, at least until her cover of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", which she brought out a small brass section for. I've heard really good and really bad covers of that song, and this was definitely the former; probably even the best cover of the night. She had an excellent stage presence, though, owning the mic for every song. While I don't want to say they were bad in the least, I was just a little underwhelmed.

Wrapping up the night was Parlour Steps, who had a VERY upbeat and energetic set; probably the most of the night. Though again, they didn't have much by way of banter, they seemed very comfortable and confident on stage. At one point, they passed out egg-shakers to some people in the front for crowd participation, which is always a nice touch when bands do that sort of thing. The only thing was they did have a bit of a similar feel to a lot of their songs, even their cover of The Northern Pikes song "Teenland", but with their kind of power-pop, that isn't necessarily a detriment to their set.
After they wrapped up their alloted 45 minutes, some people in the crowd were chanting for an encore, so the lead singer came out and said that out of respect for the other bands, they would not be doing one. Which I found very classy and applaud them for doing so. It wouldn't have been fair to the rest, and that definitely improved my opinion of the band.

And so the winner of the showcase number two? Aidan Knight. I would like to think that Knight did not win because of my previous bias, but rather I have the bias because he puts on shows like this. I am really hoping he makes it far the contest.
Next week is another stacked week, with Christina Maria, 41st and Home, Ben Sigston and Adaline. Should be a good one!

Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene

Given how the various members of Toronto's "musical collective" Broken Social Scene have gone on to their own success, Jimmy Shaw & Emily Haines of Metric and Feist perhaps the two best examples, and the pair of "BSS Presents" solo albums by co-founders Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, it was not unreasonable to be in doubt of the future of the group. But after "slimming down" to a core nine members, the group feels more like a band, and less like a loose gathering of musicians. There are still guest stars galore -- there are 30-something credited musicians on the album -- but most just pop in for a song or two, including BSS alumni Feist, Haines, Amy Millan, Jason Collett, members from The Sea & Cake, Pavement and many more. But will the new, streamlined lineup provide the same magic that previous albums hit?

Forgiveness Rock Record starts as the almost seven minute long "World Sick" slowly creeps in, before swelling to grandiose proportions. The sprawling song is reminiscent of their previous work, but once the frantic and frenzied "Chase Scene" kicks in, you know the album is going to be their most diverse yet. The topical "Texico Bitches" is an effortless song, and "Forced To Love" is a more straight ahead rocker, featuring Sebastien Grainger. Those gives way to the more electronic-y "All To All", the first song to showcase the vocals of relative newcomer Lisa Lobsinger, who proves she is right up there with the rest of BSS's talented female vocalists. The horn-laden "Art House Director" is another high energy rocker, where the influence of Apostle of Hustle's Andrew Whiteman shines through.
"Highway Slipper Jam" slows things down with a more chill, loose, acoustic-y vibe to it, and the lo-fi and twitchy "Ungrateful Little Father", crawls to a dreamy ending. But then the energy is right back up with the epic "Meet Me In the Basement", an absolutely intense instrumental battle of guitars and horns that leaves you drained at the end. Which is probably best to be followed by "Sentimental X's", which starts a little more subdued, but then builds to a grand climax. It also, if I am not mistaken, marks the first time Feist, Haines and Millan have sung on the same song.
The sexy bass line of "Sweetest Kill" belies some of the darkest lyrics on the album, which seem to have a focus on romance, abandonment and death, as "Romance To the Grave" also does a good job of showcasing. After a few slower tracks, "Water In Hell" brings the energy back up with another great cacophonous rock song. The album ends with a kind of strange song, "Me and My Hand", which sounds like it's a one-take screwing-around song that should be a hidden track rather than the closer.

In the end, the album manages to be their most eclectic, yet most accessible. It is less sprawling, and while at first it may seem a bit too focused, the more you listen to it, and peel back the layers, the more you see new elements you missed the first, second, or even fifth times. Is it their best yet? No, probably not, but that is only a testament to how brilliant their previous albums are. But it is definitely their most engaging, and absolutely worthy of being short listed for a Polaris Prize.


Download Chase Scene

Download All to All

Download Meet Me In The Basement

Clicky to exchange monies for music

Analog Bell Service (w/ Tariq) @ Railway Club -- 09/10/10

I'm not sure how it happened, but it seems like forever since I had been to a show at the Railway Club. It's probably one of the better live venues we have, but perhaps because of it's size, you have to catch bands at just the right point to be able to see them there. Last night featured two Vancouver bands who will be no doubt moving to bigger venues soon enough. Both also had the CBC Radio 3 connection, with members being hosts and/or behind the scenes work.

While he wasn't first up for the night (that went to Aunts & Uncles, who we missed), Tariq was the first act we caught. He was joined by Brasstronaut-bandmate Brennan Saul, Colin Cowan & Chris Kelly (of Analog Bell Service) and Jody Glenham as his backing band. I'm not sure why, but when I first heard Tariq's solo material, I was a bit surprised that it had more of a folky, almost alt-country sound to it. But it really works well for him. There was especially one song that struck me, as it did last time I saw him play, called "Front Row Seat" which is a love song by way of concert seating. Which sounds awkward, but turns out really well written. He was also joined, at one point, by Brasstronaut trumpeteer Bryan Davies for a song. I think I liked the first time I saw him a little better, at Little Mountain Gallery, because there seemed to be more banter/joking that time, and the "encore" with Tariq playing in the midst of the crowd... but that kind of thing is a bit more difficult at the Railway.

And hitting the stage around 1am was Analog Bell Service. This was my third time seeing them in about as many months, and probably the best of the three. The other two they were openers, so this time they had more time to stretch their legs. Their energy was through the roof, as usual, as they burst through their poppy art-rock sound. I guess that is how you would describe it, they have a hard sound to peg down. Aside from the songs from their self titled album, they played some brand new stuff and a few covers, as they seem to like to do; "Sunglasses at Night" and "I Can See Clearly Now", both of which they've done before. They also threw in a really cool cover of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", their sound giving the song a really unique twist. They also teased covering The Pixies at one point, I think, but it wasn't to be. The set was wrapped up with "I Guess", which they went completely all out for, somehow managing to raise the intensity. So much so that Chris Kelly even seemed to break his guitar somehow. Because of that, it didn't seem like there was going to be more, but the crowd brought them back for a for-reals-encore, which saw them pull their friend (and bandmate, or former bandmate, I am not sure) Chris Leitch for vocals on the last song, "There She Goes".

Despite the fact that they went on so late (Tariq started at almost midnight, ABS just after 1am), it was still a damn good show, and I will definitely be seeing either of them next time I have the chance.

PS: I don't know who made the poster for the show, but I love the Python-ness of it.

The Peak Performance Project Showcase #1 @ The Red Room -- 09/09/10

The Peak Performance Project is a multi-year contest in which The Peak, along with Music BC, picks 20 BC musicians/bands a year and makes them stars.
Last year it was won by We Are The City, and they have barely slowed down since winning. This year it seems like the competition is a lot tougher; at least half the bands I have either liked before the contest, or have grown to like because of it. I definitely do not envy the judges on who should take it come November.
Part one of the project was a rock & roll boot camp where they went on a week long retreat where industry pros helped them refine their craft. Phase two is a series of shows at The Red Room, four artists a night for five weeks, each playing a 45 minute set, which includes a cover of a classic Canadian song. I always love it when bands play covers live, so that is one aspect I am definitely looking forward to. That, and seeing who everyone picks (I am going to keep a running tally on how many Neil Young and Leonard Cohen songs we get).

Going into the first showcase, there were two artists I was looking forward to seeing. The first of which being Jess Hill, whose voice I had fallen in love with the minute I heard "Orchard" on The Peak. She came out to kick the whole event off with an a capella song, only aided by stomps & claps, that really let her powerful voice shine. The band, which featured an electric upright bass and James Lamb on guitar, then kicked in for "Orchard" and were with her for the rest of the set. Her sound was sort of a folk sound, with a bit of an alt-country twinge, but it wasn't without an edge, or a bit of darkness to some of the songs. The style definitely played to her strengths, and she seemed to have a great sense of storytelling to the songs. Near the end she broke out into another a capella song, her commanding voice taking hold of the crowd (except for the annoying people in the back who talked the whole night) and then the band kicked in for a really incredible song, which I wish I got the name of. She also had a pretty good stage presence, confident in what she was doing, but also very appreciative to the crowd; slightly shy without being awkward at all.
For her cover, she explained that she didn't want to go for the obvious choice of Joni Mitchell, so decided to pick someone who shared her birthday. And then launched into "Cuts Like A Knife" by Bryan Adams. The fun part about covers is seeing an artist making it their own, and she not only did that, but I think I liked her version better than the original.
Going in to her showcase set, I had already liked her from the album, but after the set? Wow, just wow. She had definitely secured her spot in who I think should be the top five.

Next up was Bodhi Jones, who was actually in the project last year, and made it in for the second year. His sound was a little more of a folk-pop sound, and he definitely wasn't bad, but he just seemed to be missing a certain something. A few of his songs sounded a bit too similar and while they were not bland, they just kind of... were there. He did, though, look completely natural up on stage, and that was probably due to his relentless live playing, as he can often be found busking in Vancouver. An effortlessness surrounded him which did add to his performance.
There was one song near the end where he was joined by a cellist (whose name I am blanking on, but I believe she played with Broken Social Scene at Sasquatch) for a really emotional song about an addict friend, which was definitely the best of the set. Before his cover he mentioned that he didn't like playing them too much, and then went into "Old Man" by Neil Young (one), and did a decent version of it, but didn't really make it his own or anything. Much like his whole set, it was good, and he is an admirable player, but he was just missing something.

Vince Vaccaro was the other act I as interested in seeing, having been an idle fan of his for a few years. Meaning I have caught him live once for a free show, and have enjoyed his stuff on the radios, but never quite got around to picking up an album. The first thing that struck me was his energy. The man ran around stage like a squirrel with ADD, going into the crowd, even, barely slowing down for a minute. And the energy translated really well to playing live. For the beginning of his set, he had the electric out, and his sound seemed to be a bit more funk-infused; his Boot Camp Challenge song (which was to write a song around the title "Last Night") had a downright reggae flavour to it, but it was when he brought out the acoustic that I really got into it. Not to sound like "that guy", but I think I like his earlier material better, with songs like Heart & Hands, which he didn't play, having more of an East Coast Rock sound, something that you don't find much here (for obvious reasons). He did touch on that aspect of his sound, though, when he pulled out his cover song, "Uprising Down Under" by Sam Roberts -- which made me wonder how "classic" the song has to be. Don't get me wrong, that's one of my favourite Sam Roberts songs, but it is from four years ago. In any case, the beginning half of the song sounded almost identical, with Vaccaro playing softly on his guitar. But then the rest of the band kicked in to give the end a more rocking vibe, making it their own. It was quite a good set, and while I may not put Vaccaro in my top five, he would easily make the top ten.

Finally, wrapping up the night was Acres of Lions. I had heard a bit of them before the show, and to be blunt, I wasn't really into what I had heard, as it seemed to be a bit more pop-punk. But I had heard second-hand that their live show was fun, so I was open to it. And that it most certainly was. They, too, were full of energy, and effortlessly got the crowd into it and moving. Though they also had a little lack of diversity in their set, with most of their songs sounding like variations of the same. At one point, however, they mentioned something about a cancelled TV show before going into a song, then part way through, I think confirming that it was Firefly. I am not completely sure on that, but if it was... they earn major points from me. They also earn points for their choice of cover, "Never Surrender" by Corey Hart.
I'm not sure it's anything I'd want to listen to on a regular basis, but they did put on one hell of a live show, I'll give them that.

All around good performances, but for me, Jess Hill won the night. Best cover for sure, and as tough as it is to call, probably the best set. Next week is going to be a good one, and will be nigh impossible to judge, as there is Aidan Knight, Yes Nice, Debra Jean and Parlour Steps. Can't wait!