Stars w/ Young Galaxy @ The Vogue -- 11/04/10

Last night was my fifth time seeing Monteral's Stars, and the second time this year. And not only do they put on a fantastic live show, but they always seem to have amazing opening bands. Last couple times were Miracle Fortress and Hey Rosetta!. Definitely band that should, can, and do headline shows of their own. Last night continued that trend.

Opening this time was Young Galaxy, which is interesting as Stephen Ramsay used to be in Stars. When their set started out, the sound mix seemed to be a little off, but after "The Buzz In My Flesh" -- which didn't seem to have the same punch live -- it sounded great. "Outside The City" seemed to get things on track and if the rapidly growing group of people gathering at the stage was any indication, the band won over their fair share of new fans. This was the third time I had seen the band, and the first where they were not hidden by thick plumes of fog. I think this led to better show from the band, as they were not just sihouettes in the smoke -- which, mind you, makes for an awesome visual -- and it let their stage presence shine through more. During the primal sounding "Queen Drum" Catherine McCandless was stalking the from of the stage, and before the beautiful "Firestruck", Stephen joked that he has seen a lot of people making out while Stars was playing during their tour, and he would like it is people did the same for them. It was only sort of awkward, and in the best way. After a new song, they ended the set with "Long Live The Fallen World", which came to an amazing ending of intense guitar and swirling synth, as the band thanked everyone, including the friends and family they had in the crowd, and left. I was looking forward to seeing Young Galaxy almost as much as I was Stars, and rocky start aside, they did not disappoint. I hope they're back again soon for a headlining show of their own.

setlist:
Destroyer, The Buzz In My Flesh, Outside The City, Lazy Religion, Queen Drum, Firestruck, We Have Everything, Long Live The Fallen World.

Soon after, it was time for Stars to hit the stage, roses and all. They kicked things off with "He Dreams He Is Awake", off the new album The Five Ghosts, then went back to Heart with "Elevator Love Letter". That set the tone for the night, as they played a good mix of songs from the new album as well as their back catalogue. The band was as good as ever, with Torquil being incredibly enthused to be home and humbled by the crowd. They also brought with them one of the most interesting things I've seen in a while: two bubble machines that spewed a great amount of bubbles into the air. It seems like such a simple thing, but I don't think I've seen anyone do that at a show before, at least not on that big a scale. They were a lok more beautiful, and a hell of a lot easier to clean, than confetti. But they didn't just bring the bubbles, they brought their a-game, even with Amy Millan five and a half months pregnant. That didn't stop her from dancing around, and Torquil Campbell was his usual intense, fun to watch, and outspoken self, giving former premier Gordon Campbell a little good bye speech (more like a "get the fuck out" speech) before "The Comeback".
About half way through the set, most of the band left, and Amy and Evan Cranely sitting on a bench for an acoustic version of "Ageless Beauty". The mood stayed like that as Torquil came back out to sing "The Wood" with Amy, accompanied by Cranley and and Chris Seligman on brass. "Take Me To The Riot" had the crowd jumping and yelling along, and they closed out the set with a trio of songs from Set Yourself On Fire.
The encore began with a simple blue light backing Amy as some canned strings accompanied her for Celebration Guns. The band returned for one of my favourites from the new album, "I Died So I Could Haunt You" (which I want played at my funeral). "Soft Revolution", which is always an incredible song live, had Stephen and Catherine some out to dance and play tambourine, and the night was brought to a gentle end with "Changes"

The band always puts on an incredible show, and even thought I have seen them five times now, I would not hesitate to see them five more.

setlist:
He Dreams He Is Awake, Elevator Love Letter, The Passenger, How Much More, Wasted Daylight, Time Can Never Kill The True Heart, Bitches in Tokyo, Undertow, The Comeback, Ageless Beauty, The Wood, Dead Hearts, Take Me To The Riot, We Don't Want Your Body, Fixed, Set Yourself on Fire, Your Ex-Lover is Dead, One More Night.
[encore] Celebration Guns, I Died So I Could Haunt You, Reunion, Sweetness, Soft Revolution, Changes.

Library Voices w/ Bend Sinister & Paper Lions @ Pit Pub -- 10/29/10

It's been years since I've been to a show at UBC's Pit Pub, and while I have been to worse venues *cough*Rickshaw*cough*, it's not really all that great, either. Plus, it's just so out of the way.
But with a bill consisting of Library Voices and Bend Sinister, who are both great live, as well as Paper Lions, who I had heard good things of, it was hard to stay away.

Unfortunately, due to my decision to catch an acoustic Treelines set (and the lack of directional signs at UBC) I arrived a bit late and only caught the tail end of Bend Sinister. As I walked in, they were just finishing up "Time Breaks Down", then went into their last song, a cover of Supertramp's "The Logical Song". It was a pretty damn good cover, and interesting having seen Moxon do the song a while back at a solo show he did. I was sad to have missed them, but I am sure there'll be another show soon enough.

Paper Lions was up next, with some damn catchy power pop. The four piece seemed really tight and knew how to put on a show. Some highlights of the set were a partial cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" slipped in to a song, with Moxon even coming out to sing, and at one point guitarist switches seamlessly to the drums, while drummer came out to the front for a killer bongo solo (yes, I just put those three words together) which had a little bit of Apache in the mix. I wouldn't mind at all catching them next time they're through town.

Finally was Library Voices. I'm not sure if it's just where I was, or a problem with the pub itself, but I noticed a few times throughout the set the bass was quite overpowering. It seemed to get better later on, so they either fixed it or I just got used it it. That aside, it was an incredibly good set with an insane energy from the eight-piece band -- soon to be seven-piece, as they announced it was the last show for Karla Miller. They played mostly off the new album, Denim on Denim, but with a couple older, and at least one new one thrown into the mix. They had everyone dancing, clapping and singing along. And the band was insanely high energy, jumping and moving around. A few times the lead singer jumped on the railing at the front of the stage, and even jumped into the crowd to sing a couple times. The rest of the band was just as energetic, and even a couple members of Paper Lions and Bend Sinister got in on the action, helping out a few times.
"Party Like It's 2012" "Drinking Games" and "Bookish" were definitely highlights, as well as "Step Off The Map and Float", which closed out the main set. They ended the show with members of all three bands out for a great cover of "Got My Mind Set On You". I always love to see that kind of thing in the encore, with all bands out for a cover, and it never happens enough.

A pretty awesome trio of bands, and I already can't wait to see Library Voices live again.

Treelines (acoustic) @ Waves -- 10/29/10

I am always interested in acoustic sets, so when I found out about Treelines doing just that, in a Waves coffee house, no less, I knew I would have to juggle my schedule and try and make it.

St Augustine was up first, just a single guy & guitar. He played Perfectly Acceptable Music, with a folksy sound that fit right in with the rest of the acts. Nothing terrible, but not really all that memorable either.

Next was Bodhi Jones, he & his bandmates dressed up for hallowe'en, with Jones as "The Ghost of Farmer Bodhi Jones" (though he looked more like a zombie cowboy) and the others a sailor and Logan. His folky sounds translated pretty good into the setting, but while he is a fine musician, he just seems to be missing something. Like I said at his Peak showcase, his songs are just... there, many of them quite similar to another. Again, he's not really all that bad, but just perhaps needs something to make him more unique.

To be honest, when I heard it was an acoustic Treelines show, I was as wary as I was intrigued; I wasn't sure how they would translate to a stripped down sound. Turns out I was worrying for nothing. With a couple members, Matt Lockhart and Matt Kelly (showing off his pedal steel skills) joined by Indiana Avent on violin, the songs translated pretty damn good. Especially the all out rocker "Ghost Towns" which was turned into a self-proclaimed "Joel Plaskett version", a pretty fitting description. Matt mentioned having a Giants of the Forest video done with that version of the song, so I look forward to seeing it. They played only a handfull of songs off their two albums, as well an unreleased one, with Lockhart wondering if they were actually Treelines, or "Treelines covering Treelines" (I suggest Shrublines). The intimate setting of a coffee house also highlighted Lockhart's charisma on stage, talking and joking between songs.

I'm not sure if they'll be doing this kind of show again, but I really hope they do. If not, I am glad I decided to catch it.

Sufjan Stevens @ Orpheum -- 10/28/10

Last time Sufjan Stevens was in town, a few years back now, I missed out on tickets. Even though my interest in him had wained a little -- not having an album out in five years being part of the reason -- I knew that I would regret missing out this time. And I am so glad I didn't miss out.

Opening act was DM Stith, who came out alone and announced he would be playing us four songs, which was exactly what he delivered. He had a folky sounds, which kind of reminded me of Sufjan at times. There was also some nice use of looping, and a surprise horn section for a song (or as he called it, "Bam! Trumpet"). Before the last song, he told us how while rehearsing, Stevens liked to call the non-lyrical parts of the songs -- the ooohh's and aaaahhh's -- "sex scenes", then promised us a long one before going into his last song. He was quite good, and I hope he hits the road again and is back soon.


And then Sufjan Stevens came out. I had heard many things from his shows, so wasn't sure what to expect... but he came out in full force with his band, almost a dozen strong, including Stith, with keyboards, pianos, horns, a pair of drum sets, and even backup singers/dancers. Capping it off was a giant screen behind them, which added either animations of videos through the show, and it was a pretty grand stage setup. He started off with "Seven Swans", but the rest of the set was heavy on the new material; mostly from The Age of Adz, but a couple from the EP he released just before that, All Delighted People. The title track from the former and "I Walked" were probably two of my favourite, and I'm glad I gave the album a few spins before going to the show, as I can see the new material being kind of tough to get into.
Mid way through the set, he told a lengthy story about artist Royal Robertson, his mental illnesses, artwork and influences on the album. After a few more, he played "Impossible Soul", which was quite an amazing feat, as it is twenty five minute long(!!). The song goes in movements, for lack of a better term, and when it kicked into high gear for one part, the lower half of the orpheum rushed the gap in front of the stage to dance... and they weren't the only ones. The backup singers/dancers came to the front of the stage, with Sufjan himself for some amazing choreographed dance moves. All while decked out in 90's "fashion". And then he brought in the auto-tune, which I was a little less annoyed by than usual, probably because the whole thing just seemed to be more tongue in cheek than anything; he clearly wasn't taking himself seriously.
I was fully expecting that to be all, but he had one more to go, the one song many people there were probably waiting for: "Chicago". The opening notes got a huge burst of applause, and the crowd was captivated by it. After saying his thanks and a long break, he came out for the encore, which consisted of two more from Illinoise. He came out alone, at first, for "Concerning the UFOs..." and then the whole band came back to back him up for "Jacksonville" before leaving the crowd on their feet roaring with applause.

I kind of wished he played a few more older songs -- "John Wayne Gacy Jr." would have been amazing live -- but I also understand why he didn't (humourously forgetting a line in "Jacksonville" was probably part of the reason). Despite that, it was a pretty amazing show, and I just hope it won't be another four years until he is back.

setlist:
Seven Swans; Too Much; The Age of Adz; Heirloom; I Walked; Futile Devices; Vesuvius; Now That I'm Older; Get Real Get Right; Enchanting Ghost; Impossible Soul; Chicago.
[encore] Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois; Jacksonville.

Nadia Von Hahn CD Release w/ 41st & Home @ Media Club -- 10/26/10

Fittingly enough, when 41st & Home didn't play last for their own CD release party earlier this year, I wondered why an act would not be headlining their own shindig. Looks like there would be some sort of strange karma to go around for the Nadia Von Hahn CD release. Admittedly, I wasn't that familiar with Von Hahn, but was there more to see a couple of the other acts that night. (There were also five sets, so I'll try to keep things brief.)

First up was Chantel Upshaw, whose three piece consisted of drums, keys and a laptop. With the occasional triangle or wood-sticks claves. It's been a while since I had seen a triangle at a show... The as-yet-unnamed band played a short set of her light but soulful sound. She had a good presence, but okay banter. Sometimes engaging -- like when introducing "Hypnotized", about numerology -- but other time letting the silence fill the room before the next song. A good set, and perfectly acceptable opener for the night.

Next was one of the acts I was there to see, Christopher Arruda. At his Peak Performance Showcase, I kind of liked his solo tunes a bit better than the ones with his full band, so I was intrigued to see him take the stage alone, with just his keyboard. I've always been a sucker for piano-driven rock. While the sound was less "chaotic and apocalyptic" -- as I described his full band sound -- and more subdued, he managed to keep up a level of intensity and passion to his songs. I've seen full bands that were not able to get that kind of power behind them. I look forward to seeing him again, full band or not, and only realised too late that I forgot to pick up his album, or new EP.

City of Glass was after him, and while they were good, there was something about them that nagged at me through their entire set. They sounded very familiar, and I couldn't place if it was like a certain band, or if they just had that familiar sound about them. It was a good, if a little generic, indie-pop-rock sound that never really stood out. I wouldn't mind seeing them again, to give them another shot... but I won't go out of my way to.

Taking the stage next was Nadia Von Hahn. She came out with a full band, in a 20s Flapper dress, with a sound that very much fit her attire. In fact, she did a cover of  "Why Don't You Do Right?" near the end of her set which was very fitting. She had a really captivating stage presence, and some good banter, especially with (and by) her guitarist. Her sound was very interesting, and I look forward to listening to the album -- which was given out to everyone with the purchase of a ticket, in a gift bag that also included candy. Best CD release ever.

Finally, 41st & Home wrapped up the night. And I will try not to rant, but because of the terrible schedule of the public transit system, it was either leave early... or be stranded in downtown until 3:30 in the morning. I chose the former, so had to bail after only two songs, which I felt terrible about (and mad, since they were the act I was there to see most). I will say, the song they opened with -- which I think is a new one -- was probably the best single song I have seen them play live; a cool intro and great energy behind it. Second up was "Great Bear" which, as many of their songs do, starts slow and builds to a grand climax. Hopefully they'll play again soon enough, and I'll be able to catch the whole thing.

Oh, and through much of the last half of the show, the balloons were flying, bouncing off everyones heads-- accidentally or less so. No one can resist a good game smack-the-balloon! (Not a euphemism.) Aside from the Terrible Translink Tragedy, it was a pretty darn good night in music.
And I can't help but wonder if I'll see Von Hahn headline someone else's CD release party in a few months.