The Trews @ Vogue -- 03/03/12

Since I first saw them, The Trews have been one of my favourite live bands. Since then I've seen them several times, both acoustic and electric, and they have a raw energy that is matched by few, and always put on a show well worth seeing.

Opening the night was Ontario's Poor Young Things, who were pretty much a straight ahead rock band. With three guitarists driving their sound, they played a short but sweet set, and though they only have one EP under their collective belts, this year's Let It Sleep, they meshed together like a band that has been at it for years.
They were joined by Trews keyboardist Jeff Heisholt for a couple songs, and they brought it to an end with the aptly named "Fire", which was my favourite of the set, building to an explosive ending. Some of the songs were a bit similar, and they're certainly not trying to reinvent the genre, but they had a really good energy and they definitely knew how to rock out. A solid band to open for the night.

(side note: I did not get the chance to ask them if their name is form the Peter Elkas/Joel Plaskett song, so I'll just keep assuming it is)

Then as bagpipes filled the air, The Trews hit the stage, in front of a projection screen, kicking things off with "Misery Loves Company" from the new album, Hope & Ruin. They then ramped up the energy with "Not Ready To Go" -- with a little bit of Humble Pie's "30 Days In The Hole" slipped in -- getting everyone up to the stage and not letting their foot off the gas for the next hour and a half.
As usual, they had an amazing raw energy, especially from lead singer Colin MacDonald, going back and forth across the stage, urging everyone to sing along and once even getting his guitar right down into the front for so people could strum.
Among the highlights of the set were the raucous drinking song "Can't Stop Laughing"; one of my favourites, and a great singalong song, "Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me"; and "Yearning", which featured an incredible extended guitar solo from John-Angus MacDonald, the other members ducking off stage, leaving him to shine. Drummer Sean Dalton also had a spotlight moment later on, with a breathtaking drum clinic before the last song of the main set, "Hold Me In Your Arms"
Colin came back out for the encore alone, starting one of my favourites of theirs, the heartbreaking "Ishmael & Maggie" before the band slowly joined him for a giant singalong. And they wrapped up with another personal favourite, the incendiary "Every Inambition" from their first album, House of Ill Fame, ending the show in an intense way, with every member going nuts.

It was another great show from the band, and even though I have seen them a number of times, I don't think I'll ever tire of their live show.

setlist
Misery Loves Company, Not Ready To Go (with 30 Days In The Hole [Humble Pie cover]), So She's Leaving, Can't Stop Laughing, Paranoid Freak, Sing Your Heart Out, I'll Find Someone Who Will, Yearning, Highway of Heroes, Hope and Ruin, One By One, Tired of Waiting, The Love You Save [The Jackson 5 cover], Fleeting Trust, Gun Control, If You Wanna Start Again, Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me, Hole Me In Your Arms.
(encore) Ishmael & Maggie, The World I Know, Every Inambition.

Rich Aucoin @ Media Club -- 03/02/12

Right off the bat, I don't think there exist words to do Rich Aucoin's live show justice. But I'll try.
After seeing him open for Arkells last year, and turn the Commodore into a giant dance party, I was ridiculously excited to see him live again, and especially interested to see him at a much smaller venue, like the Media Club.

I missed the first band of the night, Bradley, but got there just in time for Young Liars to hit the stage. I've seen them a couple times before, and they always put on a decent show; though their songs tend blend together a bit, and lead singer's voice can be a bit rough at times. But despite that, they have a fun and upbeat synth-pop sound, and put on an enjoyable -- if a little forgettable -- show, and I can definitely see them getting better as they grow as a band.

And then Rich Aucoin hit the stage, first introducing himself then ducking off stage for the "trailers" and "opening credits" projected on a screen, which cut back and forth between video clips and fun "facts" about various members of the audience. It was one of the few times that I have seen a crowd riled up and psyched before the performer played a single note. And the videos went on throughout the night, with various internet memes between the songs, which were set to various video footage, like from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
Joined solely by drummer Tony Dallas, Aucoin then burst out with an unparalleled energy, getting the crowd to repeat choruses and shout along to songs, the lyrics helpfully on the projection screen. He barely stayed in one place for too long, playing the keys, up to the front of the stage, and even running through the crowd several times, occasionally even to the back of the room; and at one point getting everyone down to one knee, to leap up with a burst of confetti. There was also his usual rainbow parachute brought out for everyone to dance under, and also a second, matte black one and he got all the lights down low to make the club almost completely dark.
But of course the fancy videos and showmanship were just part of the show, with his incredibly catchy and upbeat pop-rock driving everyone to dance, keeping up the incredible energy throughout the whole night. Both "PUSH", with its Daft Punk sampled intro and the bombastic "It" were among the highlights of the show.

Without a doubt, and without hyperbole, Rich Aucoin's live show is one of the best I have ever seen. It's fun, and uplifting, and will leave you with a full heart and grinning for days on end. One of the lines he had everyone chant was "When you give it all up, you get it back", and I can't think of a better way to sum up the show; Rich more that gives it all up, and deserves everything he gets back.

Royal Canoe @ Media Club -- 03/01/12

The last time Royal Canoe was in town, I was -- for some reason -- on the fence about seeing them. But after I did, I wrote "next time they come through town, there will definitely be no fence-sitting". Well, add Hannah Epperson and Elias to the bill, and it was almost a no-brainer to hit the Media Club last night.

Hannah Epperson started off the night with her violin and looping pedals, and immediately wowed the crowd with both. The loops from her amazing violin playing created a great depth from the first songs, which featured a little bit of Beirut's "My Night with the Prostitute from Marseille", and her soft voice fit in perfectly.
Between songs she had some awkward-but-endearing stage banter, and charmed most of the crowd into coming up and sitting cross-legged at the front of the stage. Her short set ended off with what she said was her favourite songs -- and my favourite of the set -- "Murder of Crows".

Next up was Elias, who are hot off the release of their new album Fossils. They started the set with a song I didn't catch the name of, but was one of my favourites of the set, with guitarist Rob Tornroos on vocals, as it built to a giant swirling climax. From there they played mostly from the new album, with a good energy on stage from the whole band -- especially lead singer Brian Healy who was rather engaging, even jumping off stage to run through the crowd and get everyone clapping at one point.
While there are times I think their dark, alt-rock sound may be a little too "Fox-Rock" for me, I can't deny that they have an incredibly solid live show, no doubt honed by their years of playing, and are always enjoyable to watch play.

And finally, Royal Canoe rounded off the night. The stage was absolutely packed with the six members and all their instruments; including but not limited to guitars, bass, several keyboards, and a drum kit & a half. So it was no surprise that they created a huge wall of sound with their synth-driven electronic-pop.
Highlights of the set included the catchy "Hold On To The Metal" off their latest EP, appropriately titled Extended Play (and available on 3.5" floppy disk at the show), "Dumb Waiter" from their first album Co-Op Mode, and the creepy "Nightcrawlin'", which ended the set with lead singer Matt Peters' unique voice filtered through a second microphone, with all sorts of vocal effects. They were back out, though, for a one song encore, which was sadly not "Kasparov", definitely my favourite song of theirs that I haven't seen either time they've played here. But despite that, it was still a fantastically fun and damn good set; they teased being back in May, and I think by this point, going to the show will be a foregone conclusion.

Jasper Sloan Yip @ Performance Works -- 02/26/12

The seventh annual Winterruption Festival wrapped up yesterday on Granville Island, and the festivities included a pair of free afternoon shows from Vancouver's Jasper Sloan Yip; an early electric and an acoustic one almost right after.

I caught the earlier electric set, where the crowd was a bit subdued, being an early afternoon show. But the barefoot Jasper kept a good energy and stage presence, telling stories and bantering with his violin player and partner Stephanie Chatman, joking after one song's false start that "in music, as in life, she is right".
And Jasper's energy definitely came through in his music, with his upbeat and dynamic folk rock sound. Highlights of the set included the infectious "Kiddo" and a great cover of  Wilco's "Jesus, Etc". And the Wilco influence shone through later on for my favourite of the set, "Horseshoe"; particularly on the guitar, with Yip channelling a little bit of Nels Cline. They ended with "Foxtrot", preceeded by Jasper reading a bit of the wikipedia definition of the term, stating that is how he wanted his music to one day be. Which he is well on his way to.

It was a nice way to wrap up a great weekend of music, and I have no doubt that next year, Coastal Jazz will be able to top it.

Aidan Knight w/ The Belle Game @ Performance Works -- 02/25/12

For the seventh year running, Granville Island is home to a celebration of food and performance and arts and dance and music for the Winterruption Festival. Last night was a fun show with Michael Bernard Fitzgerald and Acres of Lions, and tonight they've got an even better double bill of Aidan Knight and The Belle Game.

I missed a little bit of The Belle Game, getting there just as they wrapped up "I Wish You Weren't Like A Dead Lover (Sometimes)", with the band going nuts on floor toms. I've had the chance to see them a few times in the last several months, and they just keep getting better, their great stage presence and dense & layered sound filling the room and capturing people's attention.
They urged people to slow dance for the brought things down for a moment with "Shoulders and Turns" and Olivier Clements of Aidan's band, was out to join Andrew Lee on trumpet for "Sleep To Grow". They also had a few new songs, teasing a new album, including the final song of the set "River", with Andrea Lo's vocals taking on a smoky, jazz club feel.

Not long after it was time for Aidan Knight. Even though I've seen Aidan and his Friendly Friends live almost a dozen times now, somehow this is the first time I've seen him headlining a show of his own. They started off with "Land's End" and "North East South West", the latter of which he broke a string during. He was a little flustered at first, but Alex Andrew of The Belle Game saved the day by loaning Aidan his guitar. Knight would self-deprecatingly call himself out on this, and a couple other road bumps later in the set -- including his self-proclaimed "terrible" banter -- but his awkwardness has always been more endearing than anything, and he was as charming as ever throughout the set.
And of course, the music was great. There were some new songs sprinkled in, an untitled one about a girl being in love with a guy who has a fake tan; "Singer/Songwriter", which Aidan introduced as "the 'Inception of songs"; and the magnificently beautiful "Margaret Downe", heartbreaking as always, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite songs the more I hear it.
They ended not with "Jasper" (surprisingly) but with "Knitting Something Nice", starting soft and building to a huge ending. And of course they were back for the encore with a song called "Magic Cupboard" which is "about baking", and finally wrapping it up with "Friendly Fires", with The Belle Game and Zach from The Zolas becoming honourary Friendly Friends, joining them on stage for shakers and clapping and dancing.


The only thing that marred the set was some slight sound issues; the most noticeable being a persistent hum, but it was more a minor annoyance than anything, and didn't stop me from enjoying the set. Knight always puts on a great show, and I am definitely looking forward to the new album he was teasing.

And don't forget, Winterruption continues today, where you have two chances to see Jasper Sloan Yip at Performance Works: an electric set at 12:30 and an acoustic one at 1:45, both free!