Neko Case @ Orpheum -- 09/20/13

It's been some time since the last time Neko Case was in Vancouver, and even longer since there was a new album. But it was a sort-of-homecoming for the Virginia singer -- who got her start in Tacoma before moving up to Vancouver -- as she came through promoting her new album The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. (Which is my favourite album title of the year, so far)
The gorgeous Orpheum Theatre was packed for the show, her New Pornographer bandmates spotted in the crowd, and I can't think of a venue that would be better suited for someone like Neko Case.

Opening the show was Vancouver's own Wake Owl. The band sounded good, but sadly most of Colyn Cameron's vocals were nearly indistinguishable; they were drenched in reverb, which may have sounded great in a smaller venue, but in a large room like the Orpheum, they were muted and not at all clear.
They also only seemed to play new material, not dipping in to the Wild Country EP. A strange decision, as I am sure a hometown crowd may have recognised a song or two from rotation on The Peak and CBC Radio 3.
That being said, it was still an enjoyable set; the new songs sounded good -- laid back, but with an underlying intensity -- and I hope to catch them again sometime soon, at a venue where I can actually hear Colyn's lyrics.

It wasn't long after that Neko Case took the stage, with a giant painting (similar to the album art) hung behind her. Starting off with "Where Did I Leave That Fire" off the new album, the set featured a good mix of new and old songs; and for the entire show, Case's absolutely phenomenal voice had the crowd captivated, despite her warning earlier in the night that the entire crew had a touch of tour-sickness. From her voice soaring in "Night Still Comes" to the soft and beautiful "Calling Cards", there was not a single song where her voice was less than impressive. And that's to say nothing about her backing band; Kelly Hogan on backup vocals matched her intensity (and her dirty sense of humour between songs), guitarist Eric Bachmann held his own, and Jon Rauhouse held the whole show together on guitar, pedal steel, and for one song, trombone.
Other highlights included older songs like "This Tornado Loves You" and "Hold On, Hold On", the intense "Bracing For Sunday", and a cover of Mike O'Neill's "Andy".
The set came to a conclusion with the fiery "Man", but of course they were back out for an encore. First, performing "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu" off the new album, an a capella song that showed the true power of Case's voice, and may have caused chills and a little bit of tears. After a couple more songs, including the heartbreaking "Margaret vs Pauline", she ended with the dark and foreboding "Red Tide", and once more genuinely thanking everyone for coming.

Case is one of my favourite musicians -- certainly my favourite female singer -- and this show absolutely reinforced that. No doubt it will end up as one of the best I've seen this year.

setlist
Where Did I Leave That Fire; This Tornado Loves You; Bracing For Sunday; Lion's Jaw; That Teenage Feeling; Set Out Running; The Pharoahs; City Swans; Ragtime; Andy [Mike O'Neill cover]; In California; Deep Red Bells; Calling Cards; Hold On, Hold On; Night Still Comes; Man. 
(encore) Nearly Midnight, Honolulu; Local Girl; Margaret vs Pauline; Red Tide.

Peak Performance Project Showcase #2 @ Fortune -- 09/19/13

The Peak Performance Project is a multi-year contest in which The Peak, along with Music BC, picks 20 BC musicians/bands each a year and makes them stars. Past winners are We Are The City, Kyprios, Current Swell, and Dear Rouge with a ton of great bands and artists included as well.

Part one of the project was a "rock & roll boot camp" where the musicians went on a week long retreat to get lectures and advice from industry pros, to help them refine their craft. Phase two is a series of shows at Fortune Sound Club; four artists a night for five weeks, each playing a 45 minute set. The bands are rated by a panel of judges, which will go toward their final score in the project. They've also been tasked to learn a "Classic Canadian Cover" to play during their set. I always love hearing bands play cover songs, and it's always interesting to see who each act chooses, if it's someone obvious to their style, or something way outside the box.

Starting off the night was Vancouver folky singer/songwriter Lydia Hol. Her and her backing band -- whose dress code was "meet the parents" -- included Mike Fraser on violin and Georges Couling on keys. With Hol's occasional mandolin, it gave the folk songs a rich sound.
She had a really nice voice, smooth and strong, with good songs, but nothing really stood out. It was an enjoyable set, but there wasn't anything that made me clamour for more.
Members of Head of the Herd came out to help Lydia with her Classic Canadian Cover, a pretty straightforward version of The Tragically Hip's "New Orleans Is Sinking", and she ended with a big sing along, handing out a tambourine into the crowd.

Next up was a trio of musicians who go by The Lion The Bear The Fox. All three of them had solo careers, to various degrees of success, but Christopher Arruda (the lion), Cory Woodward (the bear), and Ryan McMahon (the fox) joined together for something much more than the sum of its parts. Their set began with a funny introductory video, and began with a mighty roar as they launched into what may best be described as "stomp rock".
Though technical difficulties after the first song slowed things down, the trio vamped and covered well enough that they didn't completely lose momentum -- the charismatic Woodward talked and joked with the crowd before requesting a danceable beat from their drummer -- and before long they were back in the swing of things.
The trio had great harmonies, their voices blending together really well, and they had my favourite cover of the; they started off with Arcade Fire's "Wake Up", but swerved into "Hand In My Pocket" by Alanis Morisette. Previous years, other bands had done medleys, but this was the first time I had heard a mashup, which was a really interesting take. By the end, they had most of the crowd singing along to both songs.
After their cover they ended with a pair of hugely energetic numbers, "Freedom" and their cover of Ray LaMontagne's "Henry Nearly Killed Me"
I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised by the trio, and I hope they do well in this year's competition.

Vancouver's Rolla Olak was up next, joined by some familiar faces; namely John Sponarski and Erik Nielson to round out his band, and Lydia Hol came out to help him on vocals for a couple of songs. He had a boot stomping, bluesy folk sound, and a clear passion, but he was lacking a bit in stage presence.
For his cover, he chose to "take back" the Brice Cockburn classic "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" from the Barenaked Ladies, for a solid cover; you could tell it was a song close to his heart.
Near the end of the set he invited all the other musicians on stage -- some from bands partaking in the project, others who just happened to be in the crowd -- for another big singalong, getting the crowd into it too. That wasn't the end, though, as he finished with one last song, a fiery blues rocker.

I fully admit, going in to this year of the Peak Performance Project I had some biases. Bands I already knew I did not care for and bands I was already a fan of, and Rykka definitely fell into the latter category. I liked her when she first went through the Project the first time, under her real name Christina Maria as a folk-pop singer/songwriter. But she has since reinvented herself with a more dark, synthy electro-rock sound, and is all the better for it.
Rykka's incredible voice drove the catchy songs like "Blackie" -- which relied on Rykka thumping her chest to get the vocal effects rather than any electronic trickery -- and "Shotgun" which she got the crowd singing along to.
Her cover was a synthed up version of The Guess Who's "American Woman"; of all the bands that night I would have expected a Guess Who cover least from Rykka, and her version perfectly straddled the line of making it her own and not straying too far from the original.
The set came to an end with the very appropriately titled "Electric", perhaps the most high energy song of the night, ending the showcase with a bang.
Rykka had a great confidence and energy on stage, putting on the best showcase I have seen so far this year; I will be very surprised and disappointed if she does not at least make the top three.

Overall, it was a strong night of showcases; it would be hard pressed for another one to be as "all around good" as this one, but they'll have to give it a shot next week with Luca Fogale, Fallbrigade, Van Damsel, and Good For Grapes.

AroarA @ House Show -- 09/14/13

Andrew Whiteman and Ariel Engle made the best of a crappy situation. A day before the scheduled AroarA show at the Electric Owl, the promoter (Sealed With A Kiss) pulled the rug out from under them and "cancelled in a very uncool way. last minute, rude, no style or guts."

But they wouldn't just leave it at that. The couple scrambled to get a house show together, playing in the back yard of people they had never even met before that day. The show was open for all; the only thing they asked was for donations to go towards the PA rental (and the couple dozen people in attendance were more than happy to contribute).

Which meant it ended up being a lot more intimate and memorable than a "normal" show would have been. The gorgeous back yard was flanked with tall trees and torches to give off some light, while the stage was lined with candles at the front, and house lights back-lit the duo. And as Andrew and Ariel are opposite handed, their mirrored silhouettes created a cool visual for the show.

As for the music itself, AroarA's album In The Pines is based on the works of poet Alice Notley, and her book of the same name. The poems "relates the spiritual and visionary experiences of a woman undergoing a cure for Hepatitis C, while being racked by Depression-era visions." With just the two of them and a sampler to fill out the sound, Whiteman and Engle built amazing and intricate music around the poems of Notley, which make up the lyrics.

All of the poems are simply numbered, so the song titles follow suit -- which Whiteman kind of poked fun at, introducing "#10" by joking "When I think of the number ten, I think of..." as he immediately went into the opening. Highlights of the set included #14 and #4, both fantastic songs showcasing Ariel's incredible and powerful voice, and #8 which was the best interplay of their two voices. The songs were rich and funky and dark and soulful; sometimes all at once.

Both are fantastic musicians -- Whiteman previously recorded under Apostle of Hustle, and they both contributed to Broken Social Scene and Feist's live band -- and even in the worst of circumstances, they put on one of the most unique shows I've seen this year. While it was a terrible thing that happened to the band, in a selfish way I am a little glad it did; the backyard AroarA show is not something soon to be forgotten.

setlist 
#5
#2
#6
#10
#8 
#7
#4
#14
#9
#12
#13

Peak Performance Project Showcase #1 @ Fortune -- 09/12/13

The Peak Performance Project is a multi-year contest in which The Peak, along with Music BC, picks 20 BC musicians/bands each a year and makes them stars. Past winners are We Are The City, Kyprios, Current Swell, and Dear Rouge with a ton of great bands and artists included as well.

Part one of the project was a "rock & roll boot camp" where the musicians went on a week long retreat to get lectures and advice from industry pros, to help them refine their craft. Phase two is a series of shows at Fortune Sound Club; four artists a night for five weeks, each playing a 45 minute set. The bands are rated by a panel of judges, which will go toward their final score in the project. They've also been tasked to learn a "Classic Canadian Cover" to play during their set. I always love hearing bands play cover songs, and it's always interesting to see who each act chooses, if it's someone obvious to their style, or something way outside the box.

Starting off the night -- and the showcase series -- was Vancouver's Melissa Endean, who has the distinction of having the first all-female band in the Peak Performance Project history. Her strong voice and sultry passion on stage (and also maybe her backup dancers) immediate captured the crowd's attention, and her sound was fleshed out with the addition of a violin and keys in her band.
The highlight was a song called "Enemy" which more that showed off the raw power of her voice, and for her Canadian Cover, she chose an appropriate song for both her sound and attitude, "Lucky" by Bif Naked; a strong cover of an already gorgeous song.
Based on what I had heard -- the one song that The Peak was playing -- I was very pleasantly surprised by her set. Much better than I thought she would be.

Next up was Towers and Trees from Victoria. They brought a big, folksy, anthemic sound with lots of opportunities to sing or clap along, and were definitely having a blast on stage. Their energy was infectious as they got the crowd into it. Most of the set was filled with similar songs, though there was one gospel-inspired song part way through, with the highlight being "Montreal" (and not just because if may contain a subtle Doctor Who reference in the lyrics).
Despite teasing a little Hey Rosetta! early in the set, with "Red Heart" slipped into a song, their Canadian Cover ended up being"Crabbuckit" by k-os. I am always impressed when a band can take a song so far out of their wheelhouse and make it sound like their own; and Towers & Trees definitely did that, walking that find line between staying true to the original and making it their own. Probably my favourite cover of the night.

The night moved right along with Greg Drummond up next. The Port Moody singer/songwriter also had a big band with him, instruments like stand up bass and accordion rounded his sound out. His set wasn't by any means bad, but nothing really set him apart from the myriad of other singer/songwriters. Nothing really stood out, either good or bad. Drummond and his band are good musicians, and he had a strong energy, getting the crowd to clap along a couple times and even going into the crowd
He dedicated his Canadian cover song to Jay Smith, the guitarist from Matt Mays & El Torpedo who passed away earlier this year, and launched into "Tall Trees". It was a nearly spot-on cover, not straying much from the original.

And finally, wrapping up the night was Willhorse. The four piece rock band from Golden was joined by JP Maurice, who is no stranger to the Peak Performance Project, and from their first song they hit the proverbial gas and never looked back. Their dirty, swampy rock sound may not be anything revolutionary, but they do what they do very, very well.
Amid the high energy songs, they took a moment to bring it down when part way through the set, the band took a break for lead singer Jeremy Borschneck to start a song solo, only to kick in and join him at the end.
They had fellow PPP member Lydia Hol out to help them with their cover of "Poets" by The Tragically Hip -- which was a solid rendition -- and another past Peak Performance Project person joined them for their last song, Matt Rose of The Matinée shredding on the banjo.
They played right up until their time limit, even having to cut their last song -- either they weren't watching the clock close enough, or it was a shrewd move to get the crowd clamouring for more (which they certainly were).

The night was a strong start to the showcase series, and it'll keep right on going next week with Lydia Hol, The Lion The Bear The Fox, Rolla Olak, and Rykka.

Then & Now @ Biltmore -- 08/20/13

The brainchild of Vancouver's beekeeper, Then and Now is a simple concept; take a handful of local artists, and get them to play a brand new song & an old song-- their newest, shiniest song, and one of the first songs they wrote, potentially embarrassing. 
The night was also a fundraiser for Megaphone Magazine, a local publication that is sold by the homeless or low income people, who get to keep the profits of their sales.

Starting off the night was Redbird, and Savannah Leigh Wellman really took the concept to heart, setting the bar for the rest of the night. Her "then" song was one written in high school, influenced by pop-stars, called "Make Your Move", that peaked when Savannah started rapping. It was exactly in the spirit of the show, and as amazing as it was cringe-worthy. Her "now" was a brand new song, thematically similar but decidedly more mature.

Buckman Coe was up next, his older song being a folky love song, while his new was more reggae influenced.

Victoria musician Katie Schaan, better known as Ciseaux took the stage next, starting with an acoustic guitar and the song "Close To Me" off of Katie's debut album, which was put out under her own name. 
Her new song was a love song about a boy, played on the ukulele. After wrestling with some technical problems, she ended up unplugged it and perched on the front of the stage, completely unamplified, her powerful voice still filling the room.

Devin Miller from Young Pacific was the first of the night to break from the acoustic, with his electric guitar. His first song was about friendship, or a lack thereof, and his newer one made use of his pedal board, for a song that was a bit more spacey and ethereal.

Wrapping up the first half of the night was the super secret surprise guest, Bed of Stars. Like many others throughout the night, his "then" song was a love song. His "now" was a pretty chill newer song.

After a brief intermezzo, Skye Wallace took the stage to start the second half. Joined by Alex the cellist, her first song was one written when she was a teenager. Her new song was one called "Monster" and built to some absolutely intense vocals.

There was a change of pace as spam poet Duncan Shields was up next, also joined by Alex the cellist. His nerd-themed pieces included a "then" which used video games as a metaphor for his ex-girlfriend, with great wordplay & puns, especially for video game lovers. His "now" was something he described as "filk music", which was taking folk songs and rewriting the words to make them nerdier. His was to the tune of "If You're Happy & You Know It" and was about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Ford Pier. His "then" song had a very 90s-Canadian-vibe to it, and Pier took the concept of "now" to an extreme; he had only finished writing the new song at 6:30 that same morning, and it had never been performed out loud before.

And wrapping up the night, beekeeper themselves. The only full band electric set, Devon surprised his bandmated by choosing "Nice Lunch" for their "then", an old, rarely played song from their first album. They then wrapped up the night, with their newest, called "Arms Length". As with just about everyone throughout the night, it was an interesting juxtaposition between the then and the now, seeing how the songwriters have progressed.

The first time they did this show, last year, it ran a bit long, but this year did not drag at all. With a leaner lineup, the night zipped along at a fine clip, and I can only hope they plan on this again next year. It's a fantastic concept for a great cause.