tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117696612024-03-06T19:57:16.408-08:00a day in the life of ...Vancouver Musical Adventuresfirmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-19808427307008876802007-11-16T17:28:00.000-08:002023-04-16T17:56:02.533-07:0011.15.2007 ISIS / These Arms are Snakes / 2727 are a band from MA. I guess people outside of MA wouldn't normally care about them had they not had an association with ISIS. For those who don't know, 27 lend an extra guitar and vocals to 'Weight' from ISIS' 'Oceanic' album. As a band they aren't bad. Very atmospheric/spacey, (suprise suprise). I thought they fit right in with ISIS' less metal sound.<br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/taas2-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/taas1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I didn't really like TAAS' last album. Loved the first 2, but just couldn't get into their latest. That doesn't really matter though, because their live shows are always on fire. (Wow, I could have swapped TAAS with The Blood Brothers and that last bit would have still been accurate) Anyways, the singer made a remark about how they haven't been in Vancouver in 2 years. He then took a swipe at himself by saying it was because they were too busy with America's Next Top Model. If you're looking for a visual, I'll just say that someone in the audience made a joke that TAAS all shopped at H&M. As expected the singer went from well groomed stylish guy to "10 beers under, shirts-off, on x, intense dancing guy pretty fast. It was pretty <br />awesome. If you're going through The Blood Brother's withdrawal, TAAS is your methadone.<br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/taas5-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/taas4-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I was really surprised how many people showed up for ISIS. In 2005, Mesa Luna was only sparsely filled. This time it was sold out and there was also lots of moshing, something I didn't miss in 2005. Since it was their 10th anniversary tour, they played songs from their entire catalog. Which is nice because if you've seen them in the last few years, stuff off of Celestial and pretty much anything pre-Oceanic was hard to come by. A lot of Oceanic material was played, including Weight, which included Maria from 27 doing the vocals. I never thought I'd ever hear that song live, let alone with the singer on the album. She sounded better on album though.<br /><br />$20/$25firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-39939942472796074652011-12-29T23:27:00.000-08:002012-01-13T18:38:34.543-08:00Fall 2011<span style="font-weight:bold;">09.22.2011 Braids</span><br /><br />I got into the Braids show just before they got on. The Electric Owl is a venue I've never been in. It's a very cool venue. It almost has sort of a supper club vibe to it. The stage is located at the side of the venue with a decent sized large dance floor and dining tables in the outer areas. From a live music standpoint, this place shines due to it's vibrant stage lighting and high stage. Makes me wish I was able to go to more shows. Anyways, There's really not much I need to report. The only out-of-the-ordinary thing that occurred during this show was a photographer (actually there were a lot of photographers at this show) getting too close to the lead singer and in response having her show him away. She didn't seem to upset. They played for under and hour without an encore and if you like their album as I do, you'll find that their sound translates well to a live setting. I think there may have been a new song in there, but I can't quite remember. <br /><br />$10/14<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">09.25.2011 Pearl Jam/MudHoney<br /></span><br />I was a pretty big PJ fan in my younger years and was even a Ten Club (PJ's fan club) member for 4-5 years. Some of my friends scoff at me when I tell them that seeing PJ in 2003 is in my top ten shows of all time, but I don't care. Nowadays I've almost entirely sworn off arena sized shows (my connection with the band weakens the further away I am from the source). So my motivation isn't really that high to pay PJ's $70+ ticket. Don't get me wrong I still want to see PJ, but can't really justify paying money for it. So how do I end up going to this show without jeopardizing my principals? Answer: On a technicality, via winning tickets via CFOX. It just so happens that on the week they announced tickets, they were having an all weekend phone in thing, caller 9, etc. I haven't listened to "modern radio rock" in years so this was a particularly cruel task. So on that Saturday while running errands, I would listen to the radio and if need be, pull my car over to call the radio station every time they cued. Luckily I only had to put up with about 2 hours of radio rock. I was actually pretty excited when I won and may even have dropped an F-bomb in conversation with the radio DJ, because our "winner" conversation wasn't broadcasted.<br /><br />Oh yeah, the show. The seats were out in the back of the venue, lower bowl, 10 or so rows up. View wise, they're actually not bad. Distant, but could be worse. For Mudhoney, I think I would have enjoyed their set more in a smaller setting. I found their sound, like I guess most opening bands on an arena tour, to be very boomy. On a couple of their final songs they brought out McCready and Ament. <br /><br />One positive consequence of 20 years of being an active band is a very deep catalogue. Bee Girl was a song I never thought I'd ever hear live. Midway into their set PJ reminded me why I'm not longer a Ten Club member. Vedder commented on the number of people in Seattle that had come up for this show. With the house lights turned up he asked to see a show of hands who was from Seattle. I kid you not, it looked like 85% from the first 15 rows were from Seattle. What's the point of keeping membership if you could never get under row 10? (I think when I saw them in 2003 I would have been able to get at best row 17 with my membership number) . If you've ever seen PJ, you'll know what to expect, a fair mix of old material with new material scattered about. Oh yeah and it's one long show. 20 years of being a band gives you the freedom of over 2 hour sets. I think they were approaching some sort of curfew/union time limit thing because the last song, Yellow Ledbetter seemed very rushed. Not that it was bad in any way, but after listening to hundreds of PJ bootlegs, you sort of pickup on it when you hear it.<br /><br />$50/0<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">09.09.2011 Explosions in the Sky/Twin Sister</span><br /><br />I keep getting Twin Sister and Twin Shadow mixed up. I know I downloaded one of the aforementioned on a free leech some time ago and remembered liking it. I was hoping the opening band was one the ones I've heard of. I was wrong unfortunately. It wasn't the same band. It turns out the band I've heard before was Twin Shadow and the band I found myself trying to stay awake for was Twin Sister. Yep couldn't get into them at all. <br /><br />Last time I saw EITS was at the Croatian Cultural Center and They didn't exactly fill it. This time around with another album under their belt they've started to fill out and in this case sell out small theaters. To fill out their (wall of) sound, they've employed the services of Esteban Rey, who I believe was their former merch guy. On most songs he plays bass while Michael plays guitar. <br /><br />Yasmin the Light is probably one of my favourite openers. It reminds me of the days when I first discovered this band. On top of the new songs, other crowd favourites played included "The Only Moment We Were Alone" and "Your Hand in Mine". The band seemed to really be enjoying themselves. You could see Munaf with a big smile on his face as he was slapping his guitar pickup to make the "boom" noise in the intro of TOMMWWA. As always the Vogue sounded awesome. Honestly they're one of my favourite bands ever and they're shows that put you in such a good mood that even when Munaf came out at the end of the show my heart still skipped a beat hoping there'd be another song even though I know better.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/explosions-in-the-sky/2011/vogue-theatre-vancouver-bc-canada-43d03b47.html" title="Explosions in the Sky Setlist Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=43d03b47" alt="Explosions in the Sky Setlist Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/edit/explosions-in-the-sky/2011/vogue-theatre-vancouver-bc-canada-43d03b47.html">Edit this setlist</a> | <a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlists/explosions-in-the-sky-6bd69a5a.html">More Explosions in the Sky setlists</a></div></div><br /><br />Full Set<br /><object width="640" height="26" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"><param value="true" name="allowfullscreen"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/><param value="high" name="quality"/><param value="true" name="cachebusting"/><param value="#000000" name="bgcolor"/><param name="movie" value="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf" /><param value="config={'key':'#$aa4baff94a9bdcafce8','playlist':[{'url':'eits2011-09-09t01.mp3','autoPlay':false},'eits2011-09-09t02.mp3','eits2011-09-09t03.mp3','eits2011-09-09t04.mp3','eits2011-09-09t05.mp3','eits2011-09-09t06.mp3','eits2011-09-09t07.mp3','eits2011-09-09t08.mp3','eits2011-09-09t09.mp3','eits2011-09-09t10.mp3','eits2011-09-09t11.mp3'],'clip':{'autoPlay':true,'baseUrl':'http://www.archive.org/download/eits2011-09-09.dpa4061.flac/'},'canvas':{'backgroundColor':'#000000','backgroundGradient':'none'},'plugins':{'audio':{'url':'http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.audio-3.2.1-dev.swf'},'controls':{'playlist':true,'fullscreen':false,'height':26,'backgroundColor':'#000000','autoHide':{'fullscreenOnly':true},'scrubberHeightRatio':0.6,'timeFontSize':9,'mute':false,'top':0}},'contextMenu':[{},'-','Flowplayer v3.2.1']}" name="flashvars"/><embed src="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="26" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" cachebusting="true" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" flashvars="config={'key':'#$aa4baff94a9bdcafce8','playlist':[{'url':'eits2011-09-09t01.mp3','autoPlay':false},'eits2011-09-09t02.mp3','eits2011-09-09t03.mp3','eits2011-09-09t04.mp3','eits2011-09-09t05.mp3','eits2011-09-09t06.mp3','eits2011-09-09t07.mp3','eits2011-09-09t08.mp3','eits2011-09-09t09.mp3','eits2011-09-09t10.mp3','eits2011-09-09t11.mp3'],'clip':{'autoPlay':true,'baseUrl':'http://www.archive.org/download/eits2011-09-09.dpa4061.flac/'},'canvas':{'backgroundColor':'#000000','backgroundGradient':'none'},'plugins':{'audio':{'url':'http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.audio-3.2.1-dev.swf'},'controls':{'playlist':true,'fullscreen':false,'height':26,'backgroundColor':'#000000','autoHide':{'fullscreenOnly':true},'scrubberHeightRatio':0.6,'timeFontSize':9,'mute':false,'top':0}},'contextMenu':[{},'-','Flowplayer v3.2.1']}"> </embed></object><br /><br />$28/30<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">09.20.2011 CBC Midnight Music: New Pornographers / STARS / Midway State</span><br /><br />This was actually a welcome surprise. CBC had this thing called "Culture Days" where they had a bunch of events celebrating the arts. Only notable thing I can remember from this even were open houses at the CBC downtown and this here program. It's called Midnight Music because it started at 10 pm here, but when broadcasted live, the east coast tv audience sees it at midnight. Anyways I get down there and it's pretty packed, mostly with people who are waiting for their friends to show up at the bars/clubs 10 blocks over. So yes a lot of disinterested people in the crowd. It's actually a pretty small space that they've taken over. About the width of a road and length wise less than a block? The whole show was pretty interesting seeing what goes on behind the scenes of TV taping.<br /><br />Can't really say I'm a fan of Midway State after seeing them. I can certainly respect what they do, but I just couldn't get into them. Parts of their set reminded me of Patrick Watson. <br /><br />Stars are always a crowd pleaser. I didn't enjoy their latest album as much as their previous ones, but their live shows are still decent. As with all their shows many a rose were thrown and there was lots of confetti filling the air. I'm still finding pieces of confetti days after the show. <br /><br />No Neko or Dan Bejar on this show. Which is not really that unexpected as they don't usually show up on tour unless it's right after a new album release. Neko has an excuse as she doesn't really live in Vancouver (not that Newman does) but Dan Bejar doesn't. Newman playfully chided him, saying that he was probably just at home watching TV. Actually the cool thing about attending this show was the off air between acts segment. To kill time and keep the crowd from being too bored, several CBC personalities including Jian Ghomeshi and Strombo, would entertain the crowd with random banter and interviews with the bands. I don't know if he was trying to be a dick or was blissfully unaware, but Jian kept asking Newman Vancouver specific questions meant for someone who lives in Vancouver. Newman, moved from here to NY a while ago. Also, it was pretty weird seeing Mama Yama with the puppeteer visible. The puppeteer looks like Ellen Degeneres, I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman, especially since the puppeteer never broke character so we only heard the "Gilbert Gotfried" voice.<br /><br />In case you're wondering each band played one song, short interview and then the next band would come on. When they went off air, each band returned for 2 more songs.<br /><br />$24/0firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-33121838964988431142001-10-30T18:35:00.000-08:002012-01-13T18:36:00.416-08:00Live Shows In Vancouver!!!!!some mine, others not.<br /><br /><br /><br />...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead<br />05.20.2005 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/tod2005-05-20.dsms.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Ben Kweller<br />04.02.20100 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/bkweller2011-04-02.cafs.flac24">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Blood Brothers, The<br />06.12.2003 @ The Mesa Luna (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/bloodbros2003-06-12.flac16">FLAC</a>)<br />10.11.2005 @ Croatian Cultural Centre (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/tbb2005-10-11.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Caspian<br />04.30.2010 @ Biltmore Cabaret (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/caspian2010-04-30.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Deftones<br />10.14.2000 @ PNE Forum (<a href="http://www.deftones.com/bootlegs/2000-10-14.zip">mp3</a>)<br /><br />dredg<br />10.10.2001 @ Starfish Room (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/dredg2001-10-10.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />02.27.2003 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/dredg2003-02-27.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />07.22.2004 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/dredg2004-07-22.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />10.11.2005 @ Croatian Cultural Centre (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/dredg2005-10-11.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Dub Trio<br />09.24.2007 @ Red Room (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feNAyPdoX3k&feature=PlayList&p=21D3FDD10B510265&index=0&playnext=1">Video</a>)<br />10.18.2009 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/dubtrio2009-10-18.dubtrio2009-10-18.dpa4061.flac0">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Eleanor Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces)<br />09.05.2011 @ Zulu Records (<a href="http://firmdragon.blogspot.com/2011/09/09052011-eleanor-friedberger.html">Video</a>)<br /><br />Explosions In the Sky<br />05.05.2007 @ Croatian Cultural Center (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/eits2007-05-05.eits2007-05-05.dpa4061.flac16.0G">FLAC/mp3</a>/<a href="http://firmdragon.blogspot.com/2007/12/video-explosions-in-sky-05052007.html">Video</a>)<br />09.09.2011 @ Vogue Theatre (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/eits2011-09-09.dpa4061.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br /><br />Godspeed You! Black Emperor<br />02.16.2011 @ Vogue Theatre (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Jack Johnson<br />10.15.2002 @ Greenhouse Studios (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/jj2002-10-15.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Kaki King<br />03.12.2011 @ Biltmore Cabaret (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/winkedinkie#grid/user/65288FFC1203B8F9">Video</a>)<br /><br />Lou Barlow (Solo Set)<br />02.11.2011 @ Zulu Records (<a href="http://firmdragon.blogspot.com/2011/02/02112011-lou-barlow-zulu-records.html">Video</a>)<br /><br />Mono <br />10.24.2007 @ Richards On Richards (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/mono2007-10-24.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Mogwai<br />09.26.2007 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/mogwai2003-09-26.Flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />09.06.2008 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/mogwai2008-09-06.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Pelican<br />08.15.2007 @ Richards on Richards (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/Pelican2007-08-15.pelican2007-08-15.dpa4061.flac16.0G">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Red Sparowes<br />04.30.2010 @ Biltmore Cabaret (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/redspar2010-04-30.flac">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Rocky Votolato<br />10.05.2006 @ Scratch Records (<a href="http://firmdragon.blogspot.com/2006/10/10052006-rocky-votolato-scratch.html">Video</a>)<br /><br />Sam Roberts<br />05.25.2006 @ HMV Robson (<a href="http://firmdragon.blogspot.com/2008/03/sam-roberts-5262006-hmv-robson-acoustic.html">Video</a>)<br />05.25.2006 @ Commodore Ballroom (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/SR2006-05-25">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />The Smashing Pumpkins<br />01.08.1997 @ GM Place (Soundcheck) (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/tsp1997-01-08.sc">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />01.08.1997 @ GM Place (Show) (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/tsp1997-01-08.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />08.04.2000 @ BC Place Stadium (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/tsp2000-08-04.dsm6s.flac.0G">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />09.24.2007 @ PNE Forum (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/tsp2007-09-24.smashing0.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Tegan and Sara<br />09.22.2007 @ Commodore Ballroom (Early) (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/ts2007-09-22.a.ECM719.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />09.22.2007 @ Commodore Ballroom (Late) (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/ts2007-09-22.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />08.10.2008 @ Cates Park (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/wojo4hitz#grid/user/E78F9EC82FB911FE">Video</a>/<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/ts2008-08-10.CA11.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />02.06.2009 @ Orpheum Theater (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/wojo4hitz#grid/user/5ED9EC641EC848BE">Video</a>/<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/ts2009-02-06.CA11.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br />01.06.2010 @ Orpheum Theater (<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/ts2010-01-06.r09.flac16">FLAC/mp3</a>)<br /><br />Tiesto<br />11.14.2009 @ HMV Burrard (7 of 9 songs) (<a href="http://firmdragon.blogspot.com/2009/11/11142009-tiesto-hmv.html">Video</a>)<br /><br />Washington (Meghan)<br />03.12.2011 @ Biltmore Cabaret (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/winkedinkie#g/c/83A30FFA28E9A2A9">Video</a>)<br /><br />Wolf Parade<br />09.24.2005 @ Artspace (<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?cltzy0dtz1y">mp3</a>, may not be permanent)firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-86363132311642389192011-12-31T11:33:00.000-08:002011-12-31T11:33:01.319-08:00Top 10Braids - Native Speaker<br />Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care<br />Bon Iver-Bon Iver<br />M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming<br />Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues<br />Jay Z/Kanye - Watch The Throne<br />Austra - Feel It Break<br />Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing<br />Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer<br />Cults - Cultsfirmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-66463068021085435822011-09-14T22:21:00.000-07:002011-09-14T22:28:25.866-07:00Polaris 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Braids_native_speaker_sleeve.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Braids_native_speaker_sleeve.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Q:</span> Who do you think will win the 2011 Polaris Music Prize?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A:</span> Braids - Native Speaker. Maybe I should buy a ticket for their show next week before it sells out (as a result of their future win).firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-21774896486238619322011-09-12T22:27:00.000-07:002011-09-12T23:06:29.080-07:0009.05.2011 Eleanor FriedbergerEleanor Friedberger is one half of brother sister duo The Fiery Furnaces. The Fiery Furnaces songs are known for their elaborate time changes and garage rock sound. While waiting for a new FF album Friedberger released a solo album and is currently touring under it as the current opener for The Kills. Her solo work is more in the realm of singer songwriter, but there is some overlap. Before her show at the Commodore, she played a instore set at Zulu Records to about 30 or so people. <br /><br /><iframe width="450" height="283" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/juCUKIMvBE8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-70917096322965017062011-06-10T23:08:00.000-07:002011-09-10T23:07:45.099-07:00Summer Re-Cap 2011Maybe I'll turn this blog into a quarterly...<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">05.20.2011 Kathryn Calder/Himilayan Bear<br /></span><br />Missed opener, Louise Burns' set. She used to be in Lillix and is now doing the solo stuff. Completely different than Lillix. On a side note, I was once backstage at Warped Tour and overheard Lillix's manager trying to get into the backstage area. I don't know if he got in or not.<br />Missed all of but the last song of Himilayan Bear's set. I think HB is another solo artist, but this particular last song also had 2 members of Calder's backing band joining him.<br />Calder played for roughly an hour with a full backing band. They sounded really good and reproduced the intricacies of the album well. She played almost of the entirety of the her debut album, filling out the rest of the set with a couple of new songs. Most of the new songs were pretty mellow in nature. Between songs, Calder told the crowd that while at the crossing the border, she had misheard the border guard asking the band name and instead told them the name of their van, "baby ray". She later joked about smuggling a baby ray over the border. She ended her set with a Castor & Pollux.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/kathryn-calder/2011/biltmore-cabaret-vancouver-bc-canada-1bd32db8.html" title="Kathryn Calder Setlist Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011, Are You My Mother?" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=1bd32db8" alt="Kathryn Calder Setlist Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011, Are You My Mother?" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/edit/kathryn-calder/2011/biltmore-cabaret-vancouver-bc-canada-1bd32db8.html">Edit this setlist</a> | <a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlists/kathryn-calder-43d617e7.html">More Kathryn Calder setlists</a></div></div><br /><br />$12/$14<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">03.23.2011 Patton Oswalt<br /></span><br />I've seen other comedians in the past and most of the time I'm disappointed to find out that their sets normally consist of 40-50% material already found on the "Live CD" they're touring on. Also for whatever reason I'm usually disappointed when their sets run less than an hour. I dunno it just seems like I'm not getting my money's worth if i show up at 8 and i'm out on the street again by 10. Since he is one of my favourite comedians I figured I would check him out, even with my low expectations. Oswalt newest bit of comedic awesomeness is a book that actually has some BC content. In it he recounts in journal form, his experiences working in Surrey for a week 20 or so years ago. Anyways, his set ran about 70 min, which is pretty decent as far as standup sets go. His set was about 90% new material was very nice. I didn't think they were all home runs, but overall very entertaining and worth the money. <br /><br />$25/$30<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">05.30.2011 Wolf Parade / Frog Eyes / Himilayan Bear<br /></span><br />A few weeks before this show, the promoter's weekly email leaked out that this would be their final show, ever. Subsequent emails later had this little tidbit removed. I guess they wanted to avoid any finalities. <br />Completely missed Himilayan Bear this time. I've never been able to get into Frog Eyes, but there were many people in the crowd who loved their set. Being local to this area (Victoria, close enough) doesn't hurt either. <br />Now being it was their last shows, bands normally take one of two options: A. One last hurrah where they get it all out, playing all the rare songs that their fans have wanted them to play but they never do, or B. The "best" show of the current era. Wolf Parade opted for option 2. The setlist was essentially the setlist you would expect them to play in 2011. All their staples were played like 'Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts' with new songs from their current album like "What Did my Lover say?" and "Little Golden Age" to fill out the setlist. I read in an interview somewhere that the reason why some songs were not played anymore was because either they knew the audience wouldn't enjoy it, or that the band themselves wouldn't enjoy playing it and thus the audience wouldn't enjoy hearing it. Towards the end of the set Dan remarked on the unprofessionalism of the band, I thought they played as well as any other time I've seen them. I was pleasantly surprised there was a second encore. After 'Fancy Claps' finished I really couldn't think of anything else they could have encored (again) with. They ended up letting the crowd onstage while they performed a veeery loose cover of Dylan, and I guess GnR's version of, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Oh yeah officially, they haven't broken up, it's just an indefinite hiatus. I guess that's better than broke up and 5 years later reunion.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/wolf-parade/2011/commodore-ballroom-vancouver-bc-canada-bd33d96.html" title="Wolf Parade Setlist Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011, Last show before indefinite hiatus" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=bd33d96" alt="Wolf Parade Setlist Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011, Last show before indefinite hiatus" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/edit/wolf-parade/2011/commodore-ballroom-vancouver-bc-canada-bd33d96.html">Edit this setlist</a> | <a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlists/wolf-parade-5bd69b6c.html">More Wolf Parade setlists</a></div></div><br /><br />$40/$35<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">07.09.2011 Hannah Georges / Neko Case / The New Pornographers<br /></span><br />For Vancouver's 125 birthday, The city of Vancouver threw a birthday bash at Stanley Park with 3 days worth of FREE concerts, all with local artists. I managed to go to only one of those. <br />I loved Hannah Georges' albums and was pretty excited to see here live. For some reason I just couldn't get into her in a live setting. I dunno, it might have been the large stage thing. It just didn't seem to translate well. I think I'd enjoy seeing her more in a smaller venue like the Biltmore or even Venue. She played about 40 min and even included some new songs that she's been working on.<br />For all the times that I've seen Neko w/ the New Pornographers, this was the first time I've seen her solo. My reaction is mixed. Liked quite a few songs, but was reminded that I really don't like the alt-country thing that much, even if Neko's the one bringing it.<br />Well this is a first, I've seen the NP without Neko, and now I've seen them without Kathryn. Well sort of. Kathryn ended up getting on stage about 2 to 3 songs in, apparently she was at a dinner reception or something. Not surprising as the traffic getting into Stanley Park that day was ridiculous. Carl Newman also commented that Calder was getting married. Sorry folks. I don't really have much else to say other than I enjoyed it for the most part and that It was a fairly standard NP set. One you would expect to hear at a recent show. About an hour and no encore due to curfew.<br /><br />$30/$0<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">07.16.2011 The Klaxxon<br /></span><br />This one's pretty random. I was in Tofino this weekend and someone was mentioning that there was a "SKA" show by a band call The Klaxxon. My first thought was Klaxxons? and Ska?, that doesn't really make sense. Then I noticed the absence of the 'S' at the end of Klaxxon. Well turns out they're a SKA/world music band from... I can't remember, but I want to say Columbia. They were the only band that night and played 2 sets. Pretty fun stuff. There was also a lot less <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4260OyOjd4">skanking</a> going on that what I would have expected.<br /><br />$10/$12<br /><br />.... and that was my summer in terms of live shows. On second thought maybe I'll just turn this into a bi-yearly thing...firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-76514384739353131462011-06-03T15:46:00.000-07:002011-06-03T18:20:08.401-07:0004.22.2011 Starfucker / We Need Surgery<span style="font-style:italic;">First update in a while. Still going to shows, just less of them...</span><br /><br /><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=Untitled.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/Untitled.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Local opener was called "We Need Surgery". They had a dance rock sort of sound. Had a sort of preppy stage image. Only thing that struck out was that their singer was really good. I'm talking he could probably do studio work as he has a very 'mainstream rock produced' sound. A lot of people in the crowd knew of them. I did not since I'm apparently out of the loop now.<br /><br /><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1217.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1217.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I was a little surprised that Starfucker's first song, 'Hungry Ghost' featured their singer on turntable. For some reason listening to their first album at home, I never thought a turntable would be used live, probably because it's been years since I've seen a rock-based band with turn-tablist. The show really started to take off a song later during 'Myster Cloud' when the synth leads kicked in mid song. This show was their second to last show of a lengthy tour across the states. They seemed tired but were by no means sloppy and they did bring the audience what they wanted, a sweaty dance party. Their singer reminds me of Island's Nick Diamonds, both have an affinity for face paint. I found the laser beam lighting machines they had onstage cheesy at first, but actually worked out pretty well as the night grew on. Material was a mix of old songs and new ones. To Starfucker's credit, I can't really recall many lulls in the their set, most of the crowd was dancing about the entire 70 or so min they played.<br /><br /><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1221.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1221.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />$15/$15firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-32406802081964728822011-04-01T16:58:00.000-07:002011-04-03T22:18:49.256-07:0003.26.2011 Esben and the Witch / Julianna BarwickI had to describe what Esben and the Witch's sound was like to a friend who listens mainly to top 40. The music mags have settled on 'gothic' something or other but I thought it brought up to many thoughts of dumb new emo or some black metal outfit. I wanted to say "experimental" but settled on a rock band playing a soundtrack to the salem witch trials. I was a little surprised to find out that they'd been here before last year. They've had some buzz back home in Europe since, but remain pretty under the radar here, which is why their headlining show this time around was at the Waldorf Cabaret, a small venue, possibly smaller than the Media Club.<br /><br />Opener was Julianna Barwick. The thing she does better than anyone in the room was vocal loops. When I say vocal, I mean like ethereal choir-y vocals. Looping, she was able to create a very lush wall of voices. She may have had a minimal synth setup as well. I quite enjoyed her set. My interest did end up waning towards the end. It's one of those things where it might be better as background music if you're going to listen to it for a long stretch of time.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, and this may also be due to the limitations of the venue, Esben and the Witch played to a very dark room. My camera scoffed at this, but it fit the mood so I didn't really mind. I knew going in that EATW's percussion department was pretty limited to one cymbal and a floor tom, with each member taking turns having a go at it during certain songs. Playing the floor tom would be an understatement, they were trying to break it. I was still a little surprised to find out how much sampling was used during their live set. Not really sure how I feel about that, I kept looking back at the mixing board to see if it was being done live, still not sure. Vocally and instrumentally their live show holds up their album. I would actually say they're a better live band. Due to a curfew, they only played 45 min, though I get the feeling they're also a little worn out from a long tour, as this was the last date of their NA tour. Still their songs were full of energy when they needed to be, (they really punished that floor tom), and dark and gloomy when it wasn't, just the way the audience wanted.firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-53537494425865058242011-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:002011-03-20T09:57:41.342-07:0003.12.2011 Kaki King / Megan WashingtonOpener 'Washington' was Australian Megan Washington, a charming solo keyboardist-singer songwriter type. Not surprising, Megan Washington and Kaki King's live show have something in common... they like to talk. The standout banter for Washington was a story about her "Vibe-rater" or the thing in your head that discerns good vibes from bad vibes. Kaki King makes fun of her later in her set for that one. Song wise, she was entertaining enough. Proficient on the keys and decent melodies, Washington kept me entertained for the 30 or so minutes she was allotted.<br /><br />The crowd for tonight's show was really mixed: The usual main street hipsters, weekend warriors, obvious lesbians and somewhat surprising, older guitar enthusiasts or the portion of the "Yale Hotel" crowd with internet (i kid, she's played the yale before). One thing I've always hated about the Biltmore was it's low stage. Kaki seems to be aware of this to as she suggested that everyone on the floor sit down, otherwise only the people in the front would be able to witness her awesomeness. Something that I've always loved about Kaki King's music is that she always finds a way to reinvent herself. Her first couple of albums were primarily solo acoustic driven instrumentals. Eventually she started releasing songs with vocals. Later albums feature her with a band and playing electric guitar. Her current tour is basically her and various non-standard-rock-show acoustics. I think she had somewhere between 5-7 different guitars that included a monstrous harp guitar (two 6 string necks, one regular other bass) and a dobro banjo hybrid (a "dojo"). It was nice that Kaki explained each guitar before using them. <br />I felt like was taking music class again. As mentioned before, her show has a lot of banter between songs. I thought this was probably the funniest:<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="274" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LbwwkH_Q0cQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Due to the dance party afterwards, Kaki chose to forgo the encore and play right through, still clocking in at about 90 mins worth of material which included "Adency" an Andrew York cover and "Because It's There", a Michael Hedges cover, the latter whom Kaki is often cited as being a major influence. Filling out her set were a few songs from her instrumental days and a lot of unreleased material. More to the point of reinventing herself, or at least trying new things, she also played a "Celtic" style song towards the end of her set. She really only sang on one song and that was the last one, "Sunnyside", off her new album. By this point her voice was pretty shot from having a cold and talking all night so technically I guess you could say her voice sounded terrible, but I sort of thought that it went well with the lyrics which was about heart break.<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="274" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9GSeUiK2cFU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />$20/$15firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-7852503531783848412011-02-10T01:03:00.000-08:002011-03-14T21:23:15.528-07:0001.22.2011 The Thermals / Juvenile HallAn hour after doors, I was kind of worried that The Thermals would be playing to an empty room. I mean I know their drawing power has diminished somewhat over the years, but I wasn't expecting to only see 30-ish people in the venue after an hour after doors opened. Turns out all there was a hockey game going on and the venue really started filling up afterwards. The show actually ended up selling out. Hmm so let's recap what's changed since I last saw these Portland pop-punk rockers (circa 2007) - 2 albums, some music videos and a they lost a guitarist, er touring guitarist. <br /><br />Juvenile Hall were up first. They were a 3 piece all girl band from Vancouver. They played pop punk / riot grrrl kind of stuff. They remind me of that other all girl Vancouver band the Riff Randalls. Not really my jam. <br /><br />I think the Thermals as a (power) trio is the right fit for them. The touring guitarist was pretty forgettable anyways. There were two distinct instances during the show where the sold out crowd really got into it. First one happened during an interlude or breakdown of a new song where the drummer went into the crowd to party it up. The other was when they played "Here's Your Future", which caused, just like last time I saw them, a pretty intense pit at the stage lip. The majority of the show was newer songs from their last two albums. I think there were only 3 or 4 songs from "Body, Blood ..". Highlight of their set for me was "Never Listen To Me", which was primarily Hutch doing only vocals during the verses. It was as close as they would come to playing a ballad that night. I get the feeling Hutch didn't like the way someone did a stage dive during the end of their set. When pressed by the crowd for a second encore, Hutch declined, not looking all too happy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-thermals/2011/the-media-club-vancouver-bc-canada-bd2d5fa.html" title="The Thermals Setlist The Media Club, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=bd2d5fa" alt="The Thermals Setlist The Media Club, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2011" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />$12/15firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-18700572127174335952011-03-08T16:15:00.000-08:002011-03-11T19:46:46.035-08:0003.08.2011 Noise Night: Zev Ascher / Ejaculation Death Rattle / Al MaderI wasn't really planning on using this as a blog post but since there were live performances and I've been accused of a lack of local content (guilty as charged), I figured what the hell. Recently I found out that Mondays at the Vancity Theatre on Seymour and Davie show music docs/films every Monday. Most of them being the non mainstream, the kind you'd expect to see on IFC. I've been told most of the time they don't even make any money. In fact on this night, there were maybe 30-40 or people if that, and most seemed to know one of the bands personally in one way or another. On top of everything, it's a really nice theatre. Anyways today was "Noise Night". Basically an exploration of the "Noise" scene. <br /><br />First up was "The Minimalist Jug Band". Basically a guy, named Al Mader playing a washtub bass. It had a very open mic feel to it. At times it was pretty amusing as well, lyrically. I was surprised to find out from the MC that other artists have covered his material.<br /><br />The first film shown was a documentary about a local band noise band called Tunnel Canary. Aside from its arts school low budget feel, I thought that the documentary was well made. It explored TC in it's most active period during the late 70s and 80s. When I say noise I'm talking about .... (--Trying to think of the most accessible band in this genre --) .... bands like Merzbow and Oxbow. If i had to describe TC, other than calling it noise, I would say a drummer and guitarist making dissonant and discordant music (lots of feedback and ... noise) with a female front woman who screamed most lyrics as if in a horror movie. Most songs appeared to have no structure, however it was mentioned that there were lyrics and she wasn't just screaming randomly. Reminds me of most death metal or Converge. Later parts of the movie highlighted a newer Vancouver band, The Mutators. The highlight of the film was footage of Tunnel Canary playing a street busker set on the Plaza at Granville and Georgia to business people passing by.<br /><br />The second live performance was Ejaculation Death Rattle. Their noise unit seemed to have a bit more structure than TC. There was violinist, 2 vocalist droners and what appeared to be a live sound mixer. They weren't too bad. As expected it was very droney. I enjoyed this set more than the first.<br /><br />Before the second documentary, there was a short performance by Zev Ascher, the director of the second movie shown that night. He basically sat at the bottom of the theatre making noises on an ipod app to some visuals. Can't remember which app. <br /><br />The second film was called Subcultural Revolution: Shanghai. I thought this movie was pretty great, though I thought it went off on too many tangents. This documentary highlighted various people in Shanghai with different views on society and politics. Though not a main focus, a noise band called "Tortured Nurse" was featured. <br /><br />The night overall I found to be well put together. The time devoted to each portion of the night was perfect. It was informative and thought provoking without being too self indulgent, and it definitely could have been the latter. Amusing side note for me, throughout the night, there were skill testing questions put out by the MC to the audience for prizes. Due to the genre's obscurity, quite a few questions weren't answered. All of them flew over my head. <br /><br />$14/$14firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-30431691811155507222011-02-20T19:32:00.000-08:002011-02-28T23:01:37.580-08:0002.11.2011 Lou Barlow @ Zulu RecordsIf you grew up in the 90s it's likely you would have come across at least one of the bands Lou Barlow has been in. Lou Barlow was one of the founding members of Dinosaur Jr. After leaving Dinosaur Jr, he would go on to form Sebadoh amongst other projects. He would end up rejoining Dinosaur Jr years after. Sebadoh is currently on tour. Before their show in Vancouver Barlow played a solo set at Zulu Records. He's a pretty funny guy, lots of self deprecating humour. During the set he asks the crowd for requests and ends up turning most of the suggestions down. He also mentions be sick this night and has to do some warm up exercises before going into song mode.<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="274" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a39YV9zJ45k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><br />$10/$0firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-71154097900706083032011-02-28T22:22:00.000-08:002011-02-28T23:00:24.682-08:0002.16.2011 Godspeed You! Black Emperor / Total LifeI still remember sometime in 2003 when Godspeed was touring the US and I really wanted to see them. They started with the east coast and were planning on doing west coast dates afterwards. That was until they broke up. Their reformation is easily the most excited I've ever been to see a band play live. The opener wasn't really worth writing about. Total Life as he was called was a one person laptop/dj/looping noise maker and the only act to put me to sleep in the 15 or so years I've been going to concerts. <br /><br />Godspeed ended up being the exactly what I imagined they would be 8 years ago. A dark and brooding orchestral force. Also worth mentioning were the visuals. It was like watching an old artsy film put to the perfect soundtrack. <a href="http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/Concerts/godspeed_you_black_emperor_total_life-vogue_theatre_vancouver_bc_february_16">This</a> photo best illustrates what I'm talking about. My only complaint for this show was that in my dreams back in 2003 they played both Moya and East Hastings.<br /><br /><br />Godspeed You! Black Emperor<br />02.16.2011<br />The Vogue Theatre<br />Vancouver, BC<br /><br />source: DPA 4061>diybb>H140<br />lineage: WAV(m)>FLAC<br />editing: Fade in/Fade out,volume raised in some parts, removed some talking<br /><br />Setlist:<br />01) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t01.flac">Intro/Hope Drone</a><br />02) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t02.flac">Storm</a><br />03) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t03.flac">Static</a><br />04) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t04.flac">Albanian</a><br />05) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t05.flac">World Police and Friendly Fire</a><br />06) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t06.flac">Dead Metheny</a><br />07) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t07.flac">Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls</a><br />08) <a href="http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/gybe2011-02-16t08.flac">BBF3</a><br /><br /><object width="450" height="26" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"><param value="true" name="allowfullscreen"/><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"/><param value="high" name="quality"/><param value="true" name="cachebusting"/><param value="#000000" name="bgcolor"/><param name="movie" value="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf" /><param value="config={'key':'#$aa4baff94a9bdcafce8','playlist':[{'url':'gybe2011-02-16t01.mp3','autoPlay':false},'gybe2011-02-16t02.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t03.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t04.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t05.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t06.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t07.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t08.mp3'],'clip':{'autoPlay':true,'baseUrl':'http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/'},'canvas':{'backgroundColor':'#000000','backgroundGradient':'none'},'plugins':{'audio':{'url':'http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.audio-3.2.1-dev.swf'},'controls':{'playlist':true,'fullscreen':false,'height':26,'backgroundColor':'#000000','autoHide':{'fullscreenOnly':true},'scrubberHeightRatio':0.6,'timeFontSize':9,'mute':false,'top':0}},'contextMenu':[{},'-','Flowplayer v3.2.1']}" name="flashvars"/><embed src="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="26" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" cachebusting="true" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" flashvars="config={'key':'#$aa4baff94a9bdcafce8','playlist':[{'url':'gybe2011-02-16t01.mp3','autoPlay':false},'gybe2011-02-16t02.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t03.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t04.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t05.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t06.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t07.mp3','gybe2011-02-16t08.mp3'],'clip':{'autoPlay':true,'baseUrl':'http://www.archive.org/download/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac/'},'canvas':{'backgroundColor':'#000000','backgroundGradient':'none'},'plugins':{'audio':{'url':'http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.audio-3.2.1-dev.swf'},'controls':{'playlist':true,'fullscreen':false,'height':26,'backgroundColor':'#000000','autoHide':{'fullscreenOnly':true},'scrubberHeightRatio':0.6,'timeFontSize':9,'mute':false,'top':0}},'contextMenu':[{},'-','Flowplayer v3.2.1']}"> </embed></object><br /><br />mp3s and a better player <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/gybe2011-02-16.dpa4061.flac">here</a>.<br /><br /><br />$40/$40firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-87788141604763905612011-02-09T20:51:00.000-08:002011-02-10T02:01:02.927-08:00Dan Mangan - SoldDan Mangan's newest music video for "Sold" was shot at Famous Foods! Go East Van!<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="274" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kFQDoMWep4A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-296897318184648492011-02-08T20:19:00.000-08:002011-02-08T20:24:51.511-08:00Death From Above 1979 - Romantic Rights (Live 04.02.2005)Just in case you didn't already know, DFA1979 reformed. They're playing Coachella and Sasquatch and a full tour later. <br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="366" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qACnGMd9Yq4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qACnGMd9Yq4&feature=player_embedded">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qACnGMd9Yq4&feature=player_embedded</a>firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-91903489092154318862011-02-06T14:03:00.000-08:002011-02-08T20:24:10.171-08:00Comeback Kid - Lorelei (Live 03.10.2004)I couldn't really get into this band after their original singer left. <br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="366" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MiIPmd0V0YY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiIPmd0V0YY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiIPmd0V0YY</a>firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-57730649808150266662011-02-06T13:57:00.000-08:002011-02-06T14:01:35.408-08:00Jill Barber - Hardline (Live 03.20.2008)<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="450" height="274" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/32XMHwCMCko" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32XMHwCMCko">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32XMHwCMCko</a>firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-4473466838297539042010-12-05T11:36:00.000-08:002010-12-05T11:43:08.588-08:00Top Ten List 2010Having a blog that updates, legally gives you the right to have and publish a top ten list. None of these are in any particular order.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Albums<br />======<br /></span><br />Kaki King - Junior<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A concept album about secret agents from one of today's most underrated guitarists.</span><br /><br />Fang Island - Fang Island<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">An album that never failed to put me in a good mood whenever I listened to it.</span><br /><br />Arcade fire - the Suburbs<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">It's the Arcade Fire.</span><br /><br />Robyn - Body Talk<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Guilt-free pop music. </span><br /><br />New Pornographers - Together<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">More awesome pop rock anthems from Vancouver's own.</span><br /><br />Caribou - Swim<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Dan Snaith has a PhD in Math. He definitely knows a thing or two about beats.</span><br /><br />Envy - Recitation<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Combines the whirlwind emotion of post rock with the gut wrenching rawness of hardcore punk.</span><br /><br />Janelle Monae - Sub-Archandroid<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A diverse melting pot of forward thinking R&B/Soul.</span><br /><br />Beach House - Teen Dream<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Reminds me of my love for dream pop</span><br /><br />Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Fantasy<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">An incredibly ambitious album from everyone's favourite interrupter. He shoots high and amazingly hits his target.<br /></span><br /><br />Honorable Mention (aka number 11): Crippled Black Phoenix - I Vigilante<br /><br /><br />in case you care, my favorite song was probably a toss up between Crash Years (New Pornographers) and Daisy (Fang Island).<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EIurAP4yHtQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EIurAP4yHtQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="268"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_KZANuDcRO4?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_KZANuDcRO4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="268"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Shows<br />=====</span><br /><br />02.06.2010 Do Make Say Think / Happiness Project / Years<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A really diverse lineup, yet it all falls under DMST at the end of the day. HP was very interesting and was a perfect break from the usual concert norm.</span><br /><br />07.14.2010 New Pornographers<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Capping off a two night stand, it's a full lineup in the band's hometown playing for a surprisingly rowdy bunch of people. Nice.</span><br /><br />02.24.2010 Wintersleep<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">One of my favourite bands playing in a all too small venue. Wintersleep at the "Atlantic House" as close as you'd get to seeing them in their (original) hometown of Halifax</span>firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-22792816163612364902010-11-16T01:19:00.000-08:002010-11-24T18:17:15.733-08:0011.10-14.2010 Wintersleep / Ra Ra Riot / Listening Party / Parlour Steps / Hey Marseilles<center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1140.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1140.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br /><br />Being unemployed/barely employed sometimes has it's advantages. For one you can sleep in until 11 am and go to as many shows as your savings will allow. So when I had the opportunity to see Wintersleep a bunch of times on their Canadian tour, I jumped at it. I was only planning on covering the BC shows because I don't think anyone cares about the US shows, but they do have some other Vancouver content so I might as well squeeze it in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Seattle</span></span><br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1056.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1056.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Seattle's always had a pretty weird set of rules against fun (infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Dance_Ordinance">Teen Dance Ordinace</a> or as my friends in Seattle referred to as the "Footloose" laws), so it wasn't really a surprise when I heard that you couldn't have alcohol on stage. Not really a problem for me, but still weird for those who play music. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1063.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1063.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Never really got to see Parlour Steps in Vancouver so it was nice to finally catch a set of theirs, even if it's not in Vancouver. Most of their songs are mellow indie rock-ish. Crowd seemed to be into them. For some reason I keep getting a alt-country vibe from them, but I can't explain why.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1067.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1067.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Most people were there to see Land of Pines. You could tell because by the end of the night there were probably only 30 people watching Wintersleep's set. Those that were though, were treated to a encore of Danse Macabre. It was originally supposed to be Nerves, but Danse was requested by one the die hards pretty much the entire night. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1055.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1055.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Portland</span></span><br /><center><br /><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1091.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1091.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1093.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1093.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /></center><br /><br />This was at Mississippi studios, which was more like a really small theatre. Very interesting almost vintage vibe to the place. Parlour Steps opened up this show as well. I think i'm they're starting to come around on me. I really enjoyed their set this time. I didn't stick around for Hey Marseilles. I can only say that they sounded like Beirut from what I heard of their soundcheck. Not much to say about this show.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Victoria</span><br /></span><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1103.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1103.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Victoria's show was at a medium sized theatre called Alix Goolden Hall. It used to be a church, but is now used by the Royal Conservatory of Music, so you can imagine how cool this venue is. Listening Party's set was probably highlighted by someone in the balcony starting the wave. It took him about 3 tries, but once the rest of the balcony jumped aboard, the whole building ran with it. It went around for 5 or 6 revolutions. <br /><br />The immense size of the venue, coupled with the awesome lighting made for a fantastic show. My only complaint was the crowd, which was a bit sterile. People who wanted to dance were directed to the side of the venue and security made sure people stayed in their seats otherwise. I know Vancouver has a reputation for audiences not dancing and keeping their hands in the pockets and showing now excitement, but at least they'll stand up at a rock show. Patrons were left sitting, awkwardly, until the encore. Even then the encore songs only had about half the crowd standing.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1105.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1105.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Vancouver</span><br /></span><br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1129.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1129.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Listening Party was well received at this show. Probably because they're partly based here. They had fair amount of their fans singing along in the first 5 rows. I'm still not sold on them. Ra Ra Riot's first day on this tour was today. It's kind of weird how the band Rah Rah has also opened up for Wintersleep as well. On the same tour as well. I had checked out Ra Ra Riot when they first started getting a lot of buzz from their first album a few years ago. To be honest, on record, I thought their sound was okay, but nothing spectacular. Their live show has since convinced me that I should revisit their albums. They turned a lot of heads at the Commodore tonight. Might have been the larger stage, but they were pretty energetic onstage, moving around and engaging the crowd who ate it up. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1134.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1134.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Found out that Wintersleep's show was being recorded for a later broadcast on Sirus Radio. Pretty cool. I wonder how many shows I've been to the Commodore have been broadcasted on Sirius that I don't know about. This show was probably the best one I saw out of the five. Sold out and lots of energy. Nerves was a the perfect closer for the night with it's extended outro and drum solo.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Whistler</span><br /></span><br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view&current=IMG_1141.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1141.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Pretty weird seeing Wintersleep in a small venue, Garibaldi Lift Company, which was essentially just a large bar. Ra Ra Riot opening up again. I think the show probably would have done better if it was during ski season, which won't happen until the week or so after. That being said, the venue was decently filled by the time Wintersleep got on. Ra Ra Riot's set was well received, though they didn't move around as much as they did the night before. Smaller stage I guess. Actually the venue had a very living room like vibe to it. Of note, during Wintersleep's set, the cellist and violinist joined in for "Preservation". It was a nice touch. Although it got me wondering why they weren't conscripted for the intro to "Experience the Jewel". Oh well. <br /><br />Surprisingly, the setlists for the shows were pretty similar. Pretty much a good mix of all 4 albums. Not too many big changes from a year ago. Whistler didn't get "Nerves", which I assume having something to do about hitting the 1 am curfew. Actually one thing I did notice, is that while they do seem to be playing the same number of songs on the set, they're taking less breaks in between songs. A couple of last tidbits. I actually did hear Wintersleep try to work through "Migration" during their soundchecks, but I guess not enough practice. Also the stuffed/toy dog is named Jenny.firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-71249434663613674162010-10-24T15:29:00.000-07:002010-10-24T18:20:38.571-07:00Monotonix - Live in Vancouver 2008<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lU4EqwyxjAs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lU4EqwyxjAs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-xTHLMndPBw?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-xTHLMndPBw?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-7427825997673848982010-10-17T00:29:00.000-07:002010-10-22T02:23:34.798-07:0010.13-14.2010 Broken Social Scene / Sea and Cake<center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view¤t=IMG_1020.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1020.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Opening for both shows were Chicago based Sea and Cake. This band is probably best known for having Tortoise member John McEntire drum for them. I've never been able to get into Tortoise aside from a few songs. I could actually imagine myself being quite bored if I ever had to seem them live, much like how I was during the majority of Sea and Cake's set. Really the only aspect of their show I found interesting was McEntire's drumming. He's pretty good. To be honest, aside from the times when various members of Broken Social Scene would sit in on certain songs, I had trouble telling one song from another. <br /><br /><center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view¤t=IMG_1019.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_1019.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Even though I know I'll never see Feist, Amy Milan or Emily Haines sing with BSS in Vancouver, I am comforted with the fact that most of the other core members who wrote the early BSS albums are still touring. I thought that the first show was pretty long as it clocked in at around 2h 15. The second show proved to be even longer, pushing it to 2h 30. The setlist was quite varied, with songs spanning their catalogue. Thankfully, the two shows were different enough to make it worth it; not that 2+ hours of music is ever not worth it.<br /><br />Maybe it's because BSS now has a few songs where Whiteman is the lead singer (and guitarist), but Whiteman was more vocal than I've ever seen him. During the first show he actually had something to say between songs. The most substantial being his support for the sex-trade workers and getting prostitution legalized a la Amsterdam. What can I say? He's a forward thinking man. <br /><br />Fire-eyed boy had a pretty cool saxophone solo/jam in the middle of it. Not sure if they did this in the past as well. Guilty cubicles was a welcome surprise in the first night. I'm not really a fan of anything off 'Feel Good Lost', but it's nice to hear something they don't normally play. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Brendan Canning looks odd without his beard.<br /><br />"Almost Crimes" was somewhat of a surprise as I could never see the laid back Lobsinger sing on such an upbeat song (she did do backups). Lead vocals were provided by Andrew Whiteman's wife Ariel. She's probably the least gifted of the BSS singers I've seen, but she definitely has the swagger needed to pull off the aforementioned song. <br /><br />The biggest WTF moment of the 2 night stand occurred during the 2nd night. They brought out Neil Osbourne of 54-40 fame (you know "<span style="font-style:italic;">Every time I look at you... I go blind..</span>" ...actually if you weren't listening to Canadian radio in the 90's you probably wouldn't know...) . After introducing it as the song Kevin Drew first made out with, they somewhat surprisingly launched into 54-40's "One Gun". I'm unclear if this was done ironically or unironically.<br /><br />After seeing these two shows, I sort of feel stupid for thinking this show would be any less of a show just because a couple of divas (not my words) didn't feel like committing to touring well after a band got big (I should note that James Shaw of Metric fame flew in for the show). The mix of old and new songs were well chosen and really the only song I wanted to hear that they didn't play was "Major Label Debut". You really can't complain about a band when they play 2+ hours and vary their setlists. Now if only Kevin Drew could be less Bono-y...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/broken-social-scene/2010/commodore-ballroom-vancouver-bc-canada-3d51963.html" title="Broken Social Scene Setlist Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2010" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=3d51963" alt="Broken Social Scene Setlist Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2010" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/broken-social-scene/2010/commodore-ballroom-vancouver-bc-canada-4bd51b36.html" title="Broken Social Scene Setlist Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2010" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=4bd51b36" alt="Broken Social Scene Setlist Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2010" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />$45/$45firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-32049445040743472052010-10-04T22:18:00.000-07:002010-10-05T17:16:52.708-07:0010.03.2010 Land of Talk / Suuns / Rah RahI actually remembered to bring my camera to this show, but apparently the band had requested no photos at the show. huh..<br /><br />Anyways, Rah Rah, the first band, is not the same as that other band Rah Rah Riot. I'll confirm this when I see the latter in November. They're a really fun band. You could file this band under the indie label. Their singer has a sort of country-ish feel to it. Biggest surprise with this band was their drummer. She spent most of set behind the kit, but in the latter half, she did some singing and played bass as well. She could probably front her own band. <br /><br />Suuns ("Sooons") is a band from Montreal that's very hard to classify. For the most part they reminded me of Maserati, but noisier and with more of dynamic sonic range. Their guitarist uses a lot of delay and distortion. They kind of drifted between lofi electronic music to catchy dancey indie rock. Like I mentioned before, hard to classify. <br /><br />One thing that doesn't surprise me about Land of Talk after seeing them through the years, is that the lineup is pretty flexible. Case in point most of the older songs featured the power trio formation of Liz Powell on guitar/vox, Joe Yarmush on bass and Liam O'Neil (replacing Andrew Barr for a couple of shows). Despite the short notice and being only the second show that he was playing, Liam O'Neil filled in very well and didn't seem to miss a beat (bad pun). This is not the same Liam O'Neil from the Stills, though apparently Liz Powell knows em both. The new songs (and even some of the old ones for that matter) featured members of Suuns adding extra guitar and synth. In addition, a lot of songs also had Liz's friend and artwork contributor Corianne Tate as a backup vocalist. The setlist favoured heavily on songs from their new album <span style="font-style:italic;">Cloak and Cipher</span>. While almost all the other albums were represented, I wouldn't have minded hearing either "Corner Phone" or "Give me back my Heart Attack", both of which slayed me last time I saw them. I will say this, I really can't say that Land of Talk's shows are predictable. The last 3 times that I have seen them, all 3 of the shows were quite different from each other. Tonight not being an exception.<br /><br />$15/$15firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-1528338363822612912010-09-20T14:12:00.000-07:002010-09-26T17:24:27.596-07:0009.10.2010 Gaslight Anthem<center><a href="http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/?action=view¤t=IMG_0993.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/firmdragon/IMG_0993.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a></center><br /><br />Gaslight Anthem's latest album didn't exactly blow me away like their previous release did. Luckily, I'm a sucker for free shows. I've got to hand it to UBC, they've really come a long way in terms of quality of entertainment over the years. I remember seeing a lot of pretty bad CANCON rock over the years. It was fairly surprising to see a non-Canadian band headlining this years Welcome Back BBQ.<br /><br />The set overall was a mix of all their albums with focus more on the latter 2 albums. Most of the fan favourites from the last album were well represented. It took about 2 songs before the crowd was pogo-ing and moshing along. Even though they've grown in popularity since the last time I saw them, singer Brian Fallon is still has humble as ever. Between songs he also suggested shows to go to that very night (Comeback Kid/Madball was his pick). It might have been that they were playing the same night, but Fallon also snuck a few lines from The National's Fake Empire during a jammy breakdown midset. Biggest surprise of the night was the encore. A 3-4 song encore which started after the scheduled curfew time. <br /><br />$15/0firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11769661.post-39036548177372350982010-07-17T20:49:00.000-07:002010-07-25T22:49:30.308-07:0007.14-15.2010 The New PornographersI'm pretty lazy these days so the thought of writing two reviews as oppose to a combined one would probably push this review further into procrastination. Now being the poor student and soon to be unemployed graduate, I wouldn't normally go to both shows of a two night stand. I've been burned too many times by bands who've played similar and sometimes exactly the same sets on all nights. I'm happy to report that The New Pornographers are not one of these bands. Both nights were different enough that I felt my money, although no longer in my pocket, went to a good cause.<br /><br />The first night was a bit of a bittersweet affair. As the band walked out to this really well known 70s epic prog rock song, I'm sure almost everyone noticed that Neko wasn't there. Now I've said it before, Kathryn Calder can hold her own, (I like her voice more than Neko's) but being used to the albums, shows without Neko just aren't the same. The crowd respectfully stayed in the seats for the first couple of songs until Carl, before starting "Use It", stated that "You can stand up if you want." This started a mass exodus of people to the front of the stage, officially starting the rock show. Carl explained a couple songs in that Neko was stuck in Vermont due to a cancelled flight and that he "blamed God." I guess to make up for it, they played a rarely played "To Wild Homes." <br /><br />Night two had people at the stage lip as soon as the Do do's left the stage. The crowd at this show was much much more involved and actually quite raucous. This led to a lot of banter from the band. Neko commented on a shirtless guy in the balcony who apparently was a bit distracting. Both nights had Carl pointing out how much weed was in the air, like all Vancouver shows. It was nice to the Bejar sung, "Jackie" back in their setlist. I had never heard that one before in the many times I've seen NP.<br /><br />Both nights ended with Bejar's "Testament to Youth and Verse". During the "<span style="font-style:italic;">No no no no no</span>" chorus the band stopped playing, inviting the crowd to repeat it. Awkwardly, both nights the crowd had to be coaxed into participating, nevertheless everyone had fun I'm sure.firmdragonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12922436034524967810noreply@blogger.com0