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As I’m standing waiting for the bouncer of the Cabaret Juste pour rire to find my name on the guest list (with the typical, what kind of name is that, implying that my name looks retarded, which I know). A situation between said bouncer and one of the night’s performers occurred which I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at:

Performer: Hey I just want to add a name on the guest list.

Bouncer: Who the f**k are you?

P: I’m the guitarist from Pawa up First.

B: What the hell did you say.

P: I’m part of the show.

B: What?

P: I’m the show.

B: ....ohhh shit! Go ahead.

The bouncer’s reaction to the guitarist was hilarious, and I told myself that I had to include that little gem in this review.

Walking into the Cabaret had me thinking about how badly designed and constructed this place really is. The entrance to the place and stairs are totally screwed, which gives you the impression that Quebecers can’t do anything right. When I walk into a building now I always think about how I could make the building better if I had a sledge hammer. I don’t know if that makes me a genius or just aggressive.

The place was packed with the typical University of Montreal hippy/French skater crowd by the time Akido got on stage. I felt out of place with a tie on after heading to the show after work. The crowd was still, movements were infrequent, and clapping was weak to say the least. A show that is completely instrumental with no singing will apparently sedate a crowd of hundreds. I have to admit, the whole time I was watching I was thinking about how much better the show could be if there was an MC spitting lyrics over the band. Akido was certainly good, but there is nothing special and original with this band. It’s just a simple instrumental group with a synthesiser. Akido is a band created by Kim Gaboury who is solely responsible for the musical direction of the band. The occasional voice of his girlfriend is there to sing her oohhh and uhmms. Akido got some fame with a song called “Dancing With Chains,” which is a good song with an Asian punk video clip that is pretty cool. However, their set was just too long, and left the crowd dazed and confused.

Pawa Up First then got on stage and kicked a really good show. They were on point and flawless with their sound just like on their albums. The members of Pawa are all talented and they make up a really good band that once again creates perfect hip-hop/jazz based beats that an MC could flow over if they had one. That’s all I could think about. Does that mean my perception is bias because I’m immersed in Hip-Hop or does that make me a genius? I don’t know. To tell you the truth, I don’t think the world knows. If you don’t know Pawa Up First, check them out because they’re one of Montreal’s greatest local bands (second to CJLO’s own Super/heater of course.)

If I were to tell you that I was so excited to be given the opportunity to see Raphael Saadiq in concert that I took out my old "Tony! Toni! Toné!"  albums and starting dancing in my room like I was young again…that would be a bold faced lie. I was more curious than anything, as there are definitely more Raphael Saadiq enthusiast out there, namely my Co-Host Lady Oracle,  who’s played a few songs from his new album The Way I See It a few times on our show.

With that said, I feel I would be a good candidate to  give the readers an unbiased opinion of the concert though the eyes of an average joe, rather than a star struck groupie writing her number on a pair of panties ready to  be thrown on the stage.

So once the music started blasting out of the speakers I stood there stonefaced,  not wanting to give in but to stand strong and keep a clear head (no groupie vibes here),but boy it was hard. At first his backup singers and musicians came out and preceded to  give the crowd a piece of what they have been waiting for: that old school style of music…the kind that makes your feet start tapping and shoulders start moving.  You know the vibe, like a good ol’ Black Southern Church. Then he come out energetic and smooth in a white suit, black thin tie and black glasses, like a geek. The geek that most girls would have probably laughed at if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s so popular, and they sure weren’t laughing that night. He was cheered, loved and admired. Raphael Saadiq looked and sounded so amazing, I couldn’t help but smile at his success and the fact that he is still going strong with his love of music to this day. I proceeded to gently toss in his general direction my number written on a piece of material, in hopes of getting a phone interview (we’ll see).

He started the show with a few songs from The Way I See It, a compilation of vintage style singing I believe after seeing him perform that only he could have pulled off.  The concert itself went along the lines of most concerts I’ve seen, mixing some of his old with some of his new. Interacting with the crowd, making sure we were happy and wanting more, which by the look of the crowd we did indeed. His band was amazing; they did an excellent job making sure Raphael had the best musical accompaniment for his singing, from the backup singers giving his songs the richness they deserve to the musicians playing their instruments to perfection.

One of the really good moments during the concert was when his brother (who was playing on the Keyboards) broke out and did a little solo singing that rocked the crowd. Unfortunately where I was situated I couldn’t actually see him, but it really didn’t matter since his voice was strong and displayed much talent that instantly deserved your respect.

Saadiq wasn’t shy, and while he didn’t jump into the crowd, he wasn’t afraid to shake hands and flirt with the ladies. He had a good, fun vibe, both of which you’d expect from a performer of his caliber. I found myself having a little more appreciation for his music and have actually spending  some time listening  to his album, I guess I want to relive the vibe from that night. All in all a very good concert and I’m very happy to have gone.

So I went to the Toronto Comic Art Festival this past weekend.  One of the guests was Kagan Mcleod.  Dude does a wicked comic called 'Infinite Kung Fu' as well as amazingly beautiful pieces for the National Post.  He's also getting well known in rap circles for his ‘History of Rap’ poster.  I purchased the first incarnation in 2003 which had about 80 heads.  The newest version has over 200, but on both sheets, the female rappers are few and far between.  As someone who pays attention to the girlie rappers, I found the whole thing a little disheartening.  There are scads of awesome women rappers, one of them is definitely Lady Sovereign, and no, she wasn't on the poster. 

I got into the Lady three years ago when I heard her rap about girls that wear too much spray on tan ("Tango"). She cracked me up and I was sold.  I never got to see her on her initial Def Jam run, so I was really looking forward to this show.  This was the third show of her tour and I almost missed it.  See. it's been my experience that headlining acts in Montreal don't even start until 11.  The show started at 9 and she had two opening acts, Chester French and Hollywood Holt.  I was very curious about the kind of tour mates she'd invite along so I got there at 10, just in time for.........Lady Sovereign.  Hunh?!  To chants of   “LA-DY!” she burst onto the stage with a female DJ and male drummer, ready and tight. The place was pretty crowded so I was happy to stay in the back.  It was my first time at Club Soda and it was the perfect venue.  Plenty of room to see and boogie. 

Much has been made of her singing versus rapping on the new album (Jigsaw) but it worked well at the show.  Initially when I heard the Cure sample in "So Human", I was like, clever, but I'm so over it now.   I dread hearing that song everywhere this summer.  She certainly has a poppier sound this time around and it’s an interesting evolution.  With her crowd banter you could tell her sense of humour was still intact as she, at one point, began throwing t-shirts into the crowd.  Some call and repeat and her huge gold chain necklace gave it a bizarre old school feel. 

I could hear everything that she was saying, which is rare at any show... three cheers for her sound engineer.  She also gave time to her DJ and drummer, intense scratching and furious drumming ensued.  Her beats were more on the electro side, and her drummer had no trouble keeping it steady.  You'd think the set would be sparse with such a minimal crew but they managed to pull off the full sound of the album and more. There’s been a bit of a broohaha about her dump from Def Jam and subsequent depression, but with her bombastic rendition of "Pennies" and the in your face style of "Love me or Hate me", she proved that the wee cheeky Brit is back.  The most popular song of the night, (as evidenced by crowd response) was "Food Play" though my favourite song of the evening has to be "I Got you Dancing"...and boy did she ever. 

Towards the end of the show it became this explosion of grime speed punk rap.  After listening to the chants of “S-O-V!” she came back out to do two more songs.  Gone were the electro beats and on came the ska/oi bounce rap of "Public Warning".  No – one – was – stationary!

And that was it.  No really, we were all out the door by 11:30.  It was odd, but I guess the Lady wanted to party elsewhere.  The way she brought it, I say she earned it.  I know I wasn't alone in those thoughts as I saw one sweaty smile after another exit and crowd around the merch booth. 

In true comic nerd form my last thought was; who would win in a rap battle, Lady Sovereign or Amanda Blank?  Set that up and there would be no way you could ever ignore the female presence in rap.  Lady Sovereign's show at Club Soda proved that in spades. 

I am possibly the biggest Mark Ronson fan at CJLO, in Montreal and maybe in Quebec.  I admire his production, his albums and his own radio show has been influential on me this year.  His playlists are practically musical treasure maps.  One night while listening to his show, he mentioned a group and played one of their tracks.  Being a disciple, I paid attention to the group name and the track.  Months later, the "Girls & Weather" arrived at the station and it is fitting that I get to review The Rumble Strips' debut CD.

Ronson's "Version" started me on a quest of learning more about the British Indie rock scene.  Names like Charlatans, Jam & Kasabian were new to me until I discovered Ronson was covering classics that most current Indie rock fans have known or should know.  I remember the day I saw the CD and how excited I was to hear more Rumble Strips.  Little did I know how significant that day would be.  I hoped the CD would be as good as "Time", the track I heard on Ronson's show, and that it would be an introduction to what is going on musically within the present Indie rock scene.  From the moment the first track finished, I knew I was listening to a future entry on my year end Best-Of-2008 list.

I understood why Mark Ronson will be producing Rumble Strips' sophomore CD.   They are the band he would have created had he created a band.  Their sound is very similar to what he has produced for himself, Amy Winehouse and others.  The emphasis is on a driving beat and brass section for most of the "Girls & Weather" tracks. 

On my first listen, I was blown away by the energy of the first half of the CD.  The tracks "Motorcycle", "No Soul", "Creole" and especially "Girls & Boys in Love" are so fast and furious that I was hooked.  I remember being disappointed that the tempo slowed down for the other half of the album.  My personal preference is for fast paced songs of any genre.  In retrospect, I realize it was good for Rumble Strips to present different aspects of their talent by giving the listener varying songs.

Rumble Strips were supposed to perform at Zoobizarre on October 30.  The street near the venue was quiet and there was no one on in front of the venue except for me.  A woman unlocked the door, opened it to talk to me, assured me there was definitely no concert going on that night and locked the door after wishing me a good night.  Had the concert taken place and it was as dynamic as the "Girls & Weather" CD, this review would have been that much more dynamic. 

I read online days later Mark Ronson had a talent showcase during the CMJ Music Marathon featuring Wale, Rhymefest, Daniel Merriweather and Rumble Strips.  I read about how well they performed that night.  Missing Rumble Strips twice in a year is truly disappointing.  To be disappointed about missing a new band's concerts says something about the band and their music.  Rumble Strips' debut CD is very entertaining and it is a shame I do not have a live performance of their music to add to this year's revelation.  Perhaps I will have more luck and fun when they release their Mark Ronson produced CD and add more music to their already impressive catalogue.