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By Andrij Radio - West African Hour - 07/07/2008

When I got to Le National at 8:30, the opening band, Woodpigeon, was unfortunately already half-way done their set. I was surprised since almost every show I’ve been to in Montreal starts at least an hour after it’s supposed to, but maybe that’s what comes out of mostly going to shows put on by art students. I’d never heard Woodpigeon before, but they were certainly an appropriate opener for Calexico, style-wise. An eight member ensemble featuring all the usual instruments (guitar, drums, bass and keyboards), Woodpigeon also featured a violin, and half of the members in the band sang, often producing very bluegrass-y harmonies. Like Calexico, they played fairly relaxed alternative country, but so relaxed that I started getting quite bored even though I only watched them play for half an hour. Though Woodpigeon had a formidable enveloping sound, the four harmonizing voices providing a full and resonant quality to the music, they did not convey a lot of energy or passion onstage. Besides them not really being my style of music, I just felt like there was nothing special to their performance, nothing that would make seeing them live better than listening to a recording. One personal highlight was a song in which they took their style to a more experimental edge, doing some ambient, Sonic Youth-style guitar work.

The interlude between the end of their set and the beginning of Calexico’s seemed to go on forever. Since I didn’t have any friends around to talk to, I did some hamstring stretches and gazed around the venue. I also chuckled every time the crowd started shouting when some roadie came on stage to set up for Calexico. You can really tell that people are eager for a performance when they start hooting and hollering at the guy tuning the guitar.

Calexico began their set with just two members of the band, lead vocalist and guitarist Joey Burns, and percussionist John Convertino, burning up some 60’s style instrumental surf rock. I love surf guitar, and was surprised and enthusiastic. Then the rest of the band came onstage, bringing with them a steel guitar, a bass, some vibes, trumpets, and an accordion (it seems that many members of the band are multi-instrumentalists). True to their name (Calexico = California/Mexico), the band served up a spicy dish of alternative country mixed with Mexican rhythms and melodies. Paul Niehaus provided the country with his haunting pedal steel, while Jacob Valenzuela and Martin Wenk supplied the definitive Mexican qualities with their piercing trumpets. At one point, I really felt like I was in a Clint Eastwood movie. The band played five or six tracks from their album Feast of Wire -- which is the only Calexico album I actually know well -- and those seemed to be the tracks the audience responded most to. Joey Burns kept up a great rapport with the audience throughout the performance, often complimenting our fair city (he said the secret of our greatness was our disco), and at one point even singing an entire song apart from the rest of the band, in French, all about hanging out here. He either really loves Montreal or is really good at talking up the audience of any given city. Unlike Woodpigeon, Calexico was relaxed musically, but nonetheless conveyed a lot of energy onstage. Towards the end of the set my only disappointment was that there had been no dance-y music, but then Calexico started busting out some new songs that got the crowd moving, and my thirst to dance was quenched.

I don’t like country, including most alternative country that I’ve heard, but I love Calexico, which suggests to me that they have a broader appeal than most alternative country bands, partly due to the Mexican qualities, partly due to their experimentalism, and partly due to the highly original songwriting style of Burns and Convertino. Despite Woodpigeons lackluster performance, this was a great show. The sound was good, the visuals were great (a dark greenish-yellow set the tone for Calexico’s desert style), and there was even some dancing. They are definitely an act worth checking out.

Check out Andrij on the West African Hour every Wednesday from 12-1pm

By Brian Joseph - Phantastiq Cypha - 04/21/2008

Before we begin my review of True Hollywood Squares, may I make reference to the fact that a lyricist can spit some serious metaphors; however, there is a difference between metaphors and similes. For example, "you are my sunshine" is a metaphor, whereas "your eyes are like the sun" is a simile. With that said, Kail has a knack for similes. From beginning to end, his style is graceful and comedic, yet he doesn’t lose any roughness around the edges. Hailing from South Central, Kail has some big shoes to represent and represent it he does. We start off the album with an introduction to the host and contestants, who carry us through the game that is the album. With a colourful wise guy who drops lines such as “use that to blow your father with” and “I oughtta whack you upside the head with a canoe paddle,” its obvious that as serious an album this is, it’s also made to crack you up.

The tracks are solid for the most part, from “The Realest Muthafuckin' Tour Guide Ever” to “Wendy,” which have impressive lyrics and meanings behind the tracks. For some reason though, I lose it when it gets to “Sweet Dick Willy”; maybe it’s the fake commercial before it, or the fact that I don’t feel “Sweet Dick Willy” and “Motorola Twins” are as strong as the other tracks. Whatever the case, it feels like they are the album’s b-sides. Luckily, the album then moves onto “Cola (The Rhapsody)” and all is forgiven. Easily my favorite track on the album, “Cola” is a rap about relationships. What really makes the song is the female vocalist, whose deadpan delivery makes Kail’s over-the-top stressed singing technique a winning combination. Besides “Cola,” “Peter Pennyworth” is another great track. The song starts with a somewhat simple chant over a good tempo, which then turns into a harder beat midway and doesn’t take away from his flow.

I don’t often do album reviews because I don’t think someone can tell you if an album is good -- you have to listen to it yourself. The same goes for Kail. I can tell you how much I appreciate the album, the production, and how I look forward to more of his stuff; however, only you can take a listen, form an opinion, and start telling people how great he is, because you will. Kail isn’t someone to sleep on, and if this album is any indication of what he’s got, we can look forward to a lot more solid releases.

Tune in to Phantastiq Cypha with Brian every Friday from 9am-12pm

By Lindsay Wood - Through Being Cool - 06/06/2008

You know the feeling you get when you finally get the chance to see a band you just keep missing (because either the band got injured on a previous tour, or you happened to take an extra work shift without realizing that it was on the same night as the show)?  That’s the feeling I had when I saw Death Cab for Cutie. We were finally able to be in the same place at the same time on their most recent Montreal visit, meeting when “soul meets body” at the Quai Jacques Cartier.

There weren’t as many people at the show as I expected, but then again, the weather had been pretty questionable for the past few weeks. It was grey and cool outside, as though the forces of Ben Gibbard were fighting off the rain. As soon as the group came on, though, it was love at first sight. One of the best things for me is when a band sounds as good live as they do on CD, and Death Cab did just that. They sounded amazing, playing a great mix of songs, both new and old.

There was little bit of acoustic in their set, but unfortunately, not too much banter. It didn’t feel very personal. Actually, it felt more like a band that had never played here before, which is hardly the case for Death Cab. I didn’t feel like they were playing for me, and I wasn’t as lost in their songs as I had hoped to be. I mean, I was by the end of the concert because I had a few beers, but the boys from Bellingham, Washington weren’t able to evoke that emotion in me from their music.

All in all, the band sounded good and I can’t say I was disappointed, though I had expected more from them. A few more songs would have helped, but otherwise, it was worth the metro trip down to the pier.

(If you like emo kids in glasses, AA shirts and REALLY tight pants, it would have been worth it for you.  Holy -- was there a dress code I didn’t know about?)

Tune in to Through Being Cool with Lindsay every Monday from 12pm - 2pm

By Michelle Ayoub - Ravenous Medicine - 05/30/2008

As I sit to write this review, I realize that it will be quite the task, because following last Friday’s performance at Club Soda, I am just a tad bit giddy. Considering how many shows yours truly has seen over the years, going from itsy-bitsy productions to big-budget extravaganzas, from mellow indie rock concerts to the most obscure metal shows featuring bands from parts of Europe no one knew existed, I think that’s really saying something for Matthew Good and his band.

I arrived at the venue to see that it was ready to burst. As with the previous times I have seen Matt Good, backed by a band or solo, I was surprised that there were still tickets available at the door. It was the crowd, I believe, that really made the show. Old and young, male and female, this crowd was one of the most energetic I have seen in a while. Every single song had most, if not everyone, in the venue singing along, amplifying the already great delivery of several of the songs, especially those of the Matthew Good Band era such as “Load Me Up” and “Hello Time Bomb”, both off Beautiful Midnight.

However, an energetic crowd is nothing without a strong performance to feed off of. While I have heard many people say that Matt Good is a boring frontman, I have to strongly disagree.  Whether he’s performing solo acoustic sets or shows with a band backing him (as was the case at this show), Good has such charisma and strong stage presence that he does not need to make any great effort to get the crowd going. He topped it off with what I find to be an exemplary case of a great performer/audience relationship -- the Vancouver native came on stage with a Montreal Canadians T-shirt, stating that everyone back home hates him because he is a die-hard Habs fan. 

If you are anything like me, you go into shows with a list of songs you just have to hear or the world will stop spinning. The set list did not disappoint. It covered the majority of Matt Good’s career, focusing mostly on his solo works but not forgetting to give Matthew Good Band fans their fill with songs such as “Everything is Automatic,” and “Apparitions.” Many tracks from Good’s most recent album, Hospital Music, were covered and again, each song was well-received by the audience.

Having worked on and seen quite few tours and shows, I always appreciate a good set-up. Keeping it simple with a few extra touches seems to be often overlooked. The lighting, which comprised of a series of lines of lights on ceiling high pillars behind the band, really stood out for me, accompanying each song well. From the first song, I found this lighting choice to be very effective, and it was confirmed during “Alert Status Red,” when the lights all flashed red during the chorus. Cheesy? Perhaps. Effective and awesome? Totally. Sound-wise, I unfortunately have no good things to say. Considering the fact that despite a nice layout for the venue, Club Soda does not have the best acoustics in the world, I cannot say it was the worst live sound I have ever heard. While it did manage to get on my nerves at some times (God bless earplugs), it never threatened the overall experience of the show. In fact, I would be willing to bet a fair sum of money that if you asked most people in the crowd, they probably did not noticed much.     

Overall, my only real disappointment of the evening was not getting to hear “Strange Days,” but believe you me, although I spent a good portion of the set hoping it would be next, it did not come anywhere near ruining my experience. As I said, this was not the first time I have seen Matt Good live, and to summarize, I think it just about says it all that next time around, I will be first in line to grab tickets.