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By Brian Hastie - Countdown To Armageddon - 03/19/2009

Call me an old fogey, but I’ve been attending hardcore and pseudo-hardcore shows for close to a decade, spent many sweaty nights at L’X and Café L’Inco during my time, and have come to watch the scene somewhat closely, and during that time, I’ve noticed the degeneration of “the scene” (as the kids refer to it as) into a muddled mess of wayward children who care more about their bandanas and cool kicks (often looking like a terrible biker gang than true fans of the music they’re there to listen to.) Although this has been happening for years, Thursday night served as a reminder of the disintegration of a once-enjoyable genre of music ruined by the idiocy of the majority of the current fan base, much like how I believe that modern prog rock (think Dream Theater and Tool) is ruined by the rabid, crazed fanbase.

The thing is, though, that every scene goes through the same transformation and degradation that leads to an eventual downward spiral of generic

Things, though, started off rather serenely as the first band of the evening hit the stage of Club Soda promptly at 7. Innerpartysystem, the quartet hailing from Pennsylvania, surrounded themselves with a dizzying array of lights and toys and gave a set that wasn’t entirely un-enjoyable.

Coming out and playing the first two tracks off of their self-titled debut LP, the band was all flash and some substance, as a markedly complex light show was undertaking, bathing the audience (and most of the band, save for drummer Jared Piccone, who spent most of the night in darkness) and sometimes inundating the senses to the point of sensory overload. Their half-hour set was marked with intense electronic interludes, drowned-out vocals and missed marks.

Singer Patrick Nissley (the band’s primary songwriter) seemed to have taken notes while watching And All That Could’ve Been, as his stage persona was a clone of a watered-down Trent Reznor, clutching the microphone as if falling off a cliff and swinging the mic stand with vigour, at times.

The band’s mix of electronics (comprised of a bevy of keyboards and drum machines) and live instrumentation (in particular Piccone’s great tone, which added an edge that is largely absent on the band’s self-titled outing) came off well, although a little too well planned-out and theatrical to be considered a fully live show.

Having seen Norma Jean in a live setting numerous times, I have to admit that their move towards a more melodic direction left the audience (who largely identifies with their chugga-chugga-Botch-loving persona) rather confused. Everything was okay during set-opener (and first single from their newest album, The Anti Mother) “Robots 3, Humans 0” (which had the audience singing along, even as singer Cory Brandan Putman’s mic suffered numerous technical difficulties) and onwards as selections from both 2005’s O God, the Aftermath and 2006’s Redeemer kept the crowd moving. In the middle of the half-hour set, the band launched into their pseudo-signature song “Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste” off of their 2002 initial LP Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child. The response was near-euphoric as most of the floor of Club Soda surged back and forth, and a battalion of hardcore dancers did their thing, catching butterflies and pounding the pavement in time to the breakdowns that mark the song.

Unfortunately, though, the band followed that up with the lead-off track off of The Anti Mother, “Vipers, Snakes, and Actors”, a song whose (relative, for the band) musical complexity confused the kids who would hardcore dance and then abruptly stop as the band switched gears towards a slower downturn. Much of the crowd was unsure how to react to such a composition that found itself switching time-signatures and go from balls-out hardcore to quiet, introspective verses, but points go towards the band’s adventurous new direction, as they carry with it a “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” predilection: how do you branch out into something new without totally fucking over your fanbase? I think the answer is gradually, as the band managed to slip in some different moments in-between breakdowns. They closed off their set with an awesome rendition of “Bayonetwork” (interspersed with some of Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child track “Creating Something Out Of Nothing, Only To Destroy It”). The entire club helped the band chant the now-familiar refrain of “like bringing a gun to a knife fight” until the entire band stood still, a wall of feedback washing over the audience.

I’ll be upfront: I’ve always had a problem with Underoath. Apart from the clean vocals by drummer Aaron Gillespie, a lot of the band’s catalogue sounds entirely identical to me. A friend who had accompanied me to the show had remarked that apart from a mini drum-solo, a lot of the instrumentation was rhythmic in nature: there are two guitarists, but they largely mimic each other. There is no interplay in-between the six-stringers and very little lead guitarwork being displayed, and the same can be said of the rest of the band, musically: solid rhythmic work that strays very little from its original concept. Don’t get me wrong: I happen to think that they have a good song (yes, singular), but the song marked by a sameness that brings the compositions down. I honestly can barely tell any of it apart, and I’ve tried numerous times to get into this band.

The band brought with them an impressive collection of videos that served as both interludes and driving points of the set, as they kicked things off with a spooky video featuring a post-apocalyptic encounter in-between two people before launching into “Breathing In A New Mentality”, the lead-off track from newest effort Lost In The Sound Of Separation. From then onwards, the band’s hour-plus set featured great audio-visual elements that offset the bland nature of the parade of songs played. A lot of the audience seemed to be really into them, though, as lips moved along with every word screamed.

I can see the appeal of a band like Underoath, but was largely left unimpressed by their set, which seemed satisfying on a very basic level but the lack of the band’s ability to diversify left me rather empty otherwise.

Tune into Countdown to Armageddon with Brian every Thursday from 4PM to 6PM

By Josh Mocle - The Kids are So-So - 03/18/2009

It’s always an unfortunate circumstance when a writer needs to review two shows right after one another since there are only so many creative juices to be spread around. That having been said, I apologize to the Street Dogs for phoning in most of their review because I really need everything I’ve got to adequately describe how blown my mind was by The Gaslight Anthem… although, in all fairness, if your show was as good as theirs it wouldn’t be a problem. Don’t feel bad though…I’m almost certain that if Kurt Cobain and Joe Strummer resurrected and formed a six member super group that played both Nirvana and Clash songs that it still wouldn’t be as good those four young men from New Jersey were (but, to be fair, it would PROBABLY be close.)   

Though, to be fair, the show DID have openers in the form of Montreal’s own Dirty Tricks and Burlington, Ontario’s Saint Alvia. Now, I won’t lie, I was really looking forward to Dirty Tricks. Their 2007 full length Sauve Qui Peut was easily one of my favorite records of that year, yet before now I had somehow missed every opportunity I had to catch them live. As it turns out, that may not have been a bad thing…as while the band was tight as all hell; I found their performance relatively dry. Almost as if they knew that the majority of the room was not there to see them and they were reacting in kind. They didn’t appear to have any genuine love for what they were doing, which made it really hard to enjoy it. I acknowledge that it was good, but a little more care would have been nice.

On the other hand, Saint Alvia, who I’d been a vocal non-fan of since I first caught them at Warped Tour in 2007 (back when they were still The Saint Alvia Cartel), were actually a lot more solid than I ever remember them being. After seeing the band open for folk punk legends Against Me! last September, I found my biggest critique of the band was that they kept trying to bounce from genre to genre, never really finding a foothold in any of them. This time around, it appears as if they’ve settled on a groovy, reggae influenced “Clash meets The Hold Steady” sound that they pulled off quite well. While they still aren’t my cup of tea (mostly since I already love The Hold Steady AND The Clash) and their second guitarist still REALLY wants to be Joe Strummer (to the point of embarrassment), at least this time they were consistent and their growth over the last half a year is evident as well. They’re not quite there yet, but they are showing definite improvement.

Which brings us to the headliners and the reason I finally broke my stigma surrounding going to shows at La Tulipe (which, despite being horrendously out of the way, turns out to actually be a really great venue), New Brunswick, New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem. When I first heard of these guys in 2007 with their debut full length Sink or Swim, I suspected that for the first time in a long time I had something special on my hands. Just a short year later they released their second record, The ’59 Sound and by that point I was POSITIVE that I might have found that one band that in will be selling out arenas in ten years and I will get to say “neener neener, I saw them when…” However, success on record and success when playing live are two monstrously different things. However, after being lucky enough to attend one of the record release shows for The ’59 Sound in August I could rest comfortably knowing that what may possibly be the most earnest rock band to come out of the east coast punk scene in the last ten years was just as tight, earnest and downright SOULFUL live. However, going into this performance I was left wondering…”was their awesomeness entirely dependent on the special status of the show? Was what I saw then the norm, or will this be a paint by numbers, 50 minute set full of new stuff and not much substance?” As it turns out, and answer to all of those was an emphatic NO. As the band took the darkened stage, singer/guitarist Brian Fallon addressed the audience as if they were old friends…”man…its dark in here…lemme tell you a ghost story from New Jersey…” before the full band launched into (59 Sound lead off track) “Great Expectations” and set the standard for the rest of the evening. Playing for well over an hour, the band managed to not only run through ALL of The ’59 Sound but the entirety of their Senor and the Queen EP (also from 2008) as well, in addition to four fan favorites from Sink or Swim (“We Came to Dance”, “Boomboxes and Dictionaries”, “The Navesink Banks” and “I’da Called You Woody, Joe”.) Through all of that, they never once let the intensity fall below and dull roar and the few breaks they did take were filled with Fallon’s innocent brand of witty stage banter. While saying he “worked the crowd” would be a somewhat inappropriate choice of words in this case, he made it clear that he in no way held himself above those in the crowd as he addressed everyone in attendance as friends and equals. If I were sharing a beer with him, I would expect there to be nothing different.

This connection to the audience and acknowledgement of their past is particularly important given how unbelievably huge this band will be in a very short time. They already went from being complete unknowns to “the next big thing” in under a year and in a few months they’ll be opening for their idol (and predominant musical influence) Bruce Springsteen in front of eighty thousand people in England. I can’t even imagine where they’ll end up after that, but I will say that a year ago they were “the next Against Me!” and I can safely say that at this point it’s more like “the next Rolling Stones.”  Now before you go calling “bullshit” on me, I’ll ask if YOU have ever seen a band play a city for the first time in their three year career and have the entire 700+ person crowd sing along to every single word? I think not. 

For the best in new and new(ish) folk, punk, hardcore and indie rock, tune into The Kids Are So-So with Josh every Thursday from 6PM to 8PM

By DJ Solespin - Eclectricity - 02/20/2009

I have been a big fan of Divine Brown since her debut CD was released a few years ago, when a copy of Love Chronicles arrived at CJLO.  Since then, I have played her music steadily on my show and waited patiently for her February 20th Cabaret Du Musee concert.

I arrived at the venue to see opening act Sean Jones in the lobby meeting, greeting, posing and signing copies of his This Is Love CD.  I did not wait long to get my copy signed.  I missed his performance, but was content to have met him and for the autograph.

Not too long afterwards, I walked through the doors to hear the sounds of Divine Brown and company.  She was backed by two singers, three dancers and a small band.  There were a lot of people on both floors of the venue.  I chose to stay on the ground floor near the bar for an easy exit at the end of the show.  It was also ideal to objectively view the concert.

The initial crowd reaction to “Old Skool Love” was textbook.  I was surprised that she performed it so early in the set.  It was possibly the third or fourth song.  I am not sure if this happens at all concerts now, but the majority of the crowd raised and pointed their cameras and phones to the stage and sang along.  It was a touching moment.  I was nostalgic, remembering playing the original and reggae versions to the song on my show weeks after returning to CJLO in 2006.  I did not expect to hear “Old Skool Love” so soon in the night and worried it was a mistake.  I wondered if she ever performed the reggae version for audiences as well.

Songs like “Meet Me at the Roxy”, “Bebe” and “Twist My Hair” were all performed and received.  Vocally, Divine Brown was in fine form.  Her voice was powerful or sensitive when need be and there were no bad notes.  I realized early enough that I was in the presence of one of Canada’s finest urban vocalists.

The choreographies were simple enough for her to join her dancers for a few tunes.  She introduced a guitarist that did a blistering solo.  I was amused by his antics while playing.  The young man in the black leather jacket had a nice mix of confidence, determination and subdued flamboyance while playing. 

The concert ran longer than I expected or was prepared for.  Clocking in at nearly over two hours, I felt that Divine Brown truly gave the audience their money’s worth.  The finale was another surprise, but the seeds were planted throughout the show.  The guitarist and rock music sound gave the impression that Divine Brown had either a rocker past or at least an interest.  Her performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” made me a believer.  Seeing and hearing one of my favourite female urban music singers covering one of the most iconic arena rock songs of all times will be marked as one of my best concert experiences for 2009.

By Kelly Kay - Cut Your Hair and Get a Job - 02/15/2009

The last time I saw The Von Bondies, I had my hair cut like a Hanson brother and Miley Cyrus was merely annoying, not an alleged racist. Ah yes, The Von Bondies show on January 17th at Café Campus really solidified my thinking that 2008 would kick some serious ass; the band had an incredible amount of energy and executed a flawless set that didn’t lack soul, inspiring this young lady to dance like a maniac all through the night. That being the case, my expectations were rather high for the band when heading out to see them at Les Saints on February 15 of 2009, just over a year after they blew my mind in the plateau. Wrongfully assuming that ‘doors at 8' meant ‘starts around 10', I arrived around 9 o’clock only to find out I had missed the opener, Nico Vega, by a couple of minutes. This was a total disappointment as I was seriously fiending for some new music. Did the rest of the evening make up for it? Read on to find out!

The Von Bondies kicked off their set with a lackluster version of “Been Swank” (being “hip to the jive” I suppose I should know what that means, but don’t), off their 2004 hit record Pawn Shoppe Heart. Taking the casual-cool, shoegaze vibe way too far for a band that doesn’t fit into that genre of music, the band was simply unable to engage the audience. After mechanically churning out that familiar tune, they decided to spring a song off their new album Love, Hate and Then There’s You on the audience, a move that could end disastrously for any band if said album doesn’t pack the punch of their earlier work.

This nameless new song wasn’t bad, but wasn’t all that great, nor did it really sound like the Von Bondies- it kind of sounded like the Killers circa Hot Fuss. Now I’m all for artistic evolution, but the Von Bondie’s leap in the dance-pop direction sounded nothing but diluted and a little washed-up. Jason Stollsteimer’s voice lacked the dirty, Dee-troit growl we rock and roll junkies fell in love with early in the millennium and the instrumentation lacked any passion. The one saving grace in this relatively bland tune was a great, loud and crazy instrumental breakdown towards the end that put some colour in the Von Bondies’ cheeks and made them come bursting to life, if only for a few minutes.

This energy was carried on into “Going Down” off their first album, Lack of Communication. I suddenly remembered why I dug the Von Bondies; this tune was packed with enough bluesy, nu-garage swagger to get the crowd feeling a whole lotta sexy, which was an appropriate atmosphere for the day after Valentines.

Due to my limited space to complete the rest of this review, I’ll sum up some highlights and lowlights of the show, most likely concluding with a short summary you can reference if you don’t want to read this whole thing.

HIGHLIGHTS:

1) Not That Social: “I’m not that social, just a good drinker.” Words we can all relate to! I’ll admit, the female vocals were a little shaky, but overall one of the finest tunes of the evening.

2) Pawn Shoppe Heart: Apparently about J.S.’s first wife. A very captivating and gritty performance by the whole band. Thumbs up.

3) No Regrets: They turned up their amps to 11 and the crowd actually moved around a little without having to be prompted by the band to do so. I call that successful.

4) Lowlight: Another nameless new song about dancing to forget your troubles and blah blah blah. Ironically, the band had to tell people in advance to dance and continued to do so numerous times when the crowd refused.

5) Lowlight: The band plays C’mon C’mon as an encore. While it was played well and the crowd went crazy, my sad little heart tells me this will most likely be the Von Bondies’ last tour. If they plan on taking their music in the direction of Love, Hate... they should never play this song again.

To summarize, this show was somehow confusing. Half the time I was resisting the urge to rip up my notes and start dancing. The other half of the show made me want to go home because I felt so bad about the audiences’ poor reception of the V.B’s new material, as well as the bands exhausted and uninterested demeanour. Maybe the Von Bondies should take another 5 year hiatus to hang out and think about where this whole music thing is going. I give this show a 6/10.

Tune into Cut Your Hair and Get a Job with Kelly every Tuesday from 10AM to 11AM