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By Jordan-na Belle-Isle - Canadian Invasion - 04/10/2006

In my experience, mentioning the name Matthew Good usually produces one of two reactions: surprise or disdain. After the popularity of the Matthew Good Band, cresting with their final full-length Beautiful Midnight, the namesake lead singer seemed to be destined to drop off into solo career oblivion. Good has been plagued by a less-than-stellar reputation of being moody and difficult to work with. I pondered this on the way to Café Campus, wondering if people would be willing to dish out the twenty-plus bucks to see Matt Good in his solo effort on a Monday night.

In total disregard for normal Montreal standards, the show actually started on time. I arrived at an already packed house, only twenty minutes past the listed time. It was just enough to catch opening act Melissa McClelland’s last song. McClelland’s sweet jazzy voice was well-received by the crowd at Café Campus, who must have also appreciated the punctuality.

After the end of McClelland’s set, the audience milled about. Someone started humming “Strange Days” (a popular Matthew Good Band single) as others wondered if a solo Matthew would revisit his Good Band days. An announcement on the PA kindly noted that there was to be no smoking near the stage. “I heard he’s a real dick,” remarked one concertgoer. As the lights dimmed, the audience seemed to wonder which version of Good they’d be treated to that night.

Matthew Good opened with an acoustic number that immediately sparked a sing-along. He stood alone on a beautiful stage that featured a lowered, rotating disco ball casting gentle rays of light onto the venue. Good played three of his solo songs off the top, easily segueing one into the next with his strong, deep voice filling the room and capturing his fans from the first chords. His earnest college-coffee-shop presence enveloped the large venue into something strangely intimate and oddly calm. The crowd watched with a quiet regard and respect for Good’s music.

From the crisp sound system to the guitar tech to the sophisticated lighting system, Matt Good knew his music deserved first-class treatment and in turn produced a first-class show for his loyal following. Good has a great stage presence and carries himself with finesse and class. His cynical stage banter was witty and inviting, both entertaining and intelligent at once. He was the cool high school math teacher, young enough to relate to his audience but old enough to carry wisdom in his words.

In all, Matthew Good’s solo show proved to be a well put-together and welcoming affair. He was in fine form, easily moving from one song to the next, engaging his fans with his honesty. His clean, commanding voice carried the show and made each song beautiful in its starkness and simplicity. I came out with a new respect for Good and appreciation for his songwriting talent, finally understanding why he chose to go solo.

[Tune in to Canadian Invasion Fridays 4pm-6pm.]

By Josh Mocle - The Kids Are So-So - 04/15/2006

I suppose the first thing I could possibly say about the Taste Of Chaos Tour’s Montreal stop is that the innovative New Jersey post-hardcore group known as Thursday -- one of my all time-favorite bands -- wasn’t there. After their singer Geoff Rickley fell ill, they officially left the tour two days before the Montreal date. Personally, that fact lowered my overall opinion of the show before it even began. However, determined to not let the absence of Thursday ruin my Taste Of Chaos experience, I made my way into the sea of black and pink that had formed outside of Stade Uniprix last Saturday morning. Yes kids, this was the winter time Montreal emo convention and if not for my built-up resistance, I would have buckled under the onslaught of neck-tied bandanas, jeans that were three sizes to small and of course, mascara. Once inside I was greeted with a similar, but incredibly tooled-down version of the traditional Vans Warped Tour setup -- considering that both tours are put on by the same people, that fact really didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Various merchandise and activism booths were littered across the stadium floor as well as video game kiosks provided by the tour co-sponsor Nintendo. Interestingly, the stage, located in the far left-hand corner of the stadium, was in fact split into the smaller Myspace-sponsored second stage and the larger main stage (with a much more intricate lighting set-up.)

The first band up on the second stage was local screamo act Red October. Having been voted for to play this one date by the denizens of the online cesspool that is Myspace, these Montreal boys really weren’t offering anything special, just your average watered-down Thrice rip-off. Once they were finished, Dredg began their set immediately on the main stage about six feet away, imitating the Warped Tour tradition of having constant music being performed at all times. The most experimental band on the tour --which is code for “not really punk OR metal", the two prominent genres on the tour -- Dredg, while not providing the most entertaining or even very interesting brand of experimental prog rock, had a rather unique stage set-up which included members of the tour sitting down and playing cards at the card table and an easy chair set up in the middle of the stage throughout their whole set. Additionally, their drummer (known only as Dino) continued to play even while the stage crew took his kit apart.

The following hour yielded a two-fold screamo explosion, courtesy of Arizona’s Greeley Estates and Ontario’s Silverstein. Following Dredg’s standard 30-minute set, Greeley Estates began theirs on the second stage. Straightforward sing/scream progressions and generic chunky guitar work were what filled their 30 minutes of angry “my girlfriend broke up with me and now I’m ANGRY” rock. I have a feeling their set may have benefited from the extra space and more refined light show provided by the main stage, but as it was their performance felt really confined and downright comical at some points. I say they could benefit from the same main stage treatment as Silverstein, whose sound is almost identical -- although don’t get me wrong, Silverstein are the far superior group -- and they had a much more engaging, albeit painfully short set. Before I continue, I should say that Silverstein have been a favorite of mine for almost three years and this was the fourth time I had seen them since June 2005. That having been said, they bored me. This may be the “fourth time thing” talking, but I really just wasn’t moved as I was the first and even second and third times I’ve seen these guys. I suppose such is the nature of screamo: it loses its punch over time, which saddens me as I really do enjoy the band and their music, but their live show does nothing for me anymore, even with all the pretty lights. However, to their credit, they did get me moving for their old material that they began and ended their set with. Not to slight the new material, as I like that just as much, but for whatever reason, they seemed far more into their classics like “Smashed Into Pieces” and “Bleeds No More” than they did for their newer singles “Smile In Your Sleep” and “Discovering The Waterfront”. It was almost like they had to play the singles since they were on the big as-close-to-mainstream-as-you-can-get-without-being-mainstream tour, not because they really wanted to. Which seems more and more likely as I continue to write this very review, considering the last time I saw them they didn’t play those singles at all. Alas, as I wasn’t able to get an interview with the guys this time around, we may have to wait awhile until we know the truth.

Following Silverstein’s set, I made my way back to the concourse to fill up on merch. During my shopping I caught bits and pieces of sets by Adair (or as I like to call them, the less famous but equally annoying Story of the Year), As I Lay Dying (the tour’s token metal band -- last year it was Killswitch Engage -- not bad by any means, just not my cup of tea) and The Smashup (there’s no way I can sugarcoat this; these guys just suck hard, and I have a REALLY high tolerance for screamo). I made my way back to the stage once Atreyu began their set. Falling firmly onto the more metal side of screamo -- as opposed to the emo side -- they began their set surprisingly with their four most well-known songs (for those of you not keen on your Atreyu trivia, that would be “Bleeding Mascara”, “The Crimson”, “Ex’s and Oh’s” and “Right Side of the Bed”). That fact kind of corroborates my “sorta mainstream tour gotta play the singles” theory, but nonetheless Atreyu delivered with all the necessary force I had expected them. The one thing I don’t understand though was why drummer Brandon Saller’s kit included THREE kick drums. I mean, how the hell does he even play all of them? Despite this anomaly though, Atreyu put on a thoroughly good set; I have absolutely no problems here.

Following Atreyu’s set, Salt Lake City’s Broke took the stage. I will be honest though, their set was incredibly forgettable… mainly since I have indeed forgotten all of it. To my credit, I knew at the time that the legendary Thrice were on only a short half-hour later and that is enough to distract anyone. Just like Silverstein, this was also my fourth time seeing Thrice this year. However, unlike Silverstein, I was still legitimately excited to see them. Once Broke ended their set and the Morse code introduction to Thrice’s phenomenal new record Vheissu began -- if you haven’t heard it yet you are seriously missing out -- I had a feeling that the boys of Thrice wouldn’t disappoint with this fourth performance, and I can safely say I was proven right. With a mixed set filled with tracks from their last three albums (2002’s The Illusion of Safety, 2003’s The Artist in the Ambulance and the previously mentioned 2005’s Vheissu), they touched on everything from their straight-up screamo days right through to their current piano-driven post-hardcore incarnation. I began to wonder halfway through, however, if they were going to surprise me at all, as up until that point they hadn’t played anything I hadn’t heard from them the last three times. Sure enough, they ended up playing the electric version of “Stare at the Sun”, which they had stopped playing as of late in favor of the equally good acoustic version. Towards the end of their set I began to notice that Thrice may have been the only band I had seen that night to legitimately care about the fans they were playing for. Not to say that the other acts were unfeeling unemotional jerks -- trust me, there was enough emotion to cover the entire island -- but the way in which Dustin, Eddie, Teppei and Riley spoke to and reacted to the crowd's love was indicative of ones who have played to many crowds and were truly appreciative of the specific support they received that night. Which makes it so damn sad that they’ve yet to see 200,000 records while novice (and barely pubescent) groups like Panic! At the Disco have almost reached the 500k Gold level, especially since they haven’t been around long enough to appreciate a truly supportive audience -- considering all their audiences since they began their touring career have been filled with screaming 14-year-old girls who love them because MuchMusic tells them to.

Arising from the pit after Thrice ended their set with fan favorite track “Deadbolt”, covered in sweat and with my ears ringing -- mostly because I had been kicked in the head by a crowd surfer -- I decided I really had no desire to witness the sheer (albeit hypnotic) comedy that is the Street Drum Corps or the incredibly beyond their prime, nu-metal refugees The Deftones. I thus made my way out of the stadium and into the cold Montreal evening. In retrospect, it's kind of amusing that a guy with a punk show called The Kids Are So-So was the one to review this latest smattering of emo/core goodness, as this show was consistently so-so from start to finish, nothing particularly amazing (except Thrice), but nothing all that terrible either (except The Smashup); all in all a good package for the $40 they were charging for it. Now that the “Winter Warped Tour” has come and gone, we can all start gearing up for the next emo fest. That’s right kids, only two months till Warped Tour! Better get your mascara ready…

[Tune in to The Kids Are So-So Saturdays 10:00pm-Midnight.]

By Idle Matt - Idle Minds - 04/04/2006

If I had to describe last week’s Neko Case show at Club Soda in two words, it would be Goose-bump Inducing. I’ve had this opening sentence set in my mind for a while, so let’s just ignore the fact that goose-bump is technically two words. Please? (Editor's Note: Fine.)

Goose-bumps... what I get every time I hear Neko’s voice. Whether it is her solo work or her vocal duties with the New Pornographers, it never fails. If you don’t get it, listen to "The Bleeding Heart Show" from the last album Twin Cinema to be converted for life. If that fails, stop reading this review now. You’re useless to me.

Now that we got rid of the riff-raff, I can continue with the review.

A few words on the opening act, The High Dials. Although I was initially impressed with their washed-out 60's-esque fuzz/flange sound, the set got tedious pretty quickly. They then saved it with the last song (a new one) where the bassist took off his shoes, sat down and whipped out the sitar. I dismissed the song as sounding the same as the rest, but gradually the drumming and sitar work got more and more frenetic, and it won me over. Who isn’t a sucker for a good sitar solo! The opening set also provided the funniest moment of the concert when while explaining their opening slot for Neko Case’s tour, someone in the crowd yelled out "Welcome to Montreal!". The lead singer seemed a little pissed when he had to explain that they were from Montreal.

A little bit of review background: I saw Neko Case open for Wilco at Metropolis a few years back. I was impressed with her vocal prowess, but the music all sounded the same to me. A few years later, having listened to most of her albums -- especially Blacklisted and the new album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood -- the music is much more enjoyable for me, but I still find that the songs have a bit of ‘sameness’ to them. Not to say that the music is bad, it’s just that it gets hard to distinguish one song from another when they all have the same country twang and slide guitar. And that is my excuse for not getting too deep into the details of each and every song performed.

Starting the set with "Favorite" (older rare song, done live on The Tigers Have Spoken), Neko Case and her excellent crew of musicians treated the crowd to a pristine main set of 15 songs, concentrating on material from the new album, but interspersed with songs from older albums. Neko Case’s strong vocals are the centerpiece, but the band proved that they were no slouches. Kelly Hogan provided amazing backup vocals, harmonizing nicely with Neko -- especially during "A Widow’s Toast". Jon Rauhouse switched effortlessly between banjo, steel guitar and acoustic. I found that Paul Rigby played a little too much with his electric guitar setup, creating lulls in the show, but this is a very minor complaint. Getting back to the main reason everyone went to the show, I’ll quote my friend Vivian who said of Neko Case: "she is a singer's singer -- amazing range and plays with pitch and tone -- and even when she's off-key, which is rare; she still sounds good". Couldn’t have said it better myself. (Thanks Viv, your cheque is in the mail. Good thing they pay me by the word!)

The real treat of the show was when Neko brought out four members of the Montreal-based Bulgarian women’s choir known as Dragana. They provided backup vocals for "Dirty Knife", and then Neko and Kelly returned the favour by backing up the ladies for (what I believe was) a traditional Bulgarian folk song. The choir have an absolutely amazing and unique-sounding vocal style, and really made the crowd (including myself) feel like they had seen something special.

The main set ended with the new song "Hold On, Hold On", co-written with the Sadies, one of my favourites. A quick bathroom break -- or whatever they do for those few minutes while the crowd chants for them to return -- and the band returned to the stage for the first encore. Three songs were played, including the absolute highlight of the show and the song I was waiting to hear, "John Saw That Number". Best song on the new album, and it was performed live to perfection. Another quick break and they returned for a second encore. The show was closed out with her great cover of the Buffy Sainte-Marie song "Soulful Shade of Blue"

What else can I say? It was a great show, and I wouldn’t hesitate a second to see Neko Case perform live again. And neither should you.

[Tune in to Idle Minds Sundays 4pm-6pm.

]

By Mike Bresciani - The Lonesome Strangers - 03/22/2006

On this particular Wednesday night in Montreal where concertgoers had many choices of shows at their disposal, I was lucky enough to be back at Cabaret to catch one of those most plugged Montreal shows. New York’s Stellastarr* was making another trip to our neck of the woods, and along for the ride was yet another newly-hyped U.K band, The Editors, who’d been fresh off their stint at the yearly SXSW showcase. Speaking of hyped bands, just down the street the Arctic Monkeys, also known as The World’s Most Overhyped Band, were playing to a sold-out crowd at Spectrum. Tonight’s show might not have commanded as much attention as the Monkeys', but the double-header was nonetheless a treat.

It was only a week before this show that I heard snippets of the Editors' debut album The Back Room. Impressive to say the least, although after listening to their record, the live show was much more than I had anticipated. For one thing, I hadn’t listened to the entire album, but from a few songs, I was slightly worried that this band would fall into that “disco drum” category one would find so many hipster bands. To clarify, disco drums insinuate a catchy, hypnotic and above all, repetitive drum beat which paralyzes the listener into submission. These drum beats were fresh at one point, but have now been overdone by virtually every relatively "cool" band on earth. One way you can spot these songs is to look at the titles. For example:

Wolf Parade’s “Disco sheets”
Controller.Controller’s “Disco Blackout”
Metric’s “Dead Disco”
Les Savy Fav's "Disco Drive"
and most notably the best hipster disco song, Pulp’s “Disco 2000”

The Editors thankfully don’t have any songs on their CD with the word “disco” in it, which is a good sign. Their show was for the most part exceptional, combining beautiful flickering guitar melodies with a bit of that new-wave sound the kids seem to love nowadays. Their sound touches upon elements from the Bunnymen and Mission Of Burma, whereas the vocals have that dark Ian Curtis feel to them, not in a Interpol-style ripoff way, yet the originality factor isn’t very high either. What’s surprising about all of this is that I’m only realizing this while I listen to their CD. The live performance staged tonight was purely remarkable; I really was put in a trance by all the shimmering reverb guitar and the wonderful showmanship of lead man Tom Smith. The truth is, that their album just doesn’t do them justice. During their performance, not once had I felt that overpowering Ian Curtis resemblance, but on the album it’s everywhere and overdone. Nonetheless, what remained constant with both the album and their live shwo was the song “Fall”, which is one of the slower, more atmospheric pieces in their catalogue of songs. Other standout songs were “Open Your Arms” and the album’s closing track “Distance”.

With Stellastarr* up next, I had the feeling that their performance would be overshadowed by the spectacular opening band. In many ways, it was, as they played a fairly predictable set of songs from their two studio albums (S/T and Harmonies For The Haunted). What made the performance memorable were the onstage antics of lead man Shawn Christensen, who delighted many with his bizarre stage presence. He spent much of the show frantically moving around the stage, all the while clutching at his body as if to tell us that he’d just finished popping his last bit of ecstacy. Entertainment was the main word here, and Stellastarr’s live show did in effect prove to be quite satisfying. Songs like “My Coco” and opener “In These Walls” stood out, while I was personally satisfied that they played “The Pulp Song” in the encore (nothing to do with Jarvis Cocker).

Musically, however, one would think that Stellastarr* has a long way to go with their sound. Both bands are aesthetically different, but they possess a lot of the same characteristics that these new Joy Division-esque bands have. Interpol sort of led the way -- although their vocals do have a strange Gord Downey feel to them -- but many of these other new bands have taken that dark, brooding voice with those predictable high-frequency bass riffs, and made it into something utterly redundant. I guarantee that the first time many of you heard She wants Revenge, you probably thought it was some new Interpol song, didn’t you ? If you say otherwise, I am calling you a bold-faced liar.

Still, with only three records under their collective belt, bands like Stellastarr* and the Editors have plenty of time to grow past those repetitive disco drum/high-hat combinations and their Ian Curtis vocal qualities. The Editors show a lot of promise, and much of their hype is well-deserved. I just hope that when the time comes to record a follow-up to their debut, they might take a bit more of a chance with a sound that hasn’t already been emulated hundreds of times before. On the other hand, Stellastarr* seem to be limiting themselves sound-wise, as they released a good sophomore disc which didn’t have much distinction from the first. Their sound is good, but there really isn’t much room to grow from there.

If I had to pick a winner for tonight’s showcase, I’d have to stick with the Editors. As for those schmucks who saw the Arctic Monkeys down the street, they didn't get the sweet 2-for-1 deal we got here at Cabaret tonight. You can take that hype and shove it.

[Tune in to The Lonesome Strangers every Wednesday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.]