2/16/09

7 acts in two days!

Hey there lovers. Just wanted to tell you about two great shows that happened this weekend. One, I warned you about, and one I didn't. Here goes:

SAT FEB 14

Nick Zubeck
Yay, Valentines day!! I got to spend it with my lovely girlfriend Lesley at the Drake! The night was fantastic. Three great acts, starting with recent BtTtF interviewee Nick Zubeck. Nick performed with his usual rhythm section of Darren Wall on bass and Marshal Bureau on drums. The last time I saw him he had his keyboard player with him, but I think I prefer this trio setting. Nick really holds it down, highlight was the performance of Schemer of Schemes off of his new album.

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
the reason I was at the Drake instead of say, at a fancy restaurant was to perform with Olenka and her beautiful Autumn Lovers. The show was fantastic. It think we've finally settled into a solid lineup with new addition Blair Whatmore playing various stringed instruments (Electric guitar, finally!).



Barzin
Headliner Barzin was promoting his newest CD, and put on a great set. He has a way of mesmerizing an audience. Part Leonard Cohen, part Chris Issac.. but all the good parts. By the way, his new album is amazing, and can be bought in vinyl form, since all the kids are swingin that way.

SUN FEB 15

Sam Allen
Realizing that we both had Monday off (happy family day!) Lesley and I made a spontaneous trip to London Ontario, where the folks at Open House Arts Collective put on one of the best shows of this early year. Opener was local Sam Allen. Sam writes great folk tunes with gloc and violin rounding out the instruments. His onstage banter is unlike any I've heard. We must get him down to Toronto sometime.

Jenny Omnichord
Ever seen an Omnichord before? It's only one of the coolest instruments of all time! This is what it looks like:


Cool eh? Anyways, Jenny has been a fixture on the Ontario indie scene for some time, but had been unseen by me. She's really enthralling. Her tunes are quirky and heartfelt. The set was completed with an inspired Pixies cover.

Ghost Bees
Wow, what does one say about Ghost Bees? You always hear about the physic connection between twins, but until you see it in person, you can never really understand. The twin sisters of Ghost Bees make beautiful folk music. The sounds of their voices, and the harmonies are out of this world. There is a beautiful chaos to the way that they change harmonies, or one drops out, or the sing in unison. It's really something that has to be seen, and heard.



Timber Timbre
Here is a band that has gotten a lot of buzz really fast. And for good reason. This was the performance of the month. Spine tingling Rock-a-billy infused Gothic sounds, complimented with violin, lap steel and a bass drum. Front man Taylor Kirk is a Revelation.


Well, hopfully I'll see you folks this Wednesday at the Tranzac, that's where you'll find me with Olenka and the Autumn Lovers. Have a good couple days!

4 comments:

Lesley Myrick said...

All of these shows were AWESOME! I think Ghost Bees might have been my fave, although Nick Zubeck was awesome, and O&AL was GREAT at the Drake!

Hey look, I wrote about Ghost Bees too!
http://www.lesleydenford.com/2009/02/creative-inspiration-ghost-bees.html

Shawn William Clarke said...

I know! I read it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Shawn,
and I've been really trying to cut away my banter... maybe I'll have to keep it for you...
...there's videos up from the show on my Myspace page now...

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.