Track of the Week: Stayed Too Long in This Place by Barzin

I just got the chance to work with the rhythm section of Darren Wall and Marshall Bureau. Two fantastic musicians, who I've seen play with a number of great performers. One such performer is Barzin. You may recognize that name from this blog, I did an interview with him some months ago (one of my favorites, which you can read here and here). His newest album was released earlier in the year, and it's still one of my favorites. Beautiful songs about love and loss. Barzin is a great songwriter, and should be more well known, it's a crime that he isn't.


Here is one track that really showcases the the subtle precision of his band (also featuring guitarist Nick Zubeck). Have a good week!

A Horse and His Boy

Holy shit, you missed out. If you weren't at Sneaky Dee's last night (and you weren't, I was there, I would have recognized you) you seriously missed out. A Horse and His Boy couldn't play their show last month thanks to some ass-hats stealing their gear. But they've since dusted themselves off, played a few shows in their hometown of London (including opening spot at LOLA), and finally made it to the big city. And what a show.


It's high energy noise, meets a solid danceable rhythm section (the bass lines are at times the most melodic part of the song), infused with Edge-esque guitar riffs. Singer Aaron Simmons has the strangest vocal delivery, a warbled yelp which by itself might become grating, but it's complemented by Nathan Noble's more melodic timbre, responding to Aaron's frantic calls.


The sound at Sneaky Dee's was a little off, unfortunately. AHAHB would be a hard band to do sound for, so it must have been a tough go. The bass was prominent during the first track, but was missing throughout the rest of the set. At times, when things really got intense, you'd just get a wash of sound, unable to distinct any instrument. But those complaints were minor.

So, can we get A Horse and His Boy back to Toronto? Can we give them an audience they deserve?

Here is a track from their debut EP (although they don't call it an EP... I'm gonna call it an EP anyways). It's called Home, and it rocks.



On a side note, I was going to bring a photographer to take some picture but that fell through. Thanks to Sara Froese and Andrew Colvin, who's photo's I pilfered for this post.

This Week in Toronto Sept 24 - 30

Hey kids. Thursday!!!! Click the LINKS!!! Make the COMMENTS!!

THURS SEPT 24

A Horse And His Boy playing at Sneaky Dee's
Straight from London On, directly into your hearts (and dancing feet). This is their Toronto debut, to make up for the show they missed a couple weeks back when their gear got stolen. Seriously, they are one of the best acts coming out of London today, and you'd be foolish to miss this show!



FRI SEPT 25

The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Bloor Cinema 11:30am
With a live cast no-less.


Book of Gnomes at Press Club
Word on the streets says that the Gnomes are prepping an album. That's good news. Come see why before the Rocky Horror Picture Show... actually skip it all together, it plays at the Bloor all the time, see the gnomes! I'll be there!


SAT SEPT 26

Abbey Road Tribute at Enwave Theatre
This is kinda cool, a tribute to one of the greatest albums of all time performed by The Art of Time Ensemble, Martin Tielli, Kevin Hearn, Sarah Slean and.... Raine Maida... hopefully he's just there for eye candy... But Martin Tielli! Nice.


SUN SEPT 27

Word on the Street Music Stage at Queen's Park
Wow, if you're in the Queen's Park area at any point on Sunday, you need to stop by. You may see a performance by Sandro Perri, The Bruce Peninsula or Ghost Bees. Plus a few other names I'm unfamiliar with (but they're in good company). Annnnnd it's free. Amazing. Click on the link for times.


MON SEPT 28

Rah Rah at El Mocambo
I caught this great band from Saskatchewan during NXNE, and I sort of fell in love. There is so much to like about Rah Rah... there Arcade Fire-esque music is exciting and sincere. Just see them, please.


TUES SEPT 29

Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer at Keorner Hall
I have no idea where Keorner Hall is. But this is a good reason to visit. Three Virtuoso's (on banjo, tabla and bass, respectively) together for one night in Toronto. I'm really curious as to what this music is going to sound like... Indian bluegrass?


WED SEPT 30

Porcupine Tree at Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Prog rock definitely isn't dead. It's still alive and well in the music of Porcupine Tree.


So long folks, enjoy the great shows this week, and I'll see you tonight at Sneaky Dee's!

And the Polaris Winner is....

Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life!


Yup, my wild car prediction won! It's nice to see Polaris branch out a little this time, although I still think Patrick Watson's album was better... and that Timber Timbre, Bruce Peninsula, and $100 had better albums then the top 10.... But they didn't ask me to vote this year (or any year for that matter).

There is a nice little article about it in Chart Attack you can read here. If you've never heard the band before here is a track from the winning album.



What do you think? Was Fucked Up a good choice? Or are you more of a Malijube man? Anywho, see you folks tomorrow, I gotta go earn a real living.

Track of the Week: The Major Lift by Years

This is a quick post, I've rediscovered the band Years, who's self titled album may be one of my favorite Arts and Crafts releases. I plan on putting up a top 10 arts and crafts albums list soon, so you can probably expect to see this album there. Anyways, enjoy!




This song is called Binary Blues

This Week in Toronto Sept 17-23

Wow, it's 4:30am. I was awoken by a dream about my old dog... very idealistic dream... I was back with an old flame, and we were swimming at a tropic island with my brother and sister... Anyways, I realized I wouldn't have much time to work on TWiT, so here is a very quick roundup.

THURS SEPT 17

K.C. Roberts and the Live Revolution at Trane Studio
Mr. Robers is one of the funkiest dudes in the city, and his band is ALWAYS top notch.

AND

Diana Catherine and the Thrusty Tweeters CD release party at The Hideout
This will be a kick ass-rockin' good time.

FRI SEPT 18

K'Naan at the Phoenix Concert Theatre
Only Hip hop act up for the Polaris prize.

SAT SEPT 19

Japandroids at Horseshoe Tavern
Soooooo much buzz, here's your chance to see why.

SUN SEPT 20

Megan Hamilton at Rancho Relaxo
Great gal, interesting songs.

MON SEPT 21

Folk Legend Ian Tyson at Hugh's Room all week!
Man, Ian Tyson from Sunday to Wed? Awesome!

TUES SEPT 22

Sarah Burton at the Opera House
Opening for Kate Vogul, but get there early, Sarah is great!

WED SEPT 23

Psycho and Vertigo playing at Bloor Cinema 4:30, 7 and 9:30
Hitchcock!!!!

The NEW Toronto Song Contest

Hey folks, awhile back I had a little rant over the winner of The Toronto Song Contest. Toronto turns 175, they celebrate by picking a tune that sounds like the theme song for Marine Land. So I had asked, who else sent a song into this thing? I got a couple responses, but not enough. So I'm wondering, did you sent a song in? Do you know someone who sent a song in? Or, do you just know a great song about Toronto? Let me know!

You can either write me in the comments section, or send me an email at shawn_clarke25@hotmail.com

Thanks folks, I leave you with Concrete Heart, a song about Toronto by The Great Lake Swimmers.



Chat soon!

Track of the Week: Manitoba by Wilderness of Manitoba

Howdy, how was your weekend? I spent a lot of mine in the Junction for the arts fest. Good times, good music. A surprising amount of friendly encounters, can't ask for a better weekend. SO it's Monday, I'd say it's time for a Track of the Week.


I've been harping on Wilderness of Manitoba this last couple weeks, because they're great. It's that simple. Their 8 song EP Hymns of Love and Spirit is filled with great songs, beautiful harmonies, and the spirit of Canadiana. If you haven't done so already you should really try to pick it up.

Great Album Series

Miles Davis- Live in Tokyo




Miles Davis
Live in Tokyo
Columbia/Legacy (1969/2005)
Jazz





Back in my college days, I had a soft spot for almost anything Miles Davis. Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way, On The Corner, and Tribute to Jack Johnson in particular. All brilliant albums, that you should rush out and get. One day in class, our teacher put on a record called Miles In Tokyo, it was a hard record to find, and it didn't get a CD release until 2005.

I love this album for one reason in particular. Sam Rivers. This is the only recording that Sam Rivers did with this great quartet (featuring legends, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Ron Carter). And in context it's really something special. This album shows a serious transition in the work of Miles Davis.

The tenor player in Davis' band before this album was George Coleman. Coleman has a beautiful tone, and brilliant grasp on the technical side of jazz. His style is rooted in tradition, and maybe a little too traditional for the direction Davis was heading. So for 6 dates in Japan, Davis need a new tenor player. Wayne Shorter, the man who eventually filled the tenor chair in the band for 6 albums was still touring with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. Drummer Tony Williams recommended free jazz player Sam Rivers.


Lets do a quick audio comparison. Here is "Joshua" from 1963's Seven Steps to Heaven featuring George Coleman (solo at the 3 minute mark)

Joshua


And here is opening track for Live in Tokyo, "If I Were a Bell" one year later. (Rivers solo is at the 3 minute mark)

If I Were A Bell


64's band is pushed by Rivers tenor playing. Davis said "Rivers carried a new sound into the band of which my quintet did not have. He made rhythmic figures and harmonies of the group freer than before", and added "...with his creative technique, he changed the sound of the group".

After the opening standards of If "I Were a Bell", and "My Funny Valentine", the band really begins to follow suit with a sped up version of the Davis classic "So What". Miles solo is particularly jarring, featuring short flurries of notes punctuated with sharp stuccatos. Rivers responds with the best solo on the album, egging Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams to follow him through the range of his horn, building to an epic peak.

So What


Williams in particular shines every time Rivers takes the lead. Acutally on closer inspection, Williams takes almost a different approach depending on who is soloing. Check out how he really digs in during Davis' solo on "Walkin'". It leads immediately into a solo for himself, that builds, falls apart, and re-builds again. River's solo here, really explores the subtleties of the horn, muting and bending the notes into something completely out of the ordinary. He seems less interested with combining the notes to outline the chords, and more interested in using his technique to outline the individual notes. (Does that make any sense?) Hancock follows with a subtler solo, bringing the band back into the head.

Walkin'


One year later would find Davis with Wayne Shorter on sax, making up one of the finest quintet's of his brilliant career. 6 albums later he'd move on to my favorite period, mixing funk, rock, jazz and world music. But Miles in Tokyo is an oddity, a brief glimpse into what spawned a freer feel that would become very important in his later periods. Which is why it's here in the Great Albums Series.

This Week in Toronto Sept 10- 16

Yeah, I said I'd have a great albums series entry up yesterday, but I forgot to post it before starting my new job... so, I'll put it up bright and early tomorrow morning. In the mean time, here's what you have to look forward to this week

THURS SEPT 10 Caribou Variation Ensemble at Opera House
Show of the week. Caribou with a full band, horn section and choir. Amazing


FRI SEPT 11 Ghost Bee's, Snowblink and Lukashevsky at Music Garden
Music Garden is a lovely little spot right on the harbourfront between Bathurst and Spadina. On friday there will be a great show with three great acts plus the Toronto premiere of a monologue by Bruce Peninsula's Misha Bower. Sounds great to me.


SAT SEPT 12 Jason Collett and Justin Rutledge at Junction City Square
Part of the Junction Arts Fest... I think it's free, I could look into it myself I guess... but...


SUN SEPT 13 Mr. Something Something at Junction City Square
Afro funk at the Junction Arts Festival. This one is free, I looked it up.


MON SEPT 14 Ron Sexsmith at the Dakota Tavern
See that? At the Dakota! That may be the smallest venue he's played at in a long time, so if you can get in, I highly suggest it. It's a War Child Benefit Concert, so it's also for a good cause.


WED SEPT 16 THOMAS and Antlers and Anchors at Tranzac
I've yet to see THOMAS but I only hear great things. And if you didn't get a chance to Antlers and Anchors last week, here's your second chance!


OK, tomorrow, the Great Albums Series!

Track of the Week: Hommage by Patrick Watson

Hey there folks. Have a good Labour day weekend? See any good shows? I didn't. I stayed away from venues and spend a lot of time with friends, vinyl and video games. Now I'm back, and here we have the track of the week!

The big Polaris prize anouncment is about 13 days away. I've already let my opinion known here and did a special Polaris podcast you can listen to here. I think the clear winner is Patrick Watson. I don't care that he's already won, he has made the most complete and interesting album on the list (the top 10 I mean, there are a couple in the top 40 which I think are better, but that's neither here nor there).


I just want to listen to some Patrick Watson. So I give you, from his new album Wooden Arms (which you should all own by now), a beautiful instrumental track called "Hommage".



And one more, because 2 minutes of Patrick Watson just isn't enough, here is "Man Like You"




Stop in tomorrow, I have a new edition to my Great Albums Series, and it's a live album by one of the greatest trumpet players of all time... that's all I'll say. See you tomorrow!

This Week in Toronto Sept 3 - 9

Hey folks, how was your week? Enjoy the show reviews yesterday? Well here are a few things you can check out this week, if you're looking for a good time. Also, a quick note, if you're looking for a good art show this week, something off the beaten path, head over to Eleanor Winters Art Gallery, Winters College, York University and catch the works of Wayland Gill. His work is fantastic, if you want to learn more, here is the facebook page.

THURS SEPT 3

Lullabye Arkestra at The Poor Alex (772A Dundas W)
Feel like really rockin out on a Thursday night? Lullabye Arkestra will do the trick. What's that word, where the name describes the sound? Is there a word that does the opposite? Cause Lullabye Arkestra is that word.



FRI SEPT 4

Antlers and Anchors at the Tranzac 10pm
How is it the Tranzac fosters such good musicians? Antlers and Anchors front man Micheal Owen Liston is one of those musicians. his newest project is described as "Post-Appalachian" folk explorations, which is a good enough description for me!


SAT SEPT 5

Titus Andronicus at the Horshoe Tavern
This group of Jersey nihilists really know how to rock. It's like the E-street band except backed by Johnny Thunders instead of theBoss.


SUN SEPT 6

Wolfmother at Molson Amphitheatre
Opening for the Killers. Is it worth paying the outlandish price? Is it worth seeing the Killers? probably not....


WED SEPT 9

Telefon Tel Aviv at El Mocambo
This band reminds me of a girl I used to date. She had pretty questionable taste in music, but for some reason had this band on her I-Pod. I'd never heard of them... I hated to think that she had a cool band on her I-pod that I didn't know about! Good times.

Show Reviews! Wilderness of Manitoba! Brooke Manning! ETC!

Had a surprising late weekend of music, and by late I mean my weekend was more Sunday and Monday than Friday and Saturday. First, quickly, I went to Fake Prom Friday night. I had a pretty good time, although for the most part it felt like a normal club with better fashion sense. But the highlight of the evening was the short appearance by the band... I didn't catch their names, the Steamwhistle was a flowin', but what I did catch, was a surprise visit by Sebastien Grangier! I never thought that one day I'd be dancing in 40's get-up to a member of Death From Above singing "Don't Stop Believing". Magical.

Saturday Consisted of watching horror movies. Halloween 2, the original. Hellraiser 2. a lot of sequels.

Sunday night was Wavelength night. On the suggestion of Jennifer Polk, I gathered my friend and photographer Cody Walker and headed down to see a band getting a lot of buzz right now, Wilderness of Manitoba.


Wilderness of Manitoba are cultivating a sound that is pure Canadiana. It's a sound that has flown through some of the finest bands in this great country for decades. There is no reason why they shouldn't be playing the best venues along side the likes of Blue Rodeo, Neil Young, or the Great Lakes Swimmers. Gorgeous harmonies, and a moving cover of Helplessly Hoping made this one of the best shows I've seen all year.



Next up was the Weather Station. Taking a much looser, experimental approach to themes developed by WoM, the energy level was high, and singer/instrumentalist Tamara Lindeman is a captivating personality. Unfortunately they seemed plagued with sound and tuning issues, I'd love to catch them at the top of their game. I'm not sure the name of the percussionist in the band, but he's a serious talent, his interplay with the drummer was a highlight.



On Monday night I headed across Queen St to the store Heartbeat 960. In behind their store, they've converted the grounds into makeshift venue. Playing that night was one of my new favorite voices in the city, Brooke Manning.

The show got to a late start with Fraser Gielen. Fraser is one of those performers I'd love to hear a couple years from now. At his young age he's started to get a great understanding for quirky songwriting, and bouncy finger picking, but his stage presence can use some work, and a stronger grasp on his songs would make for better performance.

Tisso Lake was up next from the U.K. The obvious comparison to Nick Drake came about, but I'm not sure if that had more to do with a lack of knowledge towards British folk. I'd say his voice had more of a Davey Graham vibe, but I may just be showing off. Either way, his guitar playing was more ambiguous than both, adding a far dreamier air to the night.

I've really enjoyed seeing Brooke Manning perform. The first time I saw her it was a solo show, but the addition of a band has taken it to another level. The performers (consisting of lap steel, flute and synth) create a beautiful sound scape, cushioning Brooke's unique voice and guitar playing. The city became a secondary instrument, a passing street car, buzzing air conditioner, wind rustled leaves, added new layers to Manning's performance. She's currently on tour with Tisso Lake, Fraser Gielen, and Wilderness of Manitoba, I suggest checking them out if you're along their tour route.


Well, that's all folks. Check in tomorrow for another addition of This Week in Toronto!!

WALK THE PLANCK: Did You Wake Up Like This Or Was It A Gradual Process

As stated before, although I focus more on music here at BtTtF, I do associate with many different types of artists in Toronto, including writer Matt Lennox. Mr. Lennox has been kind enough to write a continuing series of observations for us, and we love him for it. So here is the 3rd edition of Walk The Planck with Matt Lennox. Oh, check back here tomorrow, for a collection of show reviews including Wilderness of Manitoba, The Weather Station, Brooke Manning, and a surprise appearance by Sebastien Grainger!



Recently I had some beers with a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time – since well before I’d gone overseas – and the reunion was a reminder as to why I’d stopped hanging around with this person in the first place, my long departure from the city I love notwithstanding. In honour of anonymity, let us henceforth call my friend Ethel. Ethel is a smart hipster. She once DJed a party I hosted, and she spun records until the fuses blew, and the whole thing perseveres in my memory as one of the most legendary nights I’d ever witnessed. Ethel reads, watches the right films, and has an outstanding knowledge of science fiction. Add to all of that the fact that she is sexy, in that cool and self-contained manner that sexy hipster women possess. So, Lennox, what’s the goddamn problem with hanging around with her?
The goddamn problem, friendo, can be reduced at first study to a difference of opinion. I say at first study because the problem is much more systemic than that. Differences of opinion abound. Differences of opinion with the people closest to me are not uncommon and are probably quite foundational. I think my beliefs and the actions I’ve carried out in the name of my beliefs does not represent the common denominator amongst my friends. Yet we carry on. When it comes to Ethel, however, differences of opinion are insurmountable.
We were having beers, Ethel and I. We were catching up on the events of our lives over the past eighteen months or two years since we had last seen each other. We both were drinking Mill Street Organic Lager (if you haven’t had it, turn off your fucking computer this instant, get out of your house or your loft or your probable basement apartment, and award no quarter in your pursuit of the beer I’ve just described) and all things were affable. Did you see this movie? Are you still in touch with that person? You went where, you did what, you read this, you thought that: the ordinary and banal and almost necessary components of a conversation between two people who are catching up.
Soon enough Ethel asked me a little bit about Afghanistan and I told her. She nodded. She seemed interested in what I had to say. The conversation evolved from there and shortly took a turn for the worse. After we’d talked about Afghanistan, Ethel asked me, with almost lethal casualness: But you don’t really believe all that bullshit about 9/11, do you?
I found myself starting to have flashbacks. Years before. Ethel and I. The lethal amicability with which she might ask, You don’t really think Aliens is a better film than Alien, do you? I started to form an augur of what was to come, and I was much dismayed.
So I told her I did not really know what bullshit about 9/11 she was referring to. I was already seeking to deescalate the situation.
Ethel supplied me with a quick piece of backstory to contextualize the bullshit in question. She’d seen the Loose Change documentary ...
My dismay was becoming a tangible thing: a sour, acidic taste in my beer and an unreachable itch between my shoulderblades. Still I demurred and sought to deescalate, but I did tell her that I did not believe the content of Loose Change.
Ohmigod, what?
I don’t believe it. I think 9/11 is like a lot of things, you know, where the most apparent explanation is probably the likeliest.
I could see her pupils dilating and I could see her head starting to climb, as if she had an extendable neck. Ohmigod, she said again. She was slightly breathless. She told me she thought I was a smart fellow, how could I ... How could I ... ?
How could I not believe the conspiracy theory?
Fuck! Yes!
Well, I told her, based on the apparent facts that I knew – and I don’t pretend to know them all – but based on the apparent facts that I knew, the most logical conclusion that I could draw was that it was exactly how it appeared. The US got caught with its pants down, so to speak. Based on the corollary effects, I did not believe it could happen again.
Ethel, meanwhile, was becoming frantic. Her voice was peaking. As she put it, there was simply no way, no possible way, that any person with any measure of learning or of reason could believe that that was so – namely, the facts as they were presented. In this movie, Loose Change ... !
I’m not interested in relating the further dialogue that took place, because it was ludicrous. I kept my voice even throughout and simply disagreed with her, and tried my best to explain what sequence I followed from one apparent fact to the next. Ethel on the other hand seemed to have achieved a kind of furious and outraged nirvana at the fact that not so much that I didn’t agree with her point of view but that I seemed to simply and fundamentally lack the intellectual capacity to agree with it. Her climaxing rage appeared almost to be on my behalf – that I had been mentally robbed somehow, for what other explanation could there be for my inability to agree with the conspiracy theory posited in Loose Change and wholeheartedly subscribed to by Ethel herself?
Right. In this case, it’s not really the content of the point of view that matters. I think that Loose Change is nonsense. I think that it attempts to answer a deeper need that people seem to have when contemplating an event of such proportions ... proportions and ramifications that have had a direct effect on the world as it is today. People seem to harbour a need to ascribe a certain logic to the event that is perhaps closer to home, more sinister, and therefore, somehow, more accessible than what I believe the reality is. I’ll say it again: I think Loose Change is garbage. I think conspiracy theories are as guilty of contributing to our overall societal fear of the dark as is the mainstream media. The mainstream media tells you to be afraid of terrorists. Conspiracy theories tell you to be afraid of the guy with the suit and the sunglasses and the earpiece. One kind of fearmongering you see on the news and the other kind you see on shady websites that link to penis enlargement ads. So which one is right? I will also say again that the content of my point of view, or Ethel’s, matters not. It’s more about the dialogue. There is nothing wrong with having a strong point of view, but if you argue it with the stridency she did, you end up sounding more than slightly like a fanatic.
The trick is to be able to debate a strong point of view but not to beseech it. That might even require you to admit that there may be a counterpoint or two that you have not considered. Right wing, left of centre, pro-life, pro-choice, anti-evolution, anti-gravity, treehugger, whatever. The next time you hear yourself espousing what it is you stand for, maybe just give yourself a little listen. Do you sound like an Ethel? Because if you do, drink your own goddamn beer. I’m going home.
Until next time, I’ll be selling crazy some other place, or else I’ll be walking the Planck with the subversives.