This Scene Is Dead

We Are Scientists and The Grates played to a sold out crowd at the Red Room last night.



We walked in to catch a couple songs from the first openers, Foreign Born. Though it was brief, I liked what I heard.

The Grates played next. I'd heard some good things about the Australian trio recently and was very interested in seeing them live. Singer Patience Hodgson has tons of energy on stage, and was bouncing around all throughout their 40min set. I would love to see her and Emily Haines in some kind of dance off.



Their bright sounding music filled with playful rock hooks won over the whole crowd. By the end of their set, everyone was cheering for more. I'd say The Grates' first performance in Vancouver was a success and we can expect big things from them in the future.

We Are Scientists came on stage to a warm welcome. It was also their first show in this city. The New York trio played an upbeat rock set consisting of songs from their major label debut, With Love And Squalor.



They also joked around quite a bit on stage. The bass player was wearing these funny goggles and has a rockin' moustache going. Some highlights from the 1hr set included solid performances of Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt, and The Great Escape.

These Are The Days

Saw Jason Collett play at Richard's last night.

Paso Mino opened the show. The Barrie, Ontario quartet had an interesting mix of rock-country riffs combined with an organ sound. They are also the backing band to Jason Collett.

In between sets, we huddled around the TV at the bar and watched the rest of the Canucks game.

Jason Collett opened his set with Tinsel And Sawdust, transitioning into a great performance of We All Lose One Another with a rocking ending. He is currently touring in support of his tremendous folk-rock release, Idols Of Exile.



The part-time Broken Social Scene member recently played the SXSW Festival, and was completing some Canadian tour dates before heading back across the border for a few more gigs.

Some hightlights of his 1hr 15min performance included Hangover Days, I'll Bring The Sun, and Fire. He also played a few new songs, one titled Not Over You and another called Waiting For The World. Jason closed his main set with Pavement Puddle Stars.



For the encore, he played Parry Sound. I thought they could have added a stronger solo in the song, but it still sounded good. When Jason strapped on his harmonica rack, he noticed the instrument was placed upside down and joked about firing the harmonica technician. Then the keyboardist said "Wait, that's me....but can I still keep the keyboarding gig?" They ended the night with a great performance of Blue Sky.

Now blank stares and empty threats are all I have

Went to the City And Colour show last night at Mesa Luna. I've been really looking forward to this concert since it was announced. The show sold out rather quickly too. My friend and I have discussed many times how it would be amazing to hear Dallas' music live since we first heard his album back in November.

The venue of the Mesa Luna is small, and the space is quite limited for a rock show. The place was also completely packed when we got there, and filled with a sea of emo hairstyles. It was pretty intense.

The first opener was a duo called Machete Avenue. It consists of a guitarist/vocalist and a keyboardist. They were alright. Dallas came on stage during the set to sing one song with them.

Local guys The Februarys played a strong 30min set. Their performance was filled with a lot of energy and nice jams. All The Time In The World sounded great.

Dallas Green came on stage and opened with a new untitled song. Armed with only one guitar, he tuned his Gibson after every song. He joked about hiring a guy just to tell jokes while he tuned his guitar during shows. His ramblings in between songs were actually pretty funny.



It's interesting reading show reviews of people saying they felt Dallas' vocals were even stronger live than on his album. Then you go back and listen to the album and think if that's possible.....but it's true. His voice was absolutely amazing.....and sounded even better live. Like Knives gave me shivers, and his high notes during Sam Malone added something special.

Another thing to note is that Dallas is quite the established guitar player. His unique tunings and chord structure, as well as his intricate picking style at times really shine through live.



Dallas did an excellent job covering the Constantines' Soon Enough. For his second new song of the evening, he mentioned that it probably won't sound the same once he releases it on an album. In fact, if it does sound the same, he'll give three people in the audience a loonie, but they won't know it until he tells them.



Save Your Scissors had the whole crowd singing along. Dallas mentioned that he doesn't like doing encores because he doesn't see a point in the formula of leaving the stage, only to return and play a couple more songs. He then said he saved the last two songs for the end because these ones are his favourite. Dallas ended the show with a very moving performance of my favourite City And Colour song, Day Old Hate.

Every song played was incredible. Highlights for me:
Like Knives.......almost cried
Hello, I'm In Delaware.......almost cried
Day Old Hate.......cried

Yay!

Set lasted 1hr 10mins.



Setlist:

new untitled song
Comin' Home
Like Knives
Hello, I'm In Delaware
Sam Malone
Soon Enough (Constantines cover)
new untitled song
Save Your Scissors
Casey's Song
The Sleeping Sickness
Sometimes
Day Old Hate

The Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner

Belle & Sebastian played to a packed Commodore crowd last night.

Opening the evening was Rose Melberg. She played an acoustic set and was accompanied by another female vocalist during some songs. It's hard enough opening a show to a restless and talkative crowd, let alone playing an opening acoustic set. Still, her songs were pretty and very enjoyable. I really liked her vocals and the harmonies with the backing singer. Her set lasted 40 mins.

Belle & Sebastian took the stage to a receptive audience and opened the evening with The Stars of Track and Field. They followed that with a strong performance of Another Sunny Day. The Glascow, Scotland band is currently on tour in support of their latest release, The Life Pursuit.

Their show was filled with great lighting and strong harmonies between Stuart, Stevie, and Sarah. Stuart mentioned how the band had some difficulties crossing over the U.S. boarder for the performance, before launching into a cover of Madonna's Borderline.

During Your Cover's Blown, he climbed on top of the side speakers and sang the rest of the song up against the Commodore ceiling. For If You're Feeling Sinister, Stuart had the guys kneel down on the floor so that the girls could have a clear view of the stage for at least one song.

Some other highlights during the 1hr 50min set included Women's Realm, Electronic Renaissance, The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner, White Collar Boy, and I'm a Cuckoo.

Setlist:

The Stars of Track and Field
Another Sunny Day
Women's Realm
Sukie in the Graveyard
To Be Myself Completely
Electronic Renaissance
The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner
The Blues Are Still Blue
Borderline (Madonna cover)
Dress Up In You
Funny Little Frog
Get Me Away From Here I'm Dying
Your Cover's Blown
If You're Feeling Sinister
I'm a Cuckoo
The Wrong Girl
White Collar Boy
The State I Am In

If You Find Yourself Caught In Love
Me and the Major

Could you pass the delicious sauce?

Had a nice dinner last night trading music stories. The stack of onion rings were gigantic.

We then went to see some friends play at the Red Room. I still think Jon's bassline in Sinking Ships is super kickass.



They were recently mentioned in an online Spin Magazine article indicating some B.C. bands to watch out for.

The one with the cookie crunch

Spring started this week. You can't really tell though if you look outside. Guess we'll have to wait a little longer for the sun. In the meantime, I'll just sit inside and enjoy this ice cream. Mmmmmm.......it sure is delicious.



Too bad ice cream doesn't technically count as a meal.....though I did eat it for breakfast once.....or like that time I ate it for lunch.....or that other time when I ate it for dinner. Hooray! for healthy eating choices.

Gunther REMIX

We had a little screening last night for a video made by friends from a recent journey to Southeast Asia.

This guy has the funniest music videos.

sketches for my sweetheart the drunk

The Circus Is Leaving Town

Isobel Campbell played Richard's last night. That's four shows in a row for me there. It's hard to imagine that in just over a year, that place will be torn down. Pretty sad as it's one of the best venues in the city.



Bontempi opened the show. The local trio is starting to get recognized, as they've now played with bands such as Stars, Constantines, and You Say Party! We Say Die! Their catchy pop-rock hooks are infectious. Carla Gillis knows how to lay down riffs on her Gibson SG. Her and sister Lynette used to be in a Halifax band called Plumtree, which I still hear good stories about to this day.



Isobel Campbell took the stage with her four piece backing band. The former member of Belle and Sebastian is touring in support of her recently released album Ballad Of The Broken Seas. The album was just released in North America this past week.



She's quite the talent, with amazing vocals along with her skills on the guitar and cello. Her rendition of Love Hurts was really nice. Set lasted 1hr 5mins....before we were hurried out of the club to let in the Friday night dancers. Yes, I find that weird too.

My shadow is a Monday

Went to see Low perform last night at Richard's.



Lavender Diamond opened the show. They had a nice mellow sound. In between songs, singer Becky Stark would crack jokes to the audience. It took the crowd a little while to warm up to her. During their 45min performance, the guitarist broke two strings and didn't have a spare D string, so he played the rest of the set with 5 strings. The keyboardist looked pretty old and kinda resembled my Grade 12 Geography teacher. That class was fun until we stopped coloring maps. Then it was all downhill from there.

Low took the stage and played a dreamy set. The Minnesota trio is often referred to as a slowcore band because of their minimalist tempos. People attending their past shows have been known to sit on the floor, as it can get hard to stand while listening to such slow and quiet music for a long duration. In fact, when I saw them last year with Pedro The Lion, I almost fell asleep while standing.



Vocalist and guitarist Alan Sparhawk had this crazy feedback going with his single coil Danelectro guitar. It was neat as he would crank the reverb near the end of songs before everything fell silent. He also had an interesting choice of pedals.



This performance featured new bassist Matt Livingston, who replaced longtime band member Zak Sally late last year.



Some highlights of the 1hr 20min set included strong versions of Silver Rider and Lazy. During the encore, Alan took some requests including Dinosaur Act.

Handle With Care

Jenny Lewis played to a sold out crowd at Richard's last night.



Willy Mason opened the show along with his cousin Zack accompanying him on the mandolin. Willy had a nice country-folk style going throughout his performance. The harmonies between him and his cousin were strong at points. During his 40min set, he covered a couple songs written by his Mom, and also by his Dad. He also covered tracks from Merle Haggard and Hank Williams along the way.

Whispertown 2000 were scheduled to open as well, but couldn't make the show as they were stuck on the highway.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins opened the set a capella with Run Devil Run. This was followed by a performance of The Big Guns along with their four additional backing players. The seven of them continued to put on a great performance for the next hour as they entertained the appreciative crowd at Richard's.





On her first solo release Rabbit Fur Coat, Jenny's vocals are captivating. Live in person, her voice is even more radiant. The Rilo Kiley frontwoman delivered her songs with such emotion, and the backing of the Watson Twins are a great addition. Some highlights included Rise Up With Fists!!, Born Secular, and her marvelous solo performance of Rabbit Fur Coat.



During the set, there was a person taking pictures with an old school Polaroid camera, complete with the instant pictures. It was classic. That was just as good as the time we were in Subway and this woman whipped out her home cordless phone to make a call. Either she lived very close or her coverage must be phenomenal.

For the encore, Jenny and the Watson Twins came back out and stood on the bar to sing a capella. This was followed by the band playing a cover song to end the night. During the last song, a guy in the audience whipped out his harmonica and played along. This was the first time I've seen that done at a show, and he actually did a decent job. The guitarist commented by saying that unfortunately the guy wouldn't be getting payed for his involvement.

Tigers Not Daughters

Went to see Controller.Controller play at Richard's last night.



Local favourites You Say Party! We Say Die! opened the evening. The Abbotsford quintet played an energetic 35min set that included some new songs added to the mix. They are currently finishing up their Canadian tour with Controller.Controller, then embarking on some US westcoast dates before hitting up SXSW. Their performance for the evening was full of energy as usual, and sounded the tightest of all the times I've seen them so far.

Controller.Controller took the stage to a packed Richard's and busted out their dance-rock numbers. It sounded like they had quite a long drive from their Calgary show the night before, as one of their guitarists didn't get to to the venue until an hour prior to hitting the stage. Some highlights during their 1hr performance included PF, Poison/Safe, and Silent Seven. During the encore, Becky and Krista from You Say Pary! came on stage to join them and rock out on the last song. Both bands were fun and fit the bill perfectly together.

Skeleton Jar

Went to see Matt Pond PA and Youth Group last night at the Red Room. About halfway through the Youth Group set, a disk in the sound system blew out, cutting off the vocals. People spent the next half hour trying to fix it, though it didn't seem to help much. Youth Group courageously came back on to play another 2 acoustic songs.

Matt Pond PA took the stage in a not better situation. They did their best with the surrounding circumstances. If there was a band that could do it, it was these guys. After all, their gear was stolen recently during their tour, and they've had to make due with borrowing equipment to continue their shows. The band played for 1hr and the sound system was enough to hold through. The cello sounded great, as did their performance of New Hampshire.






Off to Controller.Controller now. Ready, Steady, GO!

Who Could Win A Rabbit

Animal Collective played the Commodore last night. Opening the evening was Barr and First Nation.

Barr was a guy that basically did some spoken word poetry to music. It was nothing like anything I've seen before at a concert. The artist was really into it and extremely appreciative of everyone that came early and actually listened. During his set, he had some audio problems with the sound guy for the night, though so did the second openers. His act got boring kinda fast but you have to give him some credit for what he was doing. It's certainly different, though if it was me having to perform like that every night, I'd probably shoot myself.

First nation was the next openers. The band consists of three girls. Their sound is quite experimental, just like the headliners. Throughout the set, they also had some difficulties with their in-ear monitors and the sound level on stage. Aside from that, I enjoyed what I heard. Their set ran 35mins.

Animal Collective came on stage to a packed Commodore crowd. The original venue for the show was at Richard's, but it sold quite fast and they moved it to a larger venue to accomodate the demand. The quartet from Baltimore had some great energy. The songs felt like layers of sound, overlapping from one to the next. Transitions between songs were nicely blended in.



The music was psychedelic and trippy at times. Their performance was intense and an interesting experience. Set lasted 1hr 35mins.