Two Way Monologues

CMW 2010: Friday

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:05:00 -0500

Oh lord, I have a headache. Last night largely made up for the disappointment of missing Dan Mangan and Timber Timbre on Thursday, though, so I guess I can deal with it.

Me and Trevor started out the night at Criminal Records, to see the Balconies. Trevor commented that Jackie of the Balconies is great at rocking out, and that is certainly a correct statement. They were great as usual, and it’s too bad that the crowd was a bit thin because of the terrible weather. (Well, it was good for us, because we got a good vantage point.) I was curious about Ghostkeeper, who were following the Balconies, but I was also hungry and that won.

After a detour for delicious Chinese food, Lee’s Palace was next; there was a line-up at 8:30, when we got there, but that was really just because the doors had just opened and they were taking forever to ID and check bags. Dudes, I am clearly not 18. Anyway, we did get in just fine, though the place really filled up over the two sets we were there for. Makes sense, as it was a Friday night at a big venue with a great line-up.

Winter Gloves started things out at Lee’s. I only knew a couple of their songs when the set started, but I left a fan, and also with their record. They were catchy, energetic dance-rock, done how French boys know how to do it. I felt like the crowd needed more dancers — I tried dacing and shooting, with mixed success — but it was a great start to the evening.

We stuck around for Russian Futurists next. The keyboardist is a friend, so it was great to finally see his band, especially because they were really good as well. More dancing! The Futurists are jumping back into the game after a bit of time off, with a new album and a bunch of touring, so you should definitely watch out for them in the next few months. As I was leaving Lee’s, I was tempted to break my t-shirt moratorium in order to get the Plants and Animals t-shirt that has two seals on it and says PHOQUE, but I held strong.

Transit issues made me a bit late for Krupke’s set at the Rancho, which was irritating because I think it was their best one that I’ve seen yet. They were really together, like their high energy and complex arrangements and character had just had an awesome baby. I was pretty pleased to see media and unfamiliar faces in their crowd, because they deserve the attention.

Detour story…while at Lee’s, I noticed on Twitter that CBC Radio 3 was parked outside the El Mocambo, broadcasting the show and giving away CBC Radio 3 scarves. I wanted one of those scarves. I figured I’d stop at the truck before going to Rancho for Krupke, but I didn’t want to make myself later than I already was so I skipped it and just went straight to the venue.

Well, after Krupke’s set my friend Adam showed me his awesome CBC scarf, so me and Lisa decided that that had to happen. Sadly, we got to the truck just as the last scarf was given away. Happily, Craig Norris put us on the radio and promised to mail us scarves. Geek dreams do come true!

I was planning to see PS I Love You at the Silver Dollar, but some switched-up set times meant that we caught Diamond Rings instead. I was okay with this because it makes me pretty happy to imagine John of DR practicing his dance moves in his bedroom, just like I used to do to my Tiffany tape. Diamond Rings is kind of like 1992 if it didn’t suck; the crowd seemed into it if judging by the clapping after every song, but they apparently did not know how to dance. I picked up his seven-inch post-show, and was once again tempted to break the t-shirt ban.

My friend Ian of the Diableros and Lee of the Hoa Hoa’s told me I had to stay for at least one song by the Peelies, from Montreal, because they promised awesomeness. I did dig them — they were garagey and poppy and cute, and that’s all good with me. We did pop over to the Rancho with enough time to catch the tail end of Trevor James’ set, though.

I elected to stick around Rancho for the remainder of the evening, partly to spend some time at my home base and partly because I was tiiiired. Bravestation put on a tight set, though, with some awesome dude dancing in the front rows, and Owel Five and Corboe killed the late-night set as they always do. In all, a solid CMW night.

CMW Night #3 - Gypsophilia, Krupke, Parlovr and more.

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:02:00 -0500

CMW Night number three ended up with me spending most of my time at Rancho— even more than usual. Word spread pretty quickly that no one was going to get into Handsome Furs because they were only accepting tickets by 1am, which is one of the reasons why this happened. The other reasons was the great bill they had going on.

I started with Gypsophilia at Rancho for their brand of gypsy-lounge-jazz. When I was in college I found this internet radio station that played all instrumental lounge/jazz music, and Gypsophilia reminds me of listening to that stuff over and over. I don’t know what else was going on at 9pm yesterday, but this was the set to see. Everyone in the room was tapping or bobbing along, the crowd was eating it up. The band traded solo’s and generally were having a ball on stage. I mentioned in my post about Fucked Up that you could tell they were the kind of band who’s positive energy really shows through on stage, and Gypsophilia have that vibe as well. Everyone is all smiles and there’s laughing and a feeling of camaraderie up there, and I think that translates well into the crowd as well. It put me in a really good mood.

Even though it was still pissing rain, I still wanted to take a quick run over to Supermarket to see Birthday Boys. Dan had told me that he’s had friends mentioning Birthday Boys would play well with Schomberg Fair, so I wanted to report back with my opinions on them for him. I got there about 5 minutes before they took the stage, and they proceeded to belt out some very melodic, roots-inspired classic ‘rawk’. You know in Ghost World when that girl says to Steve Buschemi “You like blues? You’ll LOVE Blues Hammer!” and this really lame blues rock band comes out? Birthday Boys were to Schomberg Fair what Blues Hammer is to Blues. Anything interesting or authentic was sorely missing from their set. I wasn’t feeling them at all, and the only time I really took any interest was when they stopped singing and made with the guitar solos.

So after about 4 or 5 songs, it was back to Rancho it was for me to catch Krupke’s set. I don’t know what to say about Krupke that hasn’t already been said. They’re original, exciting, difficult, catchy, and so much more. They played a really damn good set… maybe the best I’ve seen of theirs. I think more needs to be said about their new(ish) drummer Kate. She has impressed me both times I’ve seen them since her induction in the band. For someone to jump into a difficut band like this and not even miss a beat is a damn feat. If you haven’t seen Krupke yet, then you need to fix this.

Boats were up next, and I spend the first few songs of their set hanging back and giving my legs a rest. About halfway through, I figured I should go up and give them a closer inspection, and I’m glad I did. I thought Boats were really fun indie-pop that had a bit of an Arcade Fire feel to them. I think maybe I’m way off base with that, but I heard it in the melodies and chant-along’s they had.

Trevor James and the Perfect Gentleman played after Boats, but this time I hung back for their whole set. I was supposed to go see Handsome Furs, but as I mentioned before that wasn’t going to happen. I’ve seen TG&TPG before though, and I like them just fine.

Mostly, I was waiting for 2am to roll around so I could go see Parlovr at The Silver Dollar. I saw Parlovr at Rancho over a year ago, and got their CD to review from Dan, and ever since I’ve been a huge fan. Maybe this has caused me to be a little biased, but their set at the Dollar last night was outrageous. It was fucking amazing. Seriously, honestly teriffic. They played a ear-piercing set, and kicked out so much noise you’d have a hard time telling people it was coming from just three dudes. Louder than Pick A Piper-with-four-drummers loud. Speaking of which, Parlovr’s drummer played so hard I thought the kit was going to disintegrate beneath him. This is my new favorite show of CMW so far. They’re playing again, so this is another band you need to see before the end of the festival.

Closing my night was a special set from Owel Five & Corboe. I was dead tired, but they’re such a great show that it didn’t matter. Their set was crazy long— I found myself leaving and coming back a few times— but their banging beats and on point rapping skills had the people that were still at Rancho for 3am transfixed. Here is a band that works so hard, they live, breathe, eat and sleep music and you can tell when they’re up there giving it all. Owel Five & Corboe are the real deal.

Russian Futurists at Lee’s Palace

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:23:34 -0500

Russian Futurists at Lee’s Palace

Winter Gloves at Lee’s Palace

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:00:03 -0500

Winter Gloves at Lee’s Palace

CMF Day Two - March 11, 2010

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:00:00 -0500

I was hoping to do something more intricate today, but my computer threw a tantrum. I therefore present, CMF Day II, a Photo Essay:

Amos The Transparent @ The Horseshoe - March 11, 2010

Green Go @ The Horseshoe - March 11, 2010

Hollerado @ The Horseshoe - March 11, 2010

Besnard Lakes @ The Horseshoe - March 11, 2010

— Urban Hermit

Hollerado at the Horseshoe Tavern Photo by Trevor Pritchard

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:05:56 -0500

Hollerado at the Horseshoe Tavern

Photo by Trevor Pritchard

CMW Day 2 at the Shoe!

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:55:57 -0500

Ooook! I survived my second night at CMW and am none for the worse, voice is still teetering on the brink of being lost again but the cold seems mostly to have dissipated! Last night I caught a handful of bands and spent most of my night at the Shoe, but I was able to make it down to Rancho for a night cap and to see the Leathers.

Amos the Transparent opened up the night and took the stage later than scheduled which resulted in a shortened 25 minute set. Initially I was a bit disappointed but then realized there was no way I could stay mad at these guys when they play their hearts out and give 110% every time, no matter where they’re playing, for how long or who to. Professional is the word that comes to mind when I evaluate not only their performance but their dedication to their songs and fans. The crowd wasn’t their usual audience so there wasn’t as much hand clapping and sing-a-longs as I’m used to hearing but by the end of their set they had won everyone over with their warm melodies and sentimental vocals.

Next up was Green Go who played an assortment of their electro pop-rock off of their album Borders. This was my first time seeing them live after almost a year of listening to their album so it was really interesting to see/hear the music in a different format. I felt at times that they weren’t putting enough energy into the performance as was expected but once they started to play some of their dancier tracks it def kicked up a notch which got everyone moving and bopping along. I was both sad and happy to hear when Jessica Tollefsen announced that it was their last show before taking some time off to write a new album; alas I shouldn’t have waited so long to see them because now I will have to play the waiting game again till they are ready to showcase the new tunes.

Hollerado came up next and I wasn’t sure what to really expect. I hadn’t had time to listen to their myspace beforehand but had kept hearing a lot of buzz about them. I switched it up and watched their performance from the back of the room because the crowd was getting to dense to navigate and I thought it would be a nice break for my ears to hang back. What I could see from the stage was a lively 4 piece who loved to interact with the crowd and had no qualms with advertising they weren’t technical musicians and that they were just there to have a good time and so we should to, it was at this point in time that I decided I was really happy to have caught there set, it was refreshing to get away from some of the more stuffy attitudes festivals like this sometimes bring out.

By now it was almost 12 and I had to decide whether to stay at the shoe with lisa to catch the Besnard Lakes set or head to Rancho for Wordburglar. I decided to stay for BLs since I had seen the Wordburg a couple times before and never Besnard Lakes. I gotta say they kinda caught me off guard at first with their haunting vocals and almost supernatural harmonies, felt like we somehow got transported into an abstract reality and it was bugging me out a bit. Def one of the more interesting sets I’ve seen recently for grabbing my attention but unfortunately it didn’t last throughout all the songs, I caught myself day dreaming a couple times which isn’t always a horrible thing but I can honestly say today that I can’t remember much of what they played.

So I ducked out early on the BLs and ran up to Rancho for the Leathers. These 2 doods seriously had beats to move your feet! Not only were their rhymes funny but their dance moves and matching leather jackets and vests are the thing I remember most about all of last night. Their feel-good vibes was a perfect way to finish off the night and left me with a huge smile on my face.

All in all the night held quite the assortment of bands and people, top drawer outing in my books. Tonight comes day 3 of the festival and it’s the one I’ve most been looking forward to, so I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about it come tomorrow! Till then, keep it real my friends.

CMW Night Two- Thurs

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:03:53 -0500

I spent all of CMW day two at the Horseshoe, which is a staple venue for Canadian rock. It’s also the loudest venue I have ever been in—my ears were bleeding even with a set of earplugs. I met up with the newest member of the TWM team, Trevor, who’s in from Ottawa to cover the festival. I only had one awkward conversation with a random guy before we managed to connect! We were also joined by the lovely Alicia Freeborn.

This post is where I prove that I like music other than folk-rock.

The night started with a TWM favourite, Amos the Transparent, a band whose rock music edge is softened by pretty vocals and folksy touches like hand-claps. Amos has a solid fan base and they were out in full force to support them, which seemed to invigorate the band. There was a fantastic moment when they were joined by a bunch of other folks on stage, in a joyful group sing-a-long. It made me smile and feel hopeful about life—nothing wrong with a band that can do that.

Next was Green Go—one of my most highly anticipated bands of the night. I spent a lot of time last summer listening to “Brains for Breakfast”. Their music is pop-dance-electro-rock. Live, they were somewhat lacking the energy that I expected, though it did pick up in the second half of their set. I was happy to see Green Go demonstrate some range, playing some slower moody tracks. They are at their strongest when they cut loose and “rock out” for lack of a better term and I’d like to go to another show with my dancing shoes on.

Hollerado followed Green Go with a heady dose of rock. Their music is straight-up rollicking goodtime. It might not meet the “weird or difficult” criteria that are often essential for lovers of independent music, but it was a good show. Hollerado has a couple of great, catchy tunes.

Finally, I caught the first part of the Besnard Lakes’ set. Their atmospheric, psych rock was a departure from the happy, up-tempo music that had proceeded. I had been anticipating this band, because of their track Albatross, which has been getting a lot of play. Jace Lasek has an incredible voice, high and soaring. Everything about their performance was well-crafted. I don’t know that I would go home and listen to their album—it might get a little boring, but I’m still glad I had a chance to see them.

See, there’s a little variety in my tastes. Night two finished. Now come the real nights—last call at 4am!

The Besnard Lakes at Criminal Records

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:58:24 -0500

The Besnard Lakes at Criminal Records

CMW 2010: Thursday

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:41:00 -0500

Not gonna lie: Day 2 of CMW started off as a bummer. I hauled ass all the way to the damn Great Hall, which is a lot further west than I had remembered. And then I realized that they were no longer letting anyone in without tickets. And on top of that, even though CMW had asked media to send in guest lists for the shows people intended to attend, they apparently did not bother to pass those lists along to venues. I understand if a media guestlist is, say, first ten to show up get in, but to not pass the lists along at all is lame. Doing those up was time consuming!

So I didn’t get to see Sally Seltman, Dan Mangan or Timber Timbre. ANYWAY.

I stewed my way back to the Rancho, where I managed to catch the tail end of Carlo Meriano’s set. Carlo’s been performing under the name Toys Are Just, which likely has to do with the fact that his songs are accompanied by his playing on toy instruments. He can really rock a plastic guitar. (That is a serious statement.)

The Rhythm Method were next, and they were my main reason for heading back to Rancho, I’ll admit. There is a certain charm to Haligonian hip-hop by three ladies rapping about unexpected pregnancy and small vaginas. They definitely put on an entertaining set, and got the party atmosphere at Rancho solidly in place.

The silver lining of missing Mangan et. al. was that I was able to pop around the corner to the Silver Dollar, where I caught half-sets from both Dinosaur Bones and Still Life Still, two bands I had somehow never managed to see live. They both put on really solid sets, and the crowd at the bar clearly loved them. The dancing and singing along during Still Life Still was pretty intense; it’s nice to see a couple of locals do well.

I’m not sure if the Dollar was running behind or not going on hourly set times, but I had to leave partway through Still Life Still in order to get back to the Rancho for Wordburglar. It was worth it though, because he was great as always and his set featured some guest spots, including More or Les.

Me and Gorman hopped over to Sneaky Dee’s to catch Kidstreet; I was surprised that the room was only half-full. Kidstreet were alright — catchy and fun to dance to, but every song sounded very similar. A few tracks in, we both figured we’d seen enough; I headed back to Rancho to catch a few songs from the Leathers before heading home.

(As a side note, I ran into Jen at Dee’s, and she told me that she had gotten into Great Hall, but she’d shown up at about 8pm and only a couple people behind her in line managed to get in. So that made me feel a bit better about the whole deal. She also said that the crowd was yakking through Mangan and Seltman’s sets, which is always an annoyance at those industry-focused shows. It’s kind of a piss-off when you wanted to see something because you like the music and then you hear that a bunch of the people who did get to be there just yammered the entire time.)

Tonight’s plans include catching the Balconies — and maybe some of Ghostkeeper — at Criminal Records before hitting the official CMW stuff, which will include Winter Gloves and the Russian Futurists at Lee’s, Krupke and Owel Five and Corboe at Rancho, PS I Love You and Parlovr at the Dollar and Handsome Furs at El Mocambo. Hopefully, anyway!

CMW Night #2 - Language Arts, The Lytics, Kidstreet and more.

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:59:00 -0500

Another night out for CMW and another five sets of music to report back on. After a good start with night #1, I headed out last night and caught a ton of great sets. I don’t know about the people who seem to be claiming they “aren’t into CMW this year” or that there “isn’t much they want to see”, because so far this year has been as good as any. So there.

My evening started at Sneaky Dee’s for two sets, the first of which was Language Arts. I know Language Arts have played Rancho on multiple occasions in the past, but I must have missed the shows because I for sure had never seen them before. Their brand of folky/experimental twee-pop really didn’t grab me for their first two songs. I was ready to dismiss them as “not my thing” when something happened: they totally grew on me. Kristen Cudmore’s talk-singing that initially was a off-putting ended up being one of the things I liked most about their set. I’m going to have to check out their recorded output for sure.

The Elwins were next, featuring a bassist who was rocking a Flying-V guitar. That’s two I’ve seen so far this festival! I think I am going to rename CMW: Canadian Flying-V Week. Anyway, I would describe The Elwins as 60’s guitar based jangle-pop, if that makes any sense. It was all very melodic and catchy but I couldn’t get totally into their set. I thought they needed something else, maybe a bit more of an edge to their sound. They were almost like a cross between the melodies on the self-titled Vampire Weekend with the power-pop of Tokyo Police Club. While watching them I was thinking “There’s about an EP’s worth of solid songs here that I’d probably really like”. And wouldn’t you know it, they’ve got an EP out. I’m not going to run and put The Elwins at the top of my listening list, but I will say that they are on to something for sure.

A quick walk down the street and I arrived at Rancho for the hip-hop portion of my evening. First I saw The Lytics who killed an entire set of throw-back rap crew jams that had the crowd in a frenzy by the end of it all. They had tons of J5-style chorus chants surrounded by verse after verse of fantastic rapping. If you want to talk about new and original things going down this year at CMW, Rancho’s hip-hop night was just that. More people should be up on this band.

Wordburglar got up after a brief DJ interlude and kicked out a great set as expected. Seems like it was just the other day that Wordburglar rocked a Showcho and got everyone at Rancho excited about him. Highlight of his set came when he brought up More or Les— as seen on Peter Project’s new EP— for an awesome guest spot.

Finally, I went back to Dee’s in order to catch a 1am set by Kidstreet. Kidstreet is such a great name for a band. Unfortunately in my opinion they didn’t live up to their namesake. They played an over-caffeinated set of electro-dance that just wasn’t doing it for me. I was impressed by Edna Snyder’s rapid fire chorus on Penny Candy, but in my opinion there’s just too many other bands doing this stuff, and just as well. I’d take party-starters Green Go over Kidstreet any day of the week.

For all their enthusiasm and energy they displayed on stage, it was no match for my tiring eyes. So with that, I took off around 1:30 to get home and rest up for what will undoubtedly be a ridiculously late night tonight.

Burgie throwing down at Rancho

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:28:34 -0500

Burgie throwing down at Rancho

Still Life Still setting up.

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:16:40 -0500

Still Life Still setting up.

Caught the end of Dinosaur Bones’ set at the Dollar.

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:43:41 -0500

Caught the end of Dinosaur Bones’ set at the Dollar.

The Rhythm Method are ridiculous, in a good way.

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:33:52 -0500

The Rhythm Method are ridiculous, in a good way.

CMF - Day One - March 10, 2010

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:14:00 -0500

HOT KID @ Rancho Relaxo

My night began with Hot Kid from Cambridge, Ontario at Rancho Relaxo. Based on what I saw and heard online, I was expecting an action packed set featuring some solo female work with serious potential but accompanied by slightly generic guitar chords.

This dynamic duo certainly delivered in terms of putting on a high-energy show. I was somewhat surprised that Shiloh Harrison’s vocal work wasn’t quite as original as I had anticipated, but I was really taken aback by the quality of the guitar work. Their online material does not do them justice on that front.

In terms of some constructive criticism of Hot Kid, in my opinion the basic themes and melodies within songs are too varied. Don’t get me wrong, major thematic changes within a song can work tremendously well at times, for example Born Ruffians’ Little Garçon, but pulling it off is a difficult task. I lost interest in several of the pieces during the set because of the frequent changes. A second criticism that can be directed at many a female band member with long hair, is that Harrison shouldn’t hide behind her hair Cousin Itt style. It takes away from the performance and it’s a nightmare to shoot. Plus, she’s pleasing on the eye, so why hide?

Hot Kid @ Rancho Relaxo - March 10, 2010

KETCH HARBOUR WOLVES @ Neutral

Next, I shifted down the street to Neutral, a venue otherwise known to me for many a drunken Goth dancing escapade, to catch Ketch Harbour Wolves. I last caught this band in May of 2009 at El Mocambo and I was very impressed by their sound.

Ketch Harbour Wolves stole the night for me. I was frankly surprised that they were stuck in such a substandard time-slot and mediocre venue (for concerts) which together resulted in a sparsely attended show.

This is one of the few bands out there where the all-male vocals work for me. First off, everyone can sing, they harmonize well, and do some interesting vocal layering. Ketch Harbour Wolves aren’t afraid to experiment and are adept at crafting a nice musical mosaic out of guitar work x 3, a glockenspiel and drum work. The melodies are instantly gripping yet don’t grow old after repeated listening. To boot, their live physical performance is also highly engaging. For those of you who have not yet had the privilege of catching this band live, you can do so on May 8, 2010 at the Horseshoe.

Ketch Harbour Wolves @ Neutral - March 10, 2010

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— URBAN HERMIT

CMW Preview: Ten Questions with OPOPO

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:43:26 -0500

OPOPO’s self-classification as dance punk fits the bill pretty well — the term manages to capture the energy they throw into their live shows while hinting at the fact that their music is not so easy to slot into one category. The band’s musicians have been playing together for some time, and you can tell it in their chemistry and tight, irresistible sound. Check it out for yourself during CMW at Sneaky Dee’s on Saturday night.

What acts are you going to see during CMF?

The ones with clever names- there’s only a few.

What is the writing and recording process like for you?

It’s easy to get lost in the world of home production and the music can become un-performable if you get carried away. We’ve had to redevelop our approach, and write songs as completely as possible before tackling them live. Whereas before we’d have a beat loop and create structures around it- now with a drummer and ambitious song writing ideas we try to find our voices in the content before recording anything. The disc may be a mix of both approaches.

You mix producing and playing in your music—how do you balance those elements both in the studio and in a live show?

Live we’ve had to eliminate pre-sequenced samples from our set and rely only on each other. Because of this our sound seems to have shifted away from electro and more towards rock. But the main goal is to fuse the two seamlessly, triggering samples created at home while never dropping a loop. All we need is a sturdy MIDI drum pad that can handle Sean’s powerful thwacks. We also need some wind machines and a soundman.

You mention in a blog entry that you’re planning on touring Ontario—do you have any dates set?

We’ve played a few spots in Ontario and would love to do as many places as possible, but trying to get this disc done has become such a priority. As well, it’s inefficient to tour if you don’t have something new to promote so we’re really waiting until our act has been reworked before hitting the road. Travelling as a band is the most enjoyable part though, so we’re eager.

If you could go on a dream tour, where would it be? Why?

Japan! See mosh pits organized into squares and have Sushi for breakfast.

What makes for a good audience at an OPOPO show?

If they are edgy and determined to watch something energetic they’ll have an amazing night.

You were signed through the Steamwhistle unsigned band series—did that moment change your musical path?

Yes it definitely did. Steamwhistle led us to URBNET which got us distribution and a chance to play Spot festival. Denmark showed us the level of musicianship we’d like to attain, and inspired us to get a drummer. And thus we spent the past year of redefining our sound.

How is your LP progressing? When can we expect it?

It will either be late summer or early fall. You can expect it to be dark, heartfelt and pulsing.

You draw on Lacan, writing “As any creative endeavor eventually becomes its own norm, let the truly powerful emotions surface and carve out the “ideal I” in a bustling world of “manic me” in a recent blog post that describes your band’s current creative process. Do you draw on these types of theoretical ideas when you write music?

If you are referring to Jacques Lacan, then yes. The concept of a destructive relationship between the ego and an idealized-self spoke worlds when I first learned it. For creative artists (the destructively compulsive ones ) striving constantly for craft mastery means battling your perfectionism with psychological limitations. Those limits can always be surpassed but at a cost. You slave over a piece- and believe you’ve struck the creative gong, yet within a few days the work shows countless faults. It’s dangerous to gnash teeth with your two selves, the engine that produces and the internal critic who scorns cause they’ll drive each other into the ground. The ‘gaze’ of the Other I thought could apply to robots too. Can robots dream up an idealized self? Do androids dream of electric sheep? The idea of the ‘Other’ was hinted at with Computer Menace especially- a droid staring back at himself. The machine at work is brilliant, unforgiving and pathetic… just like the creative process is simultaneously triumphant and depraved.

I really like the “Computer Menace” video that is posted on your myspace—how did that come to be?

An artist named Zach made it a few years before “Computer Menace” was even a song. The two synch up so well. It’s uncanny.

CMW Preview: Ten Questions with the Leathers

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:06:00 -0500

Atherton and P Brain — aka The Leathers — started out as aquaintainces, then become roommates and friends, then became the dynamic rap duo you can catch at the Rancho Relaxo on Thursday night. Reading the responses below, it’s easy to see where their on-stage chemistry and wit comes from; check it out for yourself to see.

How did The Leathers begin?

Atherton: We initially met real brief though mutual rapping friends. We reconnected at college while taking a music program for independent artists (Seneca, what up?!?). After college, I was living in the Lansdowne/Bloor neighborhood and had a roommate bail on me. I made a contest on facebook called “Become Atherton’s Roomate” just to make it sound more appealing than what it was. Paul (P Brain) was hands-down the best choice amongst the applicants. Now, in that neighborhood there’s a slew of vintage spots. Paul came back one day with a dope leather coat for $20 or less. I followed suit. We started wearing them on stage, girls went crazy, bada-bing-bada-boom, there you go.

P Brain: A few weeks after I had moved in with Dev I went and saw Camp Lo. They were wearing nice coats and smiling lots. I had more fun watching them than any other rappers I’d ever seen and wanted to reach towards that feeling. Dev had a show at El Mocombo and asked me to back him - I told him I would if i could do a few songs. Dev and I are a pretty decent comedic duo off-stage and it really translated live, so we kept chasing that high. Camp Lo.

You’ve played with several bands that aren’t hip-hop, when I think a lot of promoters are reluctant to put hip-hop acts with other types of artists — why do you think you can have that versatility?

Atherton: We both like a lot of different music. Paul started off playing in punk bands. I wanted to be a singer until my brother told me my voice sucked. We don’t necessarily have a traditional hip-hop sound. We’re entertaining as fuck and we both have siiick beards.

P Brain: We don’t suck and we have a ton of fun. Anyone can enjoy that stuff. Unlike alot of acts, we aren’t scared to play outside our comfort zone. Confronting the audience with our awesomeness is a thrill for us.

Your self-titled album comes out later this month — how long has it been in the works?

Atherton: The album’s been done and ready since late summer so these past months have just been prep to get our ducks in a row.

P Brain: We wrote it in a week yeee.

Do you have any plans for a video to support the release?

Atherton: Yes, we have many video plans….Paul?

P Brain: We’re doing a video for Paul & Dev. We’re having my nephews play Devin and I so it’ll be little kids doing our shit, having fun.

You’ll spend much of March and April touring in the U.S. — why did you decide to do the American dates, and are you releasing the album south of the border as well?

Atherton: Our manger booked the U.S. shows. He’s out of Buffalo so he’s got some contacts south of the 49. In the age of digital distribution we’re releasing it worldwide. Physical copies will be available at select retail outlets as well.

P Brain: America pays so much better. Beer only costs a dollar. I love Canada and wish I never had to leave, but we don’t really have a choice.

Where do you think the road will bring The Leathers next?

Atherton: Hopefully some place awesome. We’re both big fans of touring and performing so as long as we can keep doing that, I’m down. We’re already a few tracks deep into our next release and it looks good. I just wanna make enough money to keep up our ridiculous cocaine and hooker habits.

P Brain: I’d be happy spending most of my time on the road, so long as I had a little bit of cash in my pocket when i was home. I love seeing new places and meeting new people. This type of traveling lets you meet real people from places. How cool is that?

How did your relationship with Easy Tiger develop?

P Brain: My friend travis and i started Easy Tiger last year to put out some records for our friends.

You’re doing hip-hop in a scene where indie-rock is the dominating genre. What misconceptions do people have about hip-hop artists, and do you ever find yourselves marginalized because you don’t sound like Broken Social Scene?

Atherton: First of all, there’s a lot of shitty rappers out there that I think bog down the public’s perception of what hip-hop can offer. It’s easy to rap. To start rapping is easy, all you need is a cheap mic and a computer. It is, however, very hard to do it well.

P Brain: Most of the misconceptions lay with the promoters. They think the crowd’s gonna be thugged out or dangerous or something. I totally agree with Devin’s point — it’s far easier to say you’re a rapper and posture as someone who’s accomplished than to do the same with a band. It’s just to easy to download fruitly loops. Good rappers are good songwriters — a lot of people dont realise that. Good songs are good songs.

What do you think a CMW festival showcase can do for an artist like the Leathers? What are you hoping to get out of the festival?

Atherton: I don’t know, really. We’re not looking for a label, we’re not looking for management. We’ve played a few festivals like this before and I think there’s more hype surrounding bands getting their “big break” than need be. Sure it could happen, but I haven’t seen it. For me it’s just a good weekend of music and playing a show we won’t get paid for (ha ha).

P Brain: GIMMIE THEM MONIES

Who are you looking forward to checking out at CMW?

Atherton: Carlo Meriano (Toys Are Just)

P Brain : POS (who we’re playing with Sunday), TMDP Friday and everyone on the Thursday showcase.

CMW day 1 is in the bag!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:30:00 -0500

Well alright, night 1 of my CMW 5-day week was last night and I started it off conservatively catching only 3 bands at Rancho before calling it a night. I mainly did this because I’m just getting over a way-harsh cold and because I know I need to save some energy for the next 4 days of guaranteed pandemonium.

So my first set of the night was by Ace Kinkaid who are an instrumental 4 piece out of the Kitchener/Waterloo area. After checking out their Myspace songs yesterday I was really looking forward to hearing their live sound and seeing how it compared. It def exceeded my expectations, which I find can really go either way between the recorded vs. live performances. They played a super tight set of layered guitar & synth and included a whole bunch of styles and techniques into their songs. I have to say at times I didn’t feel like the various styles necessarily jived together like they should have which made some of the songs seem disconnected. It was like one moment they were playing something completely natural and fluid like and then they would stop, 180, and go all erratic noise-band styles. Maybe that’s what they were going for and if it is then they succeeded in doing a good job of it.

Up next was Pick a Piper, who took the stage with like 10 drums and four guys to drum them, plus the other members of the band…one word, INTENSE. Right off the bat I knew their set was going to be deadly, the room was completely packed, rancho’s new stage lights looked amazing and a drumfire was already beginning to barrage the room. Without a doubt the highlight of their set was when they passed out a dozen tambourines and moved two of the kettledrums to the centre of the room, the percussion was off the hook and it felt like we were all at some large drum circle/native pow-wow.

I finished my night off seeing the band Adebesi Shank out of Ireland. PaP was a hard band to follow but I think these guys did a good job at keeping up the energy in the room. They played some really fast tunes, like 180bpm fast, which were heavy on the effects which had a futuristic feel to theme. I really want to see these guys again when I’m running at 100% because I feel like I was maybe too tired to fully enjoy them which is a shame because re-listening to their myspace, they FN rule!

On the agenda tonight I have: Amos the Transparent, Green Go, Hollerado, Wordburglar and the Leathers. Super stoked for Green Go’s set, Lisa and I have a date with the dance floor, will I see you there? Check back tomorrow for my day 2 updates!

CMW Night One- Wed

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:14:00 -0500

Is it just me or did this festival get longer? I’m not complaining—but I did feel that a pre-show nap was necessary. I have to pace myself! This is a five day adventure.

I started my evening by heading to Ye Olde Rancho to pick up my media pass for the festival. Rancho and my friends there were all buzzing with festival excitement. It really is a good time of year for music lovers.

Terri and I made our way over to Supermarket to see Adaline at 9pm. Adaline is a woman with a voice: the kind of voice I dreamed about having when I was small child and wanted to be the little mermaid. She is soulful, passionate and jazzy, with a touch of Tori Amos when she reaches into the higher registers. Adaline’s set was acoustic, just piano and cello, but she is playing a show with a full band on Friday at the Courthouse. A funny note about her lyrics: Adaline’s music is by no means religious, but part way through her set I leaned over to Terri and said “she uses a lot a Christian phrases”. A little later Adaline mentioned that her father is a minister—my God-dar is very good.

Following Adaline—to my surprise and slight dismay—was Street Fever, an Australian rock band. I have to hand it to them for coming all the way from Australia. I also have to say that this band was musically tight. However, their music is derivative: one song started with the drum beat from Holiday by green Day and the singer’s voice was forced through his nose in what Terri described as an Oasis imitation. This band is talented; they just need to focus on honing their own sound.

Next up was Michou, who I had been expecting to see at 10pm. I know now that I had better check the CMF schedule for last minute changes. Michou is a pop-rock outfit from Windsor, Ontario. Their music is a delightful mix of handclaps, trumpet, tender vocals and solid playing. Basically, they sing about their feelings and my heart melts. I am currently wearing a shirt that informs my co-workers “It’s Nice to Michou”.

I made my way back to Rancho in time to catch the very end of Pick a Piper. I barely got in the door, the place was so crowded. There were seven drummers on the stage and they were distributing tambourines to the audience. I don’t know what was going on, but it looked awesome. Loud, primal, intense. I wish I could have seen the whole set.

JT and I zipped over to Neutral for a midnight set: a Montreal band called Dead Messanger. I had never been in Neutral before—it seems like it is better suited for dance parties than shows. I think they were carding out of boredom; there were only 15 people in the place. I only heard a couple of songs from Dead Messenger—it was generic rock that failed to excite after the creativity of Pick a Piper.

Finally, I headed back to Rancho, where I caught a glimpse (from the back of the bar) of both Adebisi Shank and The Wilderness. Adebisi Shank was loud and looked pretty cool in Rancho’s fancy rented lights. I have seen the Wilderness before, they put on a good show, but I ducked out early to catch a little bit of sleep time.