Interpol - the Sound Academy - February 15

The Sound Academy’s bleak location on the edge of the harbour close to absolutely NOTHING seemed almost fitting for a band like Interpol. If I wanted to emphasise the theme of isolation even more, I went by myself.

I went early to catch what I was assured would be a hell of an opening act. Unfortunately the van carrying School of Seven Bells broke down. So we got stuck with a last minute entry called Low Level Flight. I started to feel sorry for these guys since they were filling in, but whoever thought they would mesh with a crowd of Interpol fans was clearly out of touch. It made me laugh when a disgruntled fan standing next to me said that their lead singer was none other than former Canadian Idol Ryan Malcolm. Very strange times indeed. I bided my time by watching Interpol’s roadie tune and polish all the guitars for the next set.

When Interpol finally took to the stage, they didn’t mess around. Success is the first song on their latest record and it was a good starting point for the band’s performance.  Just as they established that their new material was good live, they reminded everyone why we fell in love with them in the first place and went back to Turn on the Bright Lights. 

As they made their way through the set-list, I found myself thinking that I’ve never really paid close attention to the pacing of Interpol’s music. For some reason I haven’t clued in to how fast Evil is, but the lyrics are paced more than a few beats quicker than the instruments. I noticed this again with PDA. Yes the song is fast-paced on the album, but live it almost comes off as something you could dance to. On the other side, notably upbeat songs like Summer Well were actually slower in person. It’s easy to imagine how some of these songs could fall apart, but you can thank drummer Sam Fogarino for his inner metronome for making them all work.

While they were sure to play crowd pleasers like Untitled, Slow Hands, and Narc, I found it more interesting to look at what they left out. They only touched on Our Love to Admire a couple of times, really sticking with the safe picks like the Heinrich Manoeuvre. Also absent was the complete b-side to their latest record. I have to say I was disappointed to see it neglected when Try it and All of the Ways would have been a perfect songs to slow things down with. I’m sure they had their reasons to ignore them, but it was odd. 

What they did play off the new album sounds great live. I loved the way they would tinker with interludes before launching into songs like Memory Serves and Barricade. As always, Paul Banks’ vocals had a chance to shine of the drawn on songs like Lights and one of my favourites, Leif Erricson. 

The band was tight as ever. Gone was some of the quirky flair that Daniel Kessler showed off while playing on the last tour. But with the toned down the theatrics, there seems to be more of a focus on committing to the songs. Kessler, Banks, and Fogarino were as tight as can be and the new additions to the band thankfully work out in their favour.  

Carlos D’s absence stuck out like a sore thumb. I’ll admit that I spent a lot of time focussed on new bassist David Pajo to see how he stacked up. After seeing so many wacky bass players over the years, it’s almost jarring to see one like Pejo so content with blending in with the shadows. As far as his skills on the bass go, he fits in well. Maybe he’ll add a little more in the way of stage presence as time goes on. Just worry for him if you see him rocking a pair of red suspenders. 

I don’t think they could have ended the gig with a better song. After building the crowd up, they launched into the New. The way the song grows from a slow march into a frantic pitch full of emotion is one of the most cathartic ways to end a set.   

I don’t hide my love of this band very well and it’s really no wonder. I can literally trace back every stage of my life for the past decade through each Interpol album.  When I was figuring out what to do after high school, I was listening to Turn on the Bright Lights. One of my favourite moments while in university was sitting on a swing set at 3am listening to Public Pervert off of Antics. While living in England, I saw an ad for Our Love to Admire while in the London underground. Their latest self-titled album came out while I was in Toronto again sorting my life out. Each album has always managed to find its brooding way into my heart.

The Tenth Coming of Bonnaroo

I've often said that the most valuable people in the world are the ones who know something you don't. While I pay extreme attention to music, I know that there will always be others who know something more. Rather than get in a huff about it, I just become closer friends with these people.

I met one of these invaluable friends while taking a road trip to Halifax to see Broken Social Scene in 2007. A lover of music like anyone else, Sandy Conway seemed to have some mysterious source of band knowledge. Like Woodward and Bernstein, it was like someone was feeding him information about bands who were always on the verge of blowing up. He would reveal that source to me a year later. It was called Bonnaroo.

Conway has been trying to convince me to come to the massive musical fest in Manchester, Tennessee for years now. For reasons beyond my control (work, no money, living in England) I've never been able to make it. Finally this winter Conway reminded me that this year would be the tenth anniversary of Roo and should not be passed up. That constant dangling carrot in front of my nose finally became too much. I broke down and bought a earlybird ticket months ago. Problem solved, right? Wrong.

Like survivors of a plane crash in a desert desperately searching for water, the wait for a Bonnaroo lineup is agonizing. Every now and then the mirage of leaked artists would slip out, only to be shot down by online chatter. I actually fared quite well, but I'm afraid Mr. Conway may have gone a bit barmey in the final days of waiting.

This afternoon at 12 EST, the misery was to about to be over with the first lineup announcement. As one final and cruel act of depravity, the website crashed just after noon as thousands of people rushed to take a peek. In fact, I've been writing this post as a way to keep my mind off of it. Yes I could look on Twitter or even ask Conway who I'm sure is doing cartwheels around his living room at the moment. I would really rather see it straight from the horses mouth. By the way, did I mention that the horse was this man?

Watch the announcement by the great Conan O'Brien here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HQS0ZVsN9g

Reading through the list, this is literally what I just said out loud: "Yes....yes! YES! YES!!! AWESOME! Yes! Nice! Oh, HA HA HA! AMAZING!"

First off, it looks like my Arcade Fire curse will finally come to an end. That alone has me over the moon. Add to that Big Boi, Neil Young with Stephen Stills, Rick Rosas and Joe Vitale, My Morning Jacket, Buffalo Springfield, the Black Keys, and Primus and you have a very happy man. That's nothing though really! The Strokes will be there as will Beirut, Twin Shadow, the Decemberists, Deerhunter, Sleigh Bells, Greg Allman, Cold Ward Kids and more. I let out a loud yelp when I saw that Justin Townes Earle was on the list as well. He's not my favourite by any means, but the idea of seeing his country twang while in Tennessee just seems too perfect.

For a full peak at what's been added today, go take a look yourself. Like what you see? Well guess what? More tickets go on sale this weekend at noon EST. Better hurry though, the last batch was sold out in two hours.

Now comes a new time to discover. As Conway told me last night his Roo routine consists of looking at the lineup and then hitting the internet to start listening to the bands he doesn't know yet. And that my friends, is how he is always in the know.

Ignoring the Grammy's

While I was in my egg ignoring the Grammy's last night, they handed out awards to three bands I have loved for years. I'm not complaining at all about missing the program. After all, I can watch the performances I want to see online today without all the over-the-top pandering to the industry. Still though, I would like to say a few things today.

First on Muse winning the best rock album; it's about freakin' time! The three-piece from Devonshire has been knocking people's socks off for more than a decade now. What I like about them most is that they really know their own formula and use it well. It really was true love for me when my roommate introduced me to their album Absolution. That mix guitars and electronic synth hooks on a synth still remains one of their best tricks.

Also, Muse really play up the fact that they are meant to be seen live. I got the chance to watch them before they were billed as "the greatest stadium band in the world." That was a bit much for me to take in, but let them have their fun. They know how to put up an amazing set with the Who level volume to back it. Also, aside from being an amazing guitarist, lead singer Matt Bellamy has an ability to belt out vocals in a way that no other mainstream rock band can. Seriously, there's none of that growling Kroeger-esque style heard in far too many bands. I played a song for my dad one time and he instantly starting comparing them to Queen. Go back and listen to Absolution, it remains one of my favourite rock albums of the 00's.

The second band that got some much deserved recognition last night were the Black Keys. Not only did they win best alternative group but they also took home best rock performance for Tighten Up. I have expressed too much love for these cats on here already...but what's a little bit more? They really did accomplish something great with Brothers. You need to look no further than the other powerhouses they were up against in the alternative category to see how big of an accomplishment this really is. Americans simply go weak in the knees for Vampire Weekend (I still think Contra wasn't very good, but that's just me). Great work for the Keys and they deserve it. Although in my books, as good as the album was - I think their sense of humour won me over just as much. When you get a chance check out their appearance on the Colbert Report. It featured a five-way, gangland style brawl versus Auerback and Carney, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, Stephen Colbert, and a member of the  National Academy of Recording Sciences. Laughs were had.

Finally, the Arcade Fire, again a band I have already harped on about. What I will say about their win for best album last night is that it really did deserve it. The Suburbs is an album that continues to grow on me after every listen. Every now and then I still discover something deep in their lyrics that I hadn't noticed before. I'll let other people talk at length as to what this album does for independent record labels (they are on Merge). I think I'll also leave the gratuitous sentiments of Canadian patriotism to be spewed by countless individuals who had nothing to do with the album. To celebrate this win, I think I'll just do what everyone should really do: listen to it.

In the end, it's just another awards show. I would like to think that none of the people I've spoken of set out to win anything when they started their creative process. That may be a little naïve, but it should be right. For now, let's just enjoy what we have to listen to and discover more music which will no doubt make headlines as 2011 moves on.

Ear Candy at the Movies

Awards season usually bores me, but this year I find myself transfixed with some of the music nominated at the Oscars. I clearly don’t mean anything in the original song category. Let’s face it, once you’ve heard one Randy Newman song and you’ve heard them all. Don’t get me wrong, I find the man charming and I would take him over any of those bullshit Cher songs they nominated at the Golden Globes any day. I just don’t feel he needs my attention this year.

No, in this case I’m talking about the music up for best original score. There was one film a couple of years ago that really made me take note of this category; There Will Be Blood. Scored by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, it was one of the first times that I watched a film and felt my mouth drop at what could be accomplished by someone I thought only had one trick up their sleeve. It really should come as no surprise how much I focus on a few of the musicians in the post.

The first soundtrack I have to mention is the one that I feel was snubbed. Those who know me clearly understand that I’m speaking of the Daft Punk scored soundtrack to Tron Legacy. This soundtrack, like the movie, was hugely overlooked by every critic this year. The problem that I really have is that I don’t get why it got so many negative reviews. In my mind it did everything a soundtrack is supposed to do and enhanced the movie in every imaginable manner. In the scenes focusing on some sort of epic discovery, Daft Punk brought out a sense of wonder. When the action picked up, the music swelled and the tempo really came out to play. The only reason I can honestly come up with for the mass dislike, is that it wasn’t a traditional Daft Punk album (Derezzed was the closest the came). Then again, that wasn’t what the masked duo set out to do. They scored the sequel to a farfetched movie from the 80’s. I think they did a damn fine job at it too.

The only thing keeping me from going completely off the rails with the Tron snub, is the accolades the score for the Social Network has received. Sure Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross made a soundtrack that was a lot different from the direction Daft Punk went in, but you can hear similarities in the two scores. Like most good scores, this one touched on the subject matter. Extremely moody and isolating, Reznor and Ross clearly got Sorkin's script. Yes the movie was interesting, but I found myself paying a lot more attention to the music. A lot of this score was so Reznor-esque that it might as well have been on the tail end of an early Nine Inch Nails album. Hands down the most progressive nominee this year, I would be totally satisfied if this one picked up the gold paperweight. 

The next nominee I want to look at really falls back into the traditional vein of this category. In this case it comes from Hans Zimmer’s score for Inception. A friend teased me this summer saying that she could instantly tell I loved this movie from the music alone. There was one tell-tale sign that tipped her off: a huge blast of horns. For some reason, every movie that I see that contains a massive wall of sound really gets through to me. In this case, it was Zimmer’s inclusion of horns from the slowed Edith Piaf song ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rein’ that gave the effect an actual reason to be in the film. Easily the cleverest use of music in any film this year, Zimmer brilliantly scored this movie in a way that enhanced every scene. Each emotion, fight, and that ever present sense of urgency was established even more with the music. As a former band geek – and one in the brass section at that – I really did appreciate the use of horns in this film. 

The three other films nominated this year are ones where the music really didn’t make much of an impact on me. Instead of talking about what they lacked, I would much rather finish off by speaking about a film in another category.

Like No Country for Old Men, this year Winter’s Bone created an immense feeling of isolation with its lack of music. But while the former was completely barren of a soundtrack, Winter’s Bone had moments of an ever-so-subtle rise in ominous music. It was this sparing use of song that made it one of the most tense films to watch this year. Most of the time that swell often lead to nothing, but it emphasized a growing sense of uncertainty among its characters. 

Whatever wins this year doesn’t make much of a difference to me. Like many of you, there are far too many films I didn’t get a chance to see, many of which I’m sure feature some fantastic original music.  So until then, I’ll just perk up my ears and listen every time I head to the talkies. 

Aren't you the ones supposed to be setting a good example for kids?

Whenever a fight breaks out in the music world, no one really wins. Today we got to hear the latest grumblings between the popular television show Glee and actual creative people. I really didn't want to wade into this issue, but a couple of ridiculous headlines forced my hand.

I'd like to toss in my two cents without getting into the arguments out there about how Glee adds little to progressing music or how much Kings of Leon have sold out. BUT, knowing how I have strong opinions about each, don't be too surprised if a couple of jabs pop up.

First some context. Over the past couple of seasons of Glee, there has been quite a few artists that don't want their music covered on it. Damon Albarn was one of the first to chime in when he said he didn't want to hear anything from Gorillaz given the Glee treatment. "Write your own music" said Albarn while being interviewed on the matter.

In fairness to show, they didn't ask. Albarn seemed both presumptuous and a little pompous for assuming Glee would actually want his music. But while he was going on the attack for seemingly no reason, he was making an argument about how bands don't need to sell their music to shows like Glee to succeed. It was a good point and it really had less to do with the content of the show rather than what it stood for.

But then there are the artists that WERE asked. Slash turned down Fox when they approached him to get sing some Guns 'N Roses songs. He just couldn't stomach seeing his music turned into bubblegum. Who can blame the guy either? When you're a bad boy of rock and roll, the wholesome nature of Glee is like a perversion of everything Slash has ever experienced. 

Then there's the latest saga involving the Kings of Leon. I'll be honest, I was surprised that KOL didn't jump at the chance to have their music heard even more. After all, in the past couple of years they have done everything they possibly could to sell their music. So like them or hate them, you really have to hand it to the band for showing some conviction.

Apparently the folks at Glee didn't care too much for that attitude. The show's creator Ryan Murphy fired back at both Slash and KOL in the Hollywood Reporter today. Murphy used his chance in the publication to allude that Slash was "uneducated" whose career was over. To KOL, he was much more direct telling the band flat out "fuck you."

Murphy went on to say of KOL: "They're self-centered assholes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It's like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of Glee all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music."

For a man that seems to think he sets such a good example for kids, Murphy should probably do two things: 1. look up 'Irony' in the dictionary; and 2. re-read the words he chose to share with the Hollywood Reporter.

Nathan Followill who plays the sticks for Kings of Leon and has never been shy about sharing an opinion and didn't wait too long to respond. On Twitter Followill used his 140 characters to say: "Dear Ryan Murphy, let it go. See a therapist, get a manicure, buy a new bra. Zip your lip and focus on educating 7yr olds how to say fuck." Not the most eloquent response, but he got his point across. He even went further to clarify the comment by saying he didn't intend them as being homophobic or misogynistic (although everyone jumped on him for being just that).

Followill's rebuttal, however sexist and insulting as it may have come off, was fair. Despite how he worded it I think when someone like Murphy attacks you in a publication, you are more than welcome to defend yourself.

Bickering aside, I think Glee needs to remember a couple of things. First, it's not their music to take. I can understand how frustrating it may be to lose content when you make a program with no original music in it. Sorry, but that's the risk you run with a show of this nature. Second, I fail to see how a few bands that dislike Glee have a "hate on for arts education." They simply have an issue with the program. I haven't heard a single word from any of these men that suggests kids should not take an interest in music. My third point to Mr. Murphy I feel should be taken very seriously: you cannot bully musicians into doing what you want. If you want your own music, then either write it yourself or have something commissioned. It's not yours to take and you are not entitled to it simply because you have a popular television show.

I really do applaud the work that Glee does to encourage kids, ESPECIALLY gay ones. However those who work on the show need to be reminded of an important fact: you are no longer the underdog. Glee is one of the highest rated shows on television and for some reason you keep winning awards. It's time to show a little class while doing it. If you keep on with this attitude, you're no better than any of the bullies your portray on your show. 

Concerts on the Horizon - January 25 Edition

Every now and then, my friends the Lauras (yes, there are two of them) and I exchange our picks for what gigs could be worth checking out. It's usually a tough process that reflects the usual Thunderdome rules: "Two bands enter, one band leaves."

Like many of you, I was noticing a pretty bleak outlook for the new year of concerts...until fairly recently. Give it time and things will pick up. So Lauras, here's my wish list as of now for Toronto:

Best Coast and Wavves - Sunday, February 6 - the Phoenix
Call Best Coast overrated all you want, I still like their music. Plus as readers of this blog will note, I'm a sucker for a good female vocalist. I could care less about Wavves, but I'm welcome to the prospect of being surprised by a band.

Interpol - Tuesday Feb.15 - Sound Academy
No more Carlos D...which could mean the band may lack something live. Then again, I saw them when he was still in the band and I wasn't really blown away with what he brought. OTHER than his suspenders!

Cold War Kids - Friday, March 18 - Lee's
Can we all agree that March is good for nothing? Here's hoping more bands like CWK will play some gigs. I saw them in England and have been wanting to see them again ever since.

Destroyer - Thursday, March 31 - Lee's
I haven't had a chance to listen to the new album yet, but I have heard good things from Criminal Records and Now Magazine about it. That's usually a good indicator that you should check out a band like this.

The Mountain Goats - Sunday, April 3 - The Opera House
Good friend to both myself and this blog Dan Boser is a big fan of these guys. You HAVE to trust in your friends who know music.

Cut/Copy w/ Holy Ghost! - Thursday, April 7 - The Sound Academy
If there was ever a good use for the Sound Academy, I'm sure it would be packing in a lot of people to dance. I love the 80's revival sounds of Cut/Copy and have wanted to check them live for a while. Sure hope their new album Zonoscope yields the same quality as In Ghost Colours did.

PS I Love You - Saturday, April 9 - The Garrison
JUST in case I don't get to see Death From Above 1979 during their reunion shows, I would like to see the next best thing. There I said it, sorry for making you a substitute PSILY!

The GO! Team - Sunday, April 10 - The Opera House
This concert will get you ready for the long slog through the week. High energy music from Brighton. Plus it's a Sunday night, so that means most of the kids will have to be in bed for school the next day. Fuck you All Ages Night! I got screwed out of gigs when I was under 19, so why should this generation be treated any different?

Foals with the Naked and Famous - Saturday, April 30 - the Phoenix
I saw Foals way back in 2007 while they were headlining a local music festival in Nottingham. They had just started to get a lot of buzz around them and were a lot of fun. As for the Naked and Famous...my buddy Dan Clancy pointed them out to me recently. Think good-natured melodies with a Passion Pit feel to it.

The Kills w/ Cold Cave - Sunday, May 1 - Sound Academy
Don't know this band too much, then again I've heard good things....so maybe?

...And You Will Know us by the Trail of Dead AND Surfer Blood - Tuesday, May 3 - Lee's
I would go to this show for the sole reason of how ...Trail of Dead and Surfer Blood make one epic title together! On the other side, this gives me something to look forward to in May. Both great bands. I'm in.