Always Enjoyable

By ben

Friday March 25, 2005

There‘s A Nice Line-up

A lot of folks were quite disappointed last Saturday when they showed up at Richard’s only to discover that the Decemberist/Okkervil River show was postponed. The Decemberists’ trailer containing most of their gear was stolen in Portland on Thursday and the band just wasn’t able to find replacements for almost $45,000 worth of gear – the majority uninsured. Ouch. Maybe because of the cancellation, Pub 340 got quite busy that same night and the crowd was treated to a good bill. Human Hi-Lite Reel started it off with an entertaining and more intense than usual set. True to their name, Abbotsford’s new-wave pop-punkers Fun 100 were a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Their “Computer” song is about as danceable as they get and bonus points to the lead vocalist who wore the same Mario Lemieux T-shirt that a friend of mine had in Grade 7. The night ended with Paper Lanterns who weren’t bad, but compared to the other two bands they were definitely bordering on the bland side.

I went to the Brickyard the next night. I thought I got there quite early at 10 PM, but I still managed to miss opening act, The Februarys, completely. Unfortunately the place was looking pretty barren with only about 20 to 30 people – I guess a decent showing for a Sunday if not for the fact that the Brickyard is so huge. Seattle’s Boat got on stage nevertheless, all (except for the drummer) wearing matching blazers with their band’s name stitched on the collar. The music was cute and endearing, with easygoing guitar, bass, keys and drum parts that were very 90’s indie pop. The songs were catchy and amusing with the type of chorus lines that stick in your head for days. The next band, Bend Sinister, with their high energy and heavier sound was quite the contrast to Boat. Some in attendance compared them favourably to Mars Volta. The final act, Evol-Hearted, displayed their musical prowess to what remained of the small but attentive crowd.

This Easter weekend is insane – everyone and her cat are putting on a gig somewhere in town. I only have so much ink, but I’ll try to touch on some of the highlights. The always-enjoyable Cadeaux recorded their brand new record Physical City recently and they are throwing a CD release party this Friday night at the Lamplighter with guests Bakelite and You Say Party! We Say Die! At the Butchershop there’s Speaking of Devils with The Precious Fathers, and in between sets you might be able to walk across the street to see Amy Honey at The Main. There’s a nice lineup over at the Pic with In Medias Res, The Notes From Underground, The Redscare and The Winks. The Asbalt is doing a benefit for The Golers, whose house burnt down, featuring Descention and Hong Kong Blonde. Bella and Primes will bring their keyboard stylings to the Brickyard.

Japanese post-rockers Mono are at the Media Club for an early show with Windows ’78. They will be immediately followed by a second show featuring Joel Plaskett and Peter Elkas. Plaskett, the ex-frontman of the mightily awesome Halifax band Thrush Hermit, is here to promote his latest CD La De Da – I gave that a listen the other day and it was swell. And who’s Peter Elkas? You might know him from the Montreal band Local Rabbits.

Saturday night Plaskett and Elkas are back for a second show at the Media Club. Bakelite and The Winks are at Pat’s with Curse of the Carousel Pony from Portland and Day and Age from San Diego. Before that you might want to check out Low and Pedro The Lion’s early show at Richard’s. But if you are like most and have already seen Low and Pedro The Lion a dozen times in the last five years, you are probably better off going to The Kills at the Red Room. The duo’s last show in town got rave reviews, and what did people say? White Stripes with 10 times the sex appeal? Get me a ticket. At Richard’s on Sunday one of the most anticipated shows this year. My guess is that half the people will be there for Bloc Party and half for Erase Errata (I’m more in the second category). The thing’s been sold out for weeks; feel free to pat yourself on the back if you have a ticket.