Sunday, January 10, 2010

Things with strings

Last night presented an opportunity to see a bunch of acts I hadn't laid eyes on before. With the exception of The Property Line (who I saw at The Rainbow in May 2009) the lineup was unfamiliar ... or so I thought. The theme of the evening could be very loosely defined as "bands with one guy with an acoustic guitar in them."

First up was Laurent Bourque. Laurent grew up in Ottawa (I believe there were a few relatives in the noisy audience) but is now based in Montreal. For this show it was just him and a brief assist from Jamie Kronick of The Property Line (and many other bands). He promises to return soon so Ottawans can hear his songs as they appear on album "really wonderful ... overproduced and everything."

Laurent Bourque at Mavericks
Laurent Bourque and Jamie Kronick at Mavericks, January 9, 2010

Amalgamation played next; they broke with the theme. As guitarist Brandon noted "We sort of stick out like a sore thumb." They were a bit on the jammy side, with lots of clean guitar (cleaner than I'm used to that is, which means just about zero).

Amalgamation at Mavericks
Amalgamation at Mavericks, January 9, 2010

Old Crowns returned to the acoustic side. And as it turns out they aren't complete unknowns. Apart from Joel Soucy of The Property Line (and other bands) playing bass, Stephen St. Pierre is the lead singer. He's appeared on this blog (admittedly a while back) both solo and in Soviet States.

Old Crowns at Mavericks
Old Crowns at Mavericks, January 9, 2010

The Property Line finished things off. I remember them as sounding a tad more rustic back at The Rainbow. Last night they were firmly ensconced in the indie rock sounds of local acts like Amos The Transparent and The Acorn - or so it seemed to my poor tired brain.

The Property Line at Mavericks
The Property Line at Mavericks, January 9, 2010

The band said they were pretty tired too - they played in Toronto the night before, then drove home, which may be why stuff wrapped up by 12:30 - awful early for a four band show at any venue that isn't Zaphod's.
  • Show reminder: AfterParty, Harvey Cartel and In Antarctica perform at The Rainbow.

No comments: