Shh!

Irene's is getting close to cornering the market on country rock in Ottawa; just a few hours ago I saw some veterans of the local music scene and some veterans of some other town's local music scene. First up were Rickity Ship with a more Velvet Underground-style take on frontman Darrell Angus' former outlet Golden Famile. Bassist Nate Hurlow and guitarist Richard Jeffrey were also Famile men, and Richard, Darrell and drummer Tim Matthews were also in the Half-Milers. There are a few other connections I won't get into. Let's just say "Music for Cats" and move along ... Oh, and Richard sang a cover of Pink Floyd's Lucifer Sam.


Rickety Ship, Irene's, April 19, 2008

Then Toronto combo The Shovels performed; country rock with originals and diverse covers - both traditional stuff (Long Black Veil) and less so (Judy Is A Punk). It was a swell show including a lot of dancing during the slow songs and twisting during the faster numbers.


The Shovels, Irene's April 19, 2008

These folks have resumes that include Jay Clark and The Jones, The Sin-Tones, Dodge Fiasco, The Midways, Heatseekers and Suckerpunch - actually that's just drummer Sean Dignan. I know guitarist Todd Gallant was in Jughead; I'll have to check out what steel man Larry Thomas and guitarist/vocalist Julie Tobbogan (to say nothing of bassist Jake Summers, off to the right outside the frame in the above photo) have done sometime when I'm less tired.

• Show reminder: Saint Bernard of Love and The Vespertine Choir play a free show at The Manx; Woodhands, Crush Buildings and We Fled Cairo play Zaphod's. Protest The Hero, Drillpoint and Today I Caught The Plague play a sold-out, all ages show at Babylon.

Antique glow

Kelley Stoltz's opening set for The Dirtbombs went off really well. I did kind of wonder how he hooked up with the other band for a tour, since one hails from Detroit and the other from San Francisco and their music isn't hugely similar. Now if it had been a tour with Outrageous Cherry, I could totally understand ... it turns out The Dirtbombs Ben Blackwell has worked for Stoltz, so there's at least one connection.

Kelley Stoltz starts off the band's first "jammy piano number" at the keys.



He soon switched places with Mark Nelson (at right in the photo below). Jamin Barton plays saxophone at left. He also handled the theremin (which is just tucked out of view behind him) and xylophone.



Guitarist Sean Coleman and bassist Kevin Ink both contributed to Stoltz's latest album, Circular Sounds and earlier efforts. Ink and Barton also play old-timey music - musical saw! - in the Ramshackle Romeos.



And last but not least, another Stoltz collaborator, The Legendary James Kim, who also performed in the recently disbanded Court and Spark.



Singalong action!



More Stoltz!



Ko Shih snaps.



And so on!





"They told us you were a tough audience."



And some extra guest action from Pat Pantano.



Certainly a band for fans of Gris Gris, Outrageous Cherry and the like to check out.

• Show reminder: Tokyo Police Club, Winter Gloves and Ruby Coast perform at Barrymore's. A Plot Against Me, Westpoint and Blond Remixes play at Zaphod's; ZUKU, The Creeps, Friendly Fire and Bury the Bully perform at Mavericks; Kent McAlister and the Iron Choir and Dustin Bentall perform at Irene's. Meredith Luce, The Burning Hell - Peterborough's Mathias Kom and some other folks - and Barmitzvah Brother Jenny Omnichord perform at Babylon.
  

Titans of trash

Thanks to some handy scheduling (for which I'll pay a horrible price in upcoming weeks) I managed to swing off two rock-heavy nights in a ray. On night No. 2 I went by Babylon to see Jay Reatard, The Holy Cobras and CPC Gangbangs courtesy of local promoter, music blogger and soon-to-be expatriate Calum Marsh. Locals The Holy Cobras opened with a brief set. The band features former Sweet Janes members (Danny Druff, formerly Grady Finch, Rodd and Chris along with new guy Daniel). They've divested themselves of some of their 77 punk leanings and headed toward The Cramps and The Gun Club. They stumbled into their own Stormy Weather, squealed and sauntered their way through another half-dozen tunes then called it a day. I picked up a copy of their new cassette on Telephone Explosion, Keep Your Hands Off My Stuff and it's cool too.


Holy Cobras - Daniel, Danny, Chris (at rear) - Babylon, April 16, 2008

Montreal sleazoids CPC Gangbangs held down the middle with a super set of sweaty Pagans influenced fuck-you punk rock. It was a first rate din. I think I've seen most of this entire disreputable lot in other incarnations. I saw Danny Marks and Roy Vucino many years ago in Los Sexareenos. Marks has switched over to drums while Roy still manhandles the six strings. Paul Spence used to be Lyle Sheraton in The Daylight Lovers (Roy was a member too, if memory serves). Any way, these guys don't need any more priors to get their trash rock merit badge. They nailed it right out of the gate and had the crowd thrashing about in short order.


CPC Gangbangs - Roy Vucino, Tom Kitsos, Paul Spence - Babylon, April 16, 2008

Jay Reatard is riding a high in the wake of his critically acclaimed Blood Visions album. I personally prefer his more trashed out early stuff, but his newer output has much of the same manic vigor. In person he's got a lot more hair than I imagined and looks not quite old enough to shave. He came with a rhythm section of equally hirsute character. His bassist also had a Flying V, which was cool. He ripped his way through a few numbers before disaster struck. Bassist Stephen Pope fried his amp, and when he went to grab The Cobras combo jobby he was ordered off the stage to seek the CPC Gangbang's Tom Kitsos and his amp head. Reatard riffed for a while along with drummer Billy Hayes then declared "Let's play one without him!" and thundered through a bunch of tracks sans bass. By the time Pope was ready to play again, there was just one tune left in the brief set.


Jay Reatard and Billy Hayes (at rear), Babylon, April 16, 2008

None of these troubles prevented the audience from going crackers. There was lots of moshing and crowd-surfing and enthusiastic demands for an unforthcoming encore. A rocking set, but I liked the Gangbangs best.

• Show reminder: Born Ruffians, Young Rival and Giant Hand perform at Zaphod Beeblebrox.

The bands come through

I can't recall exactly where or when I first heard of Kelley Stoltz - a rave in Mojo perhaps? - but I do recall getting a copy of Antique Glow, his second album, at Birdman Sound. Actually, I might well have picked it up just because it was on Corduroy Records out of Victoria, Australia. It wouldn't have taken much to convince me his bedroom psych was my bag, because as a general rule that's one of my favourite genres of music. As it is, he's one of the best and Antique Glow immediately persuaded me to seek out his first album, The Past Was Faster, and I've gotten everything he's done since, including the introductory EP on Sub Pop, his two subsequent full-length albums and his reworking of Echo and The Bunnymen's Crocodiles. It's all been high grade ... but how well does Stoltz's bedroom translate to the stage? After last night's show I can say - very well. It helps that he's got a solid crew behind him:Sean Coleman on guitar, Kevin Ink on bass, "the legendary" James Kim on drums Mark Nelson on keyboards and Jamin Barton filling things out on sax, xylophone and theremin as required (and I do mean "and" - he sometimes played two instruments at once).


Kelley Stoltz and James Kim, Babylon, April 15, 2008

He started out with what he dubbed a "piano jam", ran through some of his San Fran psych and finished things off by inviting Pat Pantano of The Dirtbombs on stage to add some drums to a Warlocks style sonic throbber. It was a very well-received set. The audience wasn't too mobile and kept their distance - I suspect about 99% of them were entirely there for the headliner - but they did applaud enthusiastically at all the right moments.
For The Dirtbombs they bellied right up to the stage - as much as you can belly up to a stage that's only a foot of the ground - and were right into it as soon as Benjamin Blackwell came on to start the heavy beat which defines the DB sound, followed by fellow batterer Pantano, Ko Shih (who's switched from fuzz bass to a Jaguar), bassist Troy Gregory and mainman Mick Collins. I've seen them a bunch of times and have followed Collins' music since The Gories, through Blacktop, King Sound Quartet, The Screws, The Voltaire Brothers and The Dirtbombs. My appreciation had actually dipped a little (I haven't got their latest - still waiting for an expected review copy) but it's been rekindled by last night's dynamite set. The most prominent impression is that they sound sharper than ever. I also really liked their new stuff, enjoyed their cover of INXS' Need You Tonight (out now on an Australian single), and remember someone waving around one of Blackwell's shattered sticks.


The Dirtbombs - Ko Shih, Pat Pantano (at rear), Mick Collins and Troy Gregory - Babylon, April 15, 2008

Their encore ended with the usual amount of chaos, with Blackwell wandering the stage wearing two drums over his head, Shish standing on his kick drum, Collins playing Pantano's drum while Pat conducted the rhythm and Gregory reclining on the stage left speaker stack. Blackwell wandered off stage, clambered back on (using my head as leverage) , lectured the crowd on their lack of shakin' all about and proceeded to coordinate a dance frenzy. I think he also tried to convince the crowd that Ilona and Daisy Szabo of The Felines, Jezebels, Hot Love, etc., were his sisters and had flown in especially for the show, but I was laughing too hard by that point to follow 100% of what he was saying.

• Show reminder: I'm guessing that I'll see a lot of the same folks tonight for Jay Reatard, CPC Gangbangs and Holy Cobras at Babylon; French skapunks PO Box, Fleeba and Shot By Jack play Zaphod's.

It ain't easy

Ty Hall and The EZ3 break with current indie band naming trends by actually containing a member whose name is Ty Hall and having three other people with him. For the chunk of the show I witnessed, Hall and his accompanying trio played an amalgam of urban R&B and nu reggae with a cover of Bob Marley's I Shot The Sheriff. I'm not thrilled by either form; despite being a big fan of rhythm and blues and appreciating old school reggae (Culture, The Congos, Heptones, The Abyssinians, Peter Tosh, etc.) and not so thrilled by their modern offspring. Thus THEZ3 weren't really scratching my musical itch on Monday last week. A lyrical fixation on the ladies wasn't helping either (the fixation part, that is, not the ladies part). I'll give them credit for being a sharp combo. Their audience won't be embarrassed to say they like 'em, but I'm not part of it.

Ty Hall sings!



Rob Kent shows off his moves.



Trevor Grey keeps the beat.



Nick Beaton burns up the frets.



And so on!









They've got several shows lines up; including a CKCU appearance May 1 and a show at the Bass Line Station the following day - then they head west.

• Show reminder: The Dirtbombs and Kelley Stoltz play Babylon.

Watts going on

As I mentioned earlier, Electronic & Western are a mysterious off shoot of the Art Burn Project. I don't know much about The ABP, but if I have things straight, the chap with the banjo in the first picture is Derek Atkinson and the guitarist is Bradley Sheffield. About everything else I know nothing - story of my life, really ...



Mandolin mania!



These low light pics turned out pretty nice, and I didn't even have my fast lens.





I chatted briefly with the Casio player and totally forgot to get her name. Me dumb, it late.



A banjo in his hands, a drum machine at his feet.







Special guest action!



Slo Tom asked if they wanted to do another number and Derek took a solo spin. The set had a few rough patches, but otherwise was an interesting attempt to combine folk and electronica. I could see them on a bill with The Fembots.

Coffee and Tea

There are a couple of shows this weekend I neglected to tell you about on my previous roundup; I'm going to tell you now because I'm wiped out from biking home and too damn lazy to work up an Electric and Western photo roundup: Tonight at Irene's, a new folk combo is going to take the stage to romp through a couple of sets. Mark McIntyre and Patrick Shanks have of course appeared on stage together in The Trudels and Solid Senders; along with Art Guise guy Jason Vaughan and glockenspieler Diane Lachapelle they are Cold Coffee and Salty Boots. Over at The Rainbow you can also see The Murder Plans, Tympanic and Tent Horizone.


Brockway Biggs, Navy Club, April 27, 2007

On Monday, hip hop connector Brockway Biggs, the relentless rap promoter formerly known as Pimp Tea, says adios to Ottawa for awhile at a Bytown Tavern show as he prepares for a lengthy cross-Canada tour.

It's a steal

Zaphod's free showcase shows are occasionally victims of bizarre eclecticism - with availibility the only factor leading to band's sharing the stage. I have fairly diverse taste in music, as witness my last bit of music buying landing me the Scorpions' debut Lonesome Crow, Nadja's latest fuzzed out death-doom opus, an album of piano pop from a Comets on Fire member, Finnish folk by Islaja, a Wanda Jackson collection, another double-CD set from Australian glam-pop combo Skyhooks, Nick Cave's latest, a lost soul gem from Marie "Queenie" Lyons, Jackson C. Frank's classic Blues Ran the Game and some French prog. All part of the training for a bill featuring comedy, didjeridoo, punk, ska, lover's reggae, funk, electronica and country and western. Granted, not all in the same act. The punk and ska came with Clepto, a local quartet of ska punks who told the gathered audience they were playing a jammier set instead of their normal fast and furious numbers since their lead guitarist was off in Montreal. Bassist Freddie claimed that wasn't actually true ... I guess I'll have to see them again to discover the truth. They certainly didn't sound like the stuff on their Myspace.

Rhythm guitarist Alex.



Drummer Philip and the most ska set of traps ever.



Bassist Freddie.



Faceoff action!



Leaping action!



Mid-song microphone problem action!



And so on!





Their next show is at the Mercury Lounge on April 13.

• Show reminder: Grand Theft Bus and The Soiree perform at Zaphod's tonight. Over at Mavericks Hello Terror!, We, The Undersigned, Man With Target and maybe Of the First Born Son play loud and fast.

Mix and match

My one day off this week was last night, and since the only show I could find was at Zaphod's (I learned about the Sadie Hell/Eastborough gig at The Manx just minutes ago, alas) I decide to swing by and check out some bands of which I knew nothing. The show was a third birthday bash for local promo thingermajig Kimmy Rocks. The opener was Paul Hinger, about whom I still know very little since I was too late to catch his set.

I did catch all of Clepto, who played jammy punk-ska. I don't know if that's their regular sound - the band's lead guitarist is off in Montreal. The started things off with a rendition of Fuck the Police. Apparently rhythm guitarist Alex had a close encounter of the legal kind a couple of weeks ago.



Next up were Electronic and Western, who bill them selves as a duo who combine country-folk sounds with electronica. They did have a drum machine, some piano sounds and as you can see from the photo below, a few guests, including Hinger on didjeridoo. It's an offshoot (or something like that) of the Art Burn Project.



Finally there was Ty Hall and the EZ3. Pysiedius couldn't make it, I guess. Hall and Co. play blues-funk-reggae stuff - not really my cup of tea, but they're a pretty together unit. As far as I can tell from the band's songs, their interests break down to 95% romancing the ladies and 5% shooting sheriffs (but not deputies).



I'll post more (and frankly better) photos later on when time allows and I'm less sleepy.

The land is strong

Another week, another bunch of cool shows I will completely miss due to work. At least I get Monday off, so I may just troop over to Zaphod's free showcase to see Pysiedius, Paul Hinger, Clepto and The Art Burn Project before they all become international superstars, or at least start charging.
On Tuesday The New Pornographers make another pass through the capital. As I understand it, this is the Neko Case-equipped version. The opener is the mighty swell Land of Talk.


Land of Talk, Zaphod Beeblebrox, March 24, 2007

Wednesday, Time Again, Machine Gun Dolly, Gunsmoke and Zero Hours shoot 'em up at Mavericks.
On Thursday, Grand Theft Bus and The Soiree perform at Zaphod's. Over at Mavericks Hello Terror!, We, The Undersigned, Man With Target and Of the First Born Son play loud and fast.
Friday, there's more action at Zaphod's with The Sin Kickers, Twelve34 and Sedrick.


Rock Plaza Central, Irene's, September 16, 2006

Saturday The Bible All Stars, Sick Sick Sicks and The Rookers help out our four-legged friends with a benefit for the Humane Society. Jetplanes of Abraham, Rock Plaza Central, The Ghost Is Dancing and Interweb Sabotage bring their collective talents to Barrymore's. Blazer, Camp Best Friends and Dusty Walker perform at Zaphod's.


Danger City Rebels, The Aloha Room, May 11, 2005

Sunday seems awfully busy with The Slackers and Bomb The Music Industry at Babylon; The Danger City Rebels at the Rainbow; Hellbros, Trevor Thompson, The Bronze and Flesh Cadillac at Zaphod's; Paint It Black, Cold World, The Wishlist and Constant Struggle at Mavericks and Farewell To Freeway, Shotgun Rules, Lifestory:Monologue and Assemble Me rip it up Cafe Dekcuf ... seriously, is it a holiday on Monday?