For some reason I got it into my head that school started at noon on Monday (actual start time: 8 a.m.), so I popped over to Pressed to catch touring trio The Courtneys and a couple of local bands, The Yips and Dreamphone.
It's been a little while since I saw Dreamphone, who are fronted by Les Allumettes' Jordanna.
Pressed has undergone a few renovations since the last time I saw a show there. I imagine it won't be long before someone from the Funboy Clubhouse is "stagediving" off that rail ...
Bassy action!
Percussive action!
The shouty bit!
Dreamy action!
Phonic action!
More drumming!
Barred action!
Now on to some out-of-focus phots of The Yips, who as usual had the audience shaking about. Things were a bit less sweaty than their Mugshots sets I've caught, but it was still getting mighty humid.
Fisheyed action!
Kerri lunges!
Faceoff action!
Jon hits!
And if you want to see more blurry Yips snaps there's always my Flickr photostream. The Courtneys finished the evening off. The Vancouver trio are back in Canada after a loop through the U.S.A. accompanying Tegan & Sara. They're playing Montreal (again) on Thursday, then make a stop in T.O. before heading stateside again. They say they like the Flying Nun sound, and who am I to disagree? Here's singing drummer Jen Twynn Payne, showing some Slayer love.
Cloesup action with Courtney Loove (possibly not her real name)!
A grainy Sydney Koke handles bass and banter.
Singalong action!
Sydney sings!
Jen hits!
A pretty good return on a bit too much lost sleep.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Stop and pop
I took another trip to the House of Targ Friday night to check out Amalgamation's finale show ("for a long time"), check out newish local outfit Sweet Alps (whose sound fits in well with Amalgamation's prog-edged indie rock) and Montreal power-poppers Dany Laj & The Looks, and spend most of my laundry quarters playing pinball.
Sweet Alps started things off. Here's bassist Colleen McKeracher, guitarist and singer Nicholas O'Gorman, drummer Sean Paterson and guitarist Jamie Bogue.
Nicholas sings!
Jamie frets!
Sean hits!
Singalong action!
More guitar!
Colleen sings!
Amalgamation have said they're calling it a day; I've caught them a few times since January 2010, when they were the sole mainly electric act among a bunch of acoustic acts.
More guitar!
Percussive action!
Bass action!
Even more guitar!
The whole lot!
Dany Laj & The Looks take their playbook straight from the 1970s school of power-pop, with nods to Dwight Twilley, Bob Segarini and others. Laj has a very steady rhythm section in his Looks as well, Jeanette Doling and Lewis Handford.
Singalong action!
Lewis hits!
Jeanette sings!
Extra Dany!
Bonus Jeanette!
Even more Dany!
Feedback action!
Faceoff action!
The end! For me, anyway - my new schedule gets me up at 5:30 a.m., so 1:30 was running a little late for me ...
Also, they stop running buses down Bank St. before midnight ... what the heck is up with that?
Sweet Alps started things off. Here's bassist Colleen McKeracher, guitarist and singer Nicholas O'Gorman, drummer Sean Paterson and guitarist Jamie Bogue.
Nicholas sings!
Jamie frets!
Sean hits!
Singalong action!
More guitar!
Colleen sings!
Amalgamation have said they're calling it a day; I've caught them a few times since January 2010, when they were the sole mainly electric act among a bunch of acoustic acts.
More guitar!
Percussive action!
Bass action!
Even more guitar!
The whole lot!
Dany Laj & The Looks take their playbook straight from the 1970s school of power-pop, with nods to Dwight Twilley, Bob Segarini and others. Laj has a very steady rhythm section in his Looks as well, Jeanette Doling and Lewis Handford.
Singalong action!
Lewis hits!
Jeanette sings!
Extra Dany!
Bonus Jeanette!
Even more Dany!
Feedback action!
Faceoff action!
The end! For me, anyway - my new schedule gets me up at 5:30 a.m., so 1:30 was running a little late for me ...
Also, they stop running buses down Bank St. before midnight ... what the heck is up with that?
Monday, May 12, 2014
Night owl no more
My new school schedule is kind of a show-killer. I have to be out of bed at 5:30 a.m. so I can get on my way to school at 7 (I'm a slow riser) on three of my school days, and unfortunately those three days fall after nights when cool shows are coming to town. However, since I bought my Kvelertak ticket prior to finding out my new schedule and am an irredeemable miser I forced myself to stay up to the late, late hour of 11:30 p.m. to catch some Norwegian hard rock, along with some local flavours of music.
When I walked into Mavericks local punkers four-stroke were warming up the crowd. Here's Mr. Smith and Kris!
Who is that masked man?
Guitar action from Joshua!
Drumming action with Brad!
Extra mystery!
Bonus Brad!
Four-fold action!
Surprise it's Ken!
Extra Smith.
Dead Air Republic were next on stage. This was my first time viewing and hearing; they're apparently fans of Motorhead, G'n'R, QOTSA and other hard rock combos. Singer Marc Bourgon certainly has a good radio-ready voice. I'm not sure they'll be pleased to hear I thought they sounded a bit like late-era Stone Temple Pilots .... here's bassist Ben Barnes and guitarist Richard Bent.
Gripping action!
David Maltais is the bands other axeman. The ocean of Orange behind him is actually Kvelertak's gear.
Percussive action with Mike Derstroff.
More Marc!
David sings!
Bonus Ben!
Loviatar really tore up the stage for their own short set. Look, I actually managed to take a picture of J.P. Sadek where he doesn't look hammered!
Bond'n'Shane.
Fretful action with Justin!
Extra Shane!
More Bond!
Justin sings!
More J.P.!
Blue Justin!
After a few minutes respite, the hour of Kvelertak had arrived! And, um, they really like owls, I guess.
Guitar action with Vidar Landa!
Kjetil Germundrod, and part of bassist Marvin Nygaard's leg!
More guitar! That's Bjarte Lund Rolland at right and Maciek Ofstad at left.
Erlend Hjelvik works the crowd!
Extra Vidar and more of Marvin!
Hair-shaking action!
Guitar-lifting action!
Singalong action!
Rhythm section action!
Marvin sings!
The end ....
For me, anyway - I had to split for home and bed.
When I walked into Mavericks local punkers four-stroke were warming up the crowd. Here's Mr. Smith and Kris!
Who is that masked man?
Guitar action from Joshua!
Drumming action with Brad!
Extra mystery!
Bonus Brad!
Four-fold action!
Surprise it's Ken!
Extra Smith.
Dead Air Republic were next on stage. This was my first time viewing and hearing; they're apparently fans of Motorhead, G'n'R, QOTSA and other hard rock combos. Singer Marc Bourgon certainly has a good radio-ready voice. I'm not sure they'll be pleased to hear I thought they sounded a bit like late-era Stone Temple Pilots .... here's bassist Ben Barnes and guitarist Richard Bent.
Gripping action!
David Maltais is the bands other axeman. The ocean of Orange behind him is actually Kvelertak's gear.
Percussive action with Mike Derstroff.
More Marc!
David sings!
Bonus Ben!
Loviatar really tore up the stage for their own short set. Look, I actually managed to take a picture of J.P. Sadek where he doesn't look hammered!
Bond'n'Shane.
Fretful action with Justin!
Extra Shane!
More Bond!
Justin sings!
More J.P.!
Blue Justin!
After a few minutes respite, the hour of Kvelertak had arrived! And, um, they really like owls, I guess.
Guitar action with Vidar Landa!
Kjetil Germundrod, and part of bassist Marvin Nygaard's leg!
More guitar! That's Bjarte Lund Rolland at right and Maciek Ofstad at left.
Erlend Hjelvik works the crowd!
Extra Vidar and more of Marvin!
Hair-shaking action!
Guitar-lifting action!
Singalong action!
Rhythm section action!
Marvin sings!
The end ....
For me, anyway - I had to split for home and bed.
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