Little big men

A couple of weeks back I popped over to Pressed to check out Saint John quartet Little You, Little Me. There was also sterling opening set from local musician My Friend PJ (that's the name of his solo act; we've never actually spoken, though I've seen him perform with Brights, Gallop and David Little G). Here's PJ!



The other side of PJ!



A bit more PJ!



I can't say enough good things about LYLM, who have a sound that's a bit Weezer-like with a touch of Sugar. They were on tour behind a new single. Here's some singalong action with Corey and Geoffrey!



Michael hits!



Guitar action with Gavin!



Corey sings!



Extra Geoffrey!



Gavin sings!



More singalong action!



The whole lot!



Diminutive action!



Great stuff all around.

Hot to trot

After a brief musical hiatus, it was back out to the clubs for some indie rock stuff. Topanga and Wildlife have been getting some praise from the tastemakers, but  confess the locals wree a little more to my taste, starting with David Little G, a.k.a. David Gervais of The Gallop.

Singalong action!



PJ Catsiyannis also was/is in The Brights.



Paul Ross sings and hits!



Galloping action!



Anyone care to ID the bassist?



More singalong action!



Guitar action!



Extra David!



Another unknown galloper, stuck in the shadows!



The shouty bit!



Not quite the end ...



The end!



Very solid.

Lengths and depths

Off to Mavericks after a fairly lengthy (for me, anyway) break from shows. Must have been all of two weeks! Anyway, what was on offer were local lights David Little G and The Gallop and Yes Please & Thank You, joined by travellin' Torontonians Topanga and Wildlife.

First off, the highly enjoyable sounds of David Little G and The Gallop. I guess David Gervais was a member of the Gallop with a solo sideline, and he's since recruited his bandmates to back him live along with Brights chap PJ Catsiyannis. Here's David on guitar.


David Little G and The Gallop at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

Paul Ross mans the traps.


David Little G and The Gallop at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

On to the impolite sounds of Yes Please & Thank You. They were a pretty raucous trio.


Yes Please & Thank You at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

Lucas Mackenzie (of New Teeth) hits!


Yes Please & Thank You at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

Toronto's Topanga were livelier still, with lots of running around to abet they're breakneck, rambunctious indie rock sound. A bit like Archers of Loaf in a hurry.


Topanga at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

Mop-rocking action!


Topanga at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

Finally Wildlife rocked the stage. The crowd had dwindled a bit, but was still very enthusiastic. Drummer Dwayne Christie began by playing the wall, the floor and the light fixtures.


Wildlife at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

Singalong action!


Wildlife at Mavericks, April 7, 2012

All quite entertaining.

Night lights

When I first heard Living With Lions was coming to town, I thought "Hey great, I always did like controller.controller." Then my brain resumed working and I realizing I was thinking of Lioness. I went to the show anyway because I'd heard lots of good things about the bands on the bill anyway, and in the case of The Brights, the bands from which they sprung: The Transit and Riot Service. Had I actually caught more than a couple of songs from The Brights I would actually be in a fair position to comment. I'll just have to unfairly comment that i thought they sounded good but my photos were dull. At least there's enough for introductions ...

PJ Catsiyannis sings and plays guitar.



Bassist Ross.



Guitarist Dane.



At least the photo of drummer Chris Catsiyannis is a bit better.



And now we have Detroit's Fireworks, presumably named due to the various members' proclivity to shoot up into the air. We'll just start with airborne guitarist Brett Jones. Chris Mojan is back left - and unfortunately I didn't get a single good photograph of him.



Vocalist Dave Mackinder throws some signs. , Brett Jones. Kyle O'Neil, Chris Mojan,



Tymm Rengers on drums.



Bassist Kyle O'Neil.



Explosive action!



And so on!





And finally: More jumping!



They're lively lads.

• Show reminder: Melissa Laveaux and Marie-Josee Houle perform at Zaphod Beeblebrox (starting at 8:45 p.m. sharp, they say).

Let there be light

I was in the mood for another helping of guitar rock Sunday night, so I went off to Mavericks to see Vancouver punks Living With Lions, Detroit's Fireworks and local band The Brights. Yes, it's contemporary melodic punk - not normally my thing - but I've heard nothing but good things about LWL and Brights, and Fireworks come from Detroit, so how bad could they be? The answer: Not too bad, but no competition for Beach Blankets and Holy Cobras the night before.

I had a dinner date so arrived too late for Barriers, the Montreal band who opened the evening, but did manage to catch the last two songs from Brights. They did sound pretty good for all four minutes or so I heard, and their drummer certainly motors things along nicely.


Brights, Mavericks, November 23, 2008

I enjoyed Fireworks too, mostly as a photographer: There was lots of jumping! It was good pop punk, somewhat hindered by lead singer Dave McKinder being a bit under the weather.


Fireworks, Mavericks, November 23, 2008

Finally Living With Lions. I thought they were kind of conventional. Not bad, but damned if I can remember a lyric or melody (although that's my brain's fault).


Living With Lions, Mavericks, November 23, 2008

I've spent $10 on worse things, but at the end I was sort of thinking I should have gone to Zaphod's and checked out The Birthday Boys instead. Oh well!

• Show reminder: Carmen and Camille and Jacob Earl play Zaphod Beeblebrox.