Best of 2010 : Top 10 Live Shows

2010 was amazing for live music in Vancouver, most notably due to the Olympic games and its twin component the Cultural Olympiad in the earlier part of the year. With all that being said, the cream floats to the top, and certain shows stand out as definitive. There's always those few shows that you mention over and over to friends, those "and when so-and-so did this... I FREAKED OUT!" moments that you can't help but relive. Below are those shows for me in the past year. I'd love to hear what yours were as well!

This past year, I had the pleasure of seeing several Vancouver-based artists several times, including Hannah Georgas, Said the Whale, We Are the City, Aidan Knight, and Dan Mangan. I was fortunate enough to cover the Vancouver Folk Music Festival once again, as well as play witness to the first rendition of the Live at Squamish Festival. For the full list of shows I had attended, you can check out my concert listings.

Without further ado... the top 10 ticket stubs of 2010. Links to original reviews or photos when available.

#10: Great Lake Swimmers at Vogue Theatre- January 29

#9: Malajube at Performance Works (Cultural Olympiad) - February 12

#8: Timber Timbre at Jericho Beach (Vancouver Folk Music Festival) - July 17

#7: Hey Rosetta! at the Orpheum - February 19

#6: Hollerado at Live at Squamish - September 4

photo: Skot Nelson

#5: Hawksley Workman and Jill Barber at Richmond O-Zone - February 17

#4: Diamond Rings at Biltmore Cabaret- November 20

#3: Mumford and Sons at the Vogue - October 23

#2: The Bonfire Ball (Jason Collett, Zeus, Bahamas) at Biltmore Cabaret and Sugar Nightclub (Victoria) - March 26-27

#1: Arcade Fire at Pacific Coliseum - September 28

Honourable mentions:
Library Voices, Paper Lions & Bend Sinister at UBC Pit Pub, Oct 29;
The Malahat Revue (Hannah Georgas, Jeremy Fisher, Aidan Knight, Said the Whale) at Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 18;
Hannah Georgas w/ Colleen Brown at Venue Nightclub - May 22;
Jamie Lidell at Venue Nightclub, June 14.

NEW VIDEOS : Live from the 2010 Vancouver Folk Music Festival!

Bahamas performs "Sobering Love," which is as of yet unreleased.



Bahamas, Calexico and Alex Cuba cover Prince's "Purple Rain." It was glorious.



Matt Epp melts a few hearts with his lovely ballad "This Old House."



The Deep Dark Woods perform their hit from CBC Radio 2's SongQuest, "Charlie's (Is Coming Down)."



For more live recordings like these, check out my Youtube channel.

NEW PHOTOS : Vancouver Folk Music Festival 2010

The 33rd annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, held at beautiful picturesque Jericho Beach, wrapped up last night with lanterns, song and dancing. The weather fully cooperated and there were many sunkissed and sunburnt happy faces in hats and bikinis. My best estimate in terms of attendance is ~4000. There were many in attendance who have traveled from other parts of BC, including Vancouver Island, to celebrate folk and folk-like music under the blue skies.

There were several personal highlights for me at the Folk Fest this year, the biggest being the Malahat Revue's homecoming show. The chemistry and interactions between the four artists/bands - Hannah Georgas, Aidan Knight, Said the Whale and Jeremy Fisher - brought smiles to the faces of the audience, and songs like Knight's "The Sun" were palpably lush with an intensity that's impossible to create with himself alone.

Other highlights include:

Shane Koyczan's moving poetry set to the competent backing of his band the Short Story Long.

The workshop Saturday morning with Tucson, Arizona's Calexico, Alex Cuba from Smithers, BC, and Bahamas (Toronto's Afie Jurvanen) where Cuba out-solo'ed Jurvanen on his own song, and the obligatory set closer "Purple Rain" was accompanied by Calexico's lap steel.

Daniel Champagne, a young guitarist hailing from Australia, blew everyone away with his amazing guitar prowess. He tapped and beat at his faithful acoustic and made amazingly rhythmic arpeggios of sound come out of the violence he was doing to that guitar. Definitely an artist I'm looking to check out more.

The Gertrudes and the United Steelworkers of Montreal accompanying Timber Timbre and magnifying TT's forest of eerie folk with their horns and strings. and that it was incredibly captivating to be enveloped in these moody, nighttime tunes under the beating sun.

For the full photo sets from Friday, Saturday and Sunday, check out my Flickr. And stay tuned for interviews with Timber Timbre and the Malahat Revue!

Polaris Music Prize 2010 - announcements and guesses!

Here are the details on this year's Polaris Music Prize:

The Long List of 40 titles will be announced June 17th. The Short List of 10 nominees will be announced on July 6th.

Both lists will be revealed live at events to be held at the Drake Hotel in Toronto.

The winner will be revealed Monday, September 20th at the Polaris gala and exclusively broadcast live to North America on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 86 and to the world on CBC Radio 3.

The event will be at at CTV’s Concert Hall studios at Toronto’s Masonic Temple and will feature live performances by this year’s short list nominees. It will be broadcast on MuchMusic, Saturday, Sept. 25th at 9 p.m. and midnight ET.

The Long List and Short List are determined by an independent jury of over 200 music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada. Eleven people are selected from the larger jury pool to serve on the Grand Jury. The grand jury will convene the night of the 20th during the gala to select the 2010 Polaris Music Prize winner.

The Polaris Music Prize awards $20,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. It is judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales. Past winners have been Final Fantasy [now known as Owen Pallett] for He Poos Clouds (2006), Patrick Watson for Close To Paradise (2007), Caribou for Andorra (2008) and Fucked Up for The Chemistry of Common Life last year.

The eligibility period for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize runs from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010.

And now, here are my picks for this year's long and short lists. After my last year's picks ended up being quite accurate considering the newness of my in-depth music exploration, I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring to make predictions again after a year's worth of increased understanding of the Canadian music scene!
[Ed. Disagree? Want to change my mind? You can always email me and make your case. brendahlee [at] gmail.com]

Likely short-listers:

Jason Collett - Rat A Tat Tat
Collett's latest showcases the story telling quality in his songs, the tight compositions, the near-flawless pop anthems he crafts about love and love lost ("Love Is A Chain," "Love Is A Dirty Word") and his sexy drawl of a voice. Although with a unabashed 70's influence, the album never feels like a derivative of times past but a morphing of the best of those elements to capture a contemporary audience.

Zeus' debut album brings to full light what those of us who had their EP and had seen their live shows have known for months, that these guys are phenomenal. There's not a single weak track on the album, and the talent is evenly distributed between the 4 members, with 3 songwriters and vocalists with distinct styles. The album flows from one track to another, from feel-good sing-alongs to fuzzed out guitar rock, with a unity which you rarely encounter in a debut album. Their cohesion and energy as a live band, as well as their skill in harnessing that bubbling, youthful creativity also swing the vote in their favour.

For all the close ties that the two bands have to one another, with members of Zeus being the backing band of Collett, I loved both of their albums for distinct reasons. However, I realistically don't think BOTH of them will be short-listed, simply because of that connection named above. And I can't imagine either of them winning, because their sounds are too nostalgic for an award that tends to reward innovation.

You Say Party! We Say Die! - XXXX
My favourite album from 2009 that's not already been nominated for a Polaris. I gave it a glowing review upon first listen and it's only grown on me over time. Their sound is polished, the raw animal that they are on stage purrs through the album and occasionally lets out a snarl. Producer Howard Redekopp deserves a lot of credit for being able to capture the energy of the album. And what is that energy? It's not only physical, but emotional and spiritual, as evidenced by a band who had undergone "Dark Days" and redeemed them for something greater. Which makes the recent death of drummer Devon Clifford all the more devastating. All in all, a mature, confident album that snuck up on me and turned me into a rabid fan.

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record.
I've listened through it countless times since receiving it just under a week ago in my email inbox; it has literally been on repeat, on the stereo in the shower, in my iPod during my commutes, and on iTunes when working on my laptop. Some of the songs are immediately intimate, and some are immediately catchy. Knowing the complexity of BSS' compositions, I can only expect them to unfold further over time. Members new (Lisa Lobsinger) and old (Emily Haines) shone on their respective songs "All to All" and "Sentimental X's." Call it the debut of BSS v.2, the pared down, leaner and meaner Toronto indie machine. Only time will tell if it'll reach the revered status of You Forgot It in People, but I would tentatively say yes. Some people believe that the extreme expectations from being the band that released one of the greatest albums in Canadian indie will hurt the perception of the latest album, but I haven't yet seen that backlash. Probably because the album is incredible.


Likely long-listers:

Rose Cousins - The Send Off
Cousins' latest is haunting yet soothing. An album that grabs you by the heartstrings. Rose Cousins' voice is like a pristine lake. Second half of album falters somewhat in energy and intensity...

Amy Millan - Masters of the Burial
Smoky, dark, lustful... the mood is right. The voice is heavenly. Being part of Stars helps, but there are many artists doing similar things.

Aidan Knight - Versicolour
There's the suggestion of greatness in Knight's debut LP, which is about the length of an EP. Hints of Broken Social Scene can be heard in opening and stand-out track "The Sun," which has the O'Darling on subtle group harmonies in the background. However, Not all tracks are equally strong, and it doesn't take too many weak songs to sink an 8 track album (pretty much just 7 as "Sorrows" is more of an intro).


Dan Mangan - Nice, Nice, Very Nice
I woke up in the middle of the night with a fit of shakes for forgetting the bearded bard of Vancouver. A comment from Kirk also helped. His latest is strong, propelled by the cohesiveness of his band, the earthy growl of his voice and his immense touring and consequent popularity across Canada. However, I can't overlook the relative weakness of his album compared to his live show, which has not harnessed the explosive strength that I mentioned above adequately. But, he has a great chance of making it onto even the short list.


Hannah Georgas - This Is Good
There's a lot of positive buzz surrounding Georgas prior to the release of her debut, with prominent ad placements and heavy touring. Her album is surprising in its variety, easily accessible and relatable, but perhaps too much so to be seriously considered by the jurors.

We Are the City - In A Quiet World
This (very) young prog/rock/pop group's debut (a lot of debut albums on my list...) is very cohesive, flows naturally, shows lyrical depth beyond their years and intelligent composition. Their live show demonstrates the chemistry of the band and how in sync they are with one another's musical tendencies. However, I doubt WATC is well known beyond BC, lessening the chance of them garnering enough votes to get on the long-list, which is a shame.

The Balconies - S/T
Imagine U2's sound in their early days, with the bright sparkling guitar riffs but more polished and skilled. Funny thing is, this trio has the reverse handicap of not being known very well outside central Canada. I doubt that's as devastating as not being known within central Canada, but I suppose we'll see.


Bahamas - Pink Strat
His solo debut apart from supporting artists such as Feist and Jason Collett shows that it's possible to serenade and seduce an audience with solely his guitar prowess. His live shows demonstrate that he's got amazing stagemanship to boot. Is that enough to get him on the long-list?


Thrush Hermit box set
... hey, Leonard Cohen did it ;)


Likely short- and long-listers that I can't vouch for:
These are all albums that either have received great critical reception although I may not have had the opportunity to purchase/review it, or are hotly anticipated releases from previously Polaris nominated artists.

Basia Bulat - Heart of My Own
Caribou - Swim
Owen Pallett - Heartland
New Pornographers - Together
Woodpigeon - Die Stadt Muzikanten
Holy Fuck - Latin (May 11)
Wintersleep - New Inheritors (May 18)
Shad - TSOL (May 25)

Who are YOUR picks for Polaris, short- or long- list? Who did I miss?

VIDEOS : Patrick Watson in a bar & Bonfire Ball favourites

Wow. Patrick Watson's drummer/percussionist Robbie Kuster never ceases to amaze me with his inventive accompaniment to Watson's floating falsetto. In this video courtesy of Watsonia, Kuster uses wine glasses to lay down a beat for "Big Bird in a Small Cage," played in a Japanese bar.

As an aside, if you go to patrickwatson.com, the results are pretty funny.


Patrick Watson & The Wooden Arms-Big Bird In A Small Cage (Bar session in Shibuya,Tokyo 2010) from Qetic Channel on Vimeo.

And of course, I'm not yet over my love-fest with the men of the Bonfire Ball. And of course, after such phenomenal shows, I think I'm allowed a good recovery period!

Like I previously mentioned, Afie Jurvanen, aka. Bahamas, does this cover of Al Green's "I've Never Found a Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)" which leaves no women and few men unmelted.



Next we have 2 new songs from Bahamas, which aren't on his current (and only) album Pink Strat. Tentative titles: "I've Got You" and "Never Again." I remember slow dancing to these songs during the show, and although the recording is not optimal, I assure you they were lovely.



Jason Collett does "Rave On Sad Songs" from his latest, fantastic album Rat a Tat Tat:



Zeus playing "I Know" off of their EP Sounds Like Zeus as well as their latest full-length Say Us. Featuring Carlin Nicholson on vocals and keys:

SHOW REVIEW : The Bonfire Ball ft. Jason Collett, Zeus & Bahamas x2

"yes, it was good... but was it Bonfire Ball good?"

As the previous comment suggests, the Bonfire Ball tour featuring Toronto artists Jason Collett, Zeus and Bahamas holds as the golden standard for live shows from this point on. Where do I even begin to recount the camaraderie and phenomenal musicianship that I witnessed? It would be helpful to mention that I had the pleasure of attending the show twice, first in Vancouver at the Biltmore Cabaret on March 26, 2010, and then in Victoria at Sugar Night Club on March 27. So this review will be an amalgamation of both of these nights.

Firstly, a difference between the two nights. The Vancouver show was oversold-- I was told that 500 tickets were sold for the Biltmore, with a capacity of 380. Needless to say, the place was packed half an hour before the sets began, which is when I arrived decked out in a gown as promised to Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3, who had challenged attendees of the Bonfire Ball to dress with the "Ball" part in mind. The bands looked visibly surprised to see a crowd of about 10 extremely well-dressed indie kids at stage right, and commented as such when I chatted with members of Zeus post-show.

The low stage and wideness of the Biltmore contributed to being much closer to the band. On the other hand, the Victoria show was considerably more sparse, and the high stage, combined with a well-placed disco ball and other effective lighting, made the show at Sugar resemble prom night in the '70s. I even was asked spontaneously to slow dance during a Bahamas number, which was very fitting. Also, by the time of the Victoria show, which was the tour's second night back in Canada after weeks of touring down south, Collett and co. had caught wind of the challenge to dress up and spoke warmly of CBC Radio 3 during the show. In what was their longest stretch of banter, Jason Collett remarked to an audience member, asking him why he wasn't listening to "the most important radio station in Canada," chiding him for losing his Canadian spirit so soon after the Olympics had left.

Onto the music! Like I had alluded to in a previous post, the shows featured Bahamas, Zeus and Collett in 3 hours of collaborative play, as opposed to 3 distinct sets. This allowed the studio recordings to really come alive with full instrumentation which so often doesn't happen with touring bands. And from the moment Jason Collett steps onto the stage alone, seemingly to tune his guitar but actually starting the show with an acoustic number, the audience's expectations about show sequences are turned upside down.

Never again will you witness so much harmonizing and guitar duets in a single show. Nor like Jen Polk noted for Sticky Magazine, so much testosterone-- i.e. sex, oozing out of fingers and voices. Although appearances did come into play, the appeal of the Bonfire Ball which drove the audience into frenzies were Bahamas' sly, dirty charm, Zeus' tireless enthusiasm and Jason Collett's commanding sway. It's hard to say which was the most popular act of the night, as excited expressions were made anytime the acts were shuffled up. However, when Bahamas was on, you could expect a sexy, bluesy number with smirks and jesting with audience members. When Zeus took the stage, you knew minutes of pure groovy pop bliss were soon to follow... but never knew who was going to play what. And when headliner Jason Collett headed the band, you were taken by his soulful drawl to an era of rock-and-roll that frankly, I wasn't even around to be nostalgic for.

And when the show resumed for the encores, the audiences were treated to an entire set of inventive and totally danceable covers. The Vancouver night saw Neil Quin of Zeus cover R. Kelly's "Ignition" without a hint of irony, and Bahamas' rendition of "I've Never Found A Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)" pretty much left no females with a libido standing. For the Victoria show, the 3 bands came together and covered Kylie Minogue's "I Just Can't Get You Out of My Head." Both nights also had the (better than Genesis themselves) amazing Zeus cover of "That's All," which is on their EP Sounds Like Zeus.

Do me a favour; see the Bonfire Ball if you haven't. And if you have, see them again. You won't regret it!

For another more thorough write-up, check out 3amrevelations by my good friend Kirk.
Below are the set lists from the Vancouver and Victoria Bonfire Ball shows:

Vancouver (1&2), Victoria (3):

More upcoming Bonfire Ball dates:

31 Mar 2010 20:00
Pawn Shop, Edmonton, Alberta
1 Apr 2010 20:00
The Legion, Calgary, Alberta
2 Apr 2010 20:00
The Exchange, Regina, Saskatchewan
3 Apr 2010 20:00
West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
4 Apr 2010 20:00
7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, Minnesota
6 Apr 2010 20:00
Majestic Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin
7 Apr 2010 20:00
Schuba’s, Chicago, Illinois
12 Apr 2010 20:00
Casbah, Hamilton, Ontario
13 Apr 2010 20:00
Starlight, Waterloo, Ontario
14 Apr 2010 20:00
Zaphods, Ottawa, Ontario
15 Apr 2010 20:00
Petit Campus, Montreal, Quebec
20 Apr 2010 20:00World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
21 Apr 2010 20:00
The Iron Horse, Northampton, Massachusetts
24 Apr 2010 20:00
Union Hall, Brooklyn, New York

Prepping for the Bonfire Ball

I thought I'd prepare any Vancouver readers for what's shaping up to be one of the best shows of 2010-- The Bonfire Ball, featuring Bahamas, Zeus and Jason Collett, all hailing from Toronto. Their tour, which has the three acts sharing the stage for one another's songs as opposed to 3 distinct sets, has already gathered rave reviews across the country. Another highlight is that a challenge has been sent out by Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 for all Bonfire Ball attendees to dress to the nines, like you would going to an actual ball. Can't wait to see if only a few indie kids glammed up!

Firstly, let's have Bahamas seduce you with his bluesy guitar. He opened for Amy Millan a couple of months ago, and half stole my heart since then.


BAHAMAS - Already Yours from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

Next, we have one of the most exciting upcoming bands out of Toronto, Zeus. Having played as Jason Collett's backing band for some time, these boys have since shown that they have more than enough chops to strike out on their own. When I caught them at Rifflandia Festival back in September, the first word that came to mind was "groovy."

Zeus - "Marching Through Your Head"



And last but certainly not least, we have the band leader, the rough and tumble veteran of the bunch. Collett, known prior to his solo career as part of the Toronto supergroup Broken Social Scene, is Canada's answer to Dylan. He has a characteristic drawl and a certain nostalgic warmth to his tone.



And here's a taste of what the collaborative show will sound like: Collett, Zeus & Bahamas cover Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" at Canadian Music Week in Toronto.



And for those elsewhere in Canada, here are the remaining tour dates of the Bonfire Ball:

26 Mar 2010 20:00
Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, British Columbia
27 Mar 2010 20:00
Sugar, Victoria, British Columbia
29 Mar 2010 20:00
Communitea Cafe, Canmore, Alberta
31 Mar 2010 20:00
Pawn Shop, Edmonton, Alberta
1 Apr 2010 20:00
The Legion, Calgary, Alberta
2 Apr 2010 20:00
The Exchange, Regina, Saskatchewan
3 Apr 2010 20:00
West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
4 Apr 2010 20:00
7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, Minnesota
6 Apr 2010 20:00
Majestic Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin
7 Apr 2010 20:00
Schuba’s, Chicago, Illinois
12 Apr 2010 20:00
Casbah, Hamilton, Ontario
13 Apr 2010 20:00
Starlight, Waterloo, Ontario
14 Apr 2010 20:00
Zaphods, Ottawa, Ontario
15 Apr 2010 20:00
Petit Campus, Montreal, Quebec
20 Apr 2010 20:00World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
21 Apr 2010 20:00
The Iron Horse, Northampton, Massachusetts
24 Apr 2010 20:00
Union Hall, Brooklyn, New York

The Bonfire Ball featuring Jason Collett, Zeus & Bahamas

Jason Collett, Zeus and Bahamas have announced a North American revue tour featuring all three artists performing together and alone during a night long set of incredible music. The three acts have a long history of collaboration, as intertwined as their musical lineage. Instead of the typical show in which each act plays its own set, Collett, Zeus and Bahamas will all take the stage together, playing songs by all three.

The tour comes on the heels of new albums for Jason Collett (Rat A Tat Tat, March 9) and Zeus (Say Us, February 23), and songs from both will be featured throughout the evening. The Bonfire Ball will kick off in March at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, wrapping in Kingston, April 17. Dates are below, with more to be announced.

Dates:
03/10/2010 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
03/11/2010 Guelph, ON E-Bar
03/12/2010 London, ON Call The Office
03/13/2010 Hamilton, ON Casbah
03/26/2010 Vancouver, BC The Biltmore
03/27/2010 Victoria, BC Sugar
03/29/2010 Canmore, AB Communitea
03/31/2010 Edmonton, AB The Pawn Shop
04/01/2010 Calgary, AB The Gateway
04/02/2010 Regina, SK The Exchange
04/03/2010 Winnipeg, MB West End Cultural Centre
04/13/2010 Waterloo, ON Starlight
04/14/2010 Ottawa, ON Zaphod's
04/15/2010 Montreal, QC Petit Campus
04/16/2010 Peterborough, ON Red Dog Tavern
04/17/2010 Kingston, ON Grad Club