OFWGKTA @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, May 15th 2011

"Swag! Swag! Swag! Swag!"

The excitement that rumbled the walls of Phoenix Concert Theatre in anticipation of one of hip-hop's most hyped new acts was like a force of hunger. 

Given the size of the crowd, the sold out copies of everything (unless you count the remaining XXL-sized tees), the associative united chants, and the pre-show mosh-pitting, the setting seemed more fitting for a punk band with legions of hardcore fans than a rap group that released the first record you have to pay for last week.

Such is the mantra of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, the teenage hip-hop collective of post-gangsta rap skate punks, who really don’t give a fuck about anything; and if they do, they’re putting a fantastic act on, and leaving some big-name media outlets satisfied to be in their gunpowder dust. 

Hey Rosetta! at Lee's Palace, February 24th 2011

Hey Rosetta! is a band from St. Johns, Newfoundland that just released a fantastic new album, Seeds, under Sonic Records. They employ cello, violin, and piano into a very rock-and-roll kind of sound, blending familiar energy into instruments not traditionally known for what is essentially pop music. And do they ever bring a house down. Their sold-out, two-night stop in Toronto was met with huge anticipation by the crowd, and did they ever deliver. Their encore performance, which consisted of a rendition of a great 80's song was especially awesome. It's always a please to hear an entire crowd sing along, even if it may not be to your own song.

Dirty Projectors @ Opera House, September 16th 2010

 

Last Wednesday, on a whim, my girlfriend and I decided to muster up $30 to go see the band that released what TIME Magazine called the 2nd best album of 2009. Surely an indie act that received that kind of praise would put on, at the very least, a decent concert.

And man, did they deliver.

Their latest EP with Icelandic singer Björk recently made waves on the music blogosphere, and for good reason; Dirty Projectors' frontman and creative force Dave Longstreth provides a terrific jarble of noise, off-beat time signatures, and quirky melodic guitar tones that perfectly complement the avant-garde direction of song Björk is notorious for.  Definitely one to check out if you're familiar with either act's musical style.

Sublime with Rome @ Kool Haus, August 21st 2010

At the height of my guitar playing teenage youth, there was always one genre of music that I absolutely LOVED to play; the not-too-serious rhythms, fun musical motions, simple chord progressions, and of course, soulful lyrical ballads of reggae all contributed to my eventual love of Sublime. The early 90s reggae/ska 3-piece out of California proved to be a very formidable band. Their success of 40 Oz to Freedom, originally released on their own Skunk Records label, became a smash hit, catching the attention of major label MCA and blasting the then-dubbed "college rock" group right smack dab into the limelight of music goers far and wide.

Dr. Dog @ Lee's Palace, April 14th 2010

Well now, it's not every day a band is able to bring the house down so eloquently as Philadelphia psycho-rockers Dr. Dog did. After a ride via taxi cab to hastily make the stage time of 9:30pm, I stumbled into the place just as the opening act Sean Bones (sorry guys, though you probably could do without my criticisms) finished their final song and trotted off stage. My backpacking-Korean friend accompanying us, after indulging him in a "famous Canadian pre-concert tradition", bought me a beer and we made our way to the front of the already packed venue. The buzz was building as the roadies set up the guitars, pedals, mics, and synths necessary for the band to dominate our ears with.

At long last they came out, playing the big rockers from their latest album Shame, Shame (seriously, this is the album that driving with the windows down in the summer was made for!), the classics from We all Belong, and, my favorite song of theirs, "Army of Ancients".

I've been to Lee's Palace a few times before, but I've never heard the acoustics there sound this clear. These guys absolutely wrecked my vocal chords with the delicious sing-alongs they coloured the venue with, and the crowd I was around was definitely into it, though that might have been because of my utter insistence to jump around whenever I wasn't taking pictures. They even came out for a couple encores, finishing the night off with the very excellent acoustic medley "Shadow People". If you get the chance to check these guys out in your town, definitely make the trip and pay the ticket price. Value-to-awesomeness, you're not going to find a better deal with any band. Thanks for coming to Toronto, Dr. Dog!

Surfer Blood @ Sneaky Dee's, March 6th 2010

Well, Surfer Blood is an interesting band. For one, they have made new waves over at Pitchfork with their record-selling blessing of the "Best New Music" insignia early this year, and have been enjoying an extensive tour (sure is cold in Toronto compared to their native Florida, eh guys?). For another, they are your standard indie-noise pop-rock-with-extra-little-original-but-not-really-hooks that generates a slowly swaying crowd of iPhone-dwelling hipsters that filled the "D" on Saturday night. For one more, doesn't their fucking synth/electronic drum banger look like Weird Al Yankovic?

I didn't really like these guys much. The opening acts were far more exciting and were at least hard to plant on the played out music spectrum this night revolved around.

GZA/GENIUS @ SOUND ACADEMY, January 25th, 2010

Here's one for the scrapbook, kiddies. This was my 3rd time seeing the GZA wreck up my hometown, and hoo boy was he just as flamboyant as ever. The man is pushing 40 and still has more vocal power than a good 90% of those in the game, including the young guys. If you ever get a chance to see the Wu, make sure The GZA is on label. He even brought Ol Dirty Bastard's kid out for a cameo!