Mayer Hawthorne and the County @ Opera House, October 15th 2010

So this is one of a few concerts that I went to in 2010 that slipped under the "post these" radar, and I accidentally left the photos on my hard drive, which have since been waiting patiently to be unleashed onto the world. Mayer Hawthorne's 2009 LP A Strange Arrangement instantly got my attention before it was released, as he is on my favourite record label of all time, and I trust any new artist they sign to bring something interesting and exciting to the table.

Combining a throwback to Motown-soul with low-fi, do-it-yourself recordings, Mayer establishes a fantastic niche that should please both longtime listeners of their folk's old records, hip-hop heads, and general likers of good music the world over. His is a great introduction to music from a simpler time, where classic themes dominated, singing in falsetto wasn't ruined forever, and tucking in your shirt was actually hip. 

If you haven't already, please, recognize:

Walking around Toronto

In one of my classes today the instructor had us bring our cameras to the lab and go out and take "newsworthy" pictures, like ones you would see that preface an article in the paper. Naturally I was ecstatic about the endavour, as I've been delving into photography for several years now and think I've gotten steadily better. It's a very fun hobby of mine, and one that I am constantly trying to get better at.

Here are some of my pictures I took today.

This little kid (complete with Buzz Lightyear action figure and gramma) was a pretty cool dude.

Streetcar was moving.

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.

Reflections of Saturday: The Toronto G20 Protests

The past weekend I witnessed downtown Toronto turn from one of the safest cities in North America to a near police state with mobs of people clad in black, faces covered, brandishing hammers, makeshift metal bars, spray paint, and war cries, all in the name of protest. The chaotic rumble plaguing what began as a very peaceful, coordinated, cooperating protest rally will no doubt be the red ink stain that blemishes the rightful, intended message of the groups protesting at the 2010 Toronto G20 Summit. I was there on Saturday the 26th, documenting what I saw with my camera, trying to provide introspection of what I witnessed. It was quite the experience, though I'm not quite sure if that is for all the right reasons. I'm sure those reading have been following the news and are quite familiar with the shocking turns the weekend took, though I hope to provide a unique, first-hand perspective that major media organizations can not.

Born Ruffians @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, March 14 2010

 

I never really listened to Born Ruffians much past that catchy "ah, ohh a-oh" song that seemed to be everywhere, even a Skins episode. Well, they put on a fun enough show at the Phoenix. In fact, it was very fun. Despite flagging with a bit of a lame album, their catchy two-step song skills made a really great night out of an otherwise forgettable band. Thanks for the mam'ries guys. Unfortunately their musical prowess wasn't enough to prevent the sag that was my girlfriend's wallet getting stolen at the show. It was eventually found, but it's the sort of thing that really impedes the whole "positive concert experience" deal.

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!

Hanging out with some friends around Kensington Market, and beyond

I've been trying to bring my camera around a bit more, just to capture all the interesting shit I run into every day. Toronto is a very amazing place to be, but what makes it especially incredible is all the little things you can find by just stopping to look around. Also, we have some killer taggers.

Found this somewhere in Kensington, and this picture really doesn't do it justice. That is some deep blue for being on the side of a house.

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!

THE MOST SERENE REPUBLIC @ HORSESHOE TAVERN

So I went to see The Most Serene Republic last November with some old friends at the Horseshoe tavern on Queen St. They were pretty goddamn amazing if I do say so myself. If you're a fan of drowny collective-based big bands who play with the obviousness of being great friends with each other, then definitely check them out. They sounded great, and played some good stuff from their first LP.