Mechanical Forest Sound: cmw

Falling somewhere between club-level showcase and one of the big-ticket "event" shows that CMW attaches its name to for unearned cachet, my first sight at this show was of one of the city's more esteemed music writers being told by a functionary that because this was a "key" show — a designation that no one had previously heard of — photographers would not be allowed if if they weren't on a pre-cleared list. I guess at the last moment the international paparazzi didn't show up, and it was begrudgingly deigned that the locals could take their place.

Anyways, inside, there was a decent crowd on hand to check out DIANA. I'd last seen them at their very first live show and was curious to see how things were coming along. Given that their sonic identity was pretty well-established right out of the gate, I wasn't surprised that the changes here were more refinements than transformations. With a lot more miles under their belts (the band had just come off a string of dates opening for Tegan & Sara), everything was smoother on stage. Paul Mathew (on bass + guitar), who had been tucked away at the back in that first show, especially seemed more integrated into the group, now up front and flanking singer/guitarist Carmen Elle. Front and centre, her vocals remain the centre of attention here, but with the band's generally mellower stylings, she does sometimes look at a bit of a loss for how to channel her on-stage energy. While in her other project Army Girls², she's free to range across the stage, firing off guitar solos and rockstar poses, she paced around more tentatively here. It didn't affect her performance, but it did lend it a more contained vibe. Meanwhile Kieran Adams (drums) and Joseph Shabason (keybs/sax) masterminded the sonic textures.

It felt like the crowd was mostly unfamiliar with the band, but they were mostly willing to be impressed by the 80's-informed jams — Shabason's first sax solo garnered plenty murmurs of approval, though by the set's end there was a lot of background chatter building up. But this was good work, and the band is clearly prepared to start taking rooms by (quiet) storm.

10 p.m.: Chvrches @ Mod Club

This is the sort of act that festivals are useful for, as there's little chance I'd've gone out of my way to see something like this at a normal show. Glasgow's Chvrches have only a few released songs to go with a boatload of hype, though I came to this without having paid much attention to either. The drummerless trio presented with two sets of synthesizers (played by Iain Cook and Martin Doherty) flanking vocalist Lauren Mayberry. Launching with the electro-pop of "Lies", the initial impression was perhaps something like Ladytron covering Samantha Fox. Mayberry's vocal approach was generally light and airy, and the venue's big sound system provided the crunch via plenty dB's. The variations between songs mostly came on how far the band pushed them down the dance-y axis — my personal inclination had me enjoying things less the further they went in that direction. At it's furthest reaches down that path, it sounded like a bad dance remix of a Sundays tune.

All the bandmembers have served in other groups before this, and they were definitely seasoned stage performers, keeping the show moving. But they also weren't particularly engaging — as a frontwoman, Mayberry entertained with some chipper banter about Canada's contributions to the wider pop culture (she came up with Rush and Ryan Gosling) but didn't have much captivating to do during the songs. That was sort of taken care of for them at the set's climax when a cascade of bubbles sprayed across the audience, which seemed to surprise and delight Mayberry as much as anyone else.

I was neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed by the set. (Does a straight-up "whelmed" count as a sort of state of generic neutrality?) I was mildly rankled to note that the club was well-packed for this with excited patrons who'd never bother to come out to any number of local dance-pop units who are generically as good as this, but I guess that's the way of things.³

Listen to a track from this set here.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

[I skipped CMW on Thursday to celebrate Spring with Wavelength instead.]

Friday, March 22, 2013

9 p.m.: Maica Mia @ The Silver Dollar Room

Friday was my one full-on night for CMW, but instead of roaming too far, I planned to mostly stick close to the Dollar. It had been a year since I saw Montréal duo Maica Mia, but they'd left a good impression and I was eager to see what they were up to. Playing a bar rather than a loft was probably one reason that they were louder than I remembered, with drummer Jonny Paradise giving the music some forward thrust. But Maica Armata's voice and guitar still had a languidness that defied any attempts at too much propulsion. The upshot was that the band was a bit more Picastro (and less Mazzy Star) than I recalled — but that's definitely not a complaint. Given how long Armata was willing to crouch in front of her amp holding a single chord, it would be very interesting to hear just how much they could stretch things out outside of the constraints of a short festival set. This reaffirmed that they're worth seeing whenever they venture down the 401 to visit us.

10 p.m.: Patti Cake @ Velvet Underground

My one excursion from the Dollar took me down to Queen Street to see a set that was a striking counterpoint to the glacial sombreness I'd just witnessed. Locals Patti Cake traffic in something closer to exuberance — or at least that's the spirit channelled by frontwoman Kritty Uranowski. The recent fashion cover model sings with a smile and a brassy tone that tugs the whole band into a more cheerful, kodachromed landscape. That fits with plenty touches of classic 60's songcraft — including a pair of swaying backing vocalists. But the retro flourishes were countered by some more modernist signifiers, including one song's paean to Lindsay Lohan. Most of the songs here were quite fab, and the overall spirit was bright and welcoming, just right for a sunny day.

Listen to a track from this set here.

11 p.m.: Filthy Haanz @ The Silver Dollar Room

I didn't see anything else on the schedule grid to call me further afield, so I simply ducked back up to the Dollar to see what was going down. Made it back just in time to catch the start of the set by Filthy Haanz, another Montréal combo. This trio would do a lot of switching around between instruments (bass, guitar and keyboards getting swapped around from song to song) and the music reflected that changeable spirit, moving from mildly angsty rock to squelchy funk to sluggish reggae. I think the band was aiming at a sort of insouciant loucheness, but they projected closer to slacker-ish dilettantism. There was a point or two where they settled into an appealing groove, but they were never quite as funky as they aspired to be.

Midnight: Invasions @ The Silver Dollar Room

These locals brought with them the night's largest crowd, and there was no doubt that the raucous crew of friends were out to dance and shout along. There was a lot of energy in the music, but it never quite worked for me. In one of those totally subjective reactions, guitarist Alex Zenkovich's vocals just didn't appeal, and while I could sense where they were trying to take their music beyond basic surf rock clichés, the parts that didn't sound like they were on the verge of becoming "Stray Cat Strut" seemed like they were on the verge of becoming "House of the Rising Sun". Those are hardly unworthy antecedents to chase after (and neither were the Kinks, whose "Dead End Street" was essayed here) but for now I wouldn't say the band has found a satisfactory synthesis. Still, you might prefer to trust the packed-in crowd jumping and singing along here to my notions.

1 a.m.: Xray Eyeballs @ The Silver Dollar Room

Most of that crowd departed before the night's headliner took the stage, though this was the band the I was basing my night around. Silver Dollar booker Dan Burke can usually be counted on to make a canny choice for his festival hat-trick headliners, and I was all the more interested to hear 'em on finding out they were an offshoot of reverb-surfers Golden Triangle.⁴ This band foregrounded singer/guitarist O.J. San Felipe, backed by bass, guit/keybs, and a stand-up drummer. Armed with a drumpad alongside his Mo Tucker-ish setup, that hybrid percussion sound brings to mind locals Odonis Odonis, and there are a few appealing points of comparison here in terms of scrappy catchiness. But if OO's surfgaze draws something from the Mary Chain, then Xray Eyeballs have more of a Martin Hannett/early New Order chassis underlying their party rock as well as some art in their rigourously stripped-down aesthetic. That intriguing mix of sounds was enough to have me enjoying this quite a lot.

Listen to a track from this set here.

2 a.m.: The BB Guns @ The Silver Dollar Room

I was starting to wear down, enough so that I was wondering if I should just head home and miss a band that I'd seen on this same stage just a couple weeks ago. But it's hard to slip out on The BB Guns right now, given how they've really hit their stride. The "girl group garage" gang (with their début EP on the way) are pretty confident in their balancing of sock-hop sass and punkish attitude. On stage, that split can be seen in the way guitarist Alana deVee (all kinetic verve) works alongside vocalist Laura Hermiston and keyboard player Charlotte Marie's slightly more demure presence. Playing near the end of a cavalcade of festival acts meant that the vocals were a little buried, so the whole set came out a little more rangy and fierce than usual — but that's a good way to keep people's attention as the hour grows late. This is a band that's thriving in the local dives while playing at a really high level right now — you should see 'em while the moment lasts.⁵

Saturday, March 23, 2013

7 p.m.: Giant Hand @ Cameron House (Back Room)

My Saturday night was devoted to the final Long Winter show at The Great Hall, but en route I stopped in for one last CMW set — it's always good to try and show support for the folks who get stuck with the early time slots. Kirk Ramsay has been "half hiding, half writing new music," and hasn't been manifesting as Giant Hand much in the past year. That also made this a chance to hear a few of his new songs. On a first hearing, they weren't radically removed from his previous material — the guy who famously decided to take up the guitar after seeing a Daniel Johnston documentary is still working in the same vein of mining internal/external dread and investigating the spaces where the two overlap. A song on the piano, played with one-handed, two-fingered clawed chords was a new touch and a demonstration that just as you don't need more than a flashlight held up to your chin to tell a horror story, you don't need ornate musical backdrops to tell a story in song. Hopefully the next sighting will not be so long in coming.

Listen to a track from this set here.

¹ It has been a fair while since I've been to the Mod Club — in fact, I don't think I've been since they've had some corporate sponsor glommed onto the front of their name. I have no plans to acknowledge that, and unless said company is cutting you a cheque, I suggest you don't either.

² DIANA's recent success has meant things have been quiet in the Army Girls camp as of late, but there's some upcoming dates promised to make up for it. So far, the only one announced is a knock-out of a gig, with the band opening up (alongside Absolutely Free) for Moon King at The Drake Underground on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. Mark that one down as a must-see.

³ Anyone who wants to see some dance-y electronic musicians who are actively pushing things forward should come out for Silent Shout's showcase at The White House on Friday, April 19, 2013, featuring the peerless Tenderness and the rising force of Petra Glynt alongside Violence and Vierance. [FB event] And for those who are swept up in the hype, Chvrches have already announced their return on June 12, 2013.

⁴ Based on their various internet presences, it looks like Golden Triangle are definitely inactive, if not altogether defunct.

⁵ The BB Guns will be returning to the Dollar in support of Bleached on Thursday, April 25, 2013 — by which time we'll probably have clearer release details about their EP.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

CMW 2013: Highlights

All right. So, tomorrow I'll talk about the bands that I saw during CMW^*, but for now, I just want to think a bit on the experience as a whole — and look at a couple clear highlights.

Same shit, different hotel. Whenever I've headed down to pick up my wristband¹, it's always been a case of head down, plow through, get in and get out. Even still, I managed to catch sight of some of the "industry" types that give the festival a bad name — a lounge and lobby full of middle-aged dudes² — some attired in too-flashy clothes, the smiles a bit too plastic, others with a mellow swagger in that he's-hip-he's-cool-he's-45 kind of way. As always seems to be the case, I saw one of those types sitting down with a group of nineteen year old kids, selling that rock'n'roll dream. A couple tables over, a fauxhawked dude a couple years their senior was sitting impatiently, as if he were waiting for his image consultant to arrive.

Honest Reviews

With that in mind, I can say in full certainty that the best thing to emerge during this year's festival was the Slagging Off tumblr that appeared and quickly went viral. The site spent some time not-so-gently pointing out that a lot of the bands playing the festival really shouldn't be. When that snark is aimed at specific bands — young people who have undoubtedly put a lot of work into their projects — it can easily seem mean-spirited. But let's be honest here: you don't have to dig that deep through the listings to find a lot of bands that seem to be aiming at the blandest sort of mersh mediocrity, at subsuming even the faintest spark of originality to become a fungible widget in "the industry" — and oh, my, they are easy to make fun of.

That said, the site was at its best when it stepped back to make a more systematic critique of the "perpetual motion machine" of self-congratulation that the festival thrives on. This was the best part of the week because it sparked conversations, giving a lot of people cause to consider the festival beyond their own little bubble. It also called out people — people like me — who admit that CMW is on the whole a craptacular festival, but reckon that there's just enough interesting stuff around the edges that one could hold their nose and just sorta plow through it. Doing that, of course, means we — and me — are legitimizing it, letting the festival off the hook with a shrug instead of demanding something better. We're diving for dear life when we could be diving for pearls.³

The Last Pogo Jumps Again

Dir: Colin Brunton and Kire Paputts. Canada, 2013. 212 minutes.

I suppose I should be easier on the "suits" — after all, before they started peddling mediocrity they were on the leading edge once too, right? At least that's what I was thinking a bit while I was waiting outside the screening room of the Lightbox, the other early arrivals with their laminates declaring them to be VIP's, radio insiders or A&R wizards. Hey, maybe they still have some of that rebellious fire in them!

When we walked into the theatre, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was playing at ear-splitting volume — and with some sort of harsh white noise behind it.⁴ "Hotel California" and a few other AOR chestnuts would follow, with that sawing phased-out noise continuing. The people around me started complaining. "IT'S TOO LOUD!" shouted one.

I looked up from my newspaper.

"THIS IS A MOVIE ABOUT PUNK ROCK," I shouted back. "IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE LOUD!"

That got me a glare. "BUT THIS IS JUST NOISE!"

"THIS IS A MOVIE ABOUT PUNK ROCK," I shouted back. "IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE NOISE!"

At that, one of the middle-aged A&R types stormed out of the theatre to complain. This was a two-hundred-twelve minute movie that had people fleeing the room before it started. I took that as a good sign.

And yes, that duration is correct. Where the original Last Pogo was a half-hour near-verité portrait of a single night, this redux version is a three-and-a-half-hour comprehensive immersion into Toronto's original punk scene. A sort of visual companion piece to Liz Worth's Treat Me Like Dirt, this combines archival footage with new interviews with most of the scene's surviving members to flesh out a portrait of Southern Ontario's vibrant musical subculture. There's a whole pantheon explored here, from bands that are now considered groundbreakers to some that remain obscurities: The Viletones, The Diodes, Teenage Head, The Curse, Simply Saucer, Forgotten Rebels, The B-Girls, The Ugly and more.

A lot of the stories will be familiar to those with an interest in this music (and to readers to Worth's book), and a lot of the footage will also be familiar as well.⁵ But the real skill here is in the montage, in bringing all this material together into a coherent whole. Brunton, being personally trusted by the scene's original members (many of whom still apparently carry lingering resentments with each other), was able to wrangle facetime and rare source material while Paputts (as editor) shaped it into a cohesive (but never monolithic) narrative.

Along the way there are asides that never feel like an indulgence, such as seeing how the nonconformist "punk" mindset has served some of these people decades later in life, digressions into various outgrowths of the scene⁶, and above all music, the music, the music.⁷

A true labour of love, this film is a worthy testimonial to a brief spurt of under-documented and under-appreciated history. The great music that was produced in this little community never had a fair shot the first time around, and the best of it has managed to creep its way up from the bottom through the word-of-mouth and generational rediscovery.

At a personal level, I found this to be a powerful reminder of the importance of witnessing the great music that's going on all around us. Though weeks like CMW remind us of the need to stop coddling awful, bullshit bands (and the infrastructure that feeds them), seeing The Last Pogo Jumps Again also reminded me that we absolutely need to celebrate the amazing things that are going on here and now — not to wait for bands to get "buzz" or any other sort of approval from the States or Europe. I see local bands all the time that are miles better than the trendy, touring ones and we don't have to be shy about saying it. The good stuff shouldn't have to languish and wait to be rediscovered a generation from now. If only we had, say, a festival or something to celebrate the good stuff...

¹ And why, I might ask passingly, is it that the desk with the wristbands closes at six? Does CMW think that the bulk of the people covering the festival are high-flying international media with nothing better to do during the day, and not people who have to cut out early from work to deal with this?

² And I use the term "dudes" here deliberately — perhaps for the same reason that in the festival program book's page for out-of-towners, CMW's first recommendation for entertainment was a strip club.

³ There is so much that needs to be said about all of the issues that this website is addressing. But until I can find the time to crank out that essay (tentative title: "The Political Economy of 'Friend Rock' and the Deontology of the Folk Process"), I shall let it rest.

⁴ It's has been pointed out to me that the tunes were, indeed, mashed up with Metal Machine Music. (Hat-tip to Jamez for the straight facts.)

⁵ Besides the concert footage of the original Last Pogo, there were clips from the infamous CBC shock report and the underground short An Afternoon With The Viletones at New Rose.

⁶ I was especially intrigued by the forays into the second wave of Toronto's punk/new wave scene, which remains underexplored terrain. I've been especially grooving on The Government — and if anyone can send me a copy of "I Like Living in Scarborough" by leisure-suited new-wavers Swollen Members (not the Vancouver hip-hop band) — or get that up on youtube — I'd be fully grateful.

⁷ Also worthy of singling out was a masterfully edited presentation of The Mods' "New Breed", which cut back and forth between live footage from '78 and a reunion show 30 years later with time-melting intensity.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Recording: Chvrches

Artist: Chvrches

Song: Lies

Recorded at The Mod Club (CMW 2013), March 20, 2013.

Chvrches - Lies

My notes for this set can be found here.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

CMW 2013: Preview

For my introductory thoughts and some strategic pointers for surviving CMW^*, please see yesterday's post.

So, yeah, I bellyache a bit about the overall quality of this festival, but it's nearly impossible to concentrate this many bands in one place and not have some goodness. I went through the festival listings and selected bands that — with just a couple exceptions — I have seen before, and can testify to their entertainment value as live performers. Most of these recommendations come with a live recording from my archive, so you can get some idea of what to expect from them on stage. For more audio previews, you can always drop by showgopher, which has a handy grid and streaming audio for nearly all artists.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Jessica Stuart Few (Courthouse / 9:00 p.m.)

There's far from a full slate on the festival's putative opening night, so no one will question your decision to stay home/head elsewhere. If you did want to check something out, The Jessica Stuart Few are playing in the middle of a jazz showcase. Their sopisticated arrangements will fit in fine in that environment, but don't fence them in — there's going to be a lot more going on in the songs from their just-released Two Sides To Every Story.

Listen! The Jessica Stuart Few - At My Window

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

DIANA (Mod Club / 9:00 p.m.)

Slim pickings on Wednesday as well. Best bet might be the Mod Club, with the Scottish electropop buzz band du jour. But more impressive are openers DIANA, whose '80's-hued shimmering avant soft-rock has quickly become a phenom. Local fave Carmen Elle (also of the excellent Army Girls) is backed up by a band including some remnants of Everything All The Time (Kieran Adams, Joseph Shabason).

Listen! DIANA - Perpetual Surrender

Leif Vollebekk (Rivoli / midnight)

Vollebekk returns with a new album entitled North Americana, finishing off some of the songs he's been previewing live for a while now. There'll be an even better non-CMW shot at seeing him on Thursday, when he plays the Holy Oak Café at Bernice's spring equinox show.

Listen! Leif Vollebekk - Don't Go to Klaksvik

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Danielle Duval (Paintbox Bistro / 10:40 p.m.)

Duval could be your typical singer-songwriter type, but a powerhouse band behind her elevates her music to an exciting rollercoaster ride. (also Saturday at El Mocambo (Upstairs), 1:00 a.m.)

Listen! Danielle Duval - Ambulance

PS I Love You (The Great Hall / 11:00 p.m.)

In a festival-set-sized chunk, Paul Saulnier's guitar heroics always feel like a shot of adrenaline. Real rock for the death dreams set.

Listen! PS I Love You - Don't Go

X-Ray Eyeballs (Silver Dollar / midnight)

One of only two bands on this list that I have not seen perform, I'm confident in recommending them for two reasons: 1) they arose out of the ashes of surf/reverbists Golden Triangle, and 2) they have been hand-picked by Dan Burke as his now-traditional triple-headliner at his festival-within-the-festival NeXT. Simply put, you probably have to go see them on one of their nights — and if your festival options are ever failing you, the Silver Dollar should be your safety pick, cuz you know there's probably gonna be something good on stage. (also Friday at Silver Dollar, 1:00 a.m. and Saturday at Silver Dollar, midnight)

Friday, March 22, 2013

Let's Build Machines / The Wilderness of Manitoba (Revival / 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.)

A double-shot of Will Whitwham, with his textured "solo" project taking the stage a couple hours before Wilderness of Manitoba. The latter has been transforming a bit since the launch of their Island of Echoes album, with some lineup changes to make them a road-ready unit, but I presume the essence of their latest sound — folk harmonies with some new-wave splices to their rootsy grounding — is still intact.

Listen! The Wilderness of Manitoba - Echoes

Maica Mia (Silver Dollar / 9:00 p.m.)

When I saw 'em last year, I noted: "It's no mistake that this Montréal duo's new album is called Sparcity Blues — they make Mazzy Star sound like Motörhead." Maybe my #1 sleeper pick of the whole festival.

Listen! Maica Mia - Jonny-o

Persian Rugs (Rancho Relaxo / 10:00 p.m.)

This is your cardigan-clad antidote to short-attention-span buzz-band-itis. Persian Rug's C86-informed rock might go down like Cotton Candy, but the taste is guaranteed to linger.

Listen! Persian Rugs - Cotton Candy

Digits (Wrongbar / 10:30 p.m.)

Berlin-via-Toronto's Alt Altman creates DOR that's perfectly acceptable to the rockist crowd. His DIY equipment sometimes means that things can — and will — go wrong, but it also keeps his performances strictly in the moment. Add to that some well-written pop tunes, and Digits remains a superior electro-pop live performer.

Listen! Digits - Because It's Wrong

The Besnard Lakes (Lee's Palace / 12:30 a.m.)

If your idea of rock'n'roll includes bombast, fog machines, volume and guitar solos, this is where you want to be.

Listen! The Besnard Lakes - And This Is What We Call Progress

Mac Demarco (Sneaky Dee's / 1:00 a.m.)

Demarco's onstage persona is still somewhat sophomoric, but the craftsmanship of his slightly-bent guitar pop shows there's some sophistication behind that. (also Saturday, Parts & Labour, 1:30 a.m.)

Listen! Mac DeMarco - Baby's Wearing Blue Jeans

The BB Guns (Silver Dollar / 2:00 a.m.)

This self-proclaimed "girl-group garage" gang radiates kick-ass energy on stage, but also has a set filled with satisfying pop songs.

Listen! The BB Guns - Dear Abby

Legato Vipers (Supermarket / 2:00 a.m.)

You might not know the members of Legato Vipers by name, but this is a crew of some of the best players in the Guelph/Toronto axis. You might recognize 'em if you've seen, say, Del Bel, Bry Webb, Skeletones Four or Biblical lately — and this instant party is what happens when such crafty dudes turn their focus to surf-rock.

Listen! Legato Vipers - Brian Wilson's Beard + unknown

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Giant Hand (Cameron House - Backroom / 7:00 p.m.)

Returning to live performance after some time away, it's possible that Kirk Ramsay will bring some new songs about hope and optimism in this world. But were I given to bet, I'd put my money down that you're more likely to hear about demons, both literal and metaphorical.

Listen! Giant Hand - unknown

Beams (Silver Dollar / 9:00 p.m.)

Yeah, there's a banjo, and yeah, you might hear a murder ballad or similar old-timey number during their set — but don't mistake Beams for some sort of grim revivalist roots band. This rambunctious crew is a party, funeral and wake all rolled up in one package. With their debut album on the way, this is a boxcar you want to climb on now.

Listen! Beams - How Wonderful

Castle If & Cell Memory (Comfort Zone / 10:00 p.m.)

One of the most cryptic and intriguing bands in the city right now, Cell Memory brings sheer motorik drone, the songs filled with tension from holding still as much as possible while racing along nowhere Faust. Insistent synth patterns that burble behind floating clouds of guitar with Jess Forrest's vocals buried underneath it all, half-comprehensible phrases rendered more mysterious for being delivered in German. This is just one standout in a Silent Shout-curated night in Comfort Zone, which is well worth heading out for. (also: guitarist Cell Memory brings his solo material to The Garrison on Sunday, 6:30 p.m.)

Listen! Cell Memory & Castle If - Neuwellen

Lioness (Lee's Palace / 11:00 p.m.)

Death Disco as fierce as the animal they're named after, there's a simmering sense of anxiety at play here that you'll only notice once you stop dancing.

Listen! Lioness - Krokodil Tears

Cousins (Parts & Labour / 12:30 a.m.)

This stripped-down Halifax unit — usually a duo — still raises a ruckus. Classic rock as filtered through a clattering garage jam. (also playing, somewhat weirdly, an hour later at Rivoli)

Listen! Cousins - Die

Jesuslesfilles (Silver Dollar / 1:00 a.m.)

Garage-rock party, francophone style, la-la-la-la.

Listen! Jesuslesfilles - unknown

B-17 (Silver Dollar / 2:00 a.m.)

These nocturnal denizens hit the streets once respectable society has gone to bed and serve up a reminder of that every bad trip can be a road to good times.

Listen! B-17 - Another Nocturnal Day

Biblical (Cherry Cola's / 2:00 a.m.)

Splitting the difference between cough syrup and trucker-grade speed, Biblical bring a bad-news boogaloo with just the right evil late-night lurch.

Listen! Biblical - Nickle and Dime

Sunday, March 24, 2014

Revolvers (Annex Live / 11:00 p.m.)

Revolvers have moved beyond their Apocalypse Surfin' to a more confident, spacious psychedelic palette. With a new album in the can, expect to hear plenty of fresh material at this set.

Listen! Revolvers - unknown

Deep Space Cowboys (Annex Live / 11:00 p.m.)

An offshoot of the shockingly young/shockingly proficient Auras collective, this brings some hints of shoegaze along with solid hits of psychedelia.

The Mark Inside (Horseshoe Tavern / midnight)

The tough and uncompromising glare tells you that they've been hurt before — then the band kicks in and suddenly you realize there's a chainsaw being thrust right at your heart. Bourbon, regret and volume.

Listen! The Mark Inside - There is Nothing to Admit

Emma McKenna (The Garrison / 7:15 p.m.)

The Sunday night best-bet is probably this early-evening U-Haul showcase at The Garrison, with a quartet of intriguing acts. Most notable is the return of the talented Emma McKenna, who was seen as being poised for a big breakthrough a few years ago before easing away from the T.O. scene.

Listen! Emma McKenna - unknown

Monday, March 18, 2013

CMW 2013: Strategy

[Please note: My opinions haven't changed too much on the matter, so I'm re-running this strategy guide, first posted last year, with some minor alterations. A list of bands that I can vouch for will follow tomorrow.]

Canadian Music Week is not for you.

The powers-that-be want you to think of CMW^* as an equal competitor to NXNE — a buffet-style music festival with simultaneous showcases creating the autohype of too-much-to-see. But CMW is first and foremost a gathering for the remnants of the bloated corpse of the mersh music industry:

Now in its 31st year, CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK is recognized as one of the premier entertainment events in North America focusing on the business of music. We bring together Sound Recording, New Media and Broadcast for one spectacular week of events. [...] IF YOU’RE GOING TO ATTEND ANY INTERNATIONAL MUSIC CONVENTION THIS YEAR… Make it CMW 2013 – Where Music Means Business!

Amongst peers and people I pay attention to, there's a huge gulf in anticipation levels, from so-much-goodness delight to over-it eye rolling — a level of enthusiasm that's probably directly proportional to the number of times the individual has gone through this exercise before. I am, admittedly, skewing well towards the latter camp, but I shan't let pessimism get the better of me. Even if for every good band, there appears to be ten that are "industry ready from the shoes up!" it is possible to carve your own little festival out of the whole loopy spectacle and hopefully come out the other end feeling okay about the experience. To that end, tomorrow I'll offer a list of bands playing at the festival that I'm willing to vouch for. But first, here's a list of strategies that I have found useful.

#1: You probably don't want a wristband

For years, I bought into the mystique that a wristband brings. So many possibilities! Unlimited access! Etc. etc. But CMW is reaching a fairly audacious price point. Interestingly, the Festival seems to be acknowledging this a bit, with wristbands on offer for $60 — down from last year's $75. But still, it's not easy to get your money's worth with a full-price wristband. If you're going full-bore from Wednesday to Sunday, your cost per night isn't so crazy. But if you're focused on a more reasonable Thursday-Friday-Saturday the price is quickly getting out of hand. (Also interestingly, the just-plain-goofy one-day wristbands, on sale last year at $35 a pop, don't seem to be on offer any more.)

With a wristband, you're getting yourself into a bit of a crapshoot if you have must-see bands, especially if they're in any sort of high-profile showcase. Over the past few years, CMW has been opening the floodgates on individual show advance sales, which means there's less room for wristband holders. Read the schedule carefully. "Limited wristbands" is just that — sometimes it's not going to be a problem getting in, but at places like Lee's or The 'Shoe, it's just as likely to mean a handful — or even none are admitted. And for the prestige shows that the Festival has attached their name to, you're basically S.O.L. All things considered, if there's a band you simply must see, you're as well off buying a ticket for that and settling in for the night.

#2: Never wait in line

If you are going the wristband route, always have a plan B and be prepared to miss something you had been planning on. If you're show-hopping and you arrive at your next spot to find a line — keep going. Unless it's small and the previous set hasn't finished yet, in which case you can count on a certain between-set turnover. There's nothing worse than being stuck outside, so seeing a second-best option is far better than nothing. Be prepared to cut your losses and move along. Which is easier if you're planned for...

#3: Geographical clumping

You should always have an idea of where your next set is going to be and where it is in relation to other venues. And then plan realistically: if you had a 10 o'clock set at C'est What and an 11 o'clock set at Parts and Labour, ask yourself if it's physically possible to get there by whatever means of transport at your disposal. You should have an idea of how far you can get on your bike, on foot or with your Metropass in twenty minutes or so and never set up anything outside that boundary. And always keep in mind what else is nearby. For me, for example, my festival go-to zone is usually along the Spadina/College axis, simply because there's so many venues close at hand. And if it's packed, say, at the El Mo, then I know I'm only steps away from Rancho or the Silver Dollar, or a short hike to Sneaky Dee's or down to Queen Street.

#4: Know your curators

Having backups is easier when you can carve out the crap in that big grid and focus on showcases put together by a trusted authority. Look over all the "Presented by..." lines in the grid for any familiar names. I always know, for example, that I'm going to get no-bullshit rock'n'roll from Dan Burke at The Silver Dollar. Similarly, even if I don't know any of the bands, I figure I could go up the stairs to Rancho Relaxo and take a chance that Two Way Monologues have dug up something interesting. I'd say I'm open to listen to bands picked by, say, Silent Shout, Exclaim! or M for Montreal. And similarly, the presenters can serve as useful red flags as well: I'm automatically suspicious of anything under the banner of a commercial radio station or "lifestyle" brand.

#5: Ignore the Corporate Bullshit

On that note, there's a lot of weird industry stuff that you should just resolutely ignore. Whether showcases set up by child-exploiting pay-to-play agencies or the weird spectacle knows as "the Indies", just move along.

#6: Look for the Freeness

Especially if you're not busy during the daytime, you can see some top-notch bands playing unofficial shows piggybacking on the festival. The in-store lineup at Sonic Boom is a reliable (and all-ages!) spot to stop by for a spell.

#6: Consider your non-CMW options

As always, there's a lot of good music taking place independent of the festival, so if you're in a show-going mood but don't want to deal with any of the above, don't forget about the other shows at hand. No just name a couple, there's a very interesting Wavelength show on Thursday, and the Fucked Up-curated Long Winter on Saturday. And if you want a real alternative, Toy Piano Composers will be hosting a wonderful show on Saturday night with Montréal's Ensemble Paramirabo.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Recording: Absolutely Free

Artist: Absolutely Free

Song: Triangle^*

Recorded at Comfort Zone (CMW 2012), March 24, 2012.

Absolutely Free - Triangle

~~Full review to follow.~~ My quick notes for this set can be found here.

^* Thanks to the band for passing the title to this one along.

Recording: The Inbreds

Artist: The Inbreds

Songs: Get Along + Amelia Earhart

Recorded at Lee's Palace (CMW 2012), March 24, 2012.

The Inbreds - Get Along

The Inbreds - Amelia Earhart

Full review to follow, but my quick notes for this set can be found here.

Recording: Zeus

Artist: Zeus

Song: A Strong Mind

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (CMW 2012), March 24, 2012.

Zeus - A Strong Mind

Full review to follow, but my quick notes for this set can be found here.

Currente calamo: CMW 2012 (Saturday)

CMW 2012 (Saturday)^*

While these shows are fresh in my mind I want to get some quick notes down. I'm a nerd for not wanting to throw my full reviews out of sequence, so there'll be a fuller accounting of the night by and by.

4 p.m.: Zeus @ Sonic Boom

Unsurprisingly, after playing what I heard was the most-packed, line-around-the-block showcase of the festival the night before, this brought out the biggest in-store crowd to Sonic Boom that I've ever seen in the new location. The aisles were filled in, and there were lots of folks with little kids, which is always an excellent sign. On the cusp of releasing Busting Visions, their sophomore disc, the band was relatively clean-shaven and looking ready to prove themselves ("We have high hopes it," Carlin Nicholson told the crowd.)

Most of the set was new material (they only dipped into Say Us for "Marching Through Your Head") and it veers beyond the easy power-pop Beatles encapsulations that worked for the debut, with some 70's keyb wigginess and the occasional vague reggae lilt in the mix for the slightly more expansive songs. The set ended with the new album's title track, complete with what's surely to become a crowd-pleasing cowbell breakdown. The band mentioned they'd be back in town for a full, proper show at The Phoenix in June.

Listen to a track from this set here.

5 p.m.: Sandman Viper Command @ Sonic Boom

Even as the large bulk of the crowd slipped away, I stuck around to check out Sandman Viper Command. I'd been meaning for a while to cross paths again with this local quartet for a progress report. They have an engaging two-guitar sound, and Aaron Harvey's basslines kept a pleasingly bouncing momentum alongside Matt Meyer's drums. Overall, I'd say I'm closer to respecting than loving the band, but there's enough likeable elements here not to write them off — Dan Reardon's guitar work certainly adds the most interesting edges to the sound. The much-younger cadre that was up front for this really dug it, and when you see that a band like this has fans out singing along to themselves you have to figure they're doing something right.

6 p.m.: Writer's Strike @ Sonic Boom

There was general disappointment in the air that a much-anticipated set from Rich Aucoin was cancelled — everyone was curious to see how he would have fit his parachute and group dancing into the store's space. But in his stead, he sent his Halifax-based tourmates Writer's Strike. I didn't know anything about them, but I decided to get a taste. As it turned out, the band's sound could be described as sorta stereotypically "indie" with anthemic aspirations against vocals that move from yelpy solo vox to group singalongs. And lots of instrument switching between songs. To that end, I wasn't sure if I'd heard their "New York City" before, or if I was just familiar with all of its component parts. Regardless, it was admittedly catchy.

It also looked like they were learning some tricks from Aucoin that made them a fun band to experience live, from having lyric signs held aloft to encourage audience participation to a finale where they handed out homemade flags to turn the area in front of the stage to a lake of waving fabric. Not precisely my thing, but there's potential here musically, and they already know how to be engaging on stage.

9:30 p.m.: Connoisseurs of Porn @ Comfort Zone

After a dinner break with some friends, my night-time schedule wasn't particularly fixed. I wandered down to College and Spadina, figuring I'd see if I could find something interesting. Ducked into sets at the Silver Dollar and the El Mo, but didn't hear anything that made me want to pay closer attention. The free poutine at the M pour Montréal showcase was appreciated, though.

Wanting something less user-friendly, I wandered down to Comfort Zone for the showcase put together by Resonancity and Buzz Records. Given that this was a sort of weird little outgrowth on the festival schedule, it wasn't too shocking that this one wasn't running on "CMW time", but even early on, there were enough familiar faces arriving that it was pleasant enough to hang out.

The showcase proper started with Mississauga's Connoisseurs of Porn and the tone was set with vocalist Grant Spooner taking the stage dressed only in his underwear and a pair of piano key socks. Noisy stuff — spasmodic but not entirely untuneful — the music even occasionally veered into a co-ordinated stomp. Down in the dark netherworld of the Comfort Zone, this all made sense, and it was an entertaining ride. Plus: where else at CMW could you see dudes stumbling around in their underwear and screaming? (Well, to be sure, I'm not entirely clear what's going on in those industry suites.)

10 p.m.: Devin Therriault @ Silver Dollar

Wandered upstairs to a surprisingly quiet Dollar to see what was going on up there. Turned out to be Devin Therriault on stage. With just a bass/drums rhythm section behind Therriault, this had a stripped-down, scrappy feel, exhibiting a heavy Strokes influence but with an amped-up soul kick. One song brushed up aginst The Animals, and I got the notion that the band might have been listening to some Stax sides while mapping out their backing vocals. I wouldn't want to foreground that stuff too much though — it was there, but mostly as a leavening agent against the Strokes-yness. All told, a pleasant surprise.

11 p.m.: Whale Tooth @ Lee's Palace

My source told me that it wasn't too crowded up at Lee's, so I decided to switch up my plans and get up there for The Inbreds. Prudence dictated, however, that I shouldn't wait too long, so I jumped on the streetcar to get up there for the preceeding set. Obviously a tightly-run ship, I walked in right at the top of the hour and the band was just underway. And indeed, while it was getting busy, I had no problem finding a spot down on the floor in front of the stage.

The band turned out to be Whale Tooth. Though I'd never seen them play, I was passingly familiar with their music. I'd even seen frontwoman Elise LeGrow in her solo jazz persona a couple CMW's ago, so I knew that she had substantial talent as a singer. That voice as well as LeGrow's, um, physical presence were definitely the best things about the band — her propensity to leap in the air or spin around on stage dancing was infectious. And the four-man crew alongside her provided an upbeat, dance-friendly vibe with a high energy level. It was fun and definitely entertaining to watch though I wouldn't say any of the songs rubbed off on me.

Midnight: The Inbreds @ Lee's Palace

It felt like a pretty quick turnover after that, but then again there wasn't a lot to set up for The Inbreds — just bass and drums, of course. That I had come out to see them again a day after their in-store appearance would probably indicate the esteem in which I hold the band, though as they hit and stage and launched into "Matterhorn" I didn't quite get the been-waiting-so-long buzz that I'd felt the day before. But I could feel it being set off in the people all around me, and as the pair started to hit some of the material that they'd held back the day before, I could feel my joyfulness growing. When they launched into "Prince" — the first song of theirs that registered with me when I originally saw the band at a Hilario-era show opening for The Rheostatics — I was a little giddy.

There were a few more surprises in expanding things out to a full set, including a guest turn from Wayne Petti, adding his voice to "North Window". That was a lot of fun, though that was one of the few songs that Mike O'Neill couldn't quite catch up to. It was after that the set really hit its stride, with top-notch renditions of Winning Hearts' "Never Be" and "Get Along". Even the rough spots made things more endearing, such as O'Neill taking a mulligan to restart a solo during "He Never", and later ending another song suddenly when he managed to disconnect his bass cable.

It seemed like the band was taking an extra-long break while the crowd chanted for an encore, but the reason was apparent when drummer Dave Ullrich returned to the stage in an Elvis jumpsuit, complete with cape. Instead of returning behind the kit, he strapped on the bass while O'Neill took over the drums for a role-reversal version of "The Runaround". It was a little rangy but extraordinarily fun, and then they switched back to close the whole thing out with "Amelia Earhart", arguably their greatest song. So glad I went to this.

Listen to a couple songs from this set here.

1 a.m.: Absolutely Free @ Comfort Zone

I got back down to Comfort Zone to see the other end of the showcase there, with the last band already on the stage, but not too far along into their set. Absolutely Free is a rebirth, of sorts, with four-fifths of the members of DD/MM/YYYY reformulating and refocusing. As I found myself a spot, they were settled into a surging kosmische groove. There was a lot of gear on stage, and the members shifted around a lot, even mid-song. There was drums and bass and guitar involved, but there was also three keyboard stations, and there was usually more than one of those in use. At a few points, in fact, one member would even be using two of them, playing one keyboard, while reaching over to hit notes on another that was facing away from them.

Given all that, it's not surprising that there was a shifty sonic sensibility at play. The music was by no means formless, but think of it as sloshing around in a loose, baggy container rather than a constraining box. The vocals were textural and not particularly intelligible — even peaking harshly when they got loud. Easily diggable stuff. I was always more of an admirer than a fan of the Daymonths, but with that band's spastic edges replaced by a groovy trance, I think I'll be seeing more of Absolutely Free.

Listen to a song from this set here.

^* A note on nomenclature: for years both the industry showcase and music festival components were known as Canadian Music Week. But as of 2009, this was deemed to be too simple and straightforward, and the music portion was "rebranded" as Canadian Music Fest, under the aegis of the larger Canadian Music Week. I see no reason to put up with this and will simply refer to everything as CMW. This year, the name situation has been made more ludicrous with the addition of a top-level sponsor that has been smushed into the festival's name. I don't know what product they're selling, and frankly I don't care. I have no plans to acknowledge them by name and I suggest you do the same.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Recording: DZ Deathrays

Artist: DZ Deathrays

Song: Cops/Capacity

Recorded at El Mocambo (upstairs), March 23, 2012.

DZ Deathrays - Cops/Capacity

Full review to follow, but my quick notes for this set can be found here

Recording: Johnny Dowd

Artist: Johnny Dowd

Song: Emily/Meryl^*

Recorded at Comfort Zone (CMW 2012), March 23, 2012.

Johnny Dowd - Emily/Meryl

Full review to follow, but my quick notes for this set can be found here

^* Thanks to a commenter for passing the title along.

Recording: The Inbreds

Artist: The Inbreds

Song: Matterhorn

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records (CMW 2012), March 23, 2012.

The Inbreds - Matterhorn

Full review to follow, but my quick notes for this set can be found here

Currente calamo: CMW 2012 (Friday)

CMW 2012 (Friday)^*

1:30 p.m.: "A Lazy Afternoon" @ Saving Gigi

I started off the day at Saving Gigi, which is such a friendly spot that I never want to leave once I'm there. They were hosting a daytime show that was put together by Exclaim!, You've Changed and Kelp Records, with sets from Pink Moth, Marine Dreams, Adam and the Amethysts and The Weather Station (playing new songs!). Cozy times, but once it was done I had to drag myself out of there to get down to Sonic Boom for one of my most-anticipated festival moments.

7:00 p.m.: The Inbreds @ Sonic Boom

In the grand scheme of things The Inbreds may not be bigger than, say, Pavement — but while I didn't feel the need to see the latter on the reunion circuit last year, there was no way I could resist nostalgia's siren call of the 90's CanAlt duo. I saw 'em a handful of times on their original run, but not during any of the few previous times that Mike O'Neill and Dave Ullrich had gotten back together again, so the last time I'd seen the pair on stage together was back in '96.

No surprise, then, that there was a little rust as they led off with "North Window". O'Neill (who's been around town the past couple weeks playing the six-string while promoting his new solo album) especially looked as if he was trying to remember how he wrung the sounds he used to pull from his capo'd + chorded bass. But regardless, the massive endorphin release from hearing it had me grinning — and I briefly thought I was just going to start laughing like that guy who broke his hip.

By about the third song, though, the muscle memory was taking hold and things were sounding pretty steady as the pair joked on stage, tried to remember where they'd recorded the stuff and played selections from all four of their albums.

There's still some goddamn excellent songs here and while the "hits" were represented ("Drag Us Down", "Amelia Earhart ", "Any Sense Of Time") the band dug a little deeper too, making me think I should pull out and revisit Winning Hearts, their final album from '98, which seemed a bit disappointing at the time. The whole thing left me thinking I should drop everything and rewrite my Saturday night plans so as to be able to see their full set at Lee's. And if you don't have Kombinator and It's Sydney Or The Bush, I note that you can grab 'em electronically from drummer Ullrich's Zunior digital music site for $5.55 apiece. Essential stuff.

Listen to a track from this set here.

11:00 p.m.: Last Year's Men @ Silver Dollar

Dan Burke has a pretty solid record with his now-standard triple-night headliner format, bringing in unknown bands to anchor his programming at the Silver Dollar. So even though I knew nothing about Chapel Hill's Last Year's Men, I had them down as a must-see band. For a Friday night with a pretty stacked lineup, it was less-packed than I woulda expected when I arrived with the band already tearing through their set. But the crowd on hand — including The Pow Wows, who had been playing in the timeslot before them — were whooping it up. Tearing through strings on borrowed guitars, vocalist Ben Carr was wrestling with a Flying V while bassist Montgomery Morris toasted Canada (and its beers) in a charming Southern accent. Musically, "tasty grease" is the genre here, and I have no doubts that they'll be drawing some repeat customers when they finish up their stand tonight.

11:45 p.m.: catl @ Comfort Zone

No need to kill time between sets when you can just duck downstairs to the Comfort Zone, where the 11 o'clock band was just starting their last song as I walked in. I grabbed a drink and walked past the crowd in front of the stage to grab a spot in the dark zone off to the side where catl launched into a frenzy as the last notes from the stage faded. When I saw 'em a month ago, the band were a little bit out of their element on a brightly-lit, high stage, but in the dark and on the floor it felt just about right.

It was here that I was really able to get the measure of how new drummer Andrew Moszynski was fitting in with the band, the loud snap of the backbeat helping to drive the band's dance party energy. "The Blues" is one song that you can channel and play all night long, and that's the elemental boogified frenzy that catl tap into with reckless abandon. Soon, that little nook off to the side was filled with moving bodies and it was all a quick blur until they turned things back over to the main stage with the night's headliner all ready to go.

Midnight: Johnny Dowd @ Comfort Zone

I generally only get down to the CZ for festival showcases, so I don't know when they spruced the place up a bit. But the old mural/sculpture that was behind the stage has now been moved to the side of the room (it was behind where catl were playing, over by the bathrooms) which opened up the space behind the stage, which now features pattered brushed chrome walls. Lit with purple spotlights, it's a particularly '80's look. I mention this because the sleek retrofuturism that evokes was a perfect backdrop for Johnny Dowd, who was taking the blues in directions it never went before. Backed with a drummer playing an electronic kit and a keyboard player, the musical accompaniment was often gothy/industrial, making this sound like some weird mutant direction that the blues went in an alternate universe. Sorta like the difference between Jonah Hex and Hex.

Dowd, who looked like an avatar of hard livin'/still survivin', brought a vaguely desiccated weirdness to the stage — the old fashioned weirdness, where all your fetishes were sought out in seedy back alleys and delivered in plain brown wrapping. Veering into talky sing-speak, there were songs here that were more Ministry than Muddy Waters — in the best parts, while Dowd intoned about cocaine, coma-fied women and other temptations, the music had me thinking about bands like Nitzer Ebb.

When that weird edge receded and the keyboard player switched over to a straight-up Hammond-y sound, it was less interesting and more like talk-show-band blooze. But at a festival where there's a lot of twenty-year-olds labelling their bands "experimental" because they once heard a Radiohead album, seeing a senior citizen belting out a song called "Hot Pants (I Need a Spanking)" which sounds like Public Image covering John Lee Hooker, well, that's fucking next level shit.

Listen to a track from this set here.

1 a.m.: Monster Truck @ El Mocambo (upstairs)

Coulda stuck around CZ for the guaranteed good times of some bands I already knew, but decided to zag for a random adventure, and found myself heading up the stairs to the El Mo's "legendary"/dowdy second floor, another space that's usually off my grid outside of festivals. Walked in with Hamilton's Monster Truck taking the stage.

There are some people who might go to watch a monster truck show "ironically". This band is not for them. This is genuine, chug-groove, raise-your-beer rawk. Metal in that Led Zep/Soundgarden lineage, the band (who I could hardly see on the low stage past the packed-in crowd) included yowling, shirtlessness and surging keyboards driving things. Which is to say it appeals to the headbanging crowd rather than the moshing crowd, and while I'm a member of neither, I hew more towards the latter's music. So this wasn't particularly my sort of thing. But it was okay, and I enjoyed it enough that I stuck out the set, even if it was more in a casual hang out at the back sort of way rather than close-up, ardent observation.

2 a.m.: DZ Deathrays @ El Mocambo (upstairs)

I was also sticking around to check out Australian visitors DZ Deathrays, even if ninety per cent of those that were cheering on the previous band had split. That meant there was a lot of elbow room to enjoy the Brisbane duo, whose self-chosen genre of "party thrash" about covers it all. There's a lot (a lot) of DFA1979 in their DNA, and singer/guitarist Shane Parsons prefers a lot of harsh digital distortion, but the constant push from drummer Simon Ridley kept things moving. Parsons also made a couple moves down to the floor, setting up a loop and leaping down from the stage to engage in some mild chaos. This is pretty projectable stuff — you could imagine huge crowds singing along to songs like "Cops/Capacity". Good fun, and presumably you could catch these guys on their way up for a fraction of the cost of a big reunion show by a band on their way back down.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Mechanical Forest Sound

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Recording: Giant Hand

Recording: Xray Eyeballs

Recording: Patti Cake

Currente calamo: CMW 2013

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

CMW 2013: Highlights

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Recording: Chvrches

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

CMW 2013: Preview

Monday, March 18, 2013

CMW 2013: Strategy

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Recording: Absolutely Free

Recording: The Inbreds

Recording: Zeus

Currente calamo: CMW 2012 (Saturday)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Recording: DZ Deathrays

Recording: Johnny Dowd

Recording: The Inbreds

Currente calamo: CMW 2012 (Friday)

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