Monday Roundup #166

Concert announcements:

Colin Fisher/Jeff Luciani/Diane Roblin/George Koller / The Emmet Ray 2024-03-25 (Monday – 6 p.m.). $10

Today Versions presents: 'Music From Five Mountain Station: An Earth Dancing Body Refuge Trip' (feat. Del Stephen / Key Cut / Newold Group) / Bar Orwell 2024-03-29 (Friday). $10 or pwyc. [FB event]

Exit Points #47 (feat. Zoë Alexis-Abrams/Youssef Bassit/Onophris/Bobby Gadda/Jury Tosh Kobayashi-Mackay / Xéynamay/Racha/Erik Flow/Measure/Michael Palumbo / Switchemups!) / Array Space 2024-03-29 (Friday). $20 at the door. cash/card/mobile. [FB event]

Joyshape (Molehill [Pete Johnston/Jake Oelrichs/Mike Smith] / Heraclius Akimbo with Gabe Girard) / Bar Orwell 2024-03-31 (Sunday). $pwyc, suggested $10

Orkestar Kriminal (Blisk) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2024-03-31 (Sunday). $25.50. [FB event]

Track Could Bend #90 (feat. Voidfemmes & Erin Corbett / Allison Cameron & Stephen Parkinson) / Wenona Lodge 2024-04-02 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Dun-Dun Land: Slight Return (feat. Dun-Dun Band) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-04-09 (Tuesday – early). $pwyw

Bernice (The Ruth Garbus Trio) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2024-04-10 (Wednesday). $24.34. [more info]

Audiopollination: Spring Flowers and Love edition (feat. David Sait/Sonia Leung/Sable / yasmine/Victor/Marilyn / %%30%30/Clay/Mania / Jessica Houghton/Pursuit Grooves) / Array Space 2024-04-12 (Friday). $10 (cash or card), livestream available. [FB event]

CLASS & The Oscillitarium Present: Green’n Out (feat. Hobby / Roy [Spoons For The World record release!] / Animatist / Biblical) / The Garrison 2024-04-20 (Saturday). $20, 19+. [FB event]

Welcome to Hipsville (feat. Ichi-Bons / The Kewpie Dolls / The Slow Drags / Fuzz Vultures / Thee Rogue Telstars) / Owl's Club 2024-05-11 (Saturday). $25. [FB event]

Opa Yallah / Burdock Music Hall 2024-05-18 (Saturday). $15. [FB event]

Is your show missing from this list? Submit it via this form!

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Shows this week:

Mike DeiCont Trio + 1 [album release] [Mike DeiCont/Eric West/Leland Whitty/Allison Philips] / The Rex 2024-03-17–18 (Sunday–Monday). $20. [FB event]

Surf & Turf [works by Fish Yu, Pascal le Boeuf, John Cage, Luke Blackmore, and Aurél Holló] (feat. U of T Percussion Ensemble) / Walter Hall 2024-03-18 (Monday). $free. [FB event]

No Octopus Dancing [Allison Cameron/Stephen Parkinson/Germaine Liu/Mark Zurawinski] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-03-18 (Monday). $pwyc

Gay Hollywood [Carmen Elle] / Three Dollar Bill 2024-03-19 (Tuesday). $15 or pwyc

Music hosted by Karen Ng (feat. Leap Year [Andrew Pacheco/Lowell Whitty/Karen Ng/Kae Murphy] / Whiskey Jacks [Dan Gooch/Jay Hay/Pete Johnston/Jake Oelrichs]) / Wenona Lodge 2024-03-19 (Tuesday)

Sebastian Bailey presents (feat. Sebastian Bailey/Nick Fraser/Marilyn Lerner/Rob Clutton) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-03-19 (Tuesday) [FB event]

CMC Presents (feat. DOG Ensemble, under the direction of Patrick O’Reilly) / Canadian Music Centre 2024-03-21 (Thursday). $15 Advance, $20 at the door; CMC Members and Arts Workers: $12 Advance, $15 at the door; Students. $10 anytime. [more info]

Makam Nights ["a shared space for makam learning and performing!"] (feat. Burak Ekmekci / Begum Boyancı) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2024-03-21 (Thursday). $pwyc. [FB event]

Ronley Teper & The Lipliners / Drom Taberna 2024-03-21 (Thursday)

Confluence Concerts presents Unsung: Music by some of Toronto's Finest Songwriters [curated by Andrew Downing] (feat. John Southworth/Justin Orok/Rebecca Campbell/Lydia Persaud/Patricia O’Callaghan/Teiya Kasahara/Maggie Keogh and more) / Heliconian Hall 2024-03-21–22 (Thursday–Friday). $25. [more info]

Dan Pitt [solo guitar] / Sellers & Newel 2024-03-22 (Friday). $15 minimum donation. [more info]

Siaka Diabaté x Raphael Weinroth-Browne / Array Space 2024-03-23 (Saturday). $22.63. [FB event]

Faster Presents: Juice?$#%* (feat. Happy Apple [Allison Cameron/Joe Strutt] / Brian Abbott & Ryan Kinney / Andrew Kay/Kayla Milmine/Bob Vespaziani / Liz Lima/Brodie West/Andrew Kay/Paul Newman [performing "Job's Anguish", a composition by Brian Abbott]) / Gerrard Art Space 2024-03-23 (Saturday). $pwyc, suggested donation $10. [FB event]

Ministry of Phonic Services presents: album release show (feat. Wilderness Adventure Ride [Owen Kurtz & %%30%30] / Germaine Liu & Mark Zurawinski) / Wenona Lodge 2024-03-24 (Sunday). $pwyc.

Drones Over Dufferin [improvised, ambient country music from David and Duncan MacKinnon] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2024-03-24 (Sunday). $pwyc. [more info]

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Video hits:

• Some beautiful footage in this restless travelogue accompanying Thin Edge's recording of Linda Catlin Smith's "Wanderer", from their recent collaborative Dark Flower album.

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It happened this week...

• ...on March 19, 2010 at The Horseshoe Tavern.

The Clientele - Never Anyone But You

• ...on March 24, 2010 at Sonic Boom Records.

The Weakerthans - Plea from a Cat Named Virtute

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Monday Roundup #123

Community notes:

• Good news from over at the Canadian Music Centre with word that Karen Ng has been selected as new the curator for the CMC Presents concert series. Expect cool things to be happening in the Chalmers Performance Space!

• Meanwhile, outgoing curator Nick Storring (whose last curated show will be at the CMC this week, as mentioned in the listings below) will be presenting a workshop entitled "Getting you and your music out there", examining "the ins and outs of publicity and promotion for independent composers and musicians trying to build a name for themselves in 2023." The event at the CMC on Friday (May 26th) is free with RSVP.

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Concert announcements:

Sunglaciers (No Frills / Pretty) / Monarch Tavern 2023-06-01 (Thursday). $14.50, 19+. [FB event]

Liquid Architecture: An evening of solo acoustic guitar (feat. Brian Abbott/Ryan Kinney/Kurt Newman/Patrick O’Reilly) / Mischief Makers 2023-06-03 (Saturday). $10 in advance/$12 at the door. [FB event]

Track Could Bend #80 (feat. Dan Pitt & Alexei Orechin / Lima/Roblin/Hall) / Wenona Lodge 2023-06-06 (Tuesday). $pwyc. [FB event]

TONE Festival (feat. Caroline Davis' Alula / Madeleine Ertel Trio [Madeleine Ertel/Steven Noronha/Jonathan Chapman]) / The Rex 2023-06-25 (Sunday). $27.12. [FB event]

Venus Fest presents: Year 8 LP release (feat. Queen Of Swords / CJ Wiley / Ivy Mairi) / Cecil Community Centre 2023-07-07 (Friday). $25.57. [FB event]

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Shows this week:

Estonian Music Week: Jazz Stage (feat. Kirke Karja Trio / Tania Gill Quartet / Marilyn Lerner & Matt Brubeck) / St. Anne's Anglican Church 2023-05-25 (Thursday). $27.96. [FB event]

CMC Presents (feat. Roa Lee / Araz Salek) / CMC Chalmers Performance Space 2023-05-25 (Thursday). General Admission: $15 Advance / $20 at the door, CMC Members and Arts Workers: $12 Advance / $15 at the door, Students. $10 anytime. [more info]

CCMC [Casey Sokol/John Kamevaar/Paul Dutton/John Oswald + guest: Cheryl Ockrant] / Array Space 2023-05-25 (Thursday). $free/PWYC, livestream available. [more info]

West End Phoenix presents WEPFEST: 3 Day Spring Fundraiser! (feat. John Southworth and The South Seas [album launch!]) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-05-25 (Thursday). $22.60 [more info]

c_RL (c_RL with Wenderly Park / Fish with an "F" [Brian Abbott/Andrew Furlong/Mark Zurawinski]) / The Tranzac (Living Room) 2023-05-26 (Friday – 6:00 p.m.). $PWYC. [FB event]

All Set Presents: Music by Mike Smith (feat. Mike Smith/Jake Oelrichs/Laura Bates/Kayla Milmine/Brodie West) / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-05-26 (Friday – early!). $pwyc.

Westelaken [I am Steaming Mushrooms album release!] (Little Kid [solo] / Only God Forgives) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-05-26 (Friday). $15 or PWYC @ door. [FB event]

Exit Points #38 (feat. magfoto/Delta-Sine/Kavi/Hrysovalanti/Sarah Imrisek / Youssef Bassit/Gayle Young/Astrolope/Spencer LeVon/Michael Palumbo / “Switchemups”) / Array Space 2023-05-26 (Friday). $20 at the door. [FB event]

Bill Gilliam/Eugene Martynec/Bill McBirnie [Outside The Maze album release!] / Annette Studios 2023-05-25 (Friday). $15 / PWYC. [FB event]

The Ryan Driver Sextet / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-05-26 (Friday)

The AMBiENT PiNG: Drone Day 2023/DRONE:KLUB:35 [live community drone event: droners, friends and audience are all welcome] (feat. dreamSTATE & friends) / Long & McQuade Clinic Hall 2023-05-27 (Saturday – 6 to 8 p.m.). $free. [FB event]

West End Phoenix presents WEPFEST: 3 Day Spring Fundraiser! (feat. Queer Songbook Orchestra) / The Tranzac (Main Hall) 2023-05-27 (Saturday). $22.60 [more info]

The Nilan Perera Quintet [Nilan Perera/Alex Fournier/Rick Sacks/Jim Lewis/Naomi McCarroll-Butler] / The Tranzac (Southern Cross Lounge) 2023-05-27 (Saturday) [FB event]

Dilly Dally [final shows!] (Bad Waitress / Breeze) / Lee's Palace 2023-05-27&28 (Saturday & Sunday). $32.33, 19+. [FB event]

Buffalo Daughter (Ingredient) / The Garrison 2023-05-28 (Sunday). $25.25, 19+. [FB event]

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It happened this week...

• ...on May 25, 2010 at The Tranzac Club (Southern Cross Lounge).

The Rent - Prospectus

• ...on May 25, 2010 at The Horseshoe.

The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site

• ...on May 27, 2010 at The Horseshoe (Pitter Patter Festival).

Epigram - The Strangers We Are Becoming

[Do remember that you can click on the tags below to go back and find the original posts (and often, more stuff) from these artists.]

Sunday Playlist #33

Sunday Playlist #33

The Weakerthans - (Hospital Vespers)/Bigfoot

Daniel, Fred and Julie - Your Love

A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose

Lisa Bozikovic - Wanting the Wanting

Diamond Rings - It's Not my Party

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Sunday Playlist is a semi-regular feature that brings back some of this blog's previously-posted original live recordings for an encore. You can always click the tags below to see what I originally wrote about the shows these songs came from.

Currente calamo: CMW 2012 (Thursday)

CMW 2012 (Thursday)^*

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.

5 p.m.: Martha Wainwright @ Sonic Boom

Nice to run into some familiar faces as I settled into the stage area at Sonic Boom, starting off my festival with some afternoon action. It's been a few years since I last saw Martha Wainwright — since Canada Day 2008, in fact — and to be honest, my first impression was how much more she looked like a McGarrigle than I recalled. For this quick set, she was playing the stuff that was at the forefront of her mind: all-new material from a just-completed album. As I recalled from seeing her before, I was more drawn to her wonderful voice and on-stage physicality than her songwriting — though the last song with its recountings of "make-up sex" was engaging.

Listen to a track from this set here.

6 p.m.: Simone Felice @ Sonic Boom

With a four-piece band and backing vocals shared all around, Catskills singer-songwriter Simone Felice brought a rambunctiously fragile rootsy sound. Felice's countenance made every song seem like hard-won battle, and this was good stuff, though I can say it's not really a musical direction that's going to captivate me all too often.

7 p.m.: Great Bloomers @ Sonic Boom

This is the second time or so that I've heard the new songs from Lowell Sostomi's Great Bloomers that'll be coming out soon on the band's sophomore album. And while there doesn't seem to be anything as indelible as, say "The Young Ones Slept" (which the band included in this set), there's a couple tunes there that I'm keeping an eye on. Overall, I do like the more rockin' direction that the music is going in — a more muscular approach that was reflected with the set-closing cover of Television's "See No Evil".

8 p.m.: Chains of Love @ Sonic Boom

Suffering from a bout of post-SXSW rock'n'roll flu (an ailment that was known locally this week as "Grimes disease") Vancouver's Chains of Love took the stage in a fevered haze that had nothing to do with musical enrapturement. They still managed to crank out a solid set, building a miniature wall of sound behind a series of songs that were as solidly constructed as a pair of boots that were made for walkin'. Nathalia Pizarro and Rebecca Marie Law Gray bring a lot of brassy attitude (and maracas!) to the stage — enough that I expected some JD to drive a motorcycle through the front door and up to the stage and squeal off into the sunset with them at set's end.

9:30 p.m.: Cold Specks @ The Music Gallery

Former Etobicoke resident Al Spx seemed to suddenly burst out of nowhere when it was announced that her band Cold Specks was signing to Arts & Crafts. I hasn't looked into the project that much, but wanted to take this in to try and get a feel for it without too many preconceptions. She brought a four-piece backing band (presumably mostly from her current home base of London, England, though local hero Jay Anderson was in the drum chair) and while they did an admirable job in fleshing out the songs, this felt very much more like a solo project than a "band."

Fortunately Spx had no shortage of talent to carry a longer-than expected set (going nearly an hour) where everything served as a setting for her powerful voice. Not a belter by any means, her vocals packed a low wallop without ever getting too showy. She was a nimble guitar picker, too. Cutting in a few different directions, this had a singer-songwriter heart underneath it all. And for all the talk about "doom soul", Spx leavened the tumultuousness in some of the songs by not being afraid to be goofy — at one point filling in a tuning break with a rendition of the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

She certainly won the crowd over, garnering a standing ovation before closing out the night with an a cappella (and microphone free) rendition of "Old Stepstone" filling the Music Gallery's church sanctuary space. Ultimately, the connection to Arts & Crafts isn't so strange if you consider her to be more akin to fellow new signees Snowblink than, say, Trust or any of the electro-y dance-friendly bands they've just signed.

Listen to a track from this set here.

11 p.m.: John K. Samson @ The Great Hall

A long wait for a streetcar after that made me think that there was no way I'd be able to make the start of my next set — even assuming that the venue wasn't already at capacity. But through a stroke of good luck, I bounded up the stairs of The Great Hall to hear the roar of the crowd and the sound of "Highway 1 East", the miniature that serves as the opener to Samson's Provincial album. As I found myself a space above the crowded room the four-piece band was seguing into "Heart of the Continent", and for awhile, it looked like Samson might just be playing the album start to finish.

It took a couple more songs following the album's tracklisting before there was a curveball, with the backing band leaving the stage for Samson to tackle the Weakerthans' "One Great City!". From there, he'd throw in a few more Weakerthans tracks, with the members of the band coming onstage to join him as needed. A bassist moving from electric to double bass provided a wide sonic range to support the songs, and the dynamic lead-guitar chair was ably filled by Shotgun Jimmie, who'd opened the evening at The Great Hall with his own set. During "When I Write My Master's Thesis", Jimmie put more vigour into backing vocals about academic citations than I ever imagined I'd see, holding his arms in the air above him in triumph as he belted out the word "Sources!".

All told, this was a really strong set, from the arm-raised-in-a-toast recitation of "Elegy for Gump Worsley" to a performance of "Pamphleteer", my all-time-favourite Weakerthans song, which I'd never heard the band do in all the times I had seen them. For another curveball, as the band got back to the louder material they did a cover of Jawbreaker's "The Boat Dreams From the Hill" and after closing the set on the quiet domestic note of "Taps Reversed", Samson strapped on the bass in the encore to play "Anchorless" (sounding baffled on reminding the crowd that the song was twenty years old) before closing the set with an unplugged, unmiced singalong version of "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure". Completely satisfying.

Listen to a couple tracks — something old and something new — here.

midnight: The Autumn Portrait @ Gladstone Hotel Ballroom

That pretty much took care of the planned portion of my night, and I found myself wandering down Queen Street, ducking into The Gladstone more or less on a whim. Didn't know who was playing, but it turned out to be The Autumn Portrait, who had driven across the country to play for about twelve people. Although their melodic modern rock wasn't particularly my thing, I sorta felt for the trio, but they made lemonade by inviting up the most eager members of the crowd to join them onstage to dance.

But it was satisfying that I ran into some friends there — random social encounters being as much of a festival reward as "discovering" a band. That felt like enough for the night, and I decided on my first evening of CMW I wanted to get home in subway time. There'll be a couple long nights to follow.

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^* 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.

Recording: John K. Samson

Artist: John K. Samson

Song: The Last And

Recorded at Soundscapes, January 24, 2012.

John K. Samson - The Last And

Full review to follow. A solo acoustic set from Weakerthans mainman John K. Samson brought out a packed crowd to celebrate the release of his new Provincial album.

Recording: The Weakerthans

Artist: The Weakerthans

Songs: (Hospital Vespers)/Bigfoot

Recorded at The Horseshoe, May 25, 2010.

The Weakerthans - (Hospital Vespers)/Bigfoot

My notes for this set can be found here.

Gig: The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans (Jetset Motel)

The Horseshoe Tavern. Tuesday, May 25, 2010.

This was a show I wasn't originally planning on. When The Weakerthans announced a gig at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, it didn't take me long to think that was more than I wanted to spend for a show at a bigger venue than I prefer — and anyways, I'd found the band getting a little staid, and a sit-down show in a soft-seater might just push the mellow envelope a bit too far. But after seeing The Weakerthans close up at their Sonic Boom in-store and being reminded why I dig them, a second chance arose with this hastily-arranged add-on show. Billed as a special fundraiser for Library Voices¹, here was a chance to see the band in much more intimate circumstances — and in an environment that might inspire them to some extra rockin' out.

Walked down to the 'Shoe, arriving to find a decent crowd — there looked to be a good turnout from the savvy, slightly-older demographic, the type who don't go to as many shows as they used to, and when they do, they come down early to grab a seat before things fill up. Jetset Motel were on stage and getting ready to play.

Originally from St. John's but now based in Toronto, the band came together while backing up singer/guitarist David Picco, touring his 2006 solo album Saturday Night Sunday Morning. Under the band name, they've apparently rocked-up their sound a bit on their recently-released self-titled album.

Calling to mind, say, early Wilco, the songs were admirable in their unfussy rigour — tightly constructed little roots-rock-tinged packages. The first few tunes followed the template of Picco on acoustic guit providing the framework for Jimmy Rose's electric work, keeping things lively but never distracting from the lyrics. The same applied to the tugboat rhythm section that kept things buoyant without diverting much attention away from the songs.

Picco switched to an electric guitar later on in the set, which added some more country-honk swagger, and there was a nice bit of contrast with Rose taking lead vocals for one song that had a bit of a rougher, rangier flavour to it.

The band was likable in an unpretentious way, but not especially likable. Which is to say they were entertaining for the duration of the set, but I wasn't strongly struck by the desire to dig for more. They're working from a strong base and will probably appeal to the roots-rock minded, but don't really stand out from the crowd as of yet.

The floor had well filled in between sets, but there was elbow room and a fairly relaxed sort of vibe. I could've done without the woman behind me singing along — to pretty much every lyric of every song. Then again, I could see several other people also singing along. It was that kind of crowd.

The Weakerthans took the stage with a slow intake of breath of in sonnet form ("Past-Due") before roaring to full rock'n'roll life with "Plea from a Cat Named Virtute", and for a little while, everything was pretty close to feeling exactly right. The quartet's sound was filled out with the addition of super-utility player Rusty Matyas² adding trumpet, keyb and a bit of guitar where required.

An energetic run through "Our Retired Explorer" anchored an early focus on 2003's beloved Reconstruction Site. Perhaps because this was some of the band's material that I dig the most, it felt quite incredible for the first twenty minutes or so — this was certainly the close-up, rockin' show that I was hoping for.

Such intensity is hard to maintain, though, and perhaps wisely the band didn't try, letting the energy level drop off a bit after that with the dirge-y waltz "Leash" (from '99's debut Fallow). That was a good bridge to "One Great City!", with John K. Samson left alone on stage to sing along with the crowd — and by now everyone was singing along.³ Even with the band returning, the quieter tone was extended on a joined version of "(Hospital Vespers)" and "Bigfoot!" that was unexpectedly affecting.

It was only after forty minutes that Samson engaged the crowd in more than his customary between-songs aw-shucks-like "Thanks!", commenting, after an energetic close to boppy mash-note "The Reasons", "I think I hurt my head there, headbanging. I feel like I have a slurpee headache right now" — a particularly Manitoban thing to say. The brainfreeze vibe was expressed with a run of songs from 2007's least-of-the-bunch Reunion Tour ("Hymn Of The Medical Oddity", "Night Windows", "Civil Twilight") that was probably the least engaging stretch of the show. Not, y'know, stinko or anything, just less good, the songs hitting less firmly on those perfect little specifics. In a nicely structured touch, the set finished with "(Manifest)", the third of Reconstruction Site's sonnet-songs — played, like a novel unfolding backwards, in reverse order from their appearance on the album.

Then a generous encore, beginning with Samson again out alone at the outset of "My Favourite Chords", the band following along to help finish it off. And then a further three songs, including closer "Exiles Among You", which was nice to hear.

Putting aside the feeling that, in the absence of new material, the band is coasting a bit, this was a pretty good show. I'm sure I enjoyed standing a few feet away from the band more than I would have the next night with them raised up on the high and distant stage at the Queen Elizabeth.

A couple songs from this set: check out the band rockin' out here, and on the quieter side here.

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¹ A Regina-based band who lost their equipment to flood damage after a watermain break.

² A member of Winnipeg rockers The Waking Eyes, and, more lately, Imaginary Cities.

³ It used to mildly annoy me when people sang along to this, as if people who had never been there had no right to join in on the refrain of "I hate Winnipeg" — but I've come to realize that it's not specifically about Winnipeg. It's about the love/hate tension anyone feels with the place they come from. Samson's specifics — ones that I understand viscerally — stand in for whatever is crappy/familiar in the place you're from.

Recording: The Weakerthans

Artist: The Weakerthans

Song: Reconstruction Site

Recorded at The Horseshoe, May 25, 2010.

The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site

My notes for this set can be found here.

Recording: The Weakerthans

Artist: The Weakerthans

Song: Plea from a Cat Named Virtute

Recorded at Sonic Boom Records, March 24, 2010.

The Weakerthans - Plea from a Cat Named Virtute

My notes for this set can be found here.

In-store: The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans

Sonic Boom Records. Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

There are some bands you like because it seems as if you know exactly what their songs are about.

The Weakerthans formed after I left Winnipeg, and though I'd passingly heard of them when their first album came out¹, I didn't hear them until they released 2000's Left and Leaving, an album which quite knocked me down at the time. It wasn't just the Winnipeg-y I’ve been there element of it, both in the specific place-ness ("a spectre's haunting Albert Street") and how it caught the mood of life in Winnipeg. But there was also John K. Sampson’s moping-but-not-defeated persona — and the small vindication in the way that the songs hinted that every little heartache and personal moment of isolation are countered by something out there — and just maybe we might be able to band together and rise above it.

Anyways, as is often the case, time and entropy tend to dull ardour's edge, and in the last few years, The Weakerthans have meant less to me than they used to. Partially because I'm now further away in space and time from that place where the songs drew me in. But there's also the fact that the band seem to have reached a bit of a stasis point — with songs as good as Samson writes, they've never really felt the need to reinvent themselves musically, and it must be said that the last couple times I've seen 'em live, they were a little... staid.

So I wasn't overwhelmed with excitement on hearing that the band's first release in ages was going to be a live set, Live at The Walker Theatre². Certainly not excited enough that I was interested in plunking down for a relatively expensive sit-down show at the Queen Liz theatre. But word of an in-store shoe in Sonic Boom's basement to celebrate the album's release did ignite my interest.

There was an extra-early start time for this one, with the band heading over afterwards for Greg Smith's art show opening.³ Leading off with "Everything Must Go" certainly transported me back a decade, and for the next half-hour all of my doubts about the band were generally vanquished. It helps that the band's selections⁴ skewed a bit towards older material — including "None of the Above" (from '97's Fallow) which they claimed afterwards not to have played for several years. But even "Tournament Of Hearts" (from '07's slightly lacklustre Reunion Tour) was brought off with boppy panache, its energy continuing into "Plea from a Cat Named Virtute".

Playing a half-dozen songs, there were at least that many other ones that mean a lot to me that I'd've liked to have heard as well. But the short set meant there was no sag to it anywhere, and it was a solid reminder of what I liked — like — about The Weakerthans. After, as Samson — always a humble anti-rock-star type — stepped down from the stage for photos with some fans, I made my way out rather satisfied.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Thanks to K., who took the top photo.

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¹ I was never into Propagandhi, so the first thing that stuck with me about the band was the original rhythm section's connection to Winnipeg punk-poppers Red Fisher.

² The album is actually called something else, but I don't now, and probably never will, recognize this nefarious bit of renaming — and here I thought I had no more passionate feelings in me over things related to Winnipeg.

³ Smith's exhibition also ties in to the new album, as his paintings were used for the cover art.

⁴ Playing without a setlist, the songs were chosen by inter-band discussion between songs.