Recording: Rebekah Higgs

Artist: Rebekah Higgs

Song: Gosh, Darn, Damn

Recorded at Rivoli, February 12, 2011.

Rebekah Higgs - Gosh, Darn, Damn

My notes for this set can be found here.

Gig: Rebekah Higgs

Rebekah Higgs (Tasseomancy / Laura Barrett)

Rivoli. Saturday, February 12, 2011.

It was surprisingly well-lit when I walked into the Rivoli's backroom, finding a couple dozen people on hand, most filling up the tables along the room's west wall. As a compilation of reggae covers of popular hits played over the sound system, I saw the night's headliner and opener wandering the dancefloor, conspiring on how to create the right sort of atmosphere for the show. In the end, they grabbed some extra tables and set them up in front of the stage, reinforcing the notion that this was going to be a sit-down-pay-attention sort of gig. I stepped forward to help pull the tables in place — not so much out of gallantry as to be able to plunk myself down in a prime spot.

There were a few more bodies on hand as the lights went down, but not a huge crowd. Billed as a pre-Valentine's Day special, this was a rather under-promoted event. In fact, I came across it only by chance while flipping through the show listings, and no one that I mentioned it to had heard of it — not even those who would have been eager to have a too-rare opportunity to see expat Laura Barrett back in town. Temporarily relocated to Vancouver, Barrett led off some questions about dislocation in "Wood Between Words": "So, where are you bound this fall? Will I see you around? Where will you be moving on to?"¹

After that, though, came some interesting surprises, with Barrett putting down her trademark kalimba and switching over to autoharp for a new song that might be called "No Money at All". Although the same voice and smart songwriting shone through, that certainly brought a different edge to the song. She then moved over to the keyboard for another new one — this is less of a surprise for anyone that's seen her playing in The Hidden Cameras and so on, but unusual for her own set. Having adapted the kalimba partially as a means to stand out amongst a crowded field of singer-songwriters, it was a heartening sign to see that Barrett won't allow herself to be limited to her most identifiable shtick.

And thank goodness for that confidence on stage, for between the extra instrument swapping and the new songs, things were a bit awkward with some technical gremlins poking their heads out. That led to the tantalizing tease of Barrett teaching the crowd the refrain of "The Humble Fawn" (then unreleased, now available on the National Parks Project) before realizing there was a tuning problem and not being able to undertake the song. That leaves it as one to wait for.

The crowd stayed on-side despite the problems, or maybe even to some extent because of them — when an artist has such an easy rapport with their audience, things-going-awry feel less like gaffes and more like the sort of shared experiences between friends that you can laugh about and bond over. And here the seated, easygoing crowd was attentive throughout, praised by Barrett as "the best audience of the year".

There was a lot of banter about Valentine's day — Barrett had called "Ferryland" her only love song, but the set ended with "Deception Island Optimists Club" which has something of a Valentine's wish embedded in it.

"We're Tasseomancy... we're playing a Valentines Day show," said Sari Lightman (or, possibly, her twin sister Romy). "We played one before. [beat] It didn't go so well."

"No, it didn't go over so well," said Sari (or, possibly, Romy), completing her thought in that mildly-unnerving, possibly-telepathic we're twins! way that the sisters speak. Still, they did their Valentine's Day best, trying to relate the holiday to songs like "Anubis", which deals with hearts in a more visceral way. Think organ-consuming gods ripped from the pages of The Book of the Dead.

In fact, if some bands write songs that are like snapshots vividly capturing one instant of day-to-day life, think of the Lightmans' efforts as being more like rambles through dusty old books of arcane lore and soul-menacing occult secrets. Taking the stage with a spooky moan issuing from a record on a turntable, the band asked for the lights to be lowered until they were nearly in complete darkness before launching into the the expansive "Diana", a sort of song that exists inside its own elaborate world and pulls you into it, like a series of illustrated tableaux coming to life.

Stretching more than seven minutes, the song requires a bit of investment on the listener's part. "Ashkelon", running a bit longer, works on similar principles, but with less of a sing-song motif to cling to, it's dronier in a way that you're either going to have to surrender to, or possibly otherwise tune out. Still, despite the heavy motifs and unsprightly pacing, the Lightmans' magnetism pulled me into the songs. And in between, they maintained their chipper sense of humour, finding ways to relate the rest of the songs to Valentine's Day.

Although they've experimented with more expansive lineups, here it was just two voices, guitar and mandolin, and as they finished with one look to their older material (back to when they were known as Ghost Bees), "Erl King" was accompanied only by heavily-delayed mandolin. Even with only four songs, it was still a half-hour set, and quite arguably the strongest I have seen from the pair.²

Listen to a song from this set here.

More in line with ever-popular music and V-day topics of love and heartbreak, Rebekah Higgs, now based here in T.O., showed off her Halifax roots in leading off with a cover of Eric's Trip's "Behind the Garage". And though that's sure to warm the dusty cockles of any indie-loving Canadian heart of a certain age, that song, with a straight-ahead rock arrangement (Higgs on guit backed by bass, drums and keyb) didn't particularly show this unit in its best light. As I'd noted when I saw Higgs a few months previously, she's taken big steps forward from the pleasant-but-undistinguished work on her 2008 debut. The biggest strides have come sonically, especially in the manner she's appropriated some of the tricks from her Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees dance-pop side-project. But without the extra textures, the more straight-ahead songs feel a little generic.

The contrast was made clear on the following "Lazy Morning", which slowed things down and embraced some more nuanced flourishes, such as bowed glockenspeil and effective vocal layering with the use of a looping pedal. The latter would be the key element of the bulk of the set, filled with songs from her now-released sophomore Odd Fellowship album. And there were some interesting variations in the arrangements — "Stick & Poke" ended in an accelerating spiral, like a teenager heading home drunk from the bar and trying to recreate the giddy childhood sensation of twirling around 'til you fall over.

Higgs seems to be aware of the delicate balancing required here: too much of the straight-ahead rock can be unremarkably same-y, but too much of the looping pedal and so on can get precious — but at the sweet spot in between all that, Higgs shows definite talent. Plus, she has an ear for no-doubt pop hooks, displayed on the fab "Little Voice" or "Gosh, Darn, Damn", which is a simple trifle of a thing, but with a chorus that can get stuck in your head all day. As long as Higgs can keep working out the mechanics of combining catchy-simple and intriguingly-textured — and perhaps upgrade to a drummer who can provide the material with the oomph it deserves — she'll definitely be doing work worth listening to.³

Listen to a song from this set here.

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¹ As of this writing, it appears that Barrett has returned to T.O. There's no word right now on any pending shows of her own stuff, but I do note that she will be alongside her friends in Sheezer when they reprise their annual Hallowe'en party — this year at Lee's Palace — on Friday, October 28, 2011.

² Indications that the band have truly hit their stride abound on their Timber Timbre-produced full-length Ulalume, out now from Out of This Spark. The band will be playing an album release show at The Great Hall on Thursday, October 20, 2011 and will also be opening for Austra (with whom the Lightmans are touring members) at The Phoenix on December 1, 2011.

³ Celebrating her new album, Higgs has a couple local dates coming up, including a return to the Rivoli on Thursday, September 15, 2011 as well as a show at The Drake Underground with Katie Moore on Sunday, October 2, 2011.

Recording: Rebekah Higgs

Artist: Rebekah Higgs

Song: Little Voice

Recorded at Lee's Palace, December 16, 2010.

Rebekah Higgs - Little Voice

My notes for this set can be found here.

Gig: The Rural Alberta Advantage

The Rural Alberta Advantage (Rebekah Higgs / Gravity Wave)

Lee's Palace. Thursday, December 16, 2010.

A sort of in-between-things show for locals-made-good The Rural Alberta Advantage, this gig marked the end of their globetrotting trail promoting their first album and the start of a brief pause before the emergence of their sophomore release. A victory lap for the band, to be sure, and a reward for loyal fans who had waited for over a year for a hometown show — but also a chance to share the stage with some old friends.

Gravity Wave have been around for awhile, and no doubt played some shows with the RAA when they were just another of the dozens of unheralded local indie groups. And while this was now an intimate show for the RAA, it was pretty clear that even a gradually-filling-in Lee's was an anxiety-inducing step into the spotlight for the four-piece, as vocalist Ken Farrell owned up to when the band took the stage: "we're a little nervous, so... just talk amongst yourselves, and the band you came here to see will be on shortly. Have your fun, we'll have ours."

That unassuming attitude managed to find its way into the band's cerebral brand of DOR. The music was groovy, but not viscerally body-movingly so. More like the band was committed to a steady pulse, with the drummer, bassist and DJ¹ all wearing earpieces to keep in time. Farrell didn't have an earpiece, but he was sporting a Chaplin-esque moustache and suspenders, which contributed to the band's slightly fusty, decidedly not down-and-dirty vibe. Still, Farrell did his best to get the crowd warmed up — quite literally so, as he led everyone in some practise arm bends and worked in some call-and-response RAA chants.

A couple songs toward the set's end featured a guest acoustic guitar player, which gave a different cast to the band's sound — in fact, the first vaguely brought Eddie Rabbitt's "Drivin' My Life Away" to mind. Overall, the band was fine, but a bit too genteel. Like Farrell's self-effacing banter ("We'll play one more — your night will get better from here, you gotta trust us."), this wasn't music that was going to force itself on anyone's consciousness.

Listen to a track from this set here.

If Gravity Wave has had a crowd that was perhaps robust by their standards, Rebekah Higgs had something close to a full house, with a packed floor of RAA fans holding down a spot for the headliner. Undoubtedly the sort of situation where an artist has a chance to make an impact and gain some new fans. Although her performance wasn't a knockout, Higgs confidently took more advantage than Gravity Wave had.

I'd first seen Higgs back in 2008 when she was still playing behind her debut full-length and that show was "nice" but not particularly memorable. I was more interested when I saw her playing with her dance-y side project Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, which had an engaging sense of fun to it. And here, her stage set up recalled that more than the stripped-down rock band I'd first seen her with, with Higgs having a table of electronics in front of her that occupied her as much as her guitar. Bringing these influences to her "name" project definitely added a spark, although sometimes it flickered more than exploded, such as on atmospheric opener "Lazy Morning".

But the steps forward that Higgs has taken were more plainly apparent with the excellent "Little Voice" (also the title track to her recent EP). A bouncy waltz with a chorus of floating bum-bah-bum backing vocalists (created via looping pedal), this could come across as a crass attempt at going pop, were it not so giddily spirited. That and the following "Gosh, Darn, Damn" announced that Higgs has indeed taken a big step forward.²

It wasn't all at that level. When the tempo slowed down for "Miserably Together" it didn't quite work in this environment, with people largely using it as a chat break. But on balance, this moved Higgs up in my esteem. Here's hoping her forthcoming second full-length can maintain the strides forward she's made here.³

Listen to a track from this set here.

And then, the floor in front of the stage managed to get pretty tightly crammed in. Given the star treatment that The Rural Alberta Advantage are accorded in their hometown, it felt momentarily jarring to see that they're still at the level where they're setting up their own gear before the set starts. After everyone sort of pretended not to notice that, they were greeted with wild cheers when they took the stage to play. Looking over the adoring, packed house, the band were visibly impressed and thankful. But once they were playing, they looked like the same band that not too long ago was playing to half-filled venues much smaller than this. As Paul Banwatt moved over from his drumkit to join Amy Cole pounding on her floor tom there was still the same goofy sense of friends having fun as there's always been.

This was a transitional show for the band. With their new album in the can but with just one track released to the public, the focus was more on the well-known first-album stuff, with some of the Departing material being slipped in. Which was of no concern to most of those assembled here. This was a crowd with lots of folks who knew every word on the album and were prepared to sing along to everything, even treating some of the lesser stuff like "Luciana" and "Rush Apart" (which opened the night) like anthems. And, in fact, the crowd's energy elevated them to the point where they almost felt as if they were.

So when "Don't Haunt This Place" — one of the band's standout tracks — came next, it felt, just for a moment, ridiculously good. That might also be because that one was particularly driven by the drums, thrusting in a way the recorded version isn't, and I was reminded once again what a fucking power Paul Banwatt is.⁴ Nils Edenloff's lyrics and unadorned, braying delivery — connoting the unvarnished "authenticity" that the kids seem to crave — is undoubtedly at the centre of the RAA's appeal. But it's that easy sense of comradeship that sells the band as a live enterprise, and Banwatt's drumming that truly marks them as something special.

After that came the first foray into the new songs. "Muscle Relaxants" fit in just fine, giving a hint of the stylistic continuities that would define Departures. Edenloff spent a couple songs battling technical gremlins, switching guitars mid-song during "Frank, AB" but still pulled the song off. As it turned out, when it got to the end, no instruments were needed, with the crowd's singing carrying it home.

The old stuff was often played at blinding speed — "The Ballad of the RAA" flew by amid thundering drums. That velocity plus the chance for the audience to join in made the middle of the set a blur — "Stamp" had the audience doing just that, and "Drain the Blood" seemed to be there mostly as a chance to sing along and clap. To some extent, the new (and unfamiliar) material gave the audience a chance to rest, and could be enjoyed more as a musical artifact rather than an immersive experience. "Barnes' Yard" — one of the new album's best tracks — registered strongly in that regard.

There was only the most perfunctory of breaks before the encore — "even Paul's booing me," Edenloff commented on calling "The Deadroads" as the last song. Ducking back onto the stage, there was a seasonal nod with an amped-up version of "The Little Drummer Boy".⁵ A couple more blasts and the band was done, making for an hour-long performance.

Though I woulda loved to have had more new stuff in the mix, I figured it'd be prudent to get to this show rather than the next one, which would focus a bit more squarely on the new album. And given that that next show was at the much-larger Phoenix, that turned out to be the right notion. It makes me think that if they can maintain their velocity, it's going to be hard for me to see the RAA in a palatable venue any time soon. On the other hand, the care that the band takes in remaining connected to their roots — and here I mean in the T.O. indie scene rather than Alberta — gives hope that they'll be around in a more accessible way no matter what.

A couple selections from this set — you can listen to a seasonal classic here or one from the new album here.

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¹ In the grand acceleration of all things we're living through, seeing a band like this with a DJ seemed faintly retro.

² It also helped that the band was supplemented by the magic fingers of Randy Lee — or, Randy Lee! as he's known around these parts — filling out the sound with his violin.

³ Higgs will be playing at The Piston on June 14, 2011.

⁴ One wonders whether other drummers on the same bill as the RAA simply feel outclassed. Because they should.

⁵ This is kinda a weird song when you think about it. Though I dig the shout-out to class solidarity, what sort of mother would think, "yes, the thing my newborn could really use right now is some drumming"?