Artist: Romo Roto
Song: unknown*
Recorded at Steam Whistle Brewery (ELEVEN: The Wavelength 11th Anniversary Festival), February 18, 2011.
Romo Roto - unknownMy notes for this set can be found here.
* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
ELEVEN! Festival (Wavelength 515 – night 3) (feat. Doldrums / Romo Roto / Pat Jordache / Minotaurs / Woodhands)
Steam Whistle Brewery. Friday, February 18, 2011.
As with the previous year's festival, what you could loosely call the "dance" night of the Wavelength anniversary was being held in the roomy event space at Steam Whistle Brewery, in the roundhouse at the foot of the CN Tower. It feels a little bit out-of-the-way, but it's a cozy space inside, and pleasing to look at the bricks'n'beams layout.
There was a decent crowd on hand as the night started with the abstract pop stylings of Airick Woodhead's Doldrums project. Rather than a sequential series of discrete songs, his sets unfold more like a hip-hop mixtape, with bits of songs popping up, disappearing and being reprised around sampled dialogue, randomly jacked beats, and chunks of other people's songs. Here, after some of that looped/sampled dialogue, things started with a slower jam, full of whirring, fluttering sounds (most of which were crafted from vocal loops constructed on the fly) that eventually turned into a real-time remix/deconstruction of itself.
Perhaps as a bit of a mischievous tweak at the night's corporate hosts, Woodhead played a sampled/détourned Bud Lite ad. And after another one of his own jams, he threw on a Madonna song, jumped off the stage to run over to the bar for a beer, then jumped back on stage to chop + screw with the the song for a bit before replacing it with a beat of his own, commenting after, "I was just gonna try that one out on you guys. It's called 'Get Into the Groove'. D'you like it?"
Listen to a song from this set here.
After one more song that was mostly composed of a choir of looped backing vocals and a slow beat, Woodhead moved into another segue/deconstruction as Alexandra Mackenzie and Tomas Del Balso — also known as Romo Roto — took the stage to join Woodhead in a smooshy jam, their two sets of drums and vox melding into the Doldrums synthscape. Declaring that "the caterpillar is now the moth!" Woodhead then departed.
From there it was more like Romo Roto's standard stock-in-trade — pummelling dual drum beats ("tribal" with scarequotes being an operative mode here) with back and forth vocals veering between chants and moans. Mayne I was just belatedly catching up to their sensibility, but the pair came off more like a slightly-oddball band than the wholly-oddball art project they'd conveyed earlier on. Special notice should be taken of Mackenzie's increased stage presence — facing the crowd and really delivering her vocals with conviction, there was much more a sense that she was prepared to be the focus of attention. In moments like "Catapillar Massacare" [sic] there was a most pleasing sense that their frantic drumming and catchy singalong sensibilities were jibing nicely.1
Listen to a song from this set here.
Following that was a slightly prolonged changeover for Pat Jordache. In fact, there were signs that this Montréal unit (here making their T.O. debut) were still working out the kinks, with some signs of a new working unit — that slow setup paralleled with some slow transitions between songs as the musicians swapped instruments and got themselves sorted out.
It's also possible that Jordache (the stage name for Patrick Gregoire, formerly of Islands and Sister Suvi2) was fighting off a bug — with a mildly medicated presence, he looked somewhat drawn out and appeared to be fighting a cough, so perhaps his singing voice (somewhere just above the Nick Cave range) might be capable of a more sonorous presence than he brought to this show. And similarly, a four-man backing band (including a small second drumkit) with the players often swapping instruments between songs didn't yet sound like the band was really occupying the arrangements. Jordache had recorded his Future Songs (then forthcoming, now out on Constellation Records) as a solo project, and with the band staying busy on the road (including a couple more recent local stops) they may well have gelled some more.
Leading with "Get It (I Know You're Going To)", most of the setlist would subsequently show up on the album, but the best stuff in the set would be the presumably-newer stuff not found there. I mildly enjoyed the "Matters of the Heart", where Jordache hit a sort of croon-y sweet spot, and there was one (possibly called "Talk to You") that had a nimble, vaguely discofied guitar that animated the song's earnest new wave-y vibe. It received an extended instrumental bridge when a keyboard temporarily went on the fritz, showing the band thinking on their feet.
At first, there was a large open deadzone in front of the stage, but as the band got going Daniel Woodhead (who had also been right up front watching his brother performing in the opening set) started grabbing crowdmembers from the hanging-back zone and tugging them forward to create a dance party. Surprisingly, it took, and the audience seemed to enjoy the set. But, to be honest, I couldn't say it made much of an impact on me.
A more intense brand of grooving after that as the eleven-headed beast that is Minotaurs took the stage, with leader Nathan Lawr surround by a pair of guitarists, vibes, percussion and a four-man horn section (Jay Hay, Jeremy Strachan, Nick Buligan, Steve Ward). With Fela-esque afro-funk rhythms underpinning Lawr's songs, this is a crew that I've liked a lot every time I've seen 'em.
The crowd was at the right density by this point, not uncomfortably packed in but with enough people up close, shuffering and shmiling with the music. Having played these songs together for awhile now, there was a bit more relaxed agitation to the whole thing, as if the band knew the material, and now they could really lean into it. Even Lawr was in action pose, forgoing his keyboard stand and standing up most of the set.
Jumping right into the groovy "Get Down" got the room's attention and held them for the more-simmering "The Thing", title track of the band's album. An extra-fuzzy electric piano sound to start off "Runaway Lane" gave it some pleasing grit. "Caught in the Light" came with an extended intro and even fave "Pink Floyd" felt amped up and stretched out to close out the set.
Lawr is a respectable-enough songwriter, but the best thing here is how the band distracts from his work, embroidering it into something larger. It's a sign of confidence and maturity that Lawr allows the songs to push him from the centre, and with this band it's the source of his greatest success.
Listen to a song from this set here.
Just like last year's Steam Whistle show, the night closed with a band whose appeal reaches well beyond Wavelength regulars into a cadre of devoted fans, although Woodhands do indeed have a history with the series. But now the floor was getting packed in with a different dort of crowd. There was a guy in front of me wearing an embossed baseball hat reading "OH S#?T WOODHANDS", and I saw a woman whose t-shirt simply read "DANCE!".
Promising a whole lot of new material, the set lead off with an instrumental — though it did have some interjections from Keyboardist Werb of the "hunh!" variety. The duo employs Werb's keyboards and the fantastically frenzied drumming of Paul Banwatt (also of The Rural Alberta Advantage, and one of the very best ion the city) — and no samples or backing tracks — to create squirmingly groovy dance music. The vibe was enhanced by the extent to which the pair were having enormous fun on stage all night long:
Banwatt: So, I gotta share some distressing news with you guys. It probably distresses me more than anyone else. We had a laser malfunction. [crowd good-naturedly boos] And our main laser battery is down.
Werb: Toronto — do you forgive Paul Banwatt for fucking up the laser show?
Crowd: Nooooo!
Banwatt: I'll make it up to you...
Werb: [interrupting] Can he make it up to you... in drumming?
And meanwhile, the band frontloaded the goodness, bringing out Maylee Todd for duets old and new with "Dissembler" (from last year's Remorsecapade) and favourite "Dancer" (from debut album Heart Attack). The latter came in an extra-extended version, with Banwatt trying to make up for the laser debacle by bringing out a cowbell — always a crowd-pleasing move — stretching the song out to about nine minutes.
And, as promised, they were also sporting some of their new material, including "Victory Nap" (getting its first public airing) and the song premiered at their previous Lee's Palace show ("gonna march you down the street" is the memorable hook) — that one especially was a showcase for Banwatt's drumming. And there was another guest appearance with Laura Barrett taking the mic for "Sailboats" to close out the main set.
It was a sweaty, bouncy good time, even before the pair returned for "I Wasn't Made For Fighting" and "Be Back Soon". Creating some sort of short-circuit to the brain's groove centres, Woodhands are one of the most talented bands I know at being able to bypass any sort of critical response and just create a fun, in-the-moment vibe.
Listen to a song from this set here.
1 I've heard it said — but I have no official source on this — that these two have moved on from the Romo Roto project. Del Balso can still be seen in DD/MM/YYYY and Mackenzie in Wet Nurse.
2 Recently, the latter was mostly referred to in passing as the pre-solo launching pad for Merrill Garbus, who is now making waves for her work as Tune-Yards. There'll be a reunion of sorts on the September 26 when Jordache opens for Tune-Yards at Lee's Palace.
Artist: Romo Roto
Song: unknown*
Recorded at The ALL CAPS! Island Festival, Toronto Island, August 8, 2010.
Romo Roto - unknownMy notes for this set can be found here.
* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!
Wavelength presents The ALL CAPS! Island Festival (Day Two) (feat. Mathemagic / The Magical Bunch / Buke and Gass / Romo Roto / Pants and Tie / catl)
Artscape Gibraltar Point. Sunday, August 8, 2010.
It was a fine day out, with the exception of some looming clouds threatening rain. Met up early with K., and we started the day off with a sidetrip to Taste of The Danforth, making a pass down through the strip and filling up on meats on sticks and in pitas and so forth. There was actually just a quick bit of rain, short enough that we ducked under a storefront to eat for a couple minutes and it passed.
As we made our way to the ferry docks and over to the Island, the sky was looking less and less like it might interfere with the day. Being in good time, we hopped the Centre Island ferry and ambled toward Gibraltar point from there, not needing to be in too much of a rush. And indeed, we got there before the crowd, having some time to wander around and investigate the building. Compared to the day before, there was a bit less of an all-out all-ages festive vibe on this day — no face-painting, fewer kids running around and playing while the show was on.
In fact, Sunday's vibe was a bit more grown-up and Wavelength-y, possibly in part because the day was being hosted by none other than Doc Pickles, leading off by speaking to an almost empty room on the topic of speaking to an empty room.
A handful of people would filter in as Mathemagic began their set. I'm not sure whether it was just my mood or the laid-back summer-schoolhouse vibe, but the Guelph-based trio felt well-suited to the environs. They definitely looked a little looser while performing than the last time I saw 'em, which was a great improvement, although they're still not bantering or interacting with the room much yet. And they're still not, like, rockin' or anything — their sound is all treble and gauze. Not all of the songs connected with me, but it turns out that if you're listening to this band while sitting down and chillin' there's something there to appreciate. Even with guitars and layered voices on top of the laptop-provided beats1 it was still a little stiff and "canned", and there's still not a natural grace and flow in the band's performance. During "Reggae" (which asks the musical question "do you want truth or do you want your baby?") Evan (or perhaps Dylan) Euteneier sat to play a midi keyboard, but had to lean over awkwardly from time to time to actuate something on the laptop. But there's been progress made. And with the faint General Chaos swirling lights behind them, it was a pleasantly light summer day confection.
Listen to a track from this set here.
And then, after a very quick turnover2, The Magical Bunch, also from Guelph3 blasted into their set. Coming at the notion of an all-ages show from the opposite angle, the band was composed of siblings Christian, Christopher, Victoria and Vestine Ryangoma, who range from ten to sixteen years old. As such, one might cynically think that this was a "gimmick" band. But from the get-go, this was such solidly funky stuff — I was quickly thinking that this might be the most technically proficient band we'd see all day — that there was no thought of giving them a free pass on account of their youth.
The band started off, appropriately enough, with "The Future"4, one of a non-stop rush of original tunes sporting soulful influences, with occasional hints of reggae vibes and hip-hop spirit. Ten-year-old Vestine handled the bulk of the lead vocals, but eldest sibling Christian took over on a couple songs as well. Amazingly solid and great fun to listen to. The songwriting was maybe the least developed thing here — a couple of the songs had the air of generic genre studies, but that didn't distract from how fun this bunch were. "It just lets me know you're never too old to start a new band," Doc Pickles commented at the end of their set.
Listen to a track from this set here.
And then, following on some advance hype, came what looked to be the fullest room of the weekend, with an eagerly-sitting crowd for Buke and Gass. The Brooklyn duo of Aron Sanchez and Arone Dyer play the homemade instruments (baritone ukulele and guitar/bass) from which they took their band name. They played sitting down — giving Sanchez an opportunity to add percussion via a kickdrum with a tambourine attached, while a shortwave radio tuned to the BBC World Service played in the background, adding a layer of chatter behind everything else.
The pair managed to wrangle quite a range of sounds from their instruments — the buke was almost piano-like at times, and a lot of the time there were two or three sonic levels unfolding at once. Perhaps it was because of that I couldn't really find my way into the songs. The music was "busy" and at times threatening to tumble into tunelessness. I think that radio playing in the background was a bit of a hint what they were going for — sometimes it sounded like they were stuck between stations, though at others it came back down to something more grounded.
Even live, this sounded like a crazy-quilt of home-recorded, pitch-shifted loops — the closest thing musically that it brought to mind for me was Tune-Yards. I found it technically interesting more than musically compelling, but it certainly went over big with the crowd. There's been enough response that the band has already made a couple return trips to town, so there's certainly a receptive audience for what they're doing.
Listen to a track from this set here.
It had been over a year since I'd seen Romo Roto, who'd left me with mixed feelings on first exposure. As they begun, things sounded a bit more arranged than I'd remembered. Still very much a clamourous caterwauling, to be sure, once it built up in intensity, but I think Alexandra Mackenzie and Tomas Del Balso were playing with a bit more focus. And a sense of fun as well — Del Balso gave a charmingly goofy demonstration of what he explained was the official dance of Toronto Island, sort of running in place with arms flying about. Buke and Gass, now hanging out in the crowd, shared in the delighted laughter over that and, like most of those present, seemed to be digging the band.
Pounding away at their minimal drumkits, they were backed on many of the songs with sound-loops played on an old cassette player. Both the drumming and the vocals would switch instantly from being in close unison to offsetting, opposing lines. And like those shifts, I went back and forth on how much I was digging it. But say what you will about the band, they bring a ferocious kineticism, evidenced on the superfast final song with co-ordinated crossover drumming between the two kits. Musically, I think this is always going to be sort of hit and miss for me, but I totally admire the spirit and energy that the band bring with them. While they're playing, I can get into the fun of it, even if it doesn't quite inspire me to do the island dance.
Listen to a track from this set here.
As night fell, Romo Roto's gusto was replaced by electro-soulfunkers Pants and Tie, who are unquestionably dancey but veer more towards restraint. This was another band I'd seen a while back, but the same elements I remembered were in place, mostly the lignite of frantic desperation compressed into disco diamonds. Coming off like the world's most anxious funk band, the most distinctive element was persistently-jittery vocalist Mark Colborne, who walked around in front of the band with the broken cadence of a Fremen soldier as he delineated sexual dysfunctions in "7 x 7" and "Mr. Pickton"
It could be my memory playing tricks on me — or just going in with a notion of what to expect — but I found the music to be a bit more free and funky, a bit more naturally easy to groove along to, a counterpoint to the vocals that made the whole thing less claustrophobic without ruining the delicious tension that underlies the songs. A good time.5
Listen to a track from this set here.
And then, to close things out, it was out to the yard for some back-porch blues from catl, playing at one edge of the lawn with a minimal PA setup. One of the General Chaos projectors was aimed out of the Fireplace Lounge's window onto the trees behind the band as they wrapped up the festival like a woozy heavyweight who'd spent the weekend downing whiskey sours. Leading off with an extended ramble through "5 Miles", the sound had just the right amount of rawness to it — elegantly rough enough for the band to credibly tackle a back-to-back pair of Hasil Adkins covers. Though it never looked like a sure thing, the rain had held off after all — and being outside for this was a perfectly awesome ending to the day.
And then after a rip-roaring run through Dylan's "Outlaw Blues" it got better, with the band closing out with a quite literally explosive finale as fireworks shot up into the sky behind them as they rocked out "Workin' Man's Soul". Simple elements, but at the right moment it all came together and felt like a special occasion.
Listen to a track from this set here.
All things told, a rather excellent event. Even if I didn't lovelovelove each and every one of the acts, it was a well-chosen lineup, and this is the sort of event that is way more then the sum of its parts — I didn't come for any one band so much as the experience, and it was one of the year's best shows.6
Sunday night on the Island was quieter than Saturday, with the moorings less-lined with partying boaters. That made for an even murkier walk back to the ferry dock, but it was still rather pleasant. (At least up to the very end, when, in sight of the dock, K. found a stray pothole that led to a scary-looking tumble. Not too much damage done, however.) Back on the mainland, I had the weird/surreal experience of being on a high from this bit of independent, local culture when I ran into the ACC crowd dispersing from the Paul McCartney concert and suddenly felt rather outnumbered and out of place. Well, they can have their expensive arena shows — I'd take something up-close and personally engaging like ALL CAPS any day.
1 This band featured two Macbooks right next to each other — is this the dreampop equivalent of a macho double-necked guitar?
2 The band were so efficient in getting set up that Duncan didn't even have time to make it to the stage for a verbally dexterous intro — they were too young and eager to realize they should be prepared to hang back for a few minutes.
3 I don't know what's in the water out there, but after seeing the first two bands on this bill I was a little sad that The Magic, also from Guelph, weren't playing this show as well.
4 The Magical Bunch's take on the future was much more optimistic than the similarly-named Leonard Cohen song — or the also similarly-named Prince song, too. (Highly tangential thought: has anyone even done a Prince/LC "Future" mashup?)
5 If you need to blast away some post-holiday tension, Pants and Tie will be playing next week (Dec. 30) at The Garrison's Boxing Week Festival & Food Drive.
6 And hopefully, this is going to continue and become a tradition. Word from the Wavelength camp is to keep August 13 and 14 free on your 2011 calendar.
Artist: Romo Roto
Song: Catapillar Massacare [sic]
Recorded at the Trash Palace, August 17, 2009.
Romo Roto - Catapillar MassacareMy notes from this gig can be found here.
Pony Da Look / Buildings / Romo Roto
Trash Palace. Monday, August 17, 2009.
Headed down to the Trash Palace on a stifling Monday evening for a gig. To me, the biggest selling point may have been an assurance that the whole thing'd be over by eleven. This goes a long way towards convincing me to go out on a Monday night these days.1 Walked in to a pretty empty room and settled in for a few minutes, idly watching an old concert video of The Police as people started to trickle in, and the 8:30 start time came and went. After a bit, members of Buildings, sitting down at the back, started to wonder if they should just go ahead and play when our openers arrived.
Romo Roto turned out to be a co-ed duo, consisting of Tomas Del Balso (from local spaz-punk crew DD/MM/YYYY) and Alexandra Mackenzie. Their gear consisted of a small, stand-up drum kit and a boom-box, into which Del Balso would cram in cassettes with gurgling keyb noises. The music started off sounding like pummelling shout-fests that felt like free-form bursts of primal scream therapy. After a bit, though, it did become clear that this wasn't merely random noise — there were songs underneath it all. I'm not sure if the caterwaul and crawl-on-the-floor harshness of it were meant as a bit of an épater les bourgeois kind of move, but I was, at first, put off a bit by it. Not the sort of thing that I would have my manservant put on while sitting in my wingback chair, running my fingers down the spine of a hand-bound leather volume and savouring a fine sherry, but while standing in the boiling depths of the Trash Palace, swilling PBR as Howdy Doody gambolled in the background on the screen behind them, it was all right.
Listen to a track from this set here.
Buildings, out of Washington, D.C., were the night's out-of-town guests. A four-piece, two guitar combo with a slight post-punk edge. Oh, and all-instrumental, too, though don't be fooled into thinking that says all there is to say about 'em. Avoiding the clichés of the "post-rock" sort of instrumental bands, Buildings' songs rely on the forward momentum of their guitar interplay to drive the songs, without any too-tricky time-changes or stop-start rhythms. They also didn't fall have any of that Explosions in the Sky-esque stuff where every song builds into a big crescendo to get easy points when the tension is released. One track reminded me of a speeded-up version of Faust's "Krautrock", which may be a better indicator of this band's approach. They also came correct with the visual angle covered, their songs accompanied by a series of home-made projections on the screen behind them — ranging from home-made kaleidoscopic animations to detourned video game footage. It all combined into a transporting experience, and the half-hour set really made the night for me. The band were also friendly lads, willing to engage in a bit of a chat before and after their set. Picked up a CD afterwards and then went outside to try and cool off a bit, but as muggy as it was in the basement, outside didn't feel much better. But still managed to regain my breath for the final go-round.
Listen to a track from this set here.
It'd been a couple years since I'd last seen Pony Da Look, who are now sporting a different lineup, including Rob Gordon on drums. But even if it's been a while, it's impossible to forget a band with such a unique and striking aesthetic. If most bands are something like method actors, working hard to learn to mutter just like we mutter, Pony Da Look are more like operatic divas, looking for the perfect heightened gesture to get their point across. It was not for nothing that they chose a DVD of Lars von Trier's The Kingdom to project on the screen behind them during their set, which was a perfect visual counterpoint to the music. Three voices, three synths up front, with Gordon's drumming pushing the band, as if recklessly rushing them along the rocky path on the side of a dark mountain. Highly entertaining stuff.
Listen to a track from this set here.
And, as promised, I was out and walking to catch the streetcar before eleven, so a successful night all around. Kudos as always to the Trash Palace for allowing strangers to rock out in their space.
1 Hell, if it came with a promise it'd be over by ten, I'd be even happier. This reminds me of a story — recounted in Heylin's From the Velvets to the Voidoids, if memory serves me right — that in the Cleveland scene in the '70's, because it was acknowledged that everyone had to go to work in the morning, it was standard practice for the headliner to play first, and then the other bands in order of descending popularity, so the lowest group in the food chain had to wait around the longest to play and got to bed last.
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