Best In Show: The Box Tiger @ Casbah 18-July-2012
The Box Tiger let loose a remarkably loud and captivating set at Casbah in Hamilton last Wednesday night. Playing a fleshed out set of songs from their EP and upcoming album, the band displayed an air of confidence that screams for bigger stages and higher attendances. From the intricate percussive patterns to singer Sonia Sturino’s uncanny vocal power and prowess, The Box Tiger offer up heaps of talent across multiple indie rock categories. The Box Tiger are playing the KahBang Music Festival in Bangor, Maine August 9th and should be locking in some studio time for an album to appease these greedy hands and ears after that. Have a look at their Southern Souls video and be sure to attend their next set! You’re ears will be ringing after but you won’t need to hear much…The Box Tiger’s songs will be stuck deep in your head for days anyway.
The Box Tiger on Bandcamp
The Box Tiger on Southern Souls
KahBang Music Festival
Mandatory Attendance
The Box Tiger
Gdansk
Wednesday July 18, 2012
The Casbah
Hamilton, Ontario
$10 @ door
Doors @ 8:00pm
Here’s why. The guys in Gdansk recently shot me an email with some of their tunes attached and what I heard was really dandy. Think of Thrice in their Alchemy Index experimental days; powerful vocals spearheading sonics that range from floaty to heavy. Click through their name above to get to their bandcamp and have a listen at the EP they have posted there. Next, get your damned lethargic spine to the show tomorrow night and let Gdansk help you exercise your rhythmic muscles.
The Box Tiger will be headlining with their brand of indie groove. Lead singer Sonia Sturino wields a dynamic stage presence with wizened vocals. There’s a gravitas to that voice that should be heard live with the impressive percussive and guitar structures that are shaped around it. The Box Tiger make songs that you want to sing out loud to so familiarize yourself with their EP by clicking through their name above.
Ay, and that poster is ultra rad. One of the cooler ones I’ve seen in a long time! Kudos to whoever put that together.
Matt Good
Plants And Animals
Eight And A Half
Friday June 15, 2012
Young and Dundas Square
PART OF NXNE
Toronto, Ontario
Free
7:30pm - 11:00pm
Lordy lordy. NXNE shaped into something real special this year. There are too many talented acts to list here so I’ll just point your eyes to THIS where you can explore everything and set your own schedules.
Shows that MUST NOT BE MISSED are the freebies going off at Young and Dundas Square. Matt Good, The Flaming Lips, and Raekwon and Ghostface Killah round out the headers on Friday June 15, Saturday June 16 and Sunday June 17 respectively.
I’m aiming for the Friday event which packs Eight and a Half, Plants and Animals and Matt Good into a night of Canadian goodness. Come make new friends under the electric Toronto sky and the musical lifeblood provided by NXNE.
At the top of Wednesday night’s bill was Eight And A Half’s debut show in Hamilton and it was a clinic in glazed, expressive synth rock. I tried for a long time to figure out some worthy descriptors and am convinced I’ve come up wanting but what I can say is that the live show lifts every Eight And A Half above a bar already set high.
Each song on the self-titled debut has a subtle but impressive driving force. Presented to ears first hand, the songs are vibrant and pulsing. Composed of members from The Stills and Broken Social Scene, Eight And A Half layer new tones and colours over proven musical qualities giving their album a fresh but familiar sound.
At the Casbah on Wednesday the band sounded refined and expressive. Liam O’Neil’s keys gave the moodier tracks some warmth. Dave Hamelin’s guitars and vocals were incredibly smooth and effective. “The Turn Around” was definitely a highlight with heavy handed honesty lyrically woven between blips and beeps from Justin Peroff. Hamelin’s vocal control was impressive lending weight to the emotion he exuded. Peroff’s percussive prowess is intense (especially on the transcendent “Wait Up”). Each song had interesting patterns while never outshining the overall message of the track. Seeing Peroff in any live environment behind the kit (both traditional and electronic) will have you hand-and-knee drumming for hours afterward.
Lead off singles “Go Ego” and “Scissors” played much like their album identities with extra dimensions to make them real. Although a set for a debut album is sure to be a little short on material Eight And A Half fleshed things out with a cover and a flowing set that captivated the audience.
www.eight-and-a-half.com
Tour Dates
Teen Daze
Thursday May 3, 2012
The Garrison
Toronto, Ontario
$12.5 advance $15 @ door
Doors @ 8:00pm
The prolific Vancouver based Teen Daze hits up Toronto for the first time. Teen Daze started as a bedroom artist and has since taken to worldly jaunts offering up his brand of warm but futuristic electronic music. His upcoming debut LP All Of Us, Together finds Teen Daze striving to unite folks in a time of technology based isolation. By using the very thing that’s separated us Teen Daze hopes to bring us back together be it on the dance floor or in a basement with friends.
This performance will be part of a show series called Fortune which is hosted by Diamond Atlas and will feature unique line ups and immersive visuals. The Garrison is a rad little venue that is perfectly suited for an event like this.
Eight And A Half
The Rest
Wednesday May 2, 2012
The Casbah
Hamilton, Ontario
$10 @ door
Doors @ 8:00pm
Our good friends in The Rest will be starting the night off with cuts from their finally imminent new album Seesaw. Their brand is one of spectrum ranging vocals, energy and experimentation in a time when more bands than not are comfortable with the norm. Ears on them right here.
Eight And A Half are forging something delicate with deep, spirited vocals and lyrics across synth textures. Their’s is an opulent sound. Check out “Scissors” which we just posted here.
Listen/Get: Scissors - Eight And A Half
Eight And A Half come from the ashes of The Stills (Dave Hamelin , Liam O’Neil) and Broken Social Scene (Justin Peroff). Some components are carried over (lyrics about loneliness, plush sonics, etc) while others are discovered (synths and electronics). Although they aren’t exactly pioneering something here, Eight And A Half’s debut self-titled provides a pop-like approach to introspection.
“Scissors” takes the synth glaze and shimmer of the album opener “When I Was Twenty Nine” and morphs it into a dark template. Hamelin activates a soft and forlorn melodic voice that is absolutely gorgeous. Peroff’s often enchanting percussive patterns are traded in for a simpler sound that gives “Scissors” a heavier hit lyrically. As the sounds escalate, levels of revelation present themselves for exploration.
Much like the collection it belongs to, “Scissors” approaches its subject with two colour palettes. Eight And A Half mix from lighter tones musically while braving the deeper, darker territories of the mind.
Get It
The album just came out April 10. Get it directly from Arts & Crafts
Mandatory Attendance
Wednesday May 2 @ The Casbah
Hamilton Ontario
$10 at the door
Best In Show: Osheaga 2012
I tried typing something cool here about how good the line up is. Just read the dang poster for yourself. Click through it for tickets and have a blast in Montreal.
