That's not Pocky...

On a day like this where the sun was claiming victim after victim with its viciously scorching rays, the only way to cool down was with a chill, sweet scoop of ice cream. As I let the air-conditioned space inside The Big Chill on College Street wrap its cool arms around me, Chris Chu walked in to hand me my card for a free scoop of dairy goodness and joined me in line. “I used to work in an ice cream parlour,” Chu informed me, noting his skills in waffle cone-making. But as we near the front of the line filled with fans trading their tickets for free scoops – a gift that came with the free acoustic set by Chu later that day – he revealed an interesting tidbit. “Does that one have any dairy in it?” asked the Morning Benders front man, quizzing the girl behind the counter. Chu is unfortunately lactose intolerant.

“It’s like rubbing it in my face,” admits Chu, about performing at an ice cream parlour. The lead singer opts for a fruit-flavoured scoop, free of dairy. When asked if the California quartet has played any other bizarre venues, Chu thinks pretty hard but can only list another lactose unfriendly locale. “We’ve played two pizza parlours, one in Illinois and one in Austin, Texas. But I can have a slice of pizza and be fine.”

Mildly strange venues are just one of many signs of a band who’s toured extensively. This was the band’s third time back to Toronto in five months, skyrocketing from the dark basement of the Drake Hotel to the big box venue of the Kool Haus now. The band’s latest release Big Echo lightly grabs onto the bandwagon of the summer, featuring breezy waves of lo-fi melodies that oozed onto playlists everywhere like the shores of the west coast. Having been on the road so much has to take a toll on a musician but Chu sees it more as an opportunity to seize the day. When asked about being homesick Chu explains that he does miss both his hometown and his new adopted home of New York City but “I feel like this is one of those times where I absolutely have no responsibilities, besides band stuff, where I have nothing holding me down so I can just travel on a whim. It’s kind of nice to not have a place to live.”

Touring does stifle one thing though: songwriting. “I don’t write when I’m on the road but if I have a couple of days off, I’ll write,” says Chu. But fear not, the band already has new material in the works. Chu admits to having written two full albums worth of songs, one not entirely along the lines of what the Morning Benders are currently doing but the other being “the next logical step.” Will we see the return of producer Chris Taylor? “I don’t know…we’ll see,” says the tight-lipped Chu.

Chu may not take part much in the dairy food group but he is a self-professed food enthusiast, geeking out every type of cuisine possible and where you can find great offerings of each when questioned about where one would find good food. “I’m pretty serious about this. If you’re looking for Vietnamese or Korean, the best is in LA. Indian is best in New York, I think. I have a lot of friends who I consult with and the internet, of course.”

And just as our miniscule cups of dairy-less ice cream were about empty, I cap our conversation off with the Singing Lamb last question: if you were a singing animal, what would you be? “A koala,” Chu replied immediately. “I’m just always connected to the koala bear. I used to buy those Koala Yummies at Japanese markets all the time! Pocky is good too.” And I thought the food talk was over.

For More,
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/themorningbenders

Photo By Frank Yang (Chromewaves)

Being stranded on an island with thousands of sweaty, music-crazed fans can either be viewed as a nightmare or a dream. The scale teetered from side to side at various points during Saturday night’s Toronto Island show featuring what must’ve appeared to have been the strangest but most compelling line up of the summer. Whether the herds of people shuffling on and off the ferries were there for local rockers The Sadies, “robo funk” chanteuse Janelle Monae or the night’s featured attraction, Montreal Billboard royalty The Arcade Fire, an air of excitement was swirling among the sombre clouds threatening to rain on the parade (thankfully it didn’t).

Though diverse in genre, the trio of bands that played were all the cream of their respective crops. The night began with Toronto quartet The Sadies. Known for their extensive sets, stretching 2-3 hours, and annual residency on New Year’s Eve at the Horseshoe Tavern, the local act was given a significantly shorter timeslot in front of the half standing, half sitting crowd. The band’s sound varied from dark, brooding folk rock to hokey country jams, which didn’t fully translate with the massive Arcade Fire audience save the occasional person embracing the tunes with a dosey doe or two. Regardless of the fluctuating warmth of reception, the Sadies did impress with their musical strength and penchant for showmanship, especially when they pull out tricks like wrapping their arms around each other’s guitars, strumming one another’s instruments. This can probably be explained better with photo evidence (which I currently don’t have). It was apparent though that this was not the perfect setting for the band. Sunlight and tall stages are often the exact opposite of what we’re used to seeing; the Sadies can be summed up by their astounding dynamics in dark, crowded bars. For those impressed, I urge you to revisit them in said dark bar for that will provide a much better depiction of how great this band is live.

This may have marked the umpteenth time the Sadies and the Arcade Fire have paid Toronto a visit but the night’s bill did welcome a newcomer to the country – Kansas City’s Janelle Monae. Following an excited introduction by Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler himself, the dramatic instrumentations of “Suite II Overture” kicked in and the band assembled onstage, in their uniform black and white attire while Monae and two dancers marched onstage, cloaked and hidden underneath heavy capes. Monae eventually emerged though, like a burst of sass and fire with her signature pompadour and wide-eyed robotic swagger in full force spitting out the rapid fire lyrics of “Dance or Die”. Monae’s frantic, explosive energy was infectious and definitely unparallel to anyone else in music today. A melting pot of sounds, Monae seamlessly throws in dashes of soul, funk, pop, R&B and heaps of fantasia to create captivating and colourful melodies. Emulating the moves of Michael Jackson, Monae’s firecracker attitude was a show in itself, but add garbage bags of black and white balloons, an equally dynamic band and it almost becomes an overload of celebratory madness; a good kind of madness of course. Presented almost as acts or scenes of a bright, elaborate musical, Monae and company would tease the audience by hurrying offstage and returning for more. Highlights included a stripped-down cover of Nat Cole King’s “Smile”, the cloud-like dreaminess of “Wondaland”, the clap-along swing of “Locked Inside”, the “classy brass” of “Tightrope” and booming single “Cold War”. By the end of the set, Monae’s pompadour rocked out of shape but she couldn’t have been in more tip top form that evening. Hand picking an act like Janelle Monae is truly a testament to the Arcade Fire’s confidence and willingness to compete against such a phenomenal performer. Rarely do I think an act can outdo the musical force but they’ve found a competitor in Monae and I will admit, I was so musically satisfied by the end of that set that I was almost content with a ferry ride home right after.

As the sky darkened, the blinding bright lights onstage lit up and the Montreal headliners walked onstage to what had turned into a packed sea of sweaty, enthusiastic fans throwing their hands in the air cheering and bowing to the 8-piece outfit. Now before I get into another one of my “oh my god, they were SO good!” rants, I must admit that seeing the Arcade Fire three times this summer has drained me of any new adjectives to describe them. So I apologize in advance.

The Arcade Fire are one of the most consistent, breathtakingly dynamic rock bands today. Those who debated the $60 price tag that came along with this show left knowing that it was worth every penny (and subsequently every minute waiting for a goddamn ferry). Songs off 2004’s Funeral are still performed with a refreshing attack that doesn’t hint at all to its six-years of age. Neon Bible hits still swing and hit with the same fire that the band had three years ago. And of course, the welcome addition of tracks from this summer’s The Suburbs have integrated from recorded masterpieces to live fireworks. “Rococo” and “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains” are now set anthems alongside crowd favourites “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)” and encore “Wake Up”.

In less than ten years, we’ve witnessed the rise of a small indie band from Montreal, going from bashing helmets and screaming at the Rivoli to live concert broadcasts on YouTube and charting at #1 on the Billboard. The pinnacle moment that can sum up everyone’s collective appreciation and proud pat on the band’s back can easily be summed up with the end of the band’s set, right before they returned for an encore. The lasting notes of “Rebellion (Lies)” began to blend in with the ooh’s and coos of the audience who clearing didn’t want to let go of that moment, and as music and instruments stopped leaving the stage empty and bare, the crowd continued to sing the chorus, reverberating across the entire island. If anything, that moment alone sets it apart from the two other times I saw the Arcade Fire this summer. A perfect cap to encapsulate my gratitude towards the band’s return this summer. Arcade Fire, thank you. You will forever be known as my epic romance of 2010.

For More,
MySpace (The Sadies): http://www.myspace.com/thesadies
MySpace (Janelle Monae): http://www.myspace.com/janellemonae
MySpace (The Arcade Fire): http://www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial

Photo By Frank Yang (Chromewaves)

I never understood why the trend of cupcakes at rock shows didn’t catch on with more bands. Darrelle London did it for her CD release last year at the Supermarket and now she’s best friends with Perez Hilton. So I have high hopes for the Ashton Kutcher-approved Forest City Lovers. In short – bands should always bake cupcakes for their CD release parties. That aside, the Toronto five-piece – a six-piece Thursday night with the addition of a second violinist – didn’t actually need baked goods to delivery a sweet performance.

Decorating the spacious Great Hall with streamers of delicately draped strings of white lace, the stage’s whimsical and adorable setting matched the band’s charming melodies. There’s a sense of confidence that really put an extra oomph into the band’s sound, making it sound grander than before. Lead singer Kat Burn’s voice shined as her playful but strong voice echoed through the hall. The last time I saw the band, they were sans violinist which led to a more rock-centric thump to their songs but with not one but two violinists, as mentioned, we were able to hear the sweeping mood swings of each song. The prominence of the strings also heightened everything else; the drums were  more striking, the guitar were tip toeing around the melodies more loudly and again Burns’ voice was definitely more dynamic. Songs like “If I Were A Tree” and “Tell Me, Cancer”, both off their newest release Carriage, proved to be optimistic anthems that the crowd happily swayed and danced along to.

If the success of this show was any indication, I’m afraid they’ll need more cupcakes for future shows. I’d gladly pitch in and help.

For More,
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/forestcitylovers

Maps & Atlases

It’s always fascinating to dissect the audience at shows, whether you’re sussing out the number of plaid shirts or the ratio of men to women but one thing was strangely apparent – Maps & Atlases sure had an alarming amount of ‘frat boys’ in their fan club present at Saturday night’s show at the Horseshoe.

New York indie pop-rockers drew significantly less rowdy men but maybe their sugary sweet Scandinavian retro melodies just didn’t appeal to them as much. The New York band, clad with shaggy haired members including free-spirited lead singer Madeline Follin were joyous and fun despite the last minute arrival to the venue. The half hour set oozed with a shimmery summer sound bound to sit nicely next to the likes of the Concretes or the Shangri Las. Having barely been a band for a year, the group still needs a lot of maturing and fine-tuning but it’s an act I’d gladly revisit and keep an ear on.

By the time Chicago rockers Maps & Atlases took the stage, the aforementioned frat boys cozied up to the front, loudly displaying their excitement with countless shouts and cheers fueled by sweat, beer and general enthusiasm for music – all great indications of a good show at the Horseshoe.

The quartet’s rhythmically intricate songs proved challenge-free for the frenzied crowd dancing along to the frantic riffs of “Pigeon” and “Witch”. Lead singer Dave Davison conducted razor sharp riff after another, showing off his phenomenal skills on guitar while bassist Shiraz Dada shined on the sidelines, tip toeing around almost as meticulously as the wild rhythms hopping around onstage. Musically fascinating and even more captivating live, Maps & Atlases have proven through many opening slots at shows in Toronto that they deserve the spotlight and can draw their own crowds. I don’t even mind the loud drunken cheers that much because with this band, it’s worth it.

For More,
MySpace (Maps & Atlases): http://www.myspace.com/mapsandatlases