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Alexisonfire @ Sound Academy, December 16, 2010

December 24th, 2010 | By: Guest Contributor

Alexisonfire @ Sound Academy - Photo by Jon Teigesser

Alexisonfire got fans warmed up by opening their set at the Sound Academy on December 16th with the single “Young Cardinals” off last year’s album Old Crows/Young Cardinals, following openers La Dispute, Norma Jean, and Four Year Strong. Judging by the turnout though, it seemed as though the headlining Canadian band had lost some of their devoted fans. This is may be due to their change in sound that became obvious with the release of their 2009 album, which received a mediocre response in comparison to their previously released highly-praised albums. This may be why the band stuck to what they do best by playing crowd favorites like “Accidents,” “Boiled Frogs,” “No Transitory,” and “This Could Be Anywhere in the World,” which got fans singing along with great enthusiasm. “Dog’s Blood” off their Dog’s Blood EP and “Midnight Regulations,” “Old Crows,” “Sons of Privilege,” and “Accept Crime” from Old Crows/ Young Cardinals were also part of the captivating set list.

Alexisonfire had an overall great performance though it was difficult to make out Dallas Green’s vocals over the live, high-energy instrumentals. It’s fair to say that at some points of the act only intense fans would have been able to decipher what was being played because of the band’s unclear delivery. The show was a toned down version of their past performances. Overall, in comparison to their past concerts, Alexisonfire was not up to par and lacked some of the magic that their old shows brought out in everyone. Hopefully their new musical direction strengthens in time, allowing them to withhold their strong, hard-earned reputation.

Check out photos of Alexisonfire by clicking HERE.
Check out photos of Four Year Strong by clicking HERE.
Check out photos of Norma Jean by clicking HERE.
Check out photos of La Dispute by clicking HERE.

Tags: alexisonfire, show review, sound academy
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Alexisonfire @ Sound Academy – December 16, 2010

December 24th, 2010 | By: Jon Teigesser

Tags: alexisonfire, Photos, sound academy, toronto
Posted in Photos | 1 Comment »

The Singing Lamb’s 12 Days of Lists – Day 3: Jerry’s Best of 2009

December 15th, 2009 | By: Jerry Vo

Yes, that’s right. There’s no question that Ms. Swift would get top honours on my list. And yes, Fearless came out in late 2008, but the Platinum Edition was released this past October. With six new songs, I deem it capable enough to make it in for 2009. Key tracks: Untouchable, The Other Side Of the Door

1. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Platinum Edition)

2. Magneta Lane – Gambling With God

3. LIGHTS – The Listening

4. Tegan & Sara – Sainthood

5. Alexisonfire – Old Crows/Young Cardinals

6. A Fine Frenzy – Bomb In A Birdcage

7. Silversun Pickups – Swoon

8. La Roux (Self-Titled)

9. John Mayer – Battle Studies

10. Die Mannequin – Fino + Bleed

Damn right, she's cool.

1. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Platinum Edition)

2. Magneta Lane – Gambling With God

3. LIGHTS – The Listening

4. Tegan & Sara – Sainthood

5. Alexisonfire – Old Crows/Young Cardinals

6. A Fine Frenzy – Bomb In A Birdcage

7. Silversun Pickups – Swoon

8. La Roux (Self-Titled)

9. John Mayer – Battle Studies

10. Die Mannequin – Fino + Bleed
Also, to continue with last year’s tradition, here’s my top played artists on Last.fm:

1.) Taylor Swift (1,674)

2.) Magneta Lane (754)

3.) Stars (607)

4.) City and Colour (582)

5.) Alexisonfire (464)

6.) LIGHTS (422)

7.) Metric (383)

8.) Tegan & Sara (379)

9.) Arkells (370)

10.) Lenka (359)

Honourable Mentions also go to She & Him (353), A Fine Frenzy (344), and Explosions in the Sky (329).

Tags: 2009, a fine frenzy, alexisonfire, best of, die mannequin, john mayer, la roux, lights, magneta lane, silversun pickups, taylor swift, tegan and sara, year end
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The Singing Lamb Tuesday Twelve: Vol. V

December 15th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

DJ Car Stereo (Wars)

Hot Chip – “One Life Stand”

Just last week, Hot Chip announced a North American tour this spring with fellow Londoners The xx, in support of their upcoming fourth album. Now we have the title track from One Life Stand – the band’s follow-up to 2008′s Made in the Dark – and I’m pleased to report that it doesn’t disappoint. While Made In The Dark had dancefloor-friendly hits such as “Ready For The Floor” and “Shake a Fist”, it was the sensitive ballads like “Touch Too Much” and the album’s title track, that showed how the electro-pop quintet has matured, both musically and as a band. “One Life Stand” is trademark Hot Chip; a disco-ready synth beat, subtle keyboards, and lead singer Alexis Taylor sincerely promising a lover, “I only want to be your one life stand”. Head over to Hot Chip’s MySpace to hear the track and get more updates about the album.

Lupe Fiasco – “The National Anthem (Freestyle)”

This past weekend an old friend of mine came to visit and attended the Kid Cudi concert at the Kool Haus (which, by all accounts was a pretty good time – Drake even showed up!). We got to talking about what rappers we’d pay good money to see perform. The usual big-name suspects came up – Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye – and we generally agreed that these guys would be worth shelling out the major bucks to see, even if that meant reluctantly trekking to the Sound Academy or Air Canada Centre. After listening to his new free online mixtape, Enemy of the State: A Love Story, I’d have to add Lupe Fiasco to the list. Does anybody else think this guy is seriously underrated as a rapper? The Chi-Town rapper has put out two critically and public well-received albums, 2006′s Food & Liquor and 2007′s The Cool, but has yet to win a Best Rap Album Grammy. He’s put out huge singles such as “Kick Push”, “I Gotcha”, and my personal favourite, “Superstar”, but still got snubbed by MTV in their 2009 Hottest MCs list (an exclusion Lupe didn’t take lying down). While fans wait for Lupe’s third album – due next year – this mixtape should satisfy their appetites until then. On this one, the rapper freestyles over a handful of artists, including The Clipse, Jay, Weezy, and one of Radiohead’s all-time best songs,”The National Anthem” from their 2000 album Kid A. Here he sounds off about greedy rappers and haters (“How you gonna school me when I grew up with your teachers?”), shouts out to his hometown (“Feelin’ like a Soldier, and I ain’t talking where the Bears play”), and proves he knows a thing or two about 90s alternative rock (“I’m red hot, chilly, I’m Anthony Kiedis/My spirit smells teenage”), while a typically morose Thom Yorke pops in and out to provide “back-up” vocals (on a related note – anyone know where I can get the instrumental version of that song?). Is it too early to put in my vote for next year’s best rap album? If Enemy of the State is any indication, 2010 is going to be Lupe’s year to shine.

Major Lazer feat. Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze – “Keep It Goin’ Louder (DZ vs. NTRLD Remix)”

I know what you’re thinking: another Major Lazer remix? So far the first three singles (“Hold The Line”, “Pon De Floor”, and “Keep It Goin’ Louder”) from Diplo and Switch’s reggae/dancehall/surf-rock/exprimental side-project, have already resulted in enough remixes to fill up at least a pretty decent EP. In that case, it might not be that much of a stretch to say that “Keep It Goin’ Louder” is this year’s “Paper Planes” (the Wikipedia page of the latter lists thirteen remixes, not including the countless other unofficial remixes) – both songs have strong female vocals, flirt with several different genres, and are insanely catchy. This version comes courtesy of two San Francisco dubstep DJs, DZ and NTRLD, who do several smart things with the track. Number one: they stretch the original from three and half to five and a half minutes. Number two: they drop the majority of the annoying Ricky Blaze vocals, putting more of a spotlight on the Nina Sky ladies (American identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino, who had a minor hit in 2004, with their song “Move Ya Body”). Number three: they speed up the song’s tempo, before transforming it into a slab of glitchy, stuttering dubstep that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Skream or Zomby album. No word yet if Diplo’s label Mad Decent will put this version out on the 12″ single as a B-side, but for now, listen to it for yourself here.

Dem Getaway Boyz – “Imma G (Memory Tapes Remix)”
OJ Da Juiceman feat. Gucci Mane – “Good Night (HEALTH Remix)”

Your favourite Atlanta gangsta rappers, remixed by your favourite blog-endorsed, hipster bands and DJs. Two words: fucking genius. Courtesy of the folks over at Adult Swim (the bizarre – and usually NSFW – television network responsible for shows like this), we have this stellar one-off mixtape entitled ATL RMX, which is exactly what the name suggests. The mixtape features songs from some of the best hip-hop minds to come from the Dirty South (Lil Jon, Young Jeezy, Cee-Lo), remixed by Pitchfork-friendly acts (El-P, Flying Lotus, SALEM) that probably wouldn’t be the among the first to come to mind if you were asked to make a list of artists that get down to crunk beats and raps about oversized jewelry. The results are definitely unexpected, decidedly weird, and kind of catchy in places. My favourite remixes are Memory Tapes’ one-man-band Dayve Hawk’s injecting a bit of wistful soul-pop into Dem Getaway Boyz’s “Imma G”, and Los Angeles noise-mongers HEALTH (who’ve proven in the past that they know a thing or two about remixes) remixing a song by a guy with either the best or worse name in rap, featuring a guy who just put out a triple concept mixtape based on the friggin’ Cold War. Download the entire mixtape for free here.

DJ Car Stereo (Wars) – “Gator McKlusky’s Gold”

Girl Talk just got some competition. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Chris Rose aka DJ Car Stereo (Wars), actually has been quoted as saying that he wishes his work to sound like a “smoother and less abrasive” Greg Gillis effort. This is certainly an apt description of his mash-ups, in which he not only samples popular songs, but lesser known/expected tunes and movie and TV theme songs as well, to make more cohesive party-starters than Girl Talk’s ADD jams. Hopefully DJ Car Stereo (Wars) gets the attention he deserves when this spring he plays what is the best music festival anywhere ever, Austin’s South By Southwest (SXSW). Festival organizers announced the first batch of artists that’ll be playing SXSW a few weeks ago, with some of the Canadian bands heading south so far including Apostle of Hustle, Hot Panda, Parlovr, Japandroids, The Pack A.D., Plants and Animals, Red Mass, Timber Timbre, and We Are Wolves. As for DJ Car Stereo (Wars), he’s not exactly a newcomer to the festival circuit – this year he played Lollapalooza in Chicago and Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest. If you needed any more reason to check out this guy, his debut album of is entitled The Bandit, and all the mash-ups are named after characters Burt Reynolds (and his mustache) have played in movies. My favourite track on his http://www.myspace.com/djcarstereowars MySpace is “Gator McKlusky’s Gold”, which takes snippets from songs including “Ms. New Booty”, Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”, Weezer’s “Beverly Hills”, Mims’ “Like This”, one particularly iconic movie theme song, among others.

Alexisonfire – “This Could Be Anywhere In The World (Barletta Remix)”

People are going to hate on me for posting this one, but the truth is, I kind of like it. Who’d have thought that Dallas Green’s emo-style vocals would be perfectly suited for a club banger? Apparently DJ Barletta thought so, and as a result, we have what may be the first ever Alexisonfire remix (if you can prove me wrong, leave a comment below). A little bit more about Barletta, if you aren’t familiar with the name: he’s a linchpin in the Toronto DJ scene, appearing regularly at clubs including the Drake and Wrongbar, among others. He’s also mad prolific – if you visit his MySpace page, you’ll see over eighty remixes and original material credited to his name and Mansion, the duo he formed with fellow DJ Violca. He’s given electro-house makeovers to songs from everyone including globe-trotting popstars (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Madonna), other DJs (The Bloody Beetroots, Crookers, David Guetta), and local talent (Lioness, Metric, Times Neue Roman). I can’t wait to see how all the diehard 14-year-old girls – the majority of Green’s fan base – and hardcore Alexis fans, react to this one (courtesy of Dine Alone Records’ Twitter). As for St. Catherine’s finest, they’ll be playing some dates in Australia, before embarking on a Canadian tour with Billy Talent and Against Me! in March.

Propagandhi – “Dear Coaches Corner”

While I correctly predicted Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion would top EXCLAIM!‘s year-end album list in the “Pop Rocks” category (isn’t that right Jessica Lewis?), I was not familiar with the band at the top of the “No Future” list, a punk rock band from Winnipeg by the name of Propagandhi. So I gave a listen to the band’s newest album, Supporting Caste, based on the magazine’s high praise and was pleasantly surprised. A Wikipedia search tells me that Propagandhi formed in the mid-1980s, originally with The Weakerthans John K. Samson on bass. They then spent some time hanging out in SoCal with NOFX’s Fat Mike, signing to his Fat Wreck Records label, while recording some songs about animal liberation and veganism (punk raawwk!). It’s now 2009, but if you think the band’s current incantation – lead singer and guitarist Chris Hannah, drummer Jord Samolesky, bassist Todd Kowalski, and guitarist David “The Beaver” Guillas (how Canadian a nickname is that?) – have lost their ability to rage against the machine, then guess again. “Dear Coaches Corner” opens with a sample from – you guessed it, none other than everyone’s favourite Hockey Night In Canada hosts, with Mr. Cherry telling Ron MacLean, “Let’s talk about some good guys, let’s talk about the troops”. This isn’t some dumb homage to our national sport though – instead its a thought-provoking meditation about what happens when the worlds of the war in Afghanistan and hockey converge. Even if you don’t like the song musically, it’ll sure as hell make you think lyrically the next time you are sitting in the stands and there’s a moment of silence for a fallen soldier or a tribute to the troops.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – “Even Heroes Have to Die”

Who is Ted Leo? Most people – which until recently included myself – would be hard-pressed to identify the man behind one of the hardest-working punk bands around today. While the Pharmacists have gone through several lineup chances (the current band includes bassist Dave Lerner and drummer Chris Wilson), Leo has been writing, recording, and performing music, solo and in numerous bands, since the late-Eighties. The singer and guitarist isn’t flashy – he prefers to let his music do the talking. But when the Leo does talk, he’s not afraid to speak his mind, and many of his lyrics are politically-charged (check out “Bomb.Repeat.Bomb.”, from the band’s 2007 album Living with the Living) in the old-school spirit of artists such as The Clash and Billy Bragg (did I mention he received his English major from the University of Notre Dame?). And perhaps, most importantly, he’s not afraid to call out criticism of his music that he feels is unwarranted. Responding to Pitchfork’s review of “Even Heroes Have to Die”, which compared the song to something that The Gaslight Anthem, Ted Leo wrote the following: “Hey – I got nothing against what I know about The Gaslight Anthem, Pitchfork – fellow Jerseyans, write some good songs, etc. – but doesn’t my 20+ years of service in this industry qualify me for a journalistic benefit of the doubt that I’m probably not being influenced by them as I write my… like… 300th song (or that maybe we’re both drawing inspiration from a similar pool of even older artists)?” Leo is a voice of steadiness in a musical world that’s become so overrun with commercialism and materialism – we need him and the Pharmacists now more than ever. Recently Ted Leo and the Pharmacists signed to Matador Records and their sixth album, The Brutalist Bricks, is due out March 9th. Download “Even Heroes Have to Die” for free here.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “River Styx”

BRMC’s last full-length album with vocals, Baby 81, was one of my favourite underrated records of 2007. Full of swaggering garage-rock riffs, and apocalyptic slow-burners that wouldn’t sound out of place on a road trip mixtape between The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Jesus & Mary Chain, this album should be a must have for fans of leather jackets, motorcycles and/or really good alternative rock. But the next year is shaping up to be a pretty good one for the Los Angeles-based trio of Peter Hayes, Robert Been and recently added drummer Leah Shapiro. Not only did they just put out a live concert DVD/CD (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Live), they also have a North American tour this spring (including an April Fool’s Day stop in Toronto at the Phoenix), in support of their upcoming sixth album. Early contender for most badass album title of 2010, Beat The Devil’s Tattoo, is scheduled for a North American release on March 9th. While none of the new songs are officially on their website yet, here is a grainy – but decent quality audio-wise – black and white fan video of the band performing “River Styx” live. While you’re at it, be sure to check out their older material, and pretend like you’ve known about Black Rebel Motorcycle Club all along.

The Killers feat. Wild Light & Mariachi El Bronx – “Happy Birthday Guadalupe!”
Fucked Up feat. Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend), Bob Mould, Tegan & Sara, Andrew W.K., GZA, Kyp Malone (TV On The Radio), Yo La Tengo, David Cross & Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) – “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

‘Tis the season for your favourite artists to put out hokey, half-baked Christmas albums that are nothing more than a lame cash grabs (Bob Dylan, I’m looking in your direction). Here’s two Christmas-themed songs for charity that don’t suck. I probably don’t need to tell you how much I hated the last Killers album, Day & Age, and how much of a douche and ungrateful prick I think Brandon Flowers is (watch this interview if you don’t believe me). Yet, deep down, I still want to believe in this band. I really enjoyed Sawdust, their 2007 collection of B-sides, rarities and one-offs, especially the collaboration with Lou Reed on “Tranquilize” and their cover of Dire Strait’s “Romeo and Juliet”. And let’s be honest: who doesn’t hum along even today when “Mr. Brightside” comes on the radio? More recently, the Las Vegas band recorded the surprisingly good “White Demon Love Song” for the New Moon soundtrack (note: for your benefit, the video link that I included is the only one without the generic accompanying slideshow of Twilight pictures), and now we get this Christmas-themed charity single (all proceeds from the digital download go to the Project Red campaign). “Happy Birthday Guadalupe!” sees The Killers head south of the border, for a horn-filled tribute to one of Mexico’s most important religious icons, also bringing their tour mates (New Hampshire’s Wild Light, and Mariachi El Bronx, aka the alter-ego band of Los Angeles’ The Bronx) along for the ride. You also get to hear Flowers sing in Spanish and deliver lines that are incredibly cheesy, yet kind of endearing (“I pulled her body close to mine and I had just one chance/I whispered,”Baby will you marry me for just one dance?”). Watch the video – starring actor Luke Perry as a rugged cowboy – here. Second up is a little charity recording for three Canadian womens’ charities, masterminded by a guy who probably enjoys his fair share of milk and cookies, Fucked Up’s Pink Eyes. He decided to round up an indie all-star cast of musicians (and this guy) to help him out to cover the Christmas “classic” “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (with the help of the band’s Polaris Prize money), written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984, to raise money for relief of 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia. Show of hands, who else thinks these guys should form a real band? That’s what I thought. Damian”Pink Eyes” Abraham talked to ExploreMusic’s Mike Sullivan on the phone about the single recently – listen to that and the song here.

Tags: alexisonfire, barletta, brmc, dj car stereo (wars), fucked up, health, hot chip, lupe fiasco, major lazer, memory tapes, propagandhi, ted leo, the killers, tuesday twelve
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News Update

October 29th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Fucked Up

Have you decided on your costume for Halloween yet? If not, you’d best hurry up, as there are only three more days until October 31st. I was helping out a friend search for the missing pieces of her outfit in Kensington Market this weekend, and I couldn’t help but notice the amount of Michael Jackson-style sequined jackets that were on the racks of the used and retro clothing/costume stores. But if you are worried that dressing up as the King of Pop might give off the wrong impressions, perhaps reading this News Update might give you some costume inspiration. Or maybe not. At the very least, those of you without Halloween plans, might find a show worth checking out.

Want to see some great hardcore and punk bands in Toronto this week? Then you should definitely check out the Fucked Up Weekend 2009, which kicks off tomorrow and runs until Sunday. This year’s edition takes place in several venues around the city and features numerous bands that you have – and haven’t – heard of, including Toronto’s Little Girls and Metz, Montreal’s Red Mass, Washington’s Iron Lung, and the of course, the hosts themselves. Fucked Up recently announced that they will be releasing a B-sides and rarities double album, entitled Couple Tracks (EXCLAIM! has the track-listing here), which will be out January 26th. And if you think that winning a Polaris Prize will have mellowed these guys out…well, you can guess again. But if you pick one show to see at this fest, make it the all-ages Thursday showcase at the Kathedral. For seeing Damian Abraham and Co. live, here are my suggestions: wear loose-fitting clothing to this show, carry as little material possessions as possible, and prepare by drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Details and set times for all the shows can be found over at Fucked Up’s blog.

Speaking of Pink Eyes, Mr. Abraham’s name has recently popped in a rather unlikely place: in the comments section for nominees for the “Sexiest Musician” category in the 2009 CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards. Huh? If you disagree then feel free to head over to the CBC 3 website and vote on this and other categories. You have until this Friday at 5pm Pacific to have your say, and then voting for the long list will begin Nov. 2nd.

MSTRKRFT will be playing the Guvernment’s Halloween event, “Thriller” (See? MJ again), along with a whole slew of quote “world-class” DJs that I have never heard of. So I made the effort to look up Ireland’s Japanese Popstars and Australia’s Dirty South, and to be completely honest, they are absolute shit. But JFK and Al-P put on one hell of a show, and it might be worth the wait, especially if you’ve never seen the duo DJ live before. Your call.

If you are looking for a Halloween show with less crowd inebriation or glow sticks, and more gentle head-bobbing, British folk-pop band Noah and the Whale will be at the Horseshoe on Oct. 31st. I’ve yet to listen to their new album, The First Days Of Spring, but their “5 Years Time” was one of my favourite songs of last year. Oh, and according to their MySpace, the band requests that you come dressed up as your “favourite dead celebrity”. The band will also be stopping by Criminal Records for an in-store performance from noon to 1pm.

Spiral Beach is heading to Europe on-tour starting November 9th and they are looking to raise some funds by playing three acoustic shows. You can check the Toronto quartet out Nov. 3rd at C’est What (67 Front St. East), Nov. 6th at an artists’ consignment shop called Repsycho (676 College St., between Grace and Crawford), and/or Nov. 7th at The Only Cafe (972 Danforth Ave). All the details on the shows can be found on the Facebook event page here.

Gentleman Reg, aka Reg Vermue, will be releasing a new digital download-only EP entitled Heavy Head. The six-track EP features the previously unreleased “Justified” with Owen Pallett and Reg’s cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Wild Heart”, and will be released in two song installments (two remixes, two b-sides, two covers) starting on November 10th. By December 1st, all six songs will be available online be available online. Fans attending Gentleman Reg’s upcoming tour will be able to purchase the EP in advance as a limited edition, exclusive, download card with the EP cover art. Full details here. In other Reg-related news, my roommate and I have reason that the Toronto singer lives in my neighbourhood, as we have seen him riding his bike and frequenting a local cafe (as if I’m going to tell you which one) on several instances. Kind of cool nonetheless.

What’s better than Alexisonfire and Australia? How about Alexisonfire IN Australia? If this sounds like a dream holiday to you, Dine Alone Records in partnership with Tourism Australia and Goway Travel, will be sending two people to Australia to see the band perform in Melbourne’s SoundWave Festival in February 2010. For contest details head here.

Before I go, I have to remind you about a show tonight put on by a good friend of the Lamb, Lauren Schreiber (if you see her there, be sure to congratulate her on her recent engagement!), a.k.a. Ms. No Shame. The Garrison bill includes London’s Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, Toronto’s The Wilderness of Manitoba, and Saskatoon’s Slow Down Molasses. This show starts at 9pm and attending will set you back only eight bucks.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Cheers,

Max

Tags: alexisonfire, fucked up, gentleman reg, halloween, mstrkrft, no shame, spiral beach
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The Singing Lamb Tuesday Twelve: Vol. I

September 8th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Shad

Welcome to the first edition of what I hope to make a regular weekly feature on the Lamb; the Tuesday Twelve, twelve new songs that you need to hear immediately, with no adherence to genres (this week we have everything from dancehall reggae to Canadian hip-hop to scuzzy blues rock), themes, or nationalities of the artists/bands. What I’ll be doing is searching through the blogosphere (yes, that does include Pitchfork and Hype Machine), podcasts, magazines, radio stations, my own personal iTunes, to bring you the coolest new tracks that’ll make you want to sing, make you want to dance, make you want to cry (maybe even all three at the same time). As always, feel free to comment if you liked (or disliked) a track I recommended, and tell me about the songs that you think I should hear. Enjoy!

Ghostface Killah & MF DOOM – “Chinatown Wars (Oh No Remix)”

This just in: Wu-Tang still ain’t nothing to fuck with. On this track – written as the theme song for the latest in the Grand Theft Auto video game series – Ghost (who from the likes of this track, and his recent appearance on MSTRKRFT’s “Word Up”, is having a timely career revival) spits battle raps like a true veteran, over a bubbling beat cooked up by Oh No and fake blood-in-the-streets news broadcasts. MF DOOM is no slouch on this track either, as he raps about twisting some unfortunate soul’s limbs “like pilates” – nice to see that the man who has a affinity for hiding behind a mask can rhyme about more than food and NSFW Adult Swim cartoons. If you’re maintaining any beefs with anyone at the moment, you need this song on your iPod.

Shad feat. Dallas Green and TLO – “…in the Black of Night (Freestyle)”

See folks, this is what happens when you gather a bunch of awesome artists, throw them in tour buses, and get them to play all across North America during the summer: you get awesome collaborations like this one between Calgary rapper Shad, Alexisonfire crooner Dallas Green, and his DJ TLO. Recorded during a late night on the punk rock carnival that is the Vans Warped Tour, Shad spits some clever rhymes about touring, recording and of course, Wu-Tang. Show of hands, who would like to see guest rappers on the next Alexis album? That’s what I thought. Credit to EXCLAIM! for this one.

The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Don’t Haunt This Place”

It seems that every other week, we are hearing about the next big indie rock band that hail from Toronto. Here’s the truth: a lot of the hype about these new bands is bullshit. Not to dump on the city’s incredibly rich and diverse music scene, but many of these indie rock bands are just boring, generic imitations of better bands before them. Fortunately for us, The Rural Alberta Advantage (also known by the space-saving acronym, The RAA), aren’t one of those bands. Consisting of lead singer and guitarist Nil Endenloff, keyboardist and backup singer Amy Cole, and drummer Paul Banwatt (you know him as the drummer from Woodhands), the band has seen their stock steadily rising, which has so far culminated in being signed to indie powerhouse label Saddle Creek, re-releasing their stellar debut folk-rock album Hometowns, and a (by all accounts) huge recent hometown show at the Horseshoe this past July. Expect big things from this trio in the near future.

Joel Plaskett – “Through & Through & Through”

Returning home for the first time in eight months, only to find that I had become a stranger in the eyes who people who I had once considered friends. Working in the kitchens of a summer camp that was plunged into swine flu paranoia, after several campers showed signs and were quickly quarantined. The godawful summer weather that Nova Scotia experienced throughout all of July, which is only now beginning to look up in August. Yet, for all the terrible (and terribly boring) stuff that I’ve gone through the past two months, the song that will always remind me of summer ’09 is this breezy, upbeat tune from Nova Scotian guitar troubadour Plaskett. And if there’s a pop song this summer that had better (or more Nova Scotian for that matter) lyrics than, “You be April Stevens, I’ll be April Wine /You be Israel, I will be Palestine”, than I’ve yet to hear it. Could Plaskett’s recent ambitious triple-album, Three, finally be enough for voters to give him his first – and very deserved – Polaris Prize? Only time will tell…

Apostle Of Hustle – “Eazy Speaks”

Recently Apostle Of Hustle’s frontman Andrew Whiteman told CBC Radio 3 that this song – named after the infamous rapper Eazy E – was inspired by a rock spray-painted with the words “Eazy speaks” that the band saw in rural Quebec while on route to a show in Prince Edward Island. Myself, I think its a fantastic thought: what if dead musicians could give us advice from beyond the grave? Michael Jackson would then be able to inform us of the pitfalls of facial reconstruction surgery (sorry, too soon?), Elvis would tell us to stay away from Vegas and over-eating in general, and Kurt Cobain would advise us to never, ever, <i>ever</i> trust anyone named Courtney Love. In this case, it would seem that Eazy told Apostle Of Hustle to “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” and write a catchy, riff-filled number like this one.

Major Lazer feat. T.O.K. and Ms. Thing – “Bruk Out”

Bawdy sex raps! Pitch-tweaked vocals! Off-the-wall futuristic Jamaican dancehall reggae! It can only mean one thing: globetrotting DJ extraordinaire Diplo and his fellow co-conspirator, the producer Switch, are back with a whole new bag of tricks. I’ve recommended Major Lazer – Diplo and Switch’s latest project featuring a slew of guest vocalists that you’ve never heard of (and some that you have) – to you before, but if you haven’t picked up their album Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do, you should make that a priority. Just in time for summer house parties, comes the duo’s blunt-smoking, skirt-chasing (sample line from this song: “I met Jill/She was a stripper/She said she wanted to undo my zipper”) love letter to Kingston’s dancehall and reggae scene. Plus, you know you’ve made it when GQ magazine features you and recommends Red Bull and vodka as the “appropriate companion drug”. This is some next-level shit right here folks.

Grizzly Bear vs. Lil Wayne – “2 Weeks ’til Prom (The Soundmen Mashup)”

Strangest mashup album ever? New York City outfit The Soundmen recently released a three-song EP, which mashes songs from indie rock darlings-of-the-moment Grizzly Bear and the always bizarre, but usually entertaining Lil Wayne. The title of this album? Vecktaflyest. Perfect. Listen to this one for yourself and decide whether its a trainwreck or not, but anything that manages to pair “Two Weeks” and “Prom Queen” together is worth a listen at least once in my books. Download the album and read more over at Paste here.

Wale feat. Peter, Bjorn & John – “Nothing To Worry About”

Everything about this track screams “official hipster summer anthem”. The newest single from Sweden’s biggest pop music export since ABBA, the whistling, Grey’s Anatomy-endorsed trio Peter, Bjorn and John? Check. Behind raps from Washington, D.C.’s next-great-hope, Wale, who so far in his career, has free-styled over Justice, managed to find a use for Lady Gaga’s sex-cyborg “singing”, and released an excellent Seinfield-themed mixtape? Check. On a hot new mixtape called Back To The Future, produced and mixed by 9th Wonder and Nick Catchdubs, available online for the very agreeable price of free? Check. For all the hype surrounding Wale, there’s no denying the man has serious skills on the microphone. We’re still waiting for his hotly-anticipated debut full-length, Attention: Deficit, which is scheduled to be out September 22nd, but this ought to be enough to tide us over until then.

Jay-Z feat. Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”

Is there anybody worse in the musical world than Mr. Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z, when it comes to this “retiring” business? The man’s put out two albums (the critically-maligned Kingdom Come and the much better American Gangster) after he said he was leaving the game for good, and on the not-so-subtle release date of September 11th, we can expect the third. The Blueprint III has rumoured to have been in the works for quite some time, and now some of the new songs are starting to leak, much to the delight of serious fans who consider this album to be akin to the rap equivalent of the Holy Grail. This one has Jay rhyming like he’s just getting into his prime, a nice poppy hook from Rihanna (the role she was born to play), and some hot lines from Kanye, who also produced the album. This album’s going to be a monster.

K-OS feat. Emily Haines & Murray Lightburn – “Uptown Girl”

Replace Jay-Z with a soulful K-OS doing his best Michael Jackson impression, Metric’s mistress Emily Haines filling in for Rihanna, and The Dears’ frontman Murray Lightburn providing Kanye-worthy backup vocals (okay, that one’s a bit of a stretch), and you basically have the Canadian version of “Run This Town”. While this is the second single from K-OS’ latest record, Yes!, it serves as an excellent showcase for all three artists on the track, who are arguably at the peaks of their careers. Lightburn and The Dears just put out their well-received fourth album, Missiles. Haines and her boy in Metric also have a hot new album, and have been playing summer festivals here there and everywhere, not to mention an upcoming show at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall in October. As for K-OS, he’s been playing packed shows from coast-to-coast and this new album should solidify his reputation as one of the country’s best rappers.

Arctic Monkeys – “Crying Lightning”

They got us to put on our dancing shoes, taught us that “D Is For Dangerous”, and still think you look pretty damn good on the dancefloor. Yes kids, that’s right: everyone’s favourite Sheffield garage-rockers, the Arctic Monkeys, are back and once again preparing for world domination…I mean, a world tour. This one is in support of their upcoming third album, entitled Humbug, which is being produced by Queens of the Stone Age head honcho Josh Homme, and is scheduled to be in stores on August 25th. You can listen to the new single, “Crying Lightning”, over at the Monkeys’ MySpace here. The Toronto stop on the tour is September 28th at the Sound Academy and if you don’t have a ticket, well…tough luck.

The Dead Weather – “Treat Me Like Your Mother (Diplo Remix)”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few months, you probably know already that this is Jack White’s new band. And if you know anything about me, or the type of music I usually listen to (you’ve read this far, haven’t you?), than you know its impossible for me to remain unbiased about The Dead Weather. I’ve been a fan of Jack, and a true believer that anything he touches turns to gold, ever since my father brought home The White Stripes’ White Blood Cells several years ago. As frontman for the Stripes (and of course, later The Raconteurs), he’s a true Guitar Hero, and is hopefully destined to go down in musical history as the Robert Plant or Bob Dylan of our generation. And can you blame White for getting Alison Mosshart to play a Nico-esque muse to his Andy Warhol? As the female half of The Kills, Mosshart is gorgeous, and has the pipes to match her looks. Throw in Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and a Raconteur (Jack Lawrence), and you have yourself one hell of a band. Download Diplo’s remix of Horehound’s first single for free over at RCD LBL.com.

Tags: alexisonfire, apostle of hustle, arctic monkeys, dallas green, dead weather, emily haines, ghostface killah, grizzly bear, jack white, jay-z, joel plaskett, kanye west, kos, lil wayne, major lazer, metric, mf doom, peter bjorn and john, rihanna, shad, the dears, the rural alberta advantage, tlo, wale
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Review: Edgefest ’09

June 26th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Billy Talent @ Edgefest (Photo Credit: The Edge 102.1)

Everyone was wet, everyone was muddy, and nobody cared.

This year, Edgefest fell on a very rainy day. Many concert goers tried to keep dry using ponchos (often made out of garbage bags), and others went with the tried-and-true method of using an umbrella hat (which is always a stylish look). However, all attempts at keeping dry were in vain; these methods may have worked for the beginning of the day, but by the end of the concert, no one was dry or mud-free…especially not me.

The only ones who were able to keep dry were the performers who rocked the stage, which was covered to block the rain.

K-os was the first artist I saw at Edgefest. He took the stage, after what I heard was a great set by The Stills. K-os brightened up the gloomy day with a bright red hoodie that could be spotted from all over Downsview Park, as he ran around the stage, with a seemingly endless amount of energy. The crowd, who was already pumped, caught this energy, and grew more excited.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kos

Metric was the next band to play. Emily Haines put on a good show, and was looking better than ever, especially compared to the drenched audience. Although I loved seeing Metric, I was a little disappointed that they only played two old songs (Dead Disco, and Monster Hospital). I like their new music, but I would have loved to hear a couple more classics.

Haines also drew attention to the second stage, praising her “great friends,” Flash Lightning, who were playing at the same time, and encouraged people to check out some of the other bands playing that day.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/metric

After Metric concluded their set with Stadium Love, Alexisonfire got their chance to play the main stage.

I was so so so excited to see Alexisonfire for the first time, and they did not disappoint.

The set they played was great:

Young Cardinals
Boiled Frogs
We Are the Sound
No Transitory
Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints
No Rest
Accidents
This Could Be Anywhere In The World

I would have loved them to play a song or two off their first album, but all things considered, they chose 9 great songs. The band was incredibly enthusiastic, and put their all into every number. The crowd acted accordingly; moshing and jumping around nonstop. The closing song (This Could be Anywhere in the World) was amazing, but left me wanting so much more; I will definitely go and see these guys again, and I can’t wait.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/alexisonfire

Then it was time for headliners Billy Talent. I was so thrilled to see this band; I’ve loved them since I was 13, and never seen them, so it was a big show for me.

All I have to say about Billy Talent’s performance is this: wow.

They played 18 songs, including an unexpected encore. The only way I can explain how great the set was is to show the set list:

Devil In a Midnight Mass
The Ex
This Suffering
Line & Sinker
Rusted From The Rain
Saint Veronika
Surrender
The River Below
The Navy Song
Pins and Needles
Perfect World
Devil On My Shoulder
Turn Your Back
This Is How It Goes
Fallen Leaves
Try Honesty
Red Flag
Nothing to Lose (encore)

Billy Talent played almost every hit, and every song I could have wished for. The crowd went absolutely berserk when they hit the stage, and didn’t stop for the entire set. At one point in the night, lead singer Ben Kowalewicz picked up a rubber chicken from the stage.

“Someone threw a chicken!” he said. “What other interesting stuff do you guys have?… What happened to like bras and panties; now I get fucking chickens thrown at me?!”

The chicken was later returned to its rightful owner.

Billy Talent was the most enthusiastic band of the night, by far. They spoke of their love for Edgefest; an event where they played on the third stage, when they were just starting out.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/billytalent

Overall, Edgefest was awesome. There were some lines that were too long and some portapotties that were too gross, but it was a great day overall. I think the key to this concert was the mindset of the audience. Most people went there totally stoked to have a great day, regardless of the weather. Lots actually loved the weather and the mud.

One girl, who was drenched in mud, brushed up against me and quickly apologized for doing so, since she was so filthy.

I said, “Fuck that; we’re all muddy today!”

“YES WE ARE!” she replied with enthusiasm. “Give me a hug!”

I did. I got even dirtier. It was awesome.

***

By Cashlyn Teggart

Tags: afi, alexisonfire, billy talent, edgefest, k-os, metric, review, the stills
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O Young Cardinals, Nesting in the Trees

June 8th, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Alexisonfire

In case you haven’t been keeping track, there are only nine more days until NXNE madness descends on Toronto. However there’s another countdown going on to another integral part of Canadian music: the Polaris Prize nominations. In case you aren’t familiar with the Polaris, its probably one of the most prestigious prizes that a Canadian artist can receive. Awarded to a Canadian album each year through a voting process by a panel of music journalists, broadcasters, bloggers and other music types, it comes with a cool twenty grand in cash for the winner(s). The most important criteria about the Polaris Prize nominations though? The award is based on artistic merit not record sales, unlike say, the Junos. Which means unless hell freezes over, you’ll never see a Nickelback album nominated for the Polaris (Sorry, couldn’t resist). Past winners have includedCaribou and Final Fantasy’s Owen Pallett, and this year’s Long List (forty albums, that’ll be eventually boiled down to ten, from which a winner will be chosen and announced on September 21st) will be announced on June 15th. Check out the revamped Polaris Prize website here, and feel free to comment below on what Canadian albums you think were the year’s best. To get you started, here are Herohill’s picks for the award. I definitely have to agree with them on Japanther and Joel Plaskett. And check back here in the near future as the Lamb may be running a betting pool on the finalists…

As for NXNE, as the event draws closer there have been a whole slew of late breaking shows announced, and the Lamb will do our best to keep you updated on the going ons. The Drake Hotel, a venue that it looks like I’ll be spending a fair amount of time in this week, recently announced a showcase on Wednesday, June 17th. On the bill include performances from The D’Urbervilles, Lioness and Woodhands, and DJ sets by Famous Players and Fucked Up (yep, you read that right). Not quite sure what a Fucked Up DJ set could entail, but given Pink Eyes & Co.’s reputation for live appearances, this could be quite spectacular. CiRCA will also be throwing a show called Vision (the after-party of the Much Music Video Awards and National Tattoo Convention) on the 21st, with a little help from Lights, k-os, Alexisonfire’s George Petit, Bedouin Soundclash’s Eon Sinclaire, The Stills’ Tim Fletcher and Dave Hamelin, Saint Alvia Cartel’s Ben Rispin and Skate For Cancer’s Rob Dyer, who all will be spinning their favourite tunes.

Speaking of Alexisonfire, in case you’ve yet to see the awesome video for their new single “Young Cardinals” (off the upcoming album of the same title), you can watch it here. Filmed on the Maid of the Mist boat at Niagara Falls (they’re on a boat, motherfuckers, don’t you ever forget), the only way that this video could get more Canadian would be if Wade was holding a beaver while Dallas slowly drizzled maple syrup over himself (I’m sure his hordes of 14 year-old girl fans would find that very erotic). And for a special treat for Lamb readers, here is a download link to check out the yet-to-be-radio-released new track “No Rest”. If anyone asks, you didn’t get in from us though…

As part of Toronto’s CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival (June 16-21), on June 19th at the Royal Ontario Museum, you can check out the sixth edition of Scene Not Herd – a collection of groundbreaking music videos. The showcase includes vids from the likes of Beast, Department of Eagles, Fleet Foxes, N.A.S.A., and this gem from Thunderheist. Unfortunately this thing starts at 9:30 p.m., so chances are if you’re planning on attending, you’ll have to skip out on a NXNE show or two. More details here.

MGMT has a new, predictably awesome video for “Kids”, starring folk singer Joanna Newsom. Watch it here.

I don’t like to throw the word around lightly, but Brooklyn’s The National, have been one of my “favourite” bands since I was introduced to them about two years ago. That’s why I had high expectations going into their sold-out Toronto show at the Kool Haus, a few weeks ago, with two friends of mine from Kingston. Unfortunately this being their first show of the tour, the band showed some considerable rust, which wasn’t helped by an uncooperative microphone. Lead singer Matt Beringer even flubbed the opening to my favourite National song, “Fake Empire”. Some good did come out of the show; including Beringer’s alcohol-induced, mic stand smash and cathartic howling during “Mr. November”, and the debut of several new songs. One of these songs was the tentatively-titled “The Runaway”, which the band performed recently live on Jian Ghomeshi’s QTV. Watch it here.

Thought I’d share with you another Toronto music blog worth checking out, and that’s Jessica Lewis’ music blog RoundLetters. Lewis is a fellow journalism student at Ryerson (represent!) going into her fourth year, and also contributes to ChartATTACK.com and SPINearth.tv. Show some love and check it out.

If you’ve never been to the Imperial Pub before, you have been missing out on one of the city’s best dive-bars. Just on the other side of Yonge-Dundas Square, it strikes just the right balance between sketch and homey (several of my memorable and not-so-memorable nights of drunken debauchery this school year started with “university nights” at the pub’s “Library Lounge”). Either way, it should be a nice fit for a one-off show next Thursday with Belle and Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson, Owen Pallett (wow, two mentions of Owen in one post – that has to be a record) and The Hidden Cameras’ Betty Burke. Facebook event details here.

Thought I’d leave you with what may be perhaps the best faux interview ever. Montreal’s globe-trotting DJ Tiga is apparently a notoriously tough interview, because he enjoys nothing more than taking the piss out of interviewers. Not that it makes my job any easier, but music needs more artists like him. This two-part (Part Iand Part II) fake interview is hilarious. “I said ‘watch me’…you should have seen them watch me.”

Cheers,
Max

Tags: alexisonfire, final fantasy, imperial pub, mgmt, nxne, owen pallett, polaris prize, roundletters, the national
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Now That Its Over, This Weight Is Off My Shoulder

April 23rd, 2009 | By: Guest Contributor

Gentleman Reg @ Sonic Boom for Record Store Day

“I feel like I’m dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what? I’m a pretty sound sleeper – that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.”

I didn’t say that. Heck, the guy who did say that – one Stephen Colbert – was talking about getting the chance to speak at the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, but I think this statement captures my feelings the last few days as I wrap up my first year of university. I finished my last exam yesterday afternoon, and now I’m beginning to say my goodbyes and getting ready to make the move from downtown TO to the strange wilderness that is North York. Now that school’s done, I’m hoping to be posting twice as often on here and covering even more shows and interviewing even more artists and bands.

International Record Store Day was this past Saturday and I got the chance to check out the festivities at Sonic Boom, which included solid performances from the likes of Gentleman Reg, Green Go and Hooded Fang. But we all know this day was about the free shit, and there was plenty of that; including vinyls from Josh Reichmann and Controller.Controller., a Paper Bag Records sampler and some pretty cool posters and pins. And just because the event has passed, doesn’t mean that you still shouldn’t be out there supporting your local record stores.

Twitter and Pitchfork. If there are any two cultural trends that I shouldn’t be following, it would be the latest social networking craze and the holier-than-thou tastemaking music website. But damn was their staff’s Twitter coverage of last week’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival pretty darn funny (sample Tweets included “there’s a guy next to me with a 4-year old with no earplugs. parental epic fail” and “killers open with “human” and “somebody told me.” they know they’ve still got another hour plus up there, right?”), and the next best thing to actually being in the middle of the Californian desert, dancing and sweating with thousands of complete strangers to everyone from Leonard Cohen to My Bloody Valentine to Paul McCartney. To read more about what you missed and to follow PItchfork on Twitter, click here.

Fleet Foxes are coming to Massey Hall in August! The date has yet to be finalized, but according to Chromewaves, event promoters recently confirmed this announcement.

How can hip-hop be dead when Kanye West and Clipse are still here? Their shit-hot collaboration, “Kinda Like A Big Deal” (which you can listen over at Kanye’s blog here), features some “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”-style boasting, honest-to-goodness rapping from South Park’s most recent target and bodes well for the Virginia duo’s upcoming third album.

While everyone and their mothers have been turning out remixes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Zero” recently (including MSTRKRFT, Animal Collective and N.A.S.A.), I thought I’d share with you a remix of a song from a band a little closer to home. Rio party-starter’s The Twelves turned out this remix of Metric’s “Help, I’m Alive”, which takes the original and turns it into a slab of French disco.

Hope y’all enjoyed, and celebrated accordingly, everyone’s favourite non-statuatory holiday on Monday. I’ll leave you with a few 4/20-related gems; here is Alexisonfire covering Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf”, a videofeaturing everyone’s favourite cuddly, family-friendly rapper (and avid cannabis supporter) Snoop Dogg, and some guy named Bob Marley talking about…well, you know where I’m going with this.

Cheers,
Max

Tags: alexisonfire, coachella, fleet foxes, kanye west, metric, record store day, remix, sonic boom, yeah yeah yeahs
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Let’s Chat: Wade McNeil (Alexisonfire/Black Lungs)

March 18th, 2009 | By: Melody Lau

Wade McNeil

Punk’s not dead. It still exists wherever high-schoolers discover their parents’ old Ramones and Clash albums; dusty slabs of black vinyl, tucked away as a reminder of their bygone youth. It still exists wherever guys with perfectly coiffed mohawks and leather jackets, and teenage girls in tight jeans and Vans slip-ons go to drink, dance and escape the monotony of daily life. It still exists in dirty basement venues from London to New York City; their cracked tile floors sticky with spilt beer stains, where amps are piled in precariously high stacks and the floors are covered in a tangle of cords and effects pedals.

Tonight it still exists at the Kathedral, a concert hall located on Queen Street West downtown in the heart of Toronto.

The main attraction on the bill tonight is a punk band called Black Lungs. The band’s lead singer, a man named Wade McNeil, takes to the stage amongst an enthusiastic bout of cheering from the mostly under-age crowd. Dressed in a black sweater and a checkered, collared shirt with a “Creepshow Fan Club” pin on his left breast pocket, and sporting his trademark black bowler hat, McNeil grabs the microphone and begins to sing. His tattooed hands, covered in symbols including a heart and a crown, grip his Gibson electric guitar, while he keeps time with his white, leather shoes tapping on the stage. Between songs, McNeil introduced the rest of his band and cracked jokes about going to see the biopic of the iconic rapper Biggie Smalls, which the audience just eats up.

The band draws their namesake from a form of pneumoconiosis; which according to Wikipedia, is a “chronic occupational lung disease contracted by the prolonged breathing of coal mine dust”. Known as “black lung disease”, it is caused by silica and carbon in the coal dust, and is common affliction among miners. It also is the perfect description of McNeil’s raspy voice; which sounds like the product of too many late nights or as if the singer had been chewing on gravel before delivering his world-weary lyrics.

“People always ask if I’m sick,” McNeil guffaws heartily, as I follow him into a back room of the Kathedral. When I told people that I was interviewing one of the members of post-hardcore Alexisonfire, I received one of two general reactions. From the guys, it was usually something along the lines of “that’s awesome man”. From the girls, it was usually a dreamy-eyed and excited “oh my god, is it Dallas Green?” What they and most others don’t know is that about the Hamilton-born McNeil is also the frontman of his own band, the Lungs, who released their debut album Send Flowers last May. The album features eleven straightforward, honest punk songs performed by McNeil and a rotating cast of fellow musicians, including members of Cancer Bats,Bedouin Soundclash and Johnny Truant. After waiting in the wings while Exclaim! TV filmed an interview (which you can watch here), I got the chance to talk to McNeil about everything from the challenges of stepping from out of the shadows and into the spotlight as a frontman to his past struggles with drinking to what would happen if he got into a fight with Fucked Up’s Pink Eyes.

It’s impossible to even begin to talk about Wade McNeil’s musical career without talking about Alexisonfire. Who could have predicted approximately eight years ago, that the band from St. Catherine’s, Ontario – a city more one day well-known for its parks and waterfront location than for being a hotspot for musical talent – would become one of the most popular bands in Canada? If having song titles such as “The Philosophical Significance of Shooting Your Sister in the Face” or “.44 Caliber Love Letter” weren’t enough indication that their music may not be for everyone, there listening to the actual albums sealed the deal. Their music contrasts the emotive melodies of Green with the tear-your-throat out screams of George Pettipas, rounding out the five-piece with guitarists McNeil and Chris Steele and drummer Jordan Hastings, and was a refreshing breath of air into an otherwise lifeless Canadian hardcore scene. Described by the band as being the “sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight”, while it may left most parents and anyone else over thirty wondering how this racket could be even considered “music”, the kids couldn’t get enough of them. The band’s upward trajectory was phenomenal; following the release of their self-titled debut album in 2002, they reached gold record certification in Canada (which according to the Canadian Recording Industry Association, is a distinction given to albums selling over 500, 000 copies). Arguably one of the most unlikeliest of bands to achieve mainstream success had – so far in their career, they have had five music videos reach regular rotation on MuchMusic, and have picked up hardware including two MuchMusic Video Awards and winning New Group of the Year at the 2005 Juno Awards.

“It was probably about three years ago, maybe four years ago, we had our first show,” said McNeil, when asked about the beginning of Black Lungs. “At the beginning it was just completely different people, and pretty much a completely different band, different songs. It was just an excuse to play with some punk bands in Toronto that we liked.” At the time, Alexisonfire had just finished a massive headlining tour that had taken them everywhere from Japan to Scotland to the United States and the members had decided to take a break from touring and recording. However McNeil was sitting on some songs that he didn’t feel “fit in anywhere” with the music Alexisonfire was making. So he decided if his band mate Green – who performs acoustic songs under the alias City & Colour – could have a solo project, than he could as well. He rounded up some friends, including keyboardist Sammi Bogdanski and drummer Ian Romano, and recorded what he described as “the soundtrack for punk rockers, hip hoppers, pill poppers, young ladies and show stoppers.”

Describing the fundamental differences between his role in Alexisonfire and Black Lungs, McNeil said, “I mean, it’s just kind of back to basics. With Alexis I don’t really sing that much, so I think it’s something totally new.” Talking to McNeil, it is almost hard to believe that he is a frontman. Maybe it’s his genuine, down-to-earth nature, maybe it’s the fact that he agreed to do this interview on such short notice, or maybe it’s the fact he gladly autographed my friend’s beaten-up copy of Watch Out! after we finish up, but there is no trace of that “egotistical frontman complex” in McNeil that we’ve seen in the past from so many others (see: Axl Rose, Liam Gallagher, etc.). Onstage he thrives from the audience interaction, and when he breaks into the chorus of Send Flowers’ first single “Hold Fast (Sink Or Swim)” (“When tonight is over and yesterdays are all we got/I hope you made it count/I know I made it count.”), draws an eager call-and-response from the one hundred or so people gathered to see Black Lungs. This is important for a man who once told Rolling Stone, “We don’t necessarily care how many SoundScans our album has done and how many plays our song is getting. We just want to be able to play to a roomful of kids every night.”

The old proverb that “blood is thicker than water” rings true with McNeil, as throughout the interview, he makes it evident how important a role family and friends play in his life. He told me that his entire family is from St. Catherine’s and that the closing track on Send Flowers, “In Memory”, is written about one family member in particular. “That’s a song about my grandfather,” he said, “About his life with my grandmother, and a bunch of events that they went through.” The song is one of the most poignant and emotional on the album, a slow-burner that starts off with McNeil’s low vocals which eventually build to a powerful climax. McNeil, who stated the main reason “we pretty much wanted to start the band [Black Lungs] to play with Fucked Up”, often, tours with bands started by friends that he grew up with. No wallflower himself in statue, when asked who would win in a fight between himself and Fucked Up’s lead vocalist Pink Eyes (also known as Damian Abraham), McNeil laughs and says, “He’s not really an angry guy. He might fight dirty though. He’s actually gentle as a kitten in real life.” Of the Ceremonial Snips, the opening band for this date of the tour, McNeil says, “We’re all roughly the same age. I’ve always kind of known the guys but not really well, I’ve seen them so much over the last couple of months, it just clicked and we decided that we definitely needed to start playing some shows together.” It is this sense of community and reaching out to friends and family that has helped McNeil get where he is today and he couldn’t be anymore grateful for it.

Listening to Black Lungs’ songs you notice that many of them sound like personal confessions, as if McNeil was exorcising his own inner demons. To which the singer agrees with. “I just want to write songs that real, that are personal. I just want to write honest music, just what it is. Its not really hidden or cloaked behind metaphors, it’s pretty out there.” said McNeil. The singer is candid about his past struggles with alcohol, admitting that while he was writing these songs, “I was just acting like a bit too much of psychopath and drinking way too much.”, said McNeil. All of a sudden this statement provides us with a glimpse into the dark subject matter that finds its way into his songs. He momentarily falls silent before continuing. “I guess that’s just that chapter in my life and what was going on.”

When asked what he has planned next for Black Lungs, McNeil replies, “We are probably going to put out a bunch of seven inch records, maybe put a few new songs up on iTunes as opposed to an actual album, just recording and playing shows.” He also fills me with the latest news from the Alexisonfire camp – the band is set to return to the studio this spring to record their fourth full-length album Young Cardinals. Alexisonfire is also playing the full Vans Warped Tour this summer which has dates all across North America. In the end, McNeil is determined to make sure that Black Lungs doesn’t remain a footnote in his musical career, and prove that this so-called “side project” is an integral part of who he is as a person and a musician. And while he may not be quitting his day job anytime soon, McNeil is proving that he can still have his own musical ambitions and live them out as a reality.

Note: This interview was conducted in January, but I only recently got around to finally transcribing and writing it this week, for which I have no viable excuses for such a delay. Luckily I had a profile piece that was due this past Monday for one of my journalism classes. Convenient? I think so… Also as a side note, Black Lungs will be opening up for Senses Fail at the Phoenix on April 15th. This show is all-ages and tickets will set you back $25.

MySpace (Black Lungs): http://www.myspace.com/dirtyblacklungs
MySpace (Alexisonfire): http://www.myspace.com/alexisonfire

Tags: alexisonfire, black lungs, interview, wade mcneil
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