Coeur de Pirate @ Dakota Tavern (Photo Credit: Frank Yang)
On Friday night, Coeur de Pirate, $100, Deep Dark Woods, Hooded Fang, The Coast, Mark Berube and The Patriotic Few, Chris Valen, and The Beauties played the Dakota Tavern.
Although I wanted to stay the whole night, I eventually decided only stay until Hooded Fang, and save my energy for Edgefest and the Lovely Feathers on Saturday (reviews to come!).
It was a great show, and a great night; even those who were at the Dakota just for fun and didn’t know about NXNE had a great time.
First off, due credit must be given to Montreal’s Coeur de Pirate.
She had the first set at Dakota Tavern on Friday; a bar which, in contrast with her music, is largely country-oriented. It was also her first show in Toronto, and most of her songs were in French. I’m not sure exactly how many audience members spoke the language, but I can wager a guess that it wasn’t many. Despite many in the audience being lost in translation at first, they warmed up after a few songs of Coeur de Pirate’s incredibly personal performance. Where many artists dodge questions regarding song meanings, Coeur de Pirate had no qualms.
“This song is about falling in love at a festival,” she said. “Which is what happened to me when I went to Warped tour a few years ago.”
She also spoke of heartbreak; a self-proclaimed common theme in many of her songs. Her performance was so lovely that I had to keep stopping myself from sitting cross-legged in-front of the stage, as if it was story time. Coeur de Pirate played her keyboard with obvious passion, and with a modest air about her. She thanked the audience for their enthusiasm, smiling humbly as they cheered.
For her last song of the night, Coeur de Pirate warned the audience, “You probably hate the song I’m going to play next, because it’s really annoying…but I swear I’m going to make you love this song!” She then wrapped up her set with a beautiful rendition of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”…and I have to admit; I liked it.
Coeur de Pirate is playing tons of dates in and around the Montreal area; I would definitely recommend going to see her if you’re in the area.
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/coeurdepirate
Toronto’s own $100 took the stage next. The folksy Dakota Tavern was the perfect venue for this progressive country band. One Hundred Dollars was new to me, but as soon as they were done their first set, I got their deal; good country music. And thank goodness!
It’s been a long time since I fell in love with a country band, but I was really impressed with these guys. One Hundred Dollars have soul; something that I feel too many country artists today lack. The voice of lead singer Simone Fornow was strong and emotional. The rest of the band backed her up with just as much talent; the use of the pedal steel guitar was especially effective. They filled the room with an energy that set the precedent for, and followed through, the rest of the night. The Dakota’s usual crowd loved the country vibes, and the NXNE crowd was just as enthusiastic.
One Hundred Dollars is in the middle of releasing a vinyl series called Regional Seven Inch. The releases are coming out all over the country, and the A-side of each vinyl touches on issues related to the region where it is released; like the work shortage in Newfoundland, and cancer treatment in Toronto. The band will be all over the place for a bit, but are returning to Toronto on August 18, to play two nights at The Horseshoe Tavern with Sunbear and Carolyn Mark.
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/1hundreddollars
The night continued with Saskatchewan folk rock band Deep Dark Woods; another band that was new to me. By the time Deep Dark Woods took the stage, I was really warming up to the country music; this band perpetuated those feelings. Deep Dark Woods mixes a bit of country with a little rock and roll, and it works.
As you may be able to tell by their name, the band often touches on depressing subject matter like death, heartbreak, and poverty. However, don’t write these guys off as a whiny country band. The emotion behind their songs is real and obvious, and although the lyrics may be depressing, their simplicity is beautiful. Deep Dark Woods’ songs often hold an upbeat tune, in spite of the material they cover; it creates a very cool paradox. The band put on a great show and got the whole audience moving, especially with their heavy use of various guitars.
If you want to check these guys out, you’ll have to take a trip, because they don’t have any more dates set in Toronto as of yet. However, they have a lot of songs posted on their MySpace page, so I’d recommend checking that out in the meantime.
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/deepdarkwoods
The last band I caught at the Dakota was Hooded Fang, who put on a fabulous show. The band completely changed pace of the night, as far as musical styles are concerned.
As soon as Hooded Fang started playing, the crowd grew more energetic and crowded the stage, dancing away. The set was a fair mixture of tracks from their debut EP and newer songs, each one showing off just how diverse the band is in terms of sound. With a hint of country, it is understandable why they would be on this bill but the band veers more towards an easy-going indie-pop vibe, which added a nice touch to the night’s more overtly country acts. Lead singer, Daniel Lee’s voice is endearing and memorable, and on tracks such as “Land of Giants” where he shares vocals with keyboardist Lorna Wright, it is pop perfection. During their set, the band even dedicated a song to our very own “hard working” Singing Lamb/birthday girl, Melody Lau!
If you missed this performance of Hooded Fang, they are playing the Pride Festival on June 27.
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/hoodedfang
Photo by Frank Yang, for more of Chromewaves’ coverage of NXNE, click here!
By Cashlyn Teggart
