Julie Doiron
Julie Doiron first wiggled her way into my heart when her single “I Woke Myself Up” was featured on one of the beloved CBC Radio 3 podcasts that soundtracks my Sunday afternoons. Having a string of albums under her belt (not to mention her involvement in Eric’s Trip), one could say that the opening of my ears to Doiron’s work was a little late in coming. But better late than never. Tuesday night’s show at Lee’s Palace was a pleasing blend of old and new material, satisfying relative newcomers and long-time fans alike.
Arriving a bit later in the evening unfortunately meant missing last-minute opener Shotgun Jimmie, but I was luckily able to make up for this. I’ll get to that later.
The opener-as-advertised, Herman Dune, began the set as a one-man guitar act (David-Ivar Herman Dune), launching with some ballads that were quite complementary to Julie Doiron’s song-writing style. His witty lyrics and enthusiastic stage presence made me glad to watch him in solo mode, but the set was livened up when drummer Néman Herman Dune entered the picture and helped flesh out some of the tunes, creating some downright catchy and rocking tracks. To the audience’s pleasure, Julie also came out and sang some back-up vocals on the track “Good for No One”.
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/therealhermandune
As always, Lee’s got significantly fuller in the break before the headlining act, the crowd growing to a cosy size by the time Doiron took the stage. Backed by the Baird Brothers (Jay and Jesse) on bass and drums, Julie played the requisite tracks from her newest album I Can Wonder What You Did with Your Day, beginning with a version of “Consolation Prize” that was equally as ruckus as that which occurs on record. Any semblance of a setlist quickly dissolved as Doiron began taking requests, playing nearly everything asked of her. Having such a large repertoire to draw from, I was impressed by the band’s ability to pick up and play these songs at a moment’s notice…with fantastic results, perhaps excluding the occasional overly “jammy” and indecisive ending. Appearing to be enjoying herself thoroughly, Doiron treated Lee’s to something close to a 20-song set ranging from the lovely old track “Sweeter” to a fun cover of The Dinner is Ruined’s “Sleep Little Willie”, topped by some guitar work from Shotgun Jimmie who hopped onstage for the last few songs. Julie’s performance of new favourite “Blue” was a particularly awe-striking moment of the night; her straightforward, pointed lyrics accompanied only by the sparse sounds of her guitar made her quieter songs more heart-wrenching than ever. Julie’s enthusiasm and endearing nature kept the majority of the audience at rapt attention for the duration of the evening, although it seemed that only the die-hards managed to stay until the end of the show. For those who did stick around, it was well worth it. Music in heart and hand (I grabbed some older Doiron recordings to snack on), I stumbled home exhausted and satisfied.
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/juliedoiron
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jimjimers
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thejaybaird
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/127265538 (The Dinner is Ruined)
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ericstrip
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Epilogue:
Fortunately, a second chance to see Shotgun Jimmie came up, in the form of a much more intimate Halloween show at a favourite venue of mine in Waterloo, Ontario. 130 King Street has been a staple part of my student-life and concert going experience, run by lovely people and consistently showcasing great acts for a cost that is easy on the student wallet—but I’ll try to refrain from drooling too much about it for now. Shotgun played a short and sweet assortment of his own tracks, ending his set with a sing-along version of Thriller (in honour of Halloween) with the Baird Brothers providing complimentary beat-box sound effects in the background. Priceless.
