Deer Tick

With the madness that we Torontonian’s call Canadian Music Week behind us, it’s nice to reflect back on the events that took place over those chaotic four days. Though our fair city’s venues were filled with some of the best musicians from around the world, the triple bill at The Opera House on Friday March 12 featuring Deer Tick and Middle Brother was not one many opted to miss.

Given the nature of the line up that night, it was often hard to keep up with what was happening on stage. The contribution of overlapping band members and mutual touring companions made for some confusion as to who was actually performing. Confused or not though, it sure made for one hell of a party and a bit of confusion in determining who the headliner was; all of them are worthy of the title.

Taylor Goldsmith, of opening band Dawes, took to the stage to start the night off with a solo performance of “My Girl to Me.” He continued to play a number of their country-folk love songs such as “Love Is All I Am” and “Take Me Out of the City,” without the help of the rest of the band. This was surprisingly effective as the combination of  his single electric guitar and lonely words of love lost seemed more heartfelt and genuine without full instruments. Eventually joined by fellow band members and Deer Tick‘s keyboardist, they played an electrified version of “Piece in the Valley.” Jonny Corndawg was the last to join the rest on stage to wrap up the set with a few of his original, and often comedic, all-American ditties. Between the man’s style and dance moves, he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. Corndawg’s ironic and authentic country-rock style was undoubtedly the perfect addition to the night.

A brief interlude separated the sets before Deer Tick opened with “Easy” off of their sophomore album Born on Flag Day. People were trying to sing over McCauley’s rasp while feeding off of the excitement in the packed house. Deer Tick played a wide variety of songs off all three of their albums including “Choir of Angels,” “Smith Hill,” and “Baltimore Blues No. 1,” offering fans a chance to hear the songs that drew them to their raw country-alt sound. The performance of “Ashamed” was particularly memorable as they incorporated extended instrumental breaks, adding multiple electrics and a surprisingly appropriate saxophone solo. With the help of Matt Vasquez of Middle Brother on vocals, it was definitely one of the best and most energetic song performances of the night. While only stopping to take swigs of beer and express their excitement to be there, Deer Tick was thankfully able to squeeze as many songs in as they could given the short sets.

To wrap up the night “super group” Middle Brother began with the catchy “Blue Eyes.” The collaborative efforts of Goldsmith, McCauley, and Vasquez on vocals made this track a perfect example of what makes this band so charming. Each of the members offer a unique style which fit together effortlessly given their common country roots . After bouncing from emotional to more up-beat rock songs, “When my Time Comes” by far had the greatest crowd reaction of the set. Closing with a cover of Replacement’s “Portland,” their overall live show makes one hope that this self-proclaimed “temporary side project” will last a little longer than originally planned.