The Wooden Sky @ Horseshoe (Photo Credit: Jerry Vo)

Joel Plaskett @ Mod Club

As part of the Canadian Music Week festivities this year, Sirius Satellite Radio put on a showcase billed as “Sirius Songwriters Cafe” at the Mod Club, which was recorded in its entirety for a future broadcast. The lineup was certainly a diverse one, including The Tea Party’s former frontman Jeff Martin performing solo, and late-Nineties Canadian rock radio favourites Default and The Trews. For myself, and countless others I expect braving the miserable, miserable weather and lengthy lineup at the Mod Club, there was only one act that mattered – a performance from The Nova Scotian Bard himself, Joel Plaskett.

I’m not sure whose decision it was to put Plaskett on first, but if it bothered the congenial singer-songwriter, than he certainly wasn’t showing it. Dressed casually in a t-shirt, vest and jeans, and grinning from ear to ear, he greeted the audience with a cheerful, “Hey Mod Club, how are you all doing?”. Accompanied by Peter Elkas on guitar, Plaskett played an abridged five-song set that included the Polaris Prize-nominated Three sing-along ”Through & Through & Through”, and fan favourite ”Nowhere With You”.

The least enviable job of the night had to belong to the female host from Sirius, who came onstage afterwards to say that due to a tight schedule we weren’t getting anymore songs from Joel, which promptly resulted in some enthusiastic booing from the filled-to-capacity Mod Club crowd. Nonetheless, even with a short set, Plaskett managed to prove why he cleaned up at the East Coast Music Awards several weeks ago (six awards!) and why he’s considered one of the best singer-songwriters in Canada today. Yet despite all his success, Plaskett has managed to remain incredibly humble – must be an East Coast thing.

Oh, and for fans wanting more Plaskett? He’ll be in Toronto next weekend for two shows at Lee’s Palace with his old band Thrush Hermit. Tickets for the Saturday show are sold out, but if you look around, you should still be able to get tickets for Sunday’s performance.

MySpace (Joel Plaskett): http://www.myspace.com/joelplaskett1

- MM

The Rural Alberta Advantage @ The Royal York Hotel

The Independent Music Awards, or “Indies” for short, is quite possibly the most bizarre annual Canadian music awards night ever. What other “awards show” can you name where you can see drunk music industry-types, 14-year-old Marianas Trench fan girls, and performances from actual talented bands, all in the giant ballroom of a swanky hotel? That’s what I thought. Last year, I caught Crystal Castles at the Indies after rushing over from the Bloc Party show at Kool Haus, and this year I caught another massively underrated (though in a completely different way) band, The Rural Alberta Advantage.

Taking the stage behind a giant video screen to perhaps one of the strangest crowds they’ve ever performed in front of, the Toronto indie rock three-piece of Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole and Nils Edenloff played about three quarters of their 2008 debut album, Hometowns, which was re-released on Saddle Creek just last year. The band drew their namesake and lyrical inspiration from Edenloff’s experiences growing up in Alberta, and write songs about small town malaise, heartbreak, the Rockies, and working in the oil fields. Live, the band transitioned effortlessly between uproariously frenetic barn-burners (“The Deathbridge In Lethbridge”) and slower, plaintive songs (“In the Summertime”).

Banwatt’s (who appeared earlier to present an award with Woodhands bandmate Dan Werb) powerful drumming, Edenloff’s rough, almost folksy-sounding vocals, and Cole’s (whose black Brigitte Bardot-esque dress nicely balanced out her male bandmates’ t-shirts and jeans) sweet backing melodies – they all mesh together to create songs that might not always be pretty, but damn if they aren’t catchy as hell. The RAA, who were featured earlier this week in a pre-SXSW article in the Toronto Star, are just one of those bands that you wish nothing but the best for. I can’t wait to see what these three have in store for 2010.

MySpace (The Rural Alberta Advantage): http://www.myspace.com/theraa

- MM

Yukon Blonde @ Horseshoe

Bucketfuls of rain poured all across Toronto, and I’m not sure if it was because of this that the Horseshoe wreaked of smelly wet feet or what. Nevertheless, it was definitely the place to be for CMW. The bill couldn’t look any better. First on the line-up is Yukon Blonde from British Columbia. Aesthetically, they look like the rugged guys you see hanging around Queen and Bathurst – with greasy, unwashed hair, donned in clothes torn in the wrong places. But musically, man, do these guys know their stuff. They opened with a song called “Rather Be” followed by “Brides” from their self-titled album released early last month. But what really got everyone hooked is their song “Wind Blows”. Even today, it continues to play in my head like a welcomed music worm. The clever wordplay in the chorus, “Wind blows/ Can you hear the wind blow?/ Listen to the raindrop/ Outside of my window,” certainly sticks without fail. Yukon Blonde sure knows how to make a pleasant lasting impression.

MySpace (Yukon Blonde): http://www.myspace.com/yukonblondeband

- CG

The Balconies @ Horseshoe

I must say, The Balconies is one good-looking band. Singer-guitarist Jacquie Neville is the master of mesmerizing the crowd with her intense rock’n’roll stage presence. Performing songs from their self-titled album, released last September, and a couple of new tunes, The Balconies had the crowd spell-bound. They ended with “Serious Bedtime” which resulted in everyone mouthing along the song’s words of mystery, “If you do it in the dark, in the dark, no one sees it/ If you do it in the dark, in the dark, it comes easy“. Energy is one thing the band never ceases to lack and whether you’re a fan or not you can’t help but be impressed by this up-and-coming force of (pop-rock) nature.

MySpace (The Balconies): http://www.myspace.com/thebalconies

- CG

The Wooden Sky @ Horseshoe

Coming back from their tour around Canada and the United States, The Wooden Sky played a much louder, turbulently-active set than I’ve ever seen. Amidst the guitar-flailing and emotion-filled singing, they played songs mostly from their album If I Don’t Come You’ll Know I’m Gone released last summer.  Obviously glad to be back home again, The Wooden Sky performed incredibly in front of the people who love them best – their Toronto fans. Frontman Gavin Gardiner didn’t hold anything back that night, not even his shirt by the end of it. After seeing them four times in the past year alone, I think it’s suffice to say that The Wooden Sky never ever ever disappoints.

MySpace (The Wooden Sky): http://www.myspace.com/thewoodensky

- CG

***

MM – Max Mertens, CG – Carmel Garvez

The Wooden Sky

A walk through Jean-Talon Market is always worth the three metro line changes. The warmth of Il Motore is also a pretty good argument to go out into the cold winter night and take the dreaded blue metro line.

Ottawa native and Montreal resident Laurent Bourque bravely faced the crowded room and brought What We Talk About, his first LP, to the stage. The guitars are perfect, the voice is flawless but there’s something missing. It’s almost too perfect to be real, which to me is always suspicious. Bourque sang about his love life and tormented times, pausing occasionally to say a few words to the crowd. After the first four songs, hunger got the best of us and we sneaked out of the venue to get some salty food. Food should never be chosen over live music, but in that case I was under the impression that I wouldn’t miss much. I could always listen to the CD back at home.

We came back to a dancing crowd and far more enjoyable set by Great Bloomers. The Toronto rock/folk/country/fun times band put a smile on everyone’s face with songs from their latest release Speak of Trouble. Their irresistible musical wit and stage presence only enhanced the already incredible set. They performed as if they were the main act and put so much energy into it that I was already content with how the show turned out.

The evening wasn’t over however. Soon after, The Wooden Sky, fronted by plaid jacket wearing, beer sipping Gavin Gardiner, claimed the stage and brought folk music to a whole new level. What happened at Il Motore that night was pure musical magic. I’d never seen nor heard music performed with such fervour or conveying so many emotions at once before on Saturday night. If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone is an amazing album, but multiply the energy emanating from it by a thousand and your heart might explode. I’m still not sure if mine started beating again. They played When Lost At Sea favourites but unfortunately the heartbreaking Oslo, off their latest release, was left out. Bassist Andrew Wyatt plays with a contagious energy, claiming melodica and bass playing at the same time on ‘’Angels’’. Gardiner’s voice is powerful, full of passion and never falters. The crowd was jumping, dancing and singing along. It was beautiful to watch, really.

The night made my heart and ears feel all warm and fuzzy and thanks to the great sound people at Il Motore, it wasn’t because my eardrums were hurt.

The Wooden Sky and Great Bloomers are going on tour together next month. So west coast people, get your tickets and enjoy the most beautiful night of music of your life.

Grab your whiskey bottles; it’s time to talk about The Wooden Sky. The band’s second LP, If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone, picks up where When Lost At Sea left us, bringing back the folky guitars and frontman Gavin Gardiner’s gorgeous, intense voice.

On this album, Gardiner croons about feelings, breaks our hearts, picks up the pieces and converses with the late King Henry. The album is more complete than their first effort and uses voice harmonies judiciously, highlighting crucial parts of songs and sending shivers down our spines. Former Mother Mother member Debra Jean Creelman landed her flawless voice to what is probably the most heart wrenching and prettiest song of winter 2009, “Oslo”. “(Bit Part)” and”The Late King Henry” are more upbeat and cheerful hence balancing the rest of the album nicely. And because sometimes it can’t be all about mushiness and feelings, the band treats us with an epic, spectacular bridge on “My Old Ghosts”.

If I Don’t Come Home is the perfect album for winter cuddling, soup eating and most importantly for heart-to-heart talks around a camp fire (or your TV if you live in a crowded second floor apartment with no backyard in the city).

Make sure to catch them live in Kingston on the 22nd and in Montréal on the 23rd (with Great Bloomers). They are also playing a show for lucky Bishop University students on February 2nd. They have a bunch of other tour dates which you can check out at their MySpace.

Several songs from the album are available for your gentle ears on their MySpace. Grab some mint tea and do your ears some good; go listen!

No Shame promoter Lauren Schreiber shares her favourite songs of 2009!

Think About Life – Johanna

This song was on repeat the entire 6 hour drive back from Pop Montreal. The addition of Caila to the band was brilliant – that girl has pipes like whoa and gives 100% every time. TAL has gone from my favourite live band to my favourite much music video dance party; I’m regressing, and I love it.

Thunderheist – Jerk It

What can i say? Isis is young, sexy and the song is catchy as shit. It’s like peaches, only I feel really hot listening to it, instead of just dirty.

Green Go – Put Your Specs On Boy

GG are old hat to me – I feel like this album has been out for about twelve years. But the fact that I’ve heard their songs for ages shouldn’t touch the fact that they are great… really really great songs from a really really great album. Get a drink in me and put this on, and I still squeal THEY’RE PLAYING MY SONG! Every time.

Everything All The Time – Lazy Days

Britney and Beyonce move over. Catchy as fuck quality pop has a new face, and it’s EATT. Welcome to the only indie pop band I know who has a real singer. Plus I love each and everyone of them… just delightful people.

Sports The Band – Castlots

Between the harmonies and the basslines and the interband drama, I always forget just how good Sports are. Until I walk into a room where they’re onstage and all I can do is beam.

Dirty Projectors – Remade Horizon

I had to move to the front of the sold out room to understand exactly what the hell was happening. Is it a keyboard? A guitar? No… its vocals. Wait, what?! Motown in a meatgrinder – groundbreaking.

Gentleman Reg – You Can’t Get It Back

Either you like his voice or you don’t, but there’s no denying guy can write a song. It’s like I couldn’t pick between my favourite frontman, and my favourite front woman, so I got both. Reg is sassy like a pop diva, he’s the best of all worlds.

Pick A Piper – Rooms

You’re a summer festival, you’re a boy with slight B.O., you’re a joint rolled in cinnamon rolling paper. I love you, let’s stare at the stars.

Akron/Family – Everyone is Guilty

I drove to Hamilton to see these guys because I’m didn’t grab tickets to their sold out 2 night stand at Sneaky Dees with Born Ruffians. Worth It.

Animal Collective – Brother Sport

Every time Fez from Green Go spins this at a party, I get all ‘This is great! Who IS this?’ And it’s always Animal Collective. I actually bought this album in a store. This is significant.

Patrick Watson – Beijing

When his first album came out, I described my heart school heartthrob as creating music that sounds like Montreal. Cinematic, decadent, urgent and idiosyncratic. And endlessly romantic. Somewhere between the pots and pan percussion and the lush string arrangements is my hometown.

Portico – The Battle of Duck Lake

My favourite songs of the 90s are reborn in this CBC radio 3 hit.

The Darcys – The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead

Sure it’s a cover, but what a cover! This is how you do covers, people, pay attention. Just listen to that guitar solo! This is a cover enough to build an entire tour around… which is exactly what they did. I expect big things from The Darcys in 2010.

Great Bloomers – Speak of Trouble

Full disclosure; I manage these guys. But there’s a reason – they are The Band as arranged by Queen, epic twangy roots rock with charm and soul for miles. The album is a slow burn – I like it more with each listen, and young frontman Lowell Sostomi will be writing songs for the rest of his life. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.

Evening Hymns – Dead Deer

I had to wait a year from the first time I heard these songs until the album was released. They almost didn’t make the 2009 cut off… Jonas! Way to build suspense. As expected, you were worth the wait.

Peter Wolf Crier – Down Down Down

A last minute discovery and one I’m still digesting. But the Minneapolis duo’s superlative Inter-Be may be my favourite album of the year.

Wooden Sky – Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me)

For petty personal reasons, I REALLY didn’t want to love this album. But I do, and how. My opinion of Gavin Gardiner remains the same as the first time I heard him open his mouth… it’s a crime he’s not famous worldwide yet – every teenage girl should be mooning around her bedroom to this.

Wilderness of Manitoba – Evening

I wasn’t expecting to find one of my favourite albums in a backyard shed on Delaware street north of Bloor, but I did. And even though the music was coming from people I already knew and loved, I never could have predicted the delicate beauty of this album. Wilderness of Manitoba give me hope.

Timber Timbre – Demon Host

His Halifax pop showcase was legitimately frightening. Taylor’s talent is otherworldly…

NOTES

I would have included the Rural Alberta Advantage, Olenka and The Autumn Lovers, Tune Yards and Parlovr, but though they really saw acclaim this past year, their albums were originally released in 2008. And I would’ve included Bruce Peninsula, but I doan’t think the recording of Mountain is a Mouth , lovely as it is, reflects how magnificent they really are.

Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest

Are you familiar with the concept of dualism? Me neither. Completely irrelevant to the philosophical concept, though, 2009 definitely presented quite the interesting polarity when it came to album releases. There were plenty of great ones and an unfortunate amount of things never meant for the ears. But focusing on just the positive side of 2009′s musical spectrum, the following are some of the records I’ve fallen in love with this year.

Personally, ranking stuff in accordance to best and least just make me uneasy. Hence, I’m listing my top ’09 records in alphabetical order (with supplementary zany visual aids for your short attention spans)!

Beacons – Ohbijou

Check: New Years – Ohbijou

Bitte Orca – Dirty Projectors

Check: Stillness is the Move

Far – Regina Spektor

Check: Laughing With – Regina Spektor

If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone – The Wooden Sky

Check: Oh My God (It Still Means a Lot to Me) – The Wooden Sky

It’s Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Check: Heads will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Merriweather Post Pavillion – Animal Collective

Check: Summertime Clothes – Animal Collective

Speak of Trouble – Great Bloomers

Check: This Ain’t You – Great Bloomers

Technicolor Health – Harlem Shakes

Check: Strictly Game – Harlem Shakes

Tight Knit – Vetiver

Check: Everyday – Vetiver

Veckatimest – Grizzly Bear

Check: Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear

K'Naan

Because nothing works better for procrastinating studying for exams quite like sharing some music-related news with you…

Ah, the FIFA World Cup. The only international sporting tournament where Canadians can cheer for pretty much any country that they want, and not be persecuted, because let’s be honest – we kind of suck when it comes to soccer. But hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t fiendishly cheer for other teams (myself, I’m going to be playing up my slightly Deutsch heritage – go Oranje! ) and Toronto being such a multi-national city, people can get pretty passionate about the beautiful game. The draw for next summer’s World Cup in South Africa took place last week, and I noticed yesterday that the Adidas store was displaying the snazzy new team jerseys and the official ball in the store’s front windows. WTF does this have to do with music, you ask? Because Somalia-born, Toronto-raised rapper K’Naan’s song “Wavin’ Flag” was selected in September as the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup, and will be featured in online and television commercials leading up to the event. Now we have a video to go with the reworked version of “Wavin’ Flag” – with new soccer-centric lyrics – watch it here. While you’re at it, check out K’Naan performing the song in-studio on CBC’s QTV with Jian Ghomeshi.

Speaking of new albums, rumours from various sources have been flying around on the Internet this week, as to the status of the third Arcade Fire album. Here’s what we do know: there will be a new Arcade Fire album this year, and its being produced by Markus Dravs, who worked on 2007′s Neon Bible. Early speculation suggested a May release date for the album, but now it appears that fans will have to wait until the second half of 2010. The Montreal outfit also are planning to headline some major festivals this summer (including Toronto dates?), but no word yet on where and when these dates will be.

Forty-three dollars is a pretty hefty ticket price, but that’s what its going to cost you if you want to see a double bill of legendary New York City MC Mos Def and British-born, American underground rapper MF Doom, who’ll be performing at Kool Haus on January 27th. Both are touring behind stellar new albums: Def’s The Ecstatic was recently nominated for the Best Rap Album Grammy, while Doom’s Born Like This (featuring production from the likes of the late J Dilla and Californian producer Madlib) received glowering reviews from music critics and fans alike. This bill is sweetened by the additional of local support by Toronto’s http://www.myspace.com/dsisive D-Sisive. Here’s a small taste of what you can expect – Def performing “History” (with Talib Kweli, The Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman and Hayley Dekkle, and The Roots!) on Jimmy Fallon, and Thom Yorke’s remix of Doom’s “Gazzilion Ear”.

Last weekend, I got the chance to catch the second of the Arkells’ two sold-out Toronto shows, and I have to say that I was completely blown away by their live performance. After a solid opening set from Burlington’s Sandman Viper Command (look for my long overdue interview with these guys soon), and an incredibly unremarkable one from St. John’s, Newfoundland’s The Novaks, the Hamilton five-piece hit the stage to the loudest ovation I’ve ever heard a Lee’s Palace audience give a band. They opened up with “Heart of the City”, before playing the rest of their 2008 debut album, Jackson Square, in its entirety. Everything about the songs sounded bigger – the harmonica intro on “No Champagne Socialist”, the “hey, hey, hey!” chants on “The Ballad of Hugo Chavez”, the soaring vocals on “Oh, the Boss Is Coming!” – live than on the record. And when lead singer Max Kerman broke into the chorus from the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby”, during the band’s own “John Lennon”, there wasn’t a person left in the audience that wasn’t singing along. For the encore, the Arkells called on the opening bands to come up on-stage, and proceeded to cover the Temptations’ “Ain’t To Proud to Beg” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark”. Want more proof that these guys have moved beyond their “Canada’s best kept secret” status (the phrase that so many music websites and blogs are still using to describe them)? Only hours after I posted a positive review of the show in my Facebook status, my friend who attends the University of Georgia commented, and said that he had heard of them before. The Arkells are definitely getting around, and its a thrill to see this success happen to such a hard-working, down-to-earth Canadian band. Also, if you haven’t seen the band’s literally-themed new music video for “Pullin’ Punches“, then you can do so here.

Toronto folk-rockers The Wooden Sky will be appearing on MTV Live this Wednesday. For free tickets to the performance, email liveaudience@mtv.ca. More details can be found on the Facebook event page here.

If you are fans of “krautrock”; the experimental style of rock music invented in Germany during the 1970s characterized by improvisation and strong, hypnotic rhymes, and made popular by bands including Neu!, Can, Faust and Kraftwerk (who in turn, has influenced a wide list of artists afterwards including Brian Eno, Depeche Mode, Holy Fuck, Radiohead and The Velvet Underground) than you need to check this documentary out. The BBC Four documentary Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany looks at how an entire counter-culture rose from the ruins of post-World War II Germany – fascinating stuff.

That’s it for me for tonight. Back to studying [insert sad emoticon here].

Third Floor Sessions

I think it’s pretty evident that even though the Singing Lamb isn’t officially based or centralized around Ryerson University many of our writers and photographers (including past contributors) are from Rye High. And I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t possess this so-called ‘school spirit’ that everyone speaks of – until now, that is.

As part of a group of Radio and Television students’ final practicum project, a series of live concerts called Third Floor Sessions was born and has already featured amazing local acts including DD/MM/YYYY, Kay Pettigrew and most recently Gravity Wave.

Every session is conveniently taped so we are able to download and watch them online at spiritlive.net!

Here are just a couple of examples:

DD/MM/YYYY – http://www.spiritlive.net/?q=TFSmp3_ddmmyyyy

Kay Pettigrew – http://www.spiritlive.net/?q=TFSmp3_kaypettigrew

Currently, the series will be wrapping up this school semester with two more shows – Ohbijou this Saturday December 5^th at 3PM and The Wooden Sky on December 15^th) with more potentially on its way after the holidays.

Here’s the Facebook event for Ohbijou: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=354146965174&index=1

Regardless of school credits or grades, what these guys are doing are phenomenal and if you have some free time this Saturday, what better way to spend an afternoon than at school and with Ohbijou! (Okay, if I was to actually grade this though, I’d give it an A)

The Wooden Sky

The Wooden Sky will be back in Toronto next Friday for a show at Lee’s, with Hooded Fang and Brian Borcherdt and we want to give you a chance to win a pair of tickets! All you have to do is send me an email (at melodylau.620@gmail.com) with your full name (that’s it!) and we’ll pick a winner on November 11th!

The band also recently released a series of documentary videos, following them as they went on their “Bedrooms & Backstreets” tour across Canada. Watch below!

The Wooden Sky – A Documentary in Pieces – PART ONE (HD) from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.