The Luyas @ Webster Hall in April (more by Sarahana)

The 2010 edition of the Pop Montreal music festival (Montreal's answer to CMJ and SXSW) kicks off today. Highlights on the schedule include, in the legends department, Swans (who are also touring through NYC), Van Dyke Parks (who is also touring through NYC), and a performance by Mary Margaret Ohara (with an opening set by Doveman). I also discovered a new collaboration on the schedule: Light Fires is the "joint venture of musicians Gentlemen Reg Vermue and Ohbijou's James Bunton." Karkwa just won the Polaris Prize and they'll be playing a showcase too.

In the "our favorite Montreal bands" department, there will be also be sets by hometown favorites Think About Life and The Luyas (not to mention Radio Radio, Parlovr, Braids, etc, etc...).

Speaking of The Luyas, congrats to them!

"We recently fell head over heels for the space-age experimental pop sound of the Luyas, and after a long courtship, some late night long distance phone calls, and at least one senior prom dance, we can now welcome them to the Dead Oceans' family. Hailing from Montreal, the Luyas are Pietro Amato, Mathieu Charbonneau, Stefan Schneider, and Jessie Stein.

It is easy to get lost in the Luyas' musical world-their retro-futurist songs are drenched in echo, and built from guitars, French horn, piles of keyboards, drums and percussion. Singer/guitarist Jessie Stein expands the band's already wide musical vocabulary when she plays the Moodswinger-a 12-string electric zither designed by the Dutch experimental luthier Yuri Landman.

The Luyas are currently working on their forthcoming first album with Dead Oceans, slated for release in early 2011. Working with engineer Jeff McMurrich (Tindersticks, Constantines), The Luyas have also teamed up with friend and colleague Owen Pallett who is lending his arranging skills and violin playing to a number of tracks." [Dead Oceans]

The Luyas will be back in NYC for CMJ later in October.

And speaking of Swans, they kicked off their reunion tour last night at the Troc in Philly. A single video was posted to YouTube. Check it out below...

Continue reading "Pop Montreal kicks off, Luyas got signed, Swans on tour"

"With a horn section behind the already several-member group, Broken Social Scene began with 'World Sick' off their new album Forgiveness Rock Record and then 'Stars And Sons,' the latter with fans clapping repeatedly on cue as six guitarists jammed out the conclusion.

However, from there things got bigger and better, with Metric's James Shaw and Pavement's Scott Kannberg helping out on the danceable 'Texico Bitches.' Then Feist made her way onstage for '7/4 (Shoreline),' dancing around the stage when not sharing vocal duties with Drew.

The only problem perhaps with the set - aside from Drew irked that his guitar pedals weren't working - was how it seemed to peak halfway through. Following the plodding, precious ballad 'Sweetest Kill,' both Feist and Metric's Emily Haines appeared for 'Sentimental X's,' which had the crowd onside from the start." [Toronto Sun]

Sebastien Grainger (DFA1979) and John McEntire (Tortoise/Sea and Cake) also joined BSS on stage on Saturday, June 19th, on Toronto's Olympic Island. The full lineup for the 2010 edition of the annual Toronto Island Concert, which wasn't officially part of NXNE (but which did let in 250 badges) looked like this:

1:15 PM Toronto Revue (The Beauties, Flash Lightnin', Zeus)
2:45PM Timber Timbre
4:00PM Beach House
5:15PM Band of Horses
6:45PM Broken Social Scene
9:00PM Pavement

I left my downtown hotel in a cab at 3pm, and though the ferry station was only a ten minute drive away, I didn't actually get to the stage area until around around 4:45. I heard Beach House as I walked up, but I never actually saw them. I wasn't worried about catching Timber Timbre because I saw them the night before in a club (more on that later), and I knew I wasn't getting there by 1:00 (after being out till 4am at NXNE shows the night before) so I didn't even try.

The weather on Saturday in Toronto was hot and beautiful and Band of Horses (who played Grand Central Station in NYC one night earlier) (and the Williamsburg Waterfront in NYC one night later) sounded great as they played out to the thousands of people who were either watching them... or waiting on line for something. Lines were definitely a problem on the island. You usually had to wait a long time for food, bathrooms and most frustratingly to many, beer.

Then came Broken Social Scene and they were in top form - it was my favorite time ever seeing them. In fact, though I've seen the band more times than I can remember over the past six years, I was never 100% comfortable with their live show before. That changed on the island. Maybe it was because they were in their hometown of Toronto with all their friends (though sadly no Jason Collett or Amy Milan who are both on tour). Feist and Emily Haines together on stage contributed strongly to the specialness (par for the course for Toronto), and Lisa Lobsinger no longer feels like the new girl.

Full setlist (and lots more pictures and some videos) below.

As painful as it was to leave while BSS was playing their last song (aka I didn't stay for Pavement), I made the decision that I was going to catch The Stooges who played a competing show at Young Dundas Square at 9:30. My trip off the island was much quicker than my trip on. I got a ferry immediately and then a cab immediately and I was 40 minutes early for Iggy. I even caught the last ten minutes of The Raveonettes who played before the Stooges on the outdoor stage which was in the middle of a Times Square-like area of town. It was a complete madhouse (a free show in the middle of town open to anyone... with Iggy Pop), but more on that later.

Andrew Frisicano was with me on the island. He missed Band of Horses but stayed for Pavement. His post on the headliner is coming later. More about BSS and Band of Horses, with a ton of pictures and some videos and both setlists, below...

Continue reading "Broken Social Scene (w/ Feist & Emily Haines) & Band of Horses opened for Pavement @ Toronto's Olympic Island - pics, video, setlists"

The Hidden Cameras have just announced a massive North American tour in support of their fourth full-length, Origin:Orphan....Fans will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for all of the newly announced shows except in Brooklyn and San Francisco, before they go on sale to the general public... As a bonus and in anticipation of the new album and tour, fans will immediately receive a free digital download of the newly released 5-track In The NA EP with any The Hidden Cameras pre-sale ticket purchase.

The tour dates currently on pre-sale include the band's November 4th show at (Le) Poisson Rouge (pre-sale tix). General sale starts Thursday, August 27th at noon (note: I think they were on sale and then not on sale or something like that).

Tickets for band's other area show, November 6th at Brooklyn's Union Hall, aren't on sale yet are on presale. Sometimes Camera member and fellow Canadian, Gentleman Reg will join them on all dates.

Quick flashback: In 2004 the Hidden Cameras were supposed to headline Bowery Ballroom, but their opener got too big so they switched the order before the show happened.

The EP mentioned above includes the song "In the NA," the first single off the band's new full-length. Check out the video for it, with tracklists and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Hidden Cameras & Gentleman Reg - 2009 tour dates, presale"

by Andrew Frisicano

Gentleman Reg @ Mercury Lounge (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Toronto based Gentleman Reg has announced a two month spring tour in support of his first internationally released full-length, Jet Black, which arrived in stores in February on Arts & Crafts. The tour will kick off April 22 in Ottawa in support of Spiral Beach, include a string of Ontario headlining dates, a cross-Canada run in support of The Stills before a three-week run in support of A Camp starting May 26 in New York. [press release]

Tickets are still on sale for that A Camp-headlining show at Bowery Ballroom on May 26th. All other dates are below.

Keep track of what A Camp are doing on tour by following their video diary. The other day they met Bill Clinton (that video below).

A Psapp remix of Gentleman Reg's Jet Black track "We're In A Thunderstorm" is up on RCRDLBL.com. That song is part of a remix contest Reg and Arts & Crafts are currently running. The raw files for "We're In A Thunderstorm" are up on his site, and the winning remix will appear on the Arts & Crafts 2009 Summer Sampler. (Submitted remixes are streaming now.)

All tour dates and videos for songs "To Some It Comes Easy" and "Coastline" (the second recorded live in a van "along the waterfront at Royal Military College"), both from Jet Black, below...

Continue reading "Gentleman Reg - tour dates (A Camp), videos, remix contest "

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Real Talk: The show was a warm-up, a place to work out the kinks before they rock the big crowds of the Siren Festival on Saturday. At points it showed. The band had a few false starts and were definitely a little rusty, except for the "classics".

More Real Talk: It wasn't just just Brendan Canning, it was Broken Social Scene! At MERCURY LOUNGE. Clocking in at two hours. Seven band members plus a four piece horn section. 18 gazillion guitars (OK, at least 3 at any given time). Who can really complain about that?

The band was definitely loose, definitely working out the kinks, but definitely fun and HAVING fun as they cruised through five tracks from Brendan Canning's new record (due July 22nd), a Kevin Drew song, a handful of Broken Social Scene tracks, a few odds & sods, and one awesome Apostle Of Hustle track. The new Brendan Canning tracks come off much better in person, although I gotta say that Brendan's voice probably could have done with a hefty dose of effects that he used on Something For All of Us. All in all though, these are minor quibbles compared to how unbelievable it was to hear songs like KC Accidental (an audience choice) in Mercury Lounge.

Since you never can tell, this was BSS on July 17, 2008: Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman (Apostle Of Hustle), Sam Goldberg, Gentelman Reg, Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think), "newest member" Leon Kingstone, "Philadelphia's Finest" horn section, feturing 3 horns.

The highlight for me was Andrew Whiteman and the VERY impromptu performance of Apostle Of Hustle's "National Anthem of Nowhere". So impromptu that his accompaniment, Brendan Canning on bass and Justin Peroff on drums, were obviously learning the song ON THE SPOT, and it worked like magic. I managed to catch Apostle Of Hustle during their residency at Mercury last year and last night's performance of it definitely felt more special. To me, Andrew Whiteman is the unsung hero of BSS; his effortless GQ-smooth solos elevated all the songs, ESPECIALLY "Cause = Time" with it's soaring solos.

Fellow Arts & Crafts (BSS's label) artist Gentleman Reg opened the show, as well as played in the BSS backing band. This was my virgin Gentleman Reg experience and his songs seemed simple and with potential, although kind of lost in the dull roar of the talky backs-to-the-artist crowd, especially considering his sparse guitar and drums arrangement. Gentleman Reg may require further investigation.

Kyle adds:

charles spearin (do make say think) is playing with the guys and debuted a part of a new project called "happiness," in which he interviews people about what makes them happy and then takes the pitches of their voices and turns them into music. very interesting and avant-guarde. they also had a horn section with them. i believe the most i counted on stage was 11 people, but for mercury that's ridiculous. they joked around and improvised a few bits of songs (one of which was a promise not to play madison square garden). the finale was chosen via audience vote (kc accidental) to which kevin responded, "you guys are living in the past!" the room was also about 120 degrees.

BSS Setlist and more photos below...

Continue reading "Broken Social Scene ("Brendan Canning") & Gentleman Reg @ Mercury Lounge, NYC - pics"

Broken Social Scene @ Sled Island 2008 (more by Rae Holtsabum)

Broken Social Scene's free performance at the Siren Festival in Coney Island is right around the corner. Brendan Canning's intimate performance at the Mercury Lounge is even sooner.

Broken Social Scene presents Brendan Canning "Something For All Of Us..." An album release party featuring a special live performance. Each ticket includes a copy of the new album "Something For All Of Us.." that can be collected upon entry to Mercury Lounge. As an added bonus, each purchaser will be emailed a download link for "Something For All Of Us.." within 2 days of their completed transaction.
Also Appearing: Gentleman Reg. [tickets]

Jason Collett also has a show scheduled at Bowery Ballroom on August 7th. He's opening for Tift Merritt. Tickets are on sale. Feist is here in NYC on Wednesday. All BSS, Canning and Collett tour dates below...

Continue reading "Brendan Canning playing Mercury Lounge! Jason Collett playing Bowery and other places, BSS Tour Dates"