Thao and Mirah Guests: Led to Sea / Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside The Biltmore Caberet May 5th, 2011
(BLOGGER DELETED THIS POST-- I'm too lazy to re-write it)
I caught the second half of Led to Sea, who also turns out to be the Violinist/Keys/Vocals for Thao and Mirah. She played exceptionally interesting looping violins with vocals. Great opener.
The second opener was Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, the moment they began to play --- I began to dance. A lot of feet shuffling, head bobbing, body moving happened. They have that old bluesy - classic 50's rock sound to them. They sound unique, different, refreshing. I picked up their EP at the end of the night and am anticipating their full record release at the end of May (23rd - to be exact). Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside - Not An Animal
When Thao and Mirah came onstage they opened with something rather mellow, clam, serene. I was an avid listener of Thao With the Get Down Stay Downs but had never made an attempt to familiarize myself with Mirah's work. It's safe to say that their set was played passionately by all musicians on stage. The stage - full of women musicians was refreshing. The sound was a little unbalanced at The Biltmore, the percussion was overpowering the acoustics and vocals. But because I positioned at the front of stage, seeing them play, no-matter how chaotic the sound sometimes was -- beautiful. Favourites from their record include "Little Cup" and "Hallelujah"
FENCES The Biltmore Cabaret April 15, 2011 Show 9pm
I have been waiting for Chris Mansfield, also known as Fences to come back to Vancouver to play a show -- I missed the last time he came through and have been anticipating his return ever since. I have to say, after a long week of final exams and pondering expectant test scores-- I needed a break from my hectic college life. This was the perfect release.
I have written about how his music makes me feel, how much I so self-deprecatingly love it. Endlessly. Let me continue that trend.
I made my way down to the venue at around 8:30pm. Just outside the venue was Chris standing in the shadows surrounded by cigarette smoke. Obscure and hidden. Upon entering the venue I wondered if the motivation behind deciding to pursue a career in music would be fame and fortune. I doubt it.
JODY GLENHAM opened the show just passed 9pm with her acoustic style melodies and solid vocals. I didn't know what to expect but found myself moving along to the music. She sang about snow in New York that got me thinking if... it actually was snowing in New York. Hm. To reiterate: I enjoyed her set. She was joined on stage by two male musicians on the drum-set and keys/bass/melodica/guitar. They complemented each other well and the sounds they produced was melodic, and pleasantly - soulful. LISTEN TO HER SONG BUTTONS
When FENCES took to the stage at around 9:45pm everybody suddenly shushed up slightly, made their way to the front of stage and paid close attention. Fences opened their set with a tragically beautiful song... and the name of that song has escaped me. (Marketplace?). They followed with Sadie, My Girl the Horse and most if not all of the songs from their latest release - Amazing. The songs melted into one another and each in their very own way buried themselves into our ears and into our swollen hearts. His songs seem to expose every crevice in his soul and leave his guts spewing tears. They make you so damn sad -- it's nostalgically authentic every time you think you've hit your lowest point. Chris Mansfields' tall lanky - tattooed form stood center stage with skin tight skinnies hemmed inches above the ankle -- his staple; a short-sleeved button up shirt and a cap, as if you say to us -- "I feel at home here". He stood facing the microphone singing the majority of his songs with his eyes closed, as if back to where he was when he wrote them. To add to his calm demeanor on stage -- His sincerity shone through when he thanked us and followed with "I'll fuckin' see you later" the sweetest words I've heard all night, charming -- you see, he's "a sensitive guy." Three other bandmates filled out the stage on guitar/keys, bass and drums -- they created sounds of mellow indie variety. Brilliant. Between the verses and chorus' Mansfield would recede to face the back of the stage, as if to say, "it's not me who deserves the attention" -- Humble. The band as a whole cohesively played song after song adding an energy of controlled self-esteem and troubled melodies. Fences ended the set with From Russia With Love my favourite then, now and possibly forever. Perfect. Just before leaving I couldn't resist picking up the album and a shirt -- I'll wear it proudly. What can I cay -- I have a soft spot for the kid. Oh. Also. Check out these amazing photos from the show from SCENEINTHEDARK
Kaki King The Biltmore Cabaret March 12th, 2011 Opener: Megan Washington
Megan Washington is an Australian musician who sat centre stage in the dimly lit room of The Biltmore in a blinding spotlight with a piano and microphone. She played pop tunes about "failed relationships" and the like. Her accent from The Land Down Under could be heard in her raspy vocals which reminded me of Cat Power -- with more punch. Washington definitely captivated the audience with her passionate piano playing and witty lyrics. Her humour was evident in her short and quirky banter with the audience, charming us with stories about wiki-ing cities she will play in and remarking on funny facts that are great ice-breakers in any conversation. Her ease on stage was felt in her enticing story about her "bad vibe-rater" -- note: this sounded painfully similar to "vibrator" which I'm sure everyone in the audience including Kaki herself thought she was talking about. This unraveled into a hilarious story about her bar outings and mistaking a drunk guys obvious sexual advances for a common friendship-- Hence her bad "vibe-rater" of other people's vibes. (The end of this encounter ended up with her singing lullabies until he fell asleep -- how sweet, yet ironically hilarious). This is the song that was inspired by that incident.
She'll be playing SXSW dates next -- catch them if you can, you are sure to do some feet shuffling and body moving.
Kaki King came on stage after 9pm and announced to the waiting audience that there is a problem and we can all fix it together. ---- I wonder if it was a sound issue, tech problem, drunk and rowdy behaviour? --- No, it's because she'll have to sit for her performance and this will result in only the first lucky few to be able to see her. She urged all of us on hard wood floors to sit down, nice and comfortable beside our fellow music listeners. Shoulder to shoulder we sat with our legs cramps -- the perfectly unobstructed view of Kaki on stage with her one of eight guitars though -- made it all worth-the-while.
She opened the set with Bone Chaos In The Castle one of my favourite songs off of her 2008 release "Dreaming of Revenge". It was a short and energetic preview of what we will all be witness to that night -- Talent. After this was Doing the Wrong Thing -- one of the songs which attracted me to her percussive and melodic guitar-playing style. Her set-list included Magazine, Playing With Pink Noise, Life Being What It Is to and a cover of Fences My Girl The Horse just to name a few. A pleasant surprise was her performance of the twitter requested Neanderthal from her 2004 release "Legs to Make Us Longer" (I want to thank you the one who requested this brilliantly played song).
She was encircled by eight incredibly impressive looking guitars played in multiple tunings -- which she switched periodically between songs from acoustic to lap-steel to a terrifying-looking double-necked guitar. The sounds produced was articulate, melodic, crisp and resonant with just enough edge to keep you wanting more. Photo: From here
Between songs her hilarious banter drew the audience in. She blatantly drew attention to Washington's "vibe-rater" story and had the audience chuckling along. Really though... who actually says that, "vibe-rater". One of my favourite anecdotes of hers was a story about having her heart broken -- the non-conventional way. That is to have a cute girl who had been making eyes at her come up and "angelically" say that she and her girlfriend "totally get in on to [her] songs." --- Her friends try to console her claiming that this is in many ways, a threesome --- just think about -- after some pondering out-loud, her song and them = not really the type of threesome to brag about, if at all. Yeah -- It's not that romantic. But makes for a great story to tell when surrounded by friends with empty bottles and time on your hands. Hilarious. I would also like to add that she played the show while fighting off a cold -- really great to see that she didn't let it effect her performance.
This was undoubtedly one of my top shows of this year. It's refreshing to see a show where the talent is not clouded by light effects, glow-sticks and general rowdiness. Authenticity at its finest. One of the things I've always loved about her music is that you can for yourself decide what each song can mean. That it is so open to interpretation is something that makes it desirable to listen to-- for me at least. Others may call this instrumental style boring, or unexciting -- I think it's incredibly inventive. To each their own, I suppose.
If you can, be sure to catch her on tour -- you won't regret the experience.
Kaki King - Bone Chaos In The Castle (Live)
Kaki King - Neanderthal (live)
This youtube account has several Kaki King shows... go nuts.
March 11th, 2010 Diamond Rings + PS I Love You = Skin friction, sweat dripping, body surfing, dance action.
The opener, whose name escapes me, took to the stage to set the pace for the show. His electronic drum pads, beats and reverb sounding--sound was potentially catalytic of seizures and the like. He danced onstage in a manner that was entertaining and also alarming. His passionate, yet constant stomping of his feet to his music was genuine, yet terrifying. He seemed to have fun, and when he screamed into his auto-tuned microphone we can confirm this. Unfortunately, I can't say that many of the audience members could reciprocate this excitement. The opener in a sense does just that, he opens up for who you really came to see. He however receives A for enthusiasm and a somewhat lower grade for delivery.
PS I Love You were up next and surprised me by their fun and catchy tunes. The rhythmic bass of the drums hyped up the audience and had us swaying to the chaos of sound that came from the guitarist/vocals. Impressive. The act was exciting to watch, listen to and relate to. In addition to being an awesome opener -- Diamond Rings came on stage for the last song to sing a song they wrote together. All in all - it was a great pre-show dance warm-up, to prep us for Diamond Rings.
Diamond Rings came onstage at around 11:30pm and soon after, the crowd obviously so excited felt the anxiety to push and shove and dance about. Crowd surfing, glow-stick waving, and personalities shone throughout the performance. Diamond Rings' quirky dance moves opened his set, he struck rock-anthem poses with his fist in the air as if in celebration of glitter-power and tight pants. His deep resonating vocals sung about "showing your stuff" and the like. He played alongside his pre-recorded beats playing from his laptop. Like a pro he handled mishaps, what-with microphones becoming un-plugged and cords twisting in his clenched fists. He was also attentive and responsive of the crowd, when an audience member screams that he's "beautiful" he has the social grace to coyly voice a "thank you." Not only is he glittery, tall, lanky and "beautiful," he's also polite.
Great fun show -- the venue could however cut back on the stage-smoke and consider getting air-conditioning. It was difficult to breathe when the ceiling is so low and no air seemed to be circulating.
If you can, catch Diamond Rings + PS I Love You on their North American Tour -- And remember to bring glitter. Photo From Here <-- The link will also bring you to a feature on Diamond Rings by The Guardian.
This is my 100th post. This is a celebratory post. I celebrate this post with the help of Diamond Rings. Check it.
The Biltmore Caberet November 20, 2010 Doors 7 - Show at 8 - Curfew at 11 Diamond Rings + Human + Teen Daze + Dbl. Dragon
The Biltmore The venue was a great space for live music - great selection of seats - bar - warm decor and colours - all of this centred around the main stage. The state of the art sound and light systems provided exceptional sound the entire night. Was pleasantly surprised.
Dbl. Dragon They opened the show with a set just under 30 minutes with catchy dance-rock-pop tracks. They had 2 drummers and it absolutely made their sound come across. The drummers and vocalist were delivering an impressive performance. Great sound, performance, music. It warmed everyone from the freezing chills outside. Was probably my favourite act of the night, after Diamond Rings - o'course.
Teen Daze Experimental band from right here in Vancougar played a 30 minute set full of synth driven tracks. Their sound reminded me of dreamy walks in the dark streets on Vancouver. They created a mood of calm, yet their sound had just enough drums, guitars and beats to have the audience dancing -- drinks in hand. I was impressed. I'll definitely make an effort to see them play again.
Human Two members took the stage before Diamond Rings and played electronic heavy songs backed by heavy basses. Interesting experimental, electronic sound balanced out with guitars, and vocals. They seemed to have the longest set... it may have been the excitement that was making everyone antsy in anticipation for the final act.
Diamond Rings' LP Special Affections was released October 2010 on Secret City.
Based out of Toronto - His electronic - experimental - 80's inspired sound recorded on this LP receives an impressive review fromPITCHFORK ---
His performance at the Biltmore was surprisingly the shortest set of the night. It may have been due to the ridiculous curfew of 11pm that the venue set. Diamond Rings took the stage at around 10:30 and play a 30 minute set filled with his syncopated rhythms and beats playing from his macbook, and him on vocals and electric guitars or keys. The audiences' excitement was palpable and everyone body swayed, feet shuffled, body rolled with arms pumping for the entire set. He graced the stage with gold glittery spandex leggings, and face make up that screams fierce! I can't recall the order of the songs performed, but am sure he played Show Me Your Stuff, Something Else,and Wait & See
If you have the chance, absolutely check out Diamond Rings, he definitely puts on an energetic show - you are sure to have a fun time.
