It's been a while hasn't it! Too long, I'd say. Well I've been a bit selfish, and have been away on holidays for the past two weeks. But I hope I can make it up to you with a double feature of posts!
Technically I've had to post them backwards, so below this you'll find the review of the Mother Mother album, Eureka. It came out the day I left town, so I didn't have a chance to make it change your life before that. And the day after I came home, I was lucky enough to hear their beautiful music live at a sold out concert. So here you are, soak it in. Forgive me?
The rest of the post is about the venue Edmonton Event Centre. If you have no interest, read no further. Just quickly a word of advice: save yourself from EEC, unless absolutely necessary.Now a little something-something (that's a lie, I have a lot to say) about Edmonton Event Centre where the concert was. The venue, in West Edmonton Mall, welcomes “all ages” shows, usually with licensed areas. Last year at the Vampire Weekend show, the licensed area was up against the stage and the bar seats near the back of the “main floor”. This time the licensed area continued on upstairs, as well as to the “third floor” (which is basically just a balcony). The 3rd floor keeps you away from the crowds where you can sit and enjoy the music without being pushed around by the rowdier fans. It really depends on who you go with.
On the floor of Ed’s there are three pillars that are floor-to-roof, with no padding around the bottom or first few feet. BEWARE. These can cause either injury or serious discomfort, depending on the audience/enthusiasm of the mosh pit.
Technically I've had to post them backwards, so below this you'll find the review of the Mother Mother album, Eureka. It came out the day I left town, so I didn't have a chance to make it change your life before that. And the day after I came home, I was lucky enough to hear their beautiful music live at a sold out concert. So here you are, soak it in. Forgive me?
The doors opened at 7pm, which was pretty early, but all ages shows tend to have that trend (it was over by 11pm).
I wasn’t expecting much from the opening band, Whale Tooth. They weren't even on the ticket; usually it will say the bands playing, unless they aren't very well known, where the tickets will then say "with Guests". …I had never heard of them, and they were fromToronto Toronto
The lead singer, Elise Legrow (also the only female in the group), had her microphone break at the base halfway through set, she noticed but played along, and went with it. She even made an odd, but spontaneous joke that now she could play air guitar along with the other members. It's typical to see this at smaller shoes like bars etc, but usually not at larger concert venues. The two guitarists, bassist and drummer didn’t have a whole lot of stage presence, but the lead singer made up for it by constantly dancing and being really energetic. The vocals were hard to make out, but could have (likely was) because of the venue, which is explained more down below.
They had a really tight sound, and although the vocals were difficult to make out, it was clear that they weren’t just a dance pop band who didn’t give a damn about the lyrics making the music what it is; there was a reason they were starting their leg of the tour with Mother Mother. If I hadn’t had one of the best spots in the house, I wouldn’t have been able to NOT dance to theseOntario
The set change between bands was very quick (always a great thing), and Mother Mother came out playing their first song “O My Heart”, one of their biggest hits. They ended up playing what I’m sure would be their entire new album, Eureka, along with most of their second album, O My Heart, and even some of their first album, Touch Up. Lead vocalist, Ryan Guldemond, sounds just the same as he does on the albums. It’s getting nicer and nicer to head bands that aren’t tuned one way for recordings, while their live voices sound nothing the same. Female vocalists Molly Guldemond (Ryan’s sister), and Jasmin Parkin definitely proved that they could hold their own on stage as well (despite Molly having been sick during the day; she was unable to attend a local radio station’s traditional intimate pre-concert acoustic set in the afternoon). Parkin even whipped out a megaphone during their latest single “The Stand”. She was also the member with the greatest presence while on stage. However, Molly WAS sick…and Ryan seemed to put in an effort (he did look pretty awkward for the most part). Bassist Jeremy Page impressed me by also playing clarinet and saxophone during the band’s set.
I wasn’t expecting much from the opening band, Whale Tooth. They weren't even on the ticket; usually it will say the bands playing, unless they aren't very well known, where the tickets will then say "with Guests". …I had never heard of them, and they were from
The lead singer, Elise Legrow (also the only female in the group), had her microphone break at the base halfway through set, she noticed but played along, and went with it. She even made an odd, but spontaneous joke that now she could play air guitar along with the other members. It's typical to see this at smaller shoes like bars etc, but usually not at larger concert venues. The two guitarists, bassist and drummer didn’t have a whole lot of stage presence, but the lead singer made up for it by constantly dancing and being really energetic. The vocals were hard to make out, but could have (likely was) because of the venue, which is explained more down below.
They had a really tight sound, and although the vocals were difficult to make out, it was clear that they weren’t just a dance pop band who didn’t give a damn about the lyrics making the music what it is; there was a reason they were starting their leg of the tour with Mother Mother. If I hadn’t had one of the best spots in the house, I wouldn’t have been able to NOT dance to these
The set change between bands was very quick (always a great thing), and Mother Mother came out playing their first song “O My Heart”, one of their biggest hits. They ended up playing what I’m sure would be their entire new album, Eureka, along with most of their second album, O My Heart, and even some of their first album, Touch Up. Lead vocalist, Ryan Guldemond, sounds just the same as he does on the albums. It’s getting nicer and nicer to head bands that aren’t tuned one way for recordings, while their live voices sound nothing the same. Female vocalists Molly Guldemond (Ryan’s sister), and Jasmin Parkin definitely proved that they could hold their own on stage as well (despite Molly having been sick during the day; she was unable to attend a local radio station’s traditional intimate pre-concert acoustic set in the afternoon). Parkin even whipped out a megaphone during their latest single “The Stand”. She was also the member with the greatest presence while on stage. However, Molly WAS sick…and Ryan seemed to put in an effort (he did look pretty awkward for the most part). Bassist Jeremy Page impressed me by also playing clarinet and saxophone during the band’s set.
Merchandise being sold didn’t have as much selection as I would’ve thought; Mother Mother had two t-shirts, 2 vinyl EPs and 3 CDs for sale, while Whale Tooth had a CD and “Whale Wraps” for sale. Wondering what Whale Wraps are? Well you shouldn’t be embarrassed, not like I was when I asked the (very nice) merch girl what they were and found out they were rolling papers. Well really, how would I know that. And when did I get so old that it shocked me to see them being sold at a concert? (PS. I’ve just realized that the nice “merch girl” was the lead singer of Whale Tooth. She introduced herself as Elise, but I didn’t think much of it until I was just reading this article ….Well good to know shes so personable…!..Oops)
The rest of the post is about the venue Edmonton Event Centre. If you have no interest, read no further. Just quickly a word of advice: save yourself from EEC, unless absolutely necessary.
On the floor of Ed’s there are three pillars that are floor-to-roof, with no padding around the bottom or first few feet. BEWARE. These can cause either injury or serious discomfort, depending on the audience/enthusiasm of the mosh pit.
The line up to get in to Ed’s is outdoors, which is not a huge problem, since the Starlite Room is the same. However the security here is much tighter and in greater numbers. I’m sure it’s because it’s an all ages venue (we even saw a couple of girls trying to sneak in a bottle of non-alcoholic wine…), but the security staff here has been very rude the previous 3 times I’ve been here, and I don’t expect them to change any time soon. They’re intimidating, I’ll give them that (even the females who are my size – 5’2” – look pretty mean), but sometimes it seems like they like the “power” they get. And it’s only really at this location that I’ve noticed it. Let me lay out the process to get in the building: One out of two security staff check your i.d at the outside doors, if you are 18+. If you are you get a stamp. You then continue on to the next set of guards who have you line up (males, females in two separate lines) to get your bag searched, and possibly get patted down as well. After clearing the inspection, you move on to get your ticket torn and receive yet another stamp if you are over 18. Once you pass line up after line up, and just when you think you can enjoy the show you paid for, you find yourself in front of another guard who won’t let you pass if you have something that remotely looks like a jacket (mandatory coat check in effect. $4.00).
In short: I do not like EEC as a concert venue (which is all I've ever been there for). It's cramped, even though so much space is available, the staff is obnoxious and rude for the most part, and the size/design of the space makes for horrible acoustics. I cringe when I hear that a band I like plays there; only bands I really enjoy have played there, sacrifices must be made, and the artists have of course never let me down. But I can also tell that each night COULD have been better.
In short: I do not like EEC as a concert venue (which is all I've ever been there for). It's cramped, even though so much space is available, the staff is obnoxious and rude for the most part, and the size/design of the space makes for horrible acoustics. I cringe when I hear that a band I like plays there; only bands I really enjoy have played there, sacrifices must be made, and the artists have of course never let me down. But I can also tell that each night COULD have been better.
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