Boygroove Make My Hips Buck, and Cygnets have a not-so Bleak Decade

So, you came in looking for a post about this band or that concert. Well, come on in, settle down and take advantage of the special deal of the day, a two-for-one special!

Thursday was not quite a concert, but a play; a mockumentary musical about a 4-member boyband, Boygroove. Now these boys have some talent, but that's not why they're chosen to become a part of the hysteria, and the pheomenon that is a boyband (or that was a boyband, in the 1990's). Made of up "leader"-business-minded Kevin, bad boy Jon, activist and sensitive soul Andrew, and very religious with a big secret Lance. The play takes place at a time when boy bands (though one of the guys prefers the term "group", since no one plays instruments...) were all the rage, ruled the air waves, and toyed with girls hearts.

It was only $15 and was at the Catalyst Theatre just off of Whyte Ave. There was only about 1/4-1/2 of the theatre with seats filled, but the show did run throughout the entire week, so it made sense that a small production wouldn't be a full house all of the time. I heard of the event(s) in one of the free local newspapers; the article and front cover was done in such a way that it first made you think that they were a real boyband, on the rise to stardom, touring Canada to dance their hearts out.

There were only four actors, each playing one member of the band, as well as playing secondary characters. The difference was clear when the spotlights were on them, by changing/disguising their voices, and quick turn-arounds; there were no costume changes. It was really great to see a play done so well, with limited props (i.e none), and such a well written script. The fellas all danced to on-par choreography, and sang much better than was expected (...actually sounded like a boyband). A few of their satirical "songs" include "Actually Hurt", "Pushin' and Rockin'", and their "hit" "You Make My Hips Buck". The dance moves were slightly off, but were great to watch and made you start to believe they were a real band (I may have started to want an actual album...). Each actor made you believe their persona, and kudos to the writers that made the script so believable! Apparently the play is a revamping of a production that had been put on during the actual boyband surge, way back when. But I had to say by the end I already had a favourite boy that I'm sure would've been up on a poster in my room 10 years ago.


What's the second part of this super deal you ask? Well look no further than the previous-post mentioned Sonic Band of the Month, Cygnets. New Wave 80's synth in an small-time Albertan bar? Yes, please.
Cygnets suprisingly had not one, or two but three opening bands! I didn't quite get the name of the first band, who were great, but would've probably sounded better on an album...The lead singer also looked like he was wearing his big brothers giant, plain black t shirt and backwards baseball hat, instead of the front man of a band. The second group was a drum/DJ combination "band", called Summer Games. They really impressed me with their simplicity but highly addictive beats. Surprise, surprise the drummer was the same drummer from Shout Out Out Out Out who was into doing a sideproject. I love sideprojects.
The last opening band was former band of the month, Sister Grey, made up of two sisters (I assume) and two other backup instrument guys. The only song I knew was their featured Sonic song, but they were highly danceable and fun.
Cygnets put on a great show, with high energy, but in the end were a slight dissapoint. Don't get me wrong about their talent, I'm sure it was just a personal standard I had since I'd been waiting for the show for 1 month. There was also a part of the company I was with that made it less than stellar, you know how it is.
Cygnets is a great band that is completely dedicated to their work and art, so much so that they don't even sell anything. Not even their album. As I said in a previous post you can pick up a free album at Blackbyrd Myoozik on Whyte Ave, and they were also giving away free copies at their show (along with pins, stickers, music download cards, and cupcakes! I know right, what could be better?).

It was a packed house, full of people that I wasn't expecting. But sometimes that can make the experience that much more memorable. Each time I go to the Pawn Shop (...ok, fine this is the only 2nd time), I like it more; the stage is a few feet off the ground so you don't crane your neck, yet you can still see the band even if there are a few taller people at the front. It's big enough to hold a good-sized audience, but not so big that you loose the intimacy of the artists. I wish that they'd start to host more great music.

PS. The Trews were also playing on April 29, doors opening at 6pm. I worked until 6, so no dice. Right? Well once we paid our $5 cover for the band of the month, I was wondering why the venue was already so crowded at 9.15 (when doors opened at 9). And then....I wondered why the band was already playing...and eventually realized it was the Trews! Pure luck to see the end of their show even when we couldn't make it.

Freezing Man Festival 2011

Last Saturday, January 29th, Freezing Man Music Festival came to Edmonton. When I say it came here...I mean it was born and invented right here. The first (annual, hopefully) Canadian version of the wildly popular Californian Burning Man Festival featured many electronica/dance/indie artists, and local DJs. These included Dragonette, Stars, Shout Out Out Out Out, Chromeo, Major Lazer, Broken Social Scene and Kaskade (who unfortunately did not get to perform due to illness).
I think that Dragonette was one of the most surprising performances to me, not that they were the greatest in my opinion, but that I was surprised at the lead vocalists engery. I had them pegged as a couple-hits-band, only on the radio because they could be. But I have to say their set may have changed my view.
Two of the best performances during the entire night were Broken Social Scene and Chromeo, two of the largest names at the festival.
Chromeo's music knew how to reach out to the partiers, extreme fans, and dancers in the crowd, while BSS's many members controlled the audience with their take on indie rock, with more intense instrumentals (especially during their last song, and my very favourite from them, Meet Me in the Basement, which has no vocals)

It was held at the Edmonton Expo Centre (formerly Northlands Agricom) and was completely indoors. The doors opened at 3pm and ran all the way until the wee hours of the morning (about 2am was when Major Lazer finished). It was amazing to see all the different acts in one night, and especially to see all the different fans that came out to the festival. There was everyone from "metal-heads", to "indie" girls, ravers, punks and everything in between.

Not only was there music to keep you entertained, with two stages: the A stage for the "main acts" listed above, as well as B stage for the local artists that would perform during set up and take down of A stage, but there were also 4 carnival rides that made up "Sustainival" - a "green" carnival, where the rides would be powered by such things as French fry grease, a fashion show, and drinks available from doors open!

The only issue I found was with the actual organization of the night. It was difficult to tell at first in which hall in the centre that the even was being held...and then once found we had to walk back outside in order to line up for the security/bag check, and then after get in yet another line for coat-check. Also, about 1200+ people were excepted to attend, yet the entire venue only had two places to eat open, one burger place and one pizza place. This meant that it took over 1 1/2 hours to get food, missing at least 1 possibly two acts. After paying quite the hard-earned money for tickets, and not being allowed to bring in outside food/drink, I didn't expect the long and tiring wait. With a few slight changes to this the festival can definitely have a cool (lame pun intended) future ahead!

Robots Need Love Too

Walking into the Student's Union Building at the University of Alberta was met with a huge line. We assumed it was to get into the Myer Horowitz Theatre where Dan Mangan was playing. Not only was it the long line for the Myer Horowitz but it just kept getting bigger and bigger every minute; eventually the line up went outside of the doors (into the cold, even though it didn't have to...).

There was a huge variety of people waiting to get into the theatre, much different than even the crowd at the Hollerado show. Dan Mangan is a singer/songwriter from British Columbia (home-gown Canadiana) and is regularly featured on the satellite radio channel, CBC Radio 3. There seemed to be a ":representative" of every...group... there: young indie hipsters, 20-something university students, middle-aged, and I'm sure some closet CBC fans. Since I had only recently started listening to Dan Mangan (at the request of my brother; he was also the one who wanted to attend this concert), it was really interesting to see what kind of crowd he attracted. Although, it only made me only more confused and reminded me to not judge a book by it's cover (or cover's characters in this case). Unlike the previous concerts attended in the same week, this was a "sit-down" event, but seating was general (another oddity that isn't seen too much when concert-going). There were two sections, a floor and a balcony, and we were the about 3/4 back on the floor (aka damn good seats).


There wasn't much of a set up before the first band started playing. A small band, The Crackling, made up of 3 fetching lads, started off the night in a very mellow fashion. This group is actually made up of members of Dan Mangan's band! It was interesting to see the (usual) drummer take centre stage and sing. There were only a couple of songs during this set but it should be interesting to hear what this band is capable of.

Next up was The Burning Hell, a band outta Peterborough, Ontario (something that the lead singer Mathias Kom mentions quite frequently, in a ). They make no attempt to hide their dark humour throughout their songs and the show. Kom actually opens the show with something along the lines of "Thanks for coming tonight, you obviously have no idea how depressing we are". In actuality the concert was full of laughter at their black humour and anticipation at what would come next. The majority of the crowd was laughing more than not, and in reality it was hard to hear the lyrics sometimes. The lyrics tend to draw from the darker parts of life and are the major part of this band, and the music seems to be part of the supporting cast. The band is actually made up of Mathias Kom and fourteen rotating members. This night there were two other members along for the epic ride. As far as I can tell each of the total fourteen members play different instruments, ranging from Kom's ukulele to Jenny Omnichord's (not performing this night) ...well..omnichord.

One song that stuck in my head even after all this time was "It happens in Florida", a dark and quirky love song full of uncommon similes.

I did end up buying their newest album, "Baby", because how could I resist getting to take a piece of this night and this band home? One major difference in listening to the CD, as opposed to the live show? A lot less laughter. That is not to say that the album isn't definitely worth a listen (and a buy, in my opinion), however don't expect their concert to be anything the same. Because of how the band interacts with the audience and the banter that is had within the band as well as with the crowd, it makes for a completely difference experience. But hey, this is a band well known for putting on a live show! Something they just have to live up to now! (Not that they have to try hard anyway)

Dan Mangan was the grand finale of the night, and brought the "musicality" (if it wasn't a word before it is now!) to the venue like the other two bands just couldn't (with their completely different styles). Althought his lyrics were just as captivating, the music and instruments played a larger role in his set, whereas with The Burning Hell the dark, moody, realistic lyrics set the tone. Mangan is definitely a softer-indie rock and the notes flowing out of his guitar and out of his band knew how to get the audience up and out of their seats (very literally during some points; Mangan invited selected concert-goers up to the stage to play instruments during one of his more popular songs, "Robots")
Now Dan Mangan put on a great show, no doubt, but it seemed like The Burning Hell stole the show. It was tough not to laugh along and savour the unique style of the "trio".




I had never set foot inside of the Myer Horowitz Theatre before, but it seemed like just the right place for this type of show. It is a sit-down theatre with a medium sized stage at the front of the room. I'd say it would seat about 200? But then again, I'm terrible with measurements etc. There are two floors as I mentioned and both are in the "U" shape, with graded seating so that basically every seat in the theatre has a good view/acoustics.I haven't been to many sit-down concerts, with the exception of Rexall Place (which is the largest concert venue in Edmonton, so not exactly the same feel...with 17,000+ people attending), but this venue made the whole night feel very cozy and intimate.


NB: I'm painfully aware of how long this entry took to write/publish/post, and I'm forever sorry! Won't happen again. It was the week of lovely concerts and this amazing one happened to be on the tail-end! I may be editing it, likely not though if more concerts start popping up. Like "Western Canada's First Outdoor Winter Carnival" Freezing Man! Tons of amazing artists like Chromeo, Shout Out Out Out Out (yes, I'll be seeing/reviewing them for the 2nd time in a few months), Broken Social Scene, Starts and many more. Also DJ's. It's gonna be fantastic. It's happening January 29, 2011 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. Get yo tickets and maybe I'll see you there

You Me Him and Us

So if it's not already, it should be clear that I'm pretty new to this. New to music/culture blogging that is...I could go on and on about myself and my life for ages, and I have for the past 6 years on my two previous blogs. But this little gem will be my glory (I hope); it's all up to you babydoll. Hopefully you like what you read, and pass it on, until I'm the one with copious amounts of Facebook friend requests.
I think I have one of the best starts to this genre of blogging, an epic weekend of amazing Canadian (8/9) bands!

To start let's bring in The Whitsundays, Christian Hansen & the Autistics and Shout Out Out Out Out to the Starlite Room for Untapped Alberta's grande musical finale. All three bands are home grown Alberta beauties but all with their own unique take on music (I was a die-hard Christian Hansen fan, but hadn't seen them perform ever before, so the two other acts were going to be an extra special treat either way). I had never heard about The Whitsundays before this show, but they completely impressed me. They had a more flowing, melodic rock feel to their sound. Perhaps it was because of the overwhelming feeling of playing to a sold out venue, but their stage presence definitely seemed subdued, like they had so much more to offer the crowd but were holding back some. The vocals and instruments ran like a well oiled-machine; some members even (gracefully) traded instruments during the set (and, at one point, even in the middle of a song!)(Yes, I said gracefully).  No doubt that the highlight of the band's set was when the lead singer started playing the "theremin", an antenna-like instrument that is played without any actual contact from the musician. I'll find a picture of one, but it actually made my jaw drop. It's an eerie kind of sound, that increases/decreases/changes volume depending on where the player's hand is in position to the antenna! I'll admit I had no idea what it was, and just googled it now. As should you. Go on, I'll wait right here. Alright, back already? Life changed? Let's continue. Their set was shorter than the following two, but was to be expected for such a new up-and-coming band.

For anyone that knows of Christian Hansen & the Autistics, you know that even in their recorded vocals you can feel their enthusiasm oozing out of the speakers (their music videos just add to the effect). The show was their CD on overdrive (only in the good way of course). They played hard (no drum set in a band of four people was a surprise though), and they danced harder. Each of the four members of the band just get so into the song and into the lyrics (while singing "Calypso Hippo" Hansen threw coins into the crowd), that it's seemingly impossible not to do the same. Both of the guys and gals knew how to own the stage, albeit such a small one...Actually that made it all the more impressive when they danced without incidents. They were not only in each other faces but in the audiences as well. Christian Hansen played a shorter set just like The Whitsundays but it felt much longer because of it's never ending intensity.

On to the "headliner", or what I would fo sho call a headliner since the set was close to an hour, much longer than the other two....Shout Out Out Out Out. You might be asking your self is that many "outs" really necessary? Yes. Yes they are. Not only for the rhythmic and powerful chanting of "Shout! Out-Out! Out-Out!"  by the pulsing crowd, but because one or two shouts would not do a rock-electronica band like this justice. I suppose this band leads to a ton of questions in general, such as: Rock-Electronica, really?; Two drum sets, REALLY?; and how are they playing the theremin without it even being on stage?! ...REALLY?! But in response, respectively: rock-electronica = filthy,hardcore,awesome; every band should have two; and I *%$#ing wish I knew. Before the curtains were even drawn the band had started their set, it was difficult to tell when one song ended and another began, which was a part of their songs dance-ability, but in a way also shows how each song could sound just like the other...The continuous stream of music was definitely impressive, but also definitely hard to keep up with! I'd say I'm a pretty avid concert goer, but I was beat after just a couple of minutes. The audience was feeling the music, no question, by the way they were dancing...But I have to throw in that by this time a lot of the audience (at least towards the stage) had had quite a few drinks. It was entertaining, but of course distracted from the music. SO4 (My nickname for the band, not to be confused with sulfate of course...) was high energy throughout the entire show, but for the most part didn't interact with the crowd (given, it's pretty hard to do so when your music is a never-ending flow of awesome). When I had heard that the band was electronica I'll admit I wasn't really into it, but willing to take a listen, as usual. But the rock influences completely changed an ordinary genre-categorized band into something that's recognized world-wide (the band recently toured Europe heavily). The band came out to play an encore, and even then they kept the crowd pumped up (while one member, Jason or Jayce, went to use the "facilities"). Click here to take a look at what went on.

The venue, the Starlite Room, is one of my favourites for concerts. It's on the smaller side but that leads to more personable shows. The majority of the time you do get to actually meet the band at the merchandise table, or just walking around "the pit" (as I call it, I'm sure there's some technical name). Membership is required for each and every show played here, but don't panic! Memberships can be (and usually are) bought while in line between two massive buildings (yes, the entrance is in a narrow alleyway, but a nice one!). One membership pass costs only $5 and is good for 1 year, and good for two entries each time. I don't think I need to tell you that I've been a member ever since I first fell in love with the place. There are two "floors": one with all the dranks, the merch and the unconditionally loved and overused ATM. There's also a few tables and booths, along with coat check. Down a few (literally, only about 6) stairs is the "pit", that I mentioned above. It's basically where everyone crowds once a band starts playing; one issue is that the floor is tilted here. If you didn't have rock-hard calves coming in then you for sure will once the instruments stop playing, the lights come on, and the bouncers start giving you funny looks for hanging around.

So, I hope you not only enjoyed my first post for my brand new blog, but that you also print it, frame it, and hang it on your wall like I will. Only kidding, silly! I wouldn't do that! Yet. The posts for the Hollerado and Dan Mangan concerts will be up in no time, I promise. Those you can frame, maybe even include a gold star too?