CMW 2011: DAY 2 @ THE HORSESHOE TAVERN & SONIC BOOM
Canadian Music Fest 2011: Day 2
Artists (Descending): Rich Aucoin, Zeus, Still Life Still, Memphis, Molly Rankin, Modern Superstitions, The Balconies, The Paint Movement
The Horseshoe Tavern / Sonic Boom, Toronto, ON.
I kicked off the second day of Canadian Music Fest 2011 with the instore series that famous local record store Sonic Boom was running throughout the festival. The first band I caught was Toronto’s own The Paint Movement, the six piece barely fit on the tiny Sonic Boom stage but they certainly didn’t let that stop them. They played a charming sort of indie rock, alternating between female and male vocals, supported by fantastic instrumentation. Despite being limited to half an hour of playing, they made a definite impression in that time. Click HERE for photos!
Up next at Sonic Boom was Toronto-by-way-of-Ottawa band The Balconies. Playing their first show in a few months after taking a break to record a new album, it was hard to tell they’d ever been off the stage except for singer Jacquie Neville mentioning how out of shape they were. Playing a mix of old and new they made great use of there short set time. They also had the benefit of drawing quite a large crowd and they never fail to disappoint live. The taste of the new album through their set gave a great indication that we’ve got something fantastic to look forward to. Photos of their set can me viewed here.
After this it was time to move on to the Horseshoe Tavern for the ChartAttack Showcase. Opening up the night were local group The Modern Superstitions who have been making some waves opening up for some very respectable bands as they come through town. Fronted by Nyssa Rosaleen’s fantastic voice, and with music falling somewhere between punk and indie they did the best they could with the Horseshoe still filling up. Despite a rather dull stage presence they sounded great live and showed a lot of promise. Click here for photos!
Next up on the bill was Haligonian Molly Rankin. Backed by a full band she through a set of not particularly distinctive but well executed indie rock. Rankin has got an undoubtedly strong voice and she uses that to maximum effect on her songs. Her band also held their own and all together the set was a success. Check out the photos!
Following them was Montreal band Memphis, whom many may recognize as the other project of Stars leading man Torquil Campbell. Having only assembled his backing band in the week prior to the show things could have gone either way, thankfully however they all played extremely well and brought the songs off their newest album ‘Here Comes a City’ to life. Campbell was having a great time on stage as well, taking a break to introduce the band he also declared “My name is Torquil Campbell and I would like all your drugs.” Hopefully the calibre of this performance helps raise their profile more. Follow this link for the photos!
Still Life Still had a fantastic year last year, touring off the fantastic ‘Girls Come To’ as well as opening up for some truly stellar bands they couldn’t have asked for more. They took this opportunity to showcase a couple of new tracks from their forthcoming second album, as well as the old favorites. They still have the great on stage energy that’s been part of their act for awhile, but they did seem to slow down a bit for the new material. Based off what was heard at this show the new album will be one to look out for. Photos of the show can be found HERE!
Up next was perhaps the largest band on the bill, Zeus. Having had an absolutely massive year in 2010 they seem to be on the path to do even better this year. Playing largely off of the immensely successful ‘Say Us’ the temperature in the Horseshoe quickly went up by several degrees and the crowd responded in kind by basically going wild. With 3 members constantly swapping instruments and all singing it is pretty easy to see how immensely talented this band is as musicians. This is no way overshadowed just how great a performance it was as well, and it’s clear to see that there is no way but up for Zeus. Have a look at the photos now!
Then it was time for Rich Aucoin to take the stage. Probably one of the most unique performances I’ve been witness too in awhile, it was something you couldn’t help but love. Playing electronic music, with a backing band, Aucoin spent 90% of the set away from his deck and in the crowd. Constantly showering the audience in confetti, not to mention glow sticks and silly string he made sure we were constantly engaged. Possibly the most interesting part of the set was when he produced a giant parachute, like you used to play with in groups in elementary school, and had the crowd use it. I cannot overstate how much fun he managed to cram into a 40 minute show case set, if you ever have the chance to see him, please do. Check out photos of Rich Aucoin’s performance here!
Here is a recap of where you can find all my photos from day 2 of Canadian Music Week:
The Modern Superstitions photos
Category: Photo Updates, Reviews