It's Nova Scotia Music Week, and there are a tonne of things on in support of it, mostly organized by MIANS, the Music Industry Association of NS. Along with the conference-type stuff - including that songwriting course I mentioned I'd like to take sometime - there are, naturally, a lot of live performances. For 3 nights running, there's a concert series at the casino, and I went to the one tonight.
I missed the first couple of acts, unfortunately, b/c it started at 9 and I wasn't able to get there til just past 10, what with getting off work and then switching cars with my mom so that I could use her parking pass downtown. I was worried I'd miss the 3rd up act too, actually, but they were running about a half hour late altogether. Not surprising considering that they allowed just 10 minutes between sets for equipment changes!
Amusingly, the young'uns all begged off for various reasons and went home to sleep. LOL. I think it was probably for the best after all though; the crowd was skewed older, strangely enough. Maybe b/c it was in an elegant ballroom? O_o Round tables were all set up with white tablecloths and lit votive candles in glass, and whomever arranged the room was seriously anal: the chairs that hadn't been sat in yet were at precise angles to view the stage perfectly. And I mean, every chair at any one table were exactly in line with each other. Kind of freaky, really, lol. I got a drink from the tuxedo'd bartender and sat off to one side near the front at a table by myself. *shrug* Didn't much care once the music started - I didn't want to hear anyone talking then anyway!
What made me want to go the second I saw the line-up was that 5 of the acts in tonight's showcase are artists that I've been reading about, well-established in the indie scene, and wanting to see for a while now. I missed In Flight Safety but caught the others and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I went!!!!!! And the best part? Ten freaking dollars. I was there for two and a half hours and it cost next to nothing. That'll go up, obviously, once I start in on the CDs lol, but I was good and didn't buy any tonight. I should be able to find them all at Sam's later. Anyway, here's the breakdown of the bands. Band names are Web site links. :-)
Museum Pieces
The front man is Tyler Messick, who occasionally plays solo around town as well. I've been wanting to see these guys for about a year and a half now but never managed it for whatever reason. Partly b/c it took me this long to say fuck it and go by myself if I want to go, lol. But they lived up to the hype. Definitely indie rock, of the mellower sort - they reminded me a little of The Perishers only not quite as mellow, lol. That kind of sensibility, though, with the languid richness shading the music. *happy sigh* I'd totally go see them play a full gig.
Jill Barber
Kind of bluesgrassy folk. Actually, she's a lot like a more upbeat, slightly girly version of Beth Hart. Similar powerhouse voice with that smoky, sexy quality. But she has an element of innocence to her songs that makes them very different from Beth's, lol. I thought of Mel the instant Jill started to sing, b/c not only does she remind me of Beth who we saw perform together, but Jill wore a pretty, fluttery burgundy dress - the same shade of burgundy as her guitar. LOL. I enjoyed her set a lot. It's not the kind of music I'd want to listen to all the time but she's just an amazing singer.
Mir
Oh my God, I'm in love! This was worth it all on its own. I HAVE to see these guys play a whole gig, especially one where the singer/guitarist has his electric guitar with him LOL. They recently put out an acoustic album, which they played 4 songs from. The singer said it was created out of boredom last winter. They'd been playing around with the format, using anything but normal percussion since they didn't have any of that with them - so they jangled keys and stuck/unstuck Velcro and other stuff, lol - and ended up with enough material for an entire album. It's just gorgeous, gorgeous melodic rock, which held true for the 2 non-acoustic songs they played at the end also. (Although I'm sure the part where he was wailing on the neck of the guitar would have soared even better with a proper electric guitar, hee!) And while I'm sure everyone knows I have a particular fondness for acoustic material anyway, this was just...oh. So damn good. These are the CDs I was dying to come home with and begin obsessing over, seriously.
King Konquerer
This was so the best way to end the night, on a supercharged energetic note. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to describe this band, actually. Although I thought of Anne as soon as they came onstage, b/c they were the first ones who looked like a current indie band, with the ties and sort of geeky formal look. :-D They were also the most polished performers, which is undoubtedly due to the fact that they've been one of if not the biggest indie bar band in the city for the last 5 or 6 years. I...well, I guess, '70s glam punk??? LOL! I'll quote the Music Week programme booklet description: "...pounding melodic rock & soul, with generous helpings of trashy '60s R&B, rocksteady, reggae, and '77 punk. The presentation is frenzied, interactive, and guaranteed to pack a dance floor." It's a huge fucking mishmash that works. The singer's query at one point as to whether they "could play fucking punk rock in a casino" rather answers the question of how the band thinks of itself though, lol. The dance floor wasn't packed - in fact, the 4 guys who went up by the stage made for the most pathetic mosh pit I've ever witnessed! - but the rest is totally true. The lead guitarist got down and played standing on a couple of chairs by the moshing guys for a while, and the singer interacted some with the audience with commentary and stuff. They played all out like it was a regular gig where people would be dancing usually, rather than the more informal types of performances the other acts gave. I have every intention of seeing this band again somewhere where I can dance, and I can say right now that whenever that ends up being, I am going to have a good time!
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I so want to see the NIN, QotSA and Death From Above 1979 tour! That is going to kick major ass. Alas, it's not kicking anything in the Maritimes. *pout* Random annoyance brought to you courtesy of the Molson Canadian Concert Listings ads on MuchMusic, lol.
Anddddddd I'm getting my tattoo tomorrow afternoon. Eek! I'm wicked nervous. I would have preferred to do it at night, after I go for dinner with my parents (it's Mom's bday next week), but apparently that pumpkin thing is kicking in for the others again. I thought having younger friends was supposed to mean that there'd be people who stayed up late in my life??? LOL. Julie says that mine shouldn't take long, relatively speaking, b/c doing the design has been much more complex than the actual design itself is. Really, text is basically the equivalent of line drawings, and the quill is a stylized outline so also a line drawing. The dropshadow is pretty much an incomplete duplicate of the quill, so there isn't really any shading or difficult parts. Unfortunately, relating all this to myself isn't helping me be less nervous, lol. I'll try to take a pic of it once it's...you know...er, not bleeding anymore. *wince*
I missed the first couple of acts, unfortunately, b/c it started at 9 and I wasn't able to get there til just past 10, what with getting off work and then switching cars with my mom so that I could use her parking pass downtown. I was worried I'd miss the 3rd up act too, actually, but they were running about a half hour late altogether. Not surprising considering that they allowed just 10 minutes between sets for equipment changes!
Amusingly, the young'uns all begged off for various reasons and went home to sleep. LOL. I think it was probably for the best after all though; the crowd was skewed older, strangely enough. Maybe b/c it was in an elegant ballroom? O_o Round tables were all set up with white tablecloths and lit votive candles in glass, and whomever arranged the room was seriously anal: the chairs that hadn't been sat in yet were at precise angles to view the stage perfectly. And I mean, every chair at any one table were exactly in line with each other. Kind of freaky, really, lol. I got a drink from the tuxedo'd bartender and sat off to one side near the front at a table by myself. *shrug* Didn't much care once the music started - I didn't want to hear anyone talking then anyway!
What made me want to go the second I saw the line-up was that 5 of the acts in tonight's showcase are artists that I've been reading about, well-established in the indie scene, and wanting to see for a while now. I missed In Flight Safety but caught the others and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I went!!!!!! And the best part? Ten freaking dollars. I was there for two and a half hours and it cost next to nothing. That'll go up, obviously, once I start in on the CDs lol, but I was good and didn't buy any tonight. I should be able to find them all at Sam's later. Anyway, here's the breakdown of the bands. Band names are Web site links. :-)
Museum Pieces
The front man is Tyler Messick, who occasionally plays solo around town as well. I've been wanting to see these guys for about a year and a half now but never managed it for whatever reason. Partly b/c it took me this long to say fuck it and go by myself if I want to go, lol. But they lived up to the hype. Definitely indie rock, of the mellower sort - they reminded me a little of The Perishers only not quite as mellow, lol. That kind of sensibility, though, with the languid richness shading the music. *happy sigh* I'd totally go see them play a full gig.
Jill Barber
Kind of bluesgrassy folk. Actually, she's a lot like a more upbeat, slightly girly version of Beth Hart. Similar powerhouse voice with that smoky, sexy quality. But she has an element of innocence to her songs that makes them very different from Beth's, lol. I thought of Mel the instant Jill started to sing, b/c not only does she remind me of Beth who we saw perform together, but Jill wore a pretty, fluttery burgundy dress - the same shade of burgundy as her guitar. LOL. I enjoyed her set a lot. It's not the kind of music I'd want to listen to all the time but she's just an amazing singer.
Mir
Oh my God, I'm in love! This was worth it all on its own. I HAVE to see these guys play a whole gig, especially one where the singer/guitarist has his electric guitar with him LOL. They recently put out an acoustic album, which they played 4 songs from. The singer said it was created out of boredom last winter. They'd been playing around with the format, using anything but normal percussion since they didn't have any of that with them - so they jangled keys and stuck/unstuck Velcro and other stuff, lol - and ended up with enough material for an entire album. It's just gorgeous, gorgeous melodic rock, which held true for the 2 non-acoustic songs they played at the end also. (Although I'm sure the part where he was wailing on the neck of the guitar would have soared even better with a proper electric guitar, hee!) And while I'm sure everyone knows I have a particular fondness for acoustic material anyway, this was just...oh. So damn good. These are the CDs I was dying to come home with and begin obsessing over, seriously.
King Konquerer
This was so the best way to end the night, on a supercharged energetic note. I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to describe this band, actually. Although I thought of Anne as soon as they came onstage, b/c they were the first ones who looked like a current indie band, with the ties and sort of geeky formal look. :-D They were also the most polished performers, which is undoubtedly due to the fact that they've been one of if not the biggest indie bar band in the city for the last 5 or 6 years. I...well, I guess, '70s glam punk??? LOL! I'll quote the Music Week programme booklet description: "...pounding melodic rock & soul, with generous helpings of trashy '60s R&B, rocksteady, reggae, and '77 punk. The presentation is frenzied, interactive, and guaranteed to pack a dance floor." It's a huge fucking mishmash that works. The singer's query at one point as to whether they "could play fucking punk rock in a casino" rather answers the question of how the band thinks of itself though, lol. The dance floor wasn't packed - in fact, the 4 guys who went up by the stage made for the most pathetic mosh pit I've ever witnessed! - but the rest is totally true. The lead guitarist got down and played standing on a couple of chairs by the moshing guys for a while, and the singer interacted some with the audience with commentary and stuff. They played all out like it was a regular gig where people would be dancing usually, rather than the more informal types of performances the other acts gave. I have every intention of seeing this band again somewhere where I can dance, and I can say right now that whenever that ends up being, I am going to have a good time!
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I so want to see the NIN, QotSA and Death From Above 1979 tour! That is going to kick major ass. Alas, it's not kicking anything in the Maritimes. *pout* Random annoyance brought to you courtesy of the Molson Canadian Concert Listings ads on MuchMusic, lol.
Anddddddd I'm getting my tattoo tomorrow afternoon. Eek! I'm wicked nervous. I would have preferred to do it at night, after I go for dinner with my parents (it's Mom's bday next week), but apparently that pumpkin thing is kicking in for the others again. I thought having younger friends was supposed to mean that there'd be people who stayed up late in my life??? LOL. Julie says that mine shouldn't take long, relatively speaking, b/c doing the design has been much more complex than the actual design itself is. Really, text is basically the equivalent of line drawings, and the quill is a stylized outline so also a line drawing. The dropshadow is pretty much an incomplete duplicate of the quill, so there isn't really any shading or difficult parts. Unfortunately, relating all this to myself isn't helping me be less nervous, lol. I'll try to take a pic of it once it's...you know...er, not bleeding anymore. *wince*
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cheerfulCurrent Music: Knowledge by Green Day
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