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From my blog: My Aimz is True


This may be a news flash to some of you, but I am not cool. I have serious envy of bloggers who are better writers than I am, who have their shit together enough to post every day, who get lots of free CDs, tickets, backstage passes, and other swag. Most of the people who solicit me for a review for their new album clearly don't even read my blog. My most recent e-mail solicitation was from an Australian group who describes themselves as a "blend of hip-hop and electro-pop." I have nothing against this type of music, but it just isn't my thing, and anyone who reads even one page of my blog knows this fact. So I was fucking thrilled when someone finally paid attention and gave me a free ticket to see one of my favorite bands, the Drive-By Truckers, at the Phoenix last Sunday (Nov. 8).

This show was sponsored by Jack Daniels, and I guess it was supposed to be for bar/entertainment industry types. When I entered I got two free drink tickets, and there were buffets of finger food all around. I have to admit that I don't even really like Jack Daniels. I'm more of a Jim Beam drinkin' kind of gal. But, the great ones play through the pain. (Note: I am currently out of the bourbon, so if anyone wants to get their favorite blogger an early Christmas present, please e-mail me at rockstaraimz at gmail dot com for delivery instructions.)

The Warped 45s opened the show. I'm embarrassed to say that I am not familiar with their music. They are from Toronto and apparently won a big prize at NxNE this year. How the hell did I miss them? According to their band bio, they have a "formidable arsenal of musical weapons, as they feature four vocalists, two songwriters, and multiple multi-instrumentalists," including three, count 'em, three banjo players. They play a mix of country/rock/bluegrass, and although they compare themselves to Wilco in their band bio, don't hold it against them. I just downloaded their debut 10 Day Poem For Saskatchewan from eMusic. They are playing at the Dakota on Dec. 5, and I will report back.

Funny quote from the show: one of the singers says, "This is our first time at the Phoenix, but not the first time drinking Jack Daniels." LOL.


I've seen the Drive-By Truckers four times in the last three years. They are easily in my top four live acts, along with The Hold Steady, Okkervil River, and The Sadies. The first thing I noticed was that the Truckers are now touring with a keyboardist. An idea they picked up from The Hold Steady during their last tour? I love rock piano, and keyboardist Jay Gonzalez added a lot of texture to otherwise familiar songs.

Not that I am complaining about familiarity. When it comes to the Truckers, familiarity is fucking awesome! And the DBTs dug into their back catalog playing several tracks from their 1999 release Pizza Deliverance, and their 2001 opus Southern Rock Opera. Guitar bad-ass Mike Cooley put on one hell of a vocal performance during Love Like This, and played killer blues-rock during Guitar Man Upstairs.

One of the highlights for me was my main man Patterson Hood leaving it all on the stage during Puttin' People on the Moon. And, for the fourth time that I have seen them, he changed the lyrics to make it topical, "Goddamn Bush was in the White House, and no one gave a damn!" Fuck yeah!

But the Truckers weren't stuck on the oldies. They played several new tracks which may or may not be included on their March 2010 release A Big To Do. John Neff played some sweet blues on the new track "Get Downtown." Bassist Shonna Tucker sang lead on "I Told You So" which sounds like it will be a fantastic song. For the new song "This Fuckin' Job" Hood said that this was the first or second time ever that they had played it live (edit: according to the One of These Days set list database, they also played "This Fuckin' Job" in Charlotte, NC, in August 2009).

Only two issues from my end. One, the sound was a bit off. We can thank the fuckheads at Delta Airlines for this problem. Hood said that Delta "lost a bunch of their shit." How frustrating is that? And second, the Truckers usually close with a rousing fan-favorite, such as People Who Died or Buttholeville or Lookout Mountain. This time they closed with a cover, Everybody Needs Love by the late Eddie Hinton. This song was fantastic, but no one in the audience knew it like they know the Trucker's originals. We couldn't close with a spastic rock-out like usual, so it felt anti-climatic. But I can't complain. For once, I felt like one of those cool, hip, in-the-know bloggers! Hopefully I can fool them again.

Quote of the night from Patterson Hood during Let There Be Rock, "Fuck that shit! I ain't sorry!"

Set List
1. Self Destructive Zones - Brighter Than Creations Dark (2008)
2. Feb 14 - A Blessing And A Curse (2006)
3. One of These Days - Pizza Deliverance (1999)
4. Sinkhole - Decoration Day (2003)
5. Love Like This - Pizza Deliverance (1999)
6. George Jones Talkin' Cell Phone Blues - The Fine Print (2009)
7. The Great Car Dealer War - The Fine Print (2009)
8. I'm Sorry Huston - Brighter Than Creations Dark (2008)
9. Women Without Whiskey - Southern Rock Opera (2001)
10. Puttin' People on the Moon - The Dirty South (2004)
11. 3 Dimes Down - Brighter Than Creations Dark (2008)
12. This Fucking Job - maybe on A Big To Do (March 2010)
13. Get Downtown - maybe on A Big To Do (March 2010)
14. Dead, Drunk And Naked - Southern Rock Opera (2001)
15. Guitar Man Upstairs - Southern Rock Opera (2001)
16. I Told You So - maybe on A Big To Do (March 2010)
17. Hell No, I Ain't Happy - Decoration Day(2003)

Encore
18. Zip City - Southern Rock Opera (2001)
19. Let There Be Rock - Southern Rock Opera (2001)
20. Marry Me - Decoration Day (2003)
21. Everybody Needs Love - forthcoming Eddie Hinton tribute record (Nov. 24)

From my blog: My Aimz is True.

Carolyn Mark is my new hero. I'd never seen her live before she and NQ Arbuckle played a double, actually triple, bill at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto on Thursday, October 22. The Dakota is exactly the kind of place you want to see this show. Its like a dusty Texas saloon, only downtown in a major metropolis. The capacity is maybe 200, and it was only two-thirds full that night, the second night of their CD release party for Let's Just Stay Here.

The show started with the Vancouver-based Mark doing a few solo tracks with a drummer. She strutted around the stage with her guitar, posed for the photographers, flirted with the crowd, and showed her gregarious personality. She played four of her own songs including Pirate and Shotgun and Not A Doll, before NQ Arbuckle joined her on stage to be her backing band. They played six more of Mark's originals including Fuzzy Slippers, Chumpville, North Country Fair, Don't Come Over Baby, and 2 Days Smug And Sober. Mark and NQ Arbuckle lead singer Neville Quinlan exchanged hysterical stage banter. This fantastic opening act was just a hint of what was to come.

I ran into Mark in the washroom between sets and I told her that I thought she ruled. She was so happy and smiley and appreciative. Definitely my new favorite female performer.

After a short break, Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle took the stage together to perform all of Let's Just Stay Here in order. Quinlan took the centre mic while Mark switched between keyboards, guitar, tambourine, and cowbell. They sounded fantastic. Quinlan and Mark's voices blend remarkably well. And they were having so much fun on stage! In their cover of Justin Rutledge's Too Sober To Sleep, Quinlan changed the lyrics to "And I'm too drunk to drive," which made me giggle. He also gave a shout-out to the now defunct Edmonton-based band Jr. Gone Wild before performing a rocking cover of their song Downtime. This was the first time that I heard the new album in its entirety, and it sounded great. It may crack my top ten this year.

Lastly, Toronto-based NQ Arbuckle performed some their original songs. Unfortunately, by this time is was after midnight on a school night and about 1/3 of the patrons left after the second set. Fortunately for me and others, this left us more room for dancing and getting up close to the stage.

Being a home-town band, NQ Arbuckle had dozens of very knowledgeable fans in the crowd, and many of their song evoked mass singalongs. They played 13 songs spanning all three of their albums including fan-favorites In Another Time from Hanging the Battle-Scarred Pinata (2002), Cheap Town and Goodnight Irene from Last Supper in a Cheap Town (2005), and Marco Polo and Don't Remember Me from XOK (2008). Mark joined them on stage for Fireworks, a song they did for Mark's 2005 album of duets called Just Married: An Album of Duets. When she wasn't performing, Mark danced with the audience and even hugged a few fans. Everyone was having a blast.

The last song finished at 1:40 a.m., for a total of 34 songs or over three hours of music. For a $10 cover, a $20 CD, a $2 sticker, and $20 in beer. It was another case of highway robbery - I thought I was ripping the artists off.

Tue 20 Oct – Lucero, Amy LaVere, Cedric Burnside

From my blog: My Aimz is True

There has been a lot of hoopla among Lucero fans such as myself over the new album 1372 Overton Park about Lucero's use of horns on much of the album. My first impression was that lead singer/songwriter Ben Nichols has been spending way too much time with Craig Finn and The Hold Steady, but after several listens the album has really grown on me and I would say its just about as good as anything that Lucero has done. It sounded even better at Lee's Palace in Toronto on Tuesday, October 20.

I was standing to the left of the stage, mostly out of the range of the asshole 19-year-olds who somewhere along the line decided that Lucero was a mosh band. Not that I didn't have to go home and shower and do laundry to clean all of the sprayed beer off of me. Seriously dudes, its a waste of alcohol. I mean, I know you saved your allowance for months to piss it away on spraying beer and everything, but you are angering people and keeping real fans away from the show. This only hurts the band in the long run. Hell, at one point Nichols even said, "Dudes, this ain't the Warped Tour." Listen to the song Coax Me by Sloan and note the lyrics: "Its not the band I hate, its their fans." Now go to a Fucked Up show.

But ANYWAY, Lucero sounded fan-fucking-tastic. From where I was standing, the two saxes were slightly more muted than on the record, and, to me, it sounded like how 1372 Overton Park should have been mixed. The "horn section" was actually two dudes who switched between baritone, tenor, and alto saxophones.

And how bad-ass is bassist John C. Stubblefield, aka "John C." The dude was wearing a Merle Haggard T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. He was doing crowd safety when the shit-head punks got out of control. He handed out shots of whiskey to the purdy ladies in the crowd (apparently I'm ugly). And he lit up cigarettes in the smoke-free venue. The only other person I've seen do that is Mike Cooley of the Drive-By Truckers.

Speaking of the DBT, this was another one of those shows where the dudes in the audience seriously outnumbered the chicks. During Goodbye Again there was some serious bro-mance going on. And damn, I thought some of them were going to start making out with each other during Nichols solo section, not that there is anything wrong with that. When taking requests Nichols mentioned that he was "partial to the slow, sad shit." And damn didn't he nail them. Mom from the new album was especially amazing.

Lucero played for two full hours. Nichols maybe took a 30 second break before bringing the band back out for an encore. Including the two opening acts, I saw over three and a half hours of music. I certainly got my $20 worth of entertainment. And at least $20 worth of beer sprayed on me.

Set List
(full band with saxes)
1. Sounds Of The City - 1372 Overton Park (2009)
2. That Much Further West - That Much Further West (2004)
3. Can't Feel A Thing - 1372 Overton Park
4. The Devil And Maggie Chascarillo - 1372 Overton Park
5. Nights Like These - Tennessee (2002)
6. What Else Would You Have Me Be? - Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers (2006)
7. Joining the Army - That Much Further West
8. Last Night in Town - Nobody's Darlings (2004)
9. Sixes And Sevens - 1372 Overton Park
10. Goodbye Again - 1372 Overton Park

(saxes leave)
11. Kiss the Bottle - The Attic Tapes (Jawbreaker cover, 2006)
12. I'll Just Fall - Tennessee
13. Chain Link Fence - Tennessee
14. Slow Dancing - Tennessee
15. Sixteen - Nobody's Darlings
16. Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble? - 1372 Overton Park
17. Wandering Star - Lucero (2001)
18. Johnny Davis - 1372 Overton Park

(Ben Nichols on guitar, plus dudes on pedal steel and keyboards)
19. The Last Pale Light in the West - The Last Pale Light in the West (Nichol's solo, 2009)
20. Mom - 1372 Overton Park
21. The War - Nobody's Darlings
(full band with saxes)
22. Smoke - 1372 Overton Park
23. Darken My Door - 1372 Overton Park
24. I Can Get Us Out Of Here - Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers
25. Nobody's Darlings - Nobody's Darlings
26. Tears Don't Matter Much - That Much Further West

(Encore)
27. Other Side Of Lonesome - recorded for 1372 Overton Park but not included
28. All Sewn Up - Lucero
29. Fist Full Of Tears - Tennessee


Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcolm opened the show with a forty minute set of blues rock. I was highly entertained by these two fellows, and wow, can they make a lot of music for just two dudes. Burnside wailed on the drums while Malcolm cranked on the guitar. So good! Check these two out if you like hard rockin' blues.

Amy LaVere followed with a set of upright bass blues rock. While she didn't have the energy or the stage presence of Burnside and Malcolm (her drummer looked completely bored), she still put on a decent set. I actually liked their sound more when her guitarist sang lead.

Wed 30 Sep – The Avett Brothers
from my blog: http://myaimzistrue.blogspot.com/

The Avett Brothers played a sold out Horseshoe Tavern on Wednesday, September 30, the day after the official release of their new album I And Love And You. I couldn't believe how packed the 'Shoe was! When they toured Toronto in support of their 2007 release Emotionalism, there were maybe 60 people in the audience.

The Avett Brothers are some talented dudes. Brothers Scott and Seth Avett alternated on lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, and keyboards, while Scott also played drums and banjo. Bob Crawford rounds out the trio on upright and electric bass, and Joe Kwon played rock cello on a few tracks. I greatly enjoyed the rock cello.

The knowledgeable crowd, which was heavy on the dudes with beards and glasses side, sang along to the older songs, and danced to the newer tunes. Scott and Seth were working their asses off. During The Perfect Space Scott was literally running between the drum set and the keyboards.

Most of the Avett Brothers music can be described as bordering on alt country or folk, with a hint of bluegrass and garage rock. I And Love And You is very similar to Emotionalism, with clever, catchy lyrics and beautiful harmonies. I And Love And You is the Avett Brothers first major label release, produced by Rick Rubin for American Recordings, a subsidiary of Sony Music. It is more polished than Emotionalism, and doesn't have near enough banjo for my liking, but it is overall a solid album.

The only song I really did not like at the show, and this also goes for the album, was Slight Figure Of Speech. It sounds like some 60s go-go song with some bad garage rock and a rapping/screaming part that sounded brutal live. The Avett brothers did an excellent garage rock song with their closer Gimmeakiss, but Slight Figure Of Speech hurt my ears. The only other song on the new album that I don't like is Kick Drum Heart because it sounds like something I wrote on my Casio keyboard circa 1987.

After the encore the audience coaxed the boys back out by singing the "La La La La La La" part of Go To Sleep. The audience participation here was pretty amazing. In fact, it was almost as if there were two completely different audiences at this show. One that was obviously huge fans of the music, and one that was there just because they had nothing better to do.

I unfortunately got stuck in the latter half of this group towards the back of the venue. I have never seen so many dudes checking their Blackberries/iPhones at a concert before! One guy was checking his Crackberry every two to three minutes. It was so distracting that I had to move. Another guy checked and commented on his fantasy baseball team during the show! Why do people pay to see a band, and then spend the night on their iPhones? It was driving me crazy.

The show was sold out to the point of making me claustrophobic. And of course this 5'5" reviewer got stuck behind the guys who are 5'10" or taller. Some of these guys were just at the show to drink and talk to their buddies. There was lots and lots of jabbering between songs and during the lesser-known tunes, and some of the guys were being real assholes. Finally, some nice dude from Calgary let me stand in front of him so I could sort of see the stage. Thank you!

When you see a sports event and the official blows a major call that effects the outcome of the game, what do you remember more? The excellent athletics, or the blown call? I felt this way after I left the Avett Brothers show. Yeah, they are excellent musicians who put on a great show, but the annoying people that I was stuck standing with ruined it for me.

Set List
1. Laundry Room - I And Love And You (2009)
2. Paranoia in B Major - Emotionalism (2007)
3. At the Beach - Mignonette (2004)
4. Shame - Emotionalism
5. Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise - I And Love And You
6. Die Die Die - Emotionalism
7. Salina - Emotionalism
8. I And Love And You - I And Love And You
9. Colorshow - Four Thieves Gone (2006)
10. Murder in the City - The Second Gleam (2008)
11. The Perfect Space - I And Love And You
12. Distraction #74 - Four Thieves Gone
13. January Wedding - I And Love And You
14. Slight Figure Of Speech - I And Love And You

Encore
15. Bella Donna - The Second Gleam
16. Go To Sleep - Emotionalism

Bonus Encore
17. Gimmeakiss - Four Thieves Gone

One more thing: when I bought the I And Love And You CD at the show (for $15 CND - cheaper than Starbucks!) the merch guy told me that Scott painted the cover art, and also painted the portraits in the interior album cover (all oil on canvas). So not only is Scott Avett one hell of a musician, he is also quite a talented visual artist!

Sun 27 Sep – The Hold Steady, Still Life Still

There are so many reasons why I love The Hold Steady. One, the band members are my age, so they are old enough to know better. Second, the lead singer/songwriter and lead guitarist grew up in the upper Midwest and often reference their geography in their songs. I also grew up in the upper Midwest, so I get the references. Thrice, their music is obviously highly influenced by 1980s college radio, which I listened to obsessively as a teenager. Combine these facts and you can see why I love their music.

I have lived/am currently living some of their lyrics. "...and the early 7Seconds taught me some of life's most valuable lessons..." (Stay Positive) I used to lie to my parents about going to 7Seconds shows and get home after curfew and get my ass kicked. "...I said it's great to see you're still in the bars..." (Barfruit Blues) 99 out of 100 times when I am out at the bars, I am the oldest one there. "...we kissed in your car and drank from your purse..." (Massive Nights) Self-explanatory.

But the main reason that I love The Hold Steady is that they fucking rock the live show! THS played a two-night stand in Toronto at Lee's Palace on Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27. I didn't have my shit together enough to attend both shows, so I just caught the Sunday nighter.

Their set spanned all four of their albums, with equal time given to 2004's Almost Killed Me through 2008's Stay Positive. I was delighted to hear some of the older tracks. When I saw them in 2007, they only played one song from Almost Killed Me. The show opened the same way it did in 2007, with Hornets! Hornets! Only this time the ruckus crowd loudly sang along.

THS played for over an hour and a half, and even tried out some new tracks. Though the crowd didn't know the words to the new ones, they still danced up a storm. Such a great audience! And THS is tighter than ever. Every time smiley and spastic lead singer Craig Finn got ahead or behind the beat, the rest of the band would real him back in.

Towards the end of the show the Minneapolis native and Minnesota Vikings fan Finn thanked Mr. Brett Favre for beating the San Francisco 49ers on a last minute play earlier that Sunday, much to the chagrin of the Wisconsinites in the band (and in the audience). If Hallelujah can be resurrected, I guess there is hope for Mr. Favre and those lousy Vikings. Hell, there may even be hope for me.

Set List
Note: by about the 10th song I was hammered, so this set list may be highly inaccurate. I even wrote how drunk I was in my notes after misspelling "Jamica." See the scans of my notes below. I couldn't remember the song names so I started writing some of the lyrics. It took a lot of detective work and Googling to decipher my hieroglyphics. Brutal. I'm a wasteoid. And old enough to know better.

1. Hornets! Hornets! - Separation Sunday (2005)
2. The Swish - Almost Killed Me (2004)
3. Navy Sheets - Stay Positive (2008)
4. Banging Camp - Separation Sunday
5. Our Whole Lives - New!
6. Magazines - Stay Positive
7. Sequestered In Memphis - Stay Positive
8. One for the Cutters - Stay Positive
9. Constructive Summer - Stay Positive
10. One of the Hallelujah/Holly songs, I think. Or it may be a new one. I'm confused. Just say no to drugs, kids.
11. You Can Make Him Like You - Boys And Girls In America (2006)
12. Stuck Between Stations - Boys And Girls In America
13. Chips Ahoy - Boys And Girls In America
14. Joke About Jamaica - Stay Positive
15. Charlemagne in Sweatpants - Separation Sunday
16. Don't Let Me Explode - Separation Sunday
17. Stay Positive - Stay Positive
18. Sweet Payne - Almost Killed Me

Encore
19. New - "we don't have a name for it yet"
20. Your Little Hoodrat Friend - Separation Sunday
21. Most People Are DJs - Almost Killed Me
22. How a Resurrection Really Feels - Separation Sunday




Toronto indie rockers Still Life Still opened the show. I didn't really know anything about this band going in, but I had heard a bit of buzz about them from the local entertainment rags. They played mostly from their 2009 release Girls Come Too. This album was produced by Martin Davis Kinack, noted producer for Broken Social Scene, and Kevin Drew, musician from Broken Social Scene. Drew seems to be mentoring a lot of up-and-coming Toronto bands. Still Life Still did a great job of warming up the crowd with their high-energy alt rock. Normally I'm a snob and I skip the opening band, but I'm glad I got there early to see these young lads. I would see them live again.

Fri 29 May – Justin Rutledge

Rule number one when headlining a live gig: don't let the opening band upstage you.

NQ Arbuckle opened the early show at the Mod Club in Toronto on Friday, May 29, with some serious country-rock. Lead by raspy-voiced Neville Quinlan, the band rocked through eight songs spanning all three of their Six Shooter Records releases. They opened with a smoking version of Huntsville Affair from the fantastic album XOK, which made many alt country music bloggers best-of lists for 2008. In fact, I first learned about NQ Arbuckle last year from a 24-year-old fan in Alabama (isn't the internet awesome?), which makes you wonder if Huntsville Affair refers to the town in Ontario or the city down south. As Quinlan chugged beer, did tequila shots, and told funny stories, the band played through many crowd favorites including Punk Rocker, I Liked You Right from the Start, Part Of A Poem By Alden Nowlan Called Ypres: 1915, and Cheap Town. Guitarist Pete Kesper cranked out some serious bad-ass solos especially on Ontario, Michigan. They also played a track that they recently recorded with Carolyn Mark from a new collaborative album that is scheduled to be released this October. What a rockin' way to start a Friday night!

Twenty minutes later fellow Six Shooter Records artist Justin Rutledge took the stage and played mostly tracks from his 2008 release, Man Descending. This album is a beautiful record steeped in classic country traditions, with sorrowful lyrics that make you want to blubber into your beer. Rutledge is a master of this type of country music, but I felt it really clashed with NQ Arbuckle's opening set. The audience was chatty and anxious, and it was hard to hear Rutledge sing at some points. Its not to say that he wasn't good. In fact, he and his band were wonderful. David Baxter cranked out some sweet, sobbing electric guitar solos, while Burke Carroll was masterful on pedal steel. They played St. Peter, this too shall pass, Alberta Breeze among other tracks from Man Descending.

After Rutledge played a few solo acoustic tracks, he brought out the band and, much to my surprise and delight, local country musician Doug Paisley. Paisley lead the group in a Lefty Frizzell song (sorry, track name is escaping me, I didn't bring my notebook with me!), which I thought was cute as Paisley himself if a "lefty" guitar player. Then Rutledge joined Paisley and the band in a slower, country-fied version of "Johnny B. Goode." Rutledge and company picked up the second half of the show significantly, playing a much more up-tempo set which even included some gospel numbers. He closed his show with his trademark Jellybean song; Rutledge came out into the crowd and lead everyone in an acoustic sing-along. Great way to end the night.

Its not that Rutledge was genuinely upstaged by NQ Arbuckle, but the two artists were of vastly different country styles which did not transition very well between the two sets. But overall, it was a very solid night of music by two incredibly talented acts.

Sat 23 May – Joel Plaskett Emergency, Ana Egge, Rose Cousins, Bill Plaskett

Massey Hall is arguably the most famous stage in Toronto. The acoustics are spectacular, and the majority of the seats have excellent site lines. Opened in 1894, and designated as a Heritage Property in 1975, Massey Hall has hosted such venerable performers and dignitaries such as King George V and his wife Queen Mary, Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, Luciano Pavarotti, George Gershwin, Oscar Peterson, and Bob Dylan among many, many others. Many famous live albums have been recorded there, including Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie Complete Jazz at Massey Hall (1953), Rush’s 1976 live album All The World's A Stage, and more recently Neil Young’s Live At Massey Hall 1971 release in 2007. Massey Hall is also where Jeff Tweedy of Wilco infamously called the staid Toronto crowd “motherfuckers” for not dancing during their rock show. In the crowd’s defense (I was at that Wilco show too) Massey Hall isn’t exactly conducive to rockin’ out, but that didn’t stop Joel Plaskett from bringing the house down on Saturday, May 23.

Horseshoe Tavern owner/president “JC” introduced Plaskett and called him a musical “genius” and his “favorite singer and songwriter in the whole world.” Having never seen Plaskett perform before, I could only think, “Whoa. The owner of the Horseshoe, who has seen hundreds, if not thousands, of amazing musicians, is calling Joel Plaskett a ‘genius.’ I am in for a treat.”

Plaskett performed his first set mostly acoustically. He was joined on stage with his father Bill, and fellow musicians Ana Egge and rose cousins, all three of whom back him on his outstanding new triple album Three. Bill Plaskett and Cousins played acoustic guitar, while Egge rocked the mandolin, and Joel Plaskett flipped between acoustic and electric guitars, his “$7 Value Village” mini keyboard, and even percussion instruments. Joel backed each of the ladies as they performed original solo pieces. The vocal harmonies were spectacular, especially between Bill and Joel in the song Nothing More To Say. Joel Plaskett assured the crowd that the lyrics of this song had nothing to do with his relationship with his father while on the road, and the entire time I was thinking, “Wow. What an amazing relationship. If I traveled or worked with either of my parents, blood would be shed.”

Joel Plaskett in person comes off as such a normal nerdy dude, but at the same time cool as hell. He frequently showed off his slick dancing moves, and played to and with the crowd. A recurring joke through the night came at the expense of his father. While Bill was taking a while to tune his guitar, Joel quipped, “This is my secret B-side called ‘Tuning, Tuning, Tuning.’” And later on he joked that he registered “Tuning, Tuning, Tuning” with SOCAN so that he “gets paid every time someone tunes on stage.” Can you imagine the poor bastard in a bar trying to tune a 12-string and having to pay Plaskett for the privilege of “Tuning, Tuning, Tuning.” Hysterical!

For the second set Plaskett brought out his band The Emergency, drummer Dave Marsh, bassist player Chris Pennell, with Peter Elkas joining in on backup guitar and keyboards. They blasted Massey Hall into next week opening with Work Out Fine, and kept the rock intensity soaring for the rest of the show. Egge and Cousins soon joined in for backup vocals. And, unlike the aforementioned Wilco show, fans were freaking out in their seats, dancing in the aisles, and charging the stage. Fans ages 7 to 70 were having an awesome time, and it was great to see entire families together at the show. From my seat in the upper right gallery I could see Horseshoe owner “JC” freaking out backstage, dancing and clapping up a storm.

Plaskett cooled it down just slightly for the solo acoustic track Spinning For You, available as a password-protected download on his website (you probably can guess the password). Then he lead the audience with his 12-string in a sing-along to his hit Nowhere With You. The Emergency and the other musicians rejoined Plaskett for a rousing version of A Million Dollars and Wishful Thinking. The crowd went crazy. For the encore, Plaskett surprised the audience with the old Thrush Hermit song, Before You Leave, then rocked the crowd with the fan-favorites Love this Town and Fashionable People.

Plaskett started Thrush Hermit in 1992, and has been playing solo and with The Emergency since 1999. Seventeen years is huge longevity in the music business. At one point in the show Plaskett said, “I still can’t believe I’m in this room!” in reference to the legendary Massey Hall. After 17 years, you earned it buddy. Such a great performance. I can’t believe I waited this long to see Plaskett live.

First Set
1. Happen Now - La De Da (2005)
2. Deny, Deny, Deny - Three (2009)
3.Pine, Pine, Pine - Three
4. In The Blue Moonlight - Three
5. Farmer's Daughter, Ana Egge solo - Road To My Love (2009)
6. Nothing More To Say - Ashtray Rock (2007)
7. Heartless, Heartless, Heartless - Three
8. Rewind, Rewind, Rewind - Three
9. lost in the valley, rose cousins solo- If you were me (2006)
10. Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' - Three

Second Set
1. Work Out Fine- Truthfully Truthfully (2003)
2. Extraordinary - Truthfully Truthfully
3. Through & Through & Through - Three
4. Gone, Gone, Gone - Three
5. Sailors Eyes - Three
6. You Let Me Down - Three
7. Precious, Precious, Precious - Three
8. Ashtray Rock - Ashtray Rock
9. Run, Run, Run - Three
10. True Patriot Love - Down at the Khyber (2001)
11. Spinning For You - website download
12. Nowhere With You - Make a Little Noise EP (2006)
13. Lazy Bones - Three
14. A Million Dollars - Make a Little Noise EP
15. Wishful Thinking - Three

Encore
16. Before You Leave, Thrush Hermit - Clayton Park (1999)
17. Love This Town - La De Da
18. Fashionable People - Ashtray Rock
19. On & On & On - Three

Thu 30 Apr – John Doe And The Sadies, John Doe, The Sadies

Concert Review: John Doe And The Sadies
Sonic Boom and The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Thursday, April 30, 2009

From my blog: http://myaimzistrue.blogspot.com/

You know how when you read a really good book, and then see the movie and the movie didn't quite live up to your love of the book? Or when you are at a restaurant and you eat some apple pie, but its not nearly as good as your mom's apple pie? Its not a completely fair comparison - your interpretation of a novel verses a director's film interpretation, or mass produced restaurant pies verses your mom's secret recipe. But you compare them nonetheless. This is sort of how I feel about The Sadies recoded music verses seeing The Sadies live. Yeah, their albums are good, but the records don't come close to the awesomeness that is a Sadies live show. Thus, I was uber excited that I got to see The Sadies with and without John Doe twice on Thursday, April 30, in Toronto.

I darted from work in the pouring rain to get to Sonic Boom for John Doe and The Sadies in-store show that evening, promoting their new album Country Club. Though my leather shoes were soaked through to my socks, it didn't stop my toe tappin' as Doe and the boys happily played through five songs from their new album. Doe was chatty and jovial , and his voice sounded terrific. In fact, in terms of country music, Doe's voice sounds a lot better live than on the record. The Sadies were a tight quartet as usual, with brothers Dallas and Travis Good singing backup in the places where women sang backup on the album (not that the boys sounded girly at all). Dallas rocked his killer electric guitar that has his name splayed over the fretboard, while Travis and Doe played acoustic guitars. The audience was thrilled, and as I looked around I spotted a smiley and drenched Greg Keelor in the corner sporting sunglasses and a yellow rain slicker. The performers mingled after the show, but I had to bolt home to change into dry clothes and forage for food before part two.

Sonic Boom (in-store) Mini Set
1. I Still Miss Someone
2. Husbands and Wives
3. It Just Dawned On Me
4. Stop The World And Let Me Off
5. Are The Good Times Really Over For Good

The rained stopped in time for me to head over to the Horseshoe Tavern for the 10:30 start time. Local Toronto roots band The Pining was in the middle of their set when I arrived, and the crowd was so chatty that I could barely hear the all-woman quintet. I hate that! The crowd was an odd mix of people, including many in the over 50 age category who I am assuming were there to see John Doe. I overheard one man behind me say that he took two days off of work to drive to Toronto from Rochester, NY, just to see Doe and The Sadies.

I didn't know how the main act would proceed. The Horseshoe web site listed two sets, and I was hoping one of the sets would be The Sadies doing their original tunes. My hopes came true when the foursome took the stage and blasted into an hour set of 15-18 (I lost count) tracks of kick-ass surf, gospel, alternative, and instrumental rock, leaning heavily on their 2007 release New Seasons. By the end of the first hour I already had my $17.50 ticket price worth of entertainment. And there was more to come!

The Horseshoe Tavern
Set I - The Sadies
(Very rough set list because I don't know the names of all of the songs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. But its hard to concentrate on the show, drink beer, and keep a detailed set list all at the same time. I clearly need more practice.)
* Lay Down Your Arms - Stories Often Told (2002)
* First Inquisition, Pt. 4 - New Seasons (2007)
* Anna Leigh - New Seasons
* Higher Power - Pure Diamond Gold (1999) (Note: every time I see The Sadies, the audience always breaks out the wacky tobaccy during this song. No wonder Dallas referred to the crowd as "Delightful Crazy Bastards." I love Canadians.)
* What's Left Behind - New Seasons
* The Trial - New Seasons
* The Story's Often Told - Stories Often Told
* the 400 - Tales Of The Rat Fink (2006)
* Ridge Runner Reel - Tremendous Efforts (2001)
* Tiger Tiger - Stories Often Told

Roughly 15 minutes after the first set, John Doe joined our heroes for a little hootenanny. "Warning, there will be country and western music tonight," he said. "Stage dive at your own risk." Unlike an X show from Doe's past, there was no stage diving here, but a lot of country wallowing and heartache taken mostly from the new Country Club album. Now this is what I hoped Country Club would sound like. High energy, soulful country. The Good brothers continued singing backup, but this time mixed up the instrumentation with Travis switching between fiddle and a couple of electric guitars, and Dallas swapping between two different electrics.

I was standing about six people deep from the stage, slightly to the left and closer to Travis. He had some bad-ass guitar solos. There were some guitar geeks in front of me with their mouths hitting the floor. I don't know anything about playing guitar, but Travis did some technique where he makes his electric sound a bit like pedal steel. The geeks in front of me said, "wow, that is really hard to do." Then they shook their heads and gawked in awe some more. And the Good bros got to sing lead on a few tracks that didn't make the Country Club cut. Travis sang the Jimmy Martin bluegrass standard Free Born Man while Dallas sang something slightly faster than the speed of sound (see track 11 on the set list). The audience was treated to a few songs from Doe's past, The New World from his days with X, and an amazing version of The Knitters Call Of The Wreckin Ball. These tracks fit in perfectly with the country and/or western theme of the second set. Despite the potential for crying into one's beer due to the heartbreaking lyrics of many of the songs, it turned into a uplifting night of music from a punk legend and a fireball backing band.

Set II - John Doe & The Sadies
(mostly from Country Club except where noted)
1. I Still Miss Someone
2. It Just Dawned On Me
3. Help Me Make It Through The Night
4. Free Born Man - Jimmy Martin Cover
5. A Fool Such As I
6. Husbands and Wives
7. The Losing Kind - John Doe, Black Snake Moan Soundtrack (2007)
8. 'Til I Get It Right
9. Stop The World And Let Me Off
10. Take These Chains From My Heart
11. Note: I have no idea happened here. Doe said, "Dallas, can you sing us a pretty one?" Then there was two minutes and thirty seconds of country spaz-rock. At the end Doe said, "That was pretty. Pretty fucking fast!" Holy crap.
12. The Cold Hard Facts Of Life
13. Night Life
14. Workin' Man's Blues - Merle Haggard Cover
15. The New World - X, More Fun in the New World (1983)
16. Are The Good Times Really Over For Good

Encore
17. Sudbury Nickel
18. There Stands The Glass - Webb Pierce Cover
19. Call Of The Wreckin Ball - The Knitters, Poor Little Critter on the Road (1985)