Concert Review: Grinderman, Armen Ra - The Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, ON - November 11, 2010

Grinderman kicked of their North American tour last night in Toronto to a packed house at The Phoenix.  The supporting act was Armen Ra, a Theremin player who looked like Pee Wee Herman and played what I can only describe as music to play while levitating.  This was, without doubt, the most out-of-place opening act I have ever seen.  It would be the equivalent of having Zamphir open for Slayer.  Ra did his thing, whatever the hell it was, and went on his merry way.  I have never seen a crowd so angry and confused at the same time... truly bizarre.  The only question I have is, why?

After a quick sound-check, Nick Cave and the rest of Grinderman took to the stage and turned it up to 11, well, more like 14 actually.  I could feel the bass in my chest as the band opened up with "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man".  In true Cave fashion, it was aggressive and powerful.  Throughout the set, Grinderman delivered a healthy selection of tunes from their new album including "Kitchenette", "Heathen Child", "Worm Tamer" and "Palaces of Montezuma". 

They also played material from their debut album, including an inspired version of "No Pussy Blues", "Get It On" and "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)".  For those who are familiar with Nick Cave, you know he is a showman.  He always puts it all on the table and leaves nothing behind - and last night was no different.  Overall it was a great show. I will look forward to the next time Cave comes to town.

Setlist:

Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man

Worm Tamer

Get It On

Heathen Child

Evil

When My Baby Comes

What I Know

Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)

Kitchenette

No Pussy Blues

Bell Ringer Blues

Encore:

Palaces Of Montezuma

When My Love Comes Down

Man in the Moon

Love Bomb

Grinderman

Concert Review: Joel Plaskett, David Myles - River Run Centre - Guelph, ON - November 5, 2010

On a brisk November night in Guelph, the vibe inside the River Run Centre was warm, lighthearted and electric, in anticipation of the 'Rock N' Roll show'.  Entering, stage right, with his gray suit, glasses and geeky, yet GQ style (he looked like a banker) - David Myles opened up the show with a short, but engaging set. This included some of his older songs, mixed in with a couple of tunes from his new album, "Turn Time Off" (produced by Joel).  His witty anecdotes fit right into the mood of the evening and the sold out crowd definitely warmed to Mr. Myles.

Joel took the stage after a brief intermission and jumped right into his set with a killer version of "Make a Little Noise".  He was in fine form, and mixing it up chronologically - playing plenty of tracks from "Three", but also a healthy balance of tunes from his entire catalogue.  After a few tunes by his lonesome, he welcomed his father, Bill Plaskett, on stage to join him.  Their harmonies were bang-on, it was certainly an enjoyable twist to the evening.

Some of the show highlights included "Down at the Khyber", "Every Time You Leave", "Heartless, Heartless, Heartless", "Nowhere With You", "Sailor's Eyes", "Deny, Deny, Deny" and a couple of brand new tunes - "Island Girls and Harbour Boys" and I think the other one was called "I'm Yours".

Other highlights included Joel rocking out to a back-track of "Fashionable People" playing on his iPod, the Casio styling of "Rewind, Rewind" Rewind", a rocking acoustic rendition of "Through & Through & Through" and a brilliant combined effort from Joel and Bill on "Rollin', Rollin' Rollin'" to cap the evening!  Thanks for a fantastic evening - Joel, Bill and David.  I should also mention that the RRC in Guelph is a great place to see a show.  The acoustics were fantastic and there was not a bad seat in the house.

Concert Review: Rootstock 2010 - Joel Plaskett, Hawksley Workman, Sarah Slean, Steven Page - Jackson Triggs Amphitheatre - Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON - August 27, 2010

On Friday morning, these plans developed rather quickly with a couple of phone calls.  I had no idea this show was even happening until the morning of, when I happened to catch a blurb about it online.  On a whim, I phoned up the Jackson Triggs box office and actually scored a couple of tickets.  With this development, I quickly phoned a couple of local hotels - because who wants to go to an event at a winery and have to drive home? Not I. With some good fortune, I managed to find vacancy at the nearby Charles Inn.  My girlfriend and I enjoyed this quaint little Inn and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the region.

As for the show, it was amazing.  I had no idea what to expect, but I couldn't have asked for anything more.  It was a very casual setting, with all four artists sharing the stage for the entire evening.  They took turns playing songs and helped each other out from time to time - and there was a lot of talent on stage.  Sarah Slean's voice was haunting, Joel Plaskett's confidence and quirky nature was prevalent, Hawksley Workman owned the stage and Steven Page, well, was Steven Page.

The event was hosted by Page, who doubled as an MC and performer.  He was quite verbose and his jokes were hit and miss; his music reminded me of why I don't like the Barenaked Ladies.  That being said, there were a couple of times he broke away from his jumpy guitar riffs and up-tempo strumming patterns that did impress me.

Sarah Slean's voice echoed through the vineyards as she belted out a few of her songs.  A very talented songwriter, her performances were very strong.  In particular, her song "Pilgrim" stood above the rest as she pounded it out on the fake ivory.

Joel Plaskett seemed to have the audience at his mercy. His stage presence was electric as he delivered his acoustic set.  Well, mostly acoustic.  He plugged in his Casio and engaged the crowd in a clever version of "Rewind, Rewind, Rewind".  Other highlights were "Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'" and "Nowhere with You".

Looking dapper in his black suit and Pork Pie hat, Hawksley Workman stole the spotlight.  Every time it was his turn to shine, he took full advantage.  I still have the refrain of "Warhol's portrait of Gretzky: Pretty f*ckin' sexy" engrained in my brain. His voice was bang on, accented by some delicate (and at times crunchy) riffs on his Les Paul.

This was a fantastic night of music in a trendy venue, with some great wine and killer gourmet sausages!

Rating A

CD Review: Joel Plaskett - Three

Good things do come in threes, and I don't even need to think twice (or thrice) about recommending this one.  Three is probably the album I have listed to the most this past year.  The album is extremely well written, produced and performed and there is a little something for everyone on this disc.  It jumps around from folk, to rock, to rockabilly-blues and back to rock again - all with a bit of east coast flavour.  Plaskett's writing style is distinct and he really hits his stride with Three.

My three stars on the album are as follows, but there could easily be twelve stars:
3.     "Beyond, Beyond, Beyond"
2.     "New Scotland Blues" 
1.    "Rollin', Rollin' Rollin'"

You can buy it here:  Amazon

Concert Review: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Crosby, Stills & Nash - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON

Like a fine wine, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers seem to get better with age.  Last night at the ACC, Mr. Petty and his ensemble brought their Floridian brand of Rock N' Roll north of the border and did not disappoint the sold out crowd on hand.  Opening the show with a blast from the past, "Listen to Her Heart", they quickly set the hook and jumped right back to the 90's with a few timeless classics - not to mention a great rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well".  A nice surprise was a trip back 'into the great wide open', in the form of "King's Highway".

The band dedicated a small block of the show to their new album, "Mojo" - notables were the bluesy "Good Enough" and "I Should Have Known It", which (especially live) has a Zeppelin feel to it.  The balance of the show was filled with more Petty classics, highlighted by the always popular "Don't Come Around Here No More".

On a personal note, I have seen Petty eight or nine times over the years, beginning with the Strange Behavior (Full Moon Fever) tour at Kingswood Music Theater in 1989.  I must say that each time I see him; the bar seems to be set higher.  He knows what his fans want and delivers every time, on point. I enjoyed last night's show thoroughly.

Honorable mention goes to Crosby, Stills & Nash who opened up the show.  I was glad I got a chance to see them.  They were very entertaining and Stephen Stills was in fine form on the lead guitar, but there were some off-key harmonies and missed notes when it came to the vocals.  The energy they generated made up for the errors and the crowd was definitely on their side.

Rating A

Tom Petty - Toronto Set List

Listen to Her Heart
You Don't Know How It Feels
I Won't Back Down
Free Fallin'
Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Kings Highway
Breakdown
Jefferson Jericho Blues
Good Enough
Running Man's Bible
I Should Have Known It
Learning to Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee
ENCORE:
Runnin' Down a Dream
You Wreck Me

Concert Review: Aerosmith, Sammy Hagar & The Wabos, August 17, 2010 - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON

On Tuesday night, we ventured down to the ACC in Toronto to see some rock-n-roll journeymen in action.  After quaffing a few pints at one of my favorite watering holes (C'est What? On Front St.), we headed off to the show.  Sammy Hagar & The Wabos opening in support of Aerosmith. 

Hagar, now 62 years of age, showed no signs of slowing down when he took the stage to open the show.  He cranked out some of his solo tunes, some Van Halen classics, and even a Montrose medley - all the while indulging in his trademark libations (margaritas) as he commanded the stage.  At one point, he even offered bar service to the front row in the form of tequila shots, administered by his personal on-stage waitresses!

Aerosmith took the stage promptly at 9:06PM and it was certainly an interesting performance.  Half way into the second song, "Love in an Elevator", Steven Tyler appeared to fall off the stage.  I later learned that he was bumped off the stage by guitarist Joe Perry.  After that, the tension seemed to grow between Tyler and Perry.  Despite the setback, the show went on and they certainly rocked the house - but there was definitely an awkward vibe in the air.  Personally, the highlights were "Livin' on the Edge", "Dream On" and the Beatles cover "Come Together".  Overall, this was a very enjoyable night.

Rating: B

Review: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mojo

After a several year hiatus from recording with the complete Heartbreakers ensemble, Mojo breaks some new ground for TP+HB.  The album is quite eclectic with strong blues roots, a reggae tune and a couple of rock ballads. This album was also done on-the-fly, completely raw with no overdubs - a refreshing change in the world of music today.

I have been a huge Petty fan for as long as I can remember, and the first Mojo listen-through didn't really catch me, but it is proving to be infectious.  The second time though some of the tunes really started to grab my ear.  I don't think it will be my favorite TP+HB album, but it is certainly worth the buy - especially if you are a fan.

My three stars on the album are:
3.     "Running Man's Bible"
2.     "Something Good Coming" 
1.    "I Should Have Known It" 

Rating: B+

Review : NOFX - Never Trust A Hippy

This mini-release was a prelude to their 2006 release "Wolves in Wolves Clothing". The disc is concise; however, it is laden with raw, catchy and at times risky punk songs. If you are easily offended, please beware that the lyrics take numerous cynical shots at the flaws in politics and religion. Any NOFX fan will not be disappointed.

Rating: B

Review: MATT MAYS - WHEN THE ANGELS MAKE CONTACT

A departure from Mays’ previous works, “When the Angels Make Contact…” is a brilliant masterpiece.  The album is quite eclectic and ranges from acoustic ballads (Morning Sun), to solid rock tracks (850 Commando) and even morphs into electronica (Midnight is the Time) – vaguely reminding me of Neil Young’s ‘Transformer Man’ experiments.  This album works.  Lyrically, its strength comes from its simplicity.All in all, a no bullshit, (almost) cover to cover gem.

Side-note: I had the good fortune to see this album performed live, and in my opinion, it will only be a matter of time before he hits the serious mainstream.  A gifted songwriter with a compelling voice who translates his energy to the stage with conviction. Buy WHEN THE ANGELS MAKE CONTACT on Amazon.ca

Jrazy Rating: A