Inland, Where it’s Warm and Cozy - Leif Vollebekk Album Review

Posted on February 10, 2010

Every time mid-February comes around, it starts to feel as though I’d be willing to do anything to escape the eternal coldness of the Canadian winters. Perhaps you’ve also found yourself asking why, oh why, would anyone ever want to colonize such a cold part of the world. Maybe you like the cold… I don’t know. But one thing I do know for sure, is that we all need a little extra warmth come this time of year, right? First time I listened to Leif Vollebekk’s album, Inland, I immediately knew there was something there. The melody struck me as solid and voluptuous and unpretentious.
Folk is a genre that has been done and spun every which way. It’s also a genre that most people will either love, or stay away from completely. If you’re a fan of Folk, you’ll most definitely like this Montreal gentleman. Inland is a soft and intimate album. It’s the type of record I want to listen to in bed, curled under the warmth of the duvet. This album is comfort, it’s dreamy, floaty. It’s so warm and heartfelt that nobody could listen to it and doubt the sincerity of the artist who made it.

It often feels like a serenade, like a beautiful cocoon lovers make in the narrow space between their bodies. However, Inland also has a sound that’s free, a sound that wants to travel. Most of the songs don’t use much percussion, but doesn’t mean it lack rhythm for that much. Imagine yourself on a train, with giant headphones on, so it’s just you and the fleeing scenery… trees, fields, everything is wild, open and free. It’s just this, you, his beautiful, poignant voice, his guitar and a few modest arrangements… That’s the way I like to picture Inland in my head.

The album is well thought through. Some of the songs swing much in the way of a soft waltz with an airy piano leading the way (Don’t Go to Klaksvik) and a soft acoustic guitar strumming away in the background, pulled with a voice full with intent and wonderful sentiment. And the thing is, Vollebekk truly has the voice to pull it off. It comes from the proper part of his body to carry the different moods of all of his proficiently written ballads. The album was just recently released, and is a very worthy purchase for smooth folk lovers. It’ll be on repeat on your stereo until tulips start popping the snow (at the very least). It just so happens that Vollebekk is playing with Basia Bulat at L’Astral this weekend. If you can’t make it to that show, he’ll be back in Montreal at Casa del Popolo on February 27th.

Photo by ingimar björn daviðsson

An Interview with Ohad Benchetrit on his Solo Project, Years - Tonight @ Sala Rossa

Posted on November 26, 2009

Before I officially begin this entry, I must say I’ve probably had one of the best weeks ever as far as interviews go. “Working” for Poutine has allowed me to meet and interview two of my favorite musicians. Last night, before the show, I got the chance to sit down in Sala Rossa’s tiny green room to talk with Ohad Benchetrit about his recently released solo project, Years. Ohad is one of the founding members of Do Make Say Think and mainly plays guitar in the band. Earlier this year, another founding member of DMST, Charles Spearin, also released a solo project of his own. When they dropped into town while on tour for The Happiness Project, Spearin introduced Ohad and the then upcoming album. I felt excited to further discover what was going on into the individual creation of the members of my favorite band, and wasn’t disappointed one bit. Do Make Say Think began touring their new record, Other Truths, last night in our beautiful city, and while they’re at it, they’re taking the opportunity to introduce Ohad’s new project to the stage as a complete act, alongside The Happiness Project, and of course their own show. If you didn’t get a chance to catch the show last night, I’m happy to tell you that they are playing tonight as well at Sala Rossa.

Before the interview, I did a bit of research about Ohad’s project, but wasn’t able to find much online about it. Since I feel this is probably the most “fly on the wall” type member of DMST, I wasn’t entirely surprised. I even wondered how easy it would be to get this gentleman to talk to me about his music. One of my friends over at the CBC once told me that musicians are often pretty bad at talking about their own music and often don’t have very much to say about it, which is a fear that has been haunting me ever since. That being said, I feel pretty lucky to have had interviews with such kind, generous and talkative musicians that disprove my friend’s theory this week - and in a way, it was a beautiful surprise to be able to find out so much about what this project means to the talented guitar-man. At this point, I’d like to stop the amazed-and-starstruck-journalist-rambling and invite you to listen to the said interview.

Enjoy and don’t missed tonight’s show - it’ll seriously blow your heads off (in a good way)!

Years, The Happiness Project and Do Make Say Think
November 26th @ Sala Rossa
Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.
Doors open at 20:30 and show starts at 21:00

An Interview about Darkness and Light with Andrew Whiteman of Apostle of Hustle

Posted on November 24, 2009

Word on the street is that I’m pretty picky about the music that I like… I don’t know if that’s true, but I guess it is to some extent. For over five years now, Apostle of Hustle has been one of my top two bands. I love their albums - they’re full of originality and I think that what they create is something truly unique and brilliant. Last spring, the band released a new full length record called Eats Darkness. On the date of its release, I was visiting my best friend in the whole wide world in Southwestern France, and that’s where I was when I heard it for the first time. To my great surprise, late last week, my editor at Midnight Poutine asked me if I’d like to do an interview with Andrew Whiteman for his upcoming show this Friday (November 27th, 2009). The simple fact of being coveted for this interview was pretty special for me, but actually getting to sit down with Whiteman over Skype for a Tuesday afternoon chat was particularly great for this gal.

Maybe when you were a kid, you laid on your bed, listening to your favorite record, daydreaming about what it would be like to have an actual conversation with your favorite rock star. Well today, I got to do that for real. I got to do it with Charles Spearin (my other top two musician - yes. I am a lucky girl) a few months back as well, but the fact that we were face to face, sitting in a roomful of people during sound check for his upcoming show intimidated me and sort of ruined the intimacy factor I dreamed of. With Whiteman, it was just me, him, all his wonderful creativity and all of my nosy questions. We got to talking about concept albums, the discoveries he achieved in his creative process with the new record, darkness, why you would want to eat it, what it would taste like, and his recent dive into the Frenchness of Montreal. You can listen to the full interview below. Hope you enjoy discovering what goes on inside the head of Andrew Whiteman as much as I did.

Apostle of Hustle is playing at Il Motore in Montreal this Friday, November 27th, 2009.
Tickets are $13.50 at the door.

Peaches @ Metropolis - November 17th

Posted on November 24, 2009

Last Tuesday, I rounded up a few friends and went to see Peaches do her thing on the stage of the Metropolis. I can’t say that I’ve listened to her albums a whole lot, but for some reason, I’ve always been really interested by what she does. There’s something very raw and adulterated about her music. She doesn’t really seem to aim for an overwhelming melodic musicality, in her songs, but that’s not to say something is lacking to the unpretentious package. There’s beats, words and sounds, and all of it is perfectly fine the way it is. But over and above all that, you haven’t heard peaches, or know what she’s about (as a musician/artist) until you’ve actually seen her play live. I don’t say this often, but this show seriously blew my mind, to the point where, almost a week later, I’m still looking for the right words to describe the “Peaches experience”.

From the very beginning of the show, it was apparent that this show was much more than about the music being played by the artist who wrote the songs - Peaches is all about entertaining her crowds and having fun with them. She walked on stage in a costume, that was more like a giant wig (but seriously, a wig that was about 2 or 3 feet taller than she was and covered her entire body down to her crotch), and peeled off layer after layer of costumes until she finished the show in a “nude-body-suit” with a brightly-glowing clit. In between that, I can’t really find words to describe it any better than to say: Peaches is walking, breathing, dancing, singing, rocking sex. On the stage is really where it comes alive for this one, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a good example of such a statement. Her show really blow the music out into the stratosphere. It was a sexy, heavy, rock n’ roll, dancey, gritty, sweaty ol’ time at the Metropolis last Tuesday. A friend I was with has gone to see her play live about 10 times (for true) already, and was still super excited to see this show - I can understand why. What a trip!

Photos by SarahBrideau.com

Les ogres de Barbarack aux Coup de coeur francophone 2009 - le 6 novembre 2009

Posted on November 9, 2009

À Montréal, nous avons la chance d’avoir droit à une panoplie étonnante de festivals bien à nous qui n’ont d’égaux nulle part ailleurs au point de vue mondial. Cependant, la mission du festival Coup de cœur francophone est un peu différente. Fondé à Montréal en 1987, le festival est itinérant depuis 1995, c’est-à-dire que les gentils organisateurs du festival ont décidé d’ouvrir les frontières montréalaises du festival à 9 partenaires partout au pays. Vendredi dernier, j’ai eu la chance d’assister à la prestation des Ogres de Barbarack, un groupe de français qui ont traversés l’océan pour venir faire danser une joyeuse foule au Club Soda.

L’esprit était à la fête au Club Soda vendredi soir. Quoi de mieux alors pour animer la danse qu’un groupe musical aux saveurs gitanes, une tradition qui est décidemment toujours bien vivante dans le vieux pays. La salle était remplie d’une foule enjouée et dansante, qui ne montrait aucune retenue quant à son appréciation pour la prestation énergique du groupe.

Les quatre membres démontrèrent leurs multiples talents au cours de leur généreuse performance de deux heures. Changeant fréquemment d’instruments, ils avaient tout pour impressionner le public montréalais (quoiqu’en tendant un peu l’oreille, il était clair qu’une majorité de français étaient de la fête). J’ai cependant été un peu déçue en réalisant que certains instruments n’étaient pas performés « live ». Peu importe, car je crois que l’effet était subtil, et la foule ne semblait pas du tout importunée par ce triste fait, qui, on doit le noter, n’enlève rien au talent apparent du groupe. Si la mission du festival était de rassembler des actes musicaux qui démontrent et célèbrent le talent de la francophonie mondiale, je leur lève mon chapeau. Voilà une excellente façon de fêter la multiplicité francophone à Montréal!

Photos par SarahBrideau.com

An Interview with Vampire Weekend - Playing Tomorrow Night @ Le National

Posted on October 5, 2009

Earlier this afternoon, I got a chance to sit down with Chris and Ezra of Vampire Weekend, who are currently in town to play a show tomorrow night at Le National. We had a lovely chat about their new album (coming in January 2010) and they will tell you a little about what to expect with Contra. I also asked them about how they create music and what goes into their creative process, amongst other things.

Vampire Weekend is playing tomorrow October 5, 2009 @ Le National

Photo by Steven Brahms

Gonzales @ L’eXcentris - Saturday, Septeber 26th

Posted on September 29, 2009

Whether you’ve heard about him as the Grammy nominated arranger/producer who worked with Feist on Let It Die or for his talents as prodigious piano player, there’s nothing in this guy’s Resume to leave a music lover indifferent. This is why I just had to attend his concert at the newly renovated concert venue at L’eXcentris last weekend. The outcome was rather surprising to say the least. Clearly, I wasn’t the only Montrealer who just had to see the virtuoso in action. The lineup started at the very back of the theater and even stretched to the street.

My first impression of the new concert venue was excellent: classy place, relaxed atmosphere, pretty to look at, comfortable to sit or stand in and the sound was great as well. The room is arranged on three levels so no matter where you’re sitting, you can see the action on stage. Also, it’s pretty great to have a venue where you can either sit or stand and see just as well either way. Kudos on the renovations! The lights could use some work, though they’re still miles ahead of most venues in our beautiful city.

If you’re still reading this, it’s probably because you want to hear about Gonzales. My sources tell me that his shows are never the same from one time to the next. He previously made an appearance in Montreal with a full band which certainly didn’t give off the same results as Saturday. For this show, the stage was set up with two grand pianos back to back, fitting into each other yin-yang-style. Gonzales began by performing some solo pieces on the piano that would’ve impressed even the harshest of critics. Truth is, the man is a virtuoso. His playing demonstrates not only a true understanding of the necessary orchestration of a melody, but also the capacity to make it happen on a piano with only two hands.

Not only can he play like a mad man, but he also has a fantastic stage presence. Giggles were heard throughout the room when he made his entrance dressed in a satin robe, a scarf, and white gloves. Every musical guest that entered the stage were also wearing white gloves. As far as guests go, he had So-Called accompany him on the second grand piano for a great part of the show. Katie Moore also climbed up for a few songs. If I were a true journalist, I would’ve written down the name of the other guest from Star Académie, who was welcomed on stage by Gonzales with comments meant to discourage the snobbish impressions of the Indie lovers in the room (his words, not mine).

With Gonzales, little banter between songs take on the proportions of a talk show. Like the true showman that he is, he entertained not only with his prodigious piano playing, but also with his humorous, unpretentious and easy-going presence. I’d definitely see him again, if only to see what other tricks he has up his sleeve.

Bowerbirds, Megafaun, and Vicious/Delicious @ Sala Rossa - July 13th

Posted on July 14, 2009

Last night I went to see Bowerbirds, down at Sala Rossa. I discovered this band through a friend of mine over the Christmas holidays. There’s a lot of nice perks to having friends with similar musical tastes, but discovering new bands, I feel is one of those privileged moments that just keeps on giving. This gets even better when I finally get to see those new discoveries play their music live. I don’t know if you realize how incredibly lucky we are here in Montreal to have a ridiculous amount of fabulous bands rolling in every week to share their music with us. I can honestly say that I can count on one hand the amount of bands I love that I have yet to see.

 

I also love it when at a show, I’m caught off guard and end up loving other acts of the evening, and last night I was pleasantly surprised by the two other bands that took the stage before Bowerbirds. This, to me, testifies to good show planning; another reason why we should be thankful to have such great production companies in this city (i.e. BSTB). Not only do they bring in the bands we all know and love, but they manage to swing musical discoveries for us audience members while they’re at it. I think that’s great… really. Keep reading for less ranting about how great I think Montreal production companies are, and more about the actual show.

The show started off with Vicious/Delicious, a local band that plays a kind of spacey retro-rock that strongly reminds me of Velvet Underground. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be hit with such a big sound at a show that promised to be essentially folk, but I must admit that it was a nice surprise. They sounded pretty great. The only thing that puzzled me is that I still can’t figure out why they had three guitars players up there, because most of the time, at least two of them were playing sensibly the same riffs. Nevertheless, this is a band that I would recommend seeing live. They’ve got their act together and I think they’re really quite promising.

Next up was Megafaun. All the way from Durham, North Carolina, these three bearded gentlemen loosened up the slightly cynical audience with some of the best stage banter I’ve heard in a while. Between their songs they told us funny stories about crossing the border earlier that day. During their performance, I got to thinking about what truly makes a band great and started checking off a list of essential skills that this band displayed. To make a long list short, the trio had a great stage presence, displayed well-above-average musical talent, and had interesting and creative musical arrangements. Bref, all the required musts of musical entertainment in my book.

 

Speaking of talent, Bowerbirds! This was my second time seeing them. They are currently touring their new record, Upper Air. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing the actual record yet, which is a shame since what I’ve heard live so far is pretty great. Whereas their previous record, Dark Horse, was mainly lead by Phil Moore’s exquisite classical guitar, the new songs venture into the steadier rhythms of the acoustic guitar. Whereas the previous record had some gypsy undertones, their new songs appear to be geared into a folkier style, with a fuller sound. Moore appeared to have a bit of a hard time keeping the fussy acoustic guitar in tune, but this wasn’t a major issue. Their lyrics are great, and pair up with beautiful melodies in intricate and well-thought-out rhythmic measures. Add that to exceptional vocal and musical arrangements, and you’ve totally got me. Bowerbirds is a truly excellent band and their live show lives up to every expectation I had. Simply beautiful!

 

By-the-way… anyone else having a hard time figuring out the actual starting times of the Blue Skies Turn Black shows? Or is it just me? They don’t list it on their show listing page… Is there a trick I’m not aware of? If so, PLEASE feel free to share.

Photos by SarahBrideau.com

Timber Timbre and Great Lake Swimmers @ Theatre Plaza St-Hubert - June 20th

Posted on June 21, 2009

It’s been a while since I’ve last attended a show in Montreal and since I’ve been ill since I’ve returned from Europe, last night it was twice as great to celebrate my official return to my beloved city by seeing one of my current favorite bands play in such a great venue. I speak of course about the mysterious and fabulous Timber Timbre, who has recently re-released his latest eponymous record with Arts & Crafts. It didn’t take too long after the original release of the album for the notorious Canadian Indie label to notice this chap, and with good reason: it’s simply brilliant.

The two previous times I’ve seen him play the leading man was accompanied by a slide guitar and a violin, but this time around he replaced the violinist with a saxophone player, which was and interesting and original decision. Personally, I preferred the sound and effects of the violin with his music, though I must say that the show has evolved in order to make it work well with the trade. Since the sax doesn’t quite fill in the same way a violin would, the slide guitar became even more evident, and that I found was a wonderful surprise. I believe it was the same gentleman on the instrument and he simply blew my mind with all of the delicate and well thought out sound effects he added to the music. Unsurprisingly and to my utter delight, Taylor Kirk performed with just as much talent as he has previously as well. I also noticed that he appears to be increasingly comfortable on stage; good for him and great for the audience. Way to go!

The headliners were of course The Great Lake Swimmers, which I’ve heard a lot about, but haven’t much of their music before last night. They’re a very listenable folk band that play mostly ballads and and sweets songs about heartbreak and big love (which I believe is basically the definition of ballad, but whatever). The signer’s voice is very nice: soft, soothing, and quite pleasing to the ear. The lyrics are simple and unpretentious and the music is tender. It comes as no surprise that the audience was filled with cuddling couples enjoying the moment. I believe there was one song that was a bit more up-beat and it came off a bit like a “rigodon”. There was quite of bit of people in the giant room, so it appears as though their act is quite successful. I don’t really know their songs, but I think it’s safe to say their performance is pretty much flawless. The only thing I had a bit of a hard time with is the fact that pretty much every song seem to carry a similar soft lulling tone, which is not to say it’s bad, it just didn’t work quite so well with the jet lag. Great show altogether.

Photos by SarahBrideau.com

Elvis Perkins in Dearland @ Il Motore last night

Posted on April 28, 2009

Have you guys noticed how there’s no spring in Montreal? Just winter, then summer. This is a show review, but I take the opportunity to wish you all a happy summer! What’s most fantastic about this time of year is without a doubt the fact that it’s the high point for all you show lovers out there. Maybe you’re a student like me and feel like you’re coming out of a long social coma after all of the exams and papers. To celebrate the arrival of the season, I went to check out Elvis Perkins in Dearland at Il Motore last night. Unfortunately, I got there a little late. It’s a real shame considering how great it was for what I actually saw.

A friend of mine told me about this artist a while back while I was in Moncton. I hadn’t gotten the chance to really listen to his older record I had (Ash Wednesday) until yesterday. Honestly, I had to listen to it at least 5 times to truly understand how great it was. With that I figured it’d be a nice show, but I certainly didn’t expect to walk into a festive packed venue last night. Clearly, I’m the only one who wasn’t aware of this guy’s greatness (if that’s also the case for you, do yourself a favor and pick up his record).

Perkins has a lovely voice and a particular way to shape his vocals. It’s a bit throaty but masterfully controlled and vibrating with a certain lightness that strays for any annoyance this may cause. Though the style certainly isn’t the same, he sort of reminds me of Jeff Buckley, minus all of the defunct’s heart tearing grace. Perkins’ music is passionate, but definitely not shadowed by a deep sadness, hence the style difference between the two. His music is sometimes groovy, sometimes festive, sometimes softer. It’s very original and interesting to hear. Overall, it’s more on the side of Folk-Rock, but with many influences blending into the ordeal.

I’m always a bit uneasy about Folk-Rock shows. I mean it is the type of music I tend to like the most, but as far as live performances go, it usually translates to more stripped down versions of what you’ll hear on the records. That being said, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it takes one heck of a musician to satisfy a public under such circumstances. Since Ash Wednesday, Perkins has taken on the fellowship of Dearland, an excellent group of musicians as well, who spice up the great songwriting with a lot of musically intelligent additions. The result of this is a music that appears to be heavily influenced by the soulful tones of the southern states. While incorporating a variety of sounds and horn instruments as well as superb backup vocals, the show was festive and ended with a carnivalesque song where musicians spilled out of the stage and into the crowd of enthusiastic fans. It felt sort of like a Mardis Gras ending, which left me wanting more.

I’m still terribly sad that I didn’t get to see the whole thing. Would it really be so hard for venues like Il Motore to clearly announce the starting time of their concerts on their website? Sometimes I get there at 9:30 and I’m there way too early, and others I get there at 10:30 and miss most of the show. Perhaps it was announced and I just missed it since a roomful of people clearly didn’t make the same mistake I did.

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