The Sheepdogs – Future Nostalgia or Everything Old Is New Again…

October 15, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

As the album title suggests, The Sheepdogs are a band lost in time. With absolutely no pretense to suggest anything else, they are what they are, and you can accept it or move along. The choice is yours.

So here is Future Nostalgia, an album that sounds like it was recorded at Muscle Shoals during the studios glory days. Opening track “I’m Gonna Be Myself” is instant proof as you get the Skynyrd riffs and Boz Scaggs vocal styles that were so recognized from the legendary southern studio.

Of course, if you are going to play with the sounds of the classic rock era, you might as well be as expansive as possible. “Downtown” throws in some Eagles harmonies and references them again on “Bad Lieutenant.” The swampy Bernie Leadon like guitar lead is reminiscent of the 1972 classic “Witchy Woman.” From there you get another Eagles guitarist, Joe Walsh, being reflected in The Sheepdogs “Take A Trip.” If you add the easy listening, Michael McDonald era Doobie Brothers sound, coming off “Jim Gordon”, and add in riffs that could come from rock stalwarts like Spirit, Free, Rick Derringer, James Gang and even Canada’s own Lighthouse, you have a pretty insane package.

The thing about the Sheepdogs is they’re not so much influenced by “classic rock” as actually sounding as if they stepped off a time machine from the era direct. If most any other band on the planet tried this, I’d be tossing out tired accusations of being poseurs. However, the songs are just too damn catchy for me to get a hate on for them. Yes you could slip them into a 70’s rock mix and someone could confuse it as a deep cut from an unknown, yet awesome, band from back in the day; but rock ‘n’ roll is nothing if not one giant recycling project.

So, how does that saying go? “Everything old is new again!” It’s kinda hard to argue with that when Future Nostalgia is spinning.

City & Colour @ The Hayloft: 10/10/2015 – Beautiful Music on a Starry Night… Watch Out For The Cows

October 14, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

(The text is below, but if you want to see the review with all the pictures from the show… go here. http://www.edge.ca/2015/10/14/city-colour-the-hayloft/ )

Watching the splendour of fall colours on the drive into Prince Edward County, you can’t help but feel a certain sense of anticipation. Passing the wineries, farms, and cautionary deer signs, you realize that The Hayloft will be no ordinary concert venue, and… well, this isn’t going to be an ordinary night.

Pulling up to the site, that singular thought is proven correct; The Hayloft is quite literally an old, well-kept barn. A place so welcoming and intimate, the only thing separating City and Colour from the Edge’s 150 contest winners is a riser a mere 12 inches off the floor. Quite honestly, this is a band that can fill Massey Hall, so to see them playing in a venue that was once home to farm animals is a little on the surreal side.

The band passes through the crowd to get to the stage and starts into the sonic bliss of their opening track “Woman” from the newly released If I Should Go Before You. On their record it is a bluesy tune, but the inclusion of a pedal steel guitar, with sound waves bouncing off wooden barn planks, gives off a convivial vibe. When they break into the number two track “Northern Blues” the songs’ R &B feel seems more jovial than its theme suggests. Or, perhaps it is my own buoyancy projecting as everyone just seems so damned nice out here tonight.

The lighting is understated, provided by a few bulbs at the foot of the stage and strands of yellow and white Christmas bulbs surrounding it from above, giving off a warm glow that seems to have been embraced by the audience. This committed bunch, that either entered a contest online or kept phoning until they won tickets, is exuberant and incredibly friendly. After a long bus trip, they are now soaking in the music and atmosphere, clinging to their partners and swaying to the music. The fans, about to take ‘selfies’, get willing strangers offering to take photos for them. It seems more like a group of friends, out to see their mutual acquaintances’ band, than a concert being put on by a popular recording artist.

Even the banter between band and audience plays this out. Between songs, bassist Jack Lawrence is chatting with people at the front of house and, during another such break, an over-enthusiastic ‘yeller’ gets an exchange with Dallas Green himself. Green steps away from the microphone and speaks to illustrate to the fan that he doesn’t need to yell to be heard. “We’re just a few feet from each other.” Everyone gets a good laugh from the ‘little chat’ as Green runs through a set that includes a large number of tracks from the new record and highlights from The Hurry And The Harm and Little Hell.

Illustrating the mood, “Lover Come Back” came off as an uplifting and joyous song despite its natural, broken-hearted nod towards 60’s soul music. Matt Kelly, flipping between pedal steel guitar and keyboard, had the organ sounding like the second coming of MG’s frontman, Booker T. Jones. It’s a moment which seems to emphasize that City & Colour is equally compelling live as on their albums. In this setting, there is a ‘deeper’ and more pronounced immediacy that allows Green & Co. to both embellish songs and gain a better connection to the fans, many of whom are openly singing along without need of encouragement.

The evening passes so quickly that the audience just doesn’t want to leave when the music ends. The bouncers are now outside cooking up hot dogs for patrons, groups of people are sharing favorite moments, and a few are even stargazing on this perfectly clear night. If bus drivers weren’t waiting to return people home, I’m quite sure they would have made a whole night of it.

Driving home, only a minute from the Hayloft, I round a corner and hit the brakes. There are three cows and a bull standing in the middle of the road only a few feet from the yellow deer crossing sign. The bull looks at me as if to say “great night, eh!” And honestly, who the hell am I to argue with a bull.

City & Colour – If I Should Go Before You: A Transformative Work

October 7, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Dallas Green may have started City and Colour as a means to introduce his ‘rootsy’ brand of song craft, but those days are now more of an ‘origin story’ than the reality of where he is. Much like Wilco, who turned from alt-country to sonic experimenters, Green took his acoustic-based leanings and is now creating expansive tunes that, at times, owe more to blues, soul and even psychedelia than the modern ‘folk rock’ he was labeled with on earlier City and Colour records.

Signs of this transformation began on the last album The Hurry And The Harm, with a more conventional, harder edge brought in with the addition of electric guitars and organs. If I Should Go Before You not only expands on this addition, but takes on some new influences.

Opening the record is a nine minute blues epic “Woman” which mixes Muddy Waters with Pink Floyd and throws in a 60’s San Francisco twist. The result is a ‘listen with headphones’ dreamscape that shows his bands’ ability to improvise around their material. “Northern Blues” has subtle R&B underpinnings keeping a sonic improvisation steady as Green’s falsetto soars above.

Musically, this ‘Memphis soul base’ is played out on what would seem to be perfect for the two sides of a vinyl record. “If I Should Go Before You”, “Killing Time”, and the frickin’ amazing single “Wasted Love” finish off the R&B influenced ‘Side A.’ Even the sudden stop of “Wasted Love” on the songs’ conclusion gives definition to a change in direction. In a manner of speaking, it is the point when you flip the record.

‘Side B’ takes on tones that have their foundation in roots-rock, starting with “Runaway”, a song that recalls Blue Rodeo’s “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” with its majestic pedal steel guitar. From there, you move onto “Lover Come Back” with its blend of piano and organ which creates an atmosphere reminiscent of The Band.

The most appealing thing about If I Should Go Before You is that all the influences are merely reference points. Like most great, or even classic records, the listener finds a connection that resonates with a familiar sound, and then the music branches off into new and exciting places.

If I Should Go Before You isn’t just another City and Colour record… it’s a transformative work; the album when all potential and expectations are realized and then exceeded.

If I Should Go Before You hits stores on Oct 9.

Wolf Alice: From Glastonbury To Adelaide Hall, The Bus Keeps Rolling

October 6, 2015October 7, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

(Hey folks, here is the link to my interview with Wolf Alice in its proper published form, with all the cool pictures from Sugar Beach & Adelaide Hall. I’m also leaving the text here on the blog, but it looks much better at edge.ca. Hope You enjoy!)

In the atrium of the Corus Entertainment building at Sugar Beach in Toronto, there is a three story slide that Wolf Alice guitarist Joff Oddie and bassist Theo Ellis have decided to try and climb… together. It’s an odd take on the myth of Sisyphus, where in place of the rock, they shove each other up the hill. Upon failure, they both tumble out of the slide atop each other. Oddie springs up and exclaims “and that is how babies are made.”

It really isn’t surprising to see them blowing off steam in a spectacle of childish glee. After all, they’ve just disembarked for a quick visit to 102.1 The Edge after a twelve hour bus ride from New York. Following their Toronto show at Adelaide Hall, they will undertake a fourteen hour haul to Minneapolis for another gig.

Wolf Alice has been moving at a dizzying pace for months now, without a day off. A show at The Drake in Toronto this March, an album release and an epic performance at Glastonbury this past June, strung between many other appearances, keeps the bus rolling. The need for a good laugh seems paramount.

The interview itself begins with Ellis mockingly suggesting “He doesn’t want to talk to me. I’m the bass player. He wants to talk to Ellie… or Alice!” It’s a moment with a pure facetious tone as he explains how some people still seem to think that the “Alice” in the band name is a person on stage. Of course, there is no “Alice” just like there is no “Pink” in Pink Floyd. “Kid calls me Alice and I just want to…” It’s a throwaway line filled with deadpan dark humour from a guy who has glitter under his eyes where heavy bags should be.

The contrast fits well with the band that, less than two weeks before Adelaide Hall’s 500 capacity venue, they were playing Brixton Academy to 5000. Ellis admits “It has been weird. Just before Pawtucket (Rhode Island), the last show was our headline London (UK) show. There is definitely a difference… It wasn’t a million people, but… it’s quite cool, quite exciting, to do it (large and small venues) like that.” As he finishes the sentence, Ellie Roswell (vocals/guitar) and Joel Amey (drums/vocals) enter the room.

For the uninitiated, Wolf Alice released their debut My Love Is Cool at the beginning of summer. They have had critics comparing them to bands ranging from ‘grunge’ to ‘shoegaze’ and all points in between. Yet stylistically, the comparisons don’t cover it. Roswell comments, “When we went into the recording studio, we didn’t have a list of bands we wanted to replicate. But we do listen to Queens of The Stone Age, whatever Jack White does, Radiohead… who we always forget to mention. And they’re a big influence.”

My Love Is Cool tends to cover themes from dark desperation to depression, which the band also brings out when doing covers at some of their shows. Roswell grins at the observation. “I think it’s fun to play something as far from you as possible and sometimes it’s a “cheer people up” song. It’s quite cool to see how dark you can make it. Like the One Direction song (“Steal My Girl”). It’s obviously about his girlfriend but when you make it dark, the lyrics come out as possessive and nasty.” Drummer/vocalist Joel Amey elaborates “It is a cool thing to explore. Like with Sting’s (The Police) “Every Breath You Take.” Everybody thinks it’s a love song about a guy and his girl… but it’s twisted… it’s about a guy watching (obsessing about) her. That subversiveness is fun to play with.”

Still, I’m looking at the band and I can’t help wondering what the hell they do to break the monotony of being on the road. They offer quips to the question. There is an awkward exchange involving fully clothed, separate bed, band bonding over episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Another about the movie Saw not enhancing song writing and then a nod to touring mates Drenge as the “weirdest and nicest guys in the world.” But, never having been in a touring rock band, I leave the interview confused as to how Wolf Alice can bring their “A Game” for every show. That thought stays with me as I arrive at Adelaide Hall later that evening.

It takes all of thirty seconds for those questions about monotony and energy levels on the road to be answered. The venue might be small, but the audience is loud, and from the opening chords of “Your Love’s Whore”, band and patrons alike show their enthusiasm for one another. With just a few instruments, a sound system and lights, Wolf Alice emerges with full rock star swagger. The show they put on is electric.

Joff Oddie’s fingers are up and down the neck of his Fender Jaguar, only interrupted on the occasions he flips over to a keyboard and then back to guitar. Joel Amey puts down the steady beat even when he takes the lead vocals on “Swallowtail.” Theo Ellis is all over the stage with the bass, whipping fans into frenzy as he leaps atop the kick drum in full ‘rock out’ pose. Ellie Roswell balances between the ethereal vocal moments of “Silk” and the explosiveness of “You’re A Germ.” While I hadn’t noticed the Radiohead influence on My Love Is Cool, hearing it performed live makes it all become clear. Nuances are flushed out and the show as a whole is proof that this band has surpassed the tag of “next big thing” and has become “the band to see.”

As the final encore ends with “Smiling Mona Lisa”, there is a mutual admiration thing going on with the band thanking the audience, and the crowd wanting more. A promise to return soon is given, and people disperse with wide grins. Driving home, I realize that to Wolf Alice, being on the road in a bus is a small price to pay for the opportunity to have a great night playing their music to appreciative fans.

Under an Alien Influence? or The Modern Lovers – Eponymous

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Somewhere between the end days of the Velvet Underground and the start of the B 52’s emerged The Modern Lovers, and their influence would stretch way beyond the world of limited record sales and closed minds. There was always something ‘otherworldly’ about Jonathan Richman and Co.’s take on music. Picture a baby-faced Lou Reed singing songs of optimism and fun while backed by a first rate garage rock band trying their hands at psychedelia and you get the picture. They weren’t just ahead of their time, The Modern Lovers 1976 eponymous record was completely outside of it, and to some extent, still is. Pre-Punk… proto-punk… whatever!!! It is an incredible album with Rolling Stone claiming it to be one of the 500 greatest records of all time.

As for the vinyl, well… like many of the great underground records of the 1970’s, it got great critical reception and sold next to nothing. In fact, The Modern Lovers was out of print on wax for more than 20 years. Of course, you have a few options in the here and now.

The original 1976 pressing can cost you upwards of $150 for a good clean copy in the resale market. You might get it for less, but that will take time and a lot crate digging to find a copy.

The last 20^th century printings were in 1986 and 1987 with the German edition being printed on white vinyl. People are usually paying under $40 but resellers are asking upwards of $60 plus shipping.

If you are looking for a new copy, you are in luck. In 2009, 4 Men With Beards released a reissued version on 180 gram vinyl that is still widely available,

However, 2015 has brought two new versions out. The first was another of the Newbury limited editions. One thousand copies were printed on split black/blue vinyl and included a download card. The next version was for general release and printed on black 180 gram vinyl and also included a card for downloading. Both were released in August.

Definitely worth having in the collection you just need to decide how much and where you want to pick it up.

Metric @ Danforth Music Hall (25/09/2015): Fun, Epic and Righteously Weird

September 25, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Concerts, at their very best, are far more than musicians on a stage giving energy to an audience. They convey electricity that moves beyond the music and allows an audience to return energy back to the artists themselves. It becomes a communal experience shared by the guy in the antlers, the girl with the giraffe mask on her head, the elderly gentlemen in the clown costume, the kid with the tin foil alien hat, the 16 year old first concert goer and the band themselves. Last night while playing the Danforth, Metric seemed acutely aware of this.

With animal masks of their own, Metric took the stage and quickly broke into “Lie Lie Lie” from their barely one week old album Pagans In Vegas. Out of the mask, Emily Haines bounced across the stage now adorned in Christmas-lit peacock feathers and had the floor singing along. It was spectacle of the highest order, including a trippy lightshow to boot, and one embraced by the audience as a whole.

Leaning heavily on their new record, Metric left no room for popular numbers like “Stadium Love”, “Monster Hospital”, or “Gimme Sympathy” and honestly, they weren’t needed. The band had come prepared and used a mix of charisma, well rehearsed tunes and a light show that would put many arena acts to shame.

Hell, the only technical glitch of the night came when so much fog was released; the whole stage all but disappeared from view. The thing is, everyone was having so much fun it all seemed to be just another added highlight in the festivities.

By the time the encore ended, washed in bubbles, paper cannon explosions and Haines singing “Celebrate”, the meaning of the night’s events became clear. Concerts, at their core, are more than a mere performance… they are a shared celebration of life shared by everyone wanting to escape mediocrity and, if only for a moment, join the weirdness of an epic event. Fun, epic and righteously weird – I call that a pretty good night.

Stadium Dreams Turn To Stadium Sound: Metric – Pagans In Vegas

September 23, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

Metric has never hidden their overwhelming desire to headline a fan-filled stadium show, and Pagans In Vegas may just be the vehicle that drives them there. More than mere hyperbole, they seem to have found the perfect mix of Cure-like synth, 90’s indie guitar, and electro/dance rhythm. The tunes are catchy enough to get the casual fan singing along and the loyal fan seeking deeper meaning from the lyrics and, dare I say, inspiration.

Opening track “Lie Lie Lie” is a perfect example. My kids are singing along in the back seats of the minivan, unaware of the song’s underlying theme of media’s dehumanization of women. From that point on, Haines sticks mostly to the themes of broken relationships and rising back up after a fall. While this album might seem like a bit of rock ‘n’ roll cliché at times, Metric pulls off the desired impact of connecting us to the music. So when Haines’ vocals demand “the stars above” on early single “The Shade (I Want It All)”, the listener feels entitled to it as well.

Like any great album, this record can boast a number of songs that would be deemed radio-friendly and single-worthy. In addition to the two above-mentioned songs, “The Governess” and “Too Bad, So Sad” also seemed primed for significant airplay.

Pagans in Vegas is packed with all of the right ingredients to get a stadium full of people moshing in the pit and ‘pogo’ing in their seats. Only time will tell if it happens this time round.

Overshadowed or Overlooked? Screaming Trees – Sweet Oblivion

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

It had been years since I last played a Screaming Trees record. Once a staple that sat by the CD player and saw pretty regular rotations in the carousel, it had moved to a secondary location for music seldom played. New music, new bands, new sounds had found their way into my imagination and I moved on. Then the other day I saw a post for an advance order of Sweet Oblivion on vinyl and my mind flashed back – “damn, it’s been too long” as I started to type my order.

A few weeks later the gold coloured vinyl is spinning on my turntable and it feels like an old friend has returned from a long trip away. The conversation flows easy as if no time has passed at all, and I’m at ease just listening when I hear the old familiar stories. Not epic like Soundgarden or angry like Nirvana, Screaming Trees were a pretty straight forward gritty rock band with a penchant for great song writing and one of the best vocalists of the era in Mark Lanegan. Unfortunately, like many of the great 90’s rock bands, they didn’t stay together past the turn of the century, and faded from view.

Anyway, for vinyl junkies you have three choices to spin Sweet Oblivion. The original ’92 release had a limited vinyl printing that came with the CD booklet and a sticker on the shrink wrap declaring it the “One Foot In The Grave” version. If you can find it, it will set you back a minimum of $50.00 plus shipping.

In 2010, Music On Vinyl released a 180 gram version that had fans giving compliments for quality. You can still find it most anywhere.

Finally, Newbury Comics released a limited 1000 copies on 180 gram translucent gold vinyl. In addition to the foil stamped numbering on the cover it included new liner notes written by Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin. They still have copies, so don’t go crazy ordering from resale sights asking for a $100.

Overshadowed or overlooked, I’m not sure which, but Screaming Trees should have been bigger than they got. Regardless, Sweet Oblivion is sure appreciated and is once again sitting in a spot close to the stereo.

Going Through The Motions? or The Arcs – Yours, Dreamily

September 21, 2015 / ds barrett / 2 Comments

It’s interesting that two guys who appear to hate each other as much as Jack White and Dan Auerbach should have careers that seem to parallel each other so closely. For whatever reason, they both have tried stepping outside the bands they are known for to create something new and different. However, White wisely chose to bring in other vocalists and songwriters (Brendan Benson with the Raconteurs and Allison Mosshart with Dead Weather) to help change the direction of his sound. The result is a distinct difference between each band.

Auebach hasn’t chosen this route. While the writing credits have been distributed throughout the band, The Arcs debut Yours, Dreamily may as well be a new Black Keys record. His guitar – vocal combo doesn’t explore any new territory that differentiates one band from another.

Of course, that doesn’t mean this is a bad record, on the contrary, it does exactly what you might expect from Auerbach by giving you a collection of songs that work his strengths. You have that blues/soul influence played with his vintage Supro and a couple songs that work as ‘rockin’ singles.’ “Outta My Mind” is a familiar anchor song that serves as a statement of arrival, a wave if you wish, that pushes the album towards the deeper cuts. Auerbach laments “working just to beat the clock / all I need is one more shot” on “The Arc” and while his voice seems rather sleepy in the sentiment, the guitar work is ferocious giving the song an image of someone rising up after a beating down.

The problem with Yours, Dreamily is that familiarity with the Black Keys library has begun to breed the perception of complacency with new band the Arcs. There isn’t anything new to offer, but still, if Auerbach is only going through the motions, he does it far better than most.

Buying New Vinyl (In Canada)… when the economy has gone to shit!

September 4, 2015September 4, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

“Are you sure you really needed that album” asks my wife as she looks at a recent credit card statement. Don’t get me wrong, we NEVER carry a balance from one month to the next, it’s just that the exchange rate has gone through the roof recently. So, what cost a dollar last year is costing a buck thirty plus shipping (which is also far more expensive because of the falling dollar). In other words, “OH WOE IS ME!” if you’re buying new vinyl from south of the border, you can quite easily go broke.

To make matters worse, some of the best music sites have yet to figure out how to ship items at anything near a reasonable cost. For instance, let’s take a look at the recent rerelease of Urge Overkill’s Stull EP on Touch & Go Records. The white vinyl edition of Stull sells for $16.00 USD, a price I’m willing to pay for a ten inch record. However, the shipping is $34.30 through the USPS (United States Postal Service), meaning the record is now triple its retail value. Then if you add the exchange rate the price jumps up to $66.89, making Stull’s cost quadruple the original asking price.

Now, not all sites use USPS to ship, and thank goodness for that. Recently, I ordered two albums from Newbury Comics and it was a better scenario. Paul Simon’s Graceland and the Modern Lovers eponymous record on coloured vinyl had asking prices that, combined, cost me $45.98 and another $16.00 in shipping for both. Newbury uses a courier service that charges only $14.00 for the first item and another $2.00 for each additional item. Of course, now with the current financial crisis sending the Canadian Dollar to an eleven year low, that small fortune I was spending is now an actual fortune and quite a bit more difficult to justify. My $62.97 USD bill shows up as $83.73 CAD on my credit card statement. OUCH!

When I first started ordering stuff from the US, the Canadian dollar was on par or better than USD. Now I’m looking at a huge markup that has made internet ordering direct from US record labels far less desirable.

Still, you do have options. First, if the label is using USPS, fire off a quick note to them expressing interest in their product, but not their shipping method. If they care about customer service, they will investigate alternate shipping methods. If that doesn’t work, go to your local record store to find out if they can order it in. It isn’t likely that you’ll get the “collector’s edition coloured vinyl” available only to fans making advance orders… but it is worth a shot. Finally, if that favorite artist of yours is coming to town, bring along some cash to their merch booth. Chances are, if they didn’t sell out during the advance order stage, it will be on the tour bus waiting for a chance to separate you from your money.

Regardless, even for a hardcore music buyer, the prices are now out of range. If only some entrepreneur with more brains than I could devise a way to distribute exclusive items in Canada, the costs would come down and music fans in the Great White North would be very happy. As it is, my vinyl orders will have to be filed under occasional – if at all. The vinyl revival may end not because of lack of interest, but instead because it is cost prohibitive… at least for us Canadian shoppers!

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Vinyl and Collectibles reviewed and geeked about!

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