Thanks for all the fish.

Lidia & Team Torontoindie.com

Darren: Well, we used to, we used to play at the Dakota Tavern regularly. Now, we’re just playing our own shows. Saturday, September 13th, we’re doing our EP release at the Horseshoe.

How did you get hooked up with the residency stint?

Darren: Oddly enough, the whole band kinda’ met on the corner of Bathurst and Queen St, right when the owners of the Dakota just signed their deal. I just put the band together right on that spot, literally, and because we’re all friends. We turned to the owners and said, “Do you need a band to play your new bar?” They said, “We do.” So, we booked a gig and didn’t look back. It all happened within a month.

Did you preview new songs each week?

Darren: Yeah, we worked really hard to showcase new stuff every week and just write new songs to capture what was missing in the set the previous week. We did a lot of improv, but we really structured our sound to put on the best show we could. The improv would just come with the energy of the night.

How much of your show is improvised, usually?

Darren: It all depends on the vibe of our surroundings. When it comes to our songs, we try to interpret the solos and expressions differently every time. They’re our songs, they’re written out. Definitely, every time we play, it’s a different experience. It’s a different form of what we do.

I heard a lot of John Lee Hooker in your set. Am I right?

Darren: Yeah, for sure. John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Skip James, ZZ Top. It’s boogie rock. So, all the guys that invented boogie - we’re doing our own version of it in 2008. It never gets old, you know? It’s an amazing sound. We’re really happy to be able to explore it and be one of the band’s out there doing it.

There’s not much of a boogie rock scene in Toronto, is there?

Darren: We are the boogie rock scene in Toronto! (laughs) Well no, there are some other killer bands out there that do the vibe, you know. Well, it’s Southern rock, so we have a lot of good friends in similar style bands, in that regard.

What are some of your favourite Toronto boogie rock bands?

Darren: Well, see that’s a tough one. We’re the only boogie rock band. White Cowbell is an example of a Southern band and they play boogie and they’re an amazing band, too.

Chris: C’mon is another good one.

Darren: Basically any guys with beards (laughs). There are a lot of bearded bands. There used to be a band called Illuminati, too. They were one of those.

Would Black Mountain fit into that category?

Darren: Black Mountain is, uh – well yeah, they have beards (laughs). They’re awesome. They’re more psych, whatever that means.

Would you consider yourself stoner rock?

Chris: We like stoner rock.

Darren: If we’re stoned while playing, it’s an accident. But we’re not stoner rock. Still, it definitely helps.

Chris: We’re big on Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age.

Are you more of a Kyuss guy or a Queens guy?

Chris: Well, I found out about Kyuss through Queens, I backtracked, I was late on that train - I was at the back.

When did you guys form?

Darren: Almost two years ago. We’re about a year as a full-on original band. For our first show, we got invited we got invited to play with Stars at the Phoenix, and that was kinda the flag in the ground saying that we are now a band. So, it’s been almost a year of playing our own shows outside of our own residency. We’ve been fortunate enough to play with Wintersleep, Metric, even the Breeders – which was pretty cool. It’s been a really busy year.

Didn’t you also play with Broken Social Scene?

Darren: Yeah, an impromptu show. Kevin is a good friend of ours and we wrote a song with him and jammed it out with him; it was really fun.

Most of these bands you’ve played with have totally different styles than you. How does the crowd usually react?

Darren: The crowd likes it. I mean, it’s Toronto. Toronto likes rock n’ roll. It’s also just that, the fans that like those bands are really just music lovers. To get into that music, you really have to be a music lover and open your mind up. Those are the type of people that we want to play to.

Sex, drugs or rock n’ roll?

Chris: Rock n’ roll. I’ve botched too many relationships. It’s all about music now.

Darren: Disco.

Darcy: Rock.

Darren: Wait, don’t they all go together? It’s a trick question. What are you doing? Trying to pull the wool over our eyes? The beards over our faces?

So, you guys just recorded an EP?

Darren: Yup. We just released an EP about two weeks ago with Pheromone Recordings. It’s been a great time. They’re a great bunch of people and really see our vision and work with us to build our road and go on our path.

What are your plans for the next year?

Darren: Just to play, play, play. Release a full-length LP in the new year and basically work really hard to make new fans and create new music.

Darcy: Hey, sorry I haven’t been too talkative. I’m really hung-over.

Hey, don’t sweat it. It comes with the territory.

Darcy: Good point.

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Articles:

Interview: Shad
Interview: Andrew Bridge Virgin Fest Organizer (Sorry about the sound)

Virgin Fest: Day 2
Virgin Fest: Day 1 (B-Live tent)

Lidia & Team Torontoindie.com

Lucky for us, Shad was able to talk to us a few days after Virgin Fest, busy guy!

You’re enjoying lots of success and a ton of buzz, but I hear you only got serious about your music career a few years ago, and before that you were on a completely different career path. Tell me about that.

I was in school studying business when I got the chance to record my first album around 2004/2005.  So, once I finished school, the album was done and I figured it was a good time to focus on playing and trying to get my music out there a bit instead of hopping into a career in business. I was pretty glad to be able to try that out for a bit and fortunately things have worked out so far.

On the song “Angel”, you rap:
“Fools wanna’ make stars instead of music that’s smart or special/Because art at a level that’s real can be harder to peddle/Business prefers a market that settles for second rate/Kill the true artists martyr the rebels/That’s the system and it’s straight from the heart of the devil”

Explain meaning of this line. In your opinion, what is the state of the music industry?

That’s just a breakdown of the classic art/commerce tension. From a business standpoint, if audiences are cool with something that’s easy to produce and easy to market, that’s the ideal situation, because it’s low cost high return. Even if the product is “bad” from a creative or moral standpoint, so long as people will take it in and it’s easy to deliver, business-wise that’s cool. Look at reality TV, for example, everyone knows it’s bad, but people still watch it and I’d imagine it’s cheaper to make than good scripted shows, so they keep being made, low cost and high return. So, if that’s the principle guiding decisions being made in the industries that produce and distribute art and culture, that’s obviously problematic.

Would you say your business background has given you some insights into the perils of the music business? Do you feel like you can more clearly see the business aspect than other artists can?

I think it hasn’t given me insight, as much as, it’s given me just a level of comfort in knowing that if something isn’t making sense to me business wise, then it probably doesn’t make sense and vice-versa. I think a lot of artists, myself included, aren’t too interested in the business side of things and its not intuitive to them, so they’re reluctant to enter into any kind of agreement when sometimes it could be really helpful.

The song “Brother” deals with the issue of “blaxploitation” and the way young blacks are brought up by the media to believe they are limited to certain roles which don’t involve academics. Were you exposed to this mentality as a kid? How did you overcome it?

I think we’re all exposed to the same media images and as a result, we all have ideas of race and identity that have more to do with what we see on TV than who we really are out here in reality. Those images are somewhere in our minds, just like the knowledge that each person is different is somewhere in our minds too. I was lucky I had very supportive parents, which taught me, that I have no responsibility to either uphold or breakdown stereotypes. My responsibility in life is to be true to my beliefs and to be honest and caring and that’s about it.

Why do you refer to yourself as the Old Prince?

The idea of the old prince kind of refers to most people I think. I see it in myself, but I see it in a lot of people. It’s just the idea that we’re meant to be more. Not in a superstar sense, just in the sense that I think we’re meant to be stronger, more honest, and more faithful. I think we’re meant to take care of each other and use what we have for the good of everyone but a lot of us never quite reach that potential. We get distracted or we get scared or whatever and we don’t become the person we feel we could be. That’s a scary idea to me in some ways, its kind of a sad/funny picture in other ways, and it’s a motivating idea in other ways. And overall it’s just something that’s been on my mind the last couple years and especially while I was making the album.

Your first album was entitled When This is Over. What does his phrase refer to?

I don’t really know what When This is Over means. It’s the name of a Hayden song. For some reason it just felt right as an album title. I was finishing school, my sister was finishing school, and my parents were celebrating their 25th anniversary. I was finishing an album that I never thought I’d get the chance to make. So, I was feeling good and it was kind of the end of a crazy time in my life where I learned a lot.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

No clue. In 5 months I’ll be back in Vancouver… probably.

Spiral Beach was the first band to take the stage on Day 2 at the Toronto Islands Virgin Festival. With the forces of nature against them, they did a formidable job of trying to brighten up the mood of the crowd drenched in the pouring rain. Playing songs from both records and even some new tracks, they whipped through their set and bounced around the stage, as if the sun was shining bright. They set up tightly in the centre of the stage not using the copious amounts of the virgin mobile stage, which made the performance ironically more intimate.
http://www.spiralbeach.com

By now, the sun was out and the rain had stopped just in time for Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains. Improving greatly, since the last time I saw former Death From Above member and his band, they played like high-energy dance machines. Sebastien Grainger entertained with his live show. I was glad to see a band that got people moving and jumping around so early in the game. Slightly pretentious in banter, yet humbling at the same time, his actual songs were mostly unmemorable; you won’t find yourself whistling any of his tracks on the way back to the beer garden. Sebastien Grainger was the perfect opener for a festival like this and has finally shown signs of breaking his musical rut.
http://www.sebastiengrainger.net/

Secret who? You’re probably thinking the same thing, who are they? Why are they here? Oh Henry had a little contest a while back where voters selected between 300 bands to play V Fest this year. After voters narrowed it down to a top 20, the judges (including Sir Richard Branson himself) selected 5 bands to participate in voter driven polls to play this year’s V Fest. At the end of it all, Secret Broadcast came out on top surprising more than just myself. Bands like this are usually tight machines live, but it’s hard give credit to a band that can just practice for hours and get it spot on when there is neither substance nor originality. Possibly, the most regurgitating band of the day, there was always at least one other song or band that you could draw a very clear comparison to for every song they played. I can’t list them all because, well, I’ll be nice. Why did they play 4 hours later than Sebastien Grainger and The Weakerthans? This would have made sense if they were on earlier with the rest of the new unknown bands.

(We know it's footage from Calgary, but it's pretty similar.)

The crowd went wild when the biggest modern Brit pop band in the world took the stage, but no one knew that a little bit of history was going to be made to cap off the end of the Toronto Virgin festival 2008. Oasis played fantastically with all their arena guitar rock glory and persona, provided hit after hit and classic UK decadence. Alas, halfway through the set Noel Gallagher found himself with a suspected broken rib and ligament damage after a man assaulted him onstage. The Oasis star was midway through “Morning Glory” when he was violently pushed to the ground by a man who stormed the stage. I think the pressure of the guitar in between him and the monitor is what caused most of the damage. I had the upmost respect for Noel, since he returned to the stage a few minutes later to complete the band’s set. Best of all, they played just as amazing, as if nothing ever happened. I heard that Noel was taken to hospital after the show. It was pretty entertaining watch Liam trying to throw as many punches at the offender as he could while himself was held back by security.
http://www.oasisinet.com/

Flosstradamus

Thanks to a house party in Chicago over a year ago we have the DJ duo made up of J2K (Josh Young) and Autobott (Curt Cameruci) to form Flosstradamus.  According to their bio, the duo had a monthly party called “Get Outta The Hood” which turned a stagnant bar into the “place-to-be” with lines stretching down the block. Their live show lived up to that hype as they mixed with three turntables and two mixers. Toronto crowds are notorious for not dancing, however, this duo was able to get people moving, waving and cheering. Songs ranged from Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, and other recognizable dance hits.

They certainly have a lot of fun playing and have a fine sense of what songs work. Nothing worse than DJ’s who clear the floor.  Not a surprise that in the coming year Flosstradamus will collaborate with The Cool Kids and go on an European tour with A-Track and Kid Sister.

Drop the Lime

Drop the Lime is New York City’s Luca Venezia who started DJ’ing just under ten years ago.  Within that time Venezia has flexed his triple threat skills as a producer, remixer and DJ producing approximately 150 tracks. His style ranges from house, rave, jungle and hardcore.

Venezia started and ended his set by singing over his beats, certainly was different to see a DJ sing. It was impossible to not notice his facial expressions along with his hand gestures during songs. At one point he was shaking his face like a dog shaking off slobber, electrified by his beats. The next minute he was pointing his fingers at the crowd as if shooting bullets with each beat. Entertaining to say the least.  Definitely energetic and different, he mixed songs with ease and his own kind of grace.  Highly recommend catching his set if you can. Drop the Lime will be at Coachella this year; a very lucky audience indeed.

MSTRKRFT

Due to delayed flights, Switch and SebastiAn were replaced by MSTRKRFT. The duo received cheers and excited yelps as they brought their laptops to the stage as Drop the Lime was finishing up. Jesse Keeler was visually upset, as there seemed to be something wrong with the set up. Drop the Lime kept his beats going until the issue was resolved. Upon completion, MSTRKRFT thanked Drop the Lime and seamlessly started their set, which consisted mainly of remixes, such as: Justice “D.A.N.C.E.”, a Daft Punk “Da Funk” and “One More Time” as well as Robin “Show Me Love.”

Vocalist Isis, from Thunderheist fame, was on stage and sang (minus a microphone) over her own vocals the duo during the duo’s new song “Bounce”, of which she is featured.

How Jesse and Al-P managed to drink an entire bottle of Jack Daniels, as if it was water, during their set it beyond me. Jesse also managed to smoke an entire pack during the set, busy hands and a great ability to multitask apparently.

The Midway State photo: Andy Ryan

The Midway State was the first band I checked out at this year’s Virgin Festival. They started off powerful with tons of energy although quickly lost it as their songs didn’t have any originality and became weaker and weaker as the set went on. The band was extremely tight, but I feel that The Midway State would be better enjoyed in your bedroom or car. On the upside, the band displayed a decent amount of showmanship and conviction. Unfortunately, it still didn’t stop from turning your head and looking into the distance wondering if the Centerville rides were open.  Best described as tight and longwinded. To cut them some slack it was quite early and it might have been hard to entertain a crowd that was still yawning.
http://www.themidwaystate.com

Spiritualized

I treaded my way to the TD stage to check out the critically beloved Spiritualized. As soon as they played their popular favorite “Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating In Space” it was hard to come to the realization that that you were indeed stuck on this planet and not in space. When Jason Pierce’s melancholic, gravely croon and a surging wave of violas, violins and evangelical backing burst in, you now knew he could bring any Teflon skinned man or woman to tears. Seldom speaking, the dark figure graced us all a little too early in the daylight in my opinion (4pm) with songs off his new album Songs In A&E and running back into his beloved catalogue.
http://www.spiritualized.com/

MGMT

Easily one of the highlights of the day, they have been getting endless amounts of buzz and hype and today MGMT (pronounced management) proved that they deserve it. After starting off a little bit shaky and talking about how “wierd” Toronto was they eased the set in with “the Youth”. I was very impressed with his voice and was surprised to see that they were quite the goofballs on stage. I noticed that their bass drum had the letters “TMNT” written on it. Many people probably just assumed it was “MGMT” I thought this was hilarious. “Electric Feel” was arguably the best groover of the festival, as the ever so smug media people, turned the wooden raised stand into a giant trampoline. Trying to take my mind off what would happen if the stands broke, I noticed the sun as it peaked out though key moments of their songs, as if they themselves were controlling it. When they ended the set, the entire crowd was swaying back and forth to “Kids” and jumping with glee. MGMT was the first band of the day to actually get people going. I wonder who their favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is?
http://www.whoismgmt.com

Foo Fighters

At last, the grandacious Foo Fighters started off their set with some of their biggest singles “One By One”, “Times Like These” and “Learn to fly”. Pumping up the crowd to embrace a new track or two that came shortly after. It’s amazing how Dave Grohl can pretty much scream for two hours and not give up. Replacing many of the empty vocal spaces with “COME ON!” and “YEAHHH” or “ARE YOU READY, AH, YEAH!!”  After a little break and some Tenacious-D esque jokes about playing to a toddler near the front row, they blasted into more hits off the new album and most of the old hits. Being mostly fathers now, the Foo Fighters haven’t shown any sign of slowing down in the near future, even if the lyrics of their songs focus on fatherhood. The lightshow wasn’t crazy and distracting like most arena bands use. Even if you’re not a fan of the music you can’t deny that they’re a band fit for a gigantic stage with a crowd full of fist-pumping 90’s nostalgia rockers. Bring it on Day 2.
http://www.foofighters.com/

I had a chance to sit down with Andrew Bridge and ask questions about the Virgin Festival. I admit I made an error and cited Radiohead as having played the Festival, I meant to say something else, but that came out instead.

The funniest part of this interview is how my voice cracks at the end when I realize I’m meeting Rudy Blair from 680 News.

I apologize in advance for the sound quality, I didn’t realize my recorder was going to sound like this.

Interview: Andrew Bridge Virgin Festival Organizer 2008

I first saw Jesse Markowitz playing saxophone outside of the washrooms of Clinton’s during a Sadie May Crash show. To my surprise, I saw him step on stage and perform an amazing sax solo with Sadie. After meeting him at a party, I was intrigued to see him perform with his band Jesse and The Rippers.

I arrived at Bread and Circus in the heart of Kensington Market to find a cozy lounge with the stage right in the middle. The atmosphere was low lit, but illuminated the stage just right. The stage was set up perfectly for the audience to be directly across from the band with little leeway for the waitress to serve drinks. At around 9:30 Jesse and The Rippers took to the stage and magic happened.

The band started with a Duke Ellington song called “East St. Louis Toodle- Oo,” a great composition of jazz and up beat tempo. Jesse shines at tenor saxophone, creating a perfect sync and embodiment of classic jazz in the way he plays. Although the band’s name takes after Jesse, the amazing connection made by the rest of The Rippers proved to be a show to watch. The band consisted of Dave Atkinson on piano, Matt Roberts on upright and electric bass and Chad Davis on drums, musical fusion was made in a way that kept the audience on board for every note.
In keeping with the steady flow and beats of jazz, Jesse introduced La-Nai Gabriel to the stage to sing “Save Your Love for Me.” The moment she opened her vocal cords the audience erupted with cheer and were mesmerized by this spectacle of pure talent. She possessed the soul of Etta James and the range of Ella Fitzgerald. In accompaniment with the rest of the band, sparks flew through the air as the audience became astounded by the performance. The band continued to play amazing tunes ranging from Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald and ending their first set with “Telephone” by Erykah Badu.

As the band started their second set, Christine Bougie accompanied them on guitar. They played two of her originals “Hammy’s Secret Life,” an uplifting melody of notes flowing up and down the fret board, and “All At Once”, a beautiful ballad that contained a sort of duel between Christine’s guitar and Jesse’s sax. Feeding off each other’s vibes made the duo an amazing team. The band continued with performances of Radiohead’s “Nude,” beautifully sung by Le-Nai, Willie’ Nelson’s “Crazy,” a great country song translated into jazz by the band, as well as the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder),” which the audience grew quite fond of. As expected, the band played a wonderful rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” with Jesse’s sax emulating the notes sung by Robert Plant.  The band finished with “Be Easy,” by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, a great up-beat mix of soul and funk, a perfect song to end a second set that only got better.

Jesse and The Rippers created a performance with such versatility and range that could only be made by musicians influenced by the greats. The chemistry between the band members was ecstatic, as they seemed to be playing off each other and not the notes on the sheet. Both sets were played beautifully, in a sort of a classic Bob Dylan way, in which the first was strictly acoustic, and then electrified during the second. It is that strong intensity and power between Jesse and The Rippers that will put them on the rise in no time. Not even John Stamos’s band could have played as good. It was a show that the audience of Bread and Circus wouldn’t forget.


Radiohead's "Nude" by Jesse and the Rippers