Mia: Club Goddess
We debut a brand-spankin' new column in this issue. Our pal and gal around town Mia Sladyk will tell you about all the great shows you missed. In her first column, Mia checks out Big Wreck, Drugstore, The Pants and Tricky in Montreal.
Big Wreck
Spill
Twisted Roots
July 2, Club Toast, Burlington, VT
I have made a great discovery in my world of rainy day TV watching during this last moist month. Burlington's own Warner Bros. TV affiliate, broadcasts MuchMusic (MusiquePlus, in the Quebecois world) several hours daily. If Simpsons, X-Files or Guiding Light ain't on, then its MuchMusic for Mia.
I am most definitely a product of the MTV generation and I will always have my love for lottsa videos. We all know that MTV doesn't air videos more than a few hours daily. Its always hit or miss Real World or The Grind.
I have now seen the light and its is MuchMusic. I am thoroughly impressed by the amount and variety of new and old artists that are featured. The music includes a lot of everyone's favorite Canadians, the Tragically Hip and the Tea Party to Ani Difranco to the men of the hour, Boston based buzz-band Big Wreck. The melodic power pop quartet hailing from Berklee College of Music are currently in pretty regular rotation on good ol' MuchMusic, so I had a good idea of what to expect when they hit Club Toast.
Big Wreck hit the stage to a very receptive crowd at Burlington's Club Toast with some songs from their new release In Loving Memory Of . . .
I was exceptionally impressed by the amount of equipment on stage. I don't wanna sound like a quasi-tech geek but multiple Les Paul's impress me.
Lead vocalist and guitarist, Ian Thornley's strong dark vocals powered through the set. The songs were really well written and played by each musician. The songs I enjoyed most were definitely "That Song" and "The Oaf." The heavy basslines and sonorous guitar solos created great user-friendly pop tunes. The highlight of the show was a great rendition of the Lemonhead's "Into Your Arms" straight into the latest hit single "That Song." If I would have to relate Big Wreck to anybody, I'd definitely have to say that if Jeff Buckley came back from the dead and mated with Chris Cornell, you would have a little Big Wreck baby.
I feel it is kind of rare for new "ROCK" bands to really impress me. Especially with so much genera-rock crap out there. Big Wreck's songs are really well written and played by pros...thoroughly entertaining.
The shows openers were Portland, Maine's Twisted Roots and local heavy hitters Spill. They began the evening with a short set but I became distracted by the singer's on-stage outfit. I was wondering if the American flag tied around lead singer Aaron Ingham's waist was actually an act of flag defamation or not. I started philosophizing true American Law, and decided that a sarong style skirt should not have stars and stripes. Portland, Maine's heavy hitters Twisted Roots also kept Club Toast rocking in the free world through their short yet poignant set.
Drugstore
Adam Cohen
July 9, Higher Ground, Winooski, VT
The last month I have been suffering from broken-car-itis, you know, having to walk or ride my bike everywhere. I like riding my bike, don't get me wrong, it's environmentally concious and convenient, but I have grown tired of wearing my rain suit, riding all around town getting soaked. This has been my excuse for not visiting Higher Ground sooner.
Woo Hoo! My car got fixed so I figured it was about time I made it over the hill to Higher Ground, the new club in Winooski. The most recent addition to Chittenden county's night life, Higher Ground sits in a strip mall smack dab between The Champlain Mill and a Chinese take-out place.
This evening was one of my first visits to Higher Ground. I was there to soak up the music as well as to feel out the scene at Winooski's first Music Hall. It is a great place, high ceilings, spacious dance floor, nicely elevated stage, comfy couches, smoking and non-smoking sections lots of free parking and great Guinness. All aspects of the club helped create a good evening of fun for Mia.
Drugstore is a brit -pop rock group currently riding the success of their modern rock hit "El President." I've been listening to their most recent album White Magic For Lovers. I was drawn to the show by the vocal style of lead singer, Isabel Monteiro and the mesmerizing rhythm of the cello, played by Ian Burdge.
The four piece started their short set with a few songs from White Magic For Lovers. illustrating the diverse sound Drugstore offers. The songs they played ranged from straight up guitar-driven pop hits to roots rock sounding (dare I say "Americana") acoustic tunes. The cello definitely filled the voids where the basic bass/drum/guitar setup left gaps. The sometimes smoky and sultry vocals sounded great, yet too loud (thanks for the earplugs, Alex.) I really liked the original sound Montiero's exotic Brazilian accent brought to the music. My favorite song was the untitled bonus track from the album, an emotive ballad featuring a fabulous cello solo.
The small appreciative crowd interacted very well with the personable rockstars creating an intimate vibe. The encore featured a few stirring renditions of some old favorites, the Flaming Lips hit "Tangerine" and Radiohead's "Blackstar."
I enjoyed Drugstore's performance. They played well, yet had a few bland moments, where the lead singer would work her magic. Monteiro was a great performer and rock babe, swigging wine, smoking cigarettes and enticing crowd members.
The opening band, Adam Cohen, was fairly uneventful. They didn't really attract my attention too much. I thought they were pretty generic alt-pop rock with a good singer who is the son of Leonard Cohen.
I enjoyed the night of rock and roll at the area's new music venue. Higher Ground is a nice, refreshing addition to our little music scene, kudos to the hard working folks who offer more live music to the area. Oh, and I really liked the fresh flowers . . . nice touch.
Tricky
July 14, Le Spectrum, Montreal, PQ
I have been a diehard Tricky fan for the last two years. Since I heard his second album, Pre-Millennium Tension, I have been intoxicated by the twisted rhythms and heavy beats created by the crazy man known as Tricky. He used to be a member of the trip-hop group, Massive Attack, where he got his first dose of success with the hit single "Karmacoma." He is considered to be the so called "godfather" of the musical genre, trip-hop. Whether trip-hop is the correct description of his mix of rock guitar, reggae/dance beats, bluesy vocals and jazzy bass lines is up for debate, but it rocks my lame-ass world. I respect and love Tricky's music mostly because of the chaotic vibe that changes throughout his recorded and live work. I love music that can alter my emotions from heavy beat-ridden moments of anger to a sultry passion filled stoner calm. Damn, Tricky's good!
I've read alot of articles referring to touring and the non-performance aspects of his shows. He doesn't really like the performing aspect of showmanship. He was quoted once as saying "I don't want to be anybody's fucking dancing monkey-boy." Well said, Tricky. I respect the artist's request to be non-rockstar performer. He has been known to play in complete darkness or on the side of the stage, not visible to the crowd. I had prepared myself to adjust to the difference of watching the show to truly listening and feeling the show.
The show was supposed to be at the Metropolis, but was moved to a smaller club, Le Spectrum. I was so excited to see one of my favorite musicians for the first time at a club I have never been to in Montreal. Shows in Montreal are so much more of an event than others, it must be the paranoia of the border crossing.
I got to the club and immediately saw lotsa familiar Burlington faces. I parked myself near the stage for an up close view of Tricky. He started with a new song called "Critic" which was a nice little version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass." The extraordinarily heavy beats continued throughout the cerebral set of new and old tracks. I was amazed by the amount of songs he played from his solo debut album, Maxinquaye (1995).
"Ponderosa," "Pumpkin" and "Abba On Fat Track" were my favorites. The thick beats were drenched by the seductive sounds of the two female vocalists. Martina Topley, Tricky's number one singing partner, stole the show with her angelic verses. She sounded best during the laid-back tunes like "Singing the Blues," from the most recent album Angels with Dirty Faces. Her passionate, jazzy vocals were extremely meditative.
The band, featuring drum, bass, guitar, keyboards and loops, layered sounds masterfully. I was impressed by the mixing of electronic beats to organic drum and bass for pure rhythmic chaos.
Tricky sang and programmed loops of sound creating the backbone of each song. He rarely sang facing the crowd, all you could see was his small dark body, lit by dim blue and purple lights. Enough lighting to highlight each bead of sweat on his muscular back. He smoked a joint between each tune, always dancing like an award-winning Golden Glove boxer punching through the beats. The hard rock guitar mastery during a rendition of Rakim's "Lyrics of Fury" provided a frenzied moment of wackiness. Much needed instrumental tunes were sporadically placed throughout the set, bringing the beat back down to a laid-back groove like "Ghetto Youth."
I was completely caught by the Tricky vibe. Hook, line and sinker.
The highlight of the show was the lengthy encore featuring an extended version of "Vent." Insanity spread over the stage, bouncing between crazed beats and a ripping guitar solo drenched in the smoky, inaudible vocals of Tricky.
I was immensely exasperated by the ninety minute set of madness made by seven musicians under the masterful hand of the one, the only Tricky. The show was better than I thought it would ever be. It exceeded the expectations I have had building for the last two years and left me with a big ole smile.
The Pants CD Release Party
Club Toast 5th Anniversary Gala
July 10, Club Toast
A fabulous party! A good time had by all! The essence of rock and roll! A fricken bender, dude! Yeah, I must throw down some quotes about the party of the year held at Club Toast in beautiful downtown Burlington.
Take a party celebrating the long awaited new CD from veteran rockers the Pants and an anniversary party for Club Toast's fifth year in operation, and you get one absolutely fabulous party.
The night started out with a plethora of local favorites. There was not one opening band, there were approximately ten of em. They all performed songs of the Pants and a few bands featured some of their own tunes.
I got to Toast a bit late so I missed the first few acts but according to the fabulous door gal, Merry Daley, Wide Wail started the evening with a loungey version of the Pants song "Que Sera Sucks." They played a few more and then Neil Cleary's Stupid Club made a rare local appearance playing a few songs including the hit single "Candy Music." I missed Skezzix (comprised of a few Muddy Water's employees) and the always entertaining James Kochalka Superstar. I finally arrived mid-way through his set and saw the last few tunes.
Construction Joe was my favorite, with a track from Eat Crow called "Sometimes" that featured the masterful harmonies of Nicole Valcour and David Kamm. Just 4 2 Nite, featuring Pistol and keyboardist Dan Mazur, hit the stage with a short song featuring the soulful vocals of blues songstress Cynthea Wight. Charlie Messing, Bag of Panties and Missy Bly all did one or two Pants tunes a piece and then the Pants finally plugged in.
Pistol and the Brothers Lawson (Tom and Jeff) did a few songs from the new album, Eat Crow. Bag of Panties returned for the most rocking set I have ever seen these four rockstars play. The BOPs portrayed the essence of Rock and Roll throughout their short, heartfelt set.
The party was in full effect by this point of the evening and everyone was having fun and getting drunk. I was proudly a part of the drunken happiness and was having so much fun celebrating Club Toast's five years of fun. This was the perfect setting for the "Burlington Band Reunion of the Century" to take place.
The Pants hit the stage in full effect with Tad Cautious on drums, Eric Hutchins on bass, Pistol on guitar and Tom Lawson on vocals and guitar. I felt like I was thrown back to 1995, same great songs, same great crowd of drunken enthusiasts. The mix was perfect and the old groove was back. Stellar versions of my favorites "All the Wiser" and "High Water Mark" got the crowd singing along and jumping around in rejoicement. Everyone felt the power of the Pants! Hallelujah!
I was fortunate to witness the magic of the old Pants back again in full effect. A special thanks to the Pants, Club Toast and all in attendance for making a truly historic musical moment for Burlington, not to mention a frickin raging party . . . Guy!
Mia Sladyk graduated from Johnson State College with a degree in something really important and now she writes for us and works at Pure Pop and Toast. Hmmm. If you have a copy of Good Citizen #1, you can read about her in Andrew's very first "Whatever" column.