Charles Bradley
Lee’s Palace, Toronto
02.11.12

It’s been ages (over a year in fact) since I have written anything on this blog.  Last night’s legendary show at Lee’s Palace compelled me to revisit the old “Spot the Groove” bookmark that hasn’t gotten much click love lately.

I am talking about a soul singer Charles Bradley. Now blossomed at the ripe age of 63, he’s showing the world his heart and soul, and his epic journey along the way. His songs are his life story; a hard life that reached rock bottom when his brother was shot and killed, and hitchhiking across the US to keep from falling off the rails.

Here is a quick synopsis from the Globe and Mail:

The soul singer and funk music dynamo Charles Bradley, 63, toiled for years as a James Brown impersonator and a chef. His raw, epic journey – from Florida to Brooklyn to Alaska and back to Brooklyn – eventually delivered him to Dunham Records, a division of the famed Daptone label in New York. The scorching, harrowing single The World (Is Going Up In Flames) from 2007 gained him attention, and the 2010 album No Time For Dreaming solidified his reputation as a believable soul shouter of the highest order. Bradley, dubbed The Screaming Eagle of Soul, spoke from Brooklyn.

His journey may have been raw and rocky, but his survival gave him a damn incredible story to tell. I was fortunate enough to catch his incredible performance – which was more like poetic open-heart surgery – to a sold out show at Lee’s Palace on Feb 11, 2012.

Bradley’s grit, soul and sincerity immediatlely gripped through the crowd like a gush of cool wind. He danced, he did the splits, and he screamed his guts out.  And we we’re there with him at every step with open hards. I’ve never seen so much heart and soul pouring out on stage, a blind trust that we’ll accept him in his most raw and vulernerable state.

When Bradley sang “Heart of Gold” I couldn’t help but get teary eyed, especially when he sang the lyric “and I’m getting Old”.  Here’s a clip:

For his encore he sang the title track from his record, also known as his life story written in 4/4 time. Every scream gripped right though you. I finally undersood what soul was really about. Here is a clip:

Following Whitney Houston’s sudden death, Bradley came back onstage after the encore for a few wise words:

“I Love you” he shouts, crying while walking into the crowd and hugging his newly converted family.

And we love you too.

Website: http://thecharlesbradley.com/

While traveling on a trip to China and Asia, I discovered the ambient orchestral folk sounds of Surface Of Atlantic while scouring for local music in Taiwan.  It was playing while I was deeply rummaging unsuccessfully through their sample music stations at the Taiwan National Film Centre.

After speaking broken English/Mandarin with the friendly staff to figure out who the artist was playing in background, I later found out that the band was from Montreal. Who would have thought i’d have to go around the world only to find out about a great band right by my doorstep?

The staff were unwilling to sell me their only copy, so I ended up waiting till arriving back home to get the album.  With no local stores having them in stock, I ended up contacting the band directly for a copy.  That proved to be a challenge since the .com site was all flash and no substance, their online ordering process looked sketchy, and their myspace page was tough to find a contact or much information about them. It was also nearly impossible to find any reference to their debut album, Ephemeral As We Speak without contacting the band directly (or through a backdoor entry to their site, listed below). Luckily they had a facebook fanpage where I could contact them, and when I did they were quite friendly.

Boy, was it worth the effort.

I’ve yet to receive their 1st album coming in the mail, but their latest release “A Frame Per Season” has kept me happily tied over. The album blends a soothing mix of strings, horns, guitar, vocals and marching snare drum that is simply intoxicating.  Each track ebbs and flows into the next, transporting the listener into their dreamy soundtrack. With echo’s from Sigur Ros, Broken Social Scene (Feel Good Lost album) and Godspeed!, this 10-piece band has produced a stunning album that you have to listen from beginning to end.

Although tough to choose, some standout tracks from the album would be A Frame Per Season, No Sleep, Walk  and Cloudbreak.

Sadly, they have no 2011 shows in Toronto booked to date, so may it have to part of a road trip to Montreal to see them. As soon as they do set a date in Toronto, you all will be the first to know!

-Myspace: www.myspace.com/surfaceofatlantic
-Website: www.surfaceofatlantic
-Website (to listen to their debut album): http://www.surfaceofatlantic.com/index_surface.swf

- Robb

For the past 5 years I’ve been holding a holiday party in the beginning of December, to kick off the festive season.  Last year we brought in a live act to play a blend of electro-jazz during the party. For our 5th Anniversary, we decided to bring it to the next level.

Kuba Oms, a rising soul-rock musician from Victoria BC recently launched “How Much Time”, a full-length album in 2009.  I had the luck of catching him at the Rivoli during the North By North East music festival that same year.  Since then, I’ve been addicted to his catchy blend of soul, rock and pop.

The magic of his music lies in its ability to transcend many genres, resulting in its appeal to virtually anyone.  It’s tough to find someone who wouldn’t groove to a pop track like “Beautiful Uncertainty”; a rocker who wouldn’t dig hooks ala ZZ Top from “Ride On”; or a folkie that wouldn’t feel his heart-felt sentiments from “This Heaven” or “Piece de Resistance”.

When Oms agreed to play an intimate acoustic set in our living room for our holiday party, I knew he would not only blow away some of his biggest fans in Toronto, but also spread his music to 50 other music lovers lucky enough to be there for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Oms flew in from BC just for the occasion. He walked into a house of people without knowing a single person, except the organizers he spoke to on the phone, and his drummer Rob Chursinoff.  My hat goes off to both of them for the faith that what they walked into wouldn’t be something they’d wished they never did.

Lucky for them, we had a warm welcome ready for them both.  We’d been preparing for them for weeks, applying the simple, yet effective EAT + DRINK = KUBA MERRY approach.

The night began with a spread of food for the guests and musicians, which included:

• Berkshire Meatballs and Sausages (from a farmer in Stratford)
• Devilled Artesian Organic Eggs  (from a farmer in Belleville)
• Vietnamese Cold Rolls
• Kamut flour Pecan and Date Bars
• Rye Apple Cider

With the living room cleared and musicians well fed and liquored up, we were ready to begin.  For this to work, it was imperative that everyone remained silent for the show – and that included the peanut gallery in the back kitchen.  This was especially the case since Oms had no mic or stage.

They started off with a slow and emotive duo, “This Heaven” and “Wherever You Are”, which immediately captured the crowd.  Their attention was undivided, eyes were fixated and not a noise was made other than the 2 resident cats sauntering in the living room to see what the hype was all about.

Once Oms broke into “Beautiful Uncertainty”, currently on the MuchMore Music Countdown, he had won everyone over.  It was time for Kuba to shine.

Here are some clips. Note that this event was filmed, so stay tuned for full HD video to be posted in the new year.

KUBA OMS – “Purple Rain” clip

In the middle of his set, he asked the crowd to participate in “Piece de Resistance”:

Encore – Clip

Weeks after the holiday party, I still hear folks talking about how incredible it was to be introduced to Kuba Oms and see him play in such an intimate space, and those who didn’t make it regretting not coming out.

I personally can’t believe this either. Given his musical talent and recent profile (for example, placing in the top 5 in the Peak Performance Project in 2009), I expected him to put on a good show. He delivered a great show, and one that everyone will remember. What I didn’t expect was how approachable, down to earth and appreciative he was for the entire event.   He not only hung out with everyone after the show, he went so far as joined in on an impromptu wine tasting in the basement by our washer and dryer.  Now that’s classy

This was one party that was not to be missed.  As long as Oms keeps up with his work ethic, positive attitude and heart of gold, it won’t be long until he’ll become a household name.  I’m looking forward to seeing him again sometime soon, hopefully next time with his full band.  Keep your eye out for him and be sure to check him out next time he’s back in Toronto!

The question is, how can we step it up for next year’s holiday party?

REVIEWED BY: ROBB ENG

Montrealer’s Arcade Fire posted a cheeky postcard giving clues to a new song being released.  It states the following:

Howdy yall- Just finishing up pressing our new 12″. Should be in stores in the next couple weeks. God willing. Good luck with finals. See you this summer!”

It should be part of their upcoming release that’s scheduled to be coming out this year.

Broken Social Scene is giving back to their fans yet again.  In support of their new album, Forgiveness Rock Record, Toronto’s favourite indie mega-band returns with 4 in-store performances in the 4 top Toronto indie record stores tomorrow.

What a great way to recognize some of the best record stores in the city, and show the fans how a accessible such a behemoth-sized orchestral indie band can really be.

Sunday May 9th
2pm – Criminal Records (493 Queen Street West) - crimedoesntpay.ca
4pm – Rotate This (801 Queen Street West) - rotate.com
6pm – Soundscapes (572 College Street) - soundscapesmusic.com
8pm – Sonic Boom (512 Bloor Street West) - sonicboommusic.com

Band of Skulls and the Whigs
Mod Club |04.28.10
7.5/10

It was a nice warm night in the city to check out one of my latest faves, Band of Skulls at the Mod Club on Thursday night.  I’ve had a heart-on for this trio ever since hearing their catchy, head boppy track ,”I Know What I Am” last year.  I can’t get enough of guy/girl vocal combos these days (ala The XX and Stars), and the blend of Russell Marsden’s raspy rocker and Emma Richardson’s warm sound is no exception.

Montreal’s Silver Starling opened the night with a short set of indie pop to warm the crowd.  They were troubled with some sound issues; the bass overdrive and subwoofer was set to sloppy nightclub, and vocals were washed out.  I also found lead vocalist Marcus Paquin’s voice wasn’t strong enough to carry the band, but it could have been the mixing issues (did you do a soundcheck?), which is a shocker as the Mod Club typically has great sound.  The best songs of the night were “Closer” and “Something for Nothing” – the rolling drums and pulsing melodic sound was quite infectious, showing essences of the Stills/Arcade Fire.

The Whigs exploded onto the stage with a high octane set of garage rock. Lead vocals/guitarist Parker Gispert was a real showman with his Liu Kang karate kicks and speaker jumping antics.  I was personally enthralled by the shag bopping stylings of drummer Julian Dorio, reminding of the Muppets’ Animal.  He was the true key in driving their gritty power chord rock, with his smash-happy crash symbols and heart stomping bass drums.  Their hit, “Like a Vibration” had a much stronger attack and grit than their recorded version, pumping up the crowd.

Once the Whigs left the stage, I was saddened to see about a quarter of the crowd bail before the Band of Skulls came on stage.  I realize that the Whigs are more more established, and perhaps should’ve closed the night, but at least give them a chance!

Band of Skulls was smart to begin with a few of their known and heavier tunes “Light of the Morning” and “Diamands and Pearls”.  Lead Marsden’s vocals were bang on and drew me right into their sound, even if the rest of the crowd was ready for bed.  Emma Richardson wasn’t as strong as I would’ve liked, at times going a little over zealous at times with her vocals, likely to keep up with Marsen.

But overall I did find their stage presence a little lack lustre, with at times facing their backs to the crowd for a little too long and stiff banter with the crowd.  To their defense, the crowd was quite drowsy and still coming down from the Whigs’ set.

What also didn’t help was playing their 7-minute rendition of “Cold Flame”, which happens to be one of my favourite tracks from their title album, “Baby Doll Face Honey”.  I’ve always equated this track to be a cathartic finishing piece to cap off a hard party night.  Placing it right in the middle of their set of wasn’t best choice in keeping the drowsy crowd awake.

Once they kicked it back up a notch with “I know what I am” and crowd favourite “Blood”, the energy did rise, but it never peaked.  Was it a little too late?  Thankfully, their encores “Hollywood Bowl” and “Honest” (see clip below) left on a good note, showing potential of what could have been.

Video: “Honest” by Band of Skulls (Clip)

Despite being overshadowed by The Whigs, overall The Band of Skulls did put on a decent show.  With such a great breakout album, I’m still amazed that they haven’t caught on yet.  After their tour this summer, they’ll back in the studios to recorded their follow up album.  Perhaps then, they’ll get the attention they deserve.

Video: “Cold Fame”

-REVIEWED BY: ROBB ENG

Tallest Man on Earth
El Mocombo
04.17.10
9/10

Undivided.  That was the attention Kristian Matsson aka Tallest Man on Earth commanded from the well-dressed folk/indie crowd  this cold Saturday night.  It was a sold out show and highly anticipated return from this unassumingly sweet Swedish singer/songwriter.  His intense scrawl stopped even the peanut gallery from the back bar to have a listen.

It can be tough for any solo act to fill out a half drunk crowd on any night, not to mention at the Elmo.  Nurses opened the night with an unmemorable set of yowls, tambourines, singalongs and tings that I could have personally lived without.

TMOE ran though his repetoire effortlessly with a powerful voice distinctly familiar to Dylan, Gutherie, Bon Iver, among others.  As blatant a similarity to the similarities to the great folk songwriters from the past, TMOE still maintained his own unique European sound that make it his own.  Highlights included his passionate “The Gardner”, “Honey won’t you let me in”, “King of Spain” and “Where do my bluebird fly”.  Matsson has great energy and movement during his intricate fingerpicking interludes, bouncing back and forth around the stage and making mysterious eye contact with whatever random crowd-folk he’d come across.

What stunned me most was the silence throughout most of the the set. Granted, there were still a few balks and clinks from empties from the back bar, but overall the crowd was here to really listen to TMOE..and I mean listen. This included minimal use of flash photography and blurry cell phone snapshots, or even beer runs. The aggressive shushing and the odd “shut the fuck up” only further demonstrated the miliant attention the crowd demanded.  This undivided attention only amplified his music, lyrics and stage presence.

TMOE even ended with a quiet love song, rather than a Dylan-esque power strum finale for his encore.  It was a gutsy move, but it paid off in spades.  The crowd stayed with him until the very end, uncovering how tall this little man’s music really is.

-REVIEWED BY: ROBB ENG

Sweden’s latest folk singer/songwriter Kristian Matsson from Tallest Man on Earth comes to Toronto this Saturday.  Matsson has an immediately stark resemblance folk rasp of Bob Dylan but with intricate acoustic finger stylings that balance this scruffy voice.  Although his lyrics don’t match up to the D-man, he brings it all to life on stage.  With the show already sold out at the El mocombo, and a 8.3/10 Pitchfork rating on his “Shallow Grave” release, he’s doing something right.

Tallest Man on Earth w/Nurses
04.17.10
El Mocombo
SOLD OUT

VIDEO: The Tallest Man on Earth: Where Do My Bluebird Fly

When Ondi Timoner’s explosive documentary Dig! came out in 2004, I was hooked.  Everybody had heard of the Dandy Warhols, having been flung into mainstream success with the poppy anthem “Bohemian Like You”.  If you weren’t listening to the radio anymore, any trip to your favourite watering hole with a relatively current juke-box selection and at least one or two inebriated patrons with too many coins in their pocket would ensure you didn’t survive the evening without hearing this little ditty.  Probably more than twice.  In short, this song was everywhere.

But who the hell were these other guys?

The documentary: drawing the line between genious and bat-shit insane

The critically acclaimed documentary follows the developing careers of two bands, the Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the bands’ respective frontmen Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe.  On the one hand, the Dandys come across as a fairly vanilla outfit, interested in sealing a record deal and “making it big” in the way every suburban kid in a band dreams to come true.  On the other, comes a portrait of Anton as an uncompromising and decidedly bat-shit insane musical genius who is notoriously hard to work with and takes no prisoners.  While the Dandys concern themselves with navigating the record business and attempting to get a deal, the BJM seem more preoccupied with just keeping the whole damn thing together.  With an ever revolving door of members (allegedly over 40 in a ten year span), the constant in-fighting, the drug fuelled jam sessions and chaotic live appearances, it was nothing short of a miracle that these characters could keep anything together let alone release three (!!)  albums in one year.  If the Dandy Warhols were making Rock ‘n Roll, the Brian Jonestown Massacre were living it.

Amidst all the insanity came some pretty cool neo-psychedelia and 60s garage punk revival—sounds from an era where the vibe matched the unhinged methods of the band.  It became obvious that while Taylor-Taylor was noticeably more level-headed than his counterpart, he was, in fact, a dweeb.  More interesting was the story of the BJM.  While both came across as complete egomaniacs, Anton’s insanity gave him legitimacy while Courtney seemed just plain old pretentious.  With sales representing the barometer of success, the Dandys, in the end “make it” while the BJM are left to toil in relative obscurity.  The film concludes, without a hint of irony, that the Dandys “made it” as they are really Big In Japan.  Or was it Greece?  In other words, besides a few singles, it’s hard to really quantify what that level of success is.  The BJM, with minimal radio play, garnered more of a cult status among fans.

Post show mortems

It became apparent from anyone who had seen the film, that it wasn’t enough to just hear BJM, at the time offering all their music free to download online. You needed to see these bastards live.  And seeing them live cannot be described as a concert; it must be described as spectacle.  With the BJM it was never just about the music, it was about the method, and at the live show the music takes a back seat to the madness.  As an experience, the audience is integral to the process.  It’s an exercise in sadomasochism.  The audience hopes, given the reputation of the band, for the price of a ticket, they will witness the final collapse the Brian Jonestown Massacre.  The audience hoots and hollars, hurling creative verbal missives such as “you suck” and “fuck you” at the band and Anton specifically.  He is goaded, prodded and abused by the audience in the hopes of evoking a final and destructive reaction from the singer.  In turn, the audience may be treated to an argument among band members, a refusal to continue playing, a nine-minute “solo” comprised only of  the sound of a lonely kick-drum while the band goes outside for a cigarette.  Anton takes his abuse and the audience delights in their respective punishment. The ultimate reward, one supposes, would include a John Lydonesque spitfest, a swift boot to the head from the legend himself, or at absolute best, an epic meltdown marking the band’s Final Show.

So what should we expect after all these years? Who cares.

Five years later, the band is returning to Toronto to play a show at the Phoenix on June 2.  The once prolific band seems to have slowed down considerably.  With only two major releases in 6 years, where has the band’s time and energy been directed?  Perhaps uncomfortable with his portrayal in the film, something which has been well-documented elsewhere, Anton seems to have taken a less visible role in the band.  As noted, the last two albums have featured several guest singers, putting less emphasis on Anton and placing more focus on the music itself.  Anton has taken a Step Back, if you will.  Is it for the better?  With the return of founding member Matt Hollywood, and a new record that sounds more Thievery Corporation than it does Rock ‘n Roll, one question still haunts:  Are the BJM dead, and if so, does anyone really care  anymore?  You decide.

Brian Jonestown Massacre returns to the Phoenix Concert Theatre on Wednesday June 2.  Tickets $21.50 +Taxes and SC.

BY: JAMES O’SULLIVAN