it’s occured to me that i’m allowed to be serene

kayo dot/stephen brodsky/siberia @ wrongbar – november 20, 2008

two weeks ago i saw stephen brodsky play at wrongbar and aside from the minor setbacks (being kept outside in the cold by the wrongbar’s staff, the opener’s set going far too long) it was a great show. i didn’t stay for kayo dot’s set but that was due to the time they actually hit the stage and the fact that i really only cared to see stephen brodsky.

local band siberia started things off in a rather cliché manner: armed with v-neck t-shirts and dramatic poses (perfect for photography!!) the band played through what sounded like a number of explosions in the sky covers, interjecting them with odd moments of stop-start-punk riffs… maybe i’m just tired of the whole “post-rock” genre at the moment, or maybe i’m just done with the tired “slow-build” formulae that seem difficult for post-rock bands to really escape. either way, siberia didn’t show me anything new, and they really didn’t seem excited or energetic until the last song of their set, when the drummer started to pretend he was exhausted and started knocking over his drum kit as he played. that’s when they really started giving it their all and actually seemed worthwhile to watch. their set got noisy and chaotic, and had it consisted of just that one song, i would’ve loved it. too bad their set was actually an excruciating 50 minutes.

then stephen brodsky got on stage! with a microscopic set-list in-tow (the fact that i can remember all of it is a testament to how short it was) mr. brodsky played to a small group of devoted fans. promoting his new album the black ribbon award as well as the even-newer (with a bit of afterbirth still on it) thing or thong rider EP, he still managed to perform one song from each major project that he’s been involved with, save for kid kilowatt. “man of the mountain” set the pace for the evening, as he did a slower, more relaxed version of it— an apt choice given the lack of instrumentation. i kept itching to hear the songs at faster tempos, but he wouldn’t have really done justice to them, lacking a full band. regardless, it was exciting to see a survey of his catalogue and the energy in the room between the few of us who were there and brodsky reflected that. he regaled us with neil young anecdotes, a buddy holly cover, and a encore!! it was the first encore of the tour for him, and for me, it was the first time i’ve ever seen or wanted an opening band to play one. i really wish i was into bootlegging, because this show was a gem. please come back to toronto soon, stephen brodsky, because we clearly love you.

set-list:

man of the mountain
oh boy
new moon
rainbow no more
kid defender
lima bean
magnified

Filed under: Concert Review , 2008, hyrdahead, kayo dot, live, siberia, stephen brodsky, stove brodsky, thing or thong rider EP, toronto, wrongbar

i had dreams that frightened me awake

deerhunter/times new viking/braids @ lee’s palace – november 12, 2008

seeing deerhunter live added an extra sense of movement and life to their catalogue, as there was certainly a more propulsive aspect to their music during their stint @ lee’s palace last wednesday. new songs like “never stops” and “nothing ever happened” bounced and pulsed with an impressive life and fervor. the band’s set was mainly comprised of material from their recent album microcastle, but they still managed to fit in a few older favorites, including the always-enjoyable “fluorescent grey.” *

despite this livelier-sounding version of deerhunter, i found the audience’s reaction to the music to be a bit too passive. now i’m not one to talk since i’m your standard concert-going-head-nodder, but when i go to shows, usually other people make up for my lack of movement with their own exuberance. that wasn’t the case this time— although, to be fair, the members of the band weren’t really active either, especially when comparing last night to some photos and videos i’ve seen of prior deerhunter performances. this show seemed quite low-key, with deerhunter’s own rhythm guitarist, whitney petty, taking a seat a good two-or-three times from what seemed like boredom.

regardless of the lack of performance that night, deerhunter still played an excellent set, and did a great job with the new songs. i would definitely recommend catching them this tour, if at all possible.

openers braids (formerly the neighborhood council) were definitely one of the most surprising moments of the night, as i had never heard of them prior to the show and had no idea what to expect. i’ve had a lot of bad luck with opening bands, but they were quite good. their songs sounded sunny and optimisitic, but were patient and expansive like a younger, more deerhoof-inspired version of the most serene republic. you can check out their music and info here and here.

the second band to play were times new viking, and they were boring. their performance had quite a bit of energy to it, but it was their songs that were really lacking a certain je-ne-sais-what… especially following braids’ performance, which was quite moving.

* (i don’t have a full setlist… i have a terrible memory. if anyone could provide me with one, it’d be much appreciated).

all photos by inastral.

Filed under: Concert Review , 2008, braids, deerhunter, lee's palace, live, times new viking, toronto