Two Word Heap » Hear

Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”

Grant Tingley — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:02:29 +0000

This is a 6th grader named Greyson who is covering a lady gaga song… it is pretty much a tour de force performance, so much so that I couldn’t bring myself to put it in the normal LOOT section of the site^[1] because YOU NEED TO SEE THIS! Though at times he seems to be forcing his voice into interesting terrain^[2] he has epic range, and his piano ability is incredible. Despite him being entertaining, I tend to think the girl in the background is INFINITELY more entertaining… Watch as she figures out the song, gets impressed… and tries to hide her new found epic crush behind bitter judgement… you can practically see her little 6th grade heart melt on camera!^[3]^[4] And then the rest of the girls could care less.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There have been a lot of Lady Gaga covers lately, from Weezer to Pomplamoose^[5] but this one might honestly show the most raw talent… what do you think the possibility that this kid is going to be all over the place in a few months playing this shit on the morning news shows, and of course the record companies will feel him out to see if they can ring some money out of the deal… this should be an interesting couple a months for this newly crowned youtube celebrity…

Footnotes

a section that sometimes just gets passed over
i blame the current pop music climate for that
i refuse to make a “disco stick” joke here
but she would totally jump his disco stick
by the way… the pomp girl is so god damn cute that it kills me…

Vadrum Meets the Barber of Seville

Top 5 Super Bowl Commercials of 2009

Vadrum Meets Super Mario Bros 3

Joal Kamps – The RED ep

David Blanchard — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:41:38 +0000

On Joal Kamps’ debut EP, Waiting, he established himself as a strong folk voice. Now, Kamps returns with his follow up EP, The RED ep.

Upon first listen it appears as though Kamps has taken a bit of a turn, when it comes to writing, and has settled in with a little poppier sound.

The first two tracks, “Sapphire Eyes” and “Lift Me Up”, are definite listen-to-this-as-you-drive-down-country-roads-with-the-windows-down^[1] tracks. They will pick you up when you are feeling down, for sure.

The next two tracks, “Bicycle Man” and “Amsterdamned”, get back to the folk that Kamps is known for. “Amsterdamned” may be his most well-rounded effort yet, complete with strings and mandolin.

The final track, aptly named “Outro”, only makes you want more. It truly feels like it’s a closing theme for a television show. Perfect.

The RED ep is a stellar follow up to Waiting, showing a natural growth and maturity. If you are a fan of folk-pop (ala Greg Holden), then this album is for you.

Buy Now

Footnotes

wow… that was long

Mute Math – Spotlight EP

The Lodger | Project Hitchcock

February 1st, 2009 – February 7th, 2009

Osheaga Music Festival

Kyle Marshall — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:06:30 +0000

To a lifelong Albertan, it is extremely muggy in Montreal during August. Sweat simply beads all over your body as you walk along its streets, making you conscious of the fact that it is best to keep hydrated because you can physically feel water being expelled from yourself. Yes, I am weak. So, why was I in Montreal ? If you weren’t I will pretend you were so that I can get on with the story. I was simply enjoying myself at the Osheaga Music Festival.

Osheaga is two jam-packed days of extraordinary music acts ranging from the very popular (such as Coldplay) to the relatively unknown (like Canadian indie band Hey Rosetta!) held at Jean-Drapeau Park in the middle of a river in the centre of Montreal. I stumbled upon the festival by accident one day surfing online and felt it was a good excuse to see Montreal again. It has been twelve years since I was there last. It was the year of Grade Eight, and it was during a school field trip, so I was anticipating a somewhat different experience. Perhaps I would see one of those old French whores I’ve heard so much about. Months ago I bought my tickets, selected cheap flights and figured out where I would be staying for a few nights. As far as travel, everything went off without a hitch.

For the sake of brevity, instead of relating every band I went and saw, I will simply detail my perceived highlights from the two days. I think we should start off with an up-and-coming band called Hey Rosetta! whose album, Into Your Lungs, was recently shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. While they were not playing on one of the main stages, they totally rocked out their small tent. Though they do have traditional rock instrumentation, they layer on a very different sound by adding a piano, a violin and a cello to the mix. Tim Baker, the lead vocalist, brings an incredible energy to the proceedings. It did not seem to matter where they were playing, they were there to put on one Hell of a show. Shouldn’t this be how it always is? I’ve had the song “Red Heart” in heavy rotation the last week, so I would definitely check out that song and if you like what you hear the rest of the album is just as good.

Another band that many may not have heard about is Yes Giantess. This band is so new that they don’t even have a CD yet. Well, they have a two song CD available to U.S. residents only, so that is basically the same thing for me. That is too bad because they were truly fantastic. This is another band with strange instrumentation. There are three keyboards and a drum set. That’s it. The enthusiasm and pure rock-and-rollness of it all, with a dash of pop, made it a groovy live show. The four young men from Boston should definitely be a group to look for in the coming years.

K’Naan also put on a good show. For those that do not know, K’Naan is a Somalian refugee who originally resided in the United States, but moved to Canada once Homeland Security came knocking on his door. His music is infused with his Somalian roots. The crowd that had assembled for the show were definitely into it, flashing hand signs when prompted and singing along when asked. It was hip hop, but did not degenerate into the Gangsta Rap genre that I find insufferable. Instead there was a real artistic musicality to it all.

For the headliners, The Roots put on one heck of a show. They should not be thought of as simply Jimmy Fallon’s house band (not that fans probably thought of them that way anyway). They do not stop. There is choreography, a sousaphone, and catchy music that does not become derivative. It was a long set but the intensity never ceased. That is rare for a live act. Usually there are hills and valleys to the music, when the performers decide to tone things down, before they ramp up again. In the case of The Roots, it was a long crescendo until they left the stage. Amazing.

For full disclosure purposes I have to admit to having a man-crush on Rufus Wainwright. His set proved to me that he is simply one of the best singer-songwriters of all time. He joked that he was there to cleanse the palette before people went off to see more hardcore rock acts, but that is exactly what was needed. His mother, Kate McGarrigle, came out and sang a couple of songs with her son. Their rendition of “Over the Rainbow” actually made the hairs on my arms stand up. To cap things off, Rufus sang an aria from the opera he recently wrote, Prima Donna, which was performed in France and will be coming to Toronto shortly. The whole performance was nothing short of magical and my love continues unabated.

That brings us to Coldplay. Even if you do not enjoy Coldplay’s music I would strongly encourage you to check out their live show. It is amazing! There was never a dull moment. To the pulsing lights to accentuate the music, to the balloons that fell and bounced around the audience to the confetti that rained down in glittering cascades making it seem as if you had been transported to a distant fantasy realm, everything was absolutely perfect. The highlights included “Yellow”, where the aforementioned balloons were bounced into the audience. It was fabulous. Near the end of the set, the band came out into the audience to play a few songs on a very small stage. Here they sang a rendition of “Billie Jean” which if I had died right there, I could have gone a happy man.

Osheaga was thoroughly enjoyable and I would not hesitate in going back again if there were the right mix of artists like there was this time. I do not have space to detail the other awesome bands I got to see which included: Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, The Decemberists, Josh Ritter, The Ting Tings and many more. The entire weekend was an experience I will not soon forget, even if I never got to see that old French whore.

Derelict | Concert Promotion

February 8th, 2009 – February 14th, 2009

March 22nd, 2009 – March 28th, 2009

Derelict | Concert Promotion

Carlene — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:12:46 +0000

Here is a little promotion of a really good metal band that will be in Calgary on Thursday May 21 at The Underground. I know what you’re thinking: Carlene, our little alternative music listenin’-skinny jeans clad-acoustic guitar lovin’ hero telling you to check out a metal show? It is true, yes, that my musical tastes tend to lean to this side of mellow, I do, on occasion, enjoy listening to some mad guitar skills and watching sweaty dudes thrash about.

This is why I was so pleased when I found out Derelict was going to be playing a Calgary show that is within stumbling distance of my apartment. Derelict is a thrash metal band from Montreal who have been gigging since 2006. With a strong influence of the progressive Quebec scene (and everybody knows only the best bands come out of Montreal…), Derelict incorporates many influences and elements into their music that make it accessible for metal lovers and those who don’t know they love metal yet. Derelict’s music is heavy but melodic, which showcases the band’s mad, mad guitar skills. They released their first full length Ideological Prey in 2006, the EP Carry the Flame in 2008, and have recently released the full length album, Unspoken Words. These guys have worked hard at promoting, producing, touring, and rocking since they have come together. Did I also mention they put on a killer live show? I had the pleasure of seeing Derelict at the 2007 Moshcore metal festival in Montreal, and I was pretty much blown away – literally, because I almost was ploughed down by more than a few sweaty moshers. But seriously, these dudes know what they’re doing and do it well. Also, they all sport some serious metalicious locks.

So if you are in the Calgary area May 21, get thee to The Underground to see Derelict along with Calgary’s Katalplexis, and Akakor. It will cost you $8 – a small price to pay for a night of great music. Doors open at 9pm.

I hope to see you there… all of you. If you aren’t in the Calgary area, check out what other places they are playing and go see them.

Derelict’s albums are available for purchase on cdbaby.
Derelict is: Eric Burnet Guitar/Vocals), Daryl Brunetti (Guitar/Vocals), Jordan Perry (Drums), Louis-Philippe Roy (Bass), Max Lussier (Guitar).

The Legion Of Doom

Fantasy Band – The Concept

Heavy Metal Experience

The Legion Of Doom

David Blanchard — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:32:31 +0000

No, I do not speak of the epic tag team in the glory days of the WWF. Instead, I speak of the collaboration between Chad Blinman and Trever Keith. Blinman is a producer who has worked alongside such artists as The Get Up Kids and Face To Face, while Keith is the former frontman of the aforementioned Face To Face.

When you first hear the two names coming together, one might expect something similar to Face To Face as their final product. You couldn’t be more wrong. The Legion Of Doom is a mash-up collaboration.

In recent years, mash-ups have become increasingly popular. This is mainly due to the popularity of such internet sites as YouTube. What is a mash-up, you ask? A mash-up is when someone takes elements of two songs, and puts them together to create one song. Most often, this person will sample the vocals from one song and the music of another song, and mash ‘em together. This is generally done using a rap song for vocals and a rock song for the backing track.

What The Legion Of Doom does that is so different is that they use bands that are popular in the punk/hardcore/emo scene and mash them up. In most cases, the results are pure genius.

The only gripe I tend to have is the lack of continuity when mashing songs together. I wish they were able to put songs together that generally deal with a similar topic, or songs that could be interpreted to have similar meanings. Nevertheless, the idea and execution is incredible.

The Legion Of Doom have released one album, which you can listen to in its entirety on last.fm, entitled Incorporated. Some of the bands you find on this album are Dashboard Confessional, Saves The Day, Thursday, The Get Up Kids, Brand New, Underoath, and mewithoutYou… to name but a few.

I highly recommend this album. In one word: unreal.

Mute Math – Spotlight EP

February 8th, 2009 – February 14th, 2009

Derelict | Concert Promotion

Annalyce | Interview

Kyle Marshall — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:32:37 +0000

The weather in Calgary has been somewhat bipolar in the last few weeks. The days have ranged anywhere from Spring-like where the streets became rivers to mid-Winter conditions where it felt as if your spit would freeze before it hit the ground. It was in those frigid conditions that I ventured downtown to see another metalcore show.

Of all places, it was taking part in a Legion. It was a place that had the unmistakable smell of impending death. The youth that were congregating seemed oddly out of place with the gaudy and decaying architecture. It was dimly lit and cold. The sweet smell of stale cigarette smoke hung in the air. I silently hoped that the intensity of the music would not collapse the building.

The majority of the bands had already arrived and were either setting up their gear or storing their instruments in various locations around the hall. The camaraderie between the bands was evident. Hugs were being exchanged frequently in an atmosphere akin to long lost friends being reunited. Equipment was being loaned and everyone was helping each other.

For Annalyce, the night was a tad nerve racking and constantly in flux. Busy promoting their freshman EP they were ready to perform third as scheduled. For no discernible reason the headliners, Callahan, decided they wanted to play in the middle of the bill. Annalyce were pushed back twice more so that they were eventually the last band to play.

Two of the band members, Jason Bank and Ryan Buckley, were able to quickly chat after their set. The following is a transcription of that interview.

*****

Two Word Heap: How do you think your set went tonight?

Jason Bank: It was pretty good. We had a couple of rough moments.

TWH: Yeah.

JB: Like Scott’s amp breaking, because it breaks all the time. I don’t know why.

TWH: You kept getting pushed back and pushed back…

JB: Yeah.

TWH: Is that more frustrating, or…

JB: It kinda is-

Ryan Buckley: Kills our momentum.

JB: You get the momentum up and then it’s gone.

TWH: I’m interested in your creative process. Is there one person who does the writing? One person who does the composing? Or, is it more of a group effort?

RB: I don’t know. It usually starts off where Scott or Jason have something, and then we all build around it. It’s not usually one person’s deal, it’s one person’s… like it starts at that point where that one person writes something and then we build around it. It’s not like one of those classic rock bands where one guy is writing everything-

JB: And he’s a genius.

RB: And everyone else doesn’t have their high school [diploma] and they just drink all the time.

JB (laughing): Yeah.

TWH: I’m interested, too, in you being a Calgary band. Do you think that shapes your music at all? Or, is that kinda just incidentally where you live?

JB: You know, that’s a hard one.

RB: There’s a lot of metalcore. It might be.

JB: Yeah.

RB: It’s just what people listen to, I guess, and we started listening to it too, right?

JB: Yeah.

RB: I guess that’s our kind of deal.

TWH: What kind of influences do you have as far as your band goes?

JB: I know Means influences me a lot…

RB: Taken.

JB: Yeah, Taken! I’m really influenced by Taken. Even Explosions in the Sky and really light bands.

RB: Yeah, I like soft stuff. Like metalcore stuff.

JB: Kanye West, PI..

RB (laughing): Kanye West.

JB: Dr. Dre, pretty much.

RB: Chronic 2001. That’s where it all comes from.

TWH: I’m guessing you all have jobs or school. How easy is it to get together? Or, is that hard?

RB: We’ve traveled fast, because we have set practice dates. We have two a week and if we miss those then someone is really pissed.

JB: And I’m always the one who misses them. It’s hard, man.

RB: We only have, usually, two practices a week.

JB: We have school or [a] job.

RB: There’s some of us who do our homework and some of us that don’t.

JB: But me and Ryan have grades.

RB (laughing): We care about our futures. The other ones, uh…

JB: They like the band.

TWH: About your futures, what do you want the band to achieve?

RB: I’d like to go on tour just once.

JB: Yeah.

RB: After I graduate. I just think it would be fun, right?

JB: I think traveling around would be fun.

RB: As long as we haven’t killed each other.

JB: We’ll be all right.

RB: We’ll be all right.

JB: We’ll still stick together. Yeah, I think traveling around would be awesome.

RB: We don’t even need the money, I just want to go.

JB: I already have money, I don’t need anymore. I have enough.

TWH: Who came up with the name of the band?

RB: That was way back at the start, I think. We were just looking for a name that was one word, and we tried to look for something that people couldn’t make fun of and was catchy. So we thought of Annalyce.

JB: It means grace or something, right?

RB: It means grace. But then I somehow managed to form that into the term Anal Lice.

JB: It’s a long going joke, I guess.

RB: So, as long as we started it I guess it’s all right.

TWH: No one has that, by the way, right?

RB: No, I don’t think so.

JB: I don’t think I have it.

RB: If anyone it’s Dean.

JB: Dean would have it.

TWH: Now I think, and I could be wrong, Jason, but you’re pretty new to this band. Is that correct?

JB: Yeah.

TWH: How is that coming into a band that’s already been formed?

JB: I thought it was going to be difficult, because in previous bands I’d play with I’d have people invited in and they wouldn’t even join in at all because they were scared that people had been playing together for so long. But I think they just had bad social experiences or something, because when I started playing with them I thought it was pretty dope. I thought it was pretty fun. This guy used to bag my groceries!

RB: Yeah I used to bag his groceries. That’s not a sexual term.

TWH: Well, it can be. So, final question: what are your favorite two words?

RB (motioning to a blackboard behind us): 420 Pussy.

JB: Who wrote that there?

TWH: I don’t know.

JB: I don’t really have favorite words. Oh my? I wish I was more creative.

RB: Can I swear?

TWH: Yeah, that’s fine.

RB: Shit a dick. Oh, that’s three words.

TWH: Awesome.

JB: Um, I love you? No, that’s three.

TWH: Yeah, all the good ones are three.

JB: I don’t know, I’ll think of something for next time.

RB: Two apple! One of them’s a number.

TWH: Just randomly two words. Awesome guys. Thanks!

To our dear readers: What questions would you ask Annalyce?

Heavy Metal Experience

Anthony Johnson | Interview

Jeffery Self | Interview

Fantasy Band – The Concept

David Blanchard — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:09:05 +0000

Photo by WalkerKansasRanger and philippe leroyer. Some Rights Reserved

I was approached the other day, by a friend, and was presented a challenge that has consumed a lot of my time lately. What is this challenge, you ask? It’s a simple one, really: name my fantasy band.

Many of you may, or may not, be familiar with the idea of Fantasy Sports (most commonly football, or hockey). You pick a number of players, from whichever sport you are focusing on, to make your “fantasy team”. Throughout the course of the season, or post-season, points are compiled in a number of different categories per player you have picked. The goal is obvious: end up with the most points at the end of the season.

So what is a fantasy band then? Clearly you can’t make a band, and compete against friends by scoring points dependent on their success… or could you? I think that is an idea for a completely different post. In this instance, all we are looking for is you to make a band. Let’s cover the rules.

Your band consists of 8 members.
- Drums
- Bass Guitar
- Rhythm Guitar/Back-Up Vocals
- Lead Guitar
- Lead Vocals
- Auxiliary Instrument (Keys/Pedal Steel/Banjo etc…)
- Songwriter
- Producer
As you can see, not every member you pick is playing an instrument.
A few limitations you have to keep in mind are these:
- Your Rhythm Guitar player must be your back-up vocals. No questions.
- When you are making this band, you must compile a band that would actually gel musically as a band. For example, you wouldn’t want to have a guitar player who specializes in writing/playing heavy metal, and a vocalist who specializes in doing Neil Diamond covers. As interesting as it may be… would it really fly?
- You can’t have more than one musician from any one band… but you can have a member of a band playing an instrument in your fantasy band, and a producer of the same band as your producer in your fantasy band (even if this producer is also a musician in his real life band).
- You must list reasons as to why you have picked the member you have picked, and how they will contribute to the band’s overall sound.

So now that the rules are out of the way, let’s have some fun…

I will get back to this when I have picked my band, but don’t let that stop you from picking yours.

Derelict | Concert Promotion

Pick The Perp | Website

The Legion Of Doom

Mute Math – Spotlight EP

Tyler Hauser — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:55:48 +0000

For almost a year, I’ve been itching to hear new material from Mute Math, held over only by promo cuts and live performances of “Spotlight” and their own Studio Vlogs. Today, Mute Math released the first EP in preparation for their forthcoming second album (currently untitled), called Spotlight EP. After all this waiting, I’ll admit right now that this does very little to tide me over until they release the new album. BUT! I am thoroughly satisfied with the overall quality of these 4 tracks.

“Spotlight”, first heard on the Twilight soundtrack, is just as it appears there: quick and punchy. This is an excellent choice for the first single, as it displays Mute Math’s knack for catchy, upbeat, yet mysterious tunes. The clever use of claps that never seem to grow old and the inexplicably infectious chorus makes this one of my favourites so far.

The EP’s second track “Clockwork” certainly brings the ambience and momentum we’d expect from our energetic pals, but it feels like there’s something missing from this one. Comparing it to the earlier work of Mute Math, this song is noticeably more developed and “full”, if you will, but it just never seems to make its point to me. It’s as though it’s building to something it never actually reaches; a powerful, relevant crescendo. Instead, the climax of the song is a simple repetition of the chorus, with a different bass line offered by Roy Mitchell-Cardenas leading into it. It’s a shame, really.

“Earlylight” appears to be an instrumental, interlude-type song, much like “Obsolete” off of Mute Math’s self-titled album, that riffs on “Spotlight”, picking apart the melodies and rhythms found there, creating a strange mash up of haunting atmospheres and driving bass lines. Judging from the name, I’d guess that this may be an early version of “Spotlight”, but I’m probably entirely wrong. Regardless, I really enjoy this song. It plays off my deep love of “Reset”, presenting an interesting and challenging arrangement that’s a joy to listen to over and over again.

And then there’s “Spotlight [Son Lux Remix]“. I’ve never heard anything by Son Lux before this, but I’ve gotta say that this guy is good. Very, very good. He brings this song to a whole different level, stripping all of the guitars, bass, and synths, and building entirely new arrangements around the drums and vocals. This song take on a life of its own, but somehow keeps the integrity of the original mix wholly intact. Bravo!

spotlight_son-lux-remix.mp3

Get your copy of Mute Math’s Spotlight EP, available now on iTunes, Amazon, and the Mute Math webstore.

February 8th, 2009 – February 14th, 2009

The Legion Of Doom

March 29th, 2009 – April 4th, 2009

Heavy Metal Experience

Kyle Marshall — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:28:10 +0000

This past Friday I summoned up the intestinal fortitude to drive to Forest Lawn. It has been my experience that any section of a city named Forest Lawn is automatically the sketchy part of town. It is no different here. Like Dorothy stepping out of her sepia colored house into the Technicolor hues of Munchkinland, as soon as you cross the tracks from the west you enter an alternate world. Roads have not been plowed, the average age of the cars in the driveways plunge about fifteen years, and the unmistakable sounds of feral dogs and gunshots can be heard somewhere in the distance. The reason for my journey is a weird one. Looking at a picture of me you would probably have a few guesses as to my musical tastes. Scream Metal would not be one of them. I decided to accept an invitation from a friend and discovered a group of people I knew nothing about and that I hardly fit into to. What I learned was that it did not matter.

I arrived at the Forest Lawn Community Centre around 6:30 that evening. While driving on two feet of packed ice was not fun, I was able to find a parking space not far away. The show had been scheduled for 6:00, but because of work I had been unable to get there any sooner. To my surprise the show had not yet begun. Bands were still arriving, and concert goers were still pulling up. I paid my admission fee and stepped into the converted bingo hall. At once I knew that I would be a standout for the entire night. At twenty-five I was easily the oldest one there by a good six years. They were wearing tight jeans. They were… emo, but not quite. I made my way to a corner of the room, feeling very out of place.

The hall was not very large. It had a low ceiling with two lonely fans that never spun the whole night. A row of tables lined the right side with some of the bands’ merchandise displayed. The floor was tiled with pieces of linoleum that looked to be at least twenty years old. It had a quaint small town vibe to it. At about 7:30 the show got underway.

The Illustrated

A band by the name of The Illustrated took the stage and nearly destroyed my ear drums. I fully understood what I had gotten myself into as Dan McDonald screamed into the microphone, unleashing a bevy of words that got the crowd riled up. The rest of the band consisted of Nick Orsulak and Will Bjorndahl on guitar, Bro Hart on bass, and Ian Storcer abused his drums as if they had personally wronged him. Perhaps the screaming was not my thing, but the music gave off a shot of adrenaline. Suddenly the crowd parted, forming a circle. A few young men jumped into the opening and began violently punching and kicking the air. For a moment I thought that they were having a seizure and the crowd was backing up to give them room. During a break later in the evening I was able to ask what exactly was going on. It turns out that this is what is known as “throwing down,” a semi-moshpit where people swing their arms and legs and run into one another while rocking out to the music.

I was really getting into The Illustrated’s set when a breaker blew and everything went black. For the next forty minutes there was a scramble to find a breaker box and try to get everything working again. Finally, the bands moved farther down the hall to use another set of outlets. The Illustrated had unfortunately been cut short.

Maleducato

The second band was Maleducato. Of all the bands it was the only one who seemed a tad out of place for the Scream Metal audience that was there. They seemed a mixture of AFI and My Chemical Romance. With colorful names such as Marcio J, Garu, Stevie J, and C-Fag they definitely had a set of fans. They invited singalongs and they worked up a frothy sweat. I wondered if the rest of the night would be as mellow.

Annalyce

Annalyce proved that it would not be. Here was a band that seemed to be totally driven by the guitar players, not to take anything away from lead vocalist Dean Gehlig. The band was a great example of a well-rounded band. They definitely swayed to the heavy rock genre with their pounding rhythms and the sheer loudness they generated. Yet, Annalyce also had the ability to have genuine valleys and hills in their music. One of their songs, which I was unable to get the name of, started off very light as if I had entered a junior high dance, but soon broke into a much faster pace with hardcore licks. Kudos, then, have to go to the rest of the band which includes Scott Olyphant and Jason Bank on guitar, Ryan Buckley on bass, Jay McDonald on drums, and the strange credit of toyboy/pleasure pants going to Sean Jensen.

Fall City Fall

As the night already had many interruptions, everything was running late. The next band, Fall City Fall, suffered a bit from this. As the band started the crowd had grown restless and did not seem interested in what the band was doing. This slowly changed as their set went along, finally culminating in some more throwing down that each of the other bands had enjoyed with ease. Giving only their first names the members of the band included Keenan, Nathan, Taylor, Hassan, Rick and Andrew.

The Graceful Mutiny

The Graceful Mutiny was probably the youngest band there. Only a couple of years old, it was begun by its members while they were still in high school. Those members are Colin Tubb on vocals, Caleb Wood on Guitar, Keenan Switzer on bass, and Blake Lowry on drums. While the youngest players they seemed the most adept at whipping the crowd into a frenzy, which is no easy feat to a demographic that has no problem in labeling things they do not fancy as “lame”.

The Fallacy

The Fallacy were the headliners of the evening. They certainly had the stage presence to go along with their billing. Many of the people in attendance had obviously come to see them. They also seem to have the most intense touring schedule as well. Even though the night had been drawn out longer than advertised, The Fallacy were able to put on a great show that the audience ate up.

As the night drew to a close I began to realize that it really did not matter that I stood out as much as I did. Looking around the room, and I mean this with no disrespect, the majority of people would not be what I would classify as the cool kids in school. These were fringe people enjoying fringe music. While listening to the excitable screaming all night it turned out that his was a genre of music that was not about exclusion, but rather inclusion from everybody. The night would have been entirely different had the crowd not joined in, either by throwing down, or dancing and singing along, or crowding the stage. After each band’s set was complete they themselves cleared the stage and took their equipment back out to their vans. Eager young fans congratulated individual band members on good songs and asked for autographs (usually on their clothing). For all the manly bravado the bands showed on stage, they were more than willing in helping each other out and interacting with the fans. There was no divide between performers and audience.

It is a night I will not soon forget, nor would I want to. A style of music that I believed I would have no interest in actually turned out to be something I want to delve into more. While I enjoyed all the bands on some level, I definitely thought that The Illustrated and Annalyce were the standouts. All were Calgary bands and should definitely be checked out if you get the opportunity. Like me, sometimes all you need to do is give something a chance.

Fantasy Band – The Concept

Derelict | Concert Promotion

Annalyce | Interview

2009: Otherwise Known As…

Carlene — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:10:57 +0000

While recovering from last year’s spectacular hangover, I recently took time out to watch a few music videos from 1999. My roommate had mentioned something about remembering when Y2K was the biggest worry on everybody’s mind, that his mom had stockpiled bottled water and canned ham in anticipation of some kind of huge explosion. Well, I got to thinking about what Y2K meant to me, 9 years after the fact, and all I could think about was Will Smith’s song, “Will2K”, a song about the new “Willenium”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now, admit it, you probably owned a copy of Big Willy Style, with such classics as “Getting Jiggy With It”, and “Miami”. You might have even really thought that Will Smith was a phenomenal rapper, considering your mom let you listen to his fresh and funky clean lyrics on the way to your after school drama rehearsals. After watching these videos 9 years after thinking they were “awesome”, I realized a few things:

Will Smith is a terrible rapper. He overuses “Woo” and “Ha ha” and “Say Wha-say-wha”. He raps about fun parties and being respectful. He might as well be rapping about a box social. Since he is such a ridiculous rapper — and I do love all things ridiculous — he is, in reality, a rap God and his past albums should be a staple in this coming year for all your sexy parties.
I never actually owned a Will Smith album in my youth. I will have to remedy that this year.
Did people really wear suits like that in the 90s? Can I still get suits like that?

Seriously. I know that my penchant for bad taste might be affecting this one, but seriously: take some time out of your busy day watch “Will2K”. I know you will enjoy it.

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