From the Vault: "Pop Went Halifax, Part Three: Timber Timbre, Little Girls, Zeus, You Say Party! We Say Die! and Japandroids"

October 24, 2009
The Marquee Club
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Preface: Steve and I met up with a couple of friends of ours Alex and Chapin. Alex and Chapin had driven up to Halifax from our hometown that day to see Girl Talk.


Chapin came with me to the hauntingly spellbinding folk ensemble Timber Timbre at St. Matthew's United Church. This has always been a fantastic venue. We watched from the upstairs pews, as I always do [there]. They were really able to create a brooding, haunting atmosphere with nothing more than an electric guitar, floor tom, violin and sampler. At times, they filled the church with animal noises and sounds of rustling plant life, thereby turning the entire church into a rain forest mid-downpour. Mesmerizing. Also, I went to this show for free. I ran into a guy the night before who, because of some convoluted situation, couldn't go to Timber Timbre, so he gave me his ticket. Much appreciated, bud.

[Chapin and I] skipped the second/last act to reconvene with Alex and Cara. I was going to a different show, but I went with Chapin to where Girl Talk was playing so Chapin didn't have to look for a scalper alone. It was far away from where I was supposed to [have been], but I went with him anyway because I knew he wouldn't have been able to find a ticket, and contacting him to come to the Paragon would have been difficult.

Little Girls played first. They were pretty good but not as good as I'd expected - way more post-punk than lo-fi, and the lead singer (in particular) was pretty damned goofy. Knocking over equipment and spazzing out on the floor are fine and can really add to a show when you're not the opening band playing to a VERY dispersed crowd of at most thirty in a somewhat big venue. Instead, he just ended up looking histrionic and stupid.

Next up were Zeus and You Say Party! We Say Die!. While I hated all of the stuff I'd downloaded by both bands, both were actually, again, pretty good. YSP was really energetic and danceable. Krista, the person [with whom] I [stood], is the biggest YSP fan, so it was really awesome when singer Becky Ninkovic 1) put her finger on Krista's forehead, 2) came into the crowd right in front of us, 3) put her arm around Krista and sang into the mic together, and 4) crowd surfed right on top of us (I was the first person to catch Becky). If a musician I loved did any of that with me, I'd probably never go to another show because nothing could top that. So yeah, good for Krista.

Lastly (for the night and for the festival) were Japandroids. I'd looked forward to them the most (since summer), and they were the only band for whom I bought an advance [Pop Explosion] ticket. Well, they turned out to be a HUGE disappointment, but that wasn't their fault at all. The bar was closing, so they were cut off after only a handful of songs. Surprisingly, after we started chanting "Fuck this shit!," they were allowed to do an encore, houselights on and all. It was hilarious seeing the bar's people watch from backstage with "How long is their encore going to be??" expressions on their faces. Also, the crowd got super-rowdy and not in a fun Japanther way. I don't like it when a person's foot is jammed in my crotch, and she gets pissed when I move her foot.

[After Japandroids finally reluctantly left the stage], the magic was over, and I caught a ride home with Alex and Chapin the next morning. Sweet tunes and reminiscing all the way home.

From the Vault: "Pop Went Halifax, Part Two: Ancestors, Devil Eyes and Japanther"

Ian Vanek of Japanther

October 23, 2009
The Seahorse Tavern
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Preface: I crashed at my friend Steve's place during Pop Explosion weekend. The weekend peaked on Friday, the day that would become the fourth best show of my entire freaking life (behind the two times I saw the White Stripes and the time I saw Les Savy Fav).


Pop Went Halifax, Part Two: Ancestors, Devil Eyes and Japanther

The show started with a hardcore screamo band called Ancestors. Maybe it was my previous summer of warming up to and even liking hardcore, scream-heavy music, but I surprisingly enjoyed them. Unfortunately, Ancestors probably spent more time setting up than actually playing. The singer into the crowd and started shoving people around (note: he only joined an already-moshing crowd), and pretty much right away, security shut them down. Well, that pissed off pretty much everyone, but the next band, Montreal barrage rockers Devil Eyes, lifted the entire room's spirits. This band was great - so energetic and just good, old-fashioned rock and roll. The best parts were 1) when the Chinese drummer sang their last song entirely in Cantonese (I never thought I'd hear Cantonese in a punk song (live)) and 2) when the guitarist smashed his guitar to bits. Unfortunately, I didn't get one of the several pieces he handed out to the crowd.

Finally ... FINALLY ... after all the smoke cleared and all the dust settled, the stage was set for another band I never thought I'd have gotten to see and the highlight of Friday night's show: Japanther. This was, without question, without hyperbole, the single greatest punk show and most energetic show I'd ever been to. I was three feet away from drummer Ian Vanek whom I told to make me deaf. I also got a bottle of water from him which I regretfully mindlessly left on the street. I've never been able to sing along to a band like that except, again, for The White Stripes. I left that show bloody and bruised. My knees were constantly shoved against the edge of the stage. I could barely walk afterwards, and I kept getting shoved really hard into the concrete wall. My arms and the back of my neck and shoulders were all scraped and bruised, and my neck was totally kinked the next couple of days. At one point, a guy suddenly turned around and spat beer in my and another guy's face, and I could not have cared less and just kept dancing. Obviously, the crowd was really rowdy, but it was one of those times when being rowdy was totally appropriate and only added to the experience.

I'd really looked forward to Japanther, but I'd never thought it'd have been THAT good. I didn't think it'd have been the highlight of the weekend, let alone of all of the concerts I'd ever seen.

After a fucking wicked night, Steve and I went back to his place, sweaty and smelly as all hell, and fell asleep with our ears ringing (it was the first time I had to wear earplugs). His roommate Kyle, who works in the restaurant above the bar, came down near the end of the show and said he'd never smelled the bar that bad. Needless to say, first on my agenda the next day was one of the most thorough showers of my life.

From the Vault: "Pop Went Halifax, Part One: Brian Berchardt, Julie Fader, By Divine Right and Off the International Radar"

My review of the first set of shows I went to at Halifax Pop Explosion '09 which I previewed here.


Pop Went Halifax, Part One: Brian Berchardt, Julie Fader, By Divine Right and Off the International Radar

The first show opened with Holy Fuck frontman Brian Borcherdt's surprisingly mellow set - quite a contrast to his full-time band's livetronica raves. It was mainly him and another guy both on electric guitars, and they were eventually joined by Julie Fader with her Feist-like background vocals. After Brian's set, Julie took the stage herself, mostly backed on second guitar by Jose Contreras, the frontman of 90s Canadian indie rock icons By Divine Right. Brian and the other guitarist returned the favour by joining Julie for a few songs as well.

Although Off the International Radar was the last band of the night, [my friend] Steve and I left after the next act (and the main attraction for me) By Divine Right. They are one of the first indie rock bands I can remember, and I've listened to them since grade eight, so it was a real treat to finally be able to see them, especially since they're so inactive these days.

BDR played as a newly formed trio that night, pounding out song after song from their upcoming new album Mutant Message. It didn't matter that they didn't play a single familiar song (although it would have been nice), as every one of their new songs kicked ass - much harder edged than anything they'd done before. In fact, they rocked so hard, Jose broke a string during their first song and had to borrow Brian's guitar until Brian finished restringing it in the back. I never knew how much of a showman/skilled guitarist Jose was. I also have to hand it to Jose for having admitted that they didn't only play new songs to promote their new album but that they simply hadn't learned much of their old stuff yet.

BDR closed with "Titty Shaker," the same words that were written on the young, new drummer's white shirt in reflective gold letters. Jose kept charitably asking the crowd to fix up the drummer's "dope habit." I wish I could have obliged.

From the Vault: "Pop Goes Halifax"

While organizing files on my computer, I found an article I wrote about bands to see and other artistic things to do at the 2009 Halifax Pop Explosion for my university's student newspaper the Xaverian Weekly. I also found some of my reviews of that year's HPE shows that I went to which I'll post another time.


Pop Goes Halifax

It's October again which means I and countless other music-lovers in and around the Maritimes have some tough decisions to make. It's time, once again, for my favourite music festival Halifax Pop Explosion, the city's annual showcase of some of the finest local, national and international talents.

The five-day arts festival enters its seventeenth year, on Oct. 20th. While HPE has been confirming impressive names since its inception (including Canadian music and literary legend Leonard Cohen and bubbly, British pop experimentalists Stereolab), its annual line-up continues to grow by the year.

Here's a smattering of artists who will surely make the trip worthwhile:

Oct. 20th and 21st: HPE kicks off in chaotic fashion with Montreal's chameleonic, genre-bending Red Mass and 60s-style power-psych enthusiasts Crystal Antlers at the Paragon Theatre. The next night, husband-and-wife duo Mates of State will be sure to make audiences swoon and dance with their brand of love-struck synth-pop (though not necessarily in that order).

Oct. 22nd: Night three is when decisions get tough. On one hand, Toronto's By Divine Right resurface with a rare appearance at the Seahorse, after laying relatively low for nearly half a decade. There can pretty much be no talk of 90s Canadian indie rock without mentioning this one-time Tragically Hip tour-mate and former home of both Leslie Feist and Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning. Diehards won't want to miss this show, and neither will fans of charming melodies and good old-fashioned rock and roll.

That same night, New Brunswick's indie folk-rocker Julie Doiron plays St. Matthew's Church, but if you're in the mood for hip-hop instead, check out Alberta rapper Cadence Weapon at the Paragon. And for those who are tired of conventional song structures in general, Toronto's ambient shoegaze/doom-metal duo Nadja might be your medicine.

Oct. 23rd: The decisions don't get easier from here, as lo-fi Brooklyn noise-punks Japanther renovate the Seahorse with their manic, sweat-soaked mosh-show. Halifax talent The Grass, who blessed StFX's very own Golden X Inn with their presence last year, rhythm bandits Tomcat Combat and power pop-rockers Two Hours Traffic can also be found making noise at various venues on the 23rd.

Violin sensation Final Fantasy returns to Halifax as well, this time with Symphony Nova Scotia at his side. His one-man shows are enthralling enough, with dazzling lights and live, projected animations, so Final Fantasy backed by a symphony should be no less enticing. Finally, electronic dance juggernauts MSTRKRFT make their highly-anticipated appearance at the New Palace Cabaret with Jimmy Swift Band spin-off duo Scientists of Sound. Unfortunately, this one's sold out.

Oct. 24th: Mash-up madman Girl Talk touches down at St. Antonio's Hall with his own highly-anticipated show, along with quirky, do-it-yourself, one-man-band Rich Aucoin. I expect this one to be sold out too, but don’t worry. Night five is also loaded with alternatives. Vancouver's Japandroids light up the Paragon Theatre with the intensity of ten cities in a furious blaze of high-octane rock. Meanwhile, Japanther make their second appearance with a set at the Converse Pavilion Stage.

If you prefer something less abrasive, acoustic indie darling Owen, Jason Collett's sometimes-backing-band Zeus, and hauntingly spellbinding folk ensemble Timber Timbre with Halifax-based singer-songwriter Jenn Grant can be found at Alderney Landing Theatre, the Paragon and St. Matthew's Church, respectively.

As stellar as this year's line-up is, Halifax Pop Explosion isn't just about music. Its talent showcase includes independent films from the 23rd to 24th, pre-festival, live art dances from the 8th to 10th and a free zine fair on the 24th which includes T-shirt printing stations, create-you-own-zine workshops, and various crafts for sale and trade. Details on the festival's visual art exhibits aren't available yet, but further information on concerts and special multimedia exhibits can be found at http://halifaxpopexplosion.com/.