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We're only a little over a week away until Whosarmy's CD Release at The Drake!

Be sure to check out uber producer, Arnold Lanni's (Our Lady Peace, Simple Plan, Finger Eleven, Inward Eye), latest act and find out what all the buzz is about!

Advance tix are going fast! So be sure to get them before they're gone

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115645955180864

Vancouver based band Elias is no doubt one of Canada’s more talented and at the same time, underexposed acts.  Many Canadian acts lack exposure simply due to the fact that their music is far too regional and doesn’t reach a wide enough demographic, and therefore lacks international appeal. I call it the Tragically Hip Syndrome. Elias presents a style of music that transcends those traditional restraints, joining a growing number of Canadian Musicians exploding onto the worldwide stage with songs that reflect universal themes and emotions. Elias’s sometimes dark, and always emotive alt rock displays skilful melodies and a passionate attention to songwriting, reminiscent of some of their influences like Radiohead, Coldplay, and Arcade Fire.

Recently wrapping up a highly successful tour with Finger 11 and the Envy, culminating over a year on the road in support of their first full length release, 2009’s “Lasting Distraction”, this core group of Brian Healy, Robert Tornroos, and Stephen Tavares, is set to hit the studio shortly to record their sophomore effort.  We recently had a chance to talk with the guys about what’s going on in their universe.

by Billy Gavel

Week two of ‘Sunday night Horeshoe chats’ continued this week with the guests of honour being Brooklyn-based trio, BRAHMS.

Taking to the legendary dungeon for some post show banter, the talk started about their video, Repeat It and ended with the Thong Song. 

Delightful.

Recently making headway with a support slot set at the sold-out Passion Pit show at Terminal 5—the instantly likeable trio have garnered notable praise, quickly.

They may only be a year old, but it’s evident both in their presence and their compilations that well, they know what they’re doing.

Having childhood ties with one another, Michael Cale Parks and Eric Lodwick were used to being in each other’s circle. After being a solo artist for some time, Parks simply got bored of the “one man show” notion and selectively reached out to Lodwick, soon asking for his recommendation on a third member.

Enter Drew Robinson.

Collectively, BRAHMS form a synergy between sound-sucked distortions and boldly clever rhythms that don’t tire with repetition.  They’re like a three-piece suit, every component individually is important, but together the outfit is striking.

With two members stemming from Baltimore and Parks originally from Ohio, the boys were quick to note the concept that “no one is actually from New York.” This thought sparked some parallels between New York and our beloved city of Toronto, in that many Torontonians, are actually Toronto converts.

Furthermore, when talking about Montreal and Toronto Lodwick broke it down quite poignantly, “so Montreal and Toronto are like Brooklyn and Manhattan.”

At first I was hesitant to agree, only because I have always seen my life in Brooklyn and attach Toronto as a bridge to Brooklyn (how about that visual?!).  After pondering his classification (and a night’s quasi rest) I must admit the man is pretty bang on.

Now touring alongside Asobi Seksu, with an upcoming appearance at SXSW—the expressive ensemble are definitely conscious of their good fortune.

“We enjoy the process of going from place to place, city to city. We like being in a different place and try our best to really take in each spot as much as possible, we’re lucky.” Robinson explained.

So what’s one Canadian staple they experienced?  How about a ham and swiss from Tim Hortons.

I suggested they try the chili, but Robinson did make a good point that spending long hours on a bus with guys, and a gut full of beans, might not be the best experience. 

Robinson makes good points. 

Also sharing a similar admiration for bands like Sigur Ros and Modest Mouse, BRAHMS are those guys that are gifted and cool, both in action and introspectively.

So cool that soon our meet and greet had the four of us viewing a recently shot video of Interpol (with Robinson saying the track Slow Hands sounded like a Sunday night sex show).  We then talked about our like for filming with Lodwick pulling a Vincent Moon and documenting using my video camera, “Wow, this camera is awesome.”

Boys love their toys.

It was a pleasant ending when Parks voiced his like for Nicki Minaj and wasn’t in the slightest afraid to admit it. When asked to name an artist/song of admiration that could be seen as a shameful acknowledgement Lodwick wasted no time stating “Sisqo, Thong Song.”

Ladies and gentlemen, listen to BRAHMS, they are definitely worth your time.

Although if you like Kesha, keep it in the vault, the boys are not fans of ‘the animal.’

Check out their trippy video for Repeat It:

THE REVIEW

The music produced and performed by the New Jersey band, Delicate Steve is something to chomp at.  A mesh between hot fuzz electrics and contagious melodic riffs seems to be the framework, but that doesn’t mean the recipe remains constant—this is why you really listen.

Delicate Steve took to the Horseshoe this past Sunday, touring alongside the experimental staple of a band akron/family.  Sharing such a life with a signature band like akron/family is a testament to the promise and praise already received by these non-cookie cutter music makers. Having played live for just over a year, it was good to see a tightly fused set fostered by woven interludes and a stretch of playful acoustic experiments.

Watching them jam wasn’t earth shattering or life-changing; but it scraped the core just enough to be hooked.  Having hints of Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors and in all honesty, Hamilton’s Electroluminescent—Delicate Steve worked a style that had specs of familiarity with a heaping serving of fresh packed meat.

‘Butterfly’ was performed distinctly better than I had anticipated; you never know how the lack of vocals and influx of sounds translates on stage.  After chatting with Marion and hearing some of the back story to how Delicate Steve came to be, it was refreshing to see a 23 year old warp a soundtrack so rhythmically weird and beautiful—the same man that had many reservations on even creating music in the first place. 

Steve Marion is a multi-instrumentalist with a background playing in bands and helping record other musicians’ ‘greatness’, but going solo before knowing if the stimulus will be enough to hold audiences—that’s guts.  Let’s be honest, there are enough beat makers that suck at it, yet still receive that “cool” classification simply because the creations are “different.”

The meticulously distorted and handmade instrumentals are handsomely formed with elements of folk, Mogwai-styled trip outs and thick coats of melodic rock. What hit the most was the offbeat synergy between the band, the crowd and the music. Not always perfect—with pauses and build-ups pressed throughout—the staggering meets clean packed songs that make up the album, “Wondervisions” seem to be reflective of Marion himself.  Tracks like ‘Sugar Splash’ fed the audience with a looming bubbly hook, minus the cheese. 

Delicate Steve’s music let’s you watch without thinking and feel without trying.

See the official video for ‘Butterfly’ directed by Sophie Peer:

To download ‘Butterfly’ head here http://tinyurl.com/4qkjtp9

THE INTERVIEW

Explain ‘Wondervisions’ and putting out an album solo, was it nerve-racking?
Well it was the first album I’ve ever made (November 2009). I made 4 of the songs really fast.

How fast?
Like within a week, 4 recordings. Seriously this is all totally new to me. I was nervous to show it, all-around. I had never made anything entirely myself. I first showed it to musicians that I really liked, so that was nerve-racking just to wonder if I was going to hear back from them and what they’d say. I was curious of their opinion. Then I did hear some good things back so that was cool.

So what’s pre-Delicate Steve like, what was your life?
I’m totally music-based, until about two Novembers ago I was recording, being in bands, recording for other bands, not really thinking that I could make music myself even though I had a recording studio in the house. Ha.

Your music is experimental, instrumental and meticulously crafted—how did you make it?
Well I bought a drum machine one day from the Salvation Army for like 5 bucks, a little Casio thing. One day I turned the speed up all the way and thought mhm this sounds or reminds me of being on a train so I was like ok, then I added some guitar in the background. I started to just like it, I was never thinking how can I finish this or make it sound like that.

How did the whole Sophie Peer partnership happen and the idea behind the ‘Butterfly’ video?
That was totally Sophie Peer. I mean we talked and threw stuff out there but she said she wanted to do a music video with a chainsaw. So we found a guy in upstate New York luckily. She was so nice, basically did it all for free—we didn’t really have a budget. Once we found the chainsaw man we went from there.  Mickey even got in on it (points to Mickey, bandmate and bud perched on the couch searching for hotels).

Mickey: Ya I got to blow the bubbles, it was supposed to be a fire breather but he didn’t show up so I filled in.
Oh Mickey.

What/Who do you draw from when you put all these sounds together?
Well, Mickey got me into Ponytail. I hated them at first, thought they were stupid then I saw them live. I didn’t know new music though, I was really into 70’s stuff and thought new stuff was crap, but Mickey was more aware of it all living in New York and going to school. So ya Ponytail is the biggest inspiration. The Dirty Projectors and older stuff like Alice Coltrane are also influences for sure.

What’s it like playing with a well-known band like akron/family? It’s kind of a big deal.
I feel super grateful to be with these guys. I feel like it’s important to get to see them every night and I’m learning a lot from watching them play. I just want to keep interested in music and they are helping us realize a lot.

Bored yet?
Not a boring feeling, you just feel like you’re not totally there yet. Cause you really want to be, so that kind of sucks, sometimes it’s hard to snap back.  You never remember tying your shoes anymore; we don’t want to feel that about our music, sometimes it does. We have good nights and bad nights—Montreal was a good night, New York, Chicago—once you have a good night you want more.

You’ve been playing live now since early 2010, I bet there were a lot of lulls and highs during the last year. True?
Ya when we started playing in January 2010 it was all really exciting, we had a nervous energy and were excited to play new music. Then we went through periods where we weren’t as excited, so we had to sit down and think about what we could do, stopped holding onto what ‘you’ think is important just cause—it’s a learning thing. Once we addressed that we started playing way better.

If you could open/play with any band who would it be?
I’m totally happy with this right now (points upstairs to the blissful sounds of akron/family).

You know what man, I’m not even going to probe any further, I get it.

Simply put, Delicate Steve is a real breed who idles the word ‘totally’ and enjoys a solid breakfast in the morning. Delicate Steve is currently touring the U.S. ending out the stretch in California on April 9th, 2011.

___
by Kathryn Kyte
Photos courtesy of Myspace & Luaka Bop

After a ton of hard work, attention to detail, and a unified spirit, this local quintet is the real deal baby.  Exploding onto the scene over the past year and a half, these guys have made serious waves on an international level.  Brilliantly taking advantage of all that rock legend Gene Simmons’ million years in music has to offer, and the man is a frikkin genius,  The Envy has raised the bar for Canadian alt. rock “(like Nickleback once threatened to do before they went country or whatever the fuck they are now), and show no signs of slowing down with their video for “Don’t Let Go” hitting #1 at MuchMusic recently.  I’m all about the melodies in tunes and this band brings it in spades with their haunting hooks and steady power.  These guys are a tight outfit and it was a blast to see them live.  After rapping up a hugely successful tour with Finger 11, expect more great material as they prepare to drop their first full length album early in the new year!  I caught up with Shaun and Bodan in Hamilton for a few minutes to see what’s up.

by Billy Gavel

Toronto's own The Envy have long been a huge favourite of LiveMusicTO. Since the very beginning of this website, Shaun (lead singer) has been the face on the top header. I couldn't have asked for a more fitting image - he sings into the mic in his trademark-expressive way, and it really has set the tone for the website ever since May of 2010. I've often thought of changing the header purely for the sake of keeping things fresh, but haven't been able to find anything more fitting - not within my own archives or from our team of photographers. So for now, Shaun is there to stay.

You might recall many months ago some music news that buzzed around Toronto (and indeed the world) - The Envy were to be the first band signed to Gene Simmons'  record label, "Simmons Records", through which Simmons vowed he would shed more light on Canadian music and talent, on a world scale.

That he has certainly done, with The Envy at least. Almost immediately after being signed the band took flight and was reaching massive audiences of thousands while on tour with Simmons' band KISS. It was clear though, in our casual conversations with certain members of the band last year that they were on a very calculated and careful path. They started recording a new EP and had completed a music video months ago, but seemed to be in no real rush to release either. Busy touring and growing their fan base maybe? Increase 'brand awareness' in order to make a release more successful? Sounds like a good strategy to me.

Exactly why it has taken so long for us to see their first official release after being signed is a mystery, but one thing is for certain, I don't think any of you will disagree it was well worth the wait! Check out the brand spankin' new video below for "Don't Let Go" and purchase their album on iTunes HERE.

Our artist of the month (January) ROBB G takes a minute to chat with us about how he first got into deejaying, where his nortorious live energy comes from, some upcoming releases and most importantly - what he can't live without when traveling abroad! You'll never guess his answer. Check it out! And don't miss out on our upcoming showcase with Robb on Jan 20th HERE.

If there are any potential musicians wandering what it takes these days to find professional success, look no further than These Kids Wear Crowns. This powerpop outfit from BC, made up of  six guys including Alex, Alan, Matt, Joe, Gypsy and Josh has exploded onto the scene over the past year and a half. While they’ll be the first to say that they’re just getting started, these guys work overtime creating opportunities and putting out first rate effort every show. Finding success in Season 2 of MuchMusic’s Disband, and in a season that included other great talent such as Abandon All Ships, San Sebastian, and Street Pharmacy, TKWC has taken the ball and is off like a rocket!

Whether playing sold-out club dates with Faber Drive, or in front of thousands NYE with fellow westerners, Stereos, their infectious powerpop grooves continue to attract fans all over North America and beyond. Currently signed to EMI and Capitol, TKWC are just putting the final touches on their first full-length album titled “Jumpstart” due for release Feb 22 (ish). Trust me, these kids are here to stay!

by: Billy Gavel
photos: Julie V Mckinney