Wish You Were Here (8/13/07)

reigning from the great state of California...Incubus has been around for a bit of time now...i got "into them" with the release of their first full length Cd S.C.I.E.N.C.E. in about 1998 ("Favorite Things" is still one of my favorite songs)...and i've seen them once before banck in 2000 when they were supporting their Make Yourself release (with the banger "Drive"...but personally, the hits off the album for me are "Pardon Me" and "The Warmth")

so they made their way to the Molson Amphitheatre (situated near thehistoric Canadian National Exhibition near the lakeshore) after cancelling two shows earlier this year.....once due to the evil snow storm that kept them south of the border and another due to an injury in the band...

the set list was non-stop goodness..."Are You In?"..."Wish You Were Here" (lighters and cell phones were lighting up the night sky...nice job!)..."Pistola", "Megalomaniac" (a political banger that everyone willingly and proudly joined in for)..."Dig" (a ballad off their new album Light Grenades~gorgeous writing and great composition...one of my new favorites) and '"Love Hurts" (another ballad off the latest..a little cheesey but nonetheless a great track to see them perform live).....

i must say...i was amiss at the exemption of a couple of songs...like "Warning" and "crow Left Of The Murder" but you can't always get what you ant...but i got good vibes....great jams....and in the end that all that matters.....

the guys looked like they were in top form...definitely into their music and the crowd in attendance ...i'd say the number one critieria for a good show~when the band actually wants to be there..they start the ripple effect that transcends to the crowd and the crowd gies it back 10 fold!!!!!.....especially in Toronto (just a lil heads up to the bandsthat plan on touring here in the not so distant future)....

now back to the Incubus performance....Brandon Boyd was stellar (Incubus fans~excuse the pun)...at one point he dawned a hand-held spotlight and was shining it onto the crowd in utter amusement...which got the crowd amped up to a completely higher level and was a great way to connect with the crowd.....again a concert is all about exchanging energy....the other embers of the band were in top form as well....mike einziger on guitars~shredded it...ben kenney on bass~took it "for a walk" the entire evening and those dance moves were impressive...jose pasillas on drums~like thunder but way more steady....DJ Kilmore~always KILLS it and adds that certain sumpthin' that adds depths of dimension to this emsemble.....

the best way to spend a Thursday night..hands down...for sure.

(Ka)Nish

Roger's Picnic...Sunny Sunday Sounds. (8/01/07)

one of the most organized outdoor events i've ever been to in a long time.....

there were food tents GALORE with it's own designated lineup of a vast array of dishes....from jamaican cuisine a la the Ackee Tree (one of my favorite Jamaican retaurants in Toronto ~ freakin' delicious!)...to sweet potato fries then to good old BBQ burgers, even of the veggie variety, which pleased me immensely....

anyway...to the reson why a 60 dollar ticket was purchased...the music.

The lineup:

Team Canada DJs

Apostle The Hustle

Little Brother

The Dears

The New Pornographers

Tegan And Sara

Bad Brains

Bedouin Soundclash

The Roots

because i got there half way through the day (partly because it was a Sunday ~ i get a little slow on the sundays and it was sooooo hot it took a lot to muster up the courage to brave the 30+ degree C temperature...not to mention the humidex)...i can only share my thoughts on the last 4 acts...3 of which had good sound and the other...well not-so-much...which is a shame.

first up....

Tegan And Sara~like i said earlier...couldn't really hear them...but that may be due to the fact that i was in the beer tent and things get a little crazy in there as many others could testify....it's like you're at a completely different venue...but whati managed to catch...i thought they were really decent.....

next....

Bad Brains~ oh geez...can not describe how excited i was to see that band...i've seen them once as Soul Brains a couple of years ago and since then, i was anticipating the next time i'd get the opportunity to take then in again...and let me say it was well worth the wait...a short set but a sweet one...al of them looking fresh and into the niceness...it was fantastic to hear their latest collection of works that proved they were back in an ital way.....to see them live made me smile...then sway...then head bang a bit...then smile some more......

then...

Bedouin Soundclash~i've seen this Canadian roots/dub ensemble many-a-times throughout the past 3 - 4 years...opening up for John Butler, Big Sugar...and they were always just o.k....and i've always enjoyed their music...but more on an easy-listening level...i needed more bass...more ballz to their sound (a good dub/reggae/roots/rock band always does...right???)...and low-n-behold...i got the ballz i was looking for!!!!.....this trio is definitely reaching a level of heavyweight class...i went from a so/so, whatever, meak opinion of them to honestly being moved by their tunes and most importantly, the execution of their tunes...i think Mr. Darryl Jenifer has sprinkled some magic upon these lads (he produced their last 2 LPs)...i enjoyed the set.....and i do believe that one of the amps blew during the performance.....ballz.....

lastly....

The Roots~another band i've seen quite a few times over the years....although ?Love wasn't in the mix and pulled a no-show....the carried on as mighty as a headliner should........they added stellar talent and shared the stage with Posdnuos a.k.a Pace 1 and Maseo of DeLa Soul (another progressive hip hop cornerstone collaborative that i am an admitted fan of), Lupe Fiasco to beef up the presence and tear the roof off of an open-aired venue....with their 10 year tenure...they certainly have grown in mass appeal....when i first saw them back in the early 90's, the crowd in Toronto was no more than a couple hundred people with about 1/3 of people knowing their repertoire...now, thousands were grooving along to songs of new and old.....their scope not only encompasses hip hop to the fullest but embraces other musical styles to truly be one of modern day music's true musical band collective.....the Roots laced up the set with songs that ranged from rocked out jams then going back to their funk-filled hip hop classics...true classics....and dare i mention the James Brown funk-fest???????........nuff said.

(Ka)Nish

Enlightenment For 30Bucks?????!!!!! (7/06/07)

better believe it....The Polyphonic Spree @ Phoenix tickets....worth every penny!

usually i wait a few days to express my thoughts and re-live my concert-going experience, as i tend to contemplate the event then convey via verbiage...

however, i was so elated by this show i couldn't wait....

last night i witnessed one of the most spiritually, positive, motivational, feel good musical collaborative efforts ever to bestow upon my eyes in my existence thus far....on this earth....

The Polyphonic Spree!!!!

this 20 piece pop-orchestra blew my mind, opened my heart and delighted my eardrums....

clad in black army Gestapo-like gear, their presence filled the venue like no other band i've seen (and i say this as i have frequented many fantastic musical events there over the years from 311 and Fishbone to Digable Planets etc. etc.)

Mr. Tim Delaughter (previously a member of the 90's band Tripping Daisy) who fronts this collective, captivates you not only with his piercing blue eyes and extravagant arm movements but with his voice of that of an angelic creature with absolutley no pre-tense and arrogant swagger.......

the choir suitably stood behind the entire band like a strong, sturdy backbone on risers and kept the songs in driving gear with awesomely quirky and campy choreography....

there was confetti, a huge disco ball and cool lighting effects that most certainly made this a celebration.......

of what?????

i couldn't really place it....

maybe of stellar musicianship???...our complicated yet purposeful lives???...or just a plain old Thursday summer night......

whatever it was......it was a jubilation of sorts and an experience i'll never forget....

if you have the chance...when the Polyphonic Spree roll into your corner of the earth....check them out!

(you will NOT regret it)

MY FAVORITE: When A Fool Becomes A King

CROWD FAVORITE: Nirvana "Lithium" cover/Light & Day

(Ka) Nish

Clutch @ Roxy (LA) No. No. (6/20/07)

Hmmmmmmm....what can i say...it was LA...

no disrespect meant to any of the SoCal natives, 'migrants or re-locators....

i love LA (dude i even bought a Tshirt that says it....i'm starting a collection of "I Heart" Shirts based on my I Heart LA shirt....true things!)....

it's the "land of the No"....no worries, no cares...no boundaries, no normality....no rules...no rain (that is: between October and April)...AND most importanly...no snow!!!!!~at least not yet....

but on May 25th @ The Roxy...it was no vibe.

the band was great ..but just no vibe generated from the crowd....

there were girls in high heels and people that just didn't seem that into the band themselves...that could be said about almost every show.....there are always stragelers and poseurs and people that truly aren't interested in live music....

however...it just seemed a little....well......off.

the no-no started when i walked in and attempted to walk up a set of stairs to my left for a better view and an alcoholic beverage....i was stopped by the only not-so-big bouncer employed there with a "This is V.I.P."...to my daunting surprise, i couldn't believe what i was hearing......so i decided to ask him politely to repeat himself....he said it AGAIN.....i was virtually speechless...so much in fact, all that could come out of my agaped mouth was a friendly mocking..."Ooooooo V.I.P.".....the guy looked at me with a "I know. Ridiculous" face....it seemed as though my friendly mocking tone transcended some truth......

V.I.P. @ a Clutch show?????????????????????.....no.

Only in LA.