The Wedding Present end Canadian Music Fest on a high

Sunday is generally a relatively quiet night during Canadian Music Fest, with only a small fraction of the participating venues featuring acts, and the best choice of them all seemed to be the Horseshoe Tavern.

I arrived in time to hear one song by Pinky Piglets, and that was enough. But the singer walked up to me after her performance and said "Thank you," so the female Japanese quartet gets points for politeness -- and for being the shortest band in the festival.

The Jet Age

The Jet Age was a late addition to the bill, and I confess to not knowing anything about the Washington, D.C. trio. One song had cowbell and of course my immediate response upon hearing it was: "More cowbell." Singer/guitarist Eric Tischler is a skilled player, and certain members of the audience seemed to appreciate the indie rock band, but no songs grabbed me during the 35-minute set.

The Wedding Present is a veteran Leeds, England outfit wherein singer/guitarist David Gedge has been the only constant. It's a band that I've always felt that I should like more than I do, but I've only seen it once before years ago, so I thought I should give it another shot.

The Wedding Present

The set opened with "Back a Bit … Stop" from the group's new Valentina album, and then went back 25 years for "My Favourite Dress." Gedge has always been recognized for strumming very fast chords and being a bit of a wordsmith, and that was further illustrated through a performance of "Quick, Before It Melts" from Cinerama, the band Gedge led while The Wedding Present was on hiatus from 1998 to 2003.

I'd estimate a crowd of about 300 in attendance, and the bar remained virtually empty during The Wedding Present's performance, so obviously there were dedicated followers on hand and not just folks out to extend their weekend with several Sunday night drinks. The first part of the set ended about 30 minutes in with "Perfect Blue," and then came the section which was the main draw for many people.

Seamonsters came out in 1991 and was The Wedding Present's third album -- and the first full-length recorded for the group by Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies). Many feel it remains the band's best album, though some might lobby for 1989's Bizarro or 1987's George Best, which was named after the legendary Northern Irish soccer player who I became friends with that year when he used to buy me drinks almost every night as a regular at the London, England pub I bartended at that summer.

But this portion of the show was all about performing Seamonsters in its entirety, and the 10 one-word-titled songs really showed Gedge and his latest bandmates at their post-punk best. "Rotterdam," "Lovenest," "Corduroy" and "Heather" stood out as my favourites, though there weren't really any weak ones in the bunch.

The Wedding Present doesn't do encores, so at the conclusion of Seamonsters Gedge announced that the band would perform two more songs to end the night before leaving the stage for a final time. The first number was "Kansas" and closer "Don't Talk, Just Kiss" got people dancing and wanting more just before it was time to head out the door.

I thought that Canadian Music Fest would be a bit of a downer after spending the previous week in Austin, Texas for the South By Southwest Music Festival, but there were enough good acts and performances to keep me  entertained over five straight nights.

I've decided to pass on JunoFest later this week in Ottawa, however, since I'm a bit festivalled out at this point.

Three great bands made me happy on CMF's Saturday

Saturday's Canadian Music Fest began for me when I arrived at the El Mocambo for the Aussie BBQ at 4 p.m., which gave me just enough time to eat a free sausage on white bread with barbecue sauce and caramelized onions before Oh Mercy began playing a few minutes later.

Oh Mercy

The first song reminded me of a cross between Wilco and Velvet Underground, and the band didn't top it during the rest of its 25-minute set. The lead singer is a lefty who plays a right-handed guitar upside down and has a good vocal range, and the rest of the band plays guitar-driven but rhythmic indie rock. It was okay.

I went upstairs to hear a couple of songs from Melbourne duo Big Scary, but it didn't do much for me either so I returned downstairs for DZ Deathrays. The Melbourne guitar and drums duo was noisy and not particularly entertaining, so I left.

The Screwed was playing three sets of classic punk rock covers at Graffiti's, but unfortunately the band was taking a break when I dropped in, so I carried on to the Music Nova Scotia party at The Rivoli.

I talked to some people who I probably haven't spoken to since this party last year and had two bowls of delicious chowder and some sauteed scallops before singer/songwriter Mo Kenney began her solo acoustic set. Joel Plaskett is producing her upcoming record and she has talents as both a singer and a whistler, but I preferred her final number -- a cover of David Bowie's "Five Years" -- over her originals.

Ben Caplan, a bushy bearded artist with a deep voice and delivery that was occasionally reminiscent of Tom Waits, delivered a solo acoustic performance and engaging between-song banter. I most enjoyed his final song, "Stranger," which had an eastern European folk element.

I'd never heard of Ria Mae, but she played a hollow body electric guitar and had another woman named Margot singing back-up and showed me a lot of talent. She writes depressing songs, but displayed a good sense of humour and humility between them and after her set when I spoke to her at the bar.

Jon Janes is The Mountains & The Trees, and the Newfoundland native who now lives in Nova Scotia sang and played electric guitar -- most impressively when he used a bow on his final song.

Mike O'Neill

Former Inbreds member Mike O'Neill took the stage on his own with an electric guitar at 8 p.m. and played a longer set, which included my favourite Inbreds song, "Any Sense of Time." He also performed material from his new solo album, Wild Lines, including "Don't Forget To Breathe," and older songs like "Camera Shy." He also performed "Andy," which Neko Case covered on her 2001 Canadian Amp EP. O'Neill writes good songs.

Ron Sexsmith, Damhnait Doyle, The Pursuit of Happiness' Moe Berg and Sloan's Chris Murphy and Patrick Pentland were among the non-performing performers at the party over the almost four hours that I was there. Murphy was standing behind me during O'Neill's set and, when he saw me taking notes, he suggested including "Lose the moustache" in my review.

Chains of Love

It was time to head a wee bit west from The Rivoli for the Horseshoe and the band I was most looking forward to: Chains of Love. The Vancouver sextet is fronted by Nathalia Pizzaro and singer/guitarist Rebecca Marie Law Gray, and they both downed a shot before beginning their impressive set. If you took a Phil Spector-produced '60s girl group and a band from the Nuggets compilations of garage rock from that era and then added a dose of soul, you'd get Chains of Love. But you don't have to, since Chains of Love already and thankfully exists. In addition to loving their music, Pizzaro and Law Gray seem like the kind of women that would be fun to party with, so I hope they return to Toronto soon.

Katalina Kicks

I'd never been to Underground Garage before, and was surprised to find that I had to go up stairs to get there. England's Katalina Kicks was supposed to start at 9:45 p.m., so I thought I'd catch its last few songs, but things were delayed until 10:10, which allowed me to order a Strongbow for myself and a friend who asked to remain nameless but had previously seen the band in its homeland and liked it.

The trio is equally influenced by '60s rock by The Who and The Kinks, '70s punk and 21st century alternative rock. It also has a Strummerville connection, which further piqued my interest. I liked it, but it seems to be missing something that would take it to the next level.

The rain and wind had let up a bit so I decided to take a bit of a hike to C'est What, where I figured I could find a seat, enjoy a few pints of craft beer (which I hadn't had all festival, unless you count the Blanche de Chambly at The Hideout on Friday night) and hear some good music.

French Wives

I'd seen the last two songs of Scottish band French Wives at the Easy Tiger Patio in Austin, Texas during last week's South By Southwest Music Festival, and liked them enough to see a full set. I wasn't disappointed. The single "Numbers" ranks among the best songs I've heard this year, with Siobhan Anderson's violin adding an element of class to the indie pop number and singer/guitarist Stuart Dougan's understandable lyric delivery which belies his Glaswegian roots. It went down well with a Granite Hopping Mad from the cask.

The excellent set also included "Halloween," which was a hit in the group's homeland three years ago, "Sleep Tight," and the closing number, "Younger."  There's an epic quality to the music, but it stays away from the pretension that can creep into the repertoire of lesser acts who aspire to have that word used in concert with its work. French Wives' debut album, Dream of the In Between, is scheduled to be released in May.

I ordered a cask-conditioned 8.5-per-cent alcohol Wellington Imperial Stout, and I enjoyed the nutty chocolate flavour and the punch it packed as I sat down at a table in front of the stage while Nash set up.

Nash

I wrote the bio for Nash and his debut solo album, The Death of Reason, last year. But I'd only spoken to the multi-talented artist via phone and email and had never seen him perform, so I introduced myself before the set. Nash has a colourful history and he sang, played bass, guitar, keyboards, programming, omnichord and glockenspiel -— pretty much everything but drums —- on The Death of Reason, which he also recorded, engineered and produced. He played both guitar and keyboards for this performance and the backing by another keyboardist and guitarist, along with bass and drums, added a more muscular quality to the pop music that wasn't as evident on the record.

I appreciated the rawness of "Broken Down Satellites," "Sad Robot Harmonies" was excellent, a trumpet came out for "In a State of Mind" and the set ended with "Suit Up." I'm always pleased when people I work with and like turn out to be even better than I originally expected when I entered the relationship, and Nash certainly proved himself with this performance.

I headed back out into the elements and ducked my head into the Horseshoe to say hello to a few friends before moving on for The Stanfields' 2 a.m. set at The Hideout. I've become a big fan of this Halifax Celtic rock group over the past few years and was happy to see that the place was packed and people were dancing in front of the stage. Band manager Ian McKinnon, who I'd spoken to at the Music Nova Scotia party earlier in the evening, was also pleased by the raucous performance and the rabid response.

The Stanfields have started recording a new album that I'm looking forward to. But in the meantime, I recommend you see the band and listen to its Vanguard of the Young and Reckless debut album.

Canadian Music Fest Friday: Good but not great

I'd liked St. Catharines, Ont. street punk band The Lucky Ones when it opened for Stiff Little Fingers at Lee's Palace last August, so I was looking forward to seeing the quartet on Friday night at the recently renovated Bovine Sex Club.

The Lucky Ones

There weren't a lot of people in the club when The Lucky Ones kicked off the 9 p.m. slot with "No Fear, More Beer," the opening track from the recently released The Booze Sessions. There seemed to be a slightly harder edge to the band than what I recalled, but that could just be my faulty memory. "Ten Pints Goodlookin', "Punks R Drunk" and "Raise A Glass" give you a good idea of what many of the songs are about. I was hoping for more, but I'd give The Lucky Ones another shot.

I was cutting through Kensington Market when I heard a band playing Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up." As I walked toward the open door of the small venue, a street person charged past me and went inside, grabbed a tambourine and started what I guess she considered dancing. "I'll go get the water," she exclaimed repeatedly as management escorted her outside after the song and I continued on my way.

I arrived at the El Mocambo early for Apache Relay's 10:30 p.m. set and was very pleasantly surprised that D.A. Foods was serving free mini pulled pork sandwiches and hamburgers. That eliminated the need to buy dinner.

I didn't know much about Apache Relay, but had received a couple of recommendations, so I found myself near the stage as the Nashville, Tenn. sextet walked on to it. The group plays loud indie rock, but with mandolin and fiddle added into the mix. Lots of movement and energy permeated through visceral numbers like "State Trooper," "Set Me Free" and "Watering Hole." I didn't dislike it, but I wasn't knocked out, so I left mid-set for the Silver Dollar.

Last Year's Men

Promoter Dan Burke's latest garage rock find is Last Year's Men, a young quartet from Chapel Hill, N.C. that's doing a three-night residency at the Silver Dollar during Canadian Music Fest. I got a Black Lips vibe from "Paralyzed" and the other songs in the short set, including the more '60s-influenced "Spilled." Singer/guitarist Ben Carr kept breaking strings and, during one break in the action, bassist Montgomery recited a list of things he's thankful for, which included "Molson M, tobacco, Tim Horton's and Dairy Queen."

Carr jumped into the crowd and did a headstand to end the abbreviated set, which I enjoyed but expected more from. But a friend who saw the band on Thursday night said it was better then and that I should think about giving it another chance, so there's a possibility I'll be back at the Silver Dollar tonight to do just that.

I just caught one song from Chains of Love back at the El Mocambo, but heard enough that I liked that I'll try to see the band at the Horseshoe tonight.

Johnny Dowd

Johnny Dowd was rocking his Stratocaster and spinning his gothic yarns along with a drummer and keyboardist when I entered Comfort Zone. It's been a few years since I've seen the soon-to-be 64-year-old, but he seemed to be exhibiting more energy than I remember from the past. He's aging gracefully and craggily, just as he should. The surprisingly young and appreciative crowd picked up on it, and some were even dancing.

Dowd's blend of alt.country and experimental bluesy rock is hard to pigeonhole, but he's received comparisons to Tom Waits and Nick Cave. He was using a music stand to read the lyrics, which came in handy on "Hot Pants" and the disturbing "Betty" from his forthcoming No Regrets album that includes 13 songs that all bear the names of women.

Comfort Zone rivals Mod Club and Revival for worst beer selection of any music club in Toronto. I was reduced to ordering a Molson M, perhaps because of Montgomery being thankful for it less than an hour earlier and the fact that the other choices weren't any more appealing.

Thee Attacks

I headed back down to Queen Street for Danish band Thee Attacks, who I missed out on seeing in Austin, Texas last week but heard rave reviews of. The quartet played an 11-song set of straight-ahead rock-and-roll for its first Canadian performance that was largely comprised of material from its debut album with a few new ones from the impending follow-up.

Frontman Jimmy Attack wore tight leather pants and stalked the stage when he wasn't playing guitar. He stood and sat on monitors, pulled down a film screen to briefly hide the band from view and got down into the audience. He knows all the microphone and tambourine tricks and is a pure entertainer who I'm sure has no problem getting laid after shows, while guitarist Terry Attack actually does attack his instrument with abandon like Pete Townshend 45 years ago. He's good enough that Jimmy doesn't need to play rhythm, as the group loses a bit of momentum when he's not prowling around unencumbered.

Thee Attacks' songs aren't as consistently good as the showmanship, but there's a lot of potential with this young band, which recorded its debut album with producer Liam Watson (The White Stripes' Elephant). And I usually like bands that put Thee instead of The in front of their names despite the pretension of it.

I saw people in wheelchairs who appeared to have long-term disabilities at three different clubs, and it was great to see them out enjoying themselves.

I thought I'd drop by the Horseshoe to see who was hanging out and, when I arrived, was told that Dan Mangan was the surprise 2 a.m. guest. As much as I think he's one of the nicest guys around and I wish him all the success in the world, I elected not to fight through the large crowd and was content to stand at the back of the bar talking to friends while he played before moving to the front bar for one more pint before calling it a night.

Shotgun + Samson = success at CMF

Sackville, N.B. indie rock band Shotgun & Jaybird never did a lot for me, so I paid little attention to Jim "Shotgun Jimmie" Kilpatrick's solo albums until Transistor Sister made the Polaris Music Prize long list last year. I had a listen, really liked the record and, since nothing from my first ballot made the long list, I placed it first on my second Polaris ballot.

Joel Plaskett, who opened Canadian Music Fest with an electrifying performance way up in the CN Tower on Wednesday evening, told me last summer that Transistor Sister was one of his favourite records of 2011. And now Shotgun Jimmie is both opening for Weakerthans main man John K. Samson and playing guitar in his band on Samson's tour in support of his Provincial solo album.

Shotgun Jimmie

I can see why Plaskett and Samson are Shotgun Jimmie fans, as he's a fellow clever wordsmith and an eclectic artist with a knack for catchy pop/rock melodies. That was fully on display Thursday night at The Great Hall when Shotgun Jimmie played a 14-song, 40-minute solo set on electric guitar with occasional foot pedal percussion.

He's not the greatest guitarist, by any means, but his songs and friendly demeanour make me overlook that. And it obviously had no impact on the three young hosers standing at the base of the stage wearing homemade Shotgun Jimmie T-shirts.

I liked almost every number, but I'd call "Late Last Year," the new "Standing In A Line," "Too Many Flowers," "Stereo and the Stove" and "Bar's Closed" my favourites.

I stepped out for a bite to eat and missed the 10 p.m. band, but returned in time to listen to some fine tunes -- led by the Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get?" -- while Samson and company set up before starting in earnest at 11 p.m. when the set began the same way as Provincial does: with "Highway 1 East." Samson then switched from acoustic to electric guitar on another song about Winnipeg, "Cruise Night."

John K. Samson

That was followed by the excellent "When I Write My Master's Thesis" and the slow and sombre "Letter in Icelandic from the Ninette San" before we got our first Weakerthans song of the night, a solo version of "One Great City." Shotgun Jimmie and the bassist returned for the mellow "Bigfoot" and then Samson asked everyone to raise a toast to his favourite deceased goalie before reciting "Elegy for Gump Worsley."

An acoustic "Pamphleteer" was more than solid and Samson reached back to his youthful hockey memories again as the band returned for "www.ipetitions.com/petition/rivertonrifle/," the site of an online petition Samson is championing to get former Philadelphia Flyers sniper inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. About 1,350 people have signed since Samson got the ball rolling on June 19, 2010.

"Longitudinal Centre" rocked out as did a cover of Jawbreaker's "The Boat Dreams From The Hill." Things quieted down on the moving "The Last And," but that didn't last for long once "Highway 1 West" was cranked out. "Stop Error" provided a quiet conclusion to the set, but the obligatory encore brought three more songs.

Samson returned to the stage and asked the crowd for requests before playing The Weakerthans' "My Favourite Chords" and reaching further into his past with Propagandhi's "Gifts." Samson's bandmates departed again and he was left alone in the centre of the stage with his acoustic guitar as the audience hushed except for those who gently sang along to another Weakerthans song, Reunion Tour's "Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure."

Just like the previous night when I'd seen two artists who left me satisfied enough to go home without hitting more clubs, I was pleased with how this evening unfolded and was home at a civilized 12:30 a.m.

Joel Plaskett and Michael Rault get Canadian Music Fest off to a flying start

There wasn't a lot of quantity in what I took in on the opening night of Canadian Music Fest, but there was a metric tonne of quality.

Joel Plaskett Emergency played the opening night party in the Horizons Lounge in the CN Tower, 346 metres above the ground, and his 10-song set took us even higher. Plaskett's Scrappy Happiness comes out March 27, so he showcased a few tunes from it along with some should-have-been hits from his catalogue along with drummer Dave Marsh and bassist Chris Pennell.

Plaskett jumped right into the new material with "You're Mine," which name-checks and praises Husker Du, and followed it with one of the top tracks from 2009's Three, "Deny, Deny, Deny." Another new one, "North Star," showed that Plaskett hasn't lost his knack for literate and eminently listenable songs with clever phrases.

Plaskett returned to 2007's Ashtray Rock and "Snowed In," and the irony didn't escape the artist considering the record-breaking high March temperatures Toronto has experienced this week. "Nothing More To Say" from the same album continued the roll the band was on before Frost and Pennell took a break while Plaskett played new song "Harbour Boys" solo on 12-string acoustic guitar.

The rhythm section returned for Scrappy Happiness opener "Lightning Bolt," which featured some fuzzed-out guitar and Plaskett getting more animated than I've seen him for quite a while. That manic energy continued through "Work Out Fine" and what was supposed to be his final number, "Nowhere With You." That one got the primarily music industry member crowd so riled up, however, that it demanded an encore. Plaskett didn't disappoint and delivered a killer "Come On Teacher," which earned a well-earned rousing round of claps and hollers as the group left the stage.

I look forward to seeing Plaskett again when he returns to Toronto for two nights in May as part of his cross-country tour with Frank Turner. That's a double bill you won't want to miss if it rolls through your city.

I returned home to drop off my car and take care of a few things before venturing a few blocks west to the basement of The Great Hall for a 9:30 set by Michael Rault, an Edmontonian who now lives in Toronto but doesn't perform locally as much as I'd like him to.

Michael Rault

Rault's Ma-Me-O debut album came out of nowhere to finish at #7 on my favourite albums of 2010 list, but I'd never seen him until tonight. The album is full of great hooks, '60s-influenced pop and garage rock that's uncomplicated but engrossing. I'm happy to report that the singer/guitarist's performance -- augmented by a rhythm section and a female tambourine player and backing singer who was largely inaudible -- bears those same qualities.

Like Ma-Me-O, the set opened with "Let Me Go Out" and "The Things You Said," which drew some impressive dancefloor action. Other favourites from the album included "Call Me On The Phone," "You Can Leave If You Want To" and "She'll Cut You Down." Also like Ma-Me-0, the 30-minute set left me wanting to hear more.

Hopefully Rault's association with the Pirates Blend label and management team and the Paquin Entertainment booking agency can raise his profile because I'm convinced that others will fall for his charms just like I have.

It was just 10 p.m. and there was lots of music left to be heard, but I'm still recovering from a hectic South By Southwest Music Festival and just returned home from Texas on Tuesday evening and immediately returned to the 9 to 5 world. I also knew that it wouldn't be possible to hear anything better than Plaskett and Rault, so I called it a night and went home to catch up on a few things that had been neglected during my 10 days in Texas.