 |
| Shannon and The Clams |
I've unfortunately missed Shannon and The Clams on past visits to Toronto and during the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and I didn't expect that I'd be riding a streetcar the first time I caught the Oakland, Calif.-formed group.
MiO, which makes liquid water enhancer, enhanced its marketing by commandeering one of Toronto's streetcars and taking it back and forth along Queen Street. The customized 501 "Squirtcar" is inviting bands and fans to take a ride for three nights during the North by Northeast Music Festival, so I hopped on for a round trip.
Shannon and The Clams is a trio that masterfully blends doo-wop from the '50s and girl group pop and garage rock from the '60s while giving them a 21st century spin. It's a testament to a band's concentration if it can play nine songs while rolling along without missing a beat, and Shannon and The Clams pulled it off. Bassist Shannon Shaw and guitarist Cody Blanchard (who's also a member of Hunx and His Punx) shared lead vocals and infused a playful spirit into their tunes. While it was almost as much fun to see the reactions of pedestrians and motorists as they gawked, pointed, waved and snapped photos as we drove by as it was to watch the band, I definitely want to see it again in less cramped quarters.
 |
| Bloodshot Bill |
I'm a fan of Montreal one-man band Bloodshot Bill and his mix of rockabilly, garage and surf rock. I last saw him open for Catl two months ago, and from his opening cover of The Rivieras' "California Sun" through nine more mostly original songs until the ride came to an end, he was as entertaining as ever. His vocal gymnastics and guitar work, augmented by foot pedal-powered drum and cymbals, would make any commute a lot more fun. Bill asked for a cold beer, which I would have appreciated as well, but I was content with free bottled water and MiO.
 |
| The Demos |
Beer was waiting at Hideout, where I arrived just after The Demos had begun their 11 p.m. set. The young Rochester, N.Y. band's "Nervous" is a perfect piece of summertime power pop that deserved to be a hit. Nothing else in the repertoire lived up that high, but it's brand of melodic, straight-ahead rock and roll and classic '70s power pop (with one Strokes-like tune thrown in for good measure) would make me want to see it again as an opening act. I'd just recommend making better use of the keyboards, which were under-utilized until the closing number.
 |
| Gay Nineties |
I'd heard good things about Vancouver's Gay Nineties and think that its new "Letterman" single/video is another summertime song that should be getting widespread exposure these days. If you like Hollerado, you should like this song. I was surprised to see that the lead singer/guitarist had long hair and was wearing a bandana. That didn't fit the mental image I had of the band. Five songs into the set, I realized that the group's other songs weren't doing anything for me so I hit the Rivoli exit.
I've seen Alejandro Escovedo a number of times, but I'm unsure if I can add one more show to the list after walking in on the Austin-based singer/songwriter/guitarist's last song with Poi Dog Pondering violinist Susan Voelz at the Horseshoe Tavern. Oh well. I'm sure I'll see him again.
 |
| Whitney Rose |
I stayed at the Shoe for a set from what Six Shooter Records founder Shauna de Cartier called "the future of Americana" in her introduction. It featured three young singer/songwriter/guitarists performing three of their own songs each while joining a talented back-up band that included under-appreciated guitarist Nichol Robertson.
Whitney Rose is small but has a very big and dynamic voice that at times can sound as sultry as she looks. Her music has an air of classic country about it and it would be great to see her succeed in the modern world.
 |
| Joe Nolan |
Joe Nolan is a roots artist that Six Shooter is big on, seemingly for good reason based on what little I've heard.
Sam Cash is the son of former L'Etranger member (and now Member of Parliament) Andrew Cash, and he's definitely the most rocking of the three. He fronts a band called The Romantic Dogs that I look forward to catching soon.
The three of them took turns singing lead on a spirited cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" to end the night.
 |
| Sam Cash |
I don't know if Rose, Nolan and Cash are the future of Americana, but I'd be happy if they played a decent role in the future of Canadiana.
It's been my custom to play shortstop for the Mixed Media Mongrels in the SXSW Softball Tournament under coach Stephen Easley since 2004. I had to miss SXSW last year, so it was good to catch up with the friends I've made on the team, and we've had some good runs in past years.This wasn't one of them, however. We were okay defensively, but couldn't get the bats going. I batted first and hit two singles before flying out to right field in the last inning, but never made it past second base. It was a single loss elimination tournament, and we went down 8-3. But troubles were drowned with a can of free beer and lots of free food, including cole slaw, potato salad, beans, sausage, chicken, chipped beef, ribs and brisket.I got back to the condo, washed up and changed, grabbed a tin of Guinness for the walk and made my way to the Continental Club to meet Craig Laskey, who had gone earlier and picked me up a $20 ticket for a very special edition of Alejandro Escovedo's annual Sunday concert with a number of his friends. It's not an official SXSW event, but it's a tradition that I finally took part in for the first time.Things got underway at 1:30 p.m. with sets by Frank Mustard Project, Krayolas, Triple Cobra, Kris Gruen and The Bombettes before I arrived just before 5 p.m. The adrenaline from earlier in the day had disappeared, and Craig and I commandeered two bar stools behind the club where we could still hear things but could rest our weary bones for a while since we had a long night ahead of us. But Maren Parusen and John Velghe sounded okay from a distance.We moved inside and propped ourselves against the bar for Miss Melvis, and then I started paying more attention once Jesse Malin hit the stage at 7 p.m. The performance was highlighted by "San Francisco," "Burning The Bowery," "Black Haired Girl" (which has similarities to Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl") and "Revelations." He ended with a cover of The Clash's "Death Or Glory" that was nowhere near as good as the original, but an excellent choice nevertheless.The male/female guitar and drums duo The Ghost Wolves was up next and the first song was an alternative blues number that I didn't mind, but the woman's high-pitched voice quickly got on my nerves and the end of the set didn't come soon enough for almost everyone in the rapidly filling club.Garland Jeffreys played one of my favourite sets of the week when I saw him earlier in the week, and the repertoire was pretty similar in this one with the same sharp Austin musicians, but it lacked a bit of vibrancy. But he's almost 25 years older than me, so I can understand why, considering I was feeling pretty wiped out. But he walked up and introduced himself before his set, and we had a brief conversation after it, and was pleased he was so nice since I've always respected him and his music.
 |
| Tommy Stinson |
Former Replacements and current Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson (who's also had shorter runs with Bash and Pop, Perfect and as a solo artist) was up next and opened with new solo album title track "One Man Mutiny" with just him on acoustic guitar accompanied by a slide player. They were then joined by a guitarist, bassist, drummer and Stinson's wife, who looked much better than she sang."Zero to Stupid" featured impressive lap steel and was followed by "Match Made in Hell." Stinson switched to bass partway through the set for more rocking tunes. It was good, but I'd still to prefer to see him with The Replacements one more time.
 |
| Mike Barfield |
I'd never heard of Barfield, The Tyrant of Texas Funk, so took a brief respite on a padded bench by the mercy table, but went out to our perch beside the stage once I realized how good the group sounded. Mike Barfield is an entertaining frontman and his bandmates were all fine players. These guys combine to make a great party band, but I doubt they'll ever venture up to Canada.Kid Congo Powers -- who cut his teeth as a guitarist with The Gun Club, The Cramps and Nick Cave's Bad Seeds before fronting The Pink Monkey Birds -- played a completely entertaining set that showcased his guitar skills and quirky lyrics. The frontman was justifiably smiling throughout songs including "I Found A Peanut," "Rare As The Yeti," "Golden Brown" (which he stressed wasn't The Stranglers number of the same name), "Black Santa," "Bubble Trouble" "LSDC" and covers of The Cramps' "I'm Cramped" and The Gun Club's "For The Love of Ivy." The club was packed with about 200 people, but some still managed to dance despite the tight quarters.
 |
| Kid Congo Powers |
The main attraction, Escovedo and lots of guest stars, took the stage at 12:30 a.m. You can read about that amazing set in my Spinner review.Money spent on food during six days and nights of SXSW: $8.
