GBV and Mekons win Saturday at TURF

Heavy rains through much of the Toronto Urban Roots Fest’s second day probably resulted in a smaller walk-up audience than it deserved, but those that didn’t mind some precipitation and mud at Fort York were well-rewarded.

Lush broke up after the suicide of drummer Chris Acland in 1996, and I only saw the group twice before that, so I was looking forward to seeing lead singer/guitarist Miki Berenyi, guitarist/vocalist Emma Anderson and bassist Phil King with new drummer Justin Welch after they reformed last year. The band’s dreamy shoegaze sounded as lush as ever and, while a couple of songs may have plodded a bit too much for my taste, the 4AD scenesters didn’t seem to have lost much after the long layoff.

Lush

The overcast skies and occasional rainfall helped solidify the mood for what was often an atmospheric set on the West Stage that included “Light From a Dead Star” and “Hypocrite” as well as the more up-tempo sing-along number “Ladykillers.”

Lush

The Sheepdogs have become quite successful, they’re very good musicians and, whenever I’ve heard them interviewed, they seemed like good guys. But some unknown element has always held me back from embracing the Saskatoon rock band. The group took a few steps toward bringing me on board with its East Stage performance, however, as the members showed how tight and talented they are with songs including “I’m Gonna Be Myself,” “Bad Lieutenant” and the catchy and simple “Southern Dreaming.” I’ve seen Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings perform together and they don’t sound as much like The Guess Who as The Sheepdogs do.

Will Sheff has a completely new band around him now in Okkervil River and I found its new record, Away, almost a complete snorefest. So it was with some trepidation when I arrived at the Rebellion Stage to see the singer/songwriter/guitarist and his new bandmates. Some of the older numbers may have lacked some of the oomph that was present in their original arrangements, but there’s still no arguing that the likes of “Plus Ones,” “Down Down The Deep River,” “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe,” “Unless It’s Kicks” and “For Real” are winners.

Even new songs “Mary on a Wave,” “Judey on a Street” and “Okkervil River R.I.P.” were brought to new life on stage. Mother Nature must have approved, as a rainbow appeared over Toronto during the set. I’ve seen better Okkervil River shows, but this one still exceeded my expectations.

Okkervil River

I’ve been a fan of Luke Doucet through his early days with Veal, his subsequent solo work and now with his wife Melissa McClelland in Whitehorse. The innovative folk-rock duo’s members often shared the same microphone to create fine harmonies and used effects to augment their material, which included “You Get Older” and a slow and moody interpretation of Chuck Berry’s “Nadine.”

I would have liked to have stayed longer at the Battle of York Stage, but there was more to see and hear.

It’s probably been at least 20 years since it was cool to like Barenaked Ladies in Toronto, and I haven’t seen the band since Steven Page’s 2009 departure, but I still have a soft spot for the group’s earlier material — and I guess the gold award for its independently released self-titled debut cassette release that hangs on my wall is proof of that.

I arrived midway through BNL’s West Stage performance, just in time to catch a jazzed up rendition of “Hello City,” which briefly transitioned smartly into The Housemartins’ “Happy Hour.” I continued to be impressed with a keyboard-heavy “Narrow Streets,” a faithful version of the group’s old cover of Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” and “Sound Of Your Voice.” Adam Hindle from Born Ruffians joined the cast for “Brian Wilson,” and “Pinch Me” slowly faded from my ears as I walked toward the food trucks for a burrito.

I’m not sure if I saw Ween at The Rivoli in the early ‘90s or whether I’m somehow imagining it, so Dean and Gene Ween’s East Stage performance was either the first or second time that I was in close proximity to them. After a plodding instrumental introduction, Ween opened with “Did You See Me?” and followed it with “Roses Are Free,” “Take Me Away” and “Up On The Hill.” Aside from the countrified and up-tempo “Piss Up A Rope” and “Waving My Dick In The Wind,” most of it was too jammy for me. It was no surprise that there were quite a few Grateful Dead T-shirts in the crowd.

People were pressed up against the barrier in front of the stage yelling out song titles and holding up signs for Ween. I didn’t realize that the group still had such a large and fervent fan base, but this set made me realize that I’m not destined to be part of it. I left for the Rebellion Stage.

Ween

I haven’t seen Guided by Voices since before the Dayton, Ohio band first broke up in 2004, and I definitely missed frontman Robert Pollard and company. The kids’ swimming pool full of beer was missing from the stage, but  bottles of Bud Lite and tequila were always nearby for the singer and his latest bandmates: drummer Kevin March; bassist Mark Shue; returning guitarist Doug Gillard; and surprise new guitarist Bobby Bare Jr.

Guided by Voices

The guitars were slashing, the drums were pounding and Pollard was typically prolific. The club was open. I lost track of how many short and punchy songs were played, almost all of them introduced by Pollard, but the group fit a lot of music from the GBV, Boston Spaceships, ESP Ohio, Ricked Wicky and Pollard solo catalogues into 80 minutes. Hardcore fans sang along with many of them, including “Come On Baby Grace,” “Royal Cyclopean,” “Arrows and Balloons,” “I Am A Tree,” “Dragons Awake!,” “Back to the Lake,” “Poor Substitute,” “Tabby & Lucy” and “Love Is Stronger Than Witchcraft.”

If that wasn’t enough, the band granted my silent wishes by playing three of my favourite GBV songs toward the end of the set: “Teenage FBI,” “I Am A Scientist” and set closer “Glad Girls.” Venue curfew was imminent but the crowd’s resolution to hear more was unyielding so the band returned for a brief encore of “Don’t Stop Now” and “Shocker in Gloomtown.” I have it on good authority that Pollard had to be talked out of doing a cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley.”

Guided by Voices

Just when I didn’t think things could get much better, I believe they did.

In addition to the Fort York festival, TURF includes shows at the Horseshoe Tavern and Lee’s Palace. Some friends and I walked up to the Shoe and we arrived just in time to catch the end of Skinny Lister, which I had seen and enjoyed the day before.

After what seemed like a longer wait than it probably was (anticipation and beer can play tricks with the mind), the eight members of The Mekons trundled on stage. Things couldn’t have got off to a better start, as the band kicked into “Memphis Egypt.” It could have gone downhill after that lofty beginning, but it’s to The Mekons' credit that it didn’t. The group has an extensive and diverse catalogue, a fine new Bloodshot Records album called Existentialism, and a cast of characters that ensures the between song banter will always be entertaining.

You want country? Reggae? Folk? Punk? Roots rock? With The Mekons you can have it all, with violin, accordion and saz augmenting traditional rock and roll instrumentation. On this night the menu included “Beaten and Broken,” “Tina,” Sally Timms’ divine vocal take on “Millionaire,” “Diamonds,” “Abernant 1984/5,” “Fantastic Voyage,” and “(Sometimes I Feel Like) Fletcher Christian.”

Longtime Jon Langford collaborators Dallas and Travis Good walked on stage for “Orpheus” and randomly came and went for most of the rest of the set, which featured “The Bomb,” “Last Dance” and “Hard To Be Human.”

The Mekons left the stage for a quick breather, some drinks and to exchange pleasantries with Bare Jr., who had made his way from Fort York after his GBV set, before returning for an encore. It began with the slower and more folk-oriented “Afar & Forlorn” and picked up steam with “Thee Olde Trip To Jerusalem (which Timms turned into her personal dance party),” “Big Zombie” and the plaintively beautiful “Wild and Blue,” which included Gord Cumming briefly sneaking on stage to play some guitar.

A big finale was expected and it was delivered with “Where Were You?,” the 1978 single that remains the most timeless song from The Mekons’ early punk days.

That called for more drinks and conversation, and most of the band members were happy to oblige and indulge until the whee hours.

The Mekons

SXSW highlights from Saturday and Sunday

As mentioned previously, I'll provide an overview of my top moments of this year's South by Southwest Music Festival in a later post, but here's a brief overview of my Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday I saw:

Low Cut Connie, Saukrates, The People The Poet, Whitehorse, Screaming Females, Pop Group, Elliott Brood, Black Linen, Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express, The Parrots, Spells, The Blind Owls, Danny B. Harvey with Annie Marie Lewis (Jerry Lee's niece), 69 Cats, a Trinidadian steel band that played while we were waiting for Mighty Sparrow (who never showed up in his allotted hour-long time slot), Pujol, Sweet Talk and The Uglybeats.

On Sunday I saw:

Ice Cold Singles, Jon Langford and the Far Forlorn, Banditos, Churchwood and The Waco Brothers (who invited me on stage to sing "Folsom Prison Blues.")

I didn't take my camera out on Sunday night because the battery was dead, but here are a few photos from the past few days:

Jon Langford and The Far Forlorn

The Uglybeats

Pujol

Low Cut Connie

Elliott Brood

Danny B. Harvey and Annie Marie Lewis

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express

Black Linen

69 Cats

The Grapes of Wrath still make sweet music

I saw The Grapes of Wrath for the first time in more than 20 years when the reunited Kevin Kane and Tom Hooper played in front of a smallish audience at Toronto's El Mocambo as part of the pre-Juno Awards festivities in March 2011.

There was a considerably larger crowd on hand at Toronto's Mod Club on Tuesday night, when Kane and Hooper (with original drummer Chris Hooper back in the fold this time, along with another guitarist and keyboard player) took the stage on the 20th anniversary of the band's original break-up after a show at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom.

Julie Doiron got folks warmed up with an enjoyable 45-minute opening set, and CBC Radio 2 host Rich Terfry announced that the concert was being recorded for a later broadcast before he brought the Grapes to the stage.

The set began with "O Lucky Man" and guitarist Kane and bassist Hooper showed that the harmonies that helped make the Grapes so popular in the '80s haven't gone anywhere in the succeeding years. It was followed by "Stay," and then it was time for the first of the guests who'd been lined up to perform with the group.

I'd seen Ron Sexsmith do the same thing the night before with Blue Rodeo, but this evening he also brought Doiron on stage to help the Grapes with "Backward Town."

"Good to See You," one of two new songs on the Grapes' just-released Singles collection that's also the first single from a new studio album scheduled for a February release through Aporia Records, sounded as good as anything from the catalogue.

The Grapes had never performed with a banjo player until Great Lake Swimmers' Erik Arnesen and Tony Dekker joined them for "The Most." "A Fishing Tale" brought the rock, "A Dream (About You)" kept the momentum going and the band kept on a roll through "Misunderstanding" and "I Am Here."

The other band members left Kane and Hooper alone on stage with acoustic guitars for another new song, "Take On The Day."

Whitehorse's Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland, who had also played with Blue Rodeo the night before, kept the gentle vibe alive when they joined the other Grapes members who'd returned to the stage for "All The Things I Wasn't." Hayden was up next for "What Was Going Through My Head" and helped it excel, while the Grapes handled "Do You Want to Tell Me" just fine on their own.

Sam Roberts was the final guest of the night and took a co-starring role with the organ on an excellent "You May Be Right." The 65-minute set ended with a butt-kicking "Peace of Mind" that left the crowd wanting more.

The Grapes returned for a very solid "A Very Special Day" before ending the night with a well-executed cover of The Beatles' "If I Needed Someone."

The Grapes of Wrath probably wouldn't have become the next Beatles even if the group had stayed together, but it produced some of the best and most commercially viable jangly pop-rock songs to come out of Canada in its prime. And judging by "Good to See You," it could do it again.

Blue Rodeo welcomes musical friends on special night

Faced with a choice of watching CNN reporters valiantly clutching railings while talking about gusting winds and torrential rains or braving the less hazardous elements of a wet and blustery Toronto night to go to the Glenn Gould Studio to see a private silver anniversary concert by Blue Rodeo and friends, it was an easy choice. Piers Morgan and his colleagues could wait until I got home at midnight to turn on the television.

Blue Rodeo is marking the 25th anniversary of the release of its Outskirts debut album with the release earlier this month of its expansive Blue Rodeo: 1987-1993 box set, which includes remastered versions of the band's first five studio albums, unreleased music, studio outtakes and a new version of Outskirts remixed by singer/guitarist Greg Keelor. A tour of Spain follows in November, and a cross-Canada jaunt will take up the first six weeks of 2013.

But Monday was an extra special night, as members of Blue Rodeo's extended musical family joined them on stage during an intimate two-hour show.

Molly Johnson hosted part of the evening and she talked about the early days of Blue Rodeo when they were regulars at her stomping grounds, The Cameron House. She then introduced Cuff The Duke, which played "Five Days in May" with Blue Rodeo member Bob Egan on steel guitar.

Jim Cuddy

The other members of the guests of honour then took the stage and essentially acted as the house band for much of the rest of the night as their friends trotted out to cover their songs. Oh Susanna got things rolling with "Bad Timing" and Jim Cuddy's son Devon followed with "Rain Down On Me." The band members then pulled the old switcheroo, with Keelor sitting behind the drum kit, Glenn Milchem moving from drums to guitar and Cuddy making himself at home behind the piano to back Justin Rutledge's version of "Falling Down Blue."

You might not expect Ron Sexsmith to be the guy to get a show rocking, but he did just that with "Love and Understanding." Things mellowed out again when Whitehorse's Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland reprised Blue Rodeo and Sarah McLachlan's "Dark Angel."

Great Big Sea presented the first big highlight when it joined Blue Rodeo for "Rose Coloured Glasses." The Sadies were given the stage to themselves for "Palace of Gold," a staple of their own sets over the years that never ceases to please me.

The uber-pleasant Andy Maize and his Skydiggers bandmate Josh Finlayson shone with the Blue Rodeo boys on "Hasn't Hit Me Yet" and Great Big Sea returned to get the relatively reserved audience to clap along to "What Am I Doing Here."

Blue Rodeo performed "Try" on its own and the crowd loved it. Devon Cuddy came back to play piano with his dad and his musical pals on an excellent "Til I Am Myself Again."

Dallas Good and Greg Keelor

Several of my friends cited the next song, an extended "Diamond Mine," as their favourite of the night. I'd have a hard time disagreeing. The Sadies added their signature twangy reverb and Travis Good (who was looking a bit like soon-to-be tourmate Neil Young) brought some serious feedback while Michael Boguski let loose on the organ during an extended jam.

All of the musicians crowded on the stage to take part in a major sing-along during the chorus of "Lost Together," which ended the show on a high note and added to the fuel for conversation at a casually engaging champagne reception in the venue lobby put on by the hard-working folks at Blue Rodeo's management company, Starfish Entertainment.

It was a memorable evening for the few hundred people in attendance, but CBC will share the wealth while broadcasting the concert over the next week or so on radio and online. Try to catch it if you can.