SXSW day one: Joe "King" Carrasco lives up to his name

I've been coming to the South by Southwest Music Festival since 2004 but haven't seen any more of Texas beyond the Dallas and Houston airports, so I changed things up a bit this year and spent a day in Houston and another in San Antonio before jumping full on into SXSW. I'll take San Antonio. Houston? Probably not.

New Town Drunks

The music began Tuesday night at tenOak, which I'm hoping isn't a music venue the other 51 weeks a year. Chapel Hill, N.C.'s New Town Drunks, a sextet featuring acoustic guitar, saxophone, upright bass, keyboards, drums and the sexy Diane Koistinen on lead vocals had the honour. Two dozen people were there to take in the group's mix of folk, rock, cabaret, alt.country, jazz and tango. Koistinen came into the audience to dance and the best line of the show came in the last song, which included the lyric "Like John and Yoko all night long, lying naked with a bong."

Whiskey Daredevils

Another band with a booze-related name, Whiskey Daredevils, was a step up. Greg Miller had crazy eyes, but was an excellent showman and I thoroughly enjoyed his three band members' backing on a set that featured old school country music played loud and fast. "Long Gone" inexplicably incorporated some of The Doors' "The End," "Bakersfield" mocked Buck Owens' hometown as being filled with strip malls and 7-11s and not being Nashville West as the band members had expected, and "Trucker Bomb" was about running over plastic bottles filled with urine on a highway median with a lawnmower. Good times.

I first saw Frank Turner three years ago in Austin and have continued to be a big fan, including hosting the launch of his 2010 North American tour in my living room. The British singer/songwriter played a solo acoustic show at Latitude 30 on Tuesday night and opened with "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous," "Try This At Home" and "Peggy Sang the Blues" before doing a couple of new tunes. One was about getting tattoos, and Turner got a pretty bad tattoo in Austin before, and the other was called "Time Machine."

Turner returned to more familiar territory with "Substitute," "Wessex Boy" and "Me and My Friend Dan" before covering Tom Petty's "American Girl." It hurt to tear myself away from the club after "I Still Believe" and "The Road," but I've seen Turner quite a bit over the past three years and have been waiting to see Joe "King" Carrasco and The Crowns for 30 years.

Joe "King" Carrasco and The Crowns

I finally got my chance at Skinny's Ballroom, a relatively small room that wasn't even full. That was a major injustice. Carrasco's nuevo wavo mixes new wave, rock and roll and conjunto and is a total blast. Carrasco lives and plays regularly in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and told me that a lot of his neighbours are from Ontario, but I don't think he's performed in Toronto since I moved there in 1988. Carrasco's early albums were big favourites of mine and he pulled out some classics like "Let's Get Pretty" early on.

Joe "King" Carrasco

But the band has a new album to push, and title track "Que Wow" just became my favourite song written by a guy stricken with typhoid in Mexico. Carrasco said he was friends with both Manu Chao and ? and the Mysterians' Bobby Balderrama, which gave him even more credibility points along with his cover of "96 Tears." I don't know Spanish, but I sang along to every word of "Buena." Carrasco changed crowns mid-set and came into the audience a couple of times, including climbing on top of a table beside me at the bar, and ended the 80-minute set with an extended "Don't Bug Me Baby." He wanted to do an encore, and we were all ready for it too, but the club unfortunately nixed that.

I talked to Carrasco after the show and traded business cards, so hopefully that planted enough of a bug to get him up to Toronto. In the meantime, folks in Austin can see the man and his band at the Austin Music Awards tonight and at The Dog and Duck Pub on Friday at 4 p.m.

Rekindled memories and fun surprises at Juno Concert Series show

The Juno Award festivities begin in Ottawa at the end of the month and culminate with the April 1 televised awards show from Scotiabank Place, but I don't think any of it will be as fun as the March 3 installment of the Juno Concert Series at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern.

Three talented groups acted as house bands over the course of the evening and made excellent accomplices for the top shelf guests who joined them.

The Order of Good Cheer started the night and was soon joined by Thom Darcy of Small Sins and Serena Ryder. The best part of their time on stage was a ripping run through Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently," one of my favourite songs as a child and one I still hold in high esteem. I wasn't disappointed.

Jason Collett with The Order of Good Cheer

Jason Collett seemed to be battling a cold, but still did a fine job of The Weakerthans' "Sun in an Empty Room" and Metric's "Gold Guns Girls."


Collett's Broken Social Scene buddy Kevin Drew then bounded on stage for what he described as a "bar mitzvah version" of Corey Hart's "Never Surrender" with ad-libbed allusions to "Boy in the Box." I'd happily take it over the original song.

Billy Talent frontman Ben Kowalewicz added a bit of a hardcore element to the Forgotten Rebels' "Surfin' on Heroin" and had me wishing that Billy Talent was that punk.

That ended The Order of Good Cheer's night and, while The Beauties set up behind him, Ron Sexsmith offered a solo acoustic interpretation of Max Webster's "Let Go The Line" that worked surprisingly well in that format.

The Beauties established their prowess from the start by opening their portion of the show by jamming out on The Guess Who's "Guns, Guns, Guns."

Ian Blurton with The Beauties

Ian Blurton maintained his guitar hero reputation by leading a blazing romp through April Wine's "Weeping Widow."


Bahamas' Afie Jurvanen was more restrained but no less impressive as he took The Beauties through a bluesy "Cortez the Killer" that had the crowd spellbound. I'm sure that Neil Young and Crazy Horse would have approved.

Former L'Etranger leader and now New Democratic Party member of parliament for Toronto's Davenport riding Andrew Cash followed and took the opportunity to campaign to the packed club, which seemed to largely share his left-leaning political views. He was joined by Ladies of the Canyon's Maia Davies on Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows," but they should have left that one alone.

The Skydiggers' Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson put a big smile on my face by singing another of my childhood favourites, Pagliaro's "What The Hell I Got." It was obvious that Maize enjoyed himself singing it as much as I did hearing it.

Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson with The Beauties

NQ Arbuckle's Neville Quinlan had the crowd singing along enthusiastically to the chorus of Blue Rodeo's "Hasn't Hit Me Yet."


Drew returned for a song called "Last Night in the City," which he said he's been doing with The Beauties at The Dakota Tavern for the past three years. I liked it.

The Beauties' night came to an end after another visit by Maize and Finlayson and a lead vocal turn by Joel Stewart on the Skydiggers' beautiful "I Will Give You Everything."

I've loved Arkells sets of Motown and other vintage covers in the past, so I was excited to see what they might come up with along with some of their musical friends. It was a surprise when Born Ruffians' Luke Lalonde joined them for Broken Social Scene's "Cause=Time." I was standing beside Drew watching the performance from the Horseshoe office window and it was obvious he appreciated it. When I asked him for a verdict afterward, he replied: "That's an unbelievable feeling."

The lovely Emm Gryner pulled off another pleasant surprise by singing Joel Plaskett Emergency's "Extraordinary." It was pretty good at first and just kept getting better.

The ever-smiling Jose Contreras reprised his band By Divine Right's "Stella Heart Ocean."

Davies took the lead while Cuff The Duke's Wayne Petti and others gang-sang the chorus of Young's "Harvest Moon" along with the audience. Great Lake Swimmers' violinist Miranda Mulholland added an impressive solo for good measure.

Petti took centre stage to sing his own band's "The Future Hangs." The harmonica-fuelled country rocker is probably my favourite Cuff The Duke song, and it sounded just as good in the hands of the Horseshoe assemblage.

Members of Tokyo Police Club and Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart whipped more excitement out of the crowd than from me with OLP's "I Loved You All Along," but at least I didn't have to hear Raine Maida singing it.

Drew and Davies were back yet again and made a winning combination on what may be my favourite Dears song, "You and I Are a Gang of Losers."

The crowd erupted when The Tragically Hip's Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois joined the Arkells for the Hip's "Grace, Too," but it was Arkells singer Max Kerman who stole the show. If Hip frontman Gord Downie ever becomes ill and needs an emergency fill-in, we've found the man to do it. Kerman even did a mid-song stream of consciousness spiel on working a baseball glove in and waiting for the sun to come out a la Downie. The performance had all the benefits of the Hip, but without the group's often annoying fans.

The night ended with the Arkells, The Beauties, The Order of Good Cheer and some of their guests crowding on stage to play Bryan Adams' "Run to You." It seemed like almost all the hipsters in the audience let their guards down and pumped their fists in the air and sang along to the chorus.

The show was presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and North by Northeast in conjunction with the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the $20 cover charge went to MusiCounts, CARAS' music education charity.

It was a good cause and definitely a better night than February's edition of the Juno Concert Series, and one that every person I talked to was happy to have witnessed.

Steam Whistle Unsigned Music Series

Friday marked the 21st installment of the Steam Whistle Unsigned Music Series, but it was my first time making it out to one of the three-act shows at Toronto's Steam Whistle Brewery Roundhouse.

Luke Lalonde

Tickets were just five dollars and all of the proceeds were donated to the Artists’ Health Centre Foundation, an organization with a mandate to raise the standard of health care, educational resources and quality of life for artists.

But it wasn't just the cheap cover and good cause that coaxed 500 folks out of the house on a chilly night. The bill featured Born Ruffians singer/guitarist Luke Lalonde introducing himself with a different band as a solo artist, up-and-coming soulful rock sextet The Paint Movement and indie pop act Boys Who Say No, which was launching its Contingencies debut album.

I'm a Born Ruffians fan and still prefer that band over Lalonde's solo work, and I'm not that big on the other two acts either. But they all provided a solid night of entertainment for the people who are supporters, while I was content to stand back, observe, have a couple of beers and enjoy OMD's "Enola Gay" over the sound system during the first between-band break.

The Paint Movement

A pay-what-you-can donation jar was left beside boxes of small square slices from Pizza Pizza adjacent to the free coat check near the entrance, which was another nice touch and a second way of adding to the Artists’ Health Centre Foundation contributions.

I've been to a few music industry parties at Steam Whistle in the past, but it's been a couple of years since my last visit. The place has been spruced up and the roundhouse provides great sight lines to the stage. The brick and  glass walls make for a very loud room -- which can be a positive or negative quality, depending on your perspective.

It's obvious that a lot of thought and work goes into the Steam Whistle Unsigned Music Series, and I'll try not to wait 21 more shows before returning.

Chuck Prophet - Temple Beautiful

I admit to losing touch with Chuck Prophet after the demise of Green on Red and through the string of albums he made through the '90s and into the new millennium. But I became reacquainted through 2009's Let Freedom Ring!, which became one of my favourite albums of that year.

I don't think the follow-up, Temple Beautiful, quite matches that more politically charged record. But it comes damn close and shows that Prophet is in the midst of a career renaissance at age 48.

Temple Beautiful has been described as Prophet's "ode to San Francisco," the city he's called home for most of the past 30 years. He launched the album with a bus tour around the city that highlighted some of the haunts alluded to in his songs, and the report I read made it sound like a magical night.

Steph Finch, Prophet's longtime life and musical partner, adds harmonies and keyboards to a number of tracks. The rest of the musicians augment the songs terrifically, including the saxophonist who comes in on the excellent "Little Girl Little Boy." But it's Prophet's guitar, voice and songs that take Temple Beautiful to the next level above "pretty good rock-and-roll record."

"Castro Halloween" and "Willie Mays is Up at Bat" (on which I'd love to see Prophet collaborate on stage with The Baseball Project) are the most obvious nods to San Francisco, at least to those of us unfortunate enough not to have been there yet.

I'm sure that the Cyril referred to in "Who Shot John" is San Fran native Cyril Jordan, the founder and guitarist for garage rock greats The Flamin' Groovies. The end of "I Felt Like Jesus" is reminiscent of what you'd hear from Prophet's friend and transplanted San Franciscan (and one of my musical idols), Jonathan Richman. Prophet borrows from one of Richman's more obvious influences by adding somewhat of a doo-wop element to the vintage pop-and-roll sound on "White Night, Big City."

The two slower songs on the record, the strings-infused "Museum of Broken Hearts" and the closing "Emperor Norton in the Last Year of His Life (1880)," fall a bit short of the other 10 numbers. But that's probably just  because I like Prophet most when he's rocking.

I've never seen Prophet perform, but will catch at least one set at next month's South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. He would have been high on my list of must-see acts anyway, but the songs on Temple Beautiful cemented it.

Little Barrie and Charles Bradley rock and wail

I doubt if most people who joined forces to sell out Lee's Palace on Saturday night knew much about opening act Little Barrie. I was in the same boat until recently.

Little Barrie

But the British trio definitely made new fans with its 35-minute set that largely showcased its fine King of the Waves album, which will be released in North America on Feb. 28 by Tummy Touch Records. Both the record and the performance opened with "Surf Hell," a surf-garage tune with an edge that's a great momentum-starter.

King of the Waves is Little Barrie's third album and, like 2005's We Are Little Barrie debut, it was co-produced by Orange Juice founder and Scottish solo artist Edwyn Collins ("A Girl Like You"). Collins also added backing vocals to "Money in Paper" on the record, which offers a no-nonsense, swaggering dose of rock-and-roll with dashes of psychedelia, blues and soul thrown in.

Little Barrie is much better known in Japan than in Canada, but frontman Barrie Cadogan has made a name for himself by playing guitar with Primal Scream and Paul Weller and is a talent to be reckoned with. Drummer Virgil Howe has his own share of non-Little Barrie notoriety, as he's the son of Yes guitarist Steve Howe.

Little Barrie will open shows in the midwestern and northeastern United States for soul belter Charles Bradley throughout most of this month. If you like what you see, pick up King of the Waves as well since there's no drop-off in entertainment value from the stage to the studio.

Charles Bradley

Bradley languished in obscurity for years, working as a cook in various U.S. cities and performing James Brown songs while playing occasional gigs under the name Black Velvet. But he was discovered by Daptone Records' Gabriel Roth in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Daptone's Dunham Records imprint released his No Time For Dreaming debut album a year ago.

The record gained critical acclaim and Bradley, now nearing his mid-sixties, has created a growing fan base with his sweat-soaked performances that reinforce his nickname of "The Screaming Eagle of Soul."

It's obvious that Brown, "The Godfather of Soul," had a huge impact on Bradley. He tries to emulate some of the late entertainer's moves, though falls far short in mastering them.

Bradley also likes flashy clothes, as he first appeared to a rousing ovation while wearing black pants, a black shirt and red-sequined jacket. The jacket came off early, and a costume change later in the set showed off a white jacket and black vest with no shirt. The jacket again was quickly removed to reveal a sweaty, shimmering belly.

Bradley certainly can belt out his material, and his delivery elicited frequent screams from the audience, which featured a higher ratio of women than most Lee's shows. In addition to the album repertoire, the soul and funk treatment was given to Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," which had many in the crowd singing along.

But I was at least as impressed with Bradley's seven-piece band -- guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, trumpeter, saxophone player and a young woman hiding away in the back clapping with a tambourine -- as I was with him. The group was tight, talented and melded well with the vocalist throughout the 55-minute set, which also included a couple of instrumentals to get things started.

Bradley was wearing a flashy gold jacket and no shirt when he came out for his encore number, and then he left while the band continued to extend things for a couple more minutes. Bradley emerged on his own at the microphone (as many of the 600 people in attendance were filing out) to offer a sincere, heartfelt thank-you to everyone.

Bradley hasn't had the easiest of lives, but he's making the most of his opportunities now. And hopefully the good times will continue to roll for him, since he deserves that.

Waco Brothers & Paul Burch - Great Chicago Fire

If I didn't have enough reasons to look forward to the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas next month, I have another one after listening to the Waco Brothers and Paul Burch's Great Chicago Fire.

The album will be released by Bloodshot Records on April 24, but the raucous Chicago country punks and the talented but under-appreciated Nashville singer/songwriter will be performing together at SXSW.

As much as I love the Wacos' unpredictable Austin shows and can sing along with most of their songs, it will be good to hear new material since this is their first studio album since 2005's Freedom and Weep. I've never seen Burch perform, but was an advocate of 2003's Fool for Love, enjoyed his interpretations on last year's Words of Love: Songs of Buddy Holly, and have liked what I've heard from him from various compilations and collaborations.

Waco Brothers' Deano Schlabowske and Joe Camarillo at Guero's in Austin.

So I thought this would be a combination that fits squarely into my wheelhouse, especially after finding out that it was brokered over margaritas at Guero's in Austin. I've enjoyed a few of those tequila-laced cocktails with musicians over the years there, too.

My high expectations for Great Chicago Fire were met easily, right from the opening up-tempo title track and its shared lead vocals, female harmonies, up-front guitars and T-Rex influence ("20th Century Boy" has long been a staple of Wacos performances, so perhaps that isn't as surprising as one might initially think).

Deano Schlabowske sings lead on the Tejano meets Jason and The Scorchers-ish "Give In" and "On The Sly," while offering a nifty guitar solo in "Up On The Mountain."

Waco Brothers' Jon Langford, Deano Schlabowske and Tracey Dear.

Jon Langford's insurgent country number "Cannonball" is sweetened by the backing vocals of Tawney Newsome and Bethany Thomas, and "Someone That You Know" canters along jauntily.

Burch's "Wrong Side of Love" is poppy, but with a honky-tonk element courtesy of Pat Brennan's piano. Brennan adds accordion to "Monterey," which would do the Texas Tornados proud. The more lush "Flight to Spain" is surprisingly restrained, but the guitar-fuelled "Transfusion Blues" returns to more familiar Wacos territory.

Bryan Ferry's cover of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" remains my favourite, but the bluesy singalong version that ends this album certainly isn't a disappointment.

Great Chicago Fire is my favourite album of 2012 so far, and I can't envision it not being among my top picks 47 weeks from now.

Punk revival highlights Juno concert

Exclaim! Media celebrated its 20th anniversary and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences raised money for its MusiCounts charity when they joined together for a night of music at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern on Feb. 4 as part of the Juno Concert Series.

The first part of the evening was dedicated to Canadian pop songs, with young combo The Elwins acting as house band. I walked in to hear Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning crooning Remy Shand's "Take A Message." I wasn't a fan, but it may have been people's only chance to hear the song live, since Shand seems to have disappeared following the platinum sales and Juno-winning success of his one and only album, The Way I Feel, in 2002.

The Elwins did an original, fun, bouncy and slightly ska-influenced pop tune called "Stuck in the Middle" that I quite enjoyed. I wasn't familiar with the band before, but would be interested in seeing a set of its original material.

Tokyo Police Club's David Monks performed a song I didn't know and then Canning returned with quirky pop artist Allie Hughes for The Poppy Family's "Where Evil Grows." It had a nice fuzz tone, but the vocals lacked the edge that Terry and Susan Jacks brought to the original in 1971.

Former Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, King Cobb Steelie and Phono-Comb member Don Pyle next offered a slide show of photos from his 2011 book, Trouble in the Camera Club: A Photographic Narrative of Toronto's Punk History 1976-1980. He described some of the shots he took as a teenager of Blondie, The Ramones, David Bowie, The Clash and such local favourites as Teenage Head, The Diodes, The Mods and The Ugly that brought back memories to a certain segment of the audience that packed the venue.

The Sadies were the backing band (and it seemed strange to see Sean Dean not playing an upright bass) for the following set of Toronto punk tunes, with Pyle sticking around to sing a couple of them. Mickey Skin took folks back 34 years to when her band The Curse, North America's first all-woman punk band, issued the single "Shoeshine Boy" about murdered 12-year-old Emmanuel Jaques. She followed that up with "Somethin' Ya Can't Tell Your Mother."

Other highlights included a rendition of The Viletones' "Possibilities" and Fucked Up frontman Damian Abraham (who's abandoned his straight edge ways and was drinking beer) taking off his Toronto Maple Leafs jersey to bark through Teenage Head's "Picture My Face."

Hip-hop karaoke was next up, which thinned the crowd considerably (and eventually prompted my exit). But I was entertained by Mandy's energetic rip through Maestro Fresh Wes' "Let Your Backbone Slide," and it was good to see pioneering female MC Michie Mee again.

The evening didn't live up to my expectations and wasn't as good as last year's decade-themed shows in the Juno Concert Series, but spending time with friends at the gig compensated for the lack of on-stage thrills.

Hospitality shines in studio and stumbles on stage

Hospitality, Merge Records' latest signing, will release its debut self-titled album on Jan. 31 -- and it's already assured of a spot on at least my honourable mention list when I compile my favourite releases of 2012 in about 350 days.

The New York City band formed in 2007 and has grown into a quartet that's landed opening slots for Stereolab, Wild Flag, Frog Eyes and The Rosebuds. The group's relatively gentle, lo-fi indie pop caught my ear off the first listen. 

The most immediately noticeable aspect of Hospitality is lead singer/guitarist's Amber Papini's voice. It's not particularly strong, but it fits the material that Papini also writes. I'd heard that she tried to emulate Psychedelic Furs singer Richard Butler, and perhaps a bit of his sometimes deadpan delivery is evident. But more often I thought I was capturing strains of Claudine Longet in one of the funniest movies of all time, The Party.

The arrangements aren't too complex, but they have depth, and the three musicians who augment Papini play their parts well. Band member Nathan Michel co-produced Hospitality with Shane Stoneback (Vampire Weekend, Sleigh Bells) and, after seeing the band in person on Wednesday night, their impact is larger than you might originally think.

Hospitality's performance started slowly but picked up in places, most notably on "Friends of Friends," "Eighth Avenue" and "All Day Today." But for the most part it seemed a bit flat and uninspiring and didn't reach the heights I'd hoped for going in.

Since I like most of the songs on Hospitality quite a bit, I'd give the band another shot live. But after a few listens to the album and viewing one performance, I'd say your money is better spent on the recorded version than the live version of the band.

Steve McLean's Favourite Music of 2011

Albums
The Top 10
1. Dropkick Murphys - Going Out in Style
This album is the Boston Celtic punk band's best yet, and a great place to start if you need an introduction.
Going Out In Style is somewhat of a concept album that borrows from the experiences of the band members and their relatives to "celebrate the successes and failures, challenges and milestones" of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin. There's a retrospective narrative of Larkin's life in the liner notes, and you can read more about his saga on Boston author Michael Patrick MacDonald's website.
The album is full of working class lyrics that sometimes owe a nod to history. There's militancy, poignancy, drunkenness and more. There are acoustic numbers, songs that rock harder than a Zdeno Chara bodycheck and others that fall somewhere between the two extremes. You'll hear the normal rock and roll instrumentation, but also be treated to accordion, banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, whistles and bagpipes.
"Take 'Em Down" is dedicated to the thousands of union workers in Wisconsin who are fighting for their jobs. "Sunday Hardcore Matinee" recounts fond memories from the notorious Boston live music club, The Rathskeller, which closed its doors in 1997 and has been sorely missed ever since.
The exuberant title track features vocals from NOFX's Fat Mike, The Living End's Chris Cheney and actor/comedian Lenny Clarke. It also mentions Bruins great Bobby Orr, and the Hall of Fame defenceman appears in the song's video.
Bruce Springsteen shares lead vocals on a roots-punk version of the traditional "Peg O' My Heart." Dropkick Murphys guitarist/vocalist James Lynch's father, Pat Lynch, adds his voice to an infectiously energetic take of another traditional tune, "The Irish Rover."

2. The Feelies - Here Before
Here Before is the first new album from The Feelies in 20 years. Band founders Glenn Mercer and Bill Million wrote, produced, sang and played guitar on the record's 13 tracks, and were joined by bassist/vocalist Brenda Sauter, drummer Stanley Demeski and percussionist Dave Weckerman.
The sonic interplay between Mercer and Million's guitars that became the signature of The Feelies' sound still permeates through Here Before. While it may be a bit more understated overall than earlier albums, and songs may not immediately knock you over the head, it's full of subtle hooks and shows a maturity that's totally appropriate for this stage in the New Jersey group's career. And "When You Know" shows The Feelies can still push hard when the mood strikes.

3. Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme Some
The Swedish trio wanted to strip their sound down and go back to basics by using just guitar, bass and drums and recording some of the material live in the studio, so they worked with an outside producer (Per Sunding) for the first time on this sixth album. They captured the “rock-and-roll and garage rock” essence they were going for wonderfully.

4. The Black Keys - El Camino
I've liked The Black Keys, but have never been a huge fan of the duo's mix of blues, garage and indie rock. I was surprised by the breakthrough success of last year's Brothers, but was happy for the band and thought the Grammy Award-winning "Tighten Up" was a great single. Big things were then expected for El Camino, and the Akron, Ohio group didn't disappoint. The Black Keys co-produced the album with Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, Beck), and he added a sheen which effectively accents without overpowering the material. There's less of an emphasis on blues and more on soul, vintage R&B and earlier rock-and-roll, and that's a move in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
I liked what I heard from 2009's self-titled debut album and there seemed to be a growing buzz around the New York City's brand of fuzz pop -- which included attracting Flood (U2, Erasure) to produce and Alan Moulder (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Elastica) to mix the follow-up. The attention was warranted, as Belong takes influences from the '80s and '90s but still sounds like a record that belongs in the second decade of the new millennium.

6. Library Voices - Summer of Lust
This large and literate indie pop group from Regina, Sask. released an excellent debut album titled Denim on Denim last year, and this follow-up is probably even a little better. If you like The New Pornographers, you should like Library Voices.

7. Hooded Fang - Tosta Mista
This Toronto sextet's 2010 debut, Album, showed a lot of potential. It's all fulfilled here. Sixties garage rock grazes with strains of exotica lounge and throws a bit of '50s pop and doo-wop into a 21st century context to create a short record that you wish would last longer.

8. Jon Langford - Skull Orchard Revisited
I'd heard Langford perform these songs on his own and with the Burlington Welsh Male Chorus several times over the past few years, and always loved them, but just discovered with this release that they originally came from a long unavailable 1998 album titled Skull Orchard. He re-recorded the songs with the choir to come up with a very Welsh-inspired CD that comes packaged in a book that includes: Langford's lyrics and paintings; the tale of Moby Dick told from the perspective of the great white wale and a dolphin companion; vintage family photos taken by his late father Denis; and "A South Wales Alphabet" with amusing A to Z stories of growing up in south Wales, which were written by his brother David, a noted science-fiction writer.
If an album with a choir on it might make you think it's soft, fear not. Skull Orchard Revisited still rocks and showcases some great songwriting from the charismatic Waco Brothers and Mekons member.

9. Imelda May - Mayhem (International Version)
I first learned of this Irish singer through her performance with guitar legend Jeff Beck when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and more fully appreciated her on this year's Jeff Beck: Rock 'n' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul DVD. I haven't heard her debut album, but this sophomore album shows a gifted singer with attitude and a voice that suits her updated rockabilly and occasional smoky jazz material perfectly. I'm kicking myself that I missed her gig, which drew raves from my friends, earlier this year.

10. Arkells - Michigan Left
I was a bit slow to come around to this Hamilton, Ont. band after the first time I saw it a few years back. But the group's Jackson Square debut album grew on me and its party sets consisting of Motown classics won me over completely. Michigan Left follows those Motown leanings to become a melodic, soul-filled rock record that should get the 2010 Juno Award winner for best new group recognized well beyond Canada.

Just Missed The Cut
Sun Wizard - Positively 4th Avenue
San Sebastian - Relations

Honourable Mention
Lydia Loveless - Indestructible Machine
Shotgun Jimmie - Transistor Sister
Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)
Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Jack Oblivian - Rat City
Mannequin Men - Mannequin Men
Wanda Jackson - The Party Ain't Over
Aggrolites - Rugged Road
The Warped 45's - Matador Sunset
Imaginary Cities - Temporary Resident
The Decemberists - The King is Dead
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing

Still Solid
Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Unentitled
54-40 - Lost in the City
The Baseball Project - Volume 2: High and Inside
British Seapower - Valhalla Dancehall
Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer
Social Distortion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
Ohbijou - Metal Meets
Gang of Four - Content
The Fall - Ersatz GB
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
Acres of Lions - Collections

Hit Single
Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks"

Live Album
Rockpile - Live at Montreux 1980

Reissues, Compilations and Box Sets (alphabetical order)
Johnny Cash - Bootleg Vol. II, Bootleg Vol. III
Leonard Cohen - The Complete Columbia Albums Collection
Neil Diamond - The Bang Years 1966-1968
The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall, Tomorrow The Green Grass
Roy Orbison - The Monument Singles Collection (1960-1964)
Paul Revere & The Raiders - The Essential Paul Revere & The Raiders
Joel Plaskett - EMERGENCYs, false alarms, shipwrecks, castaways, fragile creatures, special features, demons and demonstrations
Iggy Pop - Roadkill Rising … The Bootleg Collection: 1977-2009
Elvis Presley - Elvis Is Back!
R.E.M. - Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage: 1982-2011
Paul Simon - Graceland, Songwriter
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Patti Smith - Outside Society
Phil Spector - Wall of Sound: The Very Best of Phil Spector 1961-1966, Phil Spector Presents the Philles Album Collection
Peter Tosh - Equal Rights, Legalize It
Various artists - Rave On Buddy Holly

Music DVDs (alphabetical order)
The B-52s - With The Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, Ga.
Jeff Beck - Jeff Beck: Rock 'n' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul
New York Dolls - Lookin' Fine on Television
The Rolling Stones - Some Girls Live in Texas '78
Talking Heads - Chronology
Various artists - A Musicares Tribute to Neil Young
X - The Unheard Music (The Silver Edition)

Book/CD Combination
Jon Langford - Skull Orchard Revisited

Concerts (chronological order)
Hollerado, Gang of Four - Feb. 4, Phoenix, Toronto
Nicole Atkins - Feb. 27, Horseshoe, Toronto
Sun Wizard - March 10, Supermarket, Toronto
The Sadies - March 11, Mod Club, Toronto
Buddy McNeil & The Magic Mirrors - March 11, El Mocambo, Toronto
Les Breastfeeders - March 11, El Mocambo, Toronto
Catl - March 12, Comfort Zone, Toronto
The Resignators - March 12, Hideout, Toronto
British Sea Power - March 24, Lee's Palace, Toronto
Saint Alvia, Johnstones, Planet Smashers - March 25, Phoenix, Toronto
The Grapes of Wrath - March 25, El Mocambo, Toronto
The Real McKenzies - April 2, Lee's Palace, Toronto
Old 97's - April 6, Horseshoe, Toronto
Hayes Carll - April 10, Horseshoe, Toronto
Good Family, The Sadies, Jon Langford, Deano Waco, Skull Orchard - April 15, Horseshoe, Toronto
Jon Langford and Burlngton Welsh Male Choir, Waco Brothers - April 16, Horseshoe, Toronto
Frank Turner - April 26, El Mocambo, Toronto
Mick Thomas, The Lowest of the Low - May 7, Massey Hall, Toronto
Bad Manners - May 7, Lee's Palace, Toronto
The Cars - May 20, Sound Academy, Toronto
Scotty Campbell and The Wardenaires - May 28, Not My Dog, Toronto
The Baseball Project - June 1, Horseshoe, Toronto
Descendents - June 16, Yonge Dundas Square, Toronto
Crocodiles - June 16, Silver Dollar, Toronto
C.J. Ramone - June 16, Bovine Sex Club, Toronto
Archie Powell & The Exports - June 17, Rancho Relaxo, Toronto
Cults - June 18, Yonge Dundas Square, Toronto
Men Without Hats - June 18, Yonge Dundas Square, Toronto
Devo - June 18, Yonge Dundas Square, Toronto
The Lucky Ones, Stiff Little Fingers - Aug. 16, Lee's Palace, Toronto
Aggrolites - Oct. 15, Lee's Palace, Toronto
Colleen Green, Crocodiles, Dum Dum Girls - Oct. 16, Lee's Palace, Toronto
Shonen Knife - Oct. 20, Horseshoe, Toronto
Davila 666 - Oct. 22, Silver Dollar, Toronto
Kepi, Chixdiggit - Oct. 27, Sneaky Dee's, Toronto
Frank Turner - Oct. 28, Phoenix, Toronto
Lyres - Nov. 19, Horseshoe, Toronto
Legendary Dirtbikers, Ultimatemost High, Tres Bien Ensemble - Dec. 16, The Sister, Toronto
Skydiggers - Dec. 17, Horseshoe, Toronto
The Sadies - Dec. 31, Horseshoe, Toronto

New Orleans 2011 vacation: part five

The Inn on Bourbon Ramada Plaza Hotel

Our last morning in New Orleans began with more coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde, and another walk to Riverwalk Marketplace, where we visited the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

I'm glad the Power Pass got us in for free, since it wasn't worth the $10 it would have cost to get in. But we learned about local cuisine and I appreciated the section on the development of the cocktail.

We made a brief stop at The Historic New Orleans Collection, but elected not to go through it all. Instead, we went to the Presbytere, a museum at the north end of Jackson Square featuring two exhibits.

The first was "Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond," which told the story of the devastating hurricane and its accompanying flooding from a number of different perspectives. The personal recollections were a lot more moving than the more scientific information, but together they made for a powerful combination.

The other Presbytere exhibit showed the history, costumes and traditions of Mardi Gras, New Orleans' most famous festival that draws thousands to the streets for its lavish parades each February.

We went for our last Po Boy and then went to the other Beerfest location on Bourbon Street. They had a two for one special, but the friendly bartender went two better than that and brought me four beers that I'd never had before: Voodoo Bengal, a 7.5 per cent alcohol pale ale with a hint of ginger; Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan, which is made with whole roasted pecans; Lazy Magnolia Jefferson Stout, which is brewed with sweet potatoes; and NOLA Brewing Hopitoulas, which had a nice citrus and pine bouquet.

We returned to our hotel, picked up our bags and caught the shuttle to the airport. We had a stopover at Washington Dulles International Airport, where we had time for a burger and a pint of Hefeweizen at the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company restaurant, before returning to Buffalo.

It was back to the Econo Lodge, where we stayed before we left, and then a trip down Main Street to the heart of Buffalo the next morning. We stopped at a river that had a small waterfall and then drove around downtown for a while before crossing the Peace Bridge back to Ontario. I took the scenic route along Lake Erie and the Grand River, and detoured through the Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve. 
 
I hadn't been to the reserve since working as a reporter for the Brantford Expositor in 1989, and almost every store we passed was selling discounted cigarettes -- and sometimes nothing else. While there are still some run-down-looking houses, many others are newer or in better condition than back then, which was good to see.

Brantford's downtown is still in rough shape, however. After a drive around the city, it was homeward bound to Stratford and the end of the trip.

New Orleans 2011 vacation: part four

There was a brief but violent downpour on Wednesday morning, the only time it rained any noticeable volume during our time in New Orleans, but luckily we were in a coffee shop fuelling up when it started and ended.

The house of Archie Manning, the former NFL quarterback and father of fellow quarterbacks Peyton and Eli.

Things had cleared up by the time we got on a Gray Line bus to take us to the Garden District, where we began a two-and-a-half-hour walking tour of what was formerly the "American" part of the city in the 1800s. The houses were different, but just as impressive, and embraced more Greek Revival and Italianate stylistic flourishes than the French Quarter. We passed the former and/or current homes of Anne Rice, Trent Reznor, Archie Manning, Nicolas Cage, John Goodman and others, as well as the house where Jefferson Davis died in 1889. We also explored the Lafayette Cemetery and learned about New Orleans burial practices in the above ground cities of the dead.

Lafayette Cemetery

The guide and the rest of the people on the tour took the Gray Line bus back to our starting point, while mom and I ordered a tasty Po Boy at a nice little restaurant on Magazine Street before catching a city bus to the end of the line at the Audobon Zoo.

It's billed as one of the top five zoos in the United States, and we were definitely impressed by everything it had to offer. We spent the afternoon walking around the different themed areas of the complex, including the Asian domain, the aviary, the South America pampas, the Louisiana swamp, the African savanna, the sea lions and the reptile house. There was an extensive variety of animals, and they seemed to have room to move around in their environments.

Audobon Zoo alligators

Audobon Zoo white tigers

We took the bus back to Canal Street, stopped at Quarter House (the five-star suite resort I spent a week in during my previous stay in New Orleans in 1998) on Chartres Street, and then went to the nearby Jimanji, a cozy little bar with an extensive beer selection. I had a refreshing Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss Hefeweizen and Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale, which was slightly spicy, a bit hoppy and redolent with cloves.

For our final dinner in New Orleans, we stayed on Chartres in a building from the 1700s that now houses Pierre Maspero's Food and Spirits -- which I found out later has the same ownership as La Bayou, where we dined earlier in the week. The blackened redfish I had the night before was so good that I ordered it again, and was just as pleased. And the Abita Christmas Ale that I had with it kept me festive for later in the evening.

I decided to check out Frenchman Street again, and dropped into a few clubs to see what was happening. I stayed at Apple to see Andre Bouvier and his band play a solid mix of blues, rock and Cajun music. Checkpoint Charlie's (a bar and laundromat combination) was full of local punks and old drinkers and an act from Charleston, S.C. called Megan Jean and The KFB, which played roots music with occasional rockabilly and old jazz influences.

A $5.25 Hurricane got me back to Tropical Isle, where I finished its trifecta of strong cocktails by having a Horny Gator and a Tropical Itch. They also came in novelty glasses like the earlier Hand Grenade, and all three are now sitting in my kitchen window acting as a beacon.

New Orleans 2011 vacation: part three

Cafe du Monde

A trip to New Orleans isn't complete without coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde, so we began our Tuesday with chicory-infused java and fried dough covered in icing sugar across the street from Jackson Square.

We finished the coffees while strolling through the Riverwalk Marketplace, an impressive mall where we stopped in a store to sample some fruit wines, while waiting for the nearby Audobon Aquarium of the Americas to open at 10 a.m.

Audobon Aquarium of the Americas

The aquarium is well-designed and separated into distinct areas that allows you to explore the aquatic habitats of the Caribbean, Amazon, Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. There were creatures big and small -- from sharks to seahorses -- along with stingrays we could pet in a shallow pool, sea otters, penguins and many others. There was at least one school group visiting and a lot of the exhibits are informative and hands-on, so both children and adults can appreciate them.

Audobon Insectarium

Our Power Pass also got us into the affiliated Audobon Insectarium, so we walked north up Canal Street to the former U.S. Custom House to get up close and learn more about creepy crawly and flying things. A lot of them were surprisingly beautiful and not annoying at all when they're behind glass. Butterflies flew freely in an area replicating an Asian garden, but the highlight was a short animated film in the immersion theatre that offers a multi-sensory experience. We drew the line at eating insects, though I sampled some crickets in Thailand seven years ago and thought they were pretty bland.

Jackson Square

French Quarter

French Quarter

We'd already explored much of the French Quarter on our own, but took advantage of our Power Passes to get some more insights from a guide on a two-hour walking tour of the area. We learned about people I wasn't previously familiar with who played a major part in New Orleans' development, Creole culture and more, including the role of religion at the Ursuline Convent -- the oldest building in the Mississippi River Valley. The architecture in the French Quarter is beautiful, but hearing the stories behind some of the 18th and 19th century buildings added to the experience.

We still had an hour before the Cabildo closed, so it was next on the agenda. The site of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase transfer in 1803 now houses exhibits on New Orleans history. It's informative, if a bit dry, but a pleasant surprise was the "Unsung Heroes: The Secret History of Louisiana Rock 'n' Roll" exhibit curated by the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation. There were familiar and unfamiliar names and songs, but I was enthralled and it should definitely be sought out by all music lovers visiting the city.

We'd worked up a thirst, so we dropped into Turtle Bay on Bourbon Street. The beer selection wasn't nearly as good as the Decatur Street location, but I managed to find a Covington Bayou Bock that I hadn't tried before.

It was time for dinner, so we tried Cajun Cabin on Bourbon and began with alligator bites. I've always liked gator, but mom was reluctant when I ordered them. She soon came around, however. The blackened redfish ($19.95) was delicious and a pint of LA31 Biere Pale from Bayou Teche Brewing was a nice accompaniment.

My favourite music venue on Bourbon is Tropical Isle Bayou Club & Music Bar, which features solid Cajun bands each night. It also sells the Hand Grenade, a melon-tasting concoction which it claims is the strongest drink in New Orleans. It comes in a large novelty plastic cup shaped like a hand grenade at the base, and refills are a dollar cheaper, so I took advantage of that deal. When bands weren't playing, I walked through the French Quarter people-watching and sipping Hand Grenades until the bars started shutting down.