MY DAD
My Dad were the band I was anticipating most, as I knew barely anything about them but had heard great things. As per usual I abstained (for the most part) from checking out tons of their material before the concert and went in with fresh ears. Holy fuck, these guys are amazing. Dave and Aaron are from Chicago and have some of that flair that Lord Snow embodies, but much less abrasive and chaotic - imagine Hot Cross mixed with I Hate Myself and a dab of The Reptilian and that's pretty much what I heard, albeit not a rip off of any of those bands in any sense. Instrumentally the band reminds me a lot of The Advantage and Tera Melos at times, as well. The guitars were quirky, mathy, catchy and enjoyable to watch, and the shouted/screamy vocals were perfect for the music. The bass was downright hypnotic, especially for those in the mar section, as his fingers jump around and play some really funky and playful stuff. Aaron from Animal Faces was on drums for this tour and he absolutely killed it, especially with that drum solo during the new song. The first thing my wife said upon seeing these videos was "This is my kind of music." Follow this link to see all 3 My Dad videos including a new song!
ANIMAL FACES
Animal Faces were the primary reason I wanted to put on this show, as they were the first band I saw when I got into the Toronto scene about 3 years ago. They began "Hold On" from the Solids split 7", dropped a heavy number, "Forward Through" to be exact, and then proceeded to get everyone's head bobbing with another 4 dreamy, post-hardcore, shoegaze rock. Watch the videos, they will make you feel warm, comfy and relaxed, but not in a boring kind of way...but with a grooving, head-nodding sort of deal. Excellent set.
WORST GIFT
I documented Worst Gift's first show a few months back and I really enjoyed what I heard. Why, then, was I surprised that the band blew me away? It would stand to reason that they would improve, but fucking shit this is really good. Imagine Fugazi playing shoegaze rock mixed with European screamo and gang vocals. The band doesn't boast a bassist but are doing fine without one as both guitars wash over the listener in waves of continuous, fuzzy and extremely engaging riffage. Take the chord progression at 2:30 to see what I mean. Also, I'm pretty shitty when it comes to noticing decent drumming, so I generally figure if I can't stop watching the drummer then they must be pretty goddamn decent. Darryl, you fucking rock. Very, very excited to hear more recorded material from this Toronto trio. Worst Gift will be playing at the Zegema Beach Festival (Hamilton) and Stress Fest (Toronto) in mid-November. Grab their demo tape 'Yard Meat' here.
TERRY GREEN
This was my first time seeing Terry Green after hearing some promising audio online. The band did not disappoint and put on an entertaining and fun (for christ's sake look at the grin on the bassist's face) set. Instrumentally the band is hard to pigeonhole, as they combine a myriad of rock, alternative, emo, post-hardcore, screamo and pop-punk influences. If I had to choose a band they sound like overall, including the screaming, I'd say they are kinda like State Faults. Vocally the band, or should I say Adrian, reminds me a hell of a lot of Van Johnson. Like, the closest thing I've ever heard to that amazing band from Ottawa, circa 2004-ish. And that's a really good thing, as they both pull off a great, nasally scream. This band from Mississauga, Ontario is definitely one of the better Canadian emo/screamo bands that I've seen. Terry Green will be playing at the Zegema Beach Festival in Hamilton at Club Absinthe on November 15th, 2014. Grab their demo tape 'Visiting Hours' here.
QUIET LAKES
As per usual, Quiet Lakes put on a mesmerizing and engaging show - but, this time they used a light show for the first time ever (as the band told me). It worked out really well, but moreover the new songs are insane. They retain the ambient and droning vibe but delve more into heavier moments and are starting to sound like heavyweights Russian Circles, Mono and Pelican as well as Shy, Low. This band's set was all instrumental if memory serves correct, but Graham dabbles in the shoegaze/post-metal croon now and again. I hope they can play ZBR fest on November 15th!
maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar
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