The Automatik

Kids on TV/Meligrove Band/A bunch of other bands we didn’t see
Streetsville Masonic Lodge, Mississauga
June 3, 2005

All-ages shows take me back to my wanna-be punk youth: grade school gymnasiums converted into crossroads of teenage rebellion, when Merry Go Round was for posers and Hot Topic didn’t even exist yet. I once suffered some jaded scenester who was turning his nose at the idea of sharing a slam pit with a fourteen-year-old, and then I immediately rallied to the defense of the kids who just love music and want to have a good time. Who do you think started it, anyway?
Read more

Matthew Barber/Peter Elkas/Joel Plaskett
Hugh’s Room
April 30, 2005

The first time I came to Canada, Shaun took me to see Joel Plaskett. Mind you, it was a surprise: he bought the tickets, told me we were going somewhere, but didn’t tell me who we were going to see. So it’s only fitting that within the first month of my permanent move here, we see Mr. Plaskett perform live again.
Read more

2.27.05

Hi,

I feel sort of weird writing this, since I never even met you. And what should I say? That like thousands of others, I listened to your music for comfort when I felt like shit, like when yet another relationship failed miserably? That I knew it was the only thing that could make me feel better?
Read more

New Door Records, 2004

In May of 2004, Q Magazine printed a “Cash For Questions” column featuring Tears For Fears. Despite the magazine’s editorial flourishes, it was clear that members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith aren’t exactly friends. When asked which of them is the best singer, each one unequivocally responded, “I am.” Orzabal went on to defend his past pretentiousness by saying that they are now “both humorous and pretentious, pretentious and middle aged. We’re both 42, after all.”

“But I look younger,” interrupts Smith. “Cunt,” retorts Orzabal.

Read more

Would you still like The Beatles as much if they had been called, say, Lubricated Goat?* Probably not. One could argue that a name is almost as important to a band’s appeal as having a hot shot lead guitarist (that is, if you’re into that sort of thing). Here are ten of my personal favorite band names and why.
Read more

Epic Records, 2004

Eighties nostalgia is practically a cottage industry now. Eighty percent of it is revisionist crap. Then there’s Duran Duran. Let me confess, I was a teenaged Duranie and except for a brief spell of cooler-than-thou shame, I never stopped being a fan.
Read more

Part of what kept me from going completely insane (or was I already?) during junior high was creating and sharing Duran Duran fantasy stories with my girlfriends, which we called “What-Ifs.” Like Homer, we carried on the tradition of an oral history: sitting on the bleachers near the tennis courts during lunch and filling in the other members of the group with the latest chapter of our lovelorn tales. Or, we would spin our yarns in marathon phone conversations (much to the chagrin of our parents). In these fantasies we were always older, taller, beautiful, independently wealthy, and harbored a hidden secret. A secret that we would try to hide from whichever Duran we were involved with in the story (which was usually at least two members per story)…a secret that threatened to tear us apart…or bring us closer together.
Read more

Attack Records, 2004

Morrissey is as anachronistic as a quill pen in an Internet cafe. Who else would have the guts to include the line “and spit upon the name Oliver Cromwell” in his latest album’s first single? Who else would sing the line with a vocal flourish normally reserved for sentiments heralding Oscar Wilde? It’s catchy all right, but nothing compared to “The First of the Gang to Die,” which has that trademark Moz chorus, ridiculously loveable guitar, lyrics about smooth criminals, and falsetto ad libbing. It’s like “The Last of the Famous International Playboys” updated for his male Latino fan base.
Read more

An Evening with Siouxsie
House of Blues
September 12, 2004

Last night I saw Siouxsie perform, nearly 20 years after the first time I saw her perform. Then, it was 1985, and it was Siouxsie and the Banshees. This time, the show was billed as “An Evening with Siouxsie” and was promoted as a mix of Banshees and Creatures favorites. I’ll admit that I was never a Creatures fan, not from lack of their talent, but just from my lack of interest. Either the balance of songs last night was off, or my memory is finally failing me, because I only recognized a handful of tunes. John McGeoch was sorely missed (may he rest in peace), as was Steve Severin, who was “replaced” by a young lad playing keyboards and tapes who looked like he was moonlighting from Interpol. Still, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show.
Read more

Sam Roberts/Sloan
Olympic Island-Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 7, 2004
Also featuring: Death From Above 1979, The Arcade Fire, Buck 65, Broken Social Scene, Constantines, Pilate, and The Stills

Finally, a real Sloan show. In Canada.
Read more