The Action - Ottawa’s first punk band (allegedly) are getting back together for two days of ‘77 punk mayhem. This coincides with their complete recordings being re-issued by Sudden Death/Rave Up Records.

THE LEGENDARY ACTION ARE PLAYING TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS!!!On Nov 28th,2009, The Dominion Tavern in Ottawa,Canada will be the unlikely site of much media attention as The ACTION, “Ottawa’s First Punk Band” play their highly anticipated REUNION SHOW!!! (a 2nd Matinee/ ALL AGES show has been added for SUN,NOV 29th!)The band has just released their “COMPLETE PUNK RECORDINGS ‘77-’78″ Album on SUDDEN DEATH Records in Canada and the US and on RAVE UP Records in Europe(on vinyl).

The album is currently available from SuddenDeath.com,RaveUp.com and at select record stores throughout Canada and the US. Pogo to “T.V.’s on the Blink”, “Down Town Boy”, “Do The Strangle” and “Waiting for the Man,” “Seafood Mama”, “Let You Down”, “Pressed Pig”, and “Zona Rosa”, plus live recordings from the famed Rotters Den! This is a Punk collector’s dream, a chronicle of a time when anything could happen and often did. Besides showcasing THE ACTION’s great catchy punk tunes, the album also shows the band’s chops as a versatile star rock and roll outfit that was ahead of their time! IT ROCKS! Get Ready…Here comes THE ACTION back to take their rightful place as contenders for the Rock Throne!!!

They are being joined by The White Wires (Saturday) and Suppositories (Sunday).

Dates:

THE ACTION w/ White Wires
Saturday, November 28th (9PM) $15

THE ACTION w/ Suppositories
Sunday, November 29th (matinee) $10

at Dominion Tavern - Tickets are NOW available at Birdman Sound.

Fleet Foxes drummer, J Tillman will be stopping at Il Motore Thursday along with his brothers band, Pearly Gate Music. Tillman is touring supporting his latest album Year In The Kingdom (buy), released on Western Vinyl last month. Tickets for the show are $15, which you can get online here. More details at the fb event.

Listen:

J Tillman - Earthly Bodies

J Tillman - Though I Wronged You

tickets and more info here

some relevant links:

White Denim
Brazos

some relevant audio:

White Denim - I Start To Run

The Raveonettes are currently on tour supporting their new album, “In and Out of Control” (buy at Insound) and will be playing Club Soda tomorrow night (October 21st) with The Black Angels. Tickets for the show are still available online here and locally at Atom Heart, Cheap Thrills, L’Oblique and the Club Soda box office. Check out the new video for ‘Last Dance’ (from ‘In and Out of Control’) below.

The Raveonettes - Last Dance

MP3

The Raveonettes - Last Dance

Black Angels - The First Vietnamese War

Ottawa’s own Dirty Donny is coming all the way from San Francisco to do a three day art-punk party in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto this week. Donny has done work for everyone from Vans to Metallica, so come and check it out. A better bio from his website:

“Dirty” Donny Gillies grew up in Ottawa Canada skating, drawing and
listening to punk and Metal. He cut his artist teeth razor blade sharp
designing album covers and posters for underground rocks best. These
days donny resides in San Francisco California as a full time artist.

There really isn’t anything Donny hasn’t painted on or done work for.
His art is spread wide across Lowbrow, rock and skate circles with projects ranging from Toys and decks to paintings, hot rods and recocord cover art for companies like Vans, Fender, Dunlop and Kid Robot not to mention his extensive work for rock legends Metallica, just to name a few.

The shows are being headlined by local punk recluses the Million Dollar Marxists. The Marxists only come out to play a couple times a year these days (GAGA Weekend) so it’s not a show to be missed. Word on the street is that the equally reclusive the Fucking Machines will be opening in Ottawa as well - it will be a great night to drink beer and make bad decisions.

Dirty Donny Tour Dates:

Thursday, Oct 22nd - Montreal, Green Room
Saturday, Oct 24th - Ottawa, Babylon
Thursday, Oct 29th - Toronto, Bovine Sex Club

Remember when I would group all the weekend shows together and post them early on Friday so you had one last overall look as to what awesome shows were scheduled? Well, I’m going to do it again, though this weekend isn’t the best overall show-wise (quantity not quality). If you know something I don’t then please feel free to drop a show in a comment box thing and I’ll move it into the schedule below. UFC 102 is also on Saturday and I’m hoping Nogueira kills Couture.

Friday [August 28th]
Main Madness on St. Laurent!!!!!!!!!

Saturday [August 29th]
BRAIDS/KNOTS/SPECIAL NOISE @ IL MOTORE [%]

Sunday [August 30th]
THE SMITH WESTERNS @ FRIENDSHIP COVE [%]
PET SHOP BOYS @ THE METROPOLIS [$]

[%] = Blue Skies Turn Black
[$] = Greenland

MP3 OF THE WEEK
Every Friday on The Whore I’m going to supplement the weekend concert round up with a MP3 that I’m adoring during the week and this week its No Age’s “You’re A Target”. This track will be on their upcoming Losing Feeling EP which will be officially released October 6th. If you are new to No Age tracking may be more accessible for the ear than say something off Weirdo Rippers but not enough of a change in sound to alienate current fans. Enjoy!

No Age - You’re A Target

Yet another awesome free punk show in Ottawa this week. Year Zero will be releasing a tape on Bruised Tongue and will be joined by Sudbury powerpoppers Statues. As usual this is all going down on Thursday, Aug 13th, at the Rock and Roll Pizza Party (at the Atomic Rooster on Bank Street) and there will be free admission, possibly some free pizza, and $5 tallboys for all.

Year Zero are one of the best new punk bands in Ottawa- they have a few awesome tracks posted on their myspace. Check it out and I’ll see you at the RRPP!

We’ve waited and waited and waited, and now the GaGa Weekend is finally here! Ottawa’s annual garage trashcan rock festival kicked off last night at the new home of the Rock and Roll Pizza Party - The Atomic Rooster.

Sedatives kicked off the night with Organist/GAGAman Ian Manhire’s Uncle on Bagpipes playing them into a wild rendition of “Cannot Calm Down”. From there on it was all new material (except for “Superstitious Minds”) and it was all insanely awesome. I don’t know the names of many of the new songs, but “Powerlines” and “Backlash” are both on their myspace page and are incredible. Word on the street is that the LP should be ready for August.

A terrible phone photo:

I post the photo not because you need to see what Sedatives look like (though you can make out Drummer Dave Williams, and Bassist Steve Adamyk) but to show the crowd of people that stuck around and watched a large majority of the show from the sidewalk outside the bar. The place filled up fast and the crowd really didn’t thin out much during the night. A damn good turnout for a local show - proving Ottawa isn’t as devoid of life as some may like to think.

Mother’s Children played second with what seemed like a louder, dirtier set then the last time I saw them (though it may just have been the makeshift stage setup). They do powerpop pretty well and have been managing to make a name for themselves over the last six months (opening for Paul Collins in Montreal!). A fun (but probably a little long) set.

The Visitors played last in support of their new 7″. I mentioned the new album a little while ago so I won’t rave about how good the new songs are again, but as expected they sounded great live.

All the bands had awesome new merch, so contact them if you are looking for anything. I didn’t pick up a Visitors 7′, but I will track one down this weekend - I did however manage to get an awesome Sedatives shirt.

Andrew Carver was there taking some great pictures as usual - you can see some of his initial photos at his blog. Also, Ben from Standard Issue put together a GAGA edition of the magazine with a full rundown of the bands, venues, reasons you should get off your ass and go, etc. It is only available in physical form at the GAGA shows, or you can read it online here.

Tonight is the house show with Nervous System, Holy Cobras, Savage Crimes, Uranium Comeback and The Beach Blankets. Grab a bag of beer and come out and have a time.

So Trendwhore co-produced its first show with Mondays To The Max.  Those of you who were ambitious enough to make it out to the Green Room on a holiday Monday got a chance to see a packed set of four blog-worthy acts.  Let’s break the night down in order of appearance.

Ghetto Pony

This local threesome’s disjointed crunky funk involved the audience listening to vocalist Peter Jarecki stretch his voice past its limits.  It was entertaining and beat driven. With a debut album name like “Post Apocalyptic Bubblegum Music”, these guys are aiming high to the sky of obscurity, and hitting right at the heart of the hippest flannel-clad hipster around.  Help yourself to the slew of reviews already available on CD Baby.  If you scroll all the way down and read the last review, all your worries will disappear.   The following lyrics on Ghetto Pony’s song “Kaboom” offer an intriguing observation:”Witches don’t wear underwear, so they can have grip on their brooms.”

Rah Rah

This five piece from Regina, SK absolutely killed it.  The aroma of lovely field flowers filled the room as they took the stage - it was truly a breath of fresh air.  The crowd woke up, clapped along, danced around, and was duly impressed.  Rah Rah’s high energy numbers like “Betrayal”, “Fuck Nafta”, and “Tentacles” sounded polished and propelled forward with confidence and mastery.  Be sure to check out Rah Rah when they pass through the city once again on June 4th and take the stage at Il Motore with Parlovr and The Lovely Feathers.  It will be good.

Nut Brown

Now, when it comes to Nut Brown, some confusion lingered in the air.  Was his dance number choreographed?  Was there intention behind the seemingly farcical performance?  The visual aspect of the set was ambiguous, but Nut went all out and poured his heart into every jiving limb he had.  (I counted four.)  The juxtaposition of the booming dance hop with delicate love-themed lyrics was absorbing to say the least.  Really, listen carefully to the lyrics - the way they are filled with tender devotion for his loved one is endearing.    Go Nut!

Didn’t stick around for Superfossilpower.

And in other news… Michael Gira (SWANS, Angels of Light, Young God) is coming to Suoni Per Il Popolo, which starts June 3rd.  Check the festival schedule here.

The best weekend of the entire summer returns to Ottawa - the official GaGa Weekend 2 has been announced!

Straight from PunkOttawa:

paint your pants brown today
or fill them with shit in June…
the GAGA WEEKEND is back!!!!!

last year was such a good time, that we just had to do it again. Pretty much the same as last year, we kept all the things that were awesome like:
the PIZZA PARTY show on THURSDAY
a HOUSE PARTY on the FRIDAY
a matinee show in the daytime on SATURDAY
and a blowout night show at BABYLON on SATURDAY

this year there are 30 bands playing!!!!!!!

this is how it’s all gonna go———————————–

THURSDAY JUNE 11th 2009 @ the RRPP

citizens of the greasy triangle unite every Thursday for the ROCK N ROLL PIZZA PARTY!
this is the special GAGA WEEKEND edition!!!!

featuring

SEDATIVES - www.myspace.com/sedativesedatives
the MOTHER’S CHILDREN - www.myspace.com/motherschildren
the VISITORS - www.myspace.com/thevisitorsarecool

plus DJ’s LUKE, BRAD, & MANNY

the show is FREE
it’s at the DIRTY OAK on BANK STREET, right across from BABYLON
doors at 9pm
bands will start at 10pm
get there early if you wanna get in

rock’n'roll all night long
and party down with FREE pizza!!!!!!

——————————————————————–

FRIDAY JUNE 12th 2009 @ COZZIE’S HOUSE
if Ottawa knows one thing…it’s how to throw a real basement punk party!!!

featuring

NERVOUS SYSTEM - www.myspace.com/nervoussystemmm
the HOLY COBRAS – www.myspace.com/holycobras
the SAVAGE CRIMES – www.myspace.com/savagecrimes
URANIUM COMEBACK
the BEACH BLANKETS – www.myspace.com/thebeachblankets

plus DJ SCOTT & DJ STEPHANE

$5
bands start at 8pm
AA
BYOB
don’t be an idiot

email me for the address

——————————————————————–

SATURDAY JUNE 13th 2009 MATINEE SHOW @ YOGI’S
2 stages of back to back bands all day!!!

featuring

the FUCKING MACHINES www.myspace.com/thefuckingmachines
the BALCONIES – www.myspace.com/thebalconies
the ROOKERS – www.myspace.com/therookers
FUCKED CORPSE – www.myspace.com/xfuckedcorpsex
the GIRLFRIENDS – www.myspace.com/theknifeisthelaw
YEAR ZERO
the ZEBRASSIERES – www.myspace.com/zebrassieres
the BOTCHED SUICIDES – www.myspace.com/thebotchedsuicides
the CENTRETOWN CRIPPLERS – www.myspace.com/centretowncripplers
the FELINES – www.myspace.com/thefelinesrule
the JOLIETTES – www.myspace.com/thejoliettes
the FORTUNATE SONS – www.myspace.com/thefortunatesons
the WHITE WIRES – www.myspace.com/theewhitewires
the BAND WHO’S NAME IS A SYMBOL
SUPPOSITORIES – www.myspace.com/suppositories
the SCHOOL JERKS – www.myspace.com/schooljerks

$5
starts at noon, goes until 8pm
AA
no advance tickets
tickets at the door only
it’s a BYOB party
plus there’s gonna be a BBQ
MAIN STREET & GREENFIELD near the CANAL

——————————————————————–

SATURDAY JUNE 13TH 2009 NIGHT SHOW @ BABYLON
go GAGA at the big blowout!!!!!!!

featuring

the CREEPS – www.myspace.com/capitalcitycreeps
TOKYO SEX WHALE – www.myspace.com/tokyosexwhale1
the SONIC AVENUES – www.myspace.com/sonicavenues
the STATUES – www.myspace.com/statues
the MILLION DOLLAR MARXISTS – www.myspace.com/milliondollarmarxists

plus DJ NATHANIEL

at BABYLON on BANK STREET
$6
9PM
19+
no advance tickets
tickets at the door only
get there early

——————————————————————–

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

GOING GAGA RECORDS - www.myspace.com/goinggagarecords
the RRPP - www.myspace.com/rockrollpizzaparty
BIRDMAN SOUND - www.birdmansound.com
STANDARD ISSUE - www.myspace.com/standardissuemag
CHUO FM 89.1 - www.chuo.fm
CKCU FM 93.1 - www.ckcu.fm

www.myspace.com/thegagaweekend

DON’T MISS IT!

“Contrary to popular belief, the Visitors do NOT care for pirates, nor are we associated with them in any way. While we respect their love for the sea and think their eye-patches and peg-legs are timeless accessories, quite frankly, we find their tendency to “plunder first and ask questions later” attitude to be quite childish.

So, to conclude: The Visitors - virtuous explorers, not filthy pirates.”

The Visitors are another one of the great wave of punk bands out of Ottawa. They play loud, fast Ramones style pop-punk about visiting places - really, what more does a person need?

Last years “LOST ON THE GLOBE” was one of the best albums to come out of Ottawa in 2008 and next week they are releasing their new 7″ TROPIC OF CANCER (House Party Records) at the Rock and Roll Pizza Party on Thursday May 21st. If free cover, punk music, and cheap tallboys weren’t a good enough reason to make your way to the Oak for the RRPP on a Thursday night, The Visitors just sweetened the deal. They have a new song posted to their myspace player, it rules, check it out.

Huge lineup last night at La Sala Rossa. A triple bill with Monteal’s Red Mass and AIDS Wolf with headliners Toronto’s Fucked Up. Red Mass have been building quite a following here in Montreal. Lead by Choyce (former CPC Gangbangs), Red Mass are a garage-punk collective that are not limited to music but also poetry and film all united by the same free thinking ideals. I caught the tail end of the set and thought the hype may have left oversized my expectations, the performance was good the sound wasn’t. I think I’ll have to see one of their shows to really see how they perform, but I will say that “Kill It From The Inside” is unfiltered awesome. AIDS Wolf came on next, personally I have a hard time standing there being screamed at by Chloe Lum but she looks great doing it. Fucked Up got on a little late but Pink Eye (now a will be father) apologized and undressed to start the show. From that moment forward it was of “prison riot”-esque energy in Sala. The untrained eye would probably see this show (and many other Fucked Up shows) as chaos, but it takes talent and military discipline to sound so good and have it look like mayhem. Go see a Fucked Up show, dates here.

Fucked Up - Black Albino Bones

PS: Definite show of the year contender. French review of the show here.

Brooklyn’s Crystal Stilts opened for punk pop Swedish quartet Love Is All on Wed, Dec 10th at La Sala Rossa.  Performing songs both from their EP and full-length Alight of Night, two things were confirmed during the show: 1) the Crystal Stilts have a penchant for writing eerie, addictive pop songs, and 2) the lyrics are definitely unintelligible.Without any contrived effort, these guys manage to put on a sweet show.  Onstage, the band members (vocalist Brad Hargett, drummer Frankie Rose, guitarists JB Townshend and Andy Adler)  are seemingly blaze and indifferent, yet the music speaks for itself, transporting you to the best of sixties rock, but with an indescribable quality that’s novel and ingenious.  In fact, vocalist Brad Hargett’s weary detachment complements the sound perfectly.  The mood wouldn’t be the same without it.  Exuberant, chipper vocals would be completely out of place in this haunting, magnetic acoustic space.

Eerie and charismatic, Crystal Stilts create compelling, potent songs.  A couple people from the crowd noted that the show lacked entertainment value.  As always, over-the-top histrionics are required by some to call it an enjoyable show.  Well, you won’t find that at a Crystal Stilts performance, but you will walk away having discovered a collection of songs you can have on repeat for days on end.  We chatted with Crystal Stilts after the show.  Here is what ensued:

Trendwhore: What toys are on your wish list this year?
Brad Hargett: A TV, a desk, a bed. I have none of those things.  A house.
JB Townshend: Optimus Prime.
Andy Adler: A set of golf clubs.

Trendwhore: What’s the most challenging thing about DIY culture?
BH: The hardest thing about the DIY venues is not being able to smoke outside.  You gotta pretty much take a train to smoke a cigarette and then take a train back to the venue.

 Trendwhore: Are you sick of people talking about your unintelligible lyrics?
 BH: No, I don’t care. That’s how I want it to sound.  I don’t want to be an acoustic singer/songwriter that’s focussing on the words. I mean, lyrics are important for me when I write them, but I like the way they sound.

Trendwhore: If you were a secret agent, what would your mission be?
BH: To kill important people.
AA: It would be like [the movie] “Top Secret” with Val Kilmer.
JBT: To go to Cuba in 1962, kick ass, and take a lot of names, including Fidel Castro.

From the looks of it, the crowd completely cleaned up the Crystal Stilts merch table,  After their Dec 17 show in New York with Vetiver, these guys will be touring Europe through February and March.

You can purchase their album Alight of Night here.

Setlist:

1. City n’the Sea
2. Thru the Floor
3. Untitled New Song
4. Shattered Shine
5. Crippled Croon
6. Sycamore Seeds
7. Until My Friends Are Free
8. Love Is A Wave

In support of his latest album Feed The Animals, Girl Talk arrives in Montreal to play the Metropolis next Thursday, Nov 13th.  Having made a name for himself with his unique brand of electro-pop, Greg Gillis of Girl Talk is the man behind the infectious tracks that incorporate an array of samples to create exhilarating remixes and insanely catchy mash-ups.  Having been solicited for remixes of their music by artists such as Beck, of Montreal, and Peter Bjorn & John, Girl Talk has come a long way from his humble Pittsburgh beginnings as a basement party DJ.

The fact that his music is completely sample-based has created buzz regarding possible law suits, but his electric live performances have earned him a wide fan base nonetheless.  Girl Talk’s fourth full-length album Feed The Animals is available via the “pay what you want” option on IllegalArt.net.  You can download Feed The Animals here or here.

If you’re in the mood for an insane dance party, be sure to check out Girl Talk @ the Metropolis next Thursday, Nov 13th.   Judging by the wild photos, you’ll sweat buckets and jive it up with thousands of your closest friends.
Tickets are available here.

Born Ruffians are a trio of Toronto-based indie-rockers who released their debut full-length Red, Yellow & Blue on Warp Records in March of this year to much critical acclaim. Their standard get up of guitar/drums/bass produces surprisingly novel results. With the release of their infectious single “Hummingbird” this Ontario threesome have proved there’s nothing humdrum about them. (Excuse the pun.) And apparently they’re no Ivy League prissies, either, according to Stuart Berman of Pitchfork:

Born Ruffians are the Vampire Weekend you don’t have to fret over– all the witty wordplay and jingle-jangle joy, none of the nagging questions about Afro-pop appropriation and Ivy League privilege.

Read his entire review here. I’m too busy (lazy?) to write my own.

They’ve toured with Hot Chip, Peter Bjorn and John, and Caribou since releasing their debut EP in 2006, and they only have a handful of dates lined up. And they’re awesome enough to get Four Tet to remix their track “I Need A Life”, which you can check out on their myspace.

They’re playing Club Lambi tonight (Oct 30th) with Ruby Coast.

Brooklyn-based prog-poppers Yeasayer (who describe themselves as sounding like “Enya With Bounce” on their myspace) are playing at Le National this Friday, Oct 24th. Fresh (we hope) from touring with MGMT and opening for Beck in Europe, they’re back in Montreal for the second time this year. They also offer some Aural Pleasures For You And Your Mother. Check ‘em out!

The other day, I was in the mood for some good rock songs.  Something abrasive and spunky, but also uplifting.  You know, the kind of music you can rock out to without having to listen to upper-middle class malcontents holler their boredom into the microphone.  The Muslims have been satisfying this craving for some time, but the day has come for something novel and offbeat.  Well, I searched far and wide and stumbled upon the lovely Marnie Stern.This girl gives inspiration to teenage lonelies who are brimming with talent, but are too dazed and confused to take self-motivated action.  In her Pitchfork Interview, Stern talks about her endless guitar practices, attending shows alone, and spending lots of time in depressing isolation while managing to create anthemic rock ‘n roll music.  And apparently it’s a big deal that she only released her debut album after turning 30.  Go figure.

Her 2007 release In Advance of the Broken Arm was critically acclaimed, although remaining in low rotation and largely unnoticed (at least by yours truly).  Stern named her sophomore release This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That for reasons unbeknownst to us mere mortals.I’ve had the track Transformer on repeat for the past hour. The first couple of bars sound like the intro to AC/DC’s Thunder, but in the best way possible.  The way this girl combines her bouncy, vivacious vocals with her over the top guitar skills is completely infectious.  Her lyrics are tinged with mystery and strike the perfect balance between depth, poignancy, and an attitude of carefree playfulness. Try a couple of the tracks on her myspace.

The best news is that Blue Skies Turn Black are inviting her over to Club Lambi on November 27th,  so you’ll be able to confirm my outpouring of enthusiasm with your own ears.  Word to Marnie and her sleepless nights.

Barely alive after a week of exhaustion from Pop Montreal madness, I have finally recovered enough to gather my thoughts and tell you about The Dodos show at La Sala Rossa on Sat, Oct 4th. I didn’t make it in time to see openers Passion Pit, but took a listen to their myspace - it’s hooky, synth heavy dance-pop, with high-pitched vocals. Explosive, like a helium balloon.

Next came Portland based experimental folk duo Au. Fingers scurrying across the keyboard, spacey drawn out vocals, and powerful drums combine classical influences with contemporary Americana, and garner comparisons to Steve Reich, Brian Eno, and Animal Collective. Au alternates between serene atmospherics and lively, spirited numbers. Originally began as a solo project by multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland, the current touring band also includes insanely skilled drummer Dana Valatka, whose improvised solo at the end of their set at La Sala Rossa floored people’s jaws into the ground. During past shows, Au have been known to perform with more than a dozen musicians on stage with banjos, accordions, and other toys and tricks. They are now touring in support of Verbs, their latest release on Aagoo Records. Their music is expansively orchestrated, skillfully improvised, and oh-so playful!

The Dodos catapulted onto the stage with their frenetic folksy blues and played a propulsive set despite lead vocalist Meric Long being a little under the weather. Percussion is central to The Dodos’ sound and (drummer) Logan Kroeber beat those big, heavy drums with primal urgency - that tribal, drum-circle quality coupled with Meric Long’s effortless fingerpicking resonated well with the audience. Those who heard their music for the first time were immediately hooked. (I didn’t take a poll of the audience - I’m basing this on a statistically significant sample of four people.) More seasoned listeners recognized “Fools”, “Jodi”, “The Season” - smart, witty lyrics soaring above hurried acoustic guitar, booming drums, and chiming vibraphone and creating infectious, unforgettable songs.

Joe Haener (of gris gris) added to the intensity by rhythmically kicking the shit out of a shiny silver garbage can. After the band got off the stage, the crowd stomped and clapped in unison - demanding an encore! Everyone had their primordial guts shaken to the core by this hugely energetic, unrestrained live set. Although comparisons to Animal Collective (I dare you to name one folk-rock indie band that hasn’t been compared to them), Elliott Smith, and even Sonic Youth have been thrown around, The Dodos’ music doesn’t get jumbled with thousands of other bands you’ve got stored in your memory. When you hear the first notes of their songs, you know exactly who you’re listening to. Their 2008 album Visiter was released on Frenchkiss Records this past March and has thrown them into a whirlwind. They’ve toured relentlessly throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and have dates lined up in Australia all the way through January.

These dudes are seriously badass. Having played at Le Divan Orange this past April, and at La Sala Rossa last week, I think it’s only natural that their next show in Montreal should be held at a venue aptly named for another colorful piece of furniture. Feel free to volunteer suggestions.

The Dodos - Fools

The Dodos - Trades & Tariffs

The Dodos - Jodi

Just got back from the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and wanted to share some notes and video so I can go to bed.

1. The crowd didn’t respond well to TAM.
2. TAM didn’t respond well to the crowd. Actual quote “I’m opening for Nick Cave and I’m fucking bored!”
3. TAM’s singer = 1990’s indifference.
4. Crowd cheers for TAM’s announcement that they have only one song left. They play “Anarchy In The UK” (poorly) and get booed off stage. Wanna hear it?
5. TAM now intrigue me.
6. The Bad Seeds are sooooo tight.
7. Warren Ellis slays the violin.
8. Nick Cave filled The Metropolis.
9. Nick Cave killed The Metropolis.
10. Song of the night: Deanna

This year is a toss up between Nick Cave and Iggy Pop as my personal “Show of the Year”. I didn’t get a chance to see the end of the Nick Cave show due to a dog emergency. How did it finish?

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Weeping Song

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Deanna

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Get Ready For Love

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Hard On For Love