2005-02-26, Cervejaria Downtown - Toronto, ON

This was a my second time seeing The Liquidaires and enjoyed myself as much as I did the first time I saw them. The Liquidaires were having their CD Release party on this night, and their loyal following definitely came out to show their support. They filled the restaurant, including the dancefloor. It was nice to see everyone having a good time. Everyone was there to party and enjoy the wonderful music.

The band played really well. The Liquidaires had a guest saxophonist, trumpet player, and percussionist. It made for a very filled stage, but also a very full sound. Again, you can tell this band has been playing music for several years. It is no wonder why they sound very good, and don't make any mistakes. Although I didn't pick up the CD due to financial restrictions, I am confident the CD sounds just as good as they do live.

Lastly, I could have sworn I saw the drummer from Skaface at the show.

The Liquidaires  


Comments (2)

(Posted 2005-03-11)

2005-02-22, Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON

It hadn't been too long since The Toasters visited Toronto, but long enough that one could feel the urge to see them again. This time around they brought Westbound Train.

I was blown away by the talent of Westbound Train. Personally, I didn't find it music that I could dance to, but definitely music to groove to, or to put on and relieve some stress. The lead singer has an amazing voice, and one of the trumpet's solo's was just outstanding. One of the best I have ever heard. These guys are a tight band. I look forward to seeing them again if they ever come back. I was stupid and didn't buy a cd, but and definitely considering ordering one from them. Read the review Skip did in the CD Reviews section of the site.

You could really tell that The Toasters were really trying to please their fans with this set. Not to say they normally don't, but it just seemed more prevalent than normal. With Jack Ruby joining people on the dance floor, inviting people on stage to dance, and even one gentleman who say them the night before was invited to sing a song. It is that connection with fans that can make or break a band. Although I liked The Toasters slightly better on the September 11th show (it would be hard for any band to beat such a performance), I had a great time at the show. The trombone player even played O Canada. Everyone of age that made it out to this show definitely got value for their money. Can't wait until they come back.

Westbound Train (set 1)   Westbound Train (set 2)   The Toasters (set 1)   The Toasters (set 2)  


Comments (0)

(Posted 2005-03-09)

2005-02-19, The Dungeon - Oshawa, ON

It is about time a show like this happened. Although it couldn't compare to the Legends of Ska show that I unforunately missed, it was still good.

Keepin' 6 started off the day just right. A really solid set by these guys. These guys are getting bigger and bigger in the 'sauga, and it is good to see them get some exposure. I was really surprised at the amount of people that were there right at the start, and even more surprised to see the amount of people to start the skanking off for the next 11 plus hours.

Next up was a young band from the dirty 'shwa. Although they come from a dirty city, their sound is very clean. Even though these guys are young, they possess some talent. It would be good to see where this band in a year or two. I think them missing one of their trumpets hurt the strength of their horn section, but again, put on a decent set. I have to say this, even though it makes me look like a pervert, their singer has the hottest ass in all of ska. Jonny Lane comes in a close second.

Third up was The Donuts. I had been dieing to see these guys since The Makeshift Heroes CD release party, and boy did they not disappoint. Instead of their usual Slackers cover that they do, they did a song by David Hillyard and the Rocksteady Seven. They did it very well, along with the rest of their songs and covers. I will do everything in my power to make as many shows by these guys as I can, as they are just too good to miss. Start recording an album already!!!

The Johnstones went on fourth. This was only my second time seeing these guys which is surprising for how long they have been around. They put on a set that matched their EP; full of energy. The crowd was really into these guys, and by this point the crowd was getting near capactiy. It isn't hard to get into their set, as I don't know many bands that put out as much energy as these guys do.

Next up was another one of my local favourites, The Makeshift Heroes. They again put on a steller show. It is almost as if they carbon copy all their performances. I'm glad these guys got the opportunity to play this show as I know they haven't started to play shows outside Toronto until recently. It is about time fans outside of Toronto get exposed to the goodness of The Makeshift Heroes.

Baked Fresh Daily went on sixth. I wasn't into their set as much as I was at the 360 show, but when a band only gets 15 mintues to play, it is hard to get into their set. I felt sorry for these guys driving all this way to get shafted like that. At least they got to perform.

Pickering locals, Green Divison went on next. They seem to be getting more and more heavier, but that doesn't mean they aren't getting tighter as a band. I may enjoy their greater ska influence more, I still really like this band a lot. It seems I see more and more Green Division shirts at shows and it has to be due to their hard work and playing many shows. Keep up the good work guys.

Another band that this was only my second time seeing was Angry Agency. These guys are more punk than they are ska. They put on a really good show though. Again, full of energy, and talent. These guys play a LOT of shows, so be sure to get out there and check them out when you have the chance.

It was good to see The Flatliners again. Although I had just seen them at Big D, it seemed like a long time that I had seen them before than. I unfortunately showed up late to their set as I was eating some much needed food. I like this band more and morer with each chance I get to see them. Their hard work really shows in the shows they put on. If you haven't seen these guys often, you best be at the next possible show to give them a listen.

The first of the bands from the States to go on was SGR. Outfitted in suits, they definitely came to impress. Unfortunately I wasn't into their set as much as I thought I was going to be. I bought their CD, which is lacking in recording quality, but still very good. You couldn't go wrong for a 16 song CD that was selling for $5. V-Town is such an amazingly catchy song. I also got to see what looked like a bass-trumpet. It was insanely huge.

OSHAWA LOVES The Heatskores. It was mind-blowing to see such a response for The Heatskores. I've been to shows where no one has been dancing for these guys, but at this show they were definitely the crowd favourite. It was really great to see this band get the respect they deserve. They didn't disappoint the crowd at all by playing one of the best sets I've seen them put on. Being at the front of the stage trying to take some pictures I think I got pelvic thrusted more than a pornstar.

The last two bands were ones I was excited to see. It was both their first time in Canada if I'm not mistaken. The Hub City Stompers put on a great set. The vocals seem to lack a little, but with the lead singer being sick, you can't really hold it against him. The horns were tight. You could tell these guys were enjoying themselves and really stand behind their lyrics. I'd definitely see them again if given another opportunity to.

Bigger Thomas finished off the very long day with a bang. From their extremely catchy Ska in my Pocket to the famous Monkey Man these guys had the crowd moving. it is a shame they only had 30 mintues to play, as I would have loved to have seen these guys play for their full hour that they were alloted. These guys have been around a very long time, and it shows in the quality of their music. Probably one of the best drummers I have ever seen perform.

Keepin' 6   Last Man Skankin'   The Donuts   The Johnstones   The Makeshift Heroes   Baked Fresh Daily   Green Division   Angry Agency   The Flatliners   SGR   The Heatskores   Hub City Stompers   Bigger Thomas  


Comments (20)

(Posted 2005-02-28)

2005-02-18, The 360 - Toronto, ON

This is a show I had been anticipating to attend for quite awhile. I was told about how good Skaface was, and from the bands they had a chance to play with one would have to have at least some talent.

This was surprisingly only my third time seeing SKrAtch 3. A young band that likes to have fun while on stage. They really like to change their tempo in their songs, making it harder to dance to, but still enjoyable to listen to. Ranging from ska, to punk/ska, swing/ska, to even a song with a steel drum, these guys pump out a variety of sounds. I enjoyed their set and look forward to seeing them again.

After seeing them at Sneaky Dee's just last month, I was looking forward to seeing Phat Bastard again. I enjoyed their set more this time than last. Again, I think it was just the familiarity of their songs that allowed me to get into their set more. There was definitely more people dancing for them on this night, than when I saw them last. Which is a good thing to see, especially when a band has a lot of energy.

Last up was Skaface. From taking a look at the amount of songs they can play, and from the songs they covered, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. Skaface fulfilled all the hype I had given to them in my mind. It is obvious that this band has been playing together for awhile, as I don't think a band could get any tighter. As I've said before, I'm a big fan of large bands, and having 8 members (if I counted correctly) just makes it sound really full. I really enjoyed the covers that they ended up playing (Gangsters, Monkey Man, and more...). I'd really like to see these guys play an all ages show to see what type of reaction they would get. I had an amazing time, and thanks to Skaface for making a comeback. I will definitely be checking these guys out again.

SKrAtch 3   Phat Bastard   Skaface (set 1)   Skaface (set 2)  


Comments (6)

(Posted 2005-02-25)

2005-02-16, The 360 - Toronto, ON

Although this show was very sparsely attended, I did have a good time. A lot of the time I like enjoying concerts with other people, but it was nice change to be at a show where I didn't know anyone. I had the pleasure of talking with another member of Skaface. Both have been given me many compliments toward my site which have been much appreciated.

There was only two bands playing, both whom I've seen a few times each. Baked Fresh Daily played first. This was probably the best I had heard them play. I told the band at the show, and I will say it here, any band that is willing to play all out even if it is for 20 people or less, get a lot of respect in my books. I know it may be harder to get pumped up and into the show, but played really well on this night, and made the $5 ticket price worth it. This band is starting to grow on me and will look forward to their EP that is coming out late spring/early summer.

The Next Best Thing played just as well. I don't think I've appreciated their vocals as much as I did on this night. Maybe it was the lack distractions that allowed me to focus on them more, but I was really fond of them, will need to pick up their CD at the next show. Again, these guys rocked out as hard as Baked Fresh Daily, and played for a decent amount of time.

It is a really a shame Toronto didn't support this show more. To be honest it was a pathetic showing for Toronto, but since it was on a weeknight I'm a little more forgiving. Both bands don't play Toronto that often, so it is not like people could just see them another time. Thanks again to the bands for putting on a really good show.

Baked Fresh Daily   The Next Best Thing  


Comments (2)

(Posted 2005-02-20)

2005-02-05, The Kathedral - Toronto, ON

I once vowed to write a mini review for each and every single show that I attend as soon as I got home, so that the memory is vividly retained as much as humanly possible and so that interfering information doesn’t get in the way with my ability to recall particular events. However, due to school and other extra-curricular events (such as laziness, television, etc), I normally don’t get to write one until a few days later. When it finally does get written, it usually goes directly in my livejournal so that a bunch of people who really do not care about what happened, get to read it. However, this time it is a little bit different because maybe people who couldn’t make it out the show are looking to satisfy their curiosity of how the night went, or maybe people just actually care about my opinion…or maybe I’m just talking out of my ass. In any case, here’s a review of the show that happened this past Saturday, February 5, 2005:

Thankfully, I managed to get there just in time to see Green Division hit the stage. They were initially one of the main reasons why I decided to go, so I would have been quite upset if I had traveled all the way downtown to find out that I had missed their set. They played an awesome set, although not the best I’ve seen. For a band like Green Division, their horns section is critical to their performance, and the horns that night weren’t as tight as they usually are. It could be due to the fact that they are constantly experimenting with new band members and have not yet found their stable structure. However, they managed to pull it off and rock out harder than I have seen in a long time. Their physical performance on stage has improved so much over the past year, with a lot more movement from the guitarist/bassist and more crowd interaction by the lead singer. It makes the show so much better when the members actually interact with the audience and get them to sing along. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any money left, so I was unable to pick up their new three- song EP. However, I definitely plan on investing in one the next time I go. Their songs are undeniably skank-worthy, whether in a run-down dive like the Kathedral, or in the comfort of your own home.

I ended up running into a few people I haven’t seen in a long time, so I completely missed the next two bands (The Know How and The Flatliners). However, from the small, uncomfortable stool I was sitting on, they sounded really good. I have seen the Flatliners many times before, and they are definitely one of the best ska bands to come out of Toronto. It is possible to sense their youth and energy, even from afar. They play many shows in Toronto, so I plan on getting out to another one sometime soon.

Crowned King was next. I have never seen them live before, and was eager to. Since there has been such a stir about them lately (being on the radio) I wanted to see if they could live up to my expectations. I’m really not much for judging bands based on the way songs sound on the radio, or on their c.d. for that matter. For me, the major determinant of my love or indifference toward a band is the way they perform in front of an audience…under pressure. Without a doubt, the true measure of a band is how they do when EVERYONE is watching. Anyone sounds good when they have various tools to perfect their voice. Anyway, Crowned King has a lot of energy and it is blatantly obvious that they love what they do. However, I have to say that I was disappointed. After all the radio play that this band received in the past, they cannot pull off a live show. The vocals were excessively loud and distorted and they insisted on changing the way the songs sound. I’m not implying that all songs have to sound exactly the way they are on the c.d. but if a band insists on changing it, they should at least ensure that it is a change for the better. However, I have to give them kudos for their crowd interaction. It made it worth while to stick around.

The last band up was Big D and The Kids Table. What could I possibly say about this band? They are awesome and they totally won me over. I saw them once before last year, but I was a little bit sick and was not in the right mood. However, this time I was definitely in the mood. Their songs are so catchy that I had one of them stuck in my head until the next morning. They had awesome crowd interaction and were incredibly energetic. Even if you are not a fan of ska, you would have still thoroughly enjoyed watching them. The lead singer was hilarious, cracking jokes constantly and they had a remarkably tight horn section. However, the only thing that slightly bothered me was when the lead singer started taking cheap shots at other bands in order to get a reaction from the crowd (side note: I am a closeted Yellowcard fan). It just seems unska-like to put down other bands for what they do. What happened to the love? I firmly believe that no band should be put down for what they do. If you don’t like a particular band, then blame the people that like them…because they’re the ones that keep the band alive. On that note, I will hide from the Yellowcard haters and see you next time.

dexy

Rides Again   Green Division   The Flatliners   The Know How   Crowned King   Big D and the Kids Table  


Comments (7)

(Posted 2005-02-09)