Thenewno2 with Black Rebel Motorcyle Club

Before this concert I actually had no idea who Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was, embarrassing as that is. However, I decided to make the trek over to Kool Haus on a Thursday evening for the opening act instead; L.A. based group thenewno2 (pronounced: the new number two.) They have been one of my favourite bands since middle school when I happened across the music video for their first single, Choose What You Want, and they have been an integral part of shaping my music tastes introducing me to both more alternative and electronic sounds than the classic rock rut I was stuck in.
It was a great experience getting to see this talented band live! The lineup has grown considerably since I first heard of the band, which originally started off as a duo. Even so, the growth of the band has also allowed for their sound to expand, providing much more depth and dimension. They have a great variety in the tone and styles of their songs, that expands with each release. All the songs on their latest album, thefearofmissingout, are ingenious. There is a lovely assortment of songs on the CD, upbeat and slow, acoustic and electronic, and even a bit of rapping. This is an album that is definitely worth every cent!
Thenewno2 also put on a fantastic show, playing a mix of songs spanning their repertoire. Their sound was great! Definitely the best quality I have heard before at Kool Haus, which is not my favourite venue for sound quality, though not the worst in the city either. Either way, thenewno2 sounded crystal clear and even better than on their recordings. There was not much of a show to thenewno2's performance, but they still had a strong stage presence.
After probably the best opening act I have ever seen (definitely some bias towards this being that I attended the show for them. Oh well!) came the headlining act, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I did not find anything particularly exciting about their performance, especially after thenewno2. They were not horrible at all, and had a nice enough sound, but they were rather bland, being similar to so many other bands out there both in sound and in showmanship; though they were certainly not the worst band that I have seen. I will give them credit for that!
All in all, the highlight of the night was definitely the very beginning with getting to see my long time favourites, thenewno2. This was definitely a great show to start off my summer with, and a night to remember.

Billy Talent - Dead Silence

Billy Talent are not one of my favourite bands, and I have never taken the time to listen to their music even though I have been surrounded by friends over the years who have enjoyed this Canadian band.
Even so, I decided to tag along when one of my friends went to see them. I knew it would be worth it, since two Ontario bands whose music I enjoy would be opening up the show. I was surprised to see that small Barrie duo, Indian Handcrafts, would be starting off the night, but I was even more surprised when I saw that Hollerado was on the bill! This cinched the deal though, since I love Hollerado.
This was definitely not my usual kind of concert to attend. I will admit I felt awkwardly out of place throughout the night. For one, it was at the Air Canada Centre, which even though I have seen a few shows there before, it's not one of my favourite venues since usually the shows there have a much more impersonal feel. Also the crowd just isn't who I'm usually attending concerts with; youthful indie rock fans or old long haired classic rockers. It seemed everyone there (even though I was sitting very far from the stage) was huge Billy Talent fans except for myself. I recognized a couple of the songs, and enjoyed their live performance well enough. The lead singer has a very unique and melodic voice. Regardless, I was not impressed by their performance though. It was your typical punk rock stadium show. Somewhat energetic but lacking, and completely interchangeable. By the time Hollerado, the second opener, had finished I was ready to go home for the night. Afterwards the show hit a slight lull. Also it was definitely the weirdest Hollerado performance I have ever seen. For one thing, I was at the opposite end of the ACC from them, when usually I have seen them in much smaller spaces and have also been much closer to the stage. They were about the size of a finger nail, which was very difficult to fathom. Also no one else in my section was into Hollerado, and many people actually left during their set! I swear I got some weird looks while singing along to the indie-rock band's catching choruses.
My least favourite part of the show was definitely Sum 41's set. I couldn't stand their music. It wasn't catchy. It wasn't melodic. It was just loud, bashing noise with what could maybe be considered singing by Deryk Whibley. Also Whibley has an aptitude towards profanities after just about every other word.
All in all, it wasn't the worst concert I've attended. But it was definitely not the best either. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more, had Sum 41 been removed from the bill. But regardless, I don't think I'll be attending another Billy Talent show anytime soon.

Heart - Canadian Tour 2013

I was going to start off and state that this wouldn’t be a post praising Heart but who am I kidding? They’re one of my all time favourite bands; of course I found their Massey Hall performance astounding.

The Wilson sisters definitely put on one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. They were able to please Heart fans from any decade, playing a variety of favourites from their 70s, 80s and present material. It made for a great dynamic throughout the set with a variation in both tone and pace of the songs, showing a great appreciation for all Heart music eras. Ann Wilson’s voice is still as amazing and beautiful as ever. It was especially stellar on their performance of the 1980’s hit Alone. The two sisters performed an acoustic version of the song with only the accompaniment of keyboards, similar to their version off the live 1995 album, The Road Home. It was so different from the over the top, power ballad version that everyone knows and loves, but never the less it was HEARTbreakingly beautiful. (I apologize for the pun, but how could I not?)

Another highlight of the show was the opening act, Simon Townshend, Pete Townshend’s (guitarist and creative genius of The Who) younger brother. He proved to be quite the talented musician himself. I really enjoy his album Looking Out, Looking In, and would definitely recommend it as a good pick!

Heart also performed a few covers in their set, ending off the show with both a Led Zeppelin and The Who cover. Ann’s voice suits Robert Plant’s vocal parts perfectly; sending the crowd into a frenzy when the band returned for encores, with the screeching start of Black Dog. They polished off their set with a magnificent cover of one of my favourite The Who songs, Love Reign O’er Me (Pete’s Theme from the album, Quadrophenia - which I had the chance of seeing The Who perform live in November.) This was of course performed with Simon Townshend, and Ann gave Roger Daltrey’s vocal ability a run for his money.

All in all, Heart put on a fantastic show and I can’t wait till my next chance to see the Wilson sisters live! They are a must-see show!!

Hollerado Instore - White Paint

If you have not guessed by now that Hollerado are one of my all-time favourite bands, than I don't know what you were doing reading this blog.
It also seems redundant for me now to review a Hollerado show as I think so highly of their performances, and have seen them countless times. But this show stood out for me particularly (though honestly, doesn't every Hollerado show?) as it took place at my favourite record shop in Toronto, Sonic Boom. What could be better? And to add to this already amazing show, they were promoting the release of their latest album, White Paint.
To be honest, I was a bit hesitant about the new album. I am with any new release from a favourite artist. After hearing the first single released off the album, Pick Me Up, any doubts I had disappeared. I knew this would be another fantastic indie rock album. Now I'm going to try my best not to continually praise the album over and over. So I'll state straight off the bat that this is a fantastic album. All their new songs are incredibly catchy, not just the singles! This album really presented how the band has matured during the time since their debut release. This gained wisdom and craftsmanship was evident in their ever improving live shows, but this was the first demonstration of these improvements from a studio setting. There is a variety of tone and pace present in the songs, with many upbeat, catchy indie anthems, but also softer songs, such as personal favourite, Lonesome George. Also there was a maturity in the songwriting produced with this album as well. Many of the songs tell a story, such as the hit-single, So It Goes, which tells the story of Menno Versteeg's (the lead singer) grandfather during the second World War.
White Paint is definitely an album that needs to be acquired by anyone in Toronto that loves music. It's a killer album packed full with energetic tunes!

Bon Jovi - What About Now

Bon Jovi have been one of my favourite bands since middle school, and were one of my first concerts! (Taylor Swift doesn't really count in my books.) Obviously I was going to be excited for their latest album and accompanying tour, even if I have grown out of that phase of my music-life.
Surprisingly, I am quite impressed with the quality produced on Bon Jovi's newest studio album, What About Now. I was honestly not expecting something of this level. It is very classic Bon Jovi, with many of the elements being of the most recent Bon Jovi era, therefore giving it a similar flavour to their past couple studio albums. I will admit this album is no masterpiece or their finest work but despite this, I really enjoy quite a few of their new songs. Many are very catchy, with some great hooks. There is also a variety featured on the album, with the typical power ballads along with the uplifting, hope-inspiring rock tunes. It did take a while for the album to grow on me but it is of quality far better than what was expected and definitely worth being given a chance.

Bon Jovi also met with a top quality performance - as usual! I really enjoyed the performances I witnessed on their last tour but I would say, that they have even made improvements with this tour. This time round there was no opening act; allowing for a night of untainted Bon Jovi. The band was also in top form, and Jon's voice is still in great condition. They played a great setlist, with a variety of upbeat rock anthems and ballads spanning their three decade career. This was definitely a worthwhile night, and solidified my continued love for this band's music.

Hillside Inside 2013

When this show was announced, it seemed too great to be true! Two of my favourite bands (including one of my all-time top favourites) that compliment each other perfectly, playing the indoor winter version of my favourite, beloved music festival - what could be better than that? To say the least, it was definitely worth the drive to Guelph.
Both bands were a great way to start off my concert streak for 2013. Born Ruffians, a local Toronto band, started off the evening. They have a great energetic, indie-pop sound that has created many fun and sing-along-able songs. Born Ruffians are an entertaining band and definitely were a great beginning to the night.

Next were the headliners, Hollerado, one of my all-time favourite bands. I have already had the chance to see them a few times so I feel redundant going into much detail about their set. They had a great, fun, energetic show as always; performing a whole bunch of their great alt-rock material with staple fan favourites, as well as new material from their forthcoming new album. There was also lots of confetti at the show, making it all the more fun, and leaving me covered with colourful paper by the end of the night.
It was also so much fun getting to see these bands play at a show organized by Hillside, since the vibe was just as relaxed and fun as it is during the summer festival. It definitely helped curve my mid-year Hillside withdrawal.

Top shows of 2012

I had the opportunity to see so many amazing and fantastic shows over the course of 2012; it's impossible to choose a top 12 from the year. So I guess that gives me a minor justification for why this post is so incredibly overdue.

Of Monsters and Men - The Phoenix Concert Theatre, April 12
Great relaxed-yet-energetic, folky set.

Fresh Snow at Record Store Day - Sonic Boom in-store, April 21
Great, dynamic sound to this band. Loved the music and the visual aspect too.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - 102.1 The Edge studios and Kool Haus, May 13
A great spring day full of laid-back folky vibe music. Nothing beats hanging by the lake while listening basically every Edward Sharpe song ever written, performed live.

The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, June 19
Memorable night seeing Brian Wilson and other original members all perform fan favourites together.

Roger Waters performs THE WALL live - Rogers Centre, June 23
Mind-blowing performance of one of the most worshiped concept albums of all time.

The Shuffle Demons album release - Lula Lounge, July 26
Finally got to see these lifetime favourites, along with an amazing cover band and at the release of their all-new, awesome album

Zeus, Rich Aucoin and Chris Brown workshop at Hillside - Guelph, July 28
This should have been turned into an official super group! (that mainly does Beatles covers)

Badbadnotgood at Hillside - Guelph, July 29
Musical epiphany of jazz and hip hop - with a mosh pit!

Hollerado with Topanga and The Balconies - Mississauga, September 7
Three of my favourite Canadian indie-rock groups all playing together; what couldn't be more perfect?

The Sheepdogs - Echo Beach, September 15
Long time favourites, and accompanied by a great smattering of opening acts.

Grouplove - The Phoenix Concert Theatre, November 5
All the times I saw them in 2012 were favourites, but this was the first full set I was able to catch them play. It was an evening packed with energetic indie rock tunes. Dance-worthy for sure!

The Who perform QUADROPHENIA live - Air Canada Centre, November 23
The remainder of the British rock legends performed their 1973 concept album in full.