Rating: NNNNN
Thursday, March 4
A printing error in the CMW pocket guide had blank pages where the Thursday showcase listings should’ve been. We guess that contributed to the emptiness of many of the event’s participating venues.
At the El Mo , only about 25 people witnessed Vancouver hiphop threat Josh Martinez prove he could sing as well as rap on an unexpected rip through the Chocolate Watchband’s Ain’t No Miracle Worker. Martinez made no mention of his recent beef with hometown hiphop celebs Swollen Members , using his brief time onstage to entertain the disappointingly small turnout with his blazing new material as if he were performing for a standing-room-only stadium crowd. A stellar Canuck talent ready for his close-up.
Opening act Shawn Hewitt ‘s mellow solo set was hurt by both the sheer size of the half-empty Phoenix and a rogue patch cord that shorted out partway through his first song, but the hotly tipped Afro-kraut rocker bounced back, bravely finishing the tune a cappella. In contrast, stringer Graph Nobel ‘s stage presence was strong but couldn’t rouse the audience of stiffs.
There was a painfully long lull between Nobel’s set and Tangiers , but Josh Reichmann soothed the savage crowd with a gracious apology before launching into an airtight set with his revamped band – which doesn’t sound all that different from the old version, although there’s less of the latent Stones influence that Yuri Didrichsons used to bring to the table.
Headliners Metric eclipsed all their openers with a solid set of electro-pop-punk. Singer Emily Haines prowls the stage like she owns it, but she wouldn’t be much if the band weren’t so ridiculously tight.
Friday, March 5
Had the first of many Jian Ghomeshi sightings during the fest at the Nettwerk/Paquin showcase at the El Mocambo . The dude sweeps into rooms like he’s waiting to be accosted by autograph hounds. Luckily, the industry leather jackets couldn’t care less. The acts on the El Mo bill were pretty strong across the board, although the lineup grew confusing when the organizers started sticking in unannounced acts and cutting players’ sets short. Guys: the fest is exhausting enough use more discretion.
Winnipeg alt-country sweeties Nathan played a set of charming ditties buoyed by the stellar pedal steel work of Dale Murray , who deserves CMW MVP honours for his work with Kate Maki and the Heavy Blinkers as well.
Martina Sorbara previewed a few tunes from her upcoming record, and from the sounds of it, she’s taking a page from Norah Jones’s soothing lounge book – complete with Fender Rhodesish keyboards.
Expecting Kate Mak i at 9:35 pm, we were shocked instead to see Lindy bouncing onstage like an oversized garden gnome. He showcased wistful singer/songwriter selections from his new record (slated for a spring release on the Orange label), but the highlight was a burst of white-boy beatboxing.
When Maki finally appeared, at around 10:15 pm, she made up for the wait with a killer set of crackling alt-country tunes. Two months of touring Canada – and the addition of a full band – have transformed Maki from the solid coffee house singer/songwriter we saw back in December to a consummate performer. Judging from the label buzz around the unsigned artist, we can expect huge things from her.
After a set of gloriously exuberant power pop from Aussie cuties Sekiden , the night ended with Ian Blurton ‘s AC/DC-soaked party rawkers C’mon , who played to a liquor-fuelled, fist-pumping Bovine . Why on earth did the CMW planners trap the beloved bearded local rock hero in such a tiny venue?
The big buzz Friday night was that Guess Who guitar god Randy Bachman was going to be a guest walk-on during the Sadies showcase at the El Mocambo . Knowing that Bachman was in Toronto shooting a special for Bravo made the scenario seem plausible enough to leave halfway through a stellar Horseshoe set by Matt Mays , whose boldly drawn new songs sound like they were composed with the ACC in mind. The long line of frustrated folks trying to get in suggests that Mays has already outgrown the Horseshoe’s capacity. The downside of getting to the El Mo early for the Sadies’ set was that Cuff the Duke were still playing. What a relief it was to see a fit and trim Bachman pushing his way to the backstage area, guitar case in tow. Minutes later, Bachman was pulling off ringing leads while the grinning Sadies rumbled deliriously through Runnin’ Back To Saskatoon behind him.
Then, showing their discriminating taste, they charged into a ferocious version of the overlooked Guess Who classic It’s My Pride, and closed with BTO ‘s Taking Care Of Business to the beer-hoisting cheers of the appreciative throng.
Saturday, March 6
Got down to the 360 super-early Saturday because word was that lineups would be huge for Jade Tree-signed Regina emo kids Despistado . The club wasn’t packed, but there was a healthy showing of underage kids with Billy Talent patches on their shoulder bags itching to catch one of the few all-ages CMW shows. The strictly enforced no-smoking rule was a relief after too many sweaty, blue-hazed events. Despistado started early – definitely a first for any festival showcase we can remember – and killed with a super-tight set of intricate emo-tinged songs that were (mercifully) more like early Sleater-Kinney than Jets to Brazil. Their boyish, shouty harmonies were endearing.
Fuck Billy Talent and Sum 41 – these are the Canuck punks who deserve bigtime success.
After decent sets at Healey’s basement hovel by singer/songwriter Aaron Booth (who’s hugely improved since we saw him last fall) and the Bacharach- and Beach Boys-tinged Heavy Blinkers , we rolled over to the Horseshoe for some Nardcore amusement from the Evaporators . Our man Nardwuar didn’t disappoint, screeching out tributes to cheese and legendary Toronto punk band Cardboard Brains. Rumour had it that the Brains’ Vince Carlucci might show up for the set, but we didn’t notice him, although fans like Sloan ‘s Chris Murphy and Much VJ Jennifer Hollett seemed carried away by the Nard vibe, moshing right up front with a slew of Scottish lager louts, one of whom stumbled onstage to moon the crowd.
Although Nardwuar’s stage-surfing antics were hilarious (at one point he rode his keyboard through the crowd), the poorly-kept-secret highlight was definitely BC metal god Thor , who stormed onstage in full cartoon-villain regalia and was forced to test his metal mettle.
Choice moments included Thor’s inflation of a hot water bottle to a massive two-foot diameter (using the power of his metal god breath) and the always impressive bending of a huge steel bar. Hysterically funny.
