WHITEHORSE (Melissa McClelland & Luke Doucet) with Frazey Ford at Glenn Gould Studio, Wednesday, September 21. Rating: NNNN
Billed as Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet, this was really the married couple’s Toronto unveiling of their new futuristic roots project Whitehorse.
Flanked by video and projections, the space cowboy lovebirds opted for looping pedals over a band, layering percussion, bass, synths and distorted vocals to build towering blues jams that somehow never fell out of time.
Doucet’s known for his great, off-kilter guitar playing, and McClelland for her powerful siren’s wail, but McClelland’s knack for multi-instrumentalism proved their hidden weapon through a set spanning new and reworked material.
Sharing a mic for a mini acoustic set, they told the story behind their song Emerald Isle: McClelland flew half-way around the world from a tour in Australia to surprise Doucet at a marathon in the UK. The couple evidently want to tour together, not apart.
Too bad Be Good Tanyas’ Frazey Ford turned in a sleepy opening set. Fellow Tanyas member Trish Klein’s sparse electric guitar and banjo support couldn’t make up for Ford’s meandering melodies, lax rhythm guitar playing and intermittent pickup issues, though the audience seemed to love the sweet-voiced singer anyway.
