SHEEZER at the El Mocambo, Saturday, December 31. Rating: NNNN
A midnight set from Toronto’s Rivers Cuomo-approved all female Weezer tribute band, Sheezer, proved a go-to NYE option for a subset of nerdy music fans (specifically, guys who grew up on Weezer).
The perfectly named band plays songs from Weezer’s Blue Album and Pinkerton. It’s a great shtick, but more importantly, Sheezer friggin’ rock.
From the opening of Buddy Holly, sung by drummer Dana Snell (the Bicycles), to the harmonica part on In The Garage by multi-instrumentalist Robin Hatch, to the word-for-word performance of the spoken part of Undone (The Sweater Song), and Alysha Haugen’s scientist-like lead guitar skills throughout, the technically impressive set was as faithful to the originals as possible, given that the members of Sheezer can’t sing like guys and don’t have exactly the same gear as Weezer did circa 94.
Toward the end of the set, a few guys from the audience climbed up on stage and sang along with the songs before crowd-surfing, but it seemed more appropriate when a woman got up to do it. Bassist Laura Barrett yelled out encouragingly, “Go for it! Slow surf!” And she did.
SARAH GREENE
RICK ROSS at Sound Academy, Thursday, December 22. Rating: NNN
The lack of excitement leading up to the Rick Ross show at Sound Academy was surprising. His hits are colossal, the stuff summer anthems are made of. Still, it seems the Teflon Don – who played Brampton last January and impressed at Drake’s OVO Fest this summer – doesn’t strike many as a charismatic live act.
And yet the Thursday night crowd was surprisingly deep, loosened up by a pre-show DJ set of dancehall and air-thickening weed. Walking onstage, Ross immediately let loose one of his trademark grunts, and then the thundering opening bars of Hustlin’, MC Hammer and B.M.F. got the girls screaming and dudes roaring. The payoff at a Rick Ross show is immediate.
But despite fleeting rushes during radio hits I’m On One, All I Do Is Win and his latest feature on Drake’s Lord Knows, Ross failed to sustain the momentum. Cut off at exactly the hour mark,the clipped set also suggests he’s indifferent about all this.
ANUPA MISTRY
JUAN ATKINS with DAKOTA, ODONIS ODONIS, DONLANDS & MORTIMER, MOON KING and DOLDRUMS at the Drake Hotel, Thursday, December 29. Rating: NNN
The Drake’s annual multi-day What’s In The Box festival provides much-needed musical entertainment during the traditionally barren week between Christmas and NYE and boasts strong bookings every year. Moon King’s Daniel Woodhead (formerly of Spiral Beach) programmed Thursday’s event, which included the last-minute addition of Detroit techno pioneer Juan Atkins, making an already eclectic bill even weirder.
Atkins’s closing DJ set of deep techno and house made sense in that all the featured bands other than jazzy indie pop band Donlands & Mortimer experiment with electronics in various ways, but only Dakota’s dreamy 80s-inspired disco grooves have much to do with dance music. You can also hear club influences in Doldrums (aka Airick Woodhead, Daniel’s brother, also formerly of Spiral Beach), but his sampling experiments aren’t nearly as promising as his synth-pop impulses.
The most impressive set was by Odonis Odonis, who beef up their post-punk noise-surf vibes with electronic drum pads and samples. A somewhat uneven night, but much better than hibernating.
BENJAMIN BOLES
DJ SNEAK at Wrongbar, Saturday, December 31. Rating: NNN
Chicago house hero DJ Sneak missed his own birthday party blowout Halloween weekend after being stranded in NYC by a freak storm, so his headlining NYE gig at Wrongbar felt like a smaller-scale makeup gig. While he made his name in the 90s Chi-town scene, he’s since relocated to Toronto, where he enjoys a faithful following. His filtered disco loop sound was a big influence on Daft Punk, who were in turn a big inspiration for acts like Justice, so you can hear his fingerprints on a lot of contemporary dance music.
Considering his history, it was a bit surprising to see Wrongbar not at capacity, though it was busy. Then again, NYE is basically party night for amateurs, and Sneak caters more to the veterans. He laid down a tight, chugging set of his trademark sound, broken up with the occasional funky surprise, but never really managed to push the dance floor over the edge. Still, it was a satisfying night of pounding bass, and a good reminder of why he’s so well loved by Toronto house heads.
BENJAMIN BOLES
