Turning up The Volume on top shows
Well kids, the long days of summer have to come to pass and now we're all stuck here for another few months. And what a summer it has been...we've witnessed Geldof feed the children of Africa with his massive simultaneous festivals, Neil Young gave us all a scare when he came down with a touch of aneurysm, and we all got to laugh and cry when a member of the Broken Social Scene camp got beat up by undercover cops when he tried to buy some weed in NYC. But these days are over now and it's time to get back down to the business of school. It's alright though, don't get scared, The Volume is here to rescue you from an otherwise dreary year of school related woes. Once a month you will be treated to a variety of music news. It doesn't matter if you're into rock or hip-hop, if ya dig jungle or country, grime or blues, garage or funk...we'll cover it all. To get the ball rolling we're going to give you a run-down of all the concerts and shows that went down this summer that you should have been at. So, sit back, crank up that Trooper album, and get ready to r-o-c-k...
Magnolia Electric Company - The Underground, Hamilton
This concert was excellent. That melancholy country tinged greatness of Jason Molina combined with the hilarious opening act Grand Buffet (two MC's from Pittsburgh that spit hilarious fire and can handle a heckler like nobody's business) made for probably the best Wednesday night I had all summer. And Jack Daniels tastes even better when your listening to Songs: Ohia tunes.
The Constantines — Call The Office, London
For indie rockers the Constantines, playing amphitheatres and stadiums must have been something else, seeing as the Guelph quintet have remained relatively “indie” since their 2001 debut album. Thanks to a major tour with the Foo Figthers, the Constantines seemingly have been given an extra boost of greatness, as the group played a performance at Call The Office on August 16 that may have well been a stadium show in terms of their energy. The band played a flawless set packed with old favourites like “Young Lions” and “Nighttime Anytime (It's Alright)”, along with a few new tracks that will appear on a new album to be released before the end of the year. They did not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination.
B.B. King - Molson Ampitheatre, Toronto
The blues king himself had his 80th birthday in Toronto this year and treated concert goers to a fantastic show. Though an old bastard, this old bastard knows how to play; teaching young punks like Kenny Wayne Shepard how they did things back in the day. Wanna learn more? Check out the review of this show nestled snuggly within the pages of this issue of The Volume. Note - B.B. King probably isn't a bastard. I made that part up. He is old though.
Northern Lights Festival - Sudbury
I'm sure most of you have heard of the northern lights but there are probably only a handful of people that have heard of or had the opportunity to partake in the Northern Lights Festival Boreal in Sudbury, ON. Unlike the celestial night show, this festival is held only once a year in July and showcases not only talent from Northern Ontario but from all over the Canada and the world. This year Natalie McMaster and Sarah Harmer were some of the music headliners. Also playing was Joel Plaskett and the Trews, both from the East coast, as well as Peter Elkas and alt-country boys Cuff the Duke. Not only are there musicians and workshops there's also plenty of vendors that would strike anyones fancy. From authentic handcrafted earrings to great performers, this is a summer festival worth the drive. S.G.
Thryven - Oshawa
Of all the concerts I've been to in recent months the most fun I had was at a show in Oshawa (yes, the armpit of Ontario). A local band called Thryvn headlined and let me tell all you metal heads out there, they are simply amazing. Thryvn consists of a bassist, a drummer and THREE lead guitarists. No need to plug your ears for gut churning screams, just pure riff metal mayhem at its finest. I spoke to Jay Rickard about the decision to form a metal group sans vocalist. "I know a great number of people who appreciate metal for the music but can't stand some asshole screaming in they're ear, so we just said fuck it.". We'll I say Koudos to you Thryvn. M.G.
Tech-Trance Party - London
Best party I went to this summer in London was a Tech-Trance party at the Coliseum in August. It also featured a Local London Dnb DJ known as Audiophile. The party was produced by my good friends involved with CHRW. Check out their radio show on CHRW from 2-6 AM on Saturday morning after a fun Friday night at the bar. Great Djs throwin' down Hype mixes. A.C.
Coachella - California
Festivals are all the rage this year. They are sleek and trendy and fit nicely into any home. No they don't, what the hell am I talking about? Regardless, this show was crazy. Frickin' Bauhaus played Bella Lagosi Is Dead with the lead singer hanging upside down for the entire song. Spooky, hilarious or both? You decide. Seeing Bloc Party, Gang of Four, Weezer, and about a million other bands makes this show probably the best thing anyone could have done this summer.
Sounds of the Underground tour 2005
I went to this fest mainly to see Lamb of God, Opeth, and Strapping Young Lad but it was ultimately Gwar who stole the show for me. Unearth put on a truly solid performance - much improved over their already-excellent London show in June 2004, but for the most part it was entertaining but unremarkable metalcore. The show was put together quite well, with most set changes only lasting between five and 10 minutes. D.
Honorable mentions: Warped Tour, Bonnaroo, Leeds/Reading, Glastonbury, Hillside Festival, Bloc Party tour (anywhere was probably good), Captured By Robots, Gang of Four (anywhere they played), WEMF, and OM. There are many, many more, but we just don't have that kind of space.
Enjoy!
Magnolia Electric Company - The Underground, Hamilton
This concert was excellent. That melancholy country tinged greatness of Jason Molina combined with the hilarious opening act Grand Buffet (two MC's from Pittsburgh that spit hilarious fire and can handle a heckler like nobody's business) made for probably the best Wednesday night I had all summer. And Jack Daniels tastes even better when your listening to Songs: Ohia tunes.
The Constantines — Call The Office, London
For indie rockers the Constantines, playing amphitheatres and stadiums must have been something else, seeing as the Guelph quintet have remained relatively “indie” since their 2001 debut album. Thanks to a major tour with the Foo Figthers, the Constantines seemingly have been given an extra boost of greatness, as the group played a performance at Call The Office on August 16 that may have well been a stadium show in terms of their energy. The band played a flawless set packed with old favourites like “Young Lions” and “Nighttime Anytime (It's Alright)”, along with a few new tracks that will appear on a new album to be released before the end of the year. They did not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination.
B.B. King - Molson Ampitheatre, Toronto
The blues king himself had his 80th birthday in Toronto this year and treated concert goers to a fantastic show. Though an old bastard, this old bastard knows how to play; teaching young punks like Kenny Wayne Shepard how they did things back in the day. Wanna learn more? Check out the review of this show nestled snuggly within the pages of this issue of The Volume. Note - B.B. King probably isn't a bastard. I made that part up. He is old though.
Northern Lights Festival - Sudbury
I'm sure most of you have heard of the northern lights but there are probably only a handful of people that have heard of or had the opportunity to partake in the Northern Lights Festival Boreal in Sudbury, ON. Unlike the celestial night show, this festival is held only once a year in July and showcases not only talent from Northern Ontario but from all over the Canada and the world. This year Natalie McMaster and Sarah Harmer were some of the music headliners. Also playing was Joel Plaskett and the Trews, both from the East coast, as well as Peter Elkas and alt-country boys Cuff the Duke. Not only are there musicians and workshops there's also plenty of vendors that would strike anyones fancy. From authentic handcrafted earrings to great performers, this is a summer festival worth the drive. S.G.
Thryven - Oshawa
Of all the concerts I've been to in recent months the most fun I had was at a show in Oshawa (yes, the armpit of Ontario). A local band called Thryvn headlined and let me tell all you metal heads out there, they are simply amazing. Thryvn consists of a bassist, a drummer and THREE lead guitarists. No need to plug your ears for gut churning screams, just pure riff metal mayhem at its finest. I spoke to Jay Rickard about the decision to form a metal group sans vocalist. "I know a great number of people who appreciate metal for the music but can't stand some asshole screaming in they're ear, so we just said fuck it.". We'll I say Koudos to you Thryvn. M.G.
Tech-Trance Party - London
Best party I went to this summer in London was a Tech-Trance party at the Coliseum in August. It also featured a Local London Dnb DJ known as Audiophile. The party was produced by my good friends involved with CHRW. Check out their radio show on CHRW from 2-6 AM on Saturday morning after a fun Friday night at the bar. Great Djs throwin' down Hype mixes. A.C.
Coachella - California
Festivals are all the rage this year. They are sleek and trendy and fit nicely into any home. No they don't, what the hell am I talking about? Regardless, this show was crazy. Frickin' Bauhaus played Bella Lagosi Is Dead with the lead singer hanging upside down for the entire song. Spooky, hilarious or both? You decide. Seeing Bloc Party, Gang of Four, Weezer, and about a million other bands makes this show probably the best thing anyone could have done this summer.
Sounds of the Underground tour 2005
I went to this fest mainly to see Lamb of God, Opeth, and Strapping Young Lad but it was ultimately Gwar who stole the show for me. Unearth put on a truly solid performance - much improved over their already-excellent London show in June 2004, but for the most part it was entertaining but unremarkable metalcore. The show was put together quite well, with most set changes only lasting between five and 10 minutes. D.
Honorable mentions: Warped Tour, Bonnaroo, Leeds/Reading, Glastonbury, Hillside Festival, Bloc Party tour (anywhere was probably good), Captured By Robots, Gang of Four (anywhere they played), WEMF, and OM. There are many, many more, but we just don't have that kind of space.
Enjoy!
