Bend Sinister w/ Dominique Fricot @ Performance Works -- 02/23/13

For eight years now, Vancouver Coastal Jazz has been putting on the Winterruption festival on Granville Island, a celebration filled with food and performance and arts and dance and music. This year, one of the featured shows was one of the first Vancouver "indie" bands I got into, Bend Sinister. And joining them was another Peak Performance Project veteran.

Performance Works was busy early as just as many people were there to see Dominique Fricot, who had an all star band of of familiar faces backing him up: Hilary Grist on backup vocals (and keys for a couple songs), Mike Young on bass, Niko Friesen on drums, and members of the Four on the Floor String Quartet for a few songs.

With a full band, Dom's singer/songwriter sound was rich and grandiose, especially the few songs that included strings. He played some familiar, like the catchy "Burn And Start Over" as well as a few new songs throughout the set, including one called "Mother's Day", a funky and soulful tune.

At the end of the set we got the rare opening-act-encore as Dom came back for one last song, joined by his string section for the title track to his latest EP If Baby Could Walk. 

Fricot is full of charisma and charm on stage, with a good sense of humour when bantering with the crowd, and his songs are full of emotion. But while he is definitely talented, I still think he just needs a bit more of an edge -- some extra kick -- to really set him apart.

setlist

Seashore, Those Eyes, Burn and Start Over, Mother's Day, East Coast Girls, Time is Limited, Haunted by Love, Strange Lady, Our Last Song, Out of the Scenery.

(encore) If Baby Could Walk.

It wasn't long after that when the night was kicked into high gear, with the psychedelic prog-rock-pop of Bend Sinister as they exploded with energy right off the bat with "She Don't Give it Up", the first song from the new album Small Fame. They hardly let up throughout the set with great intensity from all four members; Dan Moxon is a monster on the keys, and he was flanked by guitarist Joseph Blood and Matt Rhode on bass, both of which had rock star energy with their power stances, standing on or straddling the amps, and engaging the crowd to join in.

Highlights from the set included Jason Dana's insane drumming on "CT", the anthemic and uplifting "Things Will Get Better", and the great combo of "Hot Blooded Man" and "Black Magic Woman", an explosive rocker followed by a more sultry jam, complimenting each other perfectly.

After a cover of Billie Joel's "Movin Out" before ending the main set with the older favourite "Time Breaks Down". But of course, they were back out for a few more, including their regular cover of Supertramp's "The Logical Song" -- a band who they've drawn comparisons to -- and finishing it off with the huge and epic "Quest For Love", Moxon's showing off the raw power of his voice for a perfect ending to the set.

As mentioned above, Bend Sinister is one of the first local bands I really got into, and they still remain a favourite. Their songs are amazingly catchy and there are not many other bands that can match their energy and intensity on stage.

setlist

She Don't Give it Up, Man of Faith and Virtue, CT, Jimmy Brown, Got You On My Mind, One Shot, Don't You Know, Don't Let Us Bring You Down, Things Will Get Better, Dr. Lee, Hot Blooded Man, Black Magic Woman, Movin Out [Billie Joel cover], Time Breaks Down.

(encore) We Know Better, The Logical Song [Supertramp cover], Quest for Love. 

Jasper Sloan Yip @ Performance Works -- 02/26/12

The seventh annual Winterruption Festival wrapped up yesterday on Granville Island, and the festivities included a pair of free afternoon shows from Vancouver's Jasper Sloan Yip; an early electric and an acoustic one almost right after.

I caught the earlier electric set, where the crowd was a bit subdued, being an early afternoon show. But the barefoot Jasper kept a good energy and stage presence, telling stories and bantering with his violin player and partner Stephanie Chatman, joking after one song's false start that "in music, as in life, she is right".
And Jasper's energy definitely came through in his music, with his upbeat and dynamic folk rock sound. Highlights of the set included the infectious "Kiddo" and a great cover of  Wilco's "Jesus, Etc". And the Wilco influence shone through later on for my favourite of the set, "Horseshoe"; particularly on the guitar, with Yip channelling a little bit of Nels Cline. They ended with "Foxtrot", preceeded by Jasper reading a bit of the wikipedia definition of the term, stating that is how he wanted his music to one day be. Which he is well on his way to.

It was a nice way to wrap up a great weekend of music, and I have no doubt that next year, Coastal Jazz will be able to top it.

Aidan Knight w/ The Belle Game @ Performance Works -- 02/25/12

For the seventh year running, Granville Island is home to a celebration of food and performance and arts and dance and music for the Winterruption Festival. Last night was a fun show with Michael Bernard Fitzgerald and Acres of Lions, and tonight they've got an even better double bill of Aidan Knight and The Belle Game.

I missed a little bit of The Belle Game, getting there just as they wrapped up "I Wish You Weren't Like A Dead Lover (Sometimes)", with the band going nuts on floor toms. I've had the chance to see them a few times in the last several months, and they just keep getting better, their great stage presence and dense & layered sound filling the room and capturing people's attention.
They urged people to slow dance for the brought things down for a moment with "Shoulders and Turns" and Olivier Clements of Aidan's band, was out to join Andrew Lee on trumpet for "Sleep To Grow". They also had a few new songs, teasing a new album, including the final song of the set "River", with Andrea Lo's vocals taking on a smoky, jazz club feel.

Not long after it was time for Aidan Knight. Even though I've seen Aidan and his Friendly Friends live almost a dozen times now, somehow this is the first time I've seen him headlining a show of his own. They started off with "Land's End" and "North East South West", the latter of which he broke a string during. He was a little flustered at first, but Alex Andrew of The Belle Game saved the day by loaning Aidan his guitar. Knight would self-deprecatingly call himself out on this, and a couple other road bumps later in the set -- including his self-proclaimed "terrible" banter -- but his awkwardness has always been more endearing than anything, and he was as charming as ever throughout the set.
And of course, the music was great. There were some new songs sprinkled in, an untitled one about a girl being in love with a guy who has a fake tan; "Singer/Songwriter", which Aidan introduced as "the 'Inception of songs"; and the magnificently beautiful "Margaret Downe", heartbreaking as always, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite songs the more I hear it.
They ended not with "Jasper" (surprisingly) but with "Knitting Something Nice", starting soft and building to a huge ending. And of course they were back for the encore with a song called "Magic Cupboard" which is "about baking", and finally wrapping it up with "Friendly Fires", with The Belle Game and Zach from The Zolas becoming honourary Friendly Friends, joining them on stage for shakers and clapping and dancing.


The only thing that marred the set was some slight sound issues; the most noticeable being a persistent hum, but it was more a minor annoyance than anything, and didn't stop me from enjoying the set. Knight always puts on a great show, and I am definitely looking forward to the new album he was teasing.

And don't forget, Winterruption continues today, where you have two chances to see Jasper Sloan Yip at Performance Works: an electric set at 12:30 and an acoustic one at 1:45, both free!

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald w/ Acres of Lions @ Performance Works -- 02/24/12

This weekend marks the seventh annual Winterruption Festival, a celebration filled with food and performance and arts and dance and music on Granville Island. And do they ever have some amazing music this entire weekend, with free shows during the day and a couple nifty looking double bills in the evenings, like Michael Bernard Fitzgerald with Acres of Lions last night.

Acres of Lions kicked off the night with fill-in-drummer Cody Beer joining Jeff Kalesnikoff on guitar and vocals, Tyson Yerex on guitar & keys, and Dan Ball on bass. They started with "Let's Get Sentimental" from their debut album, and the ridiculously catchy "Reaction" came early on in the set with Jeff  getting everyone to clap and "Ba Baa" along. They slowed down a bit for the Firefly-inspired "Best Day Ever" before rocking the rest of the set, with upbeat and infectious songs like "Kids" and "Closer", before ending with another slower one, the title track off their most recent album, Collections.
While they're not reinventing the pop-rock genre, their live show is just flat out fun; the whole band has a great energy and stage presence, immediately filling the dance floor and getting the crowd to sing and clap along to a few songs.

Not long after, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald hit the stage with a nice sized band including a horn section (whom he introduced as "The Horny Boys"), a pair of drummers, and more. He started off with "Movie Life" and his brand new single, "Follow", playing a good number of songs from his upcoming album and EP, both titled Yes; Side A and Side B respectively. The new stuff sounded much like you would expect, pop-ish with a hint of soul, and the full band gave it a nice, fleshed out sound. It definitely got me interested to pick up the album(s).
MBF also has a great stage presence, genuinely nice and humble, and an effortless charm. He did things like give out his phone number, so everyone could be "text friends" and when there was a bit of a delay, when he had to change and restring his guitar, he kept the flow going with his backup band playing, and then bringing a fan on stage to demonstrate CPR through dance (no, seriously).
Highlights of the set were the aptly named "Firecracker", which was one of my favourites of the night, and the older "Brand New Spaces", with everyone stomping & clapping along, and ending with a medley of top 40 covers including Sysco, Flo Rida, and LMFAO. And those weren't the only covers in the set, he had a few more throughout; Paul Simon's "The Obvious Child" early on, The Boss's "Dancing in the Dark" to end the main set and "Call Your Girlfriend" by Robyn in the encore.

Both bands of the night put on incredibly fun sets, and they were a perfect match for a night of good music. And speaking of another perfect match, I am definitely looking forward for Winterruption to continue tonight with Aidan Knight & The Belle Game at Performance Works.

Bend Sinister @ Club Push -- 01/21/12

Back when I was just getting in to local independent music, one of the first bands I came across was Bend Sinister. I saw them opening a show where they blew away the headliner and soon after heard a song on the CBC Radio 3 podcast, and since then they have remained one of my favourite local bands; especially to see live. So of course I was going to go check out their show for the PuSh Festival at "Club Push" (usually known as Performance Works on Granville Island) which, in a nice "full circle" way, was sponsored by R3 and hosted by Lisa Christiansen.

Opening the night was Pleasure Cruise, a fairly new band that actually formed on Twitter, when they were looking for a vocalist and Jody Glenham answered the call. Their lo-fi, retro, fuzzy indie pop sound puts you on a beach within minutes of hearing it and Glenham's voice finds a good balance of seductive and upbeat to fit the sound perfectly.  Starting off with "Weeks & Months" from their EP Business Or... the set was filled with energetic, summery songs, and even included a cool cover of "It's my Party". Other highlights were "I Really Wanna Know" which bursts into an energetic ending, and my favourite off the EP, "Summer Fling".

Next up was Nick Krgovich, who I didn't realise until his introduction was from the Vancouver band p:ano, and more recently, No Kids. He hit the stage alone, but despite that it was just him and his keyboard, he had a myriad of effects and back tracks to flesh out his sound, with twitchy synth, looped drums and midi sax as well as a projection screen behind him that matched up various old movie clips to the songs -- and matched up quite well. At first, I wasn't sure what to think of the electronic/ambient/poppy sounds, but it definitely grew on me as he went on, with Krgovich's stage presence -- and dancing -- definitely helping.
Aside from his own songs, he threw in a few covers, the best being of k.d. lang's "Constant Craving", and while I am not sure it's something I would listen to a lot, it was definitely a really interesting set, and I wouldn't hesitate to see him again live.

And finally, Bend Sinister hit the stage to wrap up the night, starting off with a new song. In fact, the bulk of the set consisted of new material -- with Dan promising an EP in March and a full length later in the year -- that sounded fantastic. The new songs had the familiar Bend Sinister prog rock sound and Dan Moxon's distinct vocals, but you could definitely tell the growth of the band, with a few songs having a bit of a bluesy vibe. My favourite of the new songs was, hands down, "Hot Blooded Man", an absolutely intense song  which almost immediately became one of my favourite songs of theirs; and one I can't wait to hear recorded.
Among the few old songs were "Don't Let Us Bring You Down" and "Things Will Get Better", bringing people to the dance floor. And keeping with the cover song trend, they broke out their rendition of "Don't Stop Believing" before wrapping up the main set with another new one, "She Don't Give It Up". They were back out for the encore with another older song, "Time Breaks Down" before ending with the heaviest song of the set, "Quest for Love".

Dan Moxon in an amazing ball of energy behind the keys, and the rest of the band more than keeps up for one of the most energetic live shows. If this set was any indication, the upcoming album is going to be their best yet.