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June 11th, 2008
01:22 am - MUSIC WASTED
Almost to my own surprise, I made it out to four of the five Music Waste nights this year, and the afterparty on monday, too. Here's my rundown of the highlights.
NIGHTLY WINNERS:
Wednesday: Ejaculation Death Rattle
Thursday: Dead Ghosts
Friday: Role Mach
Saturday: (took a break)
Sunday: Anni Rossi/Japandroids
Monday: No Gold
I took no photos but you can see some on Mark or Quinn's blog, or with this Flickr search.
WEDNESDAY
This was actually my first ever trip to Fake Jazz, and if it was this good all the time, I'd never miss another. When I arrived, two dudes (one with a truly avant-garde haircut: monk's tonsure meets assymetrical mohawk) were scraping and skronking out some Zorn-esque jazz experiments on guitar and drums. Then they exchanged instruments! Impressive, but I'm still not sure what they were called.
Empty Love played a set of slow-burning amplifier drone, but his set was really all about the dream machine he had set up in front. The spell was broken a few times due to the thing nearly falling over, but quick hands were there to tape it down.
V. Vecker's one-man Sunn0)))-style guitar drone was cool, though his decision to play at the rear stage with no lights on him meant that I spent half his set standing around the front stage chatting with friends before I realized there a show going on the other side of the bar.
Ejaculation Death Rattle, though, were far and away the highlight of the night, and one of the best acts of the fest. I wasn't surprised to hear about their write-up in The Wire -- they're clearly a world-class experimental band of exactly the stripe that that magazine endorses, and I'm thrilled to know that we have a group like this in town. My friend Mark dubbed their sound "disco-death jazz", and I'd compare them to acts like Excepter and the No Neck Blues Band: a blend of free skronk, stream-of-consciousness vocalising, and great playing from the bassist, violinist, and saxophonist, plus the welcome addition of driving laptop beats and processing from the guy with contact mics in his mouth. To sweeten the deal, they had a fun, unpretentious stage manner that included a bag of prizes, a dance competition, and V. Vecker in a headman's mask giving them back massages. Can't wait to see them again.
THURSDAY
Started at Hoko's and finally saw the Greenbelt Collective, who were charming. Their ultra-positive, community-centre vibe may be too sweet for some, but I like their Miranda July-ish sense of inclusiveness. Apparently, there's a pretty open policy for joining the band, which would explain the sprawling number of members (including a dancer and several folks on accessory percussion).
Caught the first bit of Andy Dixon's set (as Mt. Career) and enjoyed it, but it was a lot more low-key than the Secret Mommy Quintet, and I was in a hurry to get to Pub 340, so I left early.
At Pub 340, Dead Ghosts were the big hit. Their debt to the Black Lips is huge and obvious (no surprise given that Clint, their bassist, both opened for the Lips when he played in Ladies Night and also played IN the Black Lips as their substitute bassist last time they were in town), but these guys also know their garage-rock inside and out. They've got the jams, and they put on a fantastic show. B-Lines played after and I hear they were awesome, but I was pretty plastered by that point and mostly just remember trying to eat Pub 340's terrible, terrible fries.
FRIDAY
I checked out some art shows before heading down to Music Waste and highly recommend checking out the Showroom exhibit at Centre A, an installation that uses a fake condominium showroom as an open-ended platform for projects exploring the impact of local development, and the show at the Or/Belkin Satellite: a video by Kathy Slade, some neat little paintings by Aaron Carpenter, and the amazing Steven Hubert photo that appeared in issue 2 of Pyramid Power).
The friday lineup at Pub 340 was the one I was most excited about before the fest started, and it didn't disappoint. Role Mach (which includes at least two members of Greenbelt) kicked things off with an incredible blast of spastic prog-pop, with three sax players and an insanely energized frontman that put their sound somehwere between King Crimson, the Contortions, and Architecture in Helsinki. I was blown away.
Ice Cream play an informed and stylish fusion of post-punk, glam, and disco in the vein of the Chromatics and the Rapture. I was really excited for the set, which was enjoyable despite Aja's stage jitters, though I think Sarah Cordingley hijacks the band a bit. Her drums and vocals are the most confident elements of the band, but I find both a little strident and I think they'd do really well to streamline towards a more electro-disco sound.
Certain Breeds followed, and their downcast, cello-accented post-punk (a little reminiscent of the Organ) was more practised and sophisticated than many acts at the fest (which makes sense, given that they already have an album out on Global Symphonic), but unfortunately didn't fare well with Pub 340's sound system and mixing job. I look forward to seeing them in a better venue.
Due to the lateness of the show, I bailed before Basketball, but I hear their set was great.
SATURDAY
I sat this night out and had dinner with friends in my 'hood. I hear that Piper Davis, GR8-2000, and Gang Violence were great.
SUNDAY
Down to a thinly-populated Astoria for Sunday's night of two-man bands. Missed Boogie Monster, but caught Human Shield, who were probably the single most derivative band of the fest. Two dudes, one on bass, one on drums. First thing you think of? Probably Lightning Bolt, right? (Okay, maybe Ruins). They also both wore masks, like lightning Bolt (okay, also like Pink & Brown). The singer even had a mic inside his mask, like Brian Chippendale from Lightning Bolt. Shameless. The the drummer also had a lightning bolt design right on the side of his mask. Talk about having your heart on your sleeve. Unfortunately, they were not able to actually sound even a little bit as good as Lightning Bolt.
Hermetic followed with an unimpeachable set of DC-style post-hardcore. You probably know the stuff (the "good emo", as it's known to some): good, earnest, heartfelt music played rigorously by politically-minded kids who are probably a little uptight. Their closing cover of Mission of Burma's "Academy Fight Song" was perfection. I was moved.
And finally, I got to see Japandroids, who blew me away with their infectious energy and stage presence (though they actually played on the floor instead of the stage). Comparing them to Death From Above does them a disservice (they don't really sound like them), but they've got the same format: catchy rhythms and giant, fuzzed-out riffs in thrashy, compact bursts. It was nice to see what the fuss was about.
Afterwards, back to Pub 340 again, where Anni Rossi was the fest's biggest surprise. One of the few out-of-town acts (she's from Chicago), she does a very similar thing to Final Fantasy or Laura Barrett: solo viola with a lot of extended technique to turn her instrument into a percussion tool and make her sound like more than one person. Once again, I was totally blown away and immediately bought her CD, which unfortunately fails to capture the thrill of her live performance. Keep an eye out for her, though.
Modern Creatures followed. Not my favourite band in the city, but they played an energetic set that got people excited, and I can see the appeal. Once again, left early, before the Mutators went on.
MONDAY
Didn't learn about the afterparty til the night of, but was thrilled when I discovered that No Gold would be playing and got my ass down to the Emergency Room immediately. They're my favourite band in town (excepting ones like Destroyer and Black Mountain that already have a large following outside of the city) and I was initially shocked that they weren't on the regular Music waste lineup until I was reminded that they only got back from their tour with International Falls on saturday. It's worth mentioning, though, that Music Waste still excluded a number of my favourite local bands: Fanshaw, Victoria, Victoria!, The Clips, and Bend Sinister were all missing from the lineup, though I'll admit that I don't know if they applied.
No Gold played in their little meat locker practice space, which they have (naturally) domesticated with a lot of houseplants and Christmas lights, so it was real cozy, and their set was (predictably) fantastic, despite a technical mishap that delayed their last song a bit. I've been saying this for a while, but as soon as they get album out, they're going to blow up. Their upbeat, African-influenced sound has a lot of the same appeal as Vampire Weekend, but No Gold are more wide-eyed and community-oriented. They're nature boys in the Phil Elverum mold, and they feel homegrown and substantial in a free and loose way that's miles away from VW's impeccably groomed uptown beat. Their set was the perfect cap to a great festival. It was five days straight of fun and adventure, and I'm already stoked for next year.
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