WEEKEND REVIEW #2

i figured this city would slump back to a state of normalcy after the wavelength 250 weekend a few sundays back, but after this past weekend, it seems that the peak has yet to crash. yet another fine weekend to be in toronto for live music.

and it doesn't end here. next weekend sees the opening of the duff, where no dynamics and others play for a crowd that i'm predicting might be the most rabid in recent months. so we'll do a series every sunday night on the wonderful thing we call the weekend until they start to suck, or i run out of money.

wilson interview should finally happen tomorrow and be broadcast on friday, our special day that has been home to eclectic sound basement over the airwaves in various places for two years now...

...speaking of which...

LAST FRIDAY - "THE KIDS ARE ON FIRE"

i accompanied a troupe of reading week refugees to the gladstone for the l'afrique fundraiser. the lineup and covercharge were both unresistable, so we loaded up on the ol' crunk juice and headed down to the show, just in time to catch Galaxy, whose balls-if-they-had-em to the wall approach had me at hello. for starters, they have no bass player and a severely tight drummer, making for a strong, stripped-down mix that claws for every last bit of juice it can muster. their presence under the lights is so totally professional that it more than makes up for the void in the bass section. they've made a wise choice by playing through tube amps and utilizing a drum kit properly for live music (a SERIOUS rarity these days). these three young women are on their way to serious following if they keep this up .

GALAXY - Slashpile

i'd suggest you go see them in the near future. interesting group of girls, them is. i remember emma and katie (both on guitars and vocals) from the previous weekend's wavelength "positivity circle", where they added a bit of ruckus to the fracas, and maya (drums), who, while studying the art of skins in school, also plays timpani in another highly reputable group.

the Kids On TV headlined the night by topping themselves yet again, with harder steppin than last weekend's lee's palace show, which i wasn't entirely sure was possible. but oh yes, they were just faaaabulous. this time, they had a crowd that was less afraid to enjoy themselves, and as a result, the atmosphere in the giant ballroom was ripe for action.

i'm not sure when they're playing again in this city, but expect a post about it soon.


SATURDAY - CRACKHAUS IN CRACKDALE, HEINO FROM THE RHINO



"hey, it's the rhino!" said our friend as she saw the parkdale pub across the street. "i once met this german guy named heino at rhino...heeeee's hilaaaarious."

"who the fuck is heino?" we thought as we passed the cadillac lounge. before we knew it, our friend runs back to us yelling "holy shit, heino is at the cadillac! come and meet him!"

as soon as we're in the door, we pass a low stage where we are greeted by an unnaturally blonde teutonically accented character who asks us hau vee are doingk in a heavy teutonic voice. we inadvertently become part of the show at this point. after receiving some applause for some unworthy statements of stupidity on our part, we leave the bar for our intended destination.

as it turns out, Heino is a famous german singer who has taken on some kind of cult presence in north america...or at least the real heino is. this guy on stage was an impersonator from second city, who's got this schtick down to an uproarious t.

HEINO HAPPY HOUR - Das Booty
*i'd play this on the radio, but you know what happens when you humiliate germans. they have this funny way of getting back at you. read this article for more insight into this song and dance...but in the meantime, "for the fatherland, do your duty and shake das booty!"

from there, it was next door to club ov's for an emergeevent, the same folks who brought you om and harvest and countless other love-in dancequests for the deadheads and bassheads alike. this time, they brought along mutek scene duo Crackhaus, chick's dig it's Leelee Mishi, and sumkidz regulars Dickard and Bobert, who took us into the wee hours with some serious glitch and and minimalist funk that made us forget about the sketchy surroundings. although, i must say, it's rather fun to discover that the venue's curtains are made of garbage bags.

please don't confuse crackhaus with the awful aryan gangstarisch rap record label of the same name.

SUNDAY - THE COLD SOUL
as stuart berman wrote in a recent eye magazine article, wavelength is all about being in "a bar filled with cold-braving music enthusiasts" to "catch a glimpse of a secret star before the general population catches on". such was the case at wavelength, where the effects of worldwide storms didn't prevent a full house attendence for luca maoloni's The Old Soul (shhhh! don't compare them to Brian WIlson!). with a horn section that could kill lame high school band teachers and a backing band featuring some of this scene's more prolific musicians, luca put the zap on the crowd. i'm unaware of any releases this group may have put out, but i'm on it, hopefully in time for this week's show.

******

we're still figuring out what our playlist will bring you on friday at noon, but expect only the best in new music from the blogsphere and beyond, only on CIUT 89.5fm.