Bowerbirds at the Garrison on March 27th

After the energetic performance by the opening band, Dry The River, North Carolina folk band, Bowerbirds delivered a beguiling set on March 27th, at the Garrison.

As they commenced their set. I couldn't help but feeling the disconnection in their sounds. Beth Tacular seemingly struggled with her microphone, while missing some of her keys when she sang the main vocal. However, it was just a matter of time. After performing a few songs, the uneasiness gradually ceased and their melodies synchronized into full bloom, while showcasing their parvasive harmonies. 

The lead vocal and guitar, Philip Moore charmingly engaged with the audience between songs and he even shyly tried the Canadian 'EH?', which triggered laughter from the crowd. Pointing at Tacular, "I don't usually say this on the stage, but she is my girlfriend."- Moore introduced Tacular as his personal and musical partner, while making each other blush, but made the audience go " awwww". It was just really sweet.  The atmosphere became so relaxed that I felt as if I was at their lovable house party with simple, but real music. 


During the set, each member switched their instruments for each song, which invigorated their perfomance. Tacular played keys and a accordion, Moore changed guitars to keys, Leah Gibson contrabass to keys and at last but not least, Mark Paulson showcased his musicianship and basically played everything from a triangle to a violin. Paulson's violin and Gibson's contrabass crafted a stunning verse and it drew intensive attention from the audience. 

Most of the songs were from their latest release, The Clearing, which enabled the band to deliver their stories in the past few years, while sparkling harmonies echoed in the venue.

The band closed their performance with a song, 'Tuck the darkness in', which consisted an alluring tune with dark lyrics. I wouldn't have minded staying in the world of their story tale for a bit longer. 

Dry The River at the Garrison on March 27th, 2012

It is not so often to see a band that can pack the Garrison on Tuesdays. British folk rock outlet, Dry The River made it happen and conquered their first show in Toronto on March 27th, 2012. 

The eyes of awaiting Toronto fans were glued on the stage. They remained as silent as the grave. I was even able to hear the noise of air conditioners between songs. 

"That's what English people talk about, Weather" Witty jokes were exchanged among the band between songs, which crafted such a warm atmosphere, displaying their friendly personality. Once they commenced each song, everyone in the audience just leaned their ears over to capture every single seam of sound. The layers of stunning harmonies and graceful tunes from their strings led a path to a musical oasis. I was completely drawn to the world of music that they created during their performance. 

Cheered and applauded by the crowds between songs, it was so pleasant to see how much attention that each one of us was giving to the stage. We would definitely love to have you back to Toronto.

CMW Interview: Fade

Making a meteoric rise from obscurity in the Japanese music industry in the past few years, Japanese hard rockers, Fade, are now ready to conquer their home territory with their sonic melodies. Fade formed in New York but have enjoyed most success in the land of the rising sun, especially with the latest release, 'Kings of Dawn.' Behind their glamorous success, the band have experienced the differences between the two continents, which leaves a distinctive edge on their tunes. Jon(Vocals), Rui (Drums), Kansei (Guiter) and Noriyuki (Bass) chatted with us prior to their Toronto show on March 23rd during Canada Music Week!

Kanae: Have you guys ever played in the North America or is this the first time?

Jon: It is the first time as Fade.

Kanae: You guys used to live in NYC?

Rui: Some of us were originally from New York, but we went back to Japan.

Jon: I am originally from Seattle, but I've been living in Tokyo for 12 years.

Kanae: How do you find the difference between Japanese and the North American music industry?

Rui: I think it's very different. The stuff that's popular here is not really popular in Japan. We actually had a lot of difficulties at the beginning. Jon sings in English first of all and lots of Japanese music industry people told us we had to sing in Japanese in order to get attention from the Japanese market. But none of us were able to write a song in Japanese, so we've been singing in English. The reason that we were able to do one song in Japanese on the last album was, we found a guy who can write lyrics in Japanese so we tried that. It was kinda interesting to see how Japanese audiences were able to sing the whole song along. We've found lots of new things.

Kanae: So for you (Jon) though, how do you find singing in Japanese?

Jon: Well it is totally different. There are lots of technical things that are different about it, but then at the same time, we've already tried it when we first started. We've been together for about 10 years now, but my Japanese was kinda shit at the time and things didn't work out. So we gave up and with what Rui was saying about lyrics and we decided that English was the way to go and to try Japanese again 7 or 8 years later. I think it actually helps me singing in English, too.

Kanae: In what way though?

Jon: The kinds things that you have to pay attention when singing in foreign languages, you have to go under the micro-scope a bit more than you would in your native language. You know when singing in the native tongue, you let it slide and it's your style, but it doesn't really fly in the foreign language. So I've taken the things that we learned form that especially when we were recording Japanese songs.

Kanae: Are you guys planning to come back to North America?

Rui : Definitely! This time, being able to go on a tour with RIZE in Canada, we've had a really good experience. The reason why that I went back to Japan in the first place was I am an Asian grew up in the States and I felt like I belonged in Japan. So I wanted to go back to Japan first and then come back here, so it's ideal for us. It's kinda interesting to see what kinds of reactions that we get.

Jon: So far the response has been good and we've been able to connect with lots of people. We'd love to come back to do a bit more of an extended tour in Cananda. We're heading to New York after this so we'd like to do this again as soon as possible.

Kanae: Going back to the fact that most of you guys come from North America and now live in Japan. What was the biggest culture shock that you had first in Japan?

Rui: All the venues in Japan have the full lights and PA systems. Everything is equipped. Where I came from in New York everyone had to bring their own gear to play sets. I thought it was amazing and thought "wow great artists are gonna be playing here." We are very fortunate to play in such an environment. But at the same time when you started relying on gear and set ups, we kinda forget some of the basics.

Jon: So for us to play a show at Tranzac the day before was really good. It was like going back to the basics.

Rui: We were talking about how we started playing in a band when we were in junior high or high school and played in churches and stuff.

Kanae: I call this 'reverse culture shock', when you go back home and being caught by a surprise by my own culture. Do you guys have any of that when you came to Toronto (North America)?

Jon: Canada has a bit of different vibe, but so far Toronto is very similar to New York City in some ways. People are much nicer. I actually feel more of home than being in Tokyo. I like how it is so much easier to relate to people right from the beginning. People are not too distant. If you hit it off right away, it's cool. I really like that.

Rui: The only thing is like the other day, we went to eat and I totally forgot about the size of food. We ordered so much and when all the food came out, we were like "HOLLY SHIT" It was like 20 people worth of food.

Kanae: The last album, Kings of Dawn. There are two cover songs that you've included. What motivated you guys to include these two songs?

Rui: We actually didn't have any purpose for the songs. It was like a management company's idea and they thought it would be a good idea to have cover songs especially overseas that everybody knows. It's our marketing tool. We didLivin' on a Prayer as we listen to Bon Jovi so we did that and we also did Relax (by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.)

Kanae: That (Relax) kinda threw me out.

Rui: The song was included because Japanese people don't really understand English so they don't know what the song is about.

Jon: But also there is one word in the song that's really easy to sing along too, even for Japanese people.

Kanae: I think it's very popular song in Japan

Nick: What do you kinda tell people when they ask what the song is about?

Rui: It is about 'relaxing.'

All: hahahaha

Kanae: You guys are releasing a new album in June?

Rui: Yes. Some of the songs are kinda similar in style from the last album (Kings of Dawn,) but others have much wider variety.

Jon: We definitely got the biggest spectrum of songs. Poppest to the pop and heaviest to heavy stuff.

Kanae: For the last album, you guys started using a producer. Will it be the same for this album as well? (Writers note: Kings of Dawn was produced by Hajime Okano, a famous producer in Japan, as well knows as a regular collaborator on L'arc~en~ciel's materials.)

Rui: We worked together with the same person for the last album.

Kanae: How has it been?

Rui: He is a great guy and I'd never met a producer that I liked, so I was always producing albums before that. But it was suggested by a management company to have a producer and he is a crazy good guy. He is like 60 years old and very funky. He'd done some work with L'arc ~en~ciel. The band is very visual and we are not that, so I was kinda worried about it first, but at the same time he knows what we wanted.

Jon: Actually we recorded these two cover songs first before Kings of Dawn and the vibe was really good so we decided to keep working with him.

Kanae: What's next for Fade after the album release?

Rui: We are going to tour in Japan and Europe in June. In Germany I think.

Jon: Ideally we would love to come back to the West Coast and optimize whatever chances that come to us. We would love to come back to Canada.

Kanae: At last, any words for Toronto Music fans?

Jon: Thanks a lot for the reception that we had so far and we're really excited that we got a chance to come here and play. Hope you like our music and we look forward to coming back to as soon as we can.

CMW Interview: RIZE

"It got my motivation up..." – Exclaimed Jesse of RIZE, one of Japan’s biggest rap-rock pioneers, while discussing their first show in Canada at Tranzac two nights previous on Wednesday March 21st. 
RIZE has climbed up and down their own personal hills over the last decade, fighting to identify themselves at a personal and professional level. Throughout a number of changes in the bands format since their formation in 1997, RIZE currently consists of Jesse (vox/guitar), Ken Ken (vox/bass) and N.K(drums). Since the debut single of Kaminari in 2000, their charismatic presence in the Japanese major and indie music industry cannot be neglected.  They've toured in Japan from small live venues to big arenas, sharing the stage with international artists such as Oasis, Jay-Z, Nine Inch Nails and Linkin Park, just to name a few. Their diehard fans are even called 'RIZERs' and they have been loyally following the band for many years. Jesse and Ken Ken put their hearts on their sleeves and spoke of their insights into music as an artist and as human beings:

Kanae: How do you guys like Toronto?

Jesse: It's been great. This is our first time in Toronto and we expected it to be a bit colder. There is a place in Japan called Hokkaido, located in the north of Japan. We've learned that colder areas tend to have hot energetic crowds, so that's what we were expecting and at Tranzac, there were only about twenty people in the crowd, but still yet each person in the crowd really heated it up and we had a great time like Hokkaido. So far everything is good.

Nick: How do you find smaller crowds compared to playing a big show?

Jesse: When the music is good and big crowds come to see us, it is even better. But it’s just about good music for me. So many people are artists right now. If you have a Mac, you can record a song on the Internet and everyone can stream their song and they think that they are a real artists, but real artists are live artists. I would love to make money with music, but before that we cannot throw away the hype of life and our performances. 

Kanae: Does it really throw when you are playing such a smaller venue?

Jesse: Not at all.

Kanae: You like it better?

Jesse: Yeah we are a road band and started off from live houses (Live venues). It's like 'going back to zero.' Before, I used to be like " Fuck, there aren't many people."  and I used to bitch out,  but you know having this experience now at this age doesn't piss me off at all. It kinda got my motivation up even if there is a crowd there or not. If I can pull it off then it's really up to me or us and we are pulling it off. This kinda nervousness is good for us.

Kanae: Is that sort of like your theme in the last couple of years with the last album, Experience? There is a song called Zero and you guys have been together at least for the last 10 years.

Jesse:  Yeah it is. We formed in1997 so it's been 15 years since we formed and our debut was 2000, so it's been 12 years.

Kanae: What has been changed the most?

Jesse: The members. (Laugh). Forming a band for a long time is harder than having a wife for me. We have arguments all the time, but breaking up is not an option. A divorce isn't in the script. We always talk about it and if we don't get along, we'd be like "Let's chill out for a bit" and even it is 5 or 10 years, I'll wait. cuz I love them. Him (bassist Ken Ken) and the drummer N.K are brothers and I've known this kid (Pointing at Ken Ken) before even he was born. I used to touch his mom's stomach. His mom used to be like, "He is gonna be your new brother!" and I used to be like "He is gonna be my brother?" Haha That's how close we are. The drummer and I grew up together and we hated to think about becoming rock n roll musicians because of our dads. My dad is such a hippie. Whatever you can imagine about that, he was that person. He is so hippie. (Writers Note: Jesses father is Char, one of the most legendary guitarists in Japan)

Nick: Is that something that pushed you into being a certain type of musician?

Jesse: Actually that pushed me away from been a musician for a while. I didn't want to be like that cuz my mom was crying all the time and my dad was never home. He was a chilled rocker and now I can understand that he put me in a school just by playing rock n roll. In Japan tuition is hell expensive especially in American/English schools. It is like off the radar, but man after a while I guess it's in my blood and it just kept growing. Eventually me and my drummer formed a band in 97’ then, Ken Ken was like 8 years old when RIZE first formed. No if I meet a chick at a show, and she’s like, " Oh I am 24 years old", I'm like "oh you are younger than Ken Ken? Oh no, I don't think I can hook up with you." He's still young. But now he is a super bassist and I respect him as a player. He also brings his own crowds, which is great because a band sometimes becomes a front man’s band. But our band is a trio and our drummer bring his own crowd to a show and I try to bring my own too.

Kanae: What finally brought you guys to Toronto after over 10 years of been a band?

Jesse: I backpacked here in 2001. It was just a mission for weed back then.

Nick: How did the mission go?

Jesse: Oh I should have gone to Vancouver man. Back then I didn't know anything. I went to Jamaica and New York and I just backpacked and strictly hunted for weed. 11 years ago I wasn't even thinking of playing a show overseas. After the earthquake, I just wanted to get hell out of Japan and not just because of the radiation or anything. I wanted to hype Japan up. Everyone is so down right now. I had to get out of Japan and get people hyped, by meeting with you guys, fans and talking with local bands about Japan.

Nick: Do you feel like a spokesman then?

Jesse: Yeah for sure. I mean if I have a chance to speak then yes. If anyone can give me a chance for 10 seconds or a minute, then yeah I would try to spread the word. You know in Japan they are too inward thinking. Actually lots of people in the States, Canada or other Asian counties, they wanna support Japan but without pity. That's what I wanna bring back by talking with people like you guys. I am a writer and we are all writers, so whatever we see outside of Japan becomes a creation point for lyrics. Before my lyrics were based on the things in Japan. But it's time to get influenced outside of Japan and then take it back to Japan too.

Nick: You take from were you come from and if you can pass it on it makes you grow as an artists. Is that something that you are doing over here, trying to find influences?

Jesse: Yeah I am an influential guy. I never go watch people's show just because I get influenced too much. If I see something that buzzes me, I would be like I am there dude. I am doing that. That's why I stay home otherwise all of us get over influenced like "snap." That's why we tend to be alone, like my drummer N.K just went back to our hotel because he wants to be in his own zone. But we do like like to meet new people and get buzz out too.

Kanae: Are you guys planning to release anything soon? It's been more than two years since the last release.

Jesse: We care for more than just releasing new material, cuz we jam and it's not a problem to make new songs. Making songs is like giving a birth to a baby. I mean in Japan when you release an album, it becomes hot for like a week and then they put it away and they would be like, " When is the new album coming out?" I just fucking released a full album, which we worked our ass off and poured our hearts in to, you know. Songs do grow after releasing an album after you take it to a show and on tour. People listen to it and you see people's different reactions. A song changes over time. It forms into something different every time you play so that keeps songs fresh for me.

Kanae: You associate your memories with the songs and you have deep feelings for them but people want new song after new song?

Jesse: Yeah, I guess it's a cultural thing, but they tend to want new products all the time. People are saying "eco" eco" all the time, but making new shits is not "eco" at all.

If I’m gonna live in Japanese society for the rest of my life, then I might have to switch my mind about things like that. I am an American citizen; I am not a Japanese citizen at all. But I was born in Japan and grew up in Japan, but my mom is Scott/Irish and she was born in Michigan... and I am just this big mess.

Nick: How do you identify yourself then?

Jesse: Well it really makes me feel like I am an alien. Wherever I go, I don't have a home. Wherever I go, I make friends and some people become my family. 

Nick: But in North America most people are like that, all from different backgrounds.

Jesse: We toured in the States and we did a bus tour from California to New York in 2003. I had this impression that in the States they only let the locals in and if it's outside that, they kinda pushed you away. But I got the impression that, well I don't know if it's only Toronto or maybe in Canada but people are just more welcoming to other races. It’s more openhearted.

Nick: I hope you fit a bit more here in Toronto.

Jess: Yeah if I didn't, then I would be like "Fuck you all” and I’m going home.

   All: hahahaha

Manager: (Don't do that ha ha ha) 

Kanae: What's next for RIZE?

Jesse: Releasing an album or making songs is not gonna be anytime soon, But we would like to tour more. We are planning to come back here in September. I don’t know what will happen but if I lay down a certain month, we are willing to play anywhere. There are lots of festivals that I wanna come back here for. Just rent out a van and tour across Canada to Montreal and 4/5 other cities maybe hooking up with local bands. We are a live band and care more about the show than just making songs. I just wanna spread the heat and I wanna see people in person and I wanna see their eyes so we will definitely come back this year.

Kanae: Do you guys have any words for Toronto music fans?

Ken Ken: I will be back soon!

Jesse: I wanna get to know Canada more and if there's a problem that Canada is having. All countries have problems to talk about. You fight it. There is always some kind of problem. Music lets you forget about it in a way and lets you think about it from a different point and then to express yourselves about it. Music helped me. I had this racial problem back when I was younger. I have brown eyes now, I used to have blue eyes and somehow they changed. When I was a kid I always got bullshit from Japanese kids because I looked different. That's what made me create music with the guitar. It was how I retaliated back, with music and lyrics. So if there are any troubles for anyone, I want to try help out Canada with music, I am willing to do anything.

CMW Review : San Sebastian

While I was in Austin for SXSW, I'd heard this band name a few times, so I decided to stick around for one more set at Lee's Palace. Hamilton rockers San Sebastians brought a completely different style following on from the Postelles' performance. They'd lived up to the hype as their cheesy 90s rock pulsated and heated up the audience. Their sounds didn't particular rub off on me, however, their engagement with the crowd was delightful to watch. Not only die hard local fans showed off crazy dance moves on the floor, but also did a guy jumped on a stage and joined the band with a timberline.

CMW Review: The Postelles

My first encounter with NYC rockers, The Postelles, was last year's NXNE. Here we meet again-after touring with The Kooks, the quartet returned to Toronto on March 24th at Lee's Palace.

To my surprise, the venue was a little empty when I got there just like the previous night. Regardless, the band members seemed to have had more fun than anybody else in the venue while showcasing chiming guitar riffs with sticky hooks. The effortless fun atmosphere from the stage spread to the audience and gradually some of them gathered around the stage, while dancing with buoyant melodies.

Most of the songs they performed were from their self titled debut album co-produced by The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr, which is full of Brit rock carnival, such as "White Night' and "Sound the Alarms"   They also introduced a new song during their set. I captured it on my iPhone. check it out. 

CMW Review: Federal Lights

I jumped on a streetcar and headed to Rancho Relaxo to witness Winnipeg folk rock quartet, Federal Lights after the Archives' performance. 

Starting off the set with a fun alter country tune, I Woke Up, Jean-Guy Roy was the centre of the attention from the very beginning as he showcased his substantial skill as a vocalist. Their song range varied from folk to heavier tunes, as they performed most of the songs from the latest album, Carbon primary. Their variety of sounds was like a cookie jar- No matter which piece I grabbed, it emitted a difference taste of the band, while I enjoyed each one of them. Maybe I am a little greedy bastard, aren't I? 

What I enjoyed the most was Roy's hauling voice, which was best fit for songs like the title song, Carbon as he enabled to express emotions more as a song got escalated, which attracted more attentions from the audience. Sometimes it feels so good to be reminded that music is also a mean to express themselves, rather than having infectious tunes to dance. 

CMW Review: The Archives

Before recovering from the madness of SXSW, here comes Canadian Music Week. My first show of the festival was Toronto based rock band, The Archives at Lee’s Palace on March 21st. I've known the band for the last couple of months, they have left a splendid impression on me with their solid melodies. There were no more excuses for me not to see them during the festival.

As it was an early show, the house was quite empty. However, once they commenced their set, it didn't affect the energy on the stage at all. The strong core rythems by the drummer, Kevin Cardenas, rolled up in the air and crafted sonic waves. Supported by such mighty beats,Will Gooch and Crispin Day joined it with playful guitar riffs. Coated on top of that were Anthony Menecola's sweaty screams. Listening to their single, Home, live was way better than that of recording.  I couldn't have asked for a better start off of CMW. 

SXSW summary

My very first time at SXSW was absolutely overwhelming, yet incredible. I witnessed a number of great bands and met some great new bands. I hope that around the same time next year, I will be hopping between venues for awesome music in Austin.

Here is the list of artists that I saw between Thursday, March 15th to Saturday march 17th with a short description of the show.

Thursday March 15th

Ben Caplan and the Casual Smoker (Nova Scotia, Canada)

His signature beard and hauling voices definitely wowed the southern crowds

The Elwins (Toronto, Canada)

Their acoustic set on the patio was like a little secret nest in the Canada!

Doldrums (Montreal, Canada)

Their drum beats electrified me to dance!

Trust (Toronto, Canada)

This project shouldn't be only recognized as a side project of Austra.

Gossip (Olympia, DC)

Nothing is better than free drinks on parking lots under the sun with groovy tunes.

Dry the River (London, UK)

Their seamless melodies melt my heart

Girls (San Francisco, CL)

Their brisk melodies smoothly took over the outside venue.

Kaiser Chiefs (Leeds, UK)

It was a hit parade of their masterpieces.

Friday, March 16th

The Pierces (New York, NY)

Barbie-looking sisters allured the audience with 60's folk rock tunes.

The Balconies (Toronto, Canada)

Their vigorous performance heated up the hot Austin more.

Ed Sheeran (Halifax, UK)

A boy with an acoustic guitar= eargasm

Of Monsters and Men (Reykjavík ,Iceland)

They showcased their ability to craft more authentic folk tunes rather than, the " Hey! song", Little Talks.

Delta Spirit (San Diego, CA)

It was the alternative form of southern country rock.

fun. (New York, NY)

Orchestraic pop rockers achieved the climax of the night without any technical difficulties this time.

The Drums (New York, NY)

The front man demonstrated bold dance moves with catchy lolipop tunes.

Saturday March 17th

 

U.S Royalty (Wasington D.C)

The soaring harmonies intensified their lingering verses.

Superhumanoids (Los Angels, CA)

Their electronic new wave sounded revolutionary

Lovedrug (Canton, OH)

Isn't it disappointing when a band sounds way better in recording materials after waiting for 3 years to see?

Imaginary Cities (Winnipeg, Canada)

Canadian hummingbird's strong voice echoed through the venue.

Plants and Animals (Montreal, Canada)

They emitted such a positive chemistry among members. I could sense that they truly enjoyed playing music together.

Ed Sheeran (Halifax, UK)

Second time during SXSW to see him. Regret? Hell no.

Dragonnette (Toronto, Canada)

the Hello song was created by a Toronto band? I had no idea!

Timberland(Norfolk, VA)

The Amount of songs I actually knew took me by suprise.

SXSW Day 5

It's been such a pleasure to be a part of one of the biggest music festivals in the North America. After interactive people left the town for the festival, many more music fans have gathered from all over the world, changing the scene completely. I had a chance to catch up with some shows and here is how my day 5 went. 

I jumped right into the Canadian Blast event at East side of Brush Square Park in front of Austin Convention Centre. It was surrounded by a number of Canadian symbols, gooses posters with the lists of artists performing during SXSW. While I was waiting for my coworkers, I sneaked into the tents and witnessed the very first act of the event, Library Voices. Their energy on the stage was so intense and it was as if it was going to blow out the tent. What a great way to start my day.

After tasting a bit of the homeland, we headed to Rusty's on 7th street to catch a party. As the event was free and all age, I couldn't help feeling quite old. But I am still young in my heart. Minneapolis rock band, Motion City Soundstracks managed to get through some technical difficulties with their gear prior to their set and blasted their melodic rock tunes. Their songs lured my ears throughout the set even though I hadn't heard any of their songs before.

I waited for this day to come so long: I witnessed the unique stage performance of Cincinnati rock band, Foy Shazam about 2 years ago and missed a number of opportunities in Toronto. After bumping into some members the day before at Nokia event, I swore that I would definitely check them out during SXSW and here I was standing right in front with two of my coworkers, who hadn't heard of any of their tunes. Once they rose on the stage, performing Welcome to Church of Rock and Roll, they monopolized the audience's eyes and ears and invited us into their spasmodic world.-Eric jumped on everything on the stage from the drum set to the shoulder of the members, smoking cigars on the stage, unveiling his microphone stand skills. I was mesmerized by their acrobatic stage performance. The set list consisted mostly from the previous album, which include a number of melodic beats. However, they showcased their hardcore Rock N' Roll soul with their songs off the new album, Church of Rock and Roll. Before dropping the microphone on the stage, Eric left with a word to the audience- You are all pregnant. 

After experiencing something so outrageous and blowing my mind, I need sometime to recover to my normal state of mind. We went back to the Canadian Blast tent to feel something familiar and enjoy some classic rock verses. We got there just in time to catch Saskatoon rock quartet, The Sheep Dogs. Since they won the Rolling Stones Managines' cover contest, they have been one of the bands in Canada who are on the buzzed list by a number of major media. It was interesting to see how being popular in the Canuck Land is as different as night and day in the States. Yet it will be only a matter of time until more people recognize their flawless classic rock tunes. 

After stuffing ourselves, we headed over to the Warehouse to check out some bands. We rested on hay between acts. Brit rock band, Tribes came on the stage and took over the venue with their dulcet verses, which was a reminiscent of The Libertines. 

New York based pop rockers, fun. took forever to show up on the stage. It was one technical difficulty after one another. I have to say I was very disappointed that it became a 45 min delay. They couldn't set up their microphone first, and then there were some issues with keyboards. Due to my schedule for work, I had to leave the venue before they came back on the stage. Apparently they only performed a few songs acoustically. This incidence shows how important to keep their schedule on time.