Glen Hansard - Live @ The Orpheum Theater in Vancouver

*crosses this one off the bucket list*

As you may or may not know I have a thing for Irish musicians....and right up there (next to Damien Rice) is Glen Hansard - frontman of The Frames and half of the duo The Swell Season. He is an incredibly talented musician and I have been dreaming of seeing him live for years. I had tickets to The Frames' 25th Anniversary show at the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin but travel plans changed and I couldn't make it - absolutely devastating I know! But to my surprise, after I booked a trip to Vancouver for a friend's bridal shower I found out that Glen Hansard was playing at The Orpheum while I was there!! The music gods were smiling on me and I had another chance to see Glen. He also recently came out with a second solo album "Didn't he ramble" that I listened to on repeat during the 3 hour drive to the airport (small town life).

It was one of the best shows of my life. Glen walked onto the stage (to a standing ovation) singing the emotional "Grace beneath the pines" without a microphone. His raw chill-inducing voice traveled through the packed theater and it was like a spell came over us all.

Next he picked up his (extremely worn) guitar and his band joined in and they played some incredibly beautiful and powerful music intermixed with Glens hilarious commentary and stories of his him and friends back in Ireland (a friend who "is a really good friend, but a total disaster". Some of his stories were quite long but he had the audience transfixed the entire time and kept us laughing with his self-deprecating humor. If music didn't work out for him I bet he would be a great stand up comedian.  

 He was accompanied by the cello, the violin, stand up base, electric guitar, drums, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and the incredible pianist Thomas Bartlett (also in The Gloaming and The National). Hearing his songs live with so many instruments was a hundred times better than the album. He played mostly songs from "Didn't he ramble". My favourite was probably "McCormack's Wall" when he told us a story of a magical drunken night in Dublin and then sat at the piano and played this beautiful song with the violin accompanying him. The song ends with an irish jig on the fiddle and I know I was probably smiling from ear to ear.

For his encore he played a song from the edge of the balcony and then he played "Falling Slowly" which he dedicated to Marketa Irglova (or "a girl who he keeps buying piano's for" as he sweetly referred to his band-mate from The Swell Season). He let a girl from the audience jump on stage and sing the duet with him which I thought was pretty cool of him. The last song that he played was "Mercy" which is a very powerful song with lots of horns and he brought out this amazing gospel singer tto sing it with him and she KILLED IT! It took the song to a whole other level. It was incredibly epic. What a way to end the show. But it wasn't quite over yet. He stood at the front of the stage holding hands with all the other musicians in a line and they sang an old irish song taking turns singing the verses with the crowd singing the chorus together. It was magical. It felt like we were all friends in a small pub in Ireland, not strangers in a huge theater in Vancouver. It's amazing the way music can make you feel.

Current Obsession: Nils Frahm

I was driving on the highway early one beautiful autumn morning as the sun was rising listening to an NPR podcast when this song (Says by Nils Frahm) came on and created this magical moment where the sun coming up lighting the clouds with pink and red perfectly matched the beautiful crescendo of electronic piano in the song. The music was so beautiful it gave me chills and I made a note to check out this artist. Turns out Nils Frahm is a German musician/composer/producer who is an amazing pianist and who creates this incredible fusion of classical and electronic music. I really love his 2013 album "Spaces". Below is a live version of Nils performing "Hammers". Simply beautiful.

Current Obsession: El Vy - I'm The Man To Be

 Allow me to introduce you to Matt Berninger (The National) and Brent Knopf (Menomena)'s new project - El Vy. (unless of course you are already familiar with this dream duo whos hype has been sweeping the music world since the late summer) They've released a few songs already, all of which are fantastic and have me eagerly awaiting the full album. I thought I would post this song because it has been on heavy rotation the last month. It's classic Matt lyrics (that don't make sense but are also perfect at the same time) mixed with some catchy feel good vibes that are so different than we are used to hearing from The National. Nothing less than awesome. Man, I just love when artists collaborate like this.

Current Obsession: Frazey Ford

I have fought for my victories and the beauty in my life  

And my joy takes nothing from you. 

I am seriously obsessed with Frazey Ford right now. She's from B.C. and has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Her music is quite soulful and reminds me a bit of Cat Power. Her entire record "Indian Ocean" is amazing, but I just cannot get enough of her song "Done" lately. At the beginning her voice gives me chills it's so beautiful and by the end of the song I am dancing around the house it's just so catchy! Also the video is awesome and I'm pretty sure it's filmed in Vancouver...

Steve Smyth at Maravillas in Madrid

 

 Okay so Madrid has a pretty awesome music scene. On our last night in Spain I did a quick search to see who was playing and this guy Steve Smyth came up playing at a place called Sala Maravillas (in a very hip part of Madrid). Since we had such a great time at our list show in Madrid we decided to check this guy out. Man was that a good decision. This was probably the best show I've ever been to where I didn't know the muscian beforehand. I knew it was a good sign though when the Spanish girl in the crowd next to me seeing him for the fourth time told me "get ready to be blown away" and "you're going to feel something". Steve Smyth played guitar and was accompanied by a bassist and a drummer. Some of his songs were super heavy rock type music and others were beautiful ballads with just him and his guitar. What struck me the most about him was his voice - deep and rough, and the way he would sing so passionately. Actually his voice reminded me a lot of Dan Mangan. The venue was tiny, even smaller than El Sol, which made the show feel super intimate, especially when steve belted his heart on a song without his guitar or even a microphone. Another memorable moment was when he was rocking out so hard on a guitar solo that he somehow lost his shoe. Overall it was a fantastic show that turned me into a huge steve smyth fan. 

Luke Winslow King - Live at El Sol in Madrid

A surprising thing I learned while traveling though Spain is that Spanish people love blues music (and of course electronic dance music but I'm not going to get into that here). One saturday night in Cadiz we wandered into a bar  by the beach and were surprised to see a short spanish man belting out classic American blues songs. We quickly learend that no one in the bar spoke English - and yet they were all singing along to the Elvis and B.B.King covers! 

On our firs night in Madrid we were craving some live music so we did a quick google search of the best live music venues in Madrid. A place called El Sol came up and I checked out who was playing there. Go figure it was a blues artist from New Orelans - Luke Winslow King. He didn't seem very big but we liked what we heard on youtube so we checked him out. We got there a little late and to our surprise, the place was absolutely packed! (it was a pretty small venue but still). The crowd was a 50/50 mix of young and older people and everyone was singing along. Luke Winslow King was a great performer and my boyfriend and I really enjoyed the show (although a few songs were a little too country for us). I made a note to check out more of his music when I got home and I have been listening to him quite a bit lately! When I was growing up, my Dad played a lot of blues and seeing Luke made me realize how much I actually enjoy it. It's just so fun and uplifting. 

PRIMAVERA SOUND 2015

FIRST of all sorry for the 4 month hiatus. Between this post and my last post I graduated from university, spent 5 weeks backpacking Europe, moved to a small town, and started a new job. 

Now lets re-wind to Friday May 29th at Primavera Sound in Barcelona Spain. Primavera Sound is one of Europe's largest music festivals and always has a killer line-up. My boyfriend and I attended one day of this festival (the day Damien Rice was playing because he is on my list of musicians to see before I die) and it was pretty friggin unreal.  

The afternoon started off with Sylvan Esso - an electronic duo from the U.S. playing for the first time in Spain. I blogged about them a while back and was so excited to see them that I forgot my cardigan in a port-a-potty right before their set. The band was super humble and seemed honestly surprised at the large crowd that gathered to see them. Their music is minimal - just vocals and a DJ, but it got everyone swaying and grooving along. Just great vibes all around! They played almost every song on their album. "Coffee" was definitely the highlight for me, I don't know what it is about that song but I just love it and could not have picked a better way to start off the evening. 

The location of Primavera Sound is spectacular - right on the edge of the ocean. There were about 6 stages and what was interesting was that the entire area (except one hill) was concrete. I'm not sure what they do with this huge concrete area next to the ocean for the rest of the year but it was pretty great for this festival. One of the stages was in a huge concrete amphitheater. After Sylvan Esso we headed to a different stage to support our fellow Canadians - The New Pornographers who recently put out a new album which Sam and I have been really digging. "Brill Bruises" and "Dancefloor Domine" from the new album are upbeat songs are were awesome live. Neko Case's "Champions of Red Wine" was probably the highlight of the show for me though. The New Pornographers have a lot of great songs which makes for a good concert, but the thing that I found disappointing was that they didn't really seem to be having much fun up there (especially the lead singer). It was more like they were just doing their job which was a little disappointing. 

After this set we grabbed a bite, looked at the time and made a mad dash to the stage where Damien Rice (!!!!!) was playing. We got there a little bit late and had to stand pretty far back but that was ok with me because the sun was setting over Barcelona and I was about to see Damien Friggin Rice, who in my opinion is one of the best song-writers in the world, and plus he's Irish. What I soon learned is that he is also INCREDIBLE live. He's one of those artists that really gives everything on the stage and modifies/extends his songs which really demonstrates his talent. Also, the band that accompanies him on his new record was no where to be found - just him, his guitar(s) and some loop pedals - but he was so good it sounded almost as if there was a band backing him. The very first song he played was 9 Crimes - a song that I have loved since I was about 14 and that I even taught myself how to play it on the piano. Needless to say, I cried. Like a baby. He played a lot of songs from the new album My Favourite Faded Fantasy (which needless to say is fantastic). He really slowed down "I don't want to change you" which was cool and played "The Greatest Bastard" with so much emotion I'm pretty sure he was tearing up. "Blower's Daughter" was another highlight for me. His very last song was "It Takes a lot to Know a Man" and he extended it for about 20 minutes with just epic looping and guitar solos. He even sang into his guitar (no microphone) for the last part and the crowd went absolutely wild - and that was it. I was so sad when it was over. Now my boyfriend is not a huge Damien Rice fan - he find his songs too slow, but after that show he was totally converted. He couldn't believe his guitar skills and raw emotion. That's something I have tried to tell him before - seeing a band/musician live is often a completely different experience than listening to them recorded.  Sorry the video below doesn't have the best sound but you kinda get an idea of how epic it gets!

Damien Rice is a pretty tough act to follow, but Alt-J put on an awesome show. They are a British band I've been wanting to see for a while. Totally different than Damien Rice because they have lot of different stuff going on in their music - lots of different sounds, both instrumental and electronic and layered voices. What a live about them is they are just so unique - there are no other bands (that I know of anyway) that sounds similar to them. Seeing them live made me realize just how many great songs they have. They are so much more than their 2012 hit - "Breezeblocks". It was pitch black for their set and they had a wicked cool light show that went perfectly with their music. I enjoyed every second of it - especially my two favourite songs "Taro" and "Something Good". My boyfriend really got into this show too and loved it. One song did fall short for me though and that was "Left Hand Free" from their new album. Somehow it just didn't quite sound right live. 

The last band we caught was my boyfriend's big time favourite - Ratatat. They played in the concrete amphitheter and had two huge screens with pretty crazy images like parrots cocking their heads and multiplying and lions roaring. This is one of those shows that would have been insane on drugs. The music sounds electronic, but real guitars are used which I loved. My favourites were "Wildcat" and their new song "Cream on Chrome". I actually ended up enjoying this band more than I thought I would.

Current Obsession: Mo Kenney - Telephone

If I had another lover, 

could I keep you on the side?

Mo Kenney is an extremely talented Canadian artist from Nova Scotia. I saw her open for Joel Plaskett at the Cochrane folk festival a few years ago and was really impressed with her voice. Lately I've been really digging this song from her new album "In my Dreams"  (Produced by Plaskett). It's actually hard breaking when you listen to the lyrics but it's so darn catchy! 

Current Obsession: Lord Huron - Fool for Love

​I know I should've never looked back 

​But you ain't gonna win a woman's heart like that ​

I never should've called his bluff ​

I was born to lose cause I'm a fool for love

A new Lord Huron album is on it's way and the first track released, "Fool for Love" is GOOOOOOD. They're playing a show in Vancouver in a few weeks but as fate would have it their show is the night before my most difficult final exam (Advanced reactor design). Ughh being responsible and trying to graduate is killlling me. 

Current Obsession: Amen Dunes - Lonely Richard

You've known yourself for all time

Every now and then I'll hear a song that makes me stop what I'm doing and close my eyes so I don't miss a thing. This is one of those songs. I still get lost in this song every time I hear it. 

Current Obsession: Villagers - Hot Scary Summer

We got good at pretending

Then pretending got us good

We've always been up against it

But now it's sad to see

We're up against eachother

In this hot scary summer

Just finished booking hostels across Ireland and so I am posting this song by Villagers because they are an Irish folk band from Dublin and this song is absolutely beautiful and I cannot get enough of it. Just sit back and listen.

Current Obsession: Asaf Avidan - The Jail That Sets You Free

Honey come with me

It's just you and me

Baby believe it's 

As simple as can be

Sorry I haven't posted in a few weeks. Things have been crazy, but I've been listening to a ton of music and have a few songs I want to share.  First of all is this song from Asaf Avidan's latest record, Gold Shadow. The entire record is excellent, but for some reason this song really stands out to me and I find myself putting it on repeat. It starts off kind of edgy and then bursts into this fantastic catchy pop chorus that makes me want to skip down the sidewalk on my way to school.

Current Obsession: Broken Witt Rebels - Shake Me Down

Shake me down don't stir me up. 

 

Discovered this one a few days ago and it's been on repeat ever since. A little Kings of Leon/Shakey Graves - esk with a bit more soul and some wicked guitar riffs.

Album: Chadwick Stokes - The Horse Comanche

 It's hard to find an albums that I love every single second from start to finish , but Chadwick Stoke's "The Hose Comanche" fits this description. Every song is wonderful in itself and together this album is a piece of psychedelic/folk/pop art that I am so happy I stumbled upon.

Cold War Kids - Live at The Commodore Ballroom

 

Cold War Kids are one of those timeless bands that I could never get tired of listening to. Over the last ten years they've maintained their unique style with Nathan Willet's recognizable voice, bad ass guitar riffs, beautiful piano, catchy choruses and relate-able lyrics making them one the best loved, longest standing indie rock bands out there. They played a sold out show at The Commodore Ballroom, one of Vancouver's most beautiful venues with its winding staircase, wood ballroom floor and huge windows that overlook the Granville Street night-life. I was lucky to have my boyfriend at my side for this show and, although we were not too impressed with the opening band, we had so much fun when Cold War Kids took the stage singing and swaying and jumping and dancing. Their newer songs were awesome live, but their old stuff was still my favourite. We Used to Vacation and Hospital Beds were highlights but I completely lost it when they played "Hang me up to dry" which has always been my favorite. 

St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Live at The Rickshaw Theatre

St. Paul is a seven piece timeless soul/blues/rock band from Alabama. Their set at the Calgary Folk Fest last summer blew me away and left me wanting more. Last week they played an extended set at the sold out Rickshaw Theatre that left my boyfriend and I grinning from ear to ear for the rest of the night. The lead singer, Paul Janeway who sang in a church choir in his youth has an amazing powerful voice and is so energetic and entertaining that you can't help but love him. Janeway's vocals are backed by an incredibly strong brass section, tight drums and wicked guitar riffs. They kicked off the show with some of their most upbeat songs like Sugar Dyed which got the crowd dancing, and peppered their slower soulful songs with lots of upbeat covers. They even played a soulful cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" which was pretty different but worked. My favourite moment of the show was probably the beautiful "Broken Bones & Pocket Change", or maybe when the crowd lost it when they broke out with "Call Me" during their encore. Sam said it best after the show, "best blues band I've ever seen".

I would also like to mention the opener Sean Rowe who had some amazing guitar skills and could somehow make his acoustic guitar sound like bass and electric guitar. 

Current Obsession: George Ezra

Today is Friday the 13th and I smell like skunk because a raccoon and a skunk got in a fight underneath my house this morning, but I'm still having a better day than George Ezra in his video for "Blame it on me".

George Ezra is a 21 year old English singer-songwriter who kind of sounds like a mix of Bastille/ Mumford&Sons/Hozier. His debut album "Wanted on Voyage" is pretty incredible. Here's one more:

Current Obsession: Operators

Who put the ancient cold in your bones?

Who you gonna love when you make it home?

There is this trend in music lately that I've been loving where electronic music is accompanied with analog drums and live vocals. Operators is Dan Boeckner's latest project, and fits that bill. (Dan Boeckner's other projects include Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits). They opened for Future Islands last year and have a five song EP out right now. This one is my favourite from the EP and I will be eagerly awaiting their first album.

Current Obsession: Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me

Too late to go out

Too young to stay in

I haven't posted for a while due to a little mishap involving mint tea and my laptop, but by some miracle I am back in business for now! 

Now back to the music. Honestly I was a little late to jump on the Alvvays train. When I first listened to Alvvays I thought they sounded too much like Best Coast (who I am not crazy about) and that was that. But, as their debut album gained more and more hype over the year and I learned the lead singer is non other than the daughter of the late John Rankin of The Rankin Family, I figured this is one band I might need to listen to again. Upon doing so, I discovered the song Archie, Marry Me. I don't know if it's the way the song reminds me of carefree summer days, or the catchy chorus that makes me want to sing along with my arm in the air or what, but I am just HOOKED. Every morning on my way to school I listen to this one on repeat, and I still can't seem to get enough of it. Just an awesome song.

Current Obsession: Dry the River

Gethsemane

 I missed their Vancouver show a few months ago, but I have been really loving this British band, "Dry the River" lately. The three minute mark and on of their song "Gethsemane" is absolutely brilliant.

Top 10 Albums of 2014

Here it is folks. The list of the ten best albums of 2014 in my opinion.

1. Shaky Graves - And The War Came

2. J Roddy Walston - Essential Tremors

3. The Gloaming - The Gloaming

4. Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy

5. Benjamin Booker - Benjamin Booker

6.  Future Islands - Singles

7. Alt J - This is all yours

8. Caribou - Our Love

9. Reuben and the Dark - Funeral Sky

10. Bear's Den - Islands