Hey Rosetta! @ Lee's Palace

Hey Rosetta! @ Lee's Palace
Hey Rosetta! @ Lee's Palace
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


Hey Rosetta! @ Lee's Palace
Hey Rosetta! @ Lee's Palace
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


I could hardly wait to see Hey Rosetta! play Lee's. I had been listening to their latest release "Into Your Lungs" at all times and still can't get enough. I made a point to be there at any cost after having missed their CMW appearance. What can I say I happen to be a sucker for that big layered sound that includes a violin and cello.
There is a consistent build up to most Hey Rosetta! songs that seems to draw the crowd in magnificently. From the quiet beginnings of "Black Heart" building with a gripping anticipation and what a great feeling it is to finally burst into song "I just want, oh oh oh, Someone to lean on...".
From listening to crowd conversations it was quite evident that I was not the only Hey Rosetta! live virgin in the crowd. I think it is pretty safe to assume that most will be back for more. If you haven't heard any Hey Rosetta! please do check out their site www.heyrosetta.com or their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/heyrosetta and check out their video for There's an Arc which I thought was really well done and just plain cool.
I have to say for me this has been the show of the year. Ok... so I haven't been doing this for too long, but I can't remember Lee's Palace ever being louder.
I enjoyed this show so much that if they had their Hamilton and London dates switched around I would have been in Hamilton the next night to catch that one too.
Hey, Hey Rosetta! We wanna thank you so much !

Hey Rosetta! @ Lee's Palace
Hey Rosetta! @ Lee's Palace
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

In-Flight Safety, Oh No Forest Fires @ The Horseshoe Tavern

In-Flight Safety @ The Horseshoe Tavern
In-Flight Safety @ The Horseshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
In-Fligth Safety @ The Horseshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


I'll be honest. I was waving back and forth about going to this show. After listening to the new songs from "We are an empire, My Dear" which is really quite good I just didn't get the feeling that I was going to be "rocked". I decided to go based on the fact that one of the openers was Toronto's own Oh No Forest Fires and they were sure to provide that feeling.
My assumption couldn't be farther from the truth. From the time In-Flight Safety took the stage it was evident that their sound was much more powerful that what you hear on their album. Once again I repeat this album really very quite good, lovely in fact but much more subdued than the live show. The band played songs mostly from their latest release and surprised and delighted me and the crowd with this full sound that you would expect from a "bigger" more well known band. This made it all the more special since it really had the feeling of a big band playing a small venue.
Front man John Mullane also made a point to move up closer to the crowd a few times in the performance and at one point allowed a fan to do some strumming on his guitar at the end of his set. (After doing some surfing I found out that the person doing the strumming was actually another of Toronto's bloggers "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans"). The band came out for a couple of encores one of which included a cover of Midnight Oil's "Beds are Burning" which completely blew away the crowd. As I sit here writing this I'm listening to the bands myspace songs wondering why I haven't purchased their new cd. This is one time I was more than glad to be wrong.

David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
In-Fligth Safety @ The Horseshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr




Oh No Forest Fires:

On No Forest Fires @ The Horeshoe Tavern
On No Forest Fires @ The Horeshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

So here it is the band that pushed me off the fence in my debate on attending this show. What can I say I love watching these guys play live. Their energy is boundless, their songs are great, Front man Rajiv's banter is always fun. And hey they are climbing the CBC R3-30 indie chart ! Oh No Forest Fires proved to be a great opener for the night rocking the early crowd with their performance. I had only one issue with their set... it was too short.

It was a special night. One of those when you are just glad you went.

Los Campesinos! @ The Opera House

Los Campesinos! @ The Opera House
Los Campesinos! @ The Opera House
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

I'd been waiting a while for Los Campesinos! to come back to Toronto. Having been listening to their two cds "Hold On Now Youngster" and "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" I couldn't wait to hear their youthful enthusiasm live. This enthusiasm and the boundless energy of their sound which can be quite loud and boisterous, is really brought out and enhanced in their live show. Their building melodies, driving beats and shouting vocals brought life to their fans who wanted to do nothing more than dance manically to songs like "Ways To Make It Through The Wall", "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed", and "You! Me! Dancing!". The sound of glockenspiels, beautiful strings and witty lyrics of Gareth Campesino filled the Opera House as they played crowd favourite "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks". Then when we thought we'd seen the best Gareth went on to turn all the monitors up on their sides as the entire band moved up closer to the crowd and climbed the monitors to play finish off their set. I think this would have satisfied the crowd at the Opera House but it wasn't enough for the band as a few of them decided to get into the dancing crowd to finish off their set. Unfortunately three songs no flash rules don't allow for us to capture such moments. It will however stick in my mind for a while and in the minds of the fans who got to share a sweet moment with the band. Great job Campesinos!

David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival

David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


The first ever Barrie Earth Hour Festival took place on March 28, 2009. The event was hosted at Barrie City Hall and was created to to spread awareness on the climate change issue. At 8:30 the lights went down and some of he local talent played an acoustic set. David Usher took the stage at 9:30 when the lights came back on. What is great about these outdoor shows is how the crowd really responds to a great act even after waiting for hours in almost freezing temperatures. David and the band impressed the crowd with a good mix of songs including Black Black Heart,My Way Out, Kill The Lights and Push along with some frantic dancing, and great guitar poses. Front row fans were treated to an up close and personal serenade when David did a balancing act on the barricade. It will be interesting to see if this becomes an annual event in Barrie and who other guests might be. Though from the crowd response I gather David Usher will Always be welcome.

David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
David Usher @ Barrie Earth Hour Festival
Originally uploaded by vasquezr