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Concert Photos and Review: Guns N' Roses @ Copps Coliseum - 01.24.2010

It has been a long wait but Guns N' Roses have finally made it back to Ontario. The band who now has a cast of eight made their way through Hamilton; the sixth stop on their thirteen date Canadian Tour.

Die Mannequin stopped through the Sound Academy to play the final show on their Canadian tour. I can only imagine its been a wild ride for the band releasing the eagerly anticipated album "Fino+Bleed" and playing opening dates for Marilyn Manson across the country. I had the chance to see Die Mannequin live once before as part of the FU Awards where unfortunately they were only up for a couple of songs. Being a fan of intimate shows I was glad to see them on the Sound Academy's small stage.

Die Mannequin @ Sound Academy

It would appear Phoenix has been trying to put the french back into freedom fries. The quartet out of Versailles consisting of Thomas Mars (vocals), Deck D'Arcy (bass),Laurent Brancowitz(guitar) and Christian Mazzalai have finally taken North America by storm with the help of their fourth album release "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix". The band has been busy making appearances on late night television performing on SNL, Letterman, Kimmel and having their songs appear on television shows and commercials.

When I first heard about the original Wolfmother split I was pretty disappointed. Being a fan of the trio's first album the self titled "Wolfmother" it seemed quite the bitter pill at the time. Still Andrew Stockdale vowed to keep Wolfmother going strong and this time bringing along guitarist Aidan Nemeth, Ian Peres bass/keys, and drummer Dave Atkins the new lineup stayed true to form.

Flogging Molly rolled into the Sound Academy for the second time this year bringing their energy and celtic punk all the way from Los Angeles, California to help warm up the beginning of our fall/winter season.

The Airborne Toxic Event @ Phoenix Concert Theatre

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that The Airborne Toxic Event have been having a pretty good run over the last couple of years. They've played all over the United States and England. Mikel Jollet took time to mention how crazy things get when you are on tour for so long. The Airborne Toxic Event were in Toronto for a show back in March at the Mod Club for which unfortunately I had to leave just as the encore started, or risk missing a flight so I was glad to be able to stick around this time.

Nothing beats going to a show where you know all the bands are going to deliver. Such was the case the other night at Sound Academy. It was a bill that brought together Aussie band An Horse, Kentucky band Cage The Elephant and Los Angeles headliners Silversun Pickups.

Silversun Pickups @ Sound Academy

Ok so I tend to follow Barrie area bands somewhat. What can I say I know the reality of having to make the trip up the 400 hiway daily and there is always a special place in my heart for those bands from the region. Having missed their cd release show at El Mocambo last month I was definitely looking forward to catching Fox Jaws @ Lee's Palace this time around. The last time I saw them play in Toronto was in October. Now I already liked Fox Jaws at the time but it was the first time I had chance to hear Carleigh Aikins voice in its raspy splendour at a venue with half decent sound.

Made my way to Kitchener on the weekend to catch Keane @ Centre In The Square. This was one of their last shows on their Canadian Tour that saw them play in Vancouer, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnepeg, Montreal and even Thunder Bay. It was quite evident that there were a lot of people from outside the area who made the trip out to Kitchener to see the band. On the way in I could hear people talking about the Sound Academy show back in May. Having been at both I can say this show had a much more intimate feeling. The Venue itself was quite nice with great light and great acoustics. Maybe it was just that it was nice to see the band play in a venue where you weren't packed in like at most shows.

Juliette Lewis @ The Opera House
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Juliette Lewis was in town on double duty this weekend promoting her upcoming film "Whip It!" and of course playing a gig at the Opera House with her band The New Romantiques. Juliette has been providing us with her musical contributions for years. Her earliest being on the soundtracks of her films "Natural Born Killers" and "Strange Days". To be honest I wasn't quite listening back then. However having heard some of her new album "Terra Incognita" I was compelled to see what Juliette could bring to a live audience.

Juliette Lewis @ The Opera House
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Having watched her performance of "Fantasy Bar" on Craig Ferguson's Late Late show I had an idea that she might be fun to watch. There's no doubt that she brings everything she's got to a performance. Everything from the screeching vocals, to the feathered outfit, to the knee pads its obvious Juliette is there to rock. Though I was not blown away I found the performance to be very energetic and entertaining. Juliette Lewis seems to have surpassed the efforts of some of her fellow Hollywood actors/musicians winning over a loyal fan base who helped her sing along to one of my favourite tracks on the new album "Suicide Dive Bombers".

Juliette Lewis @ The Opera House
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Band of Skulls

Band of Skulls @ The Opera House
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Band of Skulls opened the show at the Opera House. I missed out on NXNE this year and Band of Skulls was one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing. To say I was happy to see them back so soon is an understatement. This British trio was formed in 2008 and have put out a very impressive debut album "Baby Darling Doll Face Honey" with great tracks "I Know What I Am", "Impossible", "Fires", "Blood". Yeah I can go on and on I really like this album. I enjoyed their live performance just as much. The vocal combination of Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson works very well together. Their bluesy rock will be compared to Jack White and the White Stripes or Dead Weather but that can only be viewed as a compliment. There is much more to Band of Skulls. I'll be glad to see them again next time they make it to town.

Hot Hot Heat, The Stills @ Chill On The Hill -- 08.22.2009

Hot Hot Heat at Chill On The Hill
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

A few years ago I spent some time in California. Now one of the nice things about Cali is that you can ski and in my case sail in a t-shirt all in the same day. Well maybe it wasn't a beautiful sunset at the Santa Monica Pier but the good people of Nestea brought a little bit of winter fun in August to Milton. Chill on the Hill promised to bring some summer and winter sports together with a couple of bands playing a free show. Closing at the Glen Eden ski club the show were British Columbia's Hot Hot Heat. The quartet composed of Steve Bays (vocals and keyboards), Paul Hawley (drums), Parker Bossley (bass) and Luke Paquin (guitar) put on a very energetic and entertaining set that was unfortunately cut short by the threat of an incoming storm.

Hot Hot Heat at Chill On The Hill
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The band played favourites "Talk to me Dance with me","Goodnight, Goodnight", "My Best Friend", and a short version of their big hit "Bandages". At one point Steve Bays gave a shout out to his grandmother who happened to be at the event and remarked how when he is ninety two he hopes to be at a rock concert. My sentiments exactly!

Update:
I wasn't quite sure what happened at the end of the show but it seems guitarist Luke Paquin was shocked by his microphone at the end of the performance. I have read he is recovering and wish him well.

Hot Hot Heat at Chill On The Hill
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Stills:

The Stills at Chill On The Hill
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Stills opened up the musical festivities. The Juno award winning band from Montreal entertained the crowd mainly with songs from their latest release "Oceans Will Rise". The band seemed to get off to a bit of a slow start but the set picked up some steam towards the end and they ended off with a bang playing their big single "Being Here".

The Stills at Chill On The Hill
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Snowboarder at Chill On The Hill at Chill On The Hill

Snowboarder at Chill On The Hill
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Tokyo Police Club @ The White Rabbit -- 08.15.2009

Tokyo Police Club at The White Rabbit
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

If I haven't stated it yet on this site I happen to love the small club show. Nothing like seeing a really good band in the middle a sticky, sweaty, crazy, wild crowd in an up close and intimate setting. Tokyo Police Club played a couple of benefit shows in their home town of Newmarket, Ontario in support of Doane House Hospice. I happened to make it to the all ages show because of a prior commitment on the night of the 19+ show and yes it was wild and sweaty. Now I've been to some hardcore shows where you expect to be pushed around a bit but I didn't expect this so much at a Tokyo Police Club show. It made for a difficult but fun bit of photography.

Tokyo Police Club at The White Rabbit
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

It didn't take much for the White Rabbit crowd to go nuts. They'd been warmed up well by locals Ruby Coast and The Elwins and were very eager to see the hometown band. Tokyo Police Club played a good mix of songs from both their debut "Elephant Shell" as well as both "Smith" and "A Lesson In Crime" EPs. They had the crowd hooked from the time the bassline for "Nature of the Experiment" started to the chants of Tokyo Police Club of "Cheer It On" the encore. The band has been at numerous festivals Coachella, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Leeds and made appearances on Letterman and even Desperate Housewives so it was a special treat to see them in a small club with such crazed fans! Good cause, great show, good guys and loads of fun. I believe they are working on a new album now which is quite exciting after the very excellently fun "Elephant Shell". Tokyo Police Club is playing with Winter Gloves @ the CNE bandshell on Saturday August 29.

Tokyo Police Club at The White Rabbit
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Tokyo Police Club at The White Rabbit
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Ruby Coast:

Ruby Coast at The White Rabbit
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

As mentioned earlier one of the openers were Ruby Coast. This is the second time I've seen Ruby Coast play live. Having been impressed at the Sound Academy show when they opened for Arkells I was really glad to see them on the bill this night playing another solid set. Can't wait to see and hear more.

Wakestock 2009 - 08.08.2009

Wakestock 2009 was moved up from the Toronto Islands to Centennial Park in Collingwood Ontario. It was a weekend of heat sometimes sweltering, sports wake boarding, skateboarding, bikinis and live music. Gracing the stages at this years event were Civet, Closet Monster,USS, Social Distortion,Rebel Emergency, Stereos, Fall and Divide and The Midway state among others. I have to say the turnout was a little disappointing . Saturday which was headlined by Social Distortion was the best day for attendance. Sunday may have been plagued by the threat of lousy weather however I do suspect the drive to Collingwood proved to be to much for some of the big smokes concert goers. At any rate those that did show up had a great time.

Rebel Emergency at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Day Two

The Midway State:

The Midway State at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Midway State with their deep Collingwood roots closed off the event. Playing soungs from their debut album "Holes" the band put on a good performance for the remaining crowd.

The Midway State at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Fall and Divide:

Fall and Divide at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Another hometown hero and Canadian Idol Drew Wright and his band Fall and Divide played to a dwindling crowd. Although there was not that many people around to watch the show they definitely enjoyed their time on stage providing quite a few good photographic poses while playing songs from their upcomming album.

Fall and Divide at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Stereos:

Stereos at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Stereos by far had the biggest crowd on closing Sunday. It was pretty evident the Edmonton quintet were who everyone was there to see on this day. Their hip hop/pop style was well appreciated by their fans.

Stereos at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Rebel Emergency:

Rebel Emergency at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

My personal Sunday favourite was Rebel Emergency. I had seen them back in December with USS at the Sound Academy so this was a set I was really looking forward to. They did well to warm up the small crowd with their blend of reggae/ska/rock.

If you've seen Rebel Emergency before you know about their distinct display of crowd surfing. Though this did wow the crowd it would have looked so much better if there were more people. That way front man Roddy would have had much more crowd to surf through. Check out the photo above. Rebel Emergency is having a cd release party for "Love Ain't Free" August 27 @ The Mod Club.

Rebel Emergency at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Day One

Social Distortion:

Social Distortion at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Social Distortion closed of the Saturday performances. What can I say? These guys really brought it. The band has gone through quite a lot of lineup changes since they first stated out in the late seventies. Front man Mike Ness has been the only constant throughout the years. A great set from the live veterans.

Social Distortion at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (USS):

USS at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

As always USS did not hold anything back. They always find a way to capture the audience through their music and stage performance. I'm hard pressed to think of anyone who has much more energy during a live performance than Human Kebab. They got the crowd going with their infections vibe, handstands, and cut outs (Ellen, Obama, Einstien). Great warm up for things to come.

USS at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Closet Monster:

Closet Monster at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Wakestock audience was treated to the first Closet Monster reunion show.
They had not played together since the end of 2005 and really seemed to enjoy themselves. There were a few closet monster fans on hand but it would have been nice to see more people pick up on the energy the band displayed.

Closet Monster at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Civet:

Civet at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The first band I saw at Wakestock was the Los Angeles all girl punk band Civet. It was quite unfortunate that they played to such a small crowd. Civet had been touring for the last while with Social D and put on a really solid set. It will be nice to see them again soon in a smaller club with better attendance.

Civet at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Skateboarder at Wakestock 2009
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Concert Photos and Review: Guns N' Roses @ Copps Coliseum - 01.24.2010

Concert Photos and Review: Die Mannequin @ Sound Academy - 12.12.2009

Concert Photos and Review: Phoenix, Holy Fuck @ Sound Academy - 12.05.2009

Concert Photos and Review : Wolfmother @ Kool Haus - 11.11.2009

Concert Photos and Review: Flogging Molly, Inward Eye @ Sound Academy - 10.21.2009

Concert Photos and Review: The Airborne Toxic Event @ Phoenix Concert Theatre - 10.19.2009

Concert Photos and Review: Silversun Pickups, Cage The Elephant @ Sound Academy - 10.15.2009

Concert Photos and Review: Fox Jaws @ Lee's Palace - 09.25.2009

Concert Photos and Review: Keane, Lights @ Centre In The Square

Juliette Lewis , Band of Skulls @ The Opera House - 09.11.2009

Hot Hot Heat, The Stills @ Chill On The Hill -- 08.22.2009

Tokyo Police Club @ The White Rabbit -- 08.15.2009

Wakestock 2009 - 08.08.2009

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