Pet Parade - A local four-piece with the usual two guitar/rhythm section line-up hits the stage. The three front men sing and they start off with a rather basic indie rock cut. The second cut aspires a bit more toward power pop and just as I wonder exactly how new and raw this band is, they crank it up several notches to engage in New York Dolls guitar tradeoffs. The verses were quite pedestrian, but the choruses were brilliant and the ending rocked out nicely. So there is some real promise here. The set varied a bit in style thereafter but there was a bit more assurance as it went on. A little work on songwriting in the vocal area and a full comfort with the sound they want and they could develop into a nice band. It was not bad at all tonight and the highlights were quite enjoyable.
Tereu Tereu - I don't like to make promises, but I will promise to try to stop saying how 'over' I am with two-piece rock bands. The guitar-drums thing turned me off long ago, but I accept it now when it works. Tonight was one of those nights as this 40 minute set had plenty of quality noise and song writing to sustain my interest. These guys go in a post-Sebadoh direction like so many other bands that I cannot ever seem to keep straight in my mind (which is why my comparisons usually stray into the decades of the 60s, 70s and most of the 80s that I have down). There was plenty of jagged psyche drone moves and some crazed rock shifts that really worked well on top of the meticulously steady drumming. Vocal work was good and the songs had a subdued clarity with intense bursts of drama. Good stuff and these guys are local, so keep that name in mind.
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Wildlife - From my favorite music city of Toronto comes this five-piece with a couple of guitars and keyboards. They mix it around a bit with extra percussion and a mandolin (which rocks and does not go folk). Plenty of vocal work with one guitarist taking most of the lead work. They begin by building a rhythm and adding strong ringing psyche guitars. It was intense, fun, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the drummer with a tootsie pop in his mouth for pretty much the whole set. He also jumped up and drummed on the walls and floor with plenty of energy that all of the band had. The sound was sort of a Feelies/Shins sort of combination with loads of speed cutting through the fuzz and plenty of hooks not lost in the shuffle. There were some Sloan moves in there as well in the better songs. The crowd was supportive although a bit smaller than I expected at around 30 or so, but the band was happy with the feedback and it was a good night for all. I did not detect some of the wild creativity of some of my other favorites from Toronto, but again that city does seem to require all the bands be very competent with something to offer. Wildlife lives up to those requirements and then some.
Quote of the Night: From Tereu Tereu discussing their merch... "We take credit cards now. How weird is that? It's not even punk rock, it's just convenient."
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