Bleeding Hearts with Ryan Warner & The Moonlight Ride and Old Crowns at Rancho Relaxo

Date of show: February 12, 2011
Shot of choice: tequila

Toronto-based Ryan Warner & The Moonlight Ride closed out the night at Rancho Relaxo with sweaty, rockin’ crowd. This was the second show of a (very) mini-tour with Old Crowns, which they called the Bleeding Hearts Mini-Tour. When we had first seen Warner (which was also with Old Crowns at Rancho Relaxo), I was impressed with his bluesy sound, but he didn’t have a full band accompanying him. Now joined by a group of fine musicians that go by The Moonlight Ride, which is comprised of Iain Marlow, Sebastian Major, Dan Gooch, and Dan Simmons, Warner is able to put on a bigger, bolder and better set.

With a solid crowd up front, Warner’s blues-soaked rock set had the crowd engaged and feeding off of the band’s energy. Warner made a promise to me that they’d play so well I wouldn’t want to leave until their set was done. He was right, as the skillful guitar work stood out, flanking Warner’s brooding bluesy pleas. There is a rawness to their sound, keeping them edgy and a little boozey, really working that passionate bluesy feel that comes straight from the gut. Warner and company will be making their Canadian Music Week debut and they’re looking to rock your socks off. Be prepared.

Special thanks to Brad Wetherly for donating his photos of the set!

Old Crowns

Old Crowns is an Ottawa-based 4-piece that dabbles in several genres, including rock, alt-country, roots, and Americana. They’ve dubbed their sound as stoner country, which we’ve already become familiar with on a couple of occasions. Playing songs off of their debut self-titled full-length that was released last year, as well as a good handful of new tunes, Old Crowns had Rancho Relaxo loving them.

While their sound is a little slow and heavy, that doesn’t mean they lack energy. Frontman Steve St. Pierre, though a little under the weather, delivered his raspy, brooding vocals as though he was in top form, belting out it out when the moments called for it. Guitarist Sam Seguin plays with such fervour, tearing up the stage when soloing and providing texture on the electric alongside St. Pierre’s acoustic. The harmonies are also full of passion, as Seguin proves when doing his own share of belting it out. Brother Alex Seguin is the backbone and matches his brother’s energy on drums, while Joel Soucy is the closest to calm on bass (but he still managed to rock out during the set’s closer, “Sailor” with Brett Caswell). Together, this band makes their kinship evident, with constant smiles amongst each other. This works to their advantage, with the crowd smiling and some even dancing along. It was a great set by Old Crowns and a great warm-up for their return during Canadian Music Week. Be sure to check them out!

Travis Caine & The Lasting Effect

Travis Caine & The Lasting Effect, a Toronto-based folk rock band, opened up the night. By the time they started their set, there was already a great turnout – a sure sign of a great night to come. The turnout may, at least partially, be due to Caine’s known contributions to the Toronto music scene as a writer for blogTO. But don’t discount Caine’s talent, as he writes from a knowledgeable place, having experienced the music scene head on in other bands before grabbing a hold of this sound. Caine has some great vocals, well suited to the sound and the harmonies from his female counterpart, Kara Gauthier (accordion). Caine kept the crowd engaged with his amusing stage banter with the crowd, including, “If you’re going to yell encore, please make sure the band is finished playing,” which only encouraged someone in the crowd to yell, “One more song! One more song!” This happened to be the band’s debut together and it certainly was one to remember, with “In Droves” being a particular highlight.