[Note: We did take a shot photo with Jeffrey Innes, but, unfortunately, it just wasn’t usable. Just use your imagination!]
Date of show: April 8, 2011
Shot of choice: The answer I received was “whatever you want,” although the rye Jeffrey Innes ended up with was perhaps not his shot of choice.
By the time Yukon Blonde, comprised of Jeffrey Innes (vocals, guitar), Brandon Scott (guitar, vocals) and Graham Jones (drums, vocals), hit the stage at the Horseshoe Tavern, the crowd was already sweaty. The venue was packed and it was HOT. It only got hotter when the band hit the stage, kicking off their set with “Rather Be With You.” The band carries a strong stage presence, darlings from the West Coast, with a feeling of warmth, even as they rock out, especially Scott with his attention-grabbing guitar work. They continued with other favourites from their self-titled debut album, “Brides Song” and “Blood Cops,” before inviting the audience to sing along to “Wind Blows.” The crowd obliged and, though still early in the set, it was already evident that Yukon Blonde has cemented their reputation as one of the best live bands out there right now.
But then, when it didn’t seem like it couldn’t get any more fun, Yukon Blonde invited a bunch of their Toronto friends to the stage, calling upon The Paint Movement, The Wooden Sky, Lowell Sostomi (Great Bloomers) and Carleigh Aikins (Fox Jaws). The result was a giant party on stage for “They’re Setting Fires,” with everyone grabbing shakers and tambourines, struggling to share microphones, as well as a triumphant harmonica solo from Jefferey.
They played a handful of new tunes throughout their set, with Innes saying, “I hope it’s okay.” Better than okay, the new tunes sound like they’ll be great additions to Yukon Blonde’s small but acclaimed collection. The band ended their set with “Nico Canmore” from their first EP under the Yukon Blonde moniker (formerly Alphababy). As the crowd screamed for more, it didn’t take long for Yukon Blonde to come back on stage. As members of the audience yelled for “Loyal Man,” the band responded, “You got it.” Expressing their love of Toronto, it was clear that the feeling was mutual.
Toronto-based The Paint Movement spent quite some time underground recording their forthcoming effort and only emerged early in 2011 with new material to add to their set. The band is comprised of Kevin Kralik (vocals, guitar), Jason Haberman (guitar, vocals), Diana Planche (vocals, keys), Jason Loftman (tenor sax), Wes McClintock (bass, vocals), and Glenn Candy (drums). With a bit of a jazzy feel, as they also added alto sax to the lineup, vocalists trading lead, and 4-part harmonies, The Paint Movement certainly lives up to the “movement” part of their name. Fitting quite nicely as an intro to Yukon Blonde, The Paint Movement played a great set.
Playing an incredibly short set, Megan Bonnell started off the night. She swept through her set quickly, only introducing herself before her last song of the set, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t leave an impression. As Bonnell’s face was coloured with emotion while she reached for the words, this Toronto-based songstress exudes a level of confidence and comfort at the piano. Bonnell also drew quite the crowd to her early set, with fans and friends gathered right up front, and, judging from the reaction, I’d assume Bonnell added more fans to the list that night.
buying shots for bands 
Leave a Reply