Friday, March 23, 2012
Snowblink – 9:00PM
Recently signed to Arts & Crafts, Snowblink started off the label’s showcase at the Horseshoe Tavern. The 3-piece fronted by Daniela Gesundheit (vocals, guitar) and joined by Dan Goldman (guitar, bass pedals, vocals) and Dan Goldman (drums). The band started off the night with a mellower feel, bringing along dashes of whimy, quirk and plenty of looping. But what is most notable is Gesundheit’s mesmerizing voice, showing off great range and heart-warming sincerity.
The band made some waves with their debut record Long Live and is now looking at a sophomore release later in 2012.
Gold & Youth – 10:00PM
While technical difficulties made it a challenge for the band to properly debut themselves in Toronto as part of Arts & Crafts, it was actually quite respectable how the band dealt with the difficulties and powered on. BC’s Gold & Youth is a 3-piece comprised of Matthew Lyall (vocals, keys), Murray Mckenzie (guitar, vocals) and Jeff Mitchelmore (percussion). Louise Burns also joined the band on bass, harmonizing with her that gorgeous voice of hers. The band plays a danceable rock with a chillwave feel, relying heavily on keys and electronic drums. At the centre is Lyall’s voice, often sounding unaffected but always a strong presence.
Currently you can download “Time To Kill” for free. It is the band’s first single off their forthcoming Beyond Wilderness, but if you keep poking around their Tumblr, you may find videos of some of their other tunes. From what I can tell, Beyond Wilderness is going to be a great debut.
Eight and a Half – 11:00PM
When bands break up or go on indefinite hiatus, it’s sometimes hard to swallow, but fortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean the members have stopped making music. Last year, The Stills disbanded (April) and Broken Social Scene went on an indefinite hiatus (September). While there were (and probably still are) many saddened fans, the good news is that Dave Hamelin and Liam O’Neil (The Stills) have teamed up with Justin Peroff (Broken Social Scene) to make Eight and a Half.
With their self-titled debut due for release on April 10th, most of the songs were unfamiliar to the audience, likely with the exception of singles “Scissors” and “Go Ego”. But the audience had a chance to hear 8 out of the 10 tracks that will appear on the record. The record will undoubtedly be a moodier album with the synths, courtesy of O’Neil, really driving the sound alongside Peroff’s incredible drumming, topped off with Hamelin’s haunting vocals.
There were no frills to the performance. The band simply took the opportunity to show everyone what they have to offer and that the future of these three talented members is, in fact, bright.
The Darcys – 12:00AM
I don’t think we can say enough good things about The Darcys, a band that we’ve had our eye on since the start of this website. While I might say I’ve heard the venue’s sound be better for the band, this didn’t negatively affect them. In fact, energy-wise, I don’t think I’ve seen the band any better. Taking full-advantage of the 12am slot on a stacked showcase, The Darcys were ready to show festival-goers exactly what makes them worth watching.
The 4-piece, one of the brightest spots in the Toronto music scene, easily awed the crowd. Notably, there is something hypnotizing when watching Mike le Riche on guitar, particularly true during “Shaking Down the Old Bones”, but it is Jason Couse’s passionate vocals that have the ability to steal all of your attention. Highlights of the set include “Home at Last” and “Peg” from their re-imagination of Steely Dan’s Aja, as well as a feverish “Des Animaux”.
As the set ended with “Edmonton to Purgatory”, it was evident that The Darcys did exactly what they set out to do – play an impressive, tight performance that showcased their talent, and, of course, win over new fans in the process. The band generated quite a bit of (Twitter) buzz after their set, an impressive feat given all the talent on the rest of the bill. Now what fans need to wait for is new material, but in the meantime, while the band is busy touring, you can download both their self-titled and their interpretation of Aja for free on their website. You certainly can’t beat that price!
Zeus – 1:00AM
A large part of the crowd seemed to be at the show specifically for Zeus, which isn’t surprising. At the time, the band’s sophomore full-length Busting Visions wasn’t out yet (released March 27th), so fans were eager to hear the album live. Zeus played a good mix of favourites from Say Us and new songs from the record, playing musical chairs and exchanging time on lead vocals, lead guitar and the Rhodes. Throughout the set, the crowd was able to marvel at the sheer talent of the each of the members… and Carlin Nicholson’s badass white leather sequined jacket.
Highlights of the set include “The River By The Garden”, which has the crowd prematurely singing the “waa-waas” that got a chuckle out of Mike O’Brian as he sang, their cover of Genesis’ “That’s All”, and the cowbell in “Are You Gonna Waste My Time?” (No really, that cowbell got quite the cheer.) The set remains a highlight of the entire festival, with Zeus living up to and exceeding high expectations following their well-received Say Us.
As the set was nearing the end, the crowd begged for “Hello Tender Love”, a song that the band has been playing for a year and quickly become a favourite. To be honest, I felt the same way as everyone else – this was the song I had been waiting for all night. As Neil Quin belted out the heart-wrenching ballad, the crowd was won over by Quin’s perfect rock vocals.
The band is set to embark on a cross-Canada tour, but will be playing a handful of European dates first. If you missed seeing the band at CMW, don’t miss them again because it certainly looks like soon Zeus won’t be Canada’s best kept rock and roll secret.
Dan Mangan – 2:00AM (secret guest)
After experiencing a whole night of great music, Dan Mangan somehow found a way to outshine them all. After 2am and after a few cable changes to fix some technical difficulties, Mangan took the stage at the Horseshoe Tavern. Living up to its legendary name, the venue booked a fantastic showcase courtesy of Arts & Crafts all culminating in an ending that made the entire festival for me, and probably for everyone else in the room.
Mangan was not about to disappoint all the fans that made it to his 2am secret guest spot. The crowd sang along to old favourites like “Sold”, “Road Regrets” and “Tina’s Glorious Comeback” and revelled in the energy – and talent – on stage by Gordie Grdina (guitar) and Kenton Loewen (drums). New favourites like “Post-War Blues” and set opener “About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All” were also show-stealers. But when the crowd hushed to hear “Basket” and “The Indie Queens Are Waiting”, I swear he stole everyone’s heart. As always, Mangan’s huskier vocals made the songs extra special, but Mangan still had more tricks up his sleeves.
Between crowdsurfing to “Robots” while the crowd sang along and calling upon Neil Quin of Zeus to join him on stage for a cover of “Waltz #2” by Elliott Smith, it seemed as though the evening couldn’t get any better. But it was when Mangan dragged out a chair into the crowd after being begged for an encore that the night really felt perfect. With the aid of a microphone, Mangan hushed the adrenaline-filled crowd as much as possible, which was enough for a choir-like sing-a-long to “So Much for Everyone”. While it wasn’t the same as an acoustic sing-a-long on the Queen St. W. sidewalk, I thought to myself… this is what festivals are about – secret sets, sing-a-longs, and an honest musician reaching out to every single person in the room.
When Mangan ended his set at 3:30, he yelled, “We can still drink!” Indeed – all part of a great Friday night and an amazing festival experience.
buying shots for bands 
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