Date of show: April 12, 2012
Written by: Chiara DiAngelo
We were at Lee’s Palace for the first night of Yukon Blonde’s double-header. The incredible Thursday night line-up showcased the some of the best Canadian talents that Dine Alone/Nevado Records has to offer.
From Vancouver, British Columbia, Jeffrey Innes (vocals, guitar), Brandon Scott (guitar, vocals), John Jeffrey (bass) and Graham Jones (drums, vocals) made their much-anticipated return to Toronto to celebrate the release of their new record Tiger Talk. Consistently noting their love for playing in Toronto and their appreciation for the audience’s attention and excitement, Yukon Blonde had the whole of Lee’s Palace in the palm of their hand, clapping and headbanging from start to finish.
They started their set with the first two tracks (and my personal favourites) off of Tiger Talk: the infectious and jangly “My Girl,” and “Radio,” which has a classic old-time 70’s rock feel.
Breaking a guitar string early on, Lowell Sostomi of Great Bloomers came to Innes’ rescue, earning him the accolades of not only being “one of the best bands in Canada” but also “the best guitar tech in town” according to Yukon Blonde.
Their set continued on with hits from both releases, including “Bride’s Song,” “Iron Fist,” “Sweet Dee” and “Rather Be With You.” Tiger Talk then literally came alive when a tiger (a.k.a. Jason Haberman of The Paint Movement) walked on stage, sending the already ecstatic crowd through the roof and scrambling for their phones to tweet pictures. The lads of Great Bloomers also came out with maracas and tambourines for “Fire,” which turned the stage into one big party and had Innes on the ground with the tiger nuzzling up against him.
The tiger may have left the stage after the song ended, but it was widely appropriate that their next one was “Breathing Tiger.” Filled with electrifying guitar, it was also the loudest song of the set. They effortlessly transitioned into “Guns,” a slower intense jam and the kind of song you pull your lighter out and sway along to, before coming back to the bouncy rock of “Babies Don’t Like Blue Anymore” and “Stairway,” which had both band and crowd feeding off one another’s fervent energy. They closed their set with the epically atmospheric and ambient “Nico Canmore” from their 2009 EP Everything in Everyway that had the audience slow clapping along, with the intensity building and building until the end.
Desperate for more, Branko Scekic of Dinosaur Bones encouraged the entire venue to clap and yell for Yukon Blonde to come back on stage. The band made us wait in the dark for awhile but humbly came back out, saying “This is so cool,” before giving us two songs that were missing from their main set: the summer staple “Wind Blows” and the begging-to-be-sung-along-to “Loyal Man,” during which they turned the mic over to the crowd for the chorus. It finally ended with a pink bra landing at their feet on stage – looks like someone wants to be “your girl” guys.
Maybe it is their BC upbringing, but there is something sublimely effortless and laidback about Yukon Blonde’s style on stage. I swear Innes’ guitar is just a natural extension of his body, and the chemistry between him and Scott is truly something special. It makes them arguably one of the best live bands in Canada right now, and one that you want to see each and every chance you are lucky enough to have them in your city. When you do, make sure to buy them a shot – we definitely still owe them one!
Hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan, Library Voices had the middle slot of the night. Comprised of Carl Johnson (vocals, guitar), Brennan Ross (guitar, vocals), Michael Dawson (synths, sampler), Amanda Scandrett (synths, vocals), Paul Gutheil (saxophone), Eoin Hickey-Cameron (bass), and Mike Thievin (drums), there is rarely a stage that can adequately hold this 7-piece – although this one seemed to finally do the trick. Despite it being their first time playing Lee’s, they looked right at home.
One of the best parts of a Library Voices show is their ability to create a dance party on stage while still putting on one of the tightest sets. Their undying energy, especially that of bassist Hickey-Cameron, who literally does not stop hopping the entire length of their set, makes them a highly entertaining band to watch live. This night was no exception. Focusing heavily on their latest record, Summer of Lust, the party started with the “I refuse to grow up”-anthem “If Raymond Carver Was Born in the 90’s” and continued with “Traveller’s Digest,” and “My Juliette Greco, Paris 1949,” even throwing in their soul-filled cover of Wayne Carson’s “The Letter.” Despite all of the dancing happening on stage, the crowd didn’t seem to reciprocate with appropriate energy until about halfway through their set. Introducing “Reluctant Readers Make Reluctant Lovers” as their “sexiest song,” Hickey-Cameron urged the crowd to get into it, and finally they responded.
“Kundera on the Dance Floor” off their first EP Hunting Ghosts then had Johnson singing precariously close to the edge of the stage belting out “Don’t go there!” before ending the song kneeling, with his head on the stage and his feet in the air. What really made this song special though is the back and forth vocals between Johnson and Scandrett, allowing her to shine, which just doesn’t happen enough in an otherwise male-dominated band.
Johnson provided context to next song “Que Sera Sarah,” mentioning that it used to be a sad song but now it’s a happy one because it was written about someone he met ten years ago and failed with then but met again and now everything worked out. I’m not sure who Sarah is, but she’s one lucky girl!
Somehow gaining more energy as the set neared its finish, dance hit “Generation Handclap” had all members putting everything into it. With an extended sax intro, they closed out their sweaty set with “Step Off The Map and Float,” the song that made me fall in love with the band when I first heard it on CBC Radio 3 a few years ago. It ended with Gutheil throwing his sax in the air and Cameron-Hickey’s jumps getting progressively higher, until he ended the set laying on the stage to full-band triumphant “whoa-oh’s.” The band has really come into their own, even more so since I saw them last June. Still touring last summer’s release, Summer of Lust, if their performance has any influence over the weather forecast, it looks like it’s going to be another hot one!
Hometown darlings and recent signees to Dine Alone Records, Great Bloomers opened the night. While Lee’s Palace had felt strangely empty right up until their set began, it started to fill up right away after they got started. Excited to be home, Lowell Sostomi (vocals, guitar), Tim Moxam (guitar, trumpet, vocals), Adrian Cook (guitar, keys, vocals), Anthony McKnight (bass) and Kyle Watt (drums) kicked off the show with the rousing “Something More” off their latest (hand-numbered and limited to 150!) 7”. There is a slow, exuberantly triumphant build to this song that made it the perfect opener for their set that gave the audience highlights from past recordings as well as previews of what’s to come on their upcoming LP.
Fronted by Sostomi and his signature slight-twang, this 5-piece may have an alt-country-folk sound, but they are truly rockers through and through. With organ-like keys layered upon pounding drums and bass lines that you can feel in your bones, they are catapulted into a category all their own. This really came to life on second song “The Young Ones Slept” off 2009’s Speak Of Trouble.
Highlights of the set also included a new track with the chorus “I wanna die young.” Sunny harmonies from Moxam and Cook gave it a lighthearted feel despite the darker undertone of the lyrics. “Sunday Clothes,” a slower, deeper song, (also the B side on their 7”), had Moxam put down his guitar in favour of the trumpet, gaining quite the cheer from the ever-growing crowd.
There is something undeniably endearing about frontman Sostomi. He has a richness to his voice that really emotes the feeling of the song – whether it is nostalgia, desperation, elation, or the sadness of a failing relationship – and pulls you into the vast depth of his lyrics. When not singing, his between-song banter was playful and genuine. He sent out a song to Nick Bental (Nevado Records) “who must feel like a proud father right now,” and constantly spoke of his love for tourmates Yukon Blonde and their new record, displaying the tight knit-ness of this record label and giving the night a real family feel.
buying shots for bands 
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