Date of show: September 22, 2012
Toronto-based rock band Rebel Rebel came onto the scene late last year. When I last saw frontman Travis Caine, he was fronting his own folk rock band The Lasting Effect, but the sound and energy behind the band has certainly changed since then. Joining Caine to complete the 5-piece are Kara Gauthier (keys, vocals), Tye Hunt Fitzgerald (bass), Bryan Wyshnicki (guitar, vocals) and Paul Cope (drums).
Rebel Rebel just released their debut EP Be Heard and the band was celebrating the release at the Silver Dollar. The band finds a way to play energetic rock and roll while maintaining gorgeous melodies, accented by Gauthier’s harmonies. Having a female voice works well against Caine’s more raw vocals. Highlights of the set include “Upon the Setting Sun,” which is one of the tunes that features Gauthier’s harmonies, and “I Know (What You Mean),” which has a bit of a Teenage Kicks feel.
While the crowd stood a little further back from the stage for the openers, fans and friends got close to the stage for Rebel Rebel’s set. No doubt that this was partly due to the boisterous energy from the stage, with Caine and Wyshnicki rocking out particularly hard. In fact, I couldn’t help but grin watching Wyshnicki jumping all over the stage.
Rebel Rebel put together a great showcase and played a great set to end the night. Torontonians can see Rebel Rebel at The Ossington on November 15th and for those outside of the city, it looks like the band will keep touring to support the EP, so keep an eye out for when they play near you!
Mittenz is a 3-piece rock all-female rock band based out of Toronto. The trio is comprised of Emily Bones (vocals, guitar), Mary Deth (bass, vocals) and Lindsay Bird (drums, vocals). Their loud and energetic pop rock (and often punk-tinged) sound completely caught me off guard. Bones has quite an incredible voice and Bird has quite a YouTube fanbase for her drumming videos.
The dynamic on stage was great to watch, particularly between best friends Bones and Deth. A highlight of the set was when Bones laid out on the drums, knocking over some of the kit. And hilariously, the band just got back up to sing the last song of the set like it was nothing. These female rockers really put on a great show.
The Lost Babies kicked off the night. Sassy Valerie Messy fronts this Toronto-based band, which she proclaimed to be celebrating a year of existence, as the band was founded in September 2011. Messy’s raw vocals are quite powerful, highlighted particularly by harmonies and notable guitar work from Mamoru Anzai.
However, I must say that the obviously intoxicated Messy made the set quite sloppy, which was certainly interesting to watch. She brought 4 beers with her on stage and knocked them all over of the electrical and she accidentally unplugged the guitarist while rocking out on stage. Still, The Lost Babies put on quite a magnetic performance and “Holy City” stood out in the set.
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Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[…] Rebel Rebel just released their debut EP Be Heard and the band was celebrating the release at the Silver Dollar. The band finds a way to play energetic rock and roll while maintaining gorgeous melodies, accented by Gauthier’s harmonies. Having a female voice works well against Caine’s more raw vocals. Highlights of the set include “Upon the Setting Sun,” which is one of the tunes that features Gauthier’s harmonies, and “I Know (What You Mean),” which has a bit of a Teenage Kicks feel. …Read More […]