Date of show: March 2, 2013
Written by: Chiara DiAngelo
Toronto garage rock band The Cheap Speakers have been pretty quiet show-wise lately, so there was quite the full house out to celebrate the band’s release of their album Switches & Levers. The city wanted to share in the experience of seeing many of the songs played live by Brennan Gault (bass, vocals), Natalia Manzocco (guitar, vocals), Tim Dafoe (guitar) and David Kochberg (drums) for the first time.
It actually being my first Cheap Speakers experience ever, I was surprised when the pretty pop song “Window” from their newest album took on a life of its own, transforming into a hard-hitting rock explosion. I quickly understood why the band had thoughtfully left ear plugs out on the stage for any audience member in need – they were definitely much louder live than recorded! Manzocco took over vocals for the next track and it was immediately obvious that the girl can rock. Slicing her thumb open while shredding on the guitar was pretty rock and roll – though getting a friend to bring her a bandaid was perhaps less so, at least it meant she could continue on unhindered by the injury.
They did calm things down with a couple of slower tracks such as “It Just Seems.” Longtime fans in the crowd, including Robb Johannes of openers Paint, took the lower volume as an opportunity to begin shouting out requests for older material. Happy to be back on stage, Gault cordially thanked all of the bands for being a part of their night, and gave a shout-out to Dan Wolovick of Two Way Monologues for “promoting the shit out of the show.”
Coming back out for an energetic encore, Dafoe swapped his guitar for a bedazzled sparkly one. Whether planned or not it actually matched Manzocco’s shoes perfectly! You can check out Switches & Levers on Bandcamp, but for the full effect you’re going to want to be at their next show!
Toronto’s Papermaps had the late set to close out the night. Unfortunately by this late hour, the venue had cleared out pretty well before they started. Down from five to only three members – frontman Dean Marino, bassist Betty Dimo and drummer Bobby Lee, it was the first time we’d seen them since the lineup reductions. There were obvious changes to the band’s sound with the lack of keys. Evolving into a more melodic and ambient dreamy pop direction, highlighted the richness of Marino’s voice as he took over full vocal duties.
Focusing primarily on new material, including “Break” and “Nobody Gets It“ from last year’s Inferior Ghost. They finished the night with heavier than heavy “Gallows.” Former member Todd Harrison used to play the guitar with a drumstick to finish this song off and it was always my favourite part of their sets. Happening to be in the audience for their set, he came up and improvised – using his beer bottle instead. Knocking the mic stand over in the process, it definitely brought the house down for all those still kicking around.
Having heard a substantial amount of buzz swirling around the city lately about Ottawa band Loon Choir, we were excited for the chance to see just what they were all about. A seven-piece, consisting of Derek Atkinson (vocals, guitar); Dan Larmour (guitar, vocals); Nicole Yates (vocals, keys); Brad Sheffield (synths); Jamie LeClair (bass); Kathleen Cauley (violin); and Julien Jacobi (drums), Cauley was unfortunately out of commission due to impending finger surgery.
Opening with “Last Names & Backgrounds,” the guy-girl vocals between Atkinson and Yates pulled at my heartstrings right away. Dancey at times thanks to the synths, they were heavier than expected, and the intelligent lyrics made you think while your body moved to the beat. With their homebase in the nation’s capital, there was a definite political edge to some of their songs, especially those with powerful spoken word vocals. They embody a collective spirit similar to Canadian greats Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire and their intensity filled the venue. The swelling instrumentals on “All Boats Don’t Rise” could honestly be felt in the innermost cavity of your soul.
The band has been around for a few years but expressed their nervousness to be playing The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern for the first time. We each picked up their album Fire Poems afterwards and having listened to it and the extra texture the strings adds to their already massive sound, we’re eagerly anticipating our next chance to see them once violinist Cauley has returned. Keep your eye and ear on these guys and girls!
We arrived in time to catch second band of the night, local pop rockers Paint. The four piece seems to undergo lineup changes on the regular with new members on the stage since last we saw them, though singer Robb Johannes did mention the guitarist was only a fill-in for the night. What never changes however is the high-powered energy that exudes from the frontman. He has undergone his fair share of trials and tribulations and the sense of jubilant strength comes through in their music. Always singing with such feeling, Johannes has added some extra flair to his stage performance in the past year, including several jumps executed throughout their set.
Demonstrating the supreme cohesiveness that exists within the Toronto music community, the dynamic frontman dedicated “Never Again” to the band of the hour, mentioning that The Cheap Speakers actually played Paint’s album release show for Where We Are Today, so it was an amiable feeling to have come full circle.
buying shots for bands 
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