Sat Jan 20 recap: dears, annuals, clov, dahl, MDR, other

[sweetcell]

so, what did you do last night?  could someone post a thought or two about the black cat show?
 
 i was at the 930, and thoroughly enjoyed my evening.  highlight for me was the opener, pilot speed.  great voices, epic songs, good musicianship.  good stage show too - no long silences between songs, no stupid banter with the crowd.  i wasn't expecting much based on the tracks on their myspace page, but they came damn close to blowing me away.  i'll definitely go see them next time they're in town.  the annuals didn't do much for me- anyone else think this was only an average performance?  the dears were great, loved their "mature energy" (energetic without needing to actually jump up and down, came across in the performance instead).  the story about how he married the keyboardist, then intro'ed the other married couple in the band, only to hand off to some dude in the crowd who proposed to his sweetie - pure cheeseball, i.e. i liked it      overall i thought the vocals were kinda muddy all night, but that just might have been where i was located in the club (upper balcony).  show wasn't sold out, but was damn close - 90% full?  
 
 how was your saturday night?

[Darth Ed]

Loved the Dears! I thought they were just amazing. Really fantastic. They played every song I wanted to hear and did so with aplomb. The encore was phenomenal and very satisfying.
 
 The marriage proposal will go down in 9:30 history. The newly engaged couple hung around after the show and got a picture with the whole band.
 
 Not sure what was up with the audience though. There were many people around me who were obviously into the performance and enjoying it; they just wouldn't bother to applaud, not even for the encore. Did I not get the memo about applauding being unfashionable? I swear I heard more applause for the Annuals than the Dears, which is just sick.
 
 I really don't know what to make of the Annuals. I like their energy and their performances, especially the lead guitarist, but I'm not at all impressed with their songwriting or lead vocals. This was the second time I've seen them. They opened for Tapes 'n Tapes at the Black Cat show. They have potential, I think. They just need better songs.
 
 I had a dinner party with some friends and got their too late for Pilot Speed. Sounds like I missed a good band? I'll try to check them out next time they're in town.
 
 Excuse me now while I go blog about the marriage proposal...    

[kosmo vinyl]

It was a great evening all the way around, the bands, the people I bumped into, the lack of smoke....
 
 
 Middle Distance Runner were great given the fact that they had equipment stolen earlier in the week and four them had a food poisioning, must have been the can of Moxie I brought along for them to try       A couple new songs in the setlist, along with rocked up versions of their older stuff.  Thumbs up!
 
 It was nice to see the new De Novo Dahl line-up as a decent hour and in a better venue.  Their new material sounds great, the band is playing with a bit more confidence then older line-up.  Saw several people dancing and having fun during their set.  And it's always good to see people queued up to buy a out of town bands merch after they finish playing...
 
 Hoped over to the 9:30 club to see The Dears who were great, I can't get enough of their new record and they played a bunch of it.  Always fun watching a band that enjoys playing live...
 
 And if memory serves there was a proposal at a Olds 97 show a couple years ago..

[sweetcell]

Sounds like I missed a good band?

i definitely think so.  it been a while since i've been that impressed by an opening act.  
 
     

Excuse me now while I go blog about the marriage proposal...  

where can we read about it?!?

[Bags]

I had a really good night at Black Cat.  Of course, always good to see Kosmo, Tom Servo and Bombay Chutney (who's still Skeeter to me).
 
 MDR was really good -- bought the CD.  Glad to finally see them.
 
 DND mostly lived up to the Kosmo hype.  Of course, that's no slam 'cuz Kosmo REALLY hypes this band.  Loved the matching crazy flower pajamas.  Good set, lots of fun.
 
 And, I guess I didn't even realize how long it's been since I've seen Exit Clov.  They have an entirely different sound, and it is TIGHT!  Those girls are really great with their harmonies.  
 
 So, good show.  Nice to have a night mixing local with 'imports' from Nashville-land.
 
 And completely the bomb to be in a non-smoking BC.  Woo hoo!

[lily1]

The line up was great-perfect for a evening out. Bit bummed that MDR went on at 930pm. We missed half their set since we didn't roll in until close to 10.
 
 Glad to see it so crowded as well. Don't think it sold out, but must have been at least 3/4 full. Lots of love for the local bands!

[HoyaSaxa03]

had a fun night at HR-57, pretty decent jazz quartet

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Had a nice night having dinner at our friends house. Caught the end of the Wizards victory.

[you be betty]

did MDR really go on at 9:30?
 are the cat's triple bills starting that early nowadays?
 i could have gone!!

[HoyaSaxa03]

man, i sound a lot like rhett, disturbing

[Bombay Chutney]

did MDR really go on at 9:30?

Yep.  I got there around 9:40 and they were already playing.   But the website said doors at 9:00.  That usually means 9:30 showtime.  I was a bit surprised at the early doortime though.

[xcanuck]

I was at the 930 and thoroughly enjoyed my evening.
 
 I've been listening to Pilot Speed courtesy CBC Radio 3 on Sirius. Their songwriting reminds me of Starsailor but without the melodrama. And alot better musically. Enjoyed them quite a bit. I'm looking forward to hearing them develop.
 
 The Annuals....what to say? I hear them being compared to Arcade Fire and I just don't get the comaparison. I thought they did OK, though the second drummer/guitarist was completely superfluous.  And while I appreciated their energy, the lead singer could probably tone down the histrionics without losing anything. Give them an 'A' for effort but a 'C' for final product.
 
 The Dears. Oh, lord they were amazing. This band has really matured since the bombast and grandeur of No Cities Left. Not that I didn't like NCL - but Gang of Losers is a much better written, performed, and produced album.
 
 While Murray may be the frontman, I could barely take my eyes off George Donoso, the drummer. It was hard not to admire his technical excellence as well as his energy.
 
 A great setlist (though exactly the same as the NYC one, unfortunately). It would have been nice to hear Never Destroy Us (which they've played on other shows on the tour) but I guess the marriage proposal cut into their time.
 
 The live show was a great way to kick off 2007. So much so...that I just booked my flight to Nashville to see the show there this Saturday. Yup - it was THAT good.

[kosmo vinyl]

MDR weren't the only band that had a bit of bad luck last week.... De Novo Dahl on the back from the DC show, hit a ice patch and skidded off on to the side of the road.  They band is ok, but they lost their trailer, some equipment and the van is in bad shape.
 
  http://blog.myspace.com/denovodahl

[IMAmoose24]

I was also at 9:30 on saturday. I throughly enjoyed my night.
 
 I have to say that Pilot Speed was the best of the night. I have fallen in love with their sound. I cannot get enough of them anymore. They opened with Ambulence, which has to be currently one of my favorite songs out there. Just a great band. period.
 
 The Annuals... what can I say? I really REALLY do not like their stuff, but hey, they can play music, which is more than i can say.
 
 The Dears were also good. Of course, the highlight was either ticket to immortality or Whites Only Party, but thats only because i got their album a week before the show and hadn't learned to fully appriciate it yet. They still sounded great live though.
 
 I thought that the little proposal was sweet. Only problem was that it only made couples horny-er, more so than they already were, and trust me, it was already at it's peak in there.
 
 Overall, a fun night and im glad i decided to go.

[Bombay Chutney]

Wow - That really sucks about DND.