Big Rock Finish… reviews of independent music

jemo played for the first time in a long time, a solo show, at the renaissance cafe at woodbine and danforth. to say i was excited because this was the first jemo show in a long time is quite the understatement. the last show of theirs i remember going to was back in july of 2007 and it’s now january 2008!

the venue was just a little bit weird, i haven’t been to a bar that tiny in a long time, especially one that serves cakes and dessert and grilled cheese sammiches along with their thirty varieties of beer. the previous act was also kind of weird, he admitted to being very depressed in some of his songs, and it was quite obvious once the songs got started. the entire crowd seemed made up of generally older people who were looking for a bumping country music filled time.

the venue was also full of teachers, as jeff had invited out what seemed like every current and former coworker available and they all showed up.

this was the first full solo jemo show i’d seen. i don’t think i’d ever seen jeff sit down to play on stage before. i hung out in the back with a handful of teachers while jeff started, and marveled at how his songs are without bass and drums to back them up. it’s neat, it’s awesome, it’s just not what i’m used to.

in the end i really super enjoyed myself. got to meet some interesting and cool people, and had one of the curators of the event call me and the group i was sitting with “those kids” when asked why we were there. i also got to try out a citrus-ey beer. and for the last song i ended up going up to the stage to take some photos.

i’m excited for more solo jemo shows as they come about, and while jeff admits to concentrating on a cover band for the next little bit, i doubt jemo will be on the back-burner for long! we’re all waiting for your next big break!

Name: Anodyne
Album: Equinifinality
Released: 2007

Members:
Mike Tilson-Vocals, Guitar
Jeff Smith-Bass
Josh Cousteils-Drums
Zach Bujold-Guitar

Website: www.myspace.com/anodyneband
Record Label: Revelation Sound Studios
Favourite Song: Track 4 – Growth to Decay

I don’t normally copy and paste… but here’s what the band says about themselves on unsigned.com:

…we are not a band that needs shitty production, shitty vocals, shitty musicians and shitty hair cuts to do what we want in this diseased music scene. Forgive the cynicism but since when is the success of a band determined by how many myspace friends they have, or how many kids with the same goddamn hair, makeup and clothing come out to a show where every fucking band plays the same riff, screams the same way and is just as sad that their girlfriends dumped them. There is more going on in the world than this fucking scene…

…So listen loud if you like it, dissect the words and music because thats why we wrote them. And if you dislike or disagree with it then at least you were smart enough to give it a chance.

Now I rarely dissect words to a song, but I do enjoy listening to them. I doubt they’re writing their music exactly for people like me… but I’ll enjoy it. Whether they meant for me to or not.

Rock. Experimental. Other. Other?? Great. There’s an even more generic category than “Rock” or “Pop.” Well screw that, I am not putting an “Other” category on my sidebar. But Other…. sure, whatever you guys want! I enjoy the rock aspects of the music, very familiar in the “I haven’t heard this sound before, but it’s nothing I would be offended with” sort of way. The experimental stuff, I guess is mixed in with the rock stuff. But I do really think highly of the instrumental tracks and the parts where the vocals are not much more than whispers of what at first seem like sweet nothings. I like this mix of style.

The individual songs all seem pretty different from each other if you try to analyze the music. If you casually listen (like I do on a regular basis) it’s hard to tell that it’s even the same band. Sure elements are similar, but Anodyne seems versatile enough to keep me engaged and actively-passively listening for probably hours on end.

I will definitely be putting Equinifality into my car CD rotation. Thankfully to do so I don’t need to pronounce, nor spell, the name of this album, I’m having enough trouble trying to pronounce Anodyne. Generic house parties? Yes, this will be in my party mix as well. The usual places people listen to music. I might even try my mp3 player when I finally go to the gym again. New years resolution & all.

Name: Howl Album: Howl Released: 2007 Members: Lead Vocals/Guitars/Piano – Will Hemmings Lead Guitar – Richard Lawrence Bass/Vocals – Scott Andrews Drums – Pete Rogers Website: www.myspace.com/howlonline Record Label: Sweet 16 Records Favourite Song: Hideaway (track 4)

Indie. Experimental. Rock. Now that I see the word experimental so much on profiles I keep thinking, isn’t music in general an experiment? All music should be since even though everyone claims that there are formulas to writing music there is still the element of will it work or won’t it work. For experimental I must admit Howl is pretty consistent and not experimental in what I would define it as being off-the-wall with crazyness that very few people are likely to enjoy. The further I delve into this album, the more I want to call Howl “Quiet Rock.” But I don’t want to go inventing new terms. There’s enough already.

Howl is pretty mellow. I like mellow. It’s good music that takes you on an auditory adventure but still drops you off around the time of your curfew and with your clothes intact. I don’t always enjoy surprises as much as I make myself out to enjoy so this is quite nice. The non-vocal parts of songs inspire me a little I think.

I could see like a martini bar playing Howl. I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t go to many martini bars, or because I really want a lychee martini right now. Again, the obligatory “listen to in my car” works well. And with the number of songs it would be quite a good CD to play actually, since it won’t repeat TOO often I get a good mix. I’m feeling a bit experimental myself, I’m curious to find out if this would make good make-out music. I’ll be it does.

Name: Fjord Rowboat Album: Saved the Compliments for Morning Released: February 23, 2007 Members: craig gloster ian mckay kevin mckay justin grant matt collumWebsite: www.fjordrowboat.com Record Label: Roxton Records Favourite Song: Shootin’ The Breeze [track 3]

Wow. I have an exact date for the release of the album. I rock, because I was at the CD release party . And I should have written about it already. Writing about music does have it’s perks. I totally didn’t expect the invite, and Justin being the main person I’ve been e-mailing, has been more than nice to me, so kudos to you!

So this is my first introduction to what the band self-proclaimed as “Shoegazer” music. Now my friends in bands (not this band though) explained to me that shoegazer music is where the band doesn’t move a whole lot on stage and play while staring at their shoes. Ah, that’s where the classification comes from. Alas, it doesn’t help me any since when I saw this band there were very little staring at shoes, but this is what they call themselves, I’ll trust they know what they play.

Most of the songs on this album are pretty slow, I generally listen to stuff a bit faster than this, so it’s a welcome change. Again, with my inability to really look beyond the face value of lyrics most of the time, I’m not sure if there’s much deeper meanings behind the words being sung, but I do enjoy hearing them. What I get out of the music is there is still a hope in the world.

It’s a laid-back, chill-out kind of album, so where would you lay back and chill out? I’d do such laying and chilling whilst on a patio on a summer day, or maybe on a patio at a bar/pub on a summer day, or … lots of patios and lots of summer day combinations it looks like. It’s mellow, it’s non-offensive, you can pretty much listen to it everywhere.

jemo played at Holy Joe’s on March 2nd, 2007. I’ve been in that building before, and been downstairs, and upstairs, but not up-up stairs. So I was throughly confused. But cruising through the second floor I vaguely recognized almost everyone I passed. Later. Got to the third floor where Holy Joe’s is located, and was met with a wall of people. The place was beyond packed (at least the back was) and waited until the band playing finished to move up and start saying hi. I liked the first band I saw, Who’s Army, I’d seen them at the Lee’s Palace show as well.

The second band I saw wasn’t thrilling nor exciting. Was interesting. And brought I believe every Asian person in the room except me. Because they all left soon afterwards.

jemo closed out the night, whether you call that a headlining band or a closing band. But I finally got front row seats. On a couch with no legs. And pointy metal bits sticking into your back. The sound was great to me, my recording went out pretty perfect. And I got to throughly break in my new Nikon dSLR camera. I make jokes I bought it to run www.jemounofficial.com … but I can’t really say if it’s 100% a joke, or if there’s a lot of truth in it. Brought my friend Alex with me and amused him with my singing along with every jemo song. Screamed like a teenage girl at an *N Sync concert. And finished off the night with the sound guy telling us to get the hell out. In a humourus manor.

I was able to get copies of jemo’s Ciao Edie Roxx show on CD to them, and told them all that jeff had all 3 copies so they should bother him for them. James razzed me for not keeping jemounofficial up to date. And since this was an all-ages show, Jeff had invited many of his former students (he was a high school teacher, now I believe he teaches elementary school) to the show as well.

Remember me saying I recognized many people on the second floor, but vaguely like we’d met once before? I figured out why. The Creepshow were headlining the show in that venue. And I was supposed to go with all my friends. I thought it was the next day. But I caught the last song and a half, enjoyed from the rear, and was happy I finally got to see them live (even if only for 6 minutes) since I’d heard so much about them.

Name: jemo Album: oaks with rushes Released: summer 2006 Members: jeff dantowitz – vocals/guitars james bastable – bass michael beauclerc – drums/percussion Website: www.jemo.net Unofficial Website: www.jemounofficial.com Favourite Song: settlement

jemo is one of my all time favourite indie bands. first if you’ll notice i won’t use capital letters with their work, it just doesn’t feel right. this album was released in the summer of 2006 just before their east-canadian tour that involved two-shows-in-one-day where bookstores were hit in the afternoon and pubs or clubs were hit at night. i was lucky enough to pick up this cd on their last show before they headed out.

i have no idea what i could classify jemo as. it’s sort of rock, but not a heavy rock, but rather a very well thought out and carefully executed rock music that i could never fathom anyone being able to replicate it, but is awesome. it’s heavy with emotion and almost haunting in a way because of the lyrics and instruments blending so well together. it doesn’t fit a lifestyle or a genre. i’m just throughly confused.

some of the songs on this cd have been released previously through their first cd titled jemo, and their second not-particularly-released cd six-fingered salmagundi, but these versions have been re-recorded so they’re different. i can’t find a single song i don’t adore the minute i hear it. i sing along to everything on this cd over and over and never grow tired. i can go to a jemo show and sing along to everything (except new songs and covers.) i’ve tried to delve into the mind of jeff who writes the lyrics to see where he’s coming from, sometimes i get it, sometimes i don’t. it’s stunning and beautiful whether i understand it or not.

jemo songs i would play in my car, as i have been doing lots, and at home just chilling. i also play it a lot to show my friends “hey check out this band!” and at like a really relaxed get-together, type of dinner-party i wouldn’t have any problems playing their music. it’s chill, it relaxes me and… it’s seriously hot.

catch jemo at holy joe’s for an all ages show march 2, 2007

jemo played a set tonight at Lee’s Palace in downtown Toronto, a part of a HotBoxx show among five bands in total. Rumours have it that jemo brought out the most number of people of all five bands, played third on the list, and totally rocked.

There’s something about venues in Toronto. They dislike the heat. Considering we’re located in Canada, this can many times wreak havoc on artists/musicians. There’s no hot water, so you’re washing your hands in filtered Lake Ontario, there’s no hot air, so you’re drying in a torrent of arctic wind, and there’s no heat, leaving your band, your fans, and your instruments, no better inside than outside. Tonight was also one of the coldest nights thus far in Toronto.

jemo started with a new song I haven’t heard of yet, and which jeff’s guitar also felt like acting up, the low E string had de-tuned itself to a note unheard of. To the unknowing public, we thought it was part of the experimental aspect that is jemo, but while noting jeff’s confused look while he attempted to keep playing, while re-tuning the string gave away the idea of him experimenting beyond understanding. james from the band also wore a birthday hat for the first two songs.
Besides the Wardrobe equipment -malfunction at the beginning, the set was just as amazing as I had always pictured it would be. twenty-eight minutes of jemo included new songs, favourite songs, and jokes about bathrooms, Madonna’s phone number, and embarrassing the famous and well-sponsored drummer.

I wouldn’t miss the next jemo show for the world. It’s fun writing about them.