(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club live in 2015
Artist: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club When: September 20th, 2015 Where: East Main Stage, Toronto Urban Roots Festival, Toronto Context: Just less than a month ago, I posted some words on how my younger brother Michael got me into Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I followed them through all their albums, really falling head over heels with them with their third album, 2005’s “Howl”, but never got the chance to see them live, until three years ago (almost to the day) and almost 14 years after I heard the first notes of their self-titled debut. I had already procured an early bird pass to the penultimate edition (though none of us knew it then) of the Toronto Urban Roots Festival with my two concert buddies, Tim and Mark, when BRMC was added late to the last day of the festival. It was definitely a case of better late than never. I would recommend seeing them live to anyone who will listen.
Point of reference song: “Lose yourself”
Peter Hayes and Leah Shapiro of Black Rebel Motorcycle ClubLeah Shapiro of Black Rebel Motorcycle ClubRobert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle ClubRobert Levon Been and Leah Shapiro of Black Rebel Motorcycle ClubPeter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
It’s hump day! So to celebrate, I am kicking off yet another list this lovely Wednesday morning. For those counting, that’s three lists I’ve got going, which should suffice to keep me busy for now. This excellent thirty-song list opens with “Get out”, a track off the debut album by Kingston, Ontario’s P.S. I Love You.
This duo, whose moniker is a play on the initials of its frontman, started out as a solo project for guitarist and vocalist, Paul Saulnier in 2006. He later added drummer Benjamin Nelson when he tired of fiddling with the drum machine on his keyboards. Up to now, they’ve released three long players on Canadian indie label, Paper Bag Records, the first of which was “Meet me at the muster station” in 2010.
I happened upon these guys the following year in 2011 when I saw them live at Ottawa Bluesfest, an annual two week music festival that has long-since stopped being only about the blues. Instead, it offers up a wide range of artists from across the spectrum of genres, a virtual marathon of musical splendor. I’ve been going for a number of years now but I think 2011 marked my third year in attendance and perhaps the year I started doing a boatload of research on the bands playing in preparation. P.S. I Love You was one of the artists that caught my attention almost immediately, earning a spot in my schedule with their pure raw energy. And as intense as their recordings are, their live show upped the ante substantially. Indeed, they didn’t have a large audience to start their set but by their final note, they had amassed quite an enthusiastic crowd. It wasn’t a lot of showboating or guitar noodling, just two guys rocking out on stage and making a lot of noise.
Truly, if you listened to any of the tracks on “Meet me at the muster station” without knowing any better, you might not realize there are only two musicians in the group. Like a couple of other duos I can think of, say The White Stripes or The Black Keys, they present a full sound with their limited personnel, but that’s where the comparisons end. Instead of crunchy blues rock, P.S. I Love You leans heavily towards punk and noise rockers, like Sonic Youth or Pixies. Indeed, you can hear the latter especially with Saulnier’s Frank Black-like yelp and snarl vocals.
“Get out” employs some monstrous earthquake guitar rumbles to kick start the frenetic rim-click drumming. A muscular bass line just adds to the pressure accentuated later on by some alien synth washes. It’s all a noisy cacophony that might be unlistenable in another set of hands but luckily for us, Saulnier has a sweet pop sensibility that brings at all together. Then, of course, when he tears in with his don’t-give-a-shit vocals, you feel like you can join in and scream along with him. This is a track that should not be played quietly.
For the rest of the Best tunes of 2010 list, click here.
My (life in) music lists 