Friday, July 16. 2010
Photos and review by Michael Hurcomb - Staff Photographer club.kingsnake.com
Take a hot & muggy summer Toronto night, a thunderstorm warning, an absolutely packed venue and The Dead Weather and you have a perfect storm. An anxious crowd became deafeningly loud when Alison Mosshart strutted onto the stage grabbed the mic and the band kicked into "60 Feet Tall". Alison is a force onstage; writing, bending, screaming, strutting & sweating with everything she has. The only distraction is Jack White, the other force of The Dead Weather; whose remarkable presence behind a drum kit, behind a mic or behind the wail of his guitar challenges Alison as the leader of the band. I genuinely feel sorry for Dean Fertita (Guitar) and Jack Lawrence (bass) because I feel like people forget to notice them and their contributions to the band which are overshadowed by Alison and Jack White.
After "60 Feet Tall" the band moved into Hang You From The Heavens follow by the Them (Van Morrison was their singer) cover of "You Just Can't Win" with Jack White taking lead vocals and finishing the song behind the kit. Now I'm not sure if it was me but it really seemed like The Dead Weather were fighting to find their groove tonight. They sounded great, Jack was ferocious behind the kit and Alison sounded great but they just weren't quite in sync. The few times I thought it came together was when the Jacks switched it up, putting Mr. White behind the mic and guitar and Mr. Lawrence behind the kit. There is something so right about Jack White singing and playing guitar. His raunchy voice and screaming leads add an sonic element to make the Dead Weather groove (and I'm a big White Stripes and Raconteurs fan). And hearing Alison and Jack singing together is even better and their chemistry is fantastic.
The set was made up of songs from Horehound and Sea Of Cowards with a cover of "New Pony" by Bob Dylan thrown in towards the end. The majority of the material is strong but their singles "Die by the Drop" and "Treat Me Like Your Mother" stand out as their strongest and most crowd engaging material. You couldn't hear the last note of the show because the sold out crowd inside the now hot and muggy Sound Academy were screaming for more. With the frequency of their Toronto visits it should take too long.
Click here to check out the rest of The Dead Weather photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer
Wednesday, July 14. 2010
Photos and review by Michael Hurcomb - Staff Photographer club.kingsnake.com
I'm Canadian, Male and a Musician. So I should be a Rush fan right? Somehow it never happened. I heard their music growing up, knew that my brother's friends liked them and that they were supposed to be one of the best bands ever, but I just couldn't turn the corner as a fan. But a few things happened during the last decade that led me to appreciate their talent and legacy. The first thing was seeing them live at "Sars Stock" in Toronto. Before they went on it just seemed like a mediocre festival in the heat but they really brought an energy to the crowd that had been missing all day. The musical friends I attended the festival with were equally impressed with the band members' astounding playing abilities. The second thing was teaching guitar professionally for many years. With the aftermath of Sars Stock and the eventual influence of Guitar Hero/Rock Band every kid suddenly wanted to know how to play Rush so I dug into their catalog and learned their hits and really liked how complicated yet simple their songs were….even if I couldn't get used to Geddy's voice. The final moment that convinced me to believe was seeing the amazing show they put on last night in Toronto.
First of all - BEST OPENING VIDEO EVER! Great to see a band with a sense of humour. And what a crowd--absolutely packed with fanatical fans of all ages (both men and women contrary to what you'd think a Rush fan would be.) At times I couldn't hear the band for the crowd! RUSH burst onto the stage to "The Spirit of Radio" and quickly segued into "Time Stand Still" and "Presto." Their performances were all note perfect but the show didn't suffer as they made every effort to connect with their hometown crowd. The stage set was suited to the Time Machine theme with the backline, video graphics and drum kit designed to look like retro machinery. And unlike some bands that are well on in their careers (I'm looking at you U2 and the Rolling Stones) they didn't make the stage the star. Everything was there to merely complement the band and music. Rush knows that the fans are there to hear them play and see how well they do it. The highlight of the night for the fans was during the 2nd set (Geddy told the crowd that the band is about a 1,000 years old and they needed a break) when Rush played their classic album, Moving Pictures front to back. Later in the set the crowd were treated to a fantastic drum solo by the incomparable Neil Peart after which they played Closer To The Heart followed by both parts of 2112. Probably the biggest crowd reaction came when they played YYZ (refers to the Toronto airport code).
Something that struck me, and maybe I pick up on this as a musician, were the smiles and eye contact that the guys share with each other throughout the night. They've been together for over 30 years and you can see that these guys genuinely love each other and love playing together, rather than only doing it for the money (ahem….Eagles). A friend loaned me a copy of the recently released DVD "Rush, Beyond The Lighted Stage" and it's worth a watch for any music fan. It's filled with old footage, a great bonus disc and an all-star roster of Rush influenced musicians.
Click here to check out the rest of the Rush photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer
Sunday, May 30. 2010
The 9th annual Bonnaroo Music Festival descended on Manchester Tennessee from June 10-13. A capacity crowd of 75,000 enjoyed acts like the Dave Matthews Band, the John Butler Trio, Jay Z, Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder, Isis, Tori Amos, Against Me, Phoenix and so many more.
Click here to check out the 2010 Bonnaroo photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer | 
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Tuesday, May 18. 2010
Photos and review by Michael Hurcomb - Staff Photographer club.kingsnake.com
What a difference a few months make. 7 months ago the new supergroup Them Crooked Vultures played to a sold out crowd at Toronto's Sound Academy. Sold out being around 3,000 people which is pretty good considering their debut CD release was a month away and only some song clips had been heard at that point. What brought 3,000 people to a club was the chance to see legends - John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme. The intimacy of a club coupled with the thunder they created was an unbelievable experience. But what happens if you put the same band in a stadium holding 12,000 die hard fans? You get almost the same experience but not quite as magical. Why?
Well it certainly has nothing to do with musicianship. They rhythm section have aged a year since their last Toronto show (Grohl recently turned 41 and JPJ 66) and play at a level unattainable by any musician in their 20's. And Josh "Ginger Elvis" Homme is a great vocalist and guitar player, albeit an occasionally awkward lead singer. These guys really play off each other and enjoy every second of it. They're a much tighter unit than they were when they began the tour and are much more comfortable with the songs. But the songs are the problem. In a club this type of jam band material works. The crowd is at your feet and it creates an energy in the room. But when you drop the same few guys onto a blank stage (with bad sound) and the same club light show they just seem lost. These aren't stadium anthems that the crowd stomps their feet to and sings along. Them Crooked Vultures play and you watch in awe but don't feel as engaged. Don't get me wrong; this is fantastic material and the two new songs they played show the promise of what will come from their followup CD. Being a photographer I was thrilled to be down front when they started the show with "Nobody Loves You and Neither Do I" (Best on the CD in my opinion) but it might have been better used toward the end of the show to bring the crowd to their feet.
Them Crooked Vultures are still an act you need to see and not just hear on a CD or on the radio. No one plays or sounds like them right now and that's saying a lot. See them while you can because their day jobs (Foo Fighters / QOTSA) will steal them away soon enough.
Click here to check out the rest of the Them Crooked Vultures photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer
Monday, May 10. 2010
A-Ha played to a sold out crowd as part of their Ending On A High Note World Tour. The Norwegian band have been international superstars since their breakthrough in 1985 with the groundbreaking "Take On Me" video
Click here to check out the rest of the A-Ha. photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer |  |  |  |
Tuesday, April 27. 2010
The Stables at Karma Lounge in Oshawa, ON April 22nd, 2010 by Myles LaCavera - Writer & Walid Lodin - Photographer - club.kingsnake contributors
The Stables stood in defiant juxtaposition to all around them; crammed on the tightly packed Karma stage it appeared that the band might not get to play their set after a painstaking house sound system delay. Patient in their plaid Wrangler button ups, set against the slick modern set of Karma trend, the Stables seemingly willed the PA into working order and probably would have played without it if they had to. That’s the thing about The Stables and their alt-country hash; they don’t need the bright lights of some posh hang-about to win you over. These three guys would be just as comfortable playing the deck at your cottage, and probably blow you away there just as easily.
Despite a small gathering of local fans the band set up against a crowd set upon seeing USS in all their manic folk-hop glory and as the hockey stick and wash tub bass, illuminated banjo, and suitcase kick drum (yes, a real suitcase) decorated the stage there were more than a few eye brows raised through the blue collar crowd. But from the opening notes of their set The Stables were snapping necks and the “what the hell is this?” flipped to “what the hell is this!?!” on mass.
Ripping through tracks off of a self-titled disc that is currently testing the endurance of my car stereo including “I Let You Down” made great use of their iridescent banjo, and created a small stomping circle in the middle of the crowd. The band rotated instruments, each taking a turn on guitar, drum kit and bass, and showed just how talented these three really are with none looking out of place wherever they played. The Johnny Cash era bass-walk of “Underneath The Tree” reminded us all of how folk was meant to be played, with enough honesty and sweat to win any crowd over. It was evident that The Stables love what they do and are close to mastering one of the most elusive tasks in music, and that which every band should strive for – getting simple right. A track like “I Believe In Bigfoot” made for a hilarious sing-along and burned up with some fine country picking, and whiles “Ball And Chain missed its parlor piano it missed none of its Band-like charm.
Comparisons to Bob Dylan’s old mates shouldn’t stop there as “What’s A Man Gotta Do?” and “When The Morning Comes”, disappointingly left out of their raucous set, come close to what Helm and Co. might have offered up as B-sides to Big Pink. Heartbreaking harmonies provide no comfort to an anti-hero faced with a hard life on the lamb in “When The Morning Comes” and stands as one of The Stables’ best tracks. “Darkness” is carried by a sorrowful fiddle, soft kit-work and lyrically haunted by an unnamed and ever present danger. What is best about the disc is that at every turn it insists that it will play well live, and The Stables proved that Thursday night. They may have thanked Cuff The Duke in their liner notes but if I were Cuff The Duke I’d be looking over my shoulder because The Stables are coming, and possibly coming soon with a follow up disc. Oh, and they play a wicked cover of The Vaselines’ “Molly’s Lips” like you’ve never heard. So, pony up and get into the Stables.
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