When is the last time you saw people crowd surfing and stage diving while a guy on stage played acoustic guitar? If your answer is ‘Never,’ then take a look at the video above of The Rural Alberta Advantage playing Dethbridge in Lethbridge to a capacity crowd at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Hall on April 29.
Sure, it’s not your Rage Against the Machine or F-cked Up, but it goes without saying that The RAA know how to make a lot of noise.

The above song closed an already adrenaline-driven set from the Toronto three-piece band, and I wouldn’t have been so surprised (pleasantly, I might add) had lead singer, Nils Edenloff, not said this just two weeks earlier over the phone during a break in their Alberta tour.

“When we’re playing shows, we didn’t want to just be hammering you over the head the whole time. The live shows reflect that we’re trying to have an ebb and a flow to the songs that we’re making.”

The ebb was there from the opening notes of the night with Don’t Haunt this Place, but after that it was all flow (and I mean that in the best possible way). The band even managed to make some sleepier tracks from their new album, such as Two Lovers and The Breakup, sound intense.

While Edenloff certainly brings a lot of emotion and energy to his singing and relentlessly hammers the strings on his acoustic, credit for all that noise also has to be given to Amy Cole, occasionally on keyboard, sometimes on standup drum or xylophone, and Paul Banwatt, who is truly mesmerizing on drums. In fact, there is so much bass coming from Banwatt’s drum kit that it’s easy to forget that there is no bass guitar player in The RAA.

That said, the show did slow down, twice, when both Cole and Banwatt left the stage and Edenloff performed Eye of the Tiger, dedicated to UFC weekend in Toronto, and again later when he sang the theme song to The Littlest Hobo because, well, just because.

“Thank you so much,” he told the crowd before Eye of the Tiger. “I never thought this place would work out.” “This place” meaning the Phoenix, with a capacity of 1,100, making it the band’s largest show in Canada yet (they sold out to a crowd of 1,600 in Minneapolis).

As they finished out their set, interspersing crowd favourites such as The Ballad of the RAA, Frank AB and Drain the Blood from their first album with an equal amount of songs from their new album, including their latest single Stamp (video of that performance below), the walls started to sweat, the crowd heaved, a very mini mosh pit formed and crowd surfers became a regular sight. By the time the stage divers started, there was no doubt that the next time the RAA play Toronto, they’re going to need a bigger venue.

Set List
Don’t Haunt this Place
Under the Knife
Sleep all Day
Tornado 87
Ballad of…
Two Lovers
The Break up
Eye of the Tiger.
Four night rider
Edmonton
Coldest Nights
Frank AB
In the Summer Time
Drain the Blood
Dead Roads
Stamp

Encore
The Littlest Hobo Theme Song
North Star
Barnes Yard
Dethbridge in Lethbridge

The chef Raekwon’s been on a roll since releasing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.. Pt. II in late 2009. But some of us (i.e. Anupa) are pretty partial to his latest, Shaolin v. Wu-Tang, too (and not just because the title invokes all that legendary Wu mythology). Raekwon tours a lot and has become a semi-regular fixture in Toronto, but his Friday show will hopefully be more intimate than usual since it’s going down at The Opera House. Plus, T.O. rapper Miles Jones, who released the awesome Runaway Jones last year), is opening! So we’re really happy to be giving away two pairs of tickets (courtesy of The Union) to see Raekwon in Toronto. Tell your friends to enter and guarantee yourself as their plus one to increase your chances of winning!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Raekwon might not be the funniest Wu-Tang Clan member (my vote goes to O.D.B.), but even stoic-ass RZA and U-God have some unintentionally hilarious rhymes, so make us gut-bust laugh with the funniest Rae lyric you can find and post it in the comments.

2. Please leave your FULL, REAL first and last name to enter as well as your e-mail address. No initials, no aliases. This makes it easy for everyone involved.

3. You must be 19 or older to attend so do not waste anyone’s time entering if you are “12, but can pass for 18.”

Contest closes at midnight on Wednesday, and we’ll choose and announce the winner’s on Thursday morning.

Raekwon w/ Miles Jones

The Opera House, Toronto

April 15, 2011

19+

****THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED!

Thanks for entering and making us laugh (I see you Kenny and Damian). We chose winners by draw since humour is often subjective, so congratulations to Nicholas and Matt! Tickets are still available!

I wonder how long his set will be, or if he’ll spew any more misogynistic nonsense (“Exhibits A, B, C” were fantastic but I’ll boo his hotly anticipated ass if necessary).

HOW TO ENTER TO WIN TICKETS TO THIS AMAZING CONCERT:

1. Hit us up in the comments with a guess-timate on when Jay Elec will actually drop a record. Be creative and funny. We have no patience for dickriding fanboys here. Make sure to leave your full name and e-mail address.

OR

2. Follow @TheAshcan on Twitter and tweet the following phrase (+link) in full: RT this msg + follow @theashcan to win a case of Mtn Dew. Uh, and tix from @theunioneast to see @JayElectronica 3/12 http://bit.ly/hrvsYm

** MOUNTAIN DEW ACTUALLY NOT INCLUDED BECAUSE THAT SHIT’LL ROT YOUR TEETH, FOR REAL, FOR REAL.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED. Congratulations to the winners Kevin Earle and Billy K! Enjoy the show.

In 2006, when Nas provocatively declared “Hip Hop is Dead”, Big Boi took offence. “Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but if it’s dead, why is the South boomin’?” asked the Outkast MC. Five years later a geographical region can’t claim genre dominance and Nas’s rhetoric requires yearly meditation.

The Peace Dot Love Festival was a ripe hip hop microcosm to explore Nastradamus’s question. And once again Big Boi was there with a punchy response. The event – PeaceDOTLove, organized to raise funds to curb youth violence – featured other seasoned veterans, a misguided newcomer, old tricks and some inventive ones too.

Toronto’s three-piece Keys N Krates got the party started with their brand of live remixing that saw the group engaged in more head nodding than the audience. Keys, drums, sampling, and DJ JRFLO’s turntable wizardry were used to rework everyone from Jay-Z to Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch. It’s a shame the audience was more concerned with schmoozing than admiring a hometown act that is proving its worth as part of URB Magazine’s “Next 100.”

Another instrumental group, Grand Analog, took to the stage with a bottom-heavy set led by charismatic Odario Williams. He sounded confident spitting a cappella, successfully reinterpreting A Tribe Called Quest verses, and telling jokes (calling someone out in the front row for “sexting”).

Skilled party rocker Skratch Bastid finally woke up the audience with a hit friendly set of video DJing. The song selection might have been predictable to crate diggers, but the man’s precision and technicality were undeniable. He was in command playing tribute to the late Roc Raida with fancy spin moves, toying with Kriss Kross’s “Jump”, and beat juggling Parliament’s “Flash Light” with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”

I’m still trying to fathom what happened next. Tutu sporting teenager and rap rookie Reema Major, accompanied by body suit clad dancers, fumbled through a set which featured technical difficulties, a wardrobe change, and an autobiographical story of poverty and immigration. Veteran 416 group Ghetto Concept aided Major in the absurd BlackBerry tribute “Swaggberry.”

During a sound meltdown, Major struck a pose and told the audience to “enjoy the visuals.” The 15-year-old’s stripper dance made the recent Glee photo shoot for GQ look innocuous. The whole set was bizarre. At one point, Major urged audience members to forgo luxuries and donate to charity. Then she proceeded to ubiquitously namedrop Gucci and rap about being “so caked up.” Major is poised for a major label debut as Canada’s weak answer to Nicki Minaj.

Big Boi entered the stage rocking a Montreal Expos cap, long shorts, and pulled-up socks. The legendary Atlanta rapper breezed through an opening section comprised of classic Outkast anthems such as “So Fresh, So Clean,” “Skew it on the Bar-B,” and “Ms. Jackson.” His energy multiplied as he got into new material off of Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. His rapid delivery was highlighted over “Daddy Fat Sax” and the operatic military stomp of “General Patton.” There was the obligatory border trouble story and commentary on Canadian women and weed – which led into “Fo Yo Sorrows.”

The crowd surprisingly reacted strongest to “Kryptonite,” a lesser-known banger that features the Purple Ribbon All Stars. The near-flawless set showcased why Big Boi is one of the few relevant rappers in 2010. A fan outside the venue gave this summation: “You don’t even realize how many hits he has – it’s disgusting. He could go on all night.” Take that Nas.

David Lipson is a friend of The Ashcan, and a local journalist. Find him and “Service Interruptions”, a series exploring people and Toronto’s transit service, at maxfloss.com.

- Spotting Twin Shadow (a.k.a. George Lewis Jr.) walking into the Drake with his guitar while I hopped off the streetcar.

- Simon proceeding to tell me that while he was waiting for me, he overhead Lewis say they wouldn’t let him in because he didn’t have a ticket.

- Lewis sporting a poppy on his lapel. That’s nice.

- Lewis’ affinity for hair fashion: a ponytail, which was like the absolute shortest a ponytail can be, while still being a ponytail, and his 80sdad-’stache.

- the bassist, who looked like a hipster Guile (from Street Fighter) minus the zany hair.

- dance-swaying to his romantical new wave musical stylings.

- Glasser in neck to ankle crimson, and her band in matching black jumpsuits. Dissonance and symbolism and uniformity all at once!

- The “dead cheerleader” decorations: wilted, shimmery, soft pink and black pompom streamers draped all over everything.

- Glasser’s voice, which is simultaneously incredible and spooky and shimmery and ethereal singing electro-goth slow jams.

- Drummer playing on a drum pad kit instead of a traditional drumkit — can’t be the first time I’ve seen that?!

- So much sound, coming from everywhere all over the place underneath and in between, because the Glasser team know how to take a super electronic, super distorted album and create a digital orchestra for a live show.  (See HOW they do it in this video at The Fader — it’s scintillating, promise).

- Dancing feeling overrated in the wake of Glasser’s Bjork-y/The Knife-ish yelps.

Photos via Simon’s Flickr

Want those tickets? It’s super simple:

1. Follow @theashcan on twitter.
2. Simply tweet “Just entered to win Aloe Blacc tickets. Just follow @theashcan and retweet. http://bit.ly/amKgdA”

That’s it! The winner will be randomly selected and announced on twitter at 4:30pm today.

Good luck!

One of our favourite rappers, Big Boi a.k.a Sir Luscious Left Foot, is coming to Toronto this Thursday for PeaceDOTLove Festival, supporting youth anti-violence organizations. Pretty much all of us here at The Ashcan are big Outkast fans, so we’re happy to get you on the list to see a rap legend! Local electronic purveyors Grand Analog and Halifax DJ Skratch Bastid will be opening up the show. We’ve got two (2) pairs of tickets to give away courtesy of Embrace. Yay! Thanks Embrace! Also, we’re giving away tickets to see Aloe Blacc at Wrongbar next Monday so become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or RSS us to keep tabs.

HOW TO ENTER:

Email editor[at]theashcan.com by Tuesday, Nov. 9 at midnight, with “I want to see Big Boi” as the subject and your first and last name in the body. We’ll pick two names at random and announce the winners on Twitter and Facebook! This show is 19+, sorry kids!

SHOW DETAILS:

PeaceDOTLove Festival

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Guvernment (132 Queens Quay East)

Doors: 7 p.m.

19+

I mean, come on — an all-female Weezer cover band? GENIUS. I couldn’t believe I or seemingly anyone else hadn’t thought of the idea before. When I first read about the band my mind exploded into awesome smithereens.

Want more pluses? As dyed-in-the-wool-old-school  (read: jaded) Weezer fans themselves, the ladies only play songs from the first two albums (Blue, Pinkerton) of their tribute discography and seem to treat every album since those two as apocryphal.

In short, Sheezer are Weezer fans doing what Weezer fans love to do — playing old songs really loudly and singing along. Unlike the rest of us who relegate these moments of our lives to the shower, the car or when we play Rock Band however, Sheezer happen to do so in a female-ensemble, on stage, with live instruments. Plus, on this night the band dressed up as the Sailer Scouts, including a cameo by Tuxedo Mask to perform talking duties during “Undone – The Sweater Song” and call Sailor Moon a meatball head. Uh… yes, I would love that helping of amazing sauce on my incredible pie.

I suspect everyone at the show pretty much knew exactly what to expect when they walked in the door and Sheezer showed up to provide just that — a raucous combination of nostalgia, karaoke and implied community commiseration about the halcyon days of Weezer’s role in our youth.

Like a real Weezer show, there was even a dude who kept screaming at the band to play “Pink Triangle”, perhaps in an attempt to make a witty or ironic commentary on the band being all chicks. Or perhaps he just really enjoys that song. Regardless, “It’s not gonna happen,” bassist Sailor Moon (a.k.a. Laura Barrett) guitarist Sailor Mercury (a.k.a. Robin Hatch, who was not at all sweaty from rocking out so hard) deadpanned. I’m almost certain Rivers Cuomo was slowly nodding his head in telepathic empathy.

Weezer might be dead to some. Long live Sheezer.

His tour manager is on to something, because there could hardly be a more fitting place for the Vancouver based Polaris Prize finalist to bring his brand of Canadian folk-rock to the masses than a venue where music is intrinsically linked to community.

Playing Trinity St. Paul’s Church in Toronto last night, Mangan revealed that at one time his mother interned at the very same building years ago as a seminary student training to become a priest in the United Church. In terms of energy at least, this show definitely felt like a homecoming of sorts.

That Mangan was able to sell-out Trinity St. Paul’s is a testament to the Polaris effect, introducing the reflective and intelligent singer-songwriter to a wider audience than filled the Horseshoe the last time he was in town.

To say the bigger crowd was not disappointed would be an understatement.

Going through nearly every track of his critically acclaimed latest album Nice, Nice, Very Nice, Mangan and bandmates The Crackling captivated from start to finish not just with music but an endearing mix of self-deprecating crowd banter, inter-musician joshing and insightful stories explaining what every song is actually about.

Unlike so many artists who write songs with no real meaning, Mangan is the rare musician who harkens back to more traditional folk roots in that his songs are actually, you know, about coherent themes.

Whether tunes be about his own life or the neglect the Canadian government shows to military veterans, Mangan sings every one of his songs from an intensely personal place that is immediately noticeable and contagious. There was no going through motions during this show, despite it being just another stop on an incredibly ambitious multi-country tour.

It also helps the guy churns out catchy melodies like Kanye puts out crazy tweets.

Highlights included a string section and horns to flesh out upbeat jam tracks “Road Regrets”, “Sold”, “Fair Verona” and “Et Les Mots Croises”. A rendition of “The Indie Queens are Waiting” was particularly noticeable for the attempts by Mangan’s (male) bandmates to recreate the female vocal accompaniment on the track originally sung by Veda Hille. Not as sweet to the ear perhaps, but most definitely a crowd pleasing result.

As a further pleasant surprise, the setlist also included an inspired cover of Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #2 (XO)”, one of my personal favourite songs of all time.

Mangan also included a few new tracks, mostly playing them solo but all still in the same vein that has earned him so much effusive praise to date; upbeat indie-folk rock mixed with clever, intelligent lyricism.

It must be noted that the amusing interactions of Mangan and his band mates aren’t just a side note. The personality of everyone on stage really added to the intimacy of the show, with Mangan coming off almost Seth Rogani-ish in his everymanism and jokes cracked at a positively Judd Apatowish rate.

Adding to the crowd interaction, pre-encore closer “Robots” involved Mangan climbing into the pews of the audience to lead the sanctuary in a clapping sing-a-long that mirrored all the emotionally zealous traits of a good religious revival to similarly affecting results.

Part campfire karaoke, part church worship, entirely Canadian and all heart on his sleeve, Mangan showed that his surprising Polaris short-listing was most definitely well deserved.

The diversity of the smokers loitering outside after sets by openers Wavves and Tokyo Police Club was a testament to the success of Phoenix, who we arrived in our seats just in time to see. There were indie kids but also plenty of this-is-my-only-concert-this-year types, which was kind of neat. At first.

The Versailles-based headliners are critical and commercial darlings, beloved equally amongst p4k kids and people who find all their new music from Apple commercials alike (I’m now curious as to the venn diagram for these two groups).

The venue setup seemed equally odd, with a giant stage setup at one end of the 75 per cent full hockey rink. There were thousands of people there, but when a venue is that big it better be full or the energy is going to suffer. It’s just physics. Or maybe it was just me.

Regardless, once the featured attraction hit the stage they didn’t disappoint. Running through the entire tracklist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Phoenix sounded tight despite admitting “this is the biggest venue we’ve ever played in Toronto. We played the Phoenix last time”.

One couldn’t help observe their growth was a work in process though, adjusting to the fact that although the music they were playing hasn’t changed, the way it’s presented surely has. The giant venue, the seizure inducing over-the-top light show, the crowd of equal parts passionate fans and just-checking-it-out scenesters.

Phoenix sounded good but personality was noticeably missing in the presentaton. After opening back to back with Lisztomania and Lasso, the show hit a definite lull as the band plowed through the less known parts of their discography, including older songs, and not talking much to the crowd. Actually, not talking to the crowd at all.

Phoenix have the ability to blow a venue this size away when they play their hits, but everything else just didn’t carry over well. This is a problem because, really, they only have like three really killer singles.

For example, the group played the same musical interlude that they co-performed with Daft Punk in New York, with the same billowy white curtain falling in front of the stage.

Except, you know… WITHOUT DAFT PUNK (I had my fingers crossed the whole time. C’est la vie). The result was just a strange, confusing jam session that nobody seemed to understand the point of, and certainly nobody found particularly exciting.

Tellingly, the highlight of the show wasn’t repeatedly having my retinas assaulted by the million dollar strobe light array. It was near the end, when the band snuck off stage and setup shop in the sound tech area, right in the middle of the general admission floor.

Surrounded by eye level fans only a few feet away on either side, Phoenix serenaded the crowd with a few acoustic ditties including old school French folk songs. It was intimate, they connected with the audience and they felt comfortable in their environment — seemingly the opposite of the rest of the show.

Then they went back and did 1901, lights flashing away, and large swaths of the lackadaisical crowd began dispersing as the song was about to end, without even sticking around to applaud for an encore.

I guess they figured they were done taking pictures of themselves and wanted to make it to the club in time or something. The rest of us enjoyed a great extended rendition of 1901.

Overall it was a pretty great performance. I just kind of wish I had caught these guys last time around when they played the Phoenix instead.