Video Of (Last) Week: Nightwood

Ideally, I would have published this one on Saturday night, right after the show, but I was too ill to sit in front of a computer for most of the weekend. I'm here now, though, to say that the Nightwood/The Lindbergh Line gig in support of 4 Minutes To Midnight at Playhouse was as good as expected performance-wise, if not sound-wise - the guitars sounded blurred, and it was impossible to decipher what notes the girls were playing.

Be as it may, the rocking was on the spot.

And so, I bring you, for the second time, Nightwood as Video Of The Week, with a ditty called Cave Of The Spleen , from their debut release, 2008's Big City EP.

How The Back Pain Creeps Back Into My Life When I Least Expect It

Two years ago, out of nowhere, I came upon the worst stretch of back pain I'd ever had. It's back. Not as bad as back then - I can move, walk (with a cane), sleep. But the second-worst of my life, definitely.

It's at the bottom of my back completely, and it stops me from being able to get up when I'm seated or lying down, or even walk properly. And when the pain hits, it's sudden, and strong enough to will me directly to my knees - which I no longer do, because it's even more of a pain to get up from.

It's the reason why I haven't been posting for the last few days - my back can't handle my fucking chair. It wasn't just that I was content with finally averaging more than a post per day in a given month for the first time, I promise.

It's cost me a trip to Québec City with the Lindbergh Line, and has made my tolerance towards bankers dissipate. I think I'll eat red meat tonight, it'll give me the impression that I killed something, which might quench my desire to do just that.

What To Do On Sunday

One thing not to do: celebrate Kurt Cobain's woulda-been 44th birthday. The guy's dead, and we remember him in April. If it was a suicide, once a year is more than enough; if it wasn't, get his fucking widow a trial already.

If you like to see grown men freeze to death playing outdoors hockey, there'll be the NHL Heritage Classic, pitting the Montréal Canadiens and Calgary Flames against Nature's Elements. It's taking place in Calgary, so it's possible rain, snow, ice storms and minus-40 winds can all happen in a 30-minute span; expect winter, Siberian winter, spring and maybe even a tad of Tatooine weather.

Or you could spend the entire day in the comfortable confines of your seat, in front of your computer, looking up all the terrific reviews my buddies in The Lindbergh Line have been getting. Whether it's sites devoted to women in music, sites dedicated to finding out which shots to order a band (and, yep, that's actually pretty damn accurate!), reviews of shows I played a (tiny) part in, or the same site claiming it's their ''show of the week'', them being a part of the Scotch Tape singles club, or finding a radio show they're playing on. Or another radio station they're playing on (also playing Couples, another great choice of sounds to subject your eardrums to).

Read a review here, then buy the EP here. Next thing you'll know, it'll be Monday morning and you'll still be bopping your head to their songs, having forgotten to sleep.

Where Were You Last Tuesday?

I was a guest lead guitarist for The Lindbergh Line last Tuesday at Casa Del Popolo, my favourite venue in Montréal, and my playing got reviewed...

''Cheesy'' and ''very impressive'', in the same sentence. Weird, but I'll take it.

Thanks, Meet You At The Show!

They covered the mood dead-on; I'd just like to add the name of Couples' drummer, Michael Benjamin Brooks Wright. He creates beats where very few people would dare imagine them, between, on top of and juxtaposed to notes in a way that make him absolutely unique. Watching him play, live, is like watching Einstein duel Nobel in a math contest - except there's just one Mikey and he's the lone drummer playing with his band.

Also of note, the extent to which Reversing Falls grows on you. So much so that I found the two songs on the single they were releasing that night to not be the two best songs they have - by a fair margin. Had they gone on to play another full set of half-done songs, I'm sure those would be the ones I'd prefer. Actually, on any other night than this one where two other awesome bands were playing, I would have just preferred more Reversing Falls - period.

Dance Movie, The Lindbergh Line & Sébastian Hell @ Bar St-Laurent 2, August 3rd, 2010

I got at Bar St-Laurent 2 at 8:45PM and, to my surprise, the only people there were the Former Lady Of The House, her friend and her friend's boyfriend. That's it - one table's worth of humans. Even the bartender wasn't at his post behind the bar - I had to go fetch him behind the sound console for him to start making any money off of us, and I hope he was glad I did, that was 8 beers right there, and 6 more 15 minutes later when three of us had finished our first two.

It took until 9:30 for anyone else to come in - and even then, they were the other acts performing that evening, so me and my buddies were starting to wonder if I was going to be playing to an empty room. It was, after all, a stormy Tuesday evening. Luckily, the closer it got to 10PM, the fuller the place got. Not full enough to start earning free beers, but enough to ensure whatever happened would end up being a good time for all.

By 10:05, Will Austin - my drummer for the evening - and I got on stage and sound-checked an improvised rendition of Prince's 'My Name Is Prince' and then proceeded with the show. I'm not narcissistic enough to critique/review my own performance, so I won't, but I'll say this: I had a good time. And the setlist was:

1. My Love
2. Let's (Last) Dance
3. My Music Is Rock But My Love Life Is The Blooze (instrumental)
4. Sonic Reducer [a Dead Boys cover]
5. Selfish (slow version)
6. Bitter End
7. Daughters

Next up was my favourite new band of 2010, the previously-blogged-upon (and playing only their second show ever) The Lindbergh Line, who again were up to par. So much so, in fact, that the crowd requested an encore after their set... and I don't blame them one bit! As a band, depending what you're willing to focus on, there's always something interesting going, whether it be the songwriting, their ability to play their instruments, the tightness of their sound, the tribal pounding of Denise Williams on her drums while she's hidden in the back, the unfairly good looks and terrific rock stance of bassist Karl Leblanc, or the surprising power and stamina of could-have-been electro-pop queen Myriam Chebat's vocal-and-guitar attack, with each song building in intensity from her presence alone.

Then it was time for Halifax's own Dance Movie, which on this night consisted of... well, pretty much singer and guitarist Tara Thorne, with Denise Williams sitting in on drums. Their MySpace mentions three band members, and I do know Denise is only sitting in on half the shows of the tour they're on together, so my guess is the actual drummer just couldn't make the first part of the tour.But Tara has a good enough stage presence to pull off whatever setting she chooses - alone, as a duo, or in a band. Her songs hold up too, and the Former Lady Of The House actually thought she had been the best performer of the evening, with the best songs, one of which is set to play in the upcoming season of Degrassi... it was like witnessing a cross between old-time Soul Asylum (in the days where Dave Letterman called them ''the best live band in America'') and Death Cab For Cutie when they, themselves, were good. All-pro, all good, right there.

So good, in fact, that I opted to stay for even more beer to reminisce after the show ended when the initial plan was to leave at midnight no matter what because I had an early day this morning...

If you can, catch the tour as it heads to your town: St. John, NB (5th), Fredericton (6th), Antigonish (7th), and Halifax (the 8th).

Shyny Diemindz, UN & The Lindbergh Line @ Barfly, July 24th, 2010

Saturday night at Barfly usually spells ''winter'' and ''waiting for the Habs game to finish before the music starts'', but not this time. It was hot inside and out, the drinks were flowing, and the sounds were astounding.

First off, The Lindbergh Line were playing their first show ever. I'd heard of them a few months back, as I was courting their drummer, Denise Williams, to play in my band (and still am), and she mentioned they were writing and recording songs, then sent me their MySpace link when they were up. I liked the material instantly and couldn't wait to see them live - and I was not disappointed. Karl LeBlanc (bass) stood out as a pillar of energy and professionalism - all business - and Williams incorporated tribal-esque beats in songs that seemed to hit like waves, at times starting slow, but building up into a frenzy of sound that made it hard to believe they could be emanating from the frail body of Debbie Harry lookalike Myriam Chebat (vocals and guitar). It was a terrific show, and whether you missed it or just want to see it again, I'll be playing with them on August 3rd at Bar St-Laurent 2, on a bill with Dance Movie.

Next up was UN, a two-girl attack of dance-pop the likes of which was very trendy for the past 5 years (reminiscent of Green Go, a bit). UN consists of Kara Keith on synths and vocals, and Jen Reimer on drums; Keith reminds me of Amanda Palmer (of The Dresden Dolls) in that she was disguised and brought a theatricality to her performance unlike most of the other performers that night, but unlike Palmer, who sometimes breaks character to poke fun at her own songs - even in the middle of them - Keith took herself and her performance very seriously, to the point of correcting Reimer's tempo and re-starting songs if they weren't to her liking. Reimer, however, had a hypnotic effect on me: her square, repetitive, Meg White-esque beats got me into the songs, despite them not being in my usual 'style'. But I can understand if I wasn't their target audience, who I would dub The Patrol - they were dancing like nothing else mattered and seemed to have the time of their lives. Good on them.

And finally, the final treat of the evening, Shyny Diemindz. By the time Will Austin (vocals, guitar), Allan Lento (bass, vocals) and Jackie Gallant (drums) took to the stage, the bar smelled like old man's sweat - and there was no way it was going to get cleaner. Lento sang a song with only two lines, but both hard hitting ('I said no / but my sister said yes') and an amazing hook, while Austin sang the rest, including a cover of Surfin' Bird he swears wasn't inspired by a conversation we had about it on a message board a week prior. If you're unfamiliar with Austin's vocal style, I'd describe it as ''balls-out''. It can be at times high-pitched and plaintive, but even when it is, it's less Bob Dylan and more Stiv Bators. And when it isn't high-pitched, it's a growl straight from his bowels, as if Lemmy Kilmeister was throwing up a moose he'd eaten alive just to put more BBQ sauce on it and re-ingurgitate it. It's not for everyone, but if it's for you, it's just what the doctor ordered.