PuSh Festival - Colourful World Print E-mail
Wednesday, 01 February 2012 15:01
TPE
Though the whole of the show was enjoyable, and certainly intriguing to the ear, the chosen music didn’t completely convey a multitude of emotions.


PuSh Festival
Concert Review

Artist: Turning Point Ensemble
Show: Colourful World
Venue: Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street
Date: January 29th, 2012
 
pressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 bwpressplus1 bw

Reviewed by Alex Hutt

When you first think of an orchestra, the sound that pops into your head is usually one of a full fleged, bombastic piece by Beethoven, or the melancholy, full body tones of a Tchaikovsky piece. (Yes, I did go to this Classical Kids concerts as a child!) The Turning Point Ensemble (a group of 19 core musicians, and several other guests) is a different feel, as most of the music is within the range of the instrument and as such, very downplayed and subtle.

A central theme of the concert was the deconstruction of music and some of the more discordant looks into symphony music. Though the music can be enjoyed by many, reactions will probably be extreme on both sides of the scale. Some may love the simplicity of the music and the way the musicians play off of each other to combine the many stuttering notes. Others may find the compositions to be plodding, and contain a tad too much plinking and plonking.

Add a comment
Read more... [PuSh Festival - Colourful World]
 
JACK'S MANNEQUIN (Toronto - Slideshow) Print E-mail
Wednesday, 01 February 2012 00:00

  • JM1
  • JM2
  • JM3
  • JM4
  • JM5
  • JM6
  • JM7
  • JM8
  • jm9
  • JM10
  • JM11
  • JM12
  • JM13
  • JM14
  • JM15
  • JM16
  • JM17

Concert Review

Artist: Jack’s Mannequin
Venue: Sound Academy
Date: January 31st, 2012
 
pressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 bw
 
Reviewed and photographed by Sarah Rix

The truth of the matter is, I haven’t paid much attention to Jack’s Mannequin since exiting my adolescence. Andrew McMahon and company’s debut album, Everything in Transit, was released in 2005, during the start of my high school years. I forget how I first heard of the band, but I do know songs like “The Mixed Tape,” “Dark Blue” and “La La Lie” were on heavy iPod rotation. But upon graduation five years ago, they slipped from my memory, a casualty to my changing (some might even say evolving) tastes.

What Tuesday night’s set proved was that perhaps I was too quick to dismiss the Orange County-formed band. Granted, the four-piece’s appeal skews to the teenage demographic and yes, loud girlish screaming was constant throughout the night, but all that aside, Jack’s Mannequin know how to put on a show and engage their audience.

The four-piece of McMahon, Bobby “Raw” Anderson (guitar), Jay McMillian (drums) and Mikey “The Kid” Wagner (bass) held attentive ears and made good use of their time on stage, showcasing old favourites alongside new material from 2011’s People and Things. Both the old and new flowed well together, presenting a seamless transition that few bands are capable of pulling off.

Formed in 2004, vocalist and pianist McMahon — also known as the frontman for Something Corporate — has an interesting back-story that inarguably influenced the projection of Jack’s Mannequin and their song style. Diagnosed with leukemia in the summer of 2005, McMahon went on to make a full recovery, starting the Dear Jack Foundation in July 2006 with the goal to raise money for cancer research. The result has been a song range that deals with the idea of loss and pain and the joys of daily life and love.

While there’s a certain repetition to the Jack’s Mannequin formula — namely: power chords, pretty piano accompaniment and catchy, commanding lyrics — it’s a formula that people just can’t get enough off and fan enthusiasm informed the presentation just as much as song selection did. Whether McMahon (who takes much of the band’s spotlight) was seated behind his piano, singing into two microphones, or seated next to the crowd, singing a slower, acoustic number, people loved it and made that very clear. It was also all quite celebratory, save for McMahon’s “Last Straw” introduction and rant against George W. Bush.

“You guys have been a fricking amazing audience,” McMahon said towards the end of the night, echoing similar praise from earlier on in the set. So maybe the secret is, when you’re a good-looking dude with an emo haircut, it’s hard to disappoint a crowd of teenagers whose adolescence you sum up so well in song. With the final song, “La La Lie” and the launching of confetti into the air, the elation of the audience was palpable. It must be nice to have fans that enthralled.
  

Setlist
Release Me
The Mixed Tape
Annie Use Your Telescope
Spinning
Hey Hey Hey (We’re All Gonna Die)
Holiday From Real
Amy, I
Kill The Messenger
The Resolution
Casting Lines
Bloodshot
Television
Last Straw
Swim
Bruised
My Racing Thoughts
Dark Blue
---
Restless Dreams
Hammers And Strings (A Lullaby)
La La Lie
 

Many thanks to Live Nation.
 
Add a comment
 
PuSh Festival - Mary Margaret O'Hara ft. Peggy Lee Print E-mail
Monday, 30 January 2012 18:10

oharaleaPuSh Festival

Concert Review

Artist: Mary Margaret O’Hara ft. Peggy Lee

Venue: Club PuSh (Performance Works,1218 Cartwright St, Granville Island)

Date: January 28th, 2012

pressplus1 logo sm copy

pressplus1 logo sm copy

pressplus1 logo sm copy

pressplus1 bwpressplus1 bw

Reviewed By Alex Hutt

I thought that Regina Spektor would be the only artist that I would ever hear emit animal noises during her songs, but as Mary Margaret O’Hara demonstrates, Regina Spektor is only the tip of the iceberg (though she is much better at mixing the odd and the melodic, and as a result, the preferable alternative).

Add a comment

Read more... [PuSh Festival - Mary Margaret O'Hara ft. Peggy Lee]
 
PRINCE - Welcome 2 Canada Tour Print E-mail
Monday, 28 November 2011 18:25
princetour4Concert Review

Welcome 2 Canada Tour
Artist: Prince
Venue: Air Canada Centre, Toronto
Dates: November 25th & 26th, 2011

pressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 bw

 


Reviewed by Lindsay Marshall (Toronto)

 

It may be 2011, but Prince is still partying like it’s 1999.

 

At the second of two shows at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on November 26, Prince and his band, The New Power Generation, entertained a crowd of over 13,000 with just about every hit you could name, on the first Canadian stop of their Welcome 2 Canada Tour.

 

Add a comment
Read more... [PRINCE - Welcome 2 Canada Tour]
 
RACHAEL YAMAGATA with MIKE VIOLA Print E-mail
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 16:20
Rachael YamagataConcert Review

Headliner: Rachael Yamagata
Opener: Mike Viola
Venue: The Media Club
Date: November 21st, 2011

 
pressplus1 logo sm copy
pressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 logo sm copypressplus1 bw

Reviewed by Alex Hutt

There are some artists that you don’t know you like until you see them live, then you listen to their record, and then you become a fan. This was the case with Rachael Yamagata, as apart from the singles “Starlight” and “Even If I Don’t,” I was going into Monday night’s concert at the Media Club blind. Her energy, wit, solid songwriting and strong stage band won me over, and hopefully many more as she continues to tour through the U.S. until the end of December.

Add a comment

Read more... [RACHAEL YAMAGATA with MIKE VIOLA]
 
<< Start < Prev 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > End >>

Page 1 of 39

 Liked a review? 

 Search what you are looking for 

 in our iTunes corner!