Groove Is In The Heart

A reasonably full crowd was out at The Baby G on a Thursday night. Opener Slo Pitch Sounds was a turn-tablist who occasionally did scratching, but primarily built luxuriant soundscapes from samples. Now and then he was joined on stage by a pop-and-locker for some choreography.

The feel-good vibe kept going with Isla Craig. It's been a while since I've heard this singer live. Her and her full band continues to refine Craig's combination of slightly 60s hippie lyrics/feel with a pulsing groove. You wouldn't dance to it, but there's a lot of head nods and body sways. I'm still waiting for that album drop she's been promising for quite some time.

The night ended with the warm blanket that is a typical Luka's set. On his 3rd album, this crooner expanded his repertoire of (almost too) earnest love songs. Surprisingly there were 2 numbers where his band, especially drummer Evan Cartwright, let loose with some rocking improv. But for Luka, it was usually about groovy numbers full of harmony and build like Love is The Eternal Weight and My Heart Is Full. These are songs you play to try and win over that special someone.

The Big 4-0

Coinciding with her 40th birthday, singer Genevieve Marentette has commandeered Jazz club The Reservoir Lounge for her 2nd fund-raiser on Sunday night. Once again, an all-female house band, spontaneously named The Health Gap Band, kept things tight and hopping. It was an evening of great discovery for me. Marentette's female friends, professional singers one and all, could blow away all those mopey indie/alternative boys and most of the mainstream pop singers without even trying.

The first set was all originals while the second had jazz and soul standards. There were bluesy grit (Heather Luckhart, Irene Torres), 60s throwback (Tia Brazda, Elise Legrow), pure tones (Jocelyn Barth, Jessica Lalonde), brassy musical theatre (June Garber, Barbara Lee), and soulful R&B (Lydia Persaud, Dione Taylor). With these singers and a whole bunch more, not only were the main vocals wonderful, but the impromptu backup harmonies (with whomever wanted to jump in for a particular song) were sweet and rich. As for the birthday girl, Marentette had quite a set of pipes herself. And probably inherited from her mother, as the older version also came on stage a few times to help out.

Special Alert

On Friday, I went to The Great Hall for a sold-out show. Opener Bernice plays odd lightly improvised folk-pop songs that seems meandering. Tonight the crowd was generous in their appreciation of the singer's vivid imagery. Head-liner The Weather Station was releasing their epynomous album (though not their first) this evening.

Tamara Lindeman has been getting great reviews, and not just for her latest effort, for her dense lyrics and songcraft. The last time she played The Great Hall she had a good crowd. But tonight the audience was early and filled up to the rafters. So obviously she's building a fanbase. But if there were some newbies, her new songs should also win them over. With a harder rocker edge, the band sounded great live. Lindeman even managed some effect-drenched guitar sounds, even if her normal specialty is intricate finger picking. But it was her solo numbers that highlighted her music. The entire venue held its breath as her clean, pure voice soared over delicate chords with sharply observed vignettes. It was a pleasure to listen to such fully conceived songs.

Tell and Penner

Friday night, I headed over to Adelaide Hall to see Fred Penner. Almost exactly 5 years ago, I saw this children's entertainer at The Garrison at one of the best live shows I've been to. Since then, Penner has been playing to grown-ups now and then including at this years Canadian Music Week, but I have been missing out on these shows.

Unfortunately, tonight didn't reach the same heights, but not because of the performer. The promoter scheduled this show in Club Land so there was a much smaller crowd. Those that showed up were drunker and more boorish, though eventually the love for Penner won through. What a shame since tonight Penner had quite a good backing band with a lot of technical chops, even some rocking solos. A good chunk of his set was devoted to his new album Hear The Music. There was also a lot of classics including Sandwiches and The Cat Came Back. Penner even did an impromptu request when someone shouted for Goblins. And though it might have been an adult show in a licensed venue, Penner's stage banter was as warm and positive as if he sang in front of little kids. It was hard to decide which was larger and more grand, his voice or his beard.