Maybe Even For Fishes

It has been Bike Month in Toronto. With June winding down, a show to benefit a Cycling advocacy group took place at the Gladstone on Tuesday. In the back, there was a silent auction. Bidders have a selection of bike-related items to choose from: Levi's Jeans for riding, stylish moisture-free jackets, messenger bags, bike sharing memberships, and even a retro bike. There were some speeches, kept reasonably short. The gist being that daily riding membership in Toronto is around 7% which actually translates to more than 100,000 riders. As such, Toronto bicyclists deserve better biking initiatives and strategies including bike lanes and parking.

There were two musical acts tonight. Army Girls came on first with a combination of sonic indie chords and bluesy riffs. The modest speakers carried Carmen Elle's vocals clearly over her two-piece outfit. Appropriately enough, recently re-united indie pop band The Bicycles closed off the evening. With multiple singers/songwriters, their songs ran the gamut of styles: sunny pop, country-folk, rock. But most songs were consistently short and catchy. It was too bad you couldn't hear their vocals too well. It must sound great with your amps blasting away behind you since you have monitors projecting back your voice. But I wish more bands think about what the audience might be actually hearing, especially those at the front, and turn down their amps. Both bands won a good number of new fans tonight with their lively show.