Call Me Mae Be

I saw Ria Mae at a free show and Dundas Square. It was good but the anemic set-up sounded off. So on Tuesday, I decided to give her a second chance at The Mod Club. Opener RALPH got the crowd going with some dancey pop. The simple arrangements and conventional lyrics didn't particular grab me. But singer Raffaella Weyman already has plenty of fans in the audience and will likely achieve some mainstream success. (Update: Her recordings have much more intricacies and layers).

I was impressed with Ria Mae's set. Her years spent writing indie songs has honed her craft. Within the constraint of a pop song, she was able to make the lyrics interesting with different rhyme schemes, verse length and so on. It was a tight trio and long-time tour mate Chris Wong (on synth and bass) made a solid support especially on the slower numbers that hearkened back to those indie years. Mae herself seemed much more comfortable on stage than before. As a queer musician, there was large contingent in the crowd loving her non-hetero lyrics. They also loved that she has settled in Toronto from the East Coast.