Last night I was treated to a great show at Montreal’s Metropolis. The venue was California’s own Silversun Pickups. Outside the Metropolis on it was a chili oct evening but inside the crowd was warm and they were ready to rock and they made the Silversun Pickups know it.

Opening the evening were the bands “An Horse” and “Cage the Elephant”. An Horse was great, a more indie flavored version of the White Stripes with a softer feel and wonderful vocal harmonies. Cage the Elephant brought out 70’s Brit rock to the Metropolis mixed in with a bit of rap. You might know them from their hit single  “Aint No Rest for the Wicked” which has flooded indie radio stations all over the country.

After an hour and a half of opening bands, the Silversun Pickups took the stage. And what a show they put on! Brian Aubert’s distinctive voice and guitar sound has single handedly put their sound on the indie map and original enough to make the Silversun pickups stick out from other bands in the indie scene. Nikki Monninger, as delicate and shy as she seems to be, accompanied the venue with her thumping baselines that seem to have drive the rhythm of the quartets music. Chris Guanlao is always a treat to watch as he attacks those drums with no remorse, hair flying all over the place, playing his heart out keeping the band in check. Last but definitely not least, Joe Lester, who’s smooth and silky keyboard samples adds that je ne sais quoi to all of the of the Silversun Pickups songs.

The concert itself was memorable, they did not disappoint the crowd and they played all of their hits while coming back to perform a 3 song encore, ending off the venue with “Common Reactor”. Which I thought was an appropriate ending as the band left the stage while Brian’s guitar was left on stage to the sound of an endless feedback that sent shivers down your spine. The over all pace of the show was excellent, their set list and song selections worked very well one after the other to keep the crowd pumping and thumping for more. This was their second time back in Montreal and by the looks of things the next time they return they may have to set themselves up at a larger venue. And if they do they will sell out again and I will be there to cheer them on.

Reviewed written by artist/musician Raymon Fong:
http://www.ournationsempire.com
http://www.raymonfong.com

Angela Boismenu, photo by Valerie Pyke

On a chili September night where audiences long to warm themselves on the dance floors listening to the latest in techno and anything with the so called “auto-tune”… I had the utmost pleasure of attending Riley Rocks spearheaded by the loving parents of the late Riley McCallum,Valerie Pyke and Sean McCallum. In an intimate setting in the back of Clyde’s Bar, in Pointe Claire, was to be the venue of the Riley Rocks fundraiser for the Montreal Children’s Hospital, headlining were the talents of Alex Shield, Take the Boys and Live Twice.

A little on Riley McCallum…Riley was born with SCID (severe combined immune defiency), chronic lung disease and achondoplasia. Even though he showed strength and courage through treatment he could not battle the debilitating sickness and disease that took his life 17 months later. We will miss you Riley…

The venue started a little late but hey…it’s a rock show… unless your name is RUSH no other band will ever start on time… so I can forgive them :~). The beginning of the evening started with Alex Shield. At first glace she seems like any other upcoming singer songwriter, sexy, quiet, timid and shy. Although on stage her shyness disappeared and she sang for us an array of impressive pop songs all of which she wrote herself along with a couple of oldies covers… The talent is definitely there, and if she continues on this road she may very well be a household name in Canadian pop music.

Alex Shield might of got the crowd warm with her silky voice and presence, but Take the Boys definitely came out to give the crowd a powerful performance with an amalgamation of Reggae/Ska/Rock. I know I was going to see something special when guitarist and vocalist, Angela Boismenu walked on stage holding her hollow body guitar, a tattoo filled shoulder and dreads. From the start of the first song to the last, her smooth powerful vocals said it all, she had spunk, charisma and charm on stage, doing a couple of kung fu kicks while reminding everyone after every song to purchase something at the merch table… ahh you gotta love promotion ;~). Being the old man as I am, while listening to their music, there was a twitch in my leg that just wanted to make me get up and dance. Their rhythm and beat brought back a nostalgia of youth which wanted to get my body moving. Take the Boys music was soulfully fun, expressive and in combination with a beautiful voice, great ska riffs, rolling bass melodies and drum beats weather you like ska/reggae or not, you will want to tap your feet, clap your hands or get up and dance. Keep up the great work.

The final band to play was Live Twice. Reminiscent of old Billy Joel mixed with the Killers with a rougher edge, heavier guitars and an unbelievable drummer. Multi talented Mat Perkins opened his set with pounding piano chords and a great presence. I’ll have to admit their sound was definitely different than most processed music you’ll hear nowadays. And for the better… It’s nice to see classic rock influence in our young musicians today. Their guitarist Jay Benny did his part by not overpowering the band with his guitar solos… just right at the right time… Drummer Sam Rose stole his part with an amazing drum solo that electrified the room… Everyone had to stop and watch as he hit those snares and toms with unbelievable control and speed. Live Twice definitely put on a great performance to close out the night’s event, these guys definitely need to be headlining somewhere and soon.

I’ve said enough about the bands… the only thing I have left to say is that you shouldn’t take my word for it, you should go and check them out ;~). Overall the highlight of the evening was the gracious charity of these musicians. They donated their time, music and merchandise (all proceeds from the merch go to the Montreal Children’s Hospital) for a great cause. For the event we have to thank none other than Valerie Pyke who’s given her heart and sole to the Montreal Music Scene, Sean McCallum and of course Riley… without you none of this would be possible.

We should take the time to reflect on what is and isn’t important in this world; how we take for granted what life has to offer and how short it can be. Music has always been an outlet for an artist to express and drag their audience into their world, their lives, their homes. Valerie knows that, Sean knows that and the fore mentioned musicians know that. I really hope Riley rocks on for years to come and perhaps next year everyone who will drop what their doing, spend a couple of hours for a good cause and support Riley McCallum and our local musicians.
Thanks everybody!

Peace, love and music,
Raymon Fong

Reviewed written by artist/musician Raymon Fong:
http://www.ournationsempire.com
http://www.raymonfong.com

Riley Rocks:
http://www.rileymccallum.com/
http://rileybum.blogspot.com/
email: rileyrocks2009@gmail.com

The Bands:
http://www.alexshield.com
http://www.taketheboys.com
http://www.live-twice.com

Super! Natural!, 2009, oil and acrylic on wood panel, 96 x 144 inches

No rainbows cresting over misty waterfalls.  No soaring peaks at sunset.  Canadian artist Kim Dorland gives us a decisively unsentimental view of nature in his new paintings at Freight + Volume Gallery on West 24th Street in New York’s Chelsea art district.  Cheekily titled “Super! Natural!” after an old Canadian advertising campaign, the show presents landscapes rendered in an almost radioactive palette. Indeed, the riot of colors not only makes the eyes swim, the sheer weight of oil paint applied to the canvases produces a heady, slightly woozy experience.

The scenes which Dorland constructs from these heaps of pigment are not only depictions of landscapes, their very structures feel a bit like topographical maps.  While Dorland’s predilection for the gooey stuff of paint has its precursors—notably the School of London painters Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff—he wears this lineage lightly.  Unlike the steady seriousness with which Auerbach and Kossoff stir their paint, Dorland works with a breezy sense of play.  Alongside copses of conifers executed in several inches of oil, Dorland traces papery thin birch trees with acrylics and spray paint; or squeezes a few glowing globs of paint straight from the tube to suggest a clump of lupins or lilacs.

Sasquatch, 2009, oil and arcylic on wood panel, 96 x 72 inches

In the eight-foot-tall Sasquatch (2009), Dorland conjures a colossal Big Foot, drooling with pink, brown, and orange paint like he’s just snacked on a stack of canvases by Clyfford Still. Dorland has pasted patches of fur on the creature for good measure, and given him a dead hare to grip in his right paw.  Maybe this is dinner, or maybe our misunderstood Sasquatch is just trying to explain a picture to his furry companion, à la Joseph Beuys.

RIP Tom Thomson, 2009, oil and arcylic on wood panel, 96 x 72 inches

In the towering canvas RIP Tom Thomson (2009), as well as his smaller wooded scenes, Dornan scars the tree trunks with phrases ranging from the enigmatic—“The Boy is Lost”—to the decidedly more uncouth.  To some, this scribbling will simply connote a sense of desecration, the violation—yet again—of natural beauty.  Yet Dorland does not seem to be after such a simple environmental polemic.  There is too much beauty here, and that includes the graffiti.

This is nature as it is experienced by people who are surrounded by it, who can admit to once or twice tossing a beer can into a ravine, or proudly carving their name into a pine tree.  There is certainly a place for the mystical nostalgia of an artist like Peter Doig—another painter who plumbs the memories of his rural Canadian childhood—but Dorland gives us the pleasures of a more tangible natural world, in all its spectacular indelicacy.

Kim Dorland, “Super! Natural!,” May 21-June 25, 2009, at Freight + Volume, 542 west 24th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011.

Written by,
Dr. Aaron Rosen

Aaron Rosen is a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.  His first book, Imagining Jewish Art:  Encounters with the Masters in Chagall, Guston, and Kitaj, was recently published by Legenda Press in Oxford.

Photo by Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

A few days ago I had the absolute pleasure of watching a Canadian icon perform on stage at Montreal’s Bell Center. No, no… I’m not talking about Bryan Adams, Celine Dion or The Bare Naked Ladies for that matter. I am talking about an artist a step above everyone else, the icon I’m referring to is without a doubt, Neil Young.

As the lights went down after opening act Wilco, Neil stepped out on stage… never dressing up for the moment, always seeming to dress down. Wearing what seemed to be an old paint splattered sports jacket and his hair brushed back he came out and gave what only a legendary performer can give. An absolute legendary preformance from the heart. It’s not about glits and glamour with Young. He’s RAW. His music is RAW, his playing is RAW and no one else can pull off a “RAWER” performance than himself.

Am I a fan of Neil, you bet…Do I love his music, you’re damn right I do,  am i blowing smoke up his a**? Absolutely not… What sets Neil apart from every other artist is his drive to change the world with his music and for that alone; EVERYONE should admire. He’s not here to sing pop songs, he’s here to sing messages of peace, love and prosperity. He’s telling you a story of the innocence lost in all of us. He’s sending us a message of hope. If only most people can tell the difference between beautifully written poetry and poorly stringed lyrics that make no sense; perhaps this world would be a better place. It’s been his life’s work to create change through music and even though many of us listen to Neil, unfortunately not enough of us are willing to follow his message. Well for us music and peace lovers, let’s help Neil out by spreading his message of hope so he doesn’t have to do it alone.

Thank You Neil for a wonderful performance and we all hope to see you back in town real soon!
By the way “Keep on Rock’in in the Free World”.

Written by,
CAS Admin

http://www.neilyoung.com/