An eyeful

Up next Dagger Eyes. Like everyone else in the show, they're playing at Ottawa Explosion this year (Thursday at Club SAW in the evening, to be precise).

If this Dagger Eyes thing doesn't work out, maybe Ilona can get work with Imperial State Electric ...



Dave hits!



Ian shouts!



Downstroking action!



The whole lot!



Bonus Dave!



Orange action!



More Ian!



Even more Ian!



Excess Ian!



More orange.



As I said earlier: More, tomorrow, Club SAW courtyard, around 8:30.

Random blurbs

I draw your attention to two shows you may be unaware; the first because a legend will be coming through town when the Ottawa Explosion is on and might have escaped your attention. Yes, Tav Falco and His Unapproachable Panther Burns will be at Zaphod's this Thursday. You could certainly catch his set and a bunch of Explosion stuff as well. The second I'll mention because it's for a good cause and I wouldn't want to see it buried during a weekend where there's also the TD Jazzfest and Dragon Boast festival going on: Justin Hines' Vehicle of Change Tour will be at the Ottawa University Alumni Theatre this Sunday at 7 p.m.; proceeds will benefit Canada World Youth. 

Freezing over

It's that time of year again - Explosion time! The festival proper gets underway tomorrow, but there are a few tied in events, such as tonight's F-Art show at the Dominion, to get you in themood. Consider Monday's Iceage gig to be a warm-up for the main event. The Danish post-punk whatevers rolled into Babylon last night along with countrymen Lower and local feedback specialist Pregnancy Scares to get everyone in the mood.

Let the staring begin!


Pregnancy Scares at Babylon, June 17, 2013

This is the last peace and quiet Emmanuel will get for the next week ...


Pregnancy Scares at Babylon, June 17, 2013

Lower come from the Copenhagen underground punk scene, and sound a bit like Iceage. Their lyrics are depressing, their guitars are (relatively) clean and they boast a really punishing drummer as well.


Lower at Babylon, June 17, 2013

A rare moment of rest between kit-thrashing.


Lower at Babylon, June 17, 2013

Iceage really had the crowd moshing for their own post-punk rama-lama.


Iceage at Babylon, June 17, 2013

And so on!


Iceage at Babylon, June 17, 2013

Quite a good turnout for a Monday as well.

Hanging on the telephone

In the middle of December I headed off to the Dominion to see varying mixtures of pop and punk. Le Kid et Les Marinellis were the headliner, with sets from Dagger eyes and Voicemail.

Ian sings!



Ken frets!



Michael hits!



Todd sings!



Singalong action!



And ... I didn't take many good photos of this set. Their next show in town is Friday at the Ottawa Explosion.

Nicke's picks

Back in days of yore - I'm talking the previous millennium here - there was something of a Scandinavian rock explosion, a mirror of what was going on elsewhere in the world. Near the top of the list of these Viking invaders was The Hellacopters, brainchild of Nicke Andersson, whose primary claim to musical fame at the time was drumming for Entombed, and Dregen of Johnny Thunders worshippers Backyard Babies. Eventually the creative reins passed entirely to Andersson and the band put out a bunch of hard rocking albums on labels like White Jazz and Man's Ruin. The band even made a stop in Ottawa at Barrymore's in September 1999. Andersson landed the Hellacopters for good in 2008, but it hasn't been the end of his musical output, which includes Death Breath and his quite Hellacopterian band Imperial State Electric.They've put out a couple of albums (their latest is Pop War, which gives you a good idea of Andersson's intentions), and as part of the music band grind are playing various North American dates, including a stop at NXNE. As is often case, a few other Canadian dates got tagged on, including a stop at Zaphod's. They drew about four-dozen enthusiastic fans, which is pretty good for a band without a huge profile over here.

Local rockers Thunderuncle opened things with a somewhat metallic set.


Thunderuncle at Zaphod Beeblebrox, June 15, 2013

Rhythm section action with Larry and Dave!


Thunderuncle at Zaphod Beeblebrox, June 15, 2013

Now on to the main event, which featured mirror twin white three-pickup Gibson SGs and some serious stage strutting.


Imperial State Electric at Zaphod Beeblebrox, June 15, 2013

Also a lot of singalong action!


Imperial State Electric at Zaphod Beeblebrox, June 15, 2013

Rudolf de Borst - also of New Zealand's Datsuns - took the mike to sing Reptile Brain Music.


Imperial State Electric at Zaphod Beeblebrox, June 15, 2013

A great hard-rocking set.

Widow's way

Loviatar wrapped things up with a bunch of popular favourites and, of course, tunes from their new EP Widow's Flame. Since then I've seen them a couple of times - including a show at Mavericks for an even newer EP, Druid's Curse.

Shane steps on it.



To make photographers happy, bring blue lights (this goes double if you're playing the Dominion).



J.P. hits!



Justin sings!



More Mike!



More Shane!



Fisheye action!



Extra J.P.!



Sometimes one hand is all you need.



Grimacing action!



After a blizzard of activity, things seem a little quiet now ...

After noise

Over the last few years Bill Orcutt, once of infamous noise rockers Harry Pussy, has recast himself an acoustic instrumentalist in the vein of Bill Fahey, Robbie Basho and others of the Takoma ilk. He played a solo set at Raw Sugar a while back that work forced to to miss, much to my regret. When I heard he was coming through town with famed improv drummer Chris Corsano I knew I had to be there. In fact, I headed off to Raw Sugar well (and unnecessarily) in advance to make sure I got in.

First up, some electronic sounds from show organizer Adam Saikaley and Gary Franks of Roberta Bondar.


Adam Saikaley and Gary Franks at Raw Sugar, June 13, 2013

Knob-twisting action!


Adam Saikaley and Gary Franks at Raw Sugar, June 13, 2013

Mark Molnar of Kingdom Shore played some frenetic solo pieces on cello.


Mark Molnar at Raw Sugar, June 13, 2013

Fisheye action!


Mark Molnar at Raw Sugar, June 13, 2013
 
Orcutt's stuff with Corsano is a bit different from his acoustic solo work. Not nearly as squalling as his stuff in Harry Pussy, though.


Bill Orcutt and Chris Corsano at Raw Sugar, June 13, 2013

Their album together features repeated images of Colonel Sanders and an egg, so they aren't taking themselves too seriously.


Bill Orcutt and Chris Corsano at Raw Sugar, June 13, 2013

It was a tad dark for photography.


Bill Orcutt and Chris Corsano at Raw Sugar, June 13, 2013

Definitely interesting.

Where there's smoke

Well, I got a little carried away at yesterday's killer show at Mavericks. I enjoyed Sierra, was quite impressed by Lazr/Wulf, while Blood Ceremony, White Hills and Kylesa knocked it out of the park. Thus, at the end of the show I had taken 271 photos (this is what happens when you stow your flash and don't worry about battery power).

Kitchener's Sierra describe themselves as "stoner prog." For some reasons that makes me think of songs about unicorns doing drugs. Anyway, there was none of that, just good riffy songs that made me think of Firebird.


Sierra at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

A whole lot of gear on stage last night ....


Sierra at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

Lazer/Wulf are a trio from Georgia. They set a more blistering place in a more technical style that got a lot of cheers from the crowd. They mostly skipped on the vocals and just tore along on their instruments.


Lazer/Wulf at Mavericks, June 12, 2013


Lazer/Wulf at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

On to White Hill. These guys were the act I was really there to see and it's unfortunate that they only had a half hour to strut their psychedelic monster stomp. They went full on budget rock star with some mascara, leather pants and smoke machine.


White Hills at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

And velvet. Can't forget the velvet and see-through bass. Their set was over way too soon, but hopefully John Westhaver will get them back for a show at the Dom.


White Hills at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

Blood Ceremony has a new album of occult rock worship out, The Eldritch Dark, and were in excellent form on songs both old and new.


Blood Ceremony at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

The whole band was sounding super.


Blood Ceremony at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

Kylesa really killed it. I like their albums fine, but don't find them as memorable as, say Red Fang's stuff. Live however they just destroyed. They had a ton of pedals, a theremin and a skateboard with a pickup and strings across the trucks for making some strange sounds.


Kylesa at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

Guitar action with Laura Pleasants!


Kylesa at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

Dual-drummer rhythm section action!


Kylesa at Mavericks, June 12, 2013

The whole crew is of to Montreal tonight, then it's back to the U.S. for more dates.