New Music West! Another year has come and gone, baby, and I'm still here with all you indie bands trying to find the next few to fixate on. Really, that's the joy of this festival - it's no longer the media/label circus it once was. I hardly even think of it in that sort of networking capacity anymore - now it's really just a way to check out some of those bands you always sort of mean to, but never get around to for whatever reason, that reason usually being "they'll always be around, no rush..."

Silly me.

Anyways, I totally dropped the ball on the official Day 1, neglecting the Wednesday schedule in favour of risotto and relaxing, but I'm going to commend my decision if only for the fact that it was bloody pouring rain outside, and venue-hopping would have left me a miserable wreck.

So, on to Thursday! At this point, it's a bit challenging to recall everything I saw, which I attribute in some capacity to the fact that the venues were mercilessly out of synch due to various general band snafus and the Vancouver Canucks hockey team death-knell game that ran into hefty overtime. NMW shows scheduled to start at 7:30? Not at any venue with a television set - here the bands, promoters, fans, and bartenders were busy watching the Canucks lose a horrible game to the Anaheim Ducks. Tragic. I am certainly counted among a Canucks fan - in fact you might find me one of the less band-wagon-jumpy ones in this city, as useless a past-time as that tends to be - however I really don't think it was wise to jive the schedule for a pre-planned festival to make way for it. The bars next door were showing the game. The two label execs who came from another city to watch your lame early-evening set time? Probably unimpressed with the festival as it is, and now they have to wait around and possibly miss other sets to wait for the game to finish up? Ouch.

Okay okay enough whining, right? To be sure, the festival does an adequate job, considering the sort of momentum it has at the moment, after a couple of floundery years - it's starting to get back on its feet again, and with any luck and maybe a few more associates in the fold, it should be on the way towards its heyday and/or something akin to a Canadian Music Week type of hypey-hype-hype. We're proud of you, NMW, really. A for effort!

*Disclaimer* : pursuant to a couple of band who took themselves and this write-up too damn seriously last year, I am going to say this now, so listen up. NMW is a showcase - a bunch of bands setting up in record time, with little soundcheck/linecheck time, often bland audiences, weird set times, and some kind of oddball pressure. I know this. I often only sit in on a band for a song or two, and while it's true that this sort of showcase means the band should be in tip-top form for people who venue-hop and need to be impressed upon within a couple of minutes, I am certainly aware of the foibles of the festival. I can, however, only comment on what I see. If you come across your blurb here and disagree with it or have a billion excuses as to why I might have had the opinion I had, that's absolutely fine, and I do invite your comments. If you're interested in changing my mind, I accept offers to come out and watch a full set some time to get the full experience. You have been warned!

Thursday's schedule was so wonky, I am pretty sure I have things out of order on my list, so the bands I saw may not be represented in their true order here, but it's as close to accurate as you're going to get!

Stop # 1 : The Cellar for The Glim Project

I began the night wandering around on my own, as is my typical fashion. Thursday started out slowly, and I actually had time to hang around here for a couple of songs. The most prominent thing I thought while watching these guys was that there was something kind of Tool-ish about them. They weren't by any means as 'dark' or 'twisted' or 'alternative' but there was something there, largely in the voice and melody patterns, that was reminiscent. Much more straight-up rock n roll though. I also notice the Cellar has some fancy new square cut-outs in the floor that emit an ever-changing range of light colours. Swanky!









Stop # 2 : Richards for GreenTara

...Only, there's nothing happening here because the four people in the bar are clustered around the television at the back bar, watching the game. I never thought I'd curse hockey, but of course, we haven't had to deal with the playoffs in Vancouver for a few years so it's a fairly new frustration to me.

Stop #3 : The Roxy for Italian Edition

This was the 604 Records showcase. Here, too, the game was being watched on the bigscreen. The room is quite full though. Upon glancing over my list, I figure most of the bars will probably have the game on, and the ones that don't, I don't need to be at for a bit. So I try to relax myself by settling in to watch the waning moments of a depressing third period with the other whistful, playoff-happy fans. As that sums itself up to a tidy tie, Italian Edition swiftly hits the stage to bang out a set, curiously enough, attempting to slot in to the intermission. I do kind of like these guys, though I didn't stay for too long. Fresh-faced, vibrant, and another of the bands taken on by 604 that you woulnd't initially peg as being a band that would be taken on by 604. They're no longer just for Amerirock, kids.











Stop #4 : The Cellar for Firebug

Curious sort, this Firebug. When I stroll in, the band is involved mostly in an intricate clapping session. Fronted by a diminutive and feisty-looking gal, the band name seems appropriate. The band has a bluesy, no-shit bent to it that carries a certain appeal. I'm neither blown away, nor entirely dissatisfied, and since I can say it's a fairly original approach to the female-front band, I give them more of a thumbs-up than sideways.





Stop #5 : The Republic for The Joshua Club

What I come in on here seems to be more of a soundcheck than a set, but since I did get to hear them play a song and a half, I'll count it. A guy on a guitar and another guy on some kind of drum. Mellow and songwritery and very appropiate to the gentle lounge of the Republic.





Stop #6 : Richards for The Deep Dark Woods

Despite the fact that this band was supposed to be on much later in the evening, they are on in what seems to be the first actual set of the night at Richards. Maybe GreenTara didn't show up in time. These guys are quite impressive in a Hayden/Matt Mays down-home country-folk-rock type of way. I'm into it.





Stop #7 : Buffalo Club for One-900

I think they are singing a song about make-up sex if my ears aren't deceiving me. Grumbly rock n roll. This show too is behind because of the hockey game. There is a zebra-print Marshall head on stage though and I think that's cool, even though I don't know who it belongs to.







Stop #8 : The Penthouse for Anthill

Good ol' Penthouse! How I adore thee for NMW, despite your gross humid bathrooms full of Seymour Street prostitutes and their Tim Horton's coffee. At this time there was a band on called Anthill, and I don't know what to really make of them other than that they seem to be utterly out of place in this festival. A little older and quite stock-still on the stage, though I have it on good authority that upon my approach, they did perk up a bit. This comes from my photo assistant/general-observationist cohort for bits of the weekend, who finally woke himself up and came by to join me in my insane runabout town for the remainder of the evening. Shout out to Riley - I'm impressed you kept up, even if only for part of two of the days.



Stop #9 : The Roxy for Sweetheart

A small wait around here for Sweetheart to go onstage, and I only manage to keep there for a song. They work the Roxy stage quite well though, and the audience is monumentally attentive for them. How about that! Yay Sweetheart! I notice they have cashed in on the freaky-bright-white lighting trend that's running amok in their circle of bands, and drummer Matt Kittle's set is absolutely aglow from underneath. This is a good thing, since he's generally pretty animated, but often lost in a sea of back-of-stage blackness.













Stop #10 : The Republic for Chantal Upshaw

Oh, snobby Republic and your stupid dress codes. Dickies shorts don't make the cut, so Riley patiently waits for me outside while I run upstairs to check out what Chantal is up to. She's just setting up due to, you guessed it, the hockey game. With no one able to give me a decent time estimate on when she'll actually start, I decide not to abandon my companion outside, and elect to scoot.

Stop # 11 : The Plaza for Stars of Track and Field

This might have happened at a slightly different point in the evening, but regardless, it wasn't an official New Music West show. They just happened to be here tonight. After realizing almost too late that they were probably the only thing in town not bound by hockey games, we got to the Plaza just in time to watch their last song, and my, what a bang-up job they did. Certainly the climax of the set, they outro-d the darn thing with extraordinary vigour, kicking, stampeding, and flinging around the stage to a whirling cacophony of guitar sounds. It was like a sudden release of doves. Gorgeous.









Stop #12 : The Cellar for Sleddogs

Honestly, I barely remember a thing about these guys. I don't know if this was more due to my frazzledness in trying to figure out what venues were running on time and what ones weren't, or if they were just nondescript enough for me to not retain them in my mind.



Stop #13 : Richards for Freeflow

At least I think it was Freeflow. Riley suggests it might be Get Some, due to the banner bearing that name hanging from the brick wall of Richards behind the band. I counter with the knowledge that the banner had been there all night. I see at least one Freeflow shirt on stage though, which means it's either supporters of a fellow act, or the act itself. I opt to think I am watching Freeflow. Apt name, they certainly just went with it. There's a lot of people on stage playing brass and percussion, and a couple guys bouncing about doing some funky rap-like stuff. Not really my genre, and after having seen Deep Dark Woods here, I am struggling to figure out what the evening's common thread is, but Freeflow looks to have its stuff in order, and in a crowded room (which this definitely is not), would probably be very energizing. Some people are dancing in the middle of the very-open floor. At least they're taking advantage of it.



Stop # 14 : Buffalo Club for Scatterheart

Back at the Buff, we are now forced to wait til another overtime period finishes up before getting on with the show. For those under a rock the last while, the Canucks lost. I could have possibly ran out to see something else in the meantime, but I'd been meaning to see Scatterheart for a while now, so thought it best to stay put lest I get sidetracked. I'm happy I stuck around! Considering the heritage of band member Doug Fury, I was anticipating another sort of loud, energetic, testosteroney rock band. This is not what I got. Nosir. Fury was outfitted sharply in a British officer's type jacket, and was probably the most normally-dressed of the bunch. A bass player was wearing some silky sleeveless pink frock that, from the side, looked like some sort of dress, but from the front, was more of a Sgt. Pepper's type get-up. And then from out of nowhere, we were attacked by a parrot! No wait... it's the band's singer, wearing the tightest black pants this side of figure-skating, and something that looked like a set of black football shoulderpads that were festooned with feathers. Not just a few fluffs here and there - I mean a bonafide, multi-coloured, Las Vegas Showgirl style layered carnival of featherdom. It was at once fantastic and startling. Musically, they were somewhere between Scissor Sisters flamboyance and Babylon Zoo snarliness. For some reason, everyone I talk to is unable to remember Babylon Zoo. I guess they only had one hit that anyone would know about and most people probably tried to blank it out of their confused-mid-90s memories, but here's a refresher. Give it a second, the intro's kind of stupid but the chorus?? Anyone who was alive in the 90's and watched MuchMusic pretty much ever should have some recollection of "Spaceman." Anyhow, this was the highlight of the festival so far. Scatterheart made it worth it if nothing else.





















Stop # 15 : The Penthouse for Junior Major

Jeez louise these kids are cute. Formed from the familial ashes of The Philharmonic, this is a girly-fronted, candy-stylish, girlygirlgirl type band. Never mind that they have a boy drummer - besides, at the Penthouse, the drummer is about 400 miles away from everyone else on stage. Lots of cute vocal cracks and jiving about on stage, they're tough gals but uber-feminine at the same time. I bet you want to date them.







Stop # 16 : The Plaza for Joseph Arthur

Again, this is probably a bit out of order, but at some point, we went back to the Plaza to see what Joseph Arthur was up to. A slow point in the set, we weren't privy to much in the way of wacky loops-on-loops type things, but instead a gentle, nearly countryish vibe, backed with sweet female vocals was going on. The audience was swaying. It was a pleasant rest spot.



Stop # 17 : The Yale for Ben Sigston

Missed the boat again - Sigston is still setting up when I get there. I take the opportunity to run into a couple of people I haven't seen in a while, and then take in a couple quick songs of Sigston's. Nice big stage at the Yale, though the lighting in here makes it feel more like we're sitting around Mom's kitchen. Lots of people in the room too, but it's unclear how many of them are here for Sigston, and how many of them are just the regular Yale crowd. I guess it really doesn't matter when the end result is a full room for a NMW set.









Stop # 18 : Richards for GreenTara

Finally! Again, sort of an unexpected artist on stage here, more of a mellow girl-duet urban sort of thing. It's nice to see these folks being quite happy-looking an enthusiastic despite the empty room. They have the chutzpah, methinks.







Stop # 19 : The Penthouse for Elias

A bit of a slowdown here, the lagging set times make us miss out on Faber Drive, as well as anything going on in the more northernly parts of town, so we just wander back to the Penthouse where Elias is about to hit the stage. I still think this is one of the most musically-solid bands in the entire city right now, charting ways into a genre that's indeed quite popular, but really taking a stand with their chiming pianos and epic vocals. I wish big things for these guys. They evidently have the power to make people weep and die a little inside. Now that's some powerful beauty.





Stop # 20 : The Buffalo Club for Crystal Pistol

Wow, is there ever a crop of deadly black-outfitted maniacs here tonight. Another night where it feels like I'm back in 2003, where following this sort of show, Crystal Pistol and many others hunkered down for an all-night afterparty at one of the city's rehearsal spaces. Gosh, them's were the days - and it looks like CP is still living it. I see in the audience a number of people I haven't seen since.. well.. the last CP show I saw. That was a long time ago, but with this band, it's honestly like time has stopped. They play the same dirty, crusty heavy glamrock stuff they always have. It's endearing in a weird sort of way. Every couple of minutes, singer Mik Ireland takes a swig of whatever's in reach and spews it all over the crowd. After being showerd by rock saliva and mystery alcohol a few times, I stand back to watch all the guitar-lofting, microphone-cord-acrobatic shenanigans from a bit further away. Suddenly, a noticeable absence occurs in the music - the bass has cut out. After ferrying on for a moment, everything stops, and Ireland, in a fit of drunken stupor, or perhaps just rock star nonchalance, finishes his chorus with its correct line "I don't need anybody..." and tacks on "...and I don't need the bassplayer!" before tossing a confused look across the stage at the silent band. What fun.













Stop #21 : The Penthouse for Sex With Strangers

After a bit of rocksex with Crystal Pistol, why not go have some more with Strangers?! Sadly, the Penthouse has cleared out a bit since Elias. Elias is perenially popular, and SWS was playing their second-ever show, so this isn't exactly an unwarranted occurence, but nonetheless, the Penthouse is generally an end-of-night staple for NMW, so I find it a bit lame that there's so few people straggling about. We got here just in time though as SWS was just noodling through their last few songs. The enormous bottle of whiskey was in place at the foot of the stage, oft-swigged by the entire band, and even covertly offered up to yours truly as I struggled with the dull pink glow of the Penthouse lights. Yes, that sleeve will surely shield from view the handing-out of booze to the general public. So these guys are a peculiar sort - not necessarily lively, but engaging more for their stoicism perhaps, and because they seem to be in fits of giggles over their own bizarre lyrics and intersong banter. Hey, if they're having fun, why not us, right? Vocorders and blippity-bloops abound. I'm into it. They dealt well with the hang-backish crowd. I can't say for sure just how far this sort of performance will go in the musical world, but it's definitely fun for a drunken bar night. Whiskey!







On to NMW Friday!

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : June, 2007.