Nearly Famous Night 3, Part 2

The marble rye. Photo www.radio3.cbc.ca

Festerday's Forgotten, The Marble Rye and Nat Jay
Continuing on from my last post, I'm now hunkered down at The Media Club for the rest of the night. We have 3 more bands coming up in a short span, so I'm not going anywhere!

First up was Yesterday's Forgotten

These guys are loud. A trio, but playing beefy. Someone yelled at me'Hey, these guys sound like The Hip', but it's dangerous to make such fast comparisons. Yes, we're talkin southern rock, CCR, BTO beget YF. It is what it is. A new-ish band, testing the boundaries, putting out a southern rock vibe with a vengeance. Anyone who likes rocking out would enjoy playing in this band. That's the feel i got. rock out as hard as you wanna.

Maybe I was just focusing on singer Ryan's vocals, and missing the forest for the trees, comparing them to Gord Downey's. It seemed like the band was pushing harder and harder, building Who-huddles where's everybody's soloing, and building, and building, and you know it's coming, and Blaaam. feeding off the crowd and just jamming like we were in a backyard party.

Check out this video of the guys rocking out during one of the many breakdowns in their set:


To me, if I'm out with the boys, there's nothing better than a semi-loose, heavier-leaning but altogether pleasing rock band giving it 100% on a stage. They were lucky to draw 2nd I think, and had a nearly packed house. I was anticipating a good night at the door, and it was still early! these guys could be your next workhorse band, touring to places that need shit-kickin music, but mind blowing for the mushroom-eating crowd. I'm being honest here, thinking of my buddies currently working in places like Lethbridge, or Alaska, hell everybody has a friend in a band like this.

I checked out YF online, found out they were working with JMP - Vancouver's hard rock production powerhouse. Bif Naked, Age of Electric, Britt Black, and many artists back in the heyday of Her Royal Majesty. Those guys have a story or two... to be continued...possibly?

Back to the band. I can suggest one thing. Diversity. Maybe even bringing in a 4th member, but the trick is, not something that has to be played loud. Djembe, violin, flute, y'know, bring things waaay down. Then, continuing with the theme of building the intensity to an explosion, you do this, but keep your calm & let the audience dictate the moment. It's tough with a short set, I know, but the journey is worth the prize. I'll be back to check up on these lads, and I think working with JMP is a solid plan. They're good fellas. Best of luck Yesterday's Forgotten!

www.myspace.com/yfband


Coming up next, Marble Rye

www.myspace.com/marblerye







I've seen these cats before, and I must say, it's always a fun show. Bouncing all over the stage, sometimes off the stage, and keeping the crowd initiated is always a recipe for success. The house was packed for a reason! Marble Rye got us all on our feet and shook out the wintertime blues. Why go on vacation when you can just go to a Marble Rye show?



Seriously, the last time I saw these guys, they were still fairly new. I think it might have been 2005. Time flies! And I'm missing out!
Look at www.radio.cbc.ca
Just type Marble Rye in the Main Search Bar. You'll come up with a set of songs. Just let it play. I'm not paid to say that, it just has the most songs. Just do it! Also not a paid promotion.

Marble Rye. Like the bread. Good band, good bread. There, I said it. Dancy, 3part harmonies and stop stop rhythms, living in the performance, and the arrangements couldn't be more fun, poppy, and creative. Anybody whose genre listing says 'Rock/Crunk/Big Beat' is either a little silly, or a whole lotta fun. Or maybe a little bitta both?

In a snap decision, the set started with a 2-guitar gala of Tenacious D proportions. In fact, it was a Tenacious D song. What you don't see, is a bass amp being fired from the band. I had an amp that crapped out from time to time, but luckily it wasn't onstage, and it wasn't on the car ride over to my set. during rehearsal, & only my bandmates had to suffer as I faced the working musician's reality of gear breakdowns. It's a business, things break and have to be replaced. I must say, the little speedbump, it was handled smoothly, and I commend the entire band, and the lender of the amp. Actually, "bass issues" turned into a little off-the-cuff song creation, i don't know if it was helping to fix the amp, but it succeeded in relaying the message to the entire crowd. I'd like to see a band sing for the entire set. even during the banter. She took the riff in stride, and we were soon back in business.


I was delighted to see a little extra instrumentation in the set to compliment the fare. Play that ol' trombone!

Check out this snippet of Marble Rye. Enjoy!!

On a side note, if you like Marble Rye, you should also take BIKE for a spin!

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And Now, the grand finale of the night: Nat Jay




www.NatJay.com

Unless you've been living under a log at Hodge Podge Lodge for the last year, you've probably heard of Vancouver Pop/Folk Singer Songwriter Nat Jay and her rocket-like success as of late. This young miss is becoming a powerful force in the local scene, not only through her music, but with her status as a budding media-mogul. Seriously, you don't have to go very far to find a Nat Jay poster, a link online, or even a spot in major network TV! This girl & her team are working it in every sense.

Now, onto the music. I would compare Nat to a straight-laced Patti Smith. Somewhat angsty, yet soft and appealing, and at the same time, very melodious, tuneful and sentimental. The lyrics are about self-discovery, lost love or just life in general. This is writer's music. I want to hang on every lyric, and I feel like I learned a great deal about who this artist is.

Some say Nat's the expert networker. One example is the smokin' band she assembled for the show tonight. Not only is local singer/songwriter and producing powerhouse Ryan Hauschild aka Winston on hand for guitar & BGV's, but the other members of The Borrowed Band include members hand-picked from other great local acts. Including:


Robbie Tornroos (Lead guitar) - A smooth, strong presence, from local Indie band Elias
Peter Carruthers (Bass) - Amazing accomplished upright jazz bassist, converted to rock bass here flawlessly
Adam Smith (Drums) - I saw Adam the NIGHT BEFORE playing with Adaline. Rock solid. What a gifted drummer.
Tom Dobrzanski (Keys) - All-in multi-instrumentalist. Seriously, check out this guy's resume www.verticalstudios.ca


And don't forget Nat, on lead vocals and strumming her acoustic. The whole band was Rock Solid! This is an undiscovered Super Group with a frontwoman creating the whole story.
Speaking of another supergroup, Nat is a member of all-new combo The Prettiest Face in Town.


How do they find time to rehearse? My only solid contention with the set would be to hear Nat belt it more often! She has a great voice, so I dont know, if it was a live sound mixing issue? a band that size combined with vox is that you'd normally see with nothing more than an acoustic has its curve-balls. With so many change-overs, short-ish sets, the sound tech has his work cut out. My compliments. The Media Club is a great room to have a show. worth the admission cost. Actually, I'm at this show on a free ride, and I'm loving it.

As the night journeyed on, Nat led her Borrowed Band through an emotionally-charged set of self-penned gems. Later on in the set, we were treated to 'Love When I Can', which was featured in an episode of ABC's Men In Trees this year.

Things are happening for Nat Jay, because she's MAKING IT HAPPEN. That's why I compare her to Patti Smith. Nat Jay is Nearly Famous..

Her music is strong and full of emotion, her team is solid, and her presence on stage, holding the starter's pistol at the front of this killer band is like something out of a rockumentary. It's a melting pot of some sort. Check out Nat's myspace page for more information on touring, recording and more from this artist. www.myspace.com/natjay