The Railway Club
Vancouver, BC
It’s Saturday night, and some delicious music is about to be dished out at one helluva hotspot: The Railway Club.
On Tonight’s menu: The return of astronaut-rockers Windows ’78, a lovely little band called ARCTIC, and the sweet sounds of Parlour Steps. Let’s do it!
I arrived right on time, only to be waylaid by the Vancouver Canucks game, which was on every tv in the house. How can you compete? The actual show didn’t start until 10:30, but it was well worth the wait. 90 minutes of beer-drinking and garage-rock talk got me nice and pumped up.
First up, the Men from Mars: Windows ’78. After a slight hiatus, the band returns with an astoundingly solid set. Noted was the absence of original guitarist and Hinterland co-founder John Lucas, but in his stead was Greg Williams, a very talented musician in his own right (Check out Stride Elementary). Drummer Michael Nathanson, who also plays in Stride, was solid tonight as always, giving the shoegaze-rock material exactly what it needed. Seems like cousins Mark and Craig Rogers have co-written a seemingly endless supply of songs about “Stupid Friends & Bad Relationships”. Poor guys. I guess Mark’s pain is our pleasure…
The dreamy, spacious, build-it-up rock satisfied the crowd quite well, and when the band’s producer, and Parlour Steps frontman Caleb Stull joined the band for a song, it sounded fuckin’ brilliant in my opinion. The somewhat stunted, melancholy vocals a-la Mark got a little dash of pop when combined with Caleb’s. I wanted to hear more, but unfortunately, I understand it’s somewhat of a faux pas to press too hard for an encore from the opening band. I hope for everyone’s sake that Windows ‘78 will be back soon for another show on this planet. I’ll be there!Recommended track: You Wonder Why – www.windows78.com
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Next on the docket, Vancouver’s ARCTIC.
ARCTIC has just released a new EP “Unbeliever”, so I was curious as to how the set list would be chosen. Frontman/guitarist Marcus Martin has a solo album out there as well, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be like a solo artist with a backing band? Well, yes and no. Marcus seems to be the “voice” of the band, but the other members are contributing in spades. Bassist Kirsten provides some cool, spacy bass and her Charles Shultz-like humour thrown in between songs was perfect. Drummer Todd Biffard’s performance really stood out. He was playing like a man possessed.
I’ve never really witnessed a lot of effects-based guitar looping before, let alone with an acoustic guitar! If I closed my eyes, I could have sworn there were 3 or 4 guitarists, a keyboardist, someone playing jigsaw, and a pack of Narwhals singing to each other. You’d half-expect Marcus to have a 3rd hand hidden somewhere with all the crazy things he was doing. Check out this epic jam that the band seemingly built up from feel. If you are a fan of bands pushing the boundaries live, you gotta see this:
I’m interested to see where ARCTIC will venture next sonically. They seem like an insanely versatile bunch. Great chemistry happening onstage. I felt like ARCTIC was tight, but loose at the same time. That might be an oxymoron, but that’s ARCTIC! And, did I hear a little taste of Dance-Punk in there as well? Go to www.myspace.com/arctic, load the first song on the player (You Coming Down v2), and tell me what you think! Not what you'd expect compared to the rest of the material. A great way to end the set, nonetheless.
Check them out online, and you’ll see these folks have their proverbial shit-together. The logo is eye-catching, the website a beautifully-organized hodgepodge, and they have created some pretty awesome videos. Peep the newly-released “I Heard” video, which was animated by bassist/web guru Kirsten Starcher, with the concept coming from Marcus. I’d like to see what ARCTIC comes up with next. Check out www.projectarctic.com for more from this interesting band.
I HEARD – By ARCTIC
ARCTIC Gig Shots by Nathan
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And now, the headlining act, Nine Mile Records recording artists Parlour Steps.
I've never seen this band live, but I‘ve heard their name bandied about town, so I was excited to 'P-Step' to the music. I recently saw their video for “Thieves of Memory”, and was intrigued… For one, the song is insanely catchy; the harmonies make those little hairs on my uhh neck stand up, and how can you not love stomping and clapping along? The song was selected as a winner in the International Songwriting Competition out of 15,000 entries. If you’re still not satisfied, check out this artful, entertaining video which is all over The Hype Machine.
Thieves of Memory - By Parlour Steps
I’ve heard comparisons to Vancouver’s indie darlings Mother Mother. The 2 Girl-1Guy Harmonies are definitely right there, but everyone is playing an instrument in the Parlour Steps gang, so in a street fight, I gotta give the decision to Parlour Steps.
The dance-ability may have caught the crowd a little off guard, but no sooner than you could say Kalamazoo, the room was ablaze with the cuttin’ of rugs. I had a blast, dancing & singing along to the simple, catchy lyrics. A great way to end a great night! great!
Sweet songs, looks that kill, the high-energy talent of frontman Caleb Stull, thumps & claps a-la drummer Robert Linton, & the frisky vocals of bassist Julie Bavalis & keyboardist Allyson Mara are a sample of the reasons why Parlour Steps are a buzz-band. 2008 saw the release of AMBIGUOSO, a U.S. Tour, and plenty of press. I’m looking forward to what 2009 will bring for these thought-rock stars.
Recommended track: Only Mystery
Check out the following sites for more Parlour Steps-y goodness:
www.parloursteps.com
www.myspace.com/parloursteps
www.ninemilerecords.com
1 comment:
Great article. Arctic... someone playing jigsaw... hilarious. That was a crazy song alright, though the vid doesn't capture too much of what the drummer was doing. The Drummer was trying as many techniques as the guitarist was tapping pedals, it was insane. It was his birthday so I think he was going at it like crazy.
The whole gig was awesome. I've seen each band at other Win 78 concerts but as a lineup this is one hell of a show. $10 bucks at the door? You have got to be f'ing kidding... $30 would have been better.
I HATE Tom Hanks.
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