Rebel Rebel and then Some

Where were you on June 27th?

I was at the EBar with my wife Kattina. We were there to see some of the areas Alt Rock offerings and ended up being somewhat pleased, a little bit confused, and a lot a bit entertained!

The Folk, a Guelph band fronted by one of two twin sisters, with the second of the twins on the guitar. When I heard twins, I thought Tegan and Sara. These guys were not Tegan and Sara. They also were not very folky. Their music is well layered and well put together but personally, I wasn't all that into it. Mind you, The Folk's bass player was definitely a show stealer!
The guy had his moves down. I swear he had a few rockstar kicks which got me going!
Unfortunately, a killer bass player isn't all it takes. I just wasn't drawn in by the music. I found myself trying to figure it out more than I found myself able to just sit and listen and enjoy.
But hey, they've got a new EP out and I would be lying if I said it wasn't worth checking out.

 

Fresh off the heels of playing NXNE, Dutch Toko lost me with their intro. I know it's kind of the norm now to be somewhat self deprecating and all, but when you start out by saying "hey we never practice and we're missing guys so...yeah..." you kinda start weak.

Although I was taken aback by the less than wise honesty, DT won me over by the end. Tight drumming and some excellent use of feedback was what got me. Oh yeah, the frontman had some killer footwork...baby Elvis! 

And then another...*ahem*...interesting announcement, "We have cassettes for sale at the merch table..." For $5 who could pass up a cassette? Oh yeah! I could.

So basically I've gone over the details of this show backwards for one simple reason; I think 

Rebel Rebel is the flippin' bees knees! These guys had me going. The four man one woman band from Toronto had an awesome stage chemistry and brought some killer tracks. I vividly remember standing at the bar and ordering a rye and ginger ale listening to the song Keep It To Yourself, and I was hypnotized. The synth was doing everything right and I was mesmerized by the post-rock sounds that had invaded the space so stealthily. I was sure to talk the group after and I let them know how impressed I was. Even though they were the opener, Rebel Rebel was my favourite act of the night. Oh and they had an accordion...so...

Check out the EBar every Thursday for live entertainment. If you see me around, don't be shy. Have a drink with me! I'd love to meet you.