With 300 bands to see in 3 days, add in a weekend long snowstorm and Canadian Music Week was quite the experience this year. With our writers and photographers braving the cold and the snow this is who we saw this year. The good and the bad...You can check out our CMW 2008 photos here...

Thursday March 6

Hello Operator
8:40
Opera House
C

Previously knowing nothing about Hello Operator, other than their new video doesn’t totally suck, I was expecting nothing from the Toronto band. What we ended up watching was a solid pop-rock set that was catchy though not terribly inspiring. The band reminds me of Mobile, which songs that could easily become popular on top 40 radio and then instantly forgettable. But if you like power pop or mainstream rock, give them a chance, maybe with more touring under their belt, they’ll pull off a more interesting set.
- Alyssa Caplin


Econoline Crush
9:00
Tattoo Rock Parlour
B

As I spun around from the bar with my drink, what I thought was Beetlejuice walked on to the stage. Turns out it was vocalist Trevor Hurst of Econoline Crush bringing the rock the same way he did ten years ago. It seems as if the band is caught in a time zone of youthfulness as they seem not to age and they sound hasn’t changed much. The dancing however hasn’t changed since Trevor was five, bouncing around like he just had ten espressos. Their 90’s rock sound heated up the Tattoo Parlour even if it was mostly photographers. Always smiling and having a good ol’ time Econoline Crush stays true to their roots and with great lighting, sound and high energy still ‘sparkle and shine’ even after fifteen years.
- Dave Mitchell

Brian Melo
9:30
Opera House
B+ (for effort alone)

It’s gotta suck when the first show you play with your band as reigning Canadian Idol is basically ruined by the sound guy. I’m pretty sure the first half of Brian Melo’s rocker vibe set would’ve been at the very least good if only you could hear him over the band. Either the sound guy was drunk, deaf or had something against Canadian Idol because you could barely hear a word coming out of Melo’s mouth. Toward the end of the set, the sound was almost fixed and the band hit their stride. It should be interesting to see how far Melo goes as an Idol because he’s probably the least obnoxious out of all of them and maybe the most credible musically.
- Alyssa Caplin

Faber Drive
10:45
Opera House
A

Teenage girls love Faber Drive. Period. They filled up the Opera House screaming and jumping up and down waiting to see their favourite pop band from B.C. And to say Faber and his band didn’t disappoint is a total understatement. Playing through a good chunk of their album, Seven Second Surgery, for a band their size Faber Drive are by far one of the most professional bands I’ve seen. Nothing distracted them from playing to the crowd of screaming girls. If there’s one downfall the band has is a lack of authenticity, at certain points I wondered if the band practised looking cool in the mirror. But in the eyes of teenage girls across the country, they can do no wrong.
- Alyssa Caplin


Rides Again
12:00
Tattoo Rock Parlour
A

With their fresh punk/rock sound Rides Again really got the place moving with their high energy and great stage presents. I think I even saw little pit start near the front of the stage when they played their single “Infected,” which I'm sure you have heard on the radio by now. These guys definitely know how to put on a show. A nice clear sound, awesome vocals and a great atmosphere Rides Again are must see live and I can’t wait to hear more.
- Dave Mitchell


Friday March 7

Faber Drive
7:30
The Mod Club
B

Of all of the bands of this genre to see acoustically Faber Drive probably would have been my last choice, but someone creating this “Songwriter’s Cafe” had the idea that they would be great. Faber’s voice doesn’t really lend itself to this stripped down style and their songs lose their cheesy, fun goodness when only played acoustically with a bongo. On stools though, the foursome of Faber Drive made it work to the best of their abilities giving slightly disappointed fans a new taste of their songs like “Tongue Tied” and “Time Bomb.” It was ok, but I am of the belief that acoustic sets should be more than ok.
- Stephanie Joudrey

State of Shock
8:30
The Mod Club
B-

State of Shock are becoming quite big here in Canada, seemingly jumping onto a genre many of us would rather let die. They ooze with the droppings of Creed circa My Own Prison days. Some people may wish for those more straight-forward rock days, before bad emo hair cuts and boys with tight pants. In all State of Shock actually do come across pretty good acoustically. Their lead singer has the right stuff to pull it off, even though it looked like he wanted to jump off the stool at any second. And hey he might have, I couldn’t stomach the Scott Stapp posing anymore, I had to get out and go somewhere that was playing modern rock, even if there was bad hair there.
- Stephanie Joudrey

We Are the Take
9:00
Lee’s Palace
F-

Due to an apparent scheduling conflict on the stage I arrived at the club just in time to catch We Are the Take. Dammit! Even though these guys have a great ability of tapping their legs in almost perfect unison their amateur looks, lyrics and basic guitar riffs barely compare to the sound me and my friend slur out while playing Rock Band at three in the morning. The bassist didn’t even look like he wanted to be on stage. Maybe We Are the Take should head back to the garage to get some more practice. And don’t forget to close the door!
- Dave Mitchell

Pat Robitaille
10:00
Lee’s Palace
B-

I have never seen one person take up the whole stage like Pat Robitaille. With his use of his loop pedal, bullet mic (which makes an old echo sound) and multiple other wonderful toys, I couldn’t believe the amount of sound that came from him. Pat would play his own back up guitar and vocals to create this awesome easy rock sound. It was hard look away at the start, but started to get old fast and all of a sudden he would change it up again by changing mics to change the vocals or using his impressive guitar skills to pick thing up a little. Pat Robitaille is good enough to be his own band and good enough to go see again.
- Dave Mitchell

Casey Baker & The Buffalo Sinners
11:00
Lee’s Palace
B

I’ve been trying to get into alt-country lately, since it apparently back with a vengeance and Casey Baker is exactly the type of music I want to like. I don’t think he is up to par just yet, but perhaps we can grow together. They have the right idea with songs that everyone can bounce to and warms you up so the crowd begins treading forward from the back of the bar to see. There is just something missing. Baker has his stage presence just right with his banter in between. The band are made up of a mash up of characters (no that isn’t Dallas Green playing guitar even though it looks and acts like him) none of whom seem super confident, but good enough for now. Kudos to them for playing a brand new song and admitting that it wasn’t perfect. They will definitely grow into something big and Casey Baker is one to keep an eye on.
- Stephanie Joudrey



Rebel Emergency
12:00
Lee’s Palace
A+

So five minutes before Rebel Emergency hit the stage I noticed that the place had become very crowded and three quarters of the people there were chicks. The band hit the stage and all the girls rushed the stage to get as close as they could to Roddy and the boys. These guys jumped right into it with fun funky style and the place was hopping and singing along in no time. These Reggae-rockers are solid from start to finish with the catchy choruses and guitar solos that make you wish they were on Guitar Hero. Roddy Soul is probably the coolest white guy out there because he can definitely pull off a good reggae singer, while the guitarist took control of the stage running around from center stage to solos on the speakers. They really demand attention whether it’s through an original or one of the many snippets of cover songs they scatter through their set. I'm proud to call Rebel Emergency Canadians. Ladies you don’t want to miss this band and guys it’s a great place to get your dance on and show your stuff.
- Dave Mitchell

Saturday March 8

Maybe Smith
8:30
The Horseshoe Tavern
D-  (But works well with others)

So the opening band comes on stage and I couldn’t help but think something was out of place. The boys from Maybe Smith, who hail from Saskatoon, looked a lot like my grade 5 classroom pigtails and all. They sounded like a cheesy campfire sing-a-long songs with the la la la’s and ba ba ba’s. All they needed were bells and clapping and I thought I could relive those good old days in Boy Scouts and then Bam!! There they were! Sleigh bells, bells on a stick, full out clapping I was looking for the Marshmallows. The vocals sounded like screeching tires. I don’t personally know but if this is what the scene is like in Saskatchewan I will make sure to skip to sleep through it on my next cross country road trip.
- Dave Mitchell

Black Lungs
10:10
The Horseshoe Tavern
B+

Wade MacNeil has always been my favourite vocalist in Alexisonfire and now that his side project (with keyboardist Sammi Bogdanski) is finally releasing an album in the near future we’ll get to hear a lot more of him. Wearing a suit and having nothing but his guitar and aforementioned keyboardist as accompaniment, MacNeil showcased his raspy, bluesy voice. Where City and Colour is for the girls, Black Lungs is definitely for the dudes. The two members played off each other well and they’re definitely a band to watch. I’d also like to know how Sammi played the keyboard in those heels.
- Alyssa Caplin

Saint Alvia Cartel
12:00
The Horseshoe Tavern
A+

If you haven’t seen or heard these guys get off of the computer now, because you will not have many more chances to catch them in small venues like The Shoe for long. The six dudes that make up Saint Alvia somehow managed to squeeze on the stage to deliver their consistently solid punk rock. They didn’t waste any time starting with their single “Don’t Wanna Wait Forever” then ran through their upbeat album. Their energy really is infectious with members jumping, playing tambourine and playing guitar from the floor. With the entire band singing parts you never had a lack of places to focus and they all keep their own style from striped shirts to bandanas when they are all together the chemistry is perfect. The temperature definitely rose in The Shoe while the biggest snowstorm of the year beat down on the rest of the city. Most Tangible Sounds writers have already gotten on the Saint Alvia boat so we could gush forever about their energy and style, but you should just go check them out yourself.
- Stephanie Joudrey