Canadian Music Week - Friday

Sabrina Korva @ Crowbar 9pm

After some initial scheduling conflicts, I arrived at the Crowbar and am immediately told “dude, you gotta check this chick out, TOTAL rocker chick” by someone a man I haven’t seen in years, meh…its CMW, I’m used to it. And true to form Sabrina Korva and her backing band take the stage as if it were their garage and launch the time machine, bringing us all the way back to the mid 1980s (though I’m not sure their drummer is old enough to remember them…). Sabrina and her band mates are what happens when “ironic” 80’s t-shirts cease to be ironic. Unfortunately they also seem to be a one trick pony, playing up the 80’s metal queen image with far too many ballads, instead of showcasing the boundless energy of their rock songs. In the end, what the crowd was looking for was a Metal Queen, but instead got simply a Vixen. 
- Jeremy Shum

Die Mannequin @ The Rivoli 10 pm

Well apparently after an amazing Thursday, things were going downhill from there. All the plans we’d made for Friday got trashed and we had to start over. So we ended up back at the Rivoli (a bar I hadn’t been to for a concert in at least 2 years). I missed Die Mannequin’s first 2 songs, but I’d heard about them before and wanted to check them out. Well…it was an experience. I’m ok with that trashy, dirty rock, sometimes it serves a purpose and we all know how Toronto loves its dirty bands. Die Mannequin are definitely good at what they do. Here’s my issue. While the female singer had a great voice and pulled off her “persona”, spitting all over the place included, occasionally you’d get a sense that it was all an act and that she wasn’t actually as band as she wanted you to think. But overall her voice saved the toppled mic stands, the confusion of what was actually happening and the boredom of the industry crowd standing in the back. 
- Alyssa Caplin

Tacoma Redd @ Crowbar 10pm

Oh, Tacoma Redd. Fronted by veteran of the scene Doug Smart and long-time cohorts Dean Glover on drums, Chris Bell on bass and Bryan Richards on guitar (carrying on the legacy left by the late Ron "Dabz" Boudreau-McLellan), Tacoma Redd brings a sense of grandiosity to “punk”. Describing themselves as a 100% Power-pop band, they have rid themselves of the shackles of the genre, infusing classic, prog, and even elements of metal (do I hear double kick?) to their sound. Taking the stage like they owned it (and judging by the crowds reaction, perhaps they did), Tacoma Redd ripped through a high-energy set, with Smart looking like a possessed ninja (of rock), leaving no doubt that though theirs is a lighter fare, they can bring the hammer like a Norse god. One is reminded of classic rock bands like Thin Lizzy and Cheap Trick, melded with the showmanship and grandeur of Queen, with vocal lines Coheed & Cambria would be jealous of. The musical tightness of the band is offset by the friendly onstage banter of their front man, making the crowd truly feel like they’re among friends, while maintaining their stature, purveyors of rock.

Given the musical history of the men involved, most were in at least one heavy rock/punk band prior to Tacoma Redd, one would expect a certain amount of detractors questioning the validity of their music, all I can say to them is “what is more punk rock than playing what you want, how you want? Isn’t that the whole fuckin’ point?” Tacoma Redd are a breath of fresh air to a surprisingly restrictive genre (given the original intentions), as unafraid to cite melodic pop punk bands (such as Jimmy Eat World) as an influence, as classic rock and/or punk bands. Catch them touring Southern Ontario or online at www.tacomaredd.com or elsewhere on our site.
- Jeremy Shum

Obsidian @ The Rivoli 11 pm

Here was another surprise. After countless gear and sound issues, the unthinkable happened. Obsidian went on early. I’d seen them before and liked them, but it had been a while so I wanted to see if they were as good as I believed. Well they’re definitely a solid rock band, entertaining, good music, the works. The sound issues didn’t help them at all, but they went on as if everything was perfect. The singer definitely knows how to hold the audience’s attention, although every so often I’d get the feeling his moves were a little rehearsed, almost as if he practised in front of a mirror on a regular basis. Aside from that it was definitely an entertaining set.
- Alyssa Caplin

On to Saturday>>>>>

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