Whether or not this is accurate, when I gaze back at 2008 from where I’m perched at the ass-end of the year, it feels like I saw far fewer local acts live over the last 12 months than I have in years. I don’t necessarily think that a dearth of decent concerts is to blame for this ebb; if anything, there were tons of new T.O. weeklies (No Shame, Two Way Monologues, etc.) that piqued my interest. But I definitely reached some sort of tipping point in terms of my tolerance for poorly-managed or mediocre events — often if there were substantial doubts in my mind as to whether a band whose recorded output I loved might measure up in the prospective live setting, I’d opt for listening to my stereo while cocooning.
That said, there were still three shows by Toronto-based acts that left me with a delirious rosy afterglow in 2008. Performances by Forest City Lovers, The D’Urbervilles, Final Fantasy and especially One Hundred Dollars made me so grateful to have ears — and a thriving local music community — this year.
3. The D’Urbervilles and Forest City Lovers, dual CD release at the Tranzac, March 14
I’ve used this space in the past to talk about my abiding love for Out Of This Spark label-runner and Undertones show promoter Stuart Duncan, and this double-barrelled launch for new discs by two aesthetically different (but ethically similar) acts on his label epitomized many of the things I love about him. There was a capacity crowd jammed shoulder-to-shoulder inside the twinkle-light–spangled Tranzac, but instead of the tension that’s often generated at packed shows, the venue was filled with the sort of engaged, respectful energy that I associate with small, college-town indie scenes like former D’Urbervilles/Duncan home base Guelph. After a tight, wiry set by the D’Urbervilles, a sort of awed hush swept through the audience while Kat Burns led her Forest City Lovers through a beautifully airy collection of rich, textured art-folk.
2. Final Fantasy and Nico Muhly at the Music Hall, Aug. 27
I liked this show for a number of reasons. First, even though it was a relatively stately theatre show in a soft-seater venue, I still felt like I was watching Owen Pallett perform for a handful of friends and neighbours at a low-budget club (aside from the fact that, y’know, the acoustics and sound system were far better suited to his violin and MIDI arrangements). I loved that the promoters took a risk on bringing in classical wunderkind Nico Muhly, a nutty genius who’s celebrated in new music circles but whose name likely didn’t register with many members of the audience; I loved even more that Muhly fed off the crowd, mixing up his own fragmented compositions with a cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.” And mostly, I loved hearing the thrilling new pieces from Pallett’s two Final Fantasy EPs — songs that mere months earlier had felt larval sounded huge and gorgeous.
1. One Hundred Dollars with Rick White and Doug Paisley at the Horseshoe, July 25
The official T.O. launch for their full-length debut, Forest Of Tears (Blue Fog), was the show that convinced me that One Hundred Dollars is the best — or at least, my favourite — band in this city. An epic show (they played a staggering two sets in addition to the performances by the lovely Doug Paisley and CanRock hero/Forest Of Tears producer Rick White) on a steamy summer night, the One Hundred Dollars CD release reminded me why I love live music. Though they managed to sell out the Horseshoe, core members Simone Schmidt and Ian Russell and their bandmates seemed as relaxed as they’d be if they were playing a front-porch hoedown. The night was all whiskey, love, slow-dancing (!), dead-on covers (few can pull off Dolly Parton, but Schmidt managed to own “Jolene”) and beautiful, aching country tunes that sounded like they’d sprouted up from the floorboards of a rickety old barn.