AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: OXBOW, Thighs, Godstopper @ The Garrison, May 18, 2013

Posted by gruesomegreg on May 19, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve been to The Garrison. Turns out, they moved the bar to the back of the room, where it now serves Grasshopper and… Old Style Pilsner!? Didn’t know you could even buy that shit out here! In any case, it remains a decent place to catch a concert, with a solid sound system and heavy soundtrack between bands. Speaking of which, all the local openers on the evening were very à propos. Looks like Toronto’s noise-rock scene is alive and well.

Now, I’ve been listening to Godstopper for quite some time, but had not caught them in person until this evening. They play live as a three-piece, although they were previously a one-man studio project. Mind you, said one-man still performs drums and vocals simultaneously, which is pretty impressive, seeing as I can’t even chew gum and drink coffee.

The next band, Thighs, politely asked me to move while they set up their equipment… on the floor. Hey, if it means less setup time for the headliners, I’m all for it. With such an in-your-face setup, I was expecting a blistering set of hardcore punk shorter than most bowel movements, but in the end, they turned out to be more post-hardcore, which was still cool, and better suited for this bill, anyways.

Lest you get the impression this was an instrumental outfit, they did have a singer. It’s just that he was behind me most of the time…

And then, of course, the main event. Twas quite a coincidence that a horse named Oxbow won the Preakness the same day as the band Oxbow played a rare weekend gig. Eugene Robinson made a comment to this effect, saying “you should’ve bet on Oxbow.” He delivered more such low-key, humourous stage banter when not unleashing his high-pitched vocals, which sounded a little low in the mix. Otherwise, twas an overall enthralling set, a rare, one-off appearance well worth the price of admission.

And yes, Robinson stripped down to his underwear.

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AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: CLUTCH/Orange Goblin @ Sound Academy, April 18, 2013

Posted by gruesomegreg on April 21, 2013

Be forewarned, these are by far the most amateur photos of the weekend. As you may know, the Sound Academy is a massive venue, and although I was able to get pretty close to the front, I wasn’t nearly as near to the stage as I am at most gigs. Therefore, you’re bound to see lotsa heads, fists and other body parts in these long-angle shots.

That being said, it was great to see Orange Goblin for the first time. These guys played as much of a career-spanning set as you can cram into 45 minutes, all while encouraging the crowd to get as crazy as possible. Not only is he one of the tallest frontmen I’ve ever seen, but Ben Ward certainly has the energy to match, as seen below:

While there were certainly some fans who were into Orange Goblin, there was no question who the main event was. During Clutch’s set, I was jostled around enough that I ultimately ended up a few feet from the rail, albeit all the way over at stage right. But one did not need a camera to take in the tuneage; although the set seemed somewhat heavy on the latest album, twas still a solid, 100+-minute performance.

Look… a ghost!

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: Fu Manchu @ Lee’s Palace, April 15, 2013

Posted by gruesomegreg on April 20, 2013

After a lengthy absence from these shores, the Fu came through town a couple years back, playing a classic set that includes the massive In Search Of… album in its entirely. This time, it was the slightly-younger The Action is Go that got the full treatment, the band playing their late ’97 release from start to finish before returning for a fan-requested encore of “Hell on Wheels,” “Mongoose” and “King of the Road,” natch. Crazy to think that most of these guys who played on said album 16 years ago are still here, with the notable exception of Brant Bjork, who’s been replaced by Scott Reeder. No, not that Scott Reeder…

Bitchin’ banner, bro!

(Scott Hill doing his best Beyonce face…)

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTGRAPHY HOUR: U.D.O. @ Mod Club, April 14, 2013

Posted by gruesomegreg on April 19, 2013

Yeah I know, this show was last Sunday. Hey, I’ve had a pretty busy week, what with Fu Manchu on Monday, Clutch and Orange Goblin last night… But on the other hand, I’ve got nothing going on the next couple days, aside from packing for The Big Move (more on that later), so it’s gonna be Amateur Concert Photography Weekend in this space. Starting with one of my boyhood idols, der Mann, der Mythos, die Legende… Herr Udo Dirkschneider!

I hafta say, knowing that there wouldn’t be too many Accept songs in the set, I didn’t have high expectations coming in. But y’know, Udo’s solo stuff’s catchy enough that after hearing the chorus once, you can sing along the next time. Not to mention that when he did dig up some Accept chestnuts like “Head Over Heels” and “Screaming for a Lovebite,” his voice really did them justice. Hey, I’ve got nothing against Mark Tornillo, but I do believe his current outfit once released a greatest hits album called Accept – No Substitutes. Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby!

Udo’s international backing band hails from four different countries (Russia, Finland, Germany, Italy), and while half of them only joined before his latest album, they still knew all the hits–or at least the ones he chose to play, anyways. They were also pretty good at mimicking some of the familiar stage moves in their matching leather pants…

(Looks like the drummer’s wearing shorts, though.)

GUITAR SOLO!!!!!

Get ready for some classic Accept poses…

Now, having seen them both in person, I couldn’t help noticing:

(Ooookay, so maybe not.)

AMATEUR (flashless) CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: NEUROSIS @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple, January 19, 2013

Posted by gruesomegreg on January 21, 2013

The Brooklyn Masonic Temple is a pretty interesting place. After four or five blocks of townhouses and medium-rise apartments on a residential street (Lafayette Ave), the venue rises up as high as any other landmark in the area, its massive presence taking up most of the block. Picture The Opera House in Toronto, Le National in Montreal or Portland’s Roseland Theater, dropped smack-dab on, let’s say Albany Ave in the Annex, and run by an organization of religious weirdos with great big beards (a couple of whom were milling about before the music started). Yeah, that’s a lot to wrap yer head around, isn’t it?

Anyways, a booming voice reminded us on multiple occasions that flash photography was not permitted. Given enough advance warning, I was able to figure out how to turn off the flash on my Canon PowerShot. (Turns out, you just hafta push one button!) This did result, however, in most of my pictures being dark and/or blurry. Mind you, considering the subject matter, it sometimes created a pretty trippy effect. Case in point:

That said, not all of my blurry pics look quite as impressionistic, so I’m only posting a few of the better ones.

(As you can see, Jason Roeder was hidden amongst the shadows in this flashless concert photography hour…)

And this completely unintentional effect almost looks awesome. Almost…

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: White Cowbell Oklahoma @ Lee’s Palace, December 21, 2012

Posted by gruesomegreg on December 22, 2012

As it turns out, I hadn’t seen White Cowbell since last year’s Christmas show. Things have changed quite a bit since then, actually. Their new, stripped-down live lineup is without its rich organ sound and those soaring southern vocal harmonies have all but disappeared. Gone are Sarge, Hollis, Bubba and Mudflap–although we did get a cameo appearance from The Cousin Who Hath No Name. That said, if there’s one thing you can consistently count on from Cowbell, it’s a crapload of controlled chaos. There’s always a lot more going on and being shot off stage at a WCO gig than you’ll see at most concerts. What follows is but a mere attempt to capture some of it on camera…

Aside from the burlesque dancers, Cowbell Christmas tends to bring out an assorted cast of characters, including Drunk Santa…

…and this guy:

Drunk Santa springs a leak…

Ass: Winner, Best Screenplay, 2505

Clem climbs into the crowd…

Chainsaw Charlie, you know what time it is…

They said this was a giant bag of coke. It turned out to be filled with Styrofoam pellets…

Tits: Winner, Best Screenplay EVAR!!!!1

Well, the world didn’t end last night, but in any case, this blog will be taking a break for the holidays. I’ll be back on Thursday, with some year-end countdowns, awards, and other good stuff. See ya then…

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: HIGH ON FIRE/Goatwhore/Lo-Pan @ Opera House, November 26, 2012

Posted by gruesomegreg on November 28, 2012

Still reeling from a Grey Cup letdown, I nevertheless headed out for a post-Cup gig on Monday night. High on Fire was in town, fresh off the re-issue of their debut album, The Art of Self-Defense, and much to my delight, they put a couple oldies in the set, including the massive “10,000 Years.” I was also pretty pleased to see opening act Lo-Pan, a heavy rock band from Ohio that’s been in heavy rotation on Gruesome Tunes for quite some time. They did not disappoint, either!

Alas, I was pretty impressed with Primate, a hardcore/grindcore supergroup featuring members of Mastodon and Brutal Truth, but I generally can’t take pictures of more than three bands in order to preserve battery life. (I should probably get a new camera…) That said, I did shoot some shots of Goatwhore. It wasn’t my first time seeing these NOLA black-thrashers with a sludge background (ex-Acid Bath, Crowbar, Soilent Green), but it had been about five years–and it was on a much smaller stage, too!

With a three-piece band on a big stage like the Opera House’s, you can be sure that the bassist will take one side of the stage, and the guitarist the opposite end. Thus, unless you’re standing dead centre, you’ll probably get better pictures of one musician than the other. And while I was on the Jeff Matz side the last time I saw High on Fire at this venue, I figured it would be more entertaining if I moved towards Matt Pike. Well, actually I ended up house right more by accident, but nevertheless…

Note that Pike actually has a Dragonaut tattooed on his left arm.

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: OM/Sons of OTIS @ The Great Hall, November 18, 2012

Posted by gruesomegreg on November 19, 2012

Quite a curious bill at the Great Hall last night. On the one hand, you had solo acts Daniel Higgs and Wyrd Visions, and on the other, heavy bands OTIS and OM. Since there aren’t too many shots you can take of a guy on a chair playing guitar/banjo, I didn’t take any. Here are a few of the 70 or so pics I snapped of the two bands, however.

On a side note, I’ve probably seen OTIS about a dozen times (including a couple sessions in their jamspace), but this was the first time I brought my camera along. I just had to capture that classic Ken Pose: Head tilted back, eyes closed, mouth slightly ajar. Mission accomplished!

Speaking of mouths ajar…

Come to think of it, I’ve also seen Al Cisneros a handful of times, between OM and Sleep, though this is the first photographic evidence I’ve obtained. Let’s just say that the dude’s put on a few pounds–hey, I can relate. But after seeing this show, I’m convinced of the need to start a “Cisneros is God” meme. Perhaps one of these pictures could lend itself to the cause?

Unbeknownst to some, OM actually has a third member, Robert A.A. Lowe (aka Lichens), who contributes tambourine, keys, guitar and his own otherworldly voice to the live proceedings. Not to be confused with the current Candlemass singer–this guy hits even higher notes, I swear!

I don’t think it’s just the camera–his eyes are pretty red…

Look, Al’s doing the Ken Pose!

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: WITCH MOUNTAIN/Castle/Mother’s Green @ Annex Wreckroom, October 25th

Posted by gruesomegreg on October 26, 2012

When walking to the Wreckroom last nite, I could see a massive lineup outside Lee’s Palace, as Swans were making an appearance. I also passed the Bloor Theatre, where people were already in line for the Toronto After Dark film fest. Bloor and Bathurst was a pretty happening corner on Thursday evening–and I suppose the attendance at this show suffered as a result. It’s a shame, too, cuz for my money’s worth (a mere $10!), Witch Mountain put on a better performance here than they did when they came through town in June.

Although the bill was one local band short after Enchantress had to drop off last-minute, Mother’s Green representing our city well with their brand of fuzzy jams. The first thing you notice about this band on stage is that they have two drummers–one who plays the bongos. Now that’s stooooner rawk!

(Plus, their bassist rocks a pretty badass stache!)

Clearly forging a connection after their two summer concerts together, Castle was upgraded from Canadian support to full-fledged tour-openers this time around. The San Fran trio’s sound complements the headliners quite nicely, though they seemed sorta spaced out–literally–on the Wreckroom stage, which I swear was bigger than the last time I’ve been there. (Hey, I know they moved the bar to the back of the room, so there were definitely some renovations made at some point…)

Like I said before, Witch Mountain was even better the second time around. The vocals were louder and clearer, guitar solos sizzled, and they even came back for a two-song encore that included “End Game,” a tune from South of Salem that they didn’t play last time. (I know they’ve kinda moved on, but I still love that record!) Unfortunately, when I look at the 40 pictures I took of Witch Mountain, most of them suck. I guess I was enjoying their set too much to be too focused on the camera, haha!

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: Royal Thunder/Elephant Stone @ Horseshoe Tavern, October 23rd

Posted by gruesomegreg on October 24, 2012

Twas a bit of an odd pairing–and they weren’t touring partners–but Montreal psychedelic pop/rock band Elephant Stone and Atlanta psychedelic metal band Royal Thunder shared the stage at the Horseshoe Tavern last night. I’d actually seen Elephant Stone once before, and it seemed to me they might have been showcasing the trippier, farther-out portion of their repertoire, in light of who they were playing with. In any case, I dug a great deal of their set.

On the other hand, it was my first time seeing Royal Thunder–and the first time they’ve played Toronto, I’m pretty sure. Their retrofied sludgy-rock sounds come across quite well in the live setting, and I gotta say, I was a bit surprised that both guitarists used Fenders to get conjure those heavy tones. Mind you, they each had about a dozen pedals on their effects boards, so that goes some way in explaining it. Frontwoman Mlny Parsonz was a little under-the-weather, but even if her voice was a bit hoarse, she still sounded pretty powerful.

Gruesome Views

My thoughts on music, sports and life as a bilingual Alberta redneck in The Big Smoke

Category Archives: Amateur Concert Photography Hour