No surprise here but the weather on Thursday was absolutely miserable—which made it all the more fortuitous that my plans for the evening involved hopping between floors at El Mocambo.

The absolute stand-out acts of the evening were Familia from Vancouver and My Little Cheap Dictaphone from Montreal.  The former featured the amazing vocal talents of Tamarah Umlah, and the band’s ability to pull in R & B elements in crafting some truly memorable melodies.  The latter featured what I would describe as a monster rock version of Tom Waits with all the jazz elements and somewhat less raspy vocals, and with a purposefully farcical ghoulishness.  More commentaries about all the bands to follow:

Familia @ El Mocambo - March 10, 2011

Birds of Tokyo @ El Mocambo - March 10, 2011

Some Community @ El Mocambo - March 10, 2011

Parlotones @ El Mocambo - March 10, 2011

My Little Cheap Dictaphone @ El Mocambo - March 10, 2011