Thursday – June 17 @ Rancho Relaxo

After some careful studying of the schedule, I committed myself to Rancho Relaxo for the Thursday of NXNE.  I would have to say that the predominant theme of the night, with the exception of The Cunninghams, was the delivery of solidly original tunes with prominent electronic elements.

The night began nice and early with Old World Vulture.  I made a special effort to arrive early in order to catch this all instrumental band from Toronto and St. Catherines, and after the conclusion of their set I was impressed enough to acquire their six track self-titled EP.

 True to the theme of the night, the band features some prominent synth sound which is nevertheless housed within a sound traditional instrumental structure.  You can at times hear influences of synth-pop-era Depeche Mode, but most of all this band reminds me of a jacked-up version of Toronto instrumental band Beef Terminal in the talented layering and in their ability to work the listener into a rocked out groove.  In addition, the drum work as exemplified in “Too Much Eye Make-up” has an impressive ability of framing and then re-framing the pieces for the constantly changing levels of intensity within songs.

The live performance was in some ways even more impressive than the recorded tracks.  They really took the time to build highly complex musical structures by layering simple melodies.  It is always a little odd to listen to a live instrumental set, as the absence of vocals can sometimes result in a dull performance.  This was certainly not the case for Old World Vulture.

Old World Vulture @ Rancho Relaxo - June 17, 2010 

The Cunninghams were up next and they stuck out from the rest of the night—not in a good way.  I’ve got to confess that I quickly lost interest in the band when they got on stage wearing matching outfits while being flanked by three professional videographers.  At first I felt a little bit guilty about dismissing the band because of those elements, but when I perused the videos on their MySpace site, the guilt quickly dissipated.  The outfit thing appears to be their shtick and the videos frankly reek of frat boy crap (yup a beer is chugged on camera).  And then there’s the music …

Now, there’s no denying these guys can play—they are all very technically gifted musicians and they play well together.  Unfortunately, they have not a shred of originality in their songs. Result? They sound like a cover band—I’d listen to them masterfully churn out hits at a wedding but I’m sure as hell not buying a CD.

That being said, because of their lack of originality, they are ridiculously accessible.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up getting good radio play on some Top 40 station.

The Cunninghams @ Rancho Relaxo - June 17, 2010 

The Seedy Seeds swooped in next to save the night.  I am not usually one for light pop and folksy music, which would have to be the broad musical categories for this Cincinnati band, but these folks charmed my pants off. 

They released their first full length album Count The Days in 2008/2009 and simultaneously released Friends of The Seedy Seeds Count The Days, an album featuring musician friends covering each of their original songs (Count the Days has an additional track because TSS  themselves covered the Sarah Pirtle children’s classic “My Roots Go Down”).  

Their set was a ridiculous contrast to The Cunninghams in terms of originality.  The Seedy Seeds may not be quite as tight in their sound but their resulting electro-folk sound was like nothing I’d ever heard.  The synth work and acid-trip energetic drumming is very prominent, but the constant banjo work always ensures that the songs don’t get too flighty.

Count the Days is worth a careful listen.  The highlight of the album for me has to be “Drive Me to the Centre” which begins with pure synth work punctuated with drumming that is precise as a machine.  The piece quickly cuts down the keyboard to allow for some banjo chords to kick in, while the melody continues to be steadily punctuated by the drum work.  The vocals then enter, rapidly altering the basic melody from one minute to the next.  It all builds to a ridiculously catchy chorus where most of the instrumentation cuts away leaving only light cymbal work, banjo plucking and layered female and male vocal wailing.  And while you would think that the constant musical shifts would result in a confusing song, the changes are executed with such finesse that the piece ultimately works.

The Seedy Seeds @ Rancho Relaxo - June 17, 2010 

Something should also be said of their cover of the aforementioned Pirtle children’s song “My Roots Go Down.”  The Seeds very effectively infuse synth sounds and energetic drum work into the piece, ultimately resulting in a powerful song which is bursting with energy.  Most impressively, the piece manages to simultaneously exude energy and maintain the innocence one would expect from a children’s song.

Their live performance was also a pleasure to behold.  They are truly a charismatic three in an understated sort of way.  The Seeds position their drummer near the front of the stage and I would imagine that the ability to do so is one of the benefits of having a small band.  The decision pays off as Brian Penick’s rapid-fire drum work is entertaining to watch. And, unlike many of the indie bands that grace us with their presence, you get a real feel that these guys are a friendly crew who just like playing music with zero pretension.

The Seedy Seeds @ Rancho Relaxo - June 17, 2010 

The night ended for me with Jane’s Party from Toronto.  The set returned things to more conventional folksy rock territory.  The instrumentation is tight, nicely blending brass, piano and guitar work.  The soulful talented vocals are not afraid to explore musical ranges, and they really hold the songs together.  For my money the starting track of their EP “No Good For Me” is the gem of the bunch.  It’s at times a bit too sentimental for some tastes, but the song really shows the band’s range. 

In terms of their live performance, they certainly put on an energetic show which is always good to see.  Musically, I was a little bit surprised that the vocal range really didn’t come across particularly well, and I found the guitar chords to be a bit too repetitive for my tastes.  There is no reason I can think of for, especially the latter, criticisms to show up in their live performance only.  Perhaps I was just tired at that point.

Jane’s Party @ Rancho Relaxo - June 17, 2010

Part II of IV - More to Come …