Rock Reviews by WestCoast Weasel

by WestCoast Weasel
November 14, 2009

November 6, 2009
The Gam
Vancouver, B.C

A house party with five bands and a DJ.  To review or not to review is the question that I wrestled with leading up to, during, and even after everything went down.  Luckily the lofty residence is setup just like a bar, avoiding the “house party” feel, and is a seasoned jam area, leaving no trepidations regarding the possibility of noise complaints.  All of this and the fact that it’d been too long since Telephone Girls played a show—I decided that it had to be documented.
Things could have ended prematurely upon a friendly visit from the police regarding a firework-laden skateboard and it’s boarder cruising down the street, only to pelt nearby vehicles with colorful sparks.  Thankfully the situation was mediated and the evening proceeded as planned.

A bass playing female donning the lower half of a fuzzy cow costume and her male guitar playing sidekick made up the live members of the first act, Mantaraygun.  The guitar riffs were raw and reminiscent of Bleach era Nirvana, though this time around it was an intense, fiery young lady doing the singing/screaming. Brittny’s playing and animated stage presence stood as the highlight of the performance.  It’s too bad her vocals weren’t a little more defined in the mix, but this is often my gripe with live music—and as I would realize later on—tonight specifically.  Behind them, their synthesizer, influenced by the likes of Joy Division, provided a post-punk backbone.  Their solid, heavy punk rock execution started things off perfectly, though a closer-to-headlining spot would have been more appropriate.  For those who missed them or crave more, join them and I at The Railway Club on Nov. 24, 2009 for Shindig round #2.

Luckily that exciting set was followed by yet another raunchy, in-your-face two-piece group.  Boogie Monster gives you two things:  one charismatic guitar player and an even crazier drummer.  The pair, currently seeking a vocalist, began their set louder, heavier, and faster than I think anyone expected.  Before the second song, the duo had blown a fuse, both figuratively and literally.  The lights went out and though we knew what had actually happened, we sat there thinking, “what the fuck just hit us?”  While friends rectified the situation, Tony left most of his artillery behind him, taking his two drumsticks along as he walked into the crowd and nailed the wood planks on the roof.  He rejuvenated the lost crowd, drawing their claps and cheers.  The power came back, and so did Boogie Monster, amped and ready once again to take charge.  Ben’s fast, thrashy guitar playing provided both lead and rhythm duties, carried in a very low tone filing the void of what might normally require other guitars, and specifically, bass.  The chaotic drumming was equally sonic and visual.  Tony’s arms and legs flailed at breakneck speeds, looking almost as if he was stuck in a virtual reality video game, slicing his way out of a jungle while running for his life.  Though abrupt endings were heard at points, it was the only thing that drew away from an otherwise extremely tight, spot-on thrash assault.

The third act, Telephone Girls—also previously a two-piece has recently added a third piece to their delectable pie.  Logan Murray (LBSC, Future Creature) joined Pierce Bowie and Bryce Agecoutay on their already paved electronic rock n’ roll journey.  Although tonight’s performance wasn’t the first as a trifecta, it was the first to showcase the new collaborative material.   While I’ve enjoyed hearing Pierce switch from keys to guitar in the past, it was nice having a static guitar force thanks to Logan’s bass inclusion.  Hearing Pierce’s somber, Ian Curtis-esque vocals in their classic (and my personal fave) “Lariat” is always a treat.  It allegedly wasn’t going to be included in the set, but I’m quite thankful that it was.   Since I was recording the audio, I wasn’t left with much of chance to dance, but I was pleased to notice everybody’s ass shaking.  Bryce’s drum machine like beatings are often what attracts me most to their live presence, and though he didn’t miss a beat, it was the dynamic created by the shared vocal duties between Pierce and  Logan that stood out the most.  This was heard best in the catchy set closer, “Innocent Crabs.”  I look forward to hearing it and more on their forthcoming sophomore effort—a follow-up to 2008’s It Should Have Been Brighter.

I had hoped the momentum would continue as the fourth group, Haunted Beard assembled their numerous effects pedals, groove box, and keyboard.  While I appreciate having an eclectic mix of bands, there was no denying how out of place their craft came across.  Their noisy, ambient electro grooves seemed to pick up a steady, danceable rhythm at points but were immediately lost by abstract sound effects or tempo change.  I’m sure the point of their set wasn’t to captivate a dance floor or get people rocking, but for that reason it wasn’t well received. Justin did make interesting use of his clown-faced megaphone, while wrapping his head in a pillow and at points lying on the floor.  The vocalists tonight weren’t the clearest element in every case and here we had no exception.  The over usage of effects on the vocals, combined with a low overall level in the mix mostly left the performance in the hands of Ben and Tom, on the Roland groove box and keyboard respectively.  I acknowledge and respect their creativity for the myriad of sounds and samples produced but I just didn’t “get it.”

One last gasp at an entertaining performance was left in the hands of Walter TV and their unique, ambient sound.  The vocals were again both heavily effected, with very spatial reverb but their garage style guitar riffing and toe-tapping grooves did grow on me.  Having them blow out the power twice in a very short period of time created a sense of doom, but luckily things turned around, stabilizing their set and closing the night with demands for encores by a surprisingly responsive crowd.

I’m unsure whether or not I’d be up for the challenge of taking notes and reviewing a house party again in the future, because it did at points take away from my enjoyment of letting loose with friends, but then again it provided an interesting task as a sober bystander for the five hours of my stay.

… Weasel Was Here

Photos courtesy of the artist’s respective MySpace profiles.  Visit them online:

Mantaraygun
Boogie Monster
Telephone Girls
Haunted Beard
Walter TV