The Windsor Scene with Lauren Hedges

Lauren Hedges

First things first, the playlist from this week’s installment of The Windsor Scene, also available as a download.

Dave Russell – Toys (Unnatural Disaster – 2010)

Fresh Breath – Speed of Sound (The Speed of Sound – 2010)

Jordan Dollar – Flight (Move Forward II – 2010)

Acousticfire – Sorry Old Man (The Windsor Zene Sampler February – 2011)

Goliath – Facebreaker (Funweiser EP – 2011)

Assassinate the Following… – Sinful Beginnings (Assasinate the Following…)

Fuck The Facts – Fingers with Candy Tips (Collection of Splits 2000-2004 – 2005)

Tony Coates – Beautiful (2010)

Anonymous Bosch – Death, Metal, and Blues (Anonymous Bosch)

Awake to a Dream – Tainted (2011)

ATM – Crusty Barnacle (ATM/Gnarlie Murphy Split – 2010)

Shortcut to Last – It’s Not Enough (I Know You’re Not One For Serious Situations – 2010)

Riverside – The Best is Yet To Come (Newspeak)

Time Giant – Lobotomy (Grow – 2011)

Sewing with Nancie – Naïve (The Same Three Chords – 2000)

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Muscle Relaxants (Departing – 2011)

Lonesome Lefty & The Cryin’ Shames – Back to the Sugar Camp (Souvenir Album – 2011)

Yellow Wood – Be A Little Braver (Son of the Oppressor – 2009)

Yellow Wood – Picture (Son of the Oppressor – 2009)

And a few notes on the show;

Thanks to Dave Russell for the nudge towards his tunes! Anonymous Bosch did a similar thing this week as well, informing me of their newly-submitted album. There are a lot of CDs in our library, and I have yet to find the time to become familiar with all of them. Requests for music, whether they’re coming from artists or fans, are always welcome and appreciated. So what do you want to hear?

Awake to a Dream, Tony Coates, and Shortcut to Last are rad for supplying their music after I asked for it. Thanks for helping to build the show, and CJAM’s local library!

Anyone else interested in having their albums added to our selection of local artists can feel free to drop CD’s (or vinyl!) off at the station in the basement of the CAW Student Centre at The University of Windsor.

This past week I was in attendance at a number of sweet shows.

Last Thursday, which also happened to be St. Patty’s Day, I spent my evening at The Coach, and as my alcohol consumption went up, I remembered more. Yes, I know this makes no sense, but there it is. What this translates into is this; of The Kettle Black I remember a dude with a guitar, some black curtains, and weirdness. So, that is to say, not very much. On to Devilz by Definition, then. Metal. Lots of mids, high-pitched screaming. We’re getting better. So next came Awake to a Dream. A ukulele cover of The “Last Saskatchewan Pirate” by The Arrogant Worms, and I geeked out. Music from Sonic 2. I geeked more. It was awesome!

Sunday night was Shared Arms, Everyone Everywhere, and The All Night in an all-ages show at Phog. Pop-punk at it’s finest. The moshing had to be continually squashed, and the crowd sang as loud as the bands, even when they weren’t hijacking microphones. It made me really appreciate and wonder at the dedication of music fans in Windsor, that they learn the words to every single song of the local bands they love. It’s great to see, you won’t find it quite the same anywhere else.

Tuesday night was the debut of Cellos in the opening slot for KEN Mode. I unfortunately had to miss the first band thanks to work, but folks tell me it was quite the experience.  My first encounter with KEN Mode was pretty damn awesome, but I don’t know how to describe it. They can’t be defined by a single (or even 3) genre. It was for sure heavy, and the mixing of an Orange stack with a Mesa head almost made me cry I loved it so much. Instead of trying and failing to describe this music, how about you just listen to it.

Friday the 25^th is a very busy night in the Windsor music scene, but I’ll give you the rundown on my show of choice (and believe me; it wasn’t an easy one). At The Blind Dog you can see Silver Glory, Awake to a Dream, Nuclear Sunrise, Bleach, Jonas & the Massive Attraction, and Anonymous Bosch for only $10 (with the purchase of an advance ticket).  A night of rock’n’roll at it’s finest. Pretty stoked for this one.

But any show you choose in Windsor this weekend, whether it’s Tony Coates at Taloola, Fuck the Facts at The Coach, or Freedom Within at Trees, it’s gonna be great, because Windsor fans are half the fun of these shows, and they’re sure to be packing each one of them.

And as an extra special tip, if you tune in to the show next Wednesday between 5 and 630 you’ll have a chance to win a pair of tickets to the upcoming Perpetuate CD Release Show with Baptized in Blood and Betrayer. That’s right, free tickets to a sweet metal show. What more can you ask for?

Live Review: Gypsy Chief Goliath @ The Coach (Sat. March 19)

James Steingart

Al ‘Yeti’ Bones and his skeleton crew in Gypsy Chief Goliath got the brews flowin’ and the eyes glowin’ down at the dingy dungeon we all have come to know and love as the Coach & Horses.  These electric gypsies’ brand of stoner rock/metal is a little more eclectic than the standard fare of those within that genre.  Kicking things in with the monster-groove of ‘Black Samurai,’  the band got their faithful followers and friends bobbing heads to the doomy rhythms.  The guys continued to churn out swamp and sludge through the night as their harmonica player Brodie brought the demonic blues aspect to the fold with his Sabbath ‘wizardry.’  Yeah, if you like the real early heavy blues rock of Black Sabbath coated with an added crispy and metallic crunch, you’ll dig the sounds of Gypsy Chief Goliath.  Sidenote:  A surprise and unlikely rendition of Alice Cooper’s “Go To Hell” was a highlight mid-set.

FRI. MAR. 25: Fuck The Fact’s Topon Das talks to TWZ about the meaning of returning to the Coach

Fuck The Facts

It’s been ten years since the release of Ottawa’s Fuck The Facts debut album, Discoing The Dead, was self-released and to celebrate their 10 year anniversary, one of Canada’s premiere grindcore outfits is doing a special club tour of select Canadian cities that have been vital during Fuck The Facts’ musical evolution. Windsor is lucky enough to be one of the cities and they’re returning to the one of the only Windsor stages they’ve ever known in their decade of decimation, the legendary Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level), on Friday March 25.

The release of 2008’s Disgorge Mexico, their second release since signing with respected metal label Relapse Records (Mastodon, Unsane, Death), propelled them to a more mainstream audience, garnering them the cover story in the August 2008 issue of Exclaim! Magazine, Canada’s largest read independent music magazine. Relentless touring have earned Fuck The Facts an entire music media’s respect and attention, to compliment a constantly growing underground legion of metal fans.

Discontent to sit on their laurels, Fuck The Facts released a follow-up untitled EP (since nicknamed the Unnamed EP) last year as well as a live DVD to act as a visual companion for Disgorge Mexico. With their follow-up, entitled Die Miserable, almost upon is, Fuck The Facts is doing a quick tour to pay their own musical homage to their first 10 years as a band and retouch on some sound clips of history that they may never play on stage again.

Fuck The Fact’s founder Topon Das talked to The Windsor Zene’s Jamie Greer about the progress of Die Miserable, what it means to be hitting Windsor on this tour, and a whole lot more, in anticipation of Fuck The Facts return to the Coach & Horses.

Jamie Greer: I suppose first questions first – how’s the progress on Die Miserable and how close are we to having it out?

Topon Das: Definitely won’t be available in Windsor. We’re still in the mixing process now and I’m realistically thinking it’ll be out in the summer. Once the mix is done, we still need to get it mastered and then there’s just a long wait from when it’s completed to when it gets released, so that it can fit into the labels release schedule and they can promote it properly.

Topon Das, Fuck The Facts

Disgorge Mexico really seemed to have vaulted you guys (and gal) to a new level of public awareness. What do you think you can attribute to your loyal (and growing) following?

Maybe because it was our 2nd album out on Relapse or something, but the press, especially in Canada, really gave us a good push when the album was coming out and the response that we got from it also seemed very positive for the most part. We work pretty hard on everything we do in the band and everything from booking to any sort of management is done within the band, so it’s nice to see that people are paying attention. But that being said, we’ve been around for 10 years and when we can get 50 people out to a show, that’s still considered a good night. We probably look more successful in the media than we actually are.

You’ve come a long way from your early “noise” records like Vagina Dancer and Discoing the Dead. Was this musical journey a planned route or did it just kind of dictate itself?

It was planned in the way that I wanted it to dictate itself. The main idea of Fuck The Facts was that it would keep evolving and changing over time. With new musicians adding new ideas and as we all change over the years. I never want us to feel like we have to limit ourselves. We just write music that we like and that we’re stoked on. Obviously, it’s not a receipt for success, but it’s the only way I could keep playing music without getting bored.

Now that a heavier underground band like Fucked Up as won a major award like the Polaris, do you think this gives heavier music more mainstream credit? Does it really matter?

Fuck The Facts on the August 2008 Cover for Exclaim!

It’s nice when people say they like your music and it’s probably nice when you get an award for something, but I wouldn’t know. I’m not really concerned with mainstream credit, so I don’t really pay attention to those things.

Speaking of Fucked Up, only a few bands, such as you two and Holy Fuck, have gotten considerable mainstream press despite having one of the “Seven Words” in your name. Was the expletive intended to create controversy or was it something else entirely?

I wasn’t trying to create controversy or anything like that, I just saw it on a Naked City album and I liked it. Back when we started, it seemed like a lot bigger deal to have ‘fuck’ in your name, but like you said, recently there’s been a few ‘fuck’ bands that have come up and been successful despite that obstacle.

How did the writing for Die Miserable differ from Disgorge Mexico?

Most of Disgorge Mexico was written with just our drummer Vil and I jamming out ideas and putting songs together that way. I wrote most of the music on that album, and he would put the drums to it and help arrange it all. This time around our new bassist really got involved in the writing and Vil (who actually first joined the band as a guitarist) also stepped up his writing. So the writing on Die Miserable is really split evenly between the three of us this time around. As usual, Mel handles almost all the lyrics with a little bit of help from me.

You recently released your first full on DVD for Disgorge Mexico. Why the decision to put out a DVD now?

I had the idea for the DVD when we were recording the album, it just took a really long time to get it all together. Two years after the album release to be exact. There’s a movie part created by David Hall of Handshake inc., which is basically just a visual for the entire album and there’s a live part where we played the whole album from start to finish at our hometown CD release show, which was shot and edited by Nictophobia films. Both guys did an amazing job, so I think it was worth the wait.

Disgorge Mexico (2008), Fuck The Facts

If someone reading this right now hasn’t heard Fuck the Facts yet, what album would you suggest be the perfect kick off point?

They should probably check out the first side of our Unnamed EP, our split with Leng Tch’e or our album Disgorge Mexico.

You guys have played far bigger venues in other cities. what keeps bringing you back to Windsor?

Windsor has always been good to us. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to play there for our 10-year anniversary shows. We’ve been coming playing Windsor since the early days of the band and the people have always been awesome and made us feel at home. I can’t remember the last time we played anywhere besides the Coach. It must be at least five years or something, but honestly, we’ll take a small venue like the Coach over playing a huge stage like the Opera House any day. It’s just how we’re more comfortable and how we can put on the best show.

I know you’re good friends with Scott Funnel from the Coach. What where your feelings when you found out about the injuries he sustained last year?

We were shocked. It’s really horrible that it happened, but I’m glad to hear that he’s been getting better. From what I read, it could have been much worse. I was actually just writing him to book this upcoming show, when I heard about it. It’s gonna be weird playing the Coach and it not being Scott that booked it.

How has the new material played live so far?

Pretty good I think. We’ve been doing 2 new songs, one that’s on the new album, and one that’ll be on the bonus EP that will come with the vinyl version of the new album. The bonus EP song is a bit more straightforward so I can see that it’s easier for people to grab onto without ever hearing it before. The album song has a bit more going on in the dynamics, but it’s been really fun to play live and obviously it’s a better example of what to expect from the new album.

What’s the rest of the plans for 2011?

Mainly, finish this fucking Die Miserable album and get it out. We’re gonna do a tour with KEN Mode in April/May that’ll take us through the Northern US and Western Canada. I’m sure there will be more shows, and maybe another tour or 2 before the end of the year. We’re starting to work on a bunch of new material as well and might do some more recording sessions in our home studio, but nothing solidly planned yet.

So what can Windsor expect this friday?

This show is going to be a part of our 10-year anniversary run of shows. We’re doing a bit of everything from the past 10 years and all in chronological order, from oldest to newest. A lot of these songs we haven’t played in years and won’t be playing again after this weekend.

Fuck The Facts with special guests Mortify, Assassinate The Following, Shinje and Goliath, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level), 9pm, 19+, $5 at the door.

Tues. March 22: KEN Mode assaults the Coach and Cellos debuts!

Adam Craig

Some of you might remember the Amphetamine Reptile days, or the golden age of Touch and Go Records. Bands like the Jesus Lizard, the Melvins and Unsane were at their peak, driving home the point that ‘heavy is good’ and dissonance can also rock. Percolating just beneath the surface of popular consciousness, there where a handful of bands who missed catching the Nirvana inspired alt-rock bidding war but continued to do what they do with no less intensity, hunger or malice.

The Melvins and Unsane not only survived the good times and the bad times but managed to inspire a new league of upstarts with the coming of a new century. Bands like Young Widows, Doomriders or locally, Fiftywathead. Winnipeg’s KEN Mode can adequately be lumped in to this new breed of noise rock, and possibly offer up an exceptional example of it.

And they’re coming back to the Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level) on Tuesday March 22nd.

If you like loud, and if you like noisy, grimy, technical rock, this is a show not be missed. Some of you may have been present when they passed through a couple of months ago, and were able to witness exactly what I’m talking about. Those of you who were there and who are familiar at all with the noise-rock scene in the 90s know that the Melvins, Unsane and Jesus Lizard comparisons are not completely unfounded. And you also know that they’ve upped the ante with intricate arrangements and a punk sensibility that, when taken as a package is a little hard to describe, not to mention overwhelming, relentless and pummeling. So check this:

and if you’re still not convinced (which means you may be something of a fool) then you can click this one too to get a sense of the live powerhouse that these gentleman represent in the flesh:

Making their live debut as support for KEN Mode will be Windsor’s own Cellos: slapped together from members of some of Windsor’s ‘top-shelf’ bands (Orphan Choir, Explode When They Bloom, Poughboy, What Seas What Shores, Surdaster, Red Rows, etc. etc.), these upstarts fall right in line with the new breed of noise that’s been bubbling up to the surface. Early music coming out of Kingsville’s Sound Foundry studios points towards the fact that these folks are going to be a force to be reckoned with around town. If you need proof, go here: http://cellos.bandcamp.com/ or find them on Facebook for more details.

It tickles this writer’s black heart to no end to know that mid-90’s nostalgia, tempered with the brutality and technical savvy of what’s known as ‘post-hardcore’ is on the rise. Tuesday, March 22nd at the Coach, those in attendance will know exactly what I’m talking about when these two heralds of the new face of rock music bring it with gusto. NOT. TO. BE. MISSED.

KEN Mode with special guests Cellos, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level), Tuesday March 22, 9pm, 19+

Wed. March 16: Bulletproof Tiger return home for a show at The Coach with Lymbyc System in tow

Windsor’s music scene have always had a love affair with instrumental bands, be it the dynamic live shows of Bloemfontein to the organic beauty of What Seas, What Shores, from the complexity of electronic artists like Kero to the gorgeous simplicity of (WH)Y.M.E.(??), the inclusion of vocals has not always been a matter of fact for many local acts.

A couple years back, Bulletproof Tiger erupted on the local scene with a fresh new approach to the instrumental sound. Involving a multi-member use of finger tapping and a “physics rock” style (not to be confused with simply “math rock”), they quickly rose from novelty act to full on spectacle, as their fret board mastery captivated and hypnotized all those in attendance. They went from Open Mic performers to hotly sought after opening act to performing at last year’s Phog Phest in a remarkably short period of time. But like many of Windsor’s stronger talents, they felt the pull to relocate and look at some bigger developmental opportunities, moving to Toronto at the end of summer last year.

They return home this Wednesday to the legendary Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level) for a special homecoming show, where they’ll be teaming up with the aforementioned What Seas, What Shores as well as Tempe, Arizona’s Lymbyc System, yet another instrumental band who combine gorgeous almost Sigur Ros style soundscapes intertwined with latter year Radiohead electronica. They’ve toured with such bands as Broken Social Scene, Crystal Castles and The Album Leaf, so it’s a real treat to get to see them in Windsor in such an intimate setting.

Bulletproof Tiger with special guests Lymbyc System and What Seas, What Shores, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, basement level), 9pm, 19+

Fri. Feb. 18: Pitch Union vs. Planet World at the Coach

The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo’s) has groomed most of Windsor’s best metal bands of the past two decades (if not longer), simply because they’ve groomed the crowd. Thanks in great part to manager/booker Scott Funnel‘s work over the past decade (as well as prior manager Nick Belulis and Funnel’s current protege Nicole Feetham), the Coach’s willingness to take a chance on unknown locals starting out and putting many local acts on bills featuring national and/or touring acts, has strengthened the metal scene with a sense of nurturing and loyalty almost unrivaled in Windsor’s independent and underground music scene.

One of the bands who have grown up in Windsor’s metal scene is Pitch Union. Born out of the ashes of Paradigm Shift-X, Pitch Union’s emotionally driven heavy music (trapped deliciously between stoner rock and power metal) has packed the Coach & Horses for years now. They’ve managed to bring their sound on the road across Ontario, further enhancing their sound and improving their chemistry and confidence. These guys know how to captivate a room and crush an audience with their timing and ability to emote through a power chord or a vocal chord. Proof of that is their most recent single, “Yeah!” (which is available for free as part of January’s Windsor Music Sampler).

This Friday, Pitch Union will be teaming up with a more recent band, Planet World, for a huge rock and roll show down in the dungeon of the Coach. Planet World, a band several years in the making, draw on a sound that incorporates elements of such bands as “Hand That Feeds”-era Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward, or Fuel, that electronic sounding hard rock that runs on melody rather than chaos. They’re currently recording their debut album, but two solid first singles are up for perusal on their MySpace.

Pitch Union vs. Planet World, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo’s), Friday February 18, 9pm, 19+

Sat. Feb. 12: London Calling! Disleksick & co. invade the Coach

One thing that’s always made me curious is why Windsor and London’s music scenes haven’t cross pollinated more. I know if you were to go by the OHL you’d think there was a terrible dislike with the two nearby cities, but I can’t see that carrying into something like a music scene. In fact, apart from the odd singer/songwriter exchange, the scene that seems to cross over the most are the most extreme.

This time around, it’s London’s turn to send the goods and they’re being delivered to the legendary Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo’s) and it’s in the form of grindcore/noise band Disleksick. They may not be the noisiest group I’ve ever heard, but they may be the most ambitious. Between split 7″ records, split CD singles and split cassettes (??), Disleksick released a staggering 51 (yes, fifty one) recordings in the last year. From what you can listen to online, the recordings are pretty rudimentary, but I think this may have been done intentionally. I’m sure if they had more money they may be a tad crisper, but I think the DIY quality adds an element of horror to it – like recording in black and white (and with a shakey Blair Witch camera). It’s effect in what it adds.

Although after listening to the recordings online of another of the London bands coming down, The Syndrome, I’m inclined to think there’s a shortage of either a) studios or b) friends who have GarageBand. The recordings are still totally DIY here and it’s starting to make me feel nostalgic. It’s the kind of thrash that in the ’80s made you question your genruality – was it punk or metal? I always thought that about DRI. These guys would do well with Windsor’s own The Heat Seeking Moisture Missiles. That kind of musical brutality. That “neck sore for days later” kind.

The third London act is the instrumental power metal of Cadmium. These guys are definitely more melodic driven than the other two, but they’re still metal. Think Iron Maiden without any vocals and you’re in the ball park. They’ll be a great middle set act to catch to your metal chops fill before the chaos erupts with the last two bands.

Opening the bill is Windsor’s Suppressulant, one of the last remaining hardcore bands in the city. By hardcore, I mean like in Minor Threat or searchingforchin, not Alexisonfire. These guys spit aggression like broken teeth after a curby.

Disleksick, The Syndrome, Cadmium and Suppressulant, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo’s), Saturday February 12, 9pm

Fri. Feb. 11: Beijing Bike Club & Shortcut To Last host indie rock show at The Coach

While the FM Lounge hosts some of the scene’s most respected veteran performers, the legendary Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St. West, below Pogo’s) showcases some of the emerging talent from Windsor’s indie rock scene.

Beijing Bike Club of Essex, whose song “The Past” is featured in the FREE January Windsor Music Sampler (courtesy of your pals at the Windsor Zene), bring a nostalgic sound to the stage. It feels at parts like ’90s bands like Better Than Ezra or Live, but with more of the hipness of Jimmy Eat World or Weezer. The song is more mature than their years and if this what they’re starting point sounds like, these guys are going to be huge within two years. They’re also opening up for Inoke Errati‘s EP release party Sunday February 20th at The Loop and Toronto’s Chasing Amee (who recently shot a video with Windsor’s Gavin Michael Booth) at the Blind Dog on February 26th.

Belle River’s Shortcut to Last also have a 90’s feel about them, but more akin to early Doughboys or pre-Grave Dancers Union Soul Asylum, although with a more So Cal punk swagger. Their single, “Undone”, will be appearing in February’s Windsor Music Sampler. Their songs are simple but smart, predictable but welcomed. These guys could be the sleeper pick to be the funnest live show of the summer if the energy from the songs carry over on a hot July day. These guys are also on the February 20th Inoke Errati show.

Playing For Keeps are not at all what I expected from their name. I was thoroughly expecting another Blink 182 knockoff and they are not even close. They’re somewhat reminiscent of some the more majestic anthems from Scottish indie rockers Idlewild. It sometimes gets close to pop punk but never seems to totally commit to it and remain just a ballsier pop gem.

A Wake To A Dream, featuring former One Man’s Opinion member Chris Wilbur, is another new band who’s been playing a lot of show lately and picking up some new fans. Somewhere between ’90s grunge and 2000’s indie prog, you’ll find these guys. They never get too intricate and never sacrifice the melody for an miscued time change. These guys are still finding their feet as a band (but that simply comes with man hours logged together on stage) but they’re just about there and when they do, they’ll start getting some notice. They also have a track (“The Importance of the Bass Guitar”) on the January Windsor Music Sampler.

Four great bands on the rise with a lot of promise. No cover charge means you don’t need the pressure of paying a cover to check out a new band you haven’t heard. Just pop in and spend that extra five bucks on a bar – and leave a little something for Bucky or Nicole.

Beijing Bike Club, Shortcut to Last, Playing for Keeps and Awake To A Dream, The Coach & Horses (156 Chatham St., below Pogo’s), Friday February 11, 9pm, No cover