Wavelength 450 Ninth Anniversary Festival – Night Two:
Steamboat
Slim Twig
Bonjay
Child Bite
The Magic
Sunday February 13th, 2009
Wrongbar 1277 Queen St W
Steamboat
Stepping Up: It’s amazing that two of Toronto’s most exciting new bands of the last year sort of came to life as a result of their bandleader stepping out of the spotlight. Jon-Rae Fletcher moved back out west and most of the rest of The River is now countryin’ out the jamz as $100. Meanwhile, The Old Soul mainman Luca Maolini seems to be taking some kind of break, and TOS bassist Matt McLaren has stepped up, or rather, sat down at his keyboard, to steer this recently christened ship into a deep lagoon of, well, *old soul*. So: Steamboat are a good-time, Stax-soaked “rock’n’soul” band. They’re not afraid to swing like The Band circa ’71 or cover an Eddie Floyd tune — and heck, why would anyone? Oh yeah: because it takes some chops. Which they have got, in spades. You should have seen the ridiculous dance floor they inspired at the recent Wavelength 446 — hence their late addition to the 450. But we’re also looking forward to hearing their supposedly most sedate incarnation, playing the songs of Mantler and Sandro Perri… coming soon to a Tranzac near you?
Slim Twig
Too many long island ice teas later and the drinks have turned into rusty nails with lipstick tattoos of disconnected phone numbers and matchbook hotel rooms. Chevrons chevrons chevrons a breeze watering your eyes and the impressionist beacons of lampposts and mischievous faces wearing jackets with only inside pockets. The clock reaches scrambled eggs and freshly stale coffee only corners corners corners of your eyes have reasons to believe. Where is that streetcar? Where are my keys! WHERE ARE MY FUCKING KEYS! The cars sound like detuned violas. The houses unfamiliar bubblegum pop. Your footsteps a heart murmuring past live fortune cookie providence.
Bonjay
Carbonated summer nights in wine drunk tree shadows. Steamed up eyeglass wobble through throngs of scantily clad mimes. Thunder lit alleys hiding pocketfuls of neon abdomens and faceless wristwatches. Second floor apartment balcony beer cans. Buried bodies on the beach waiting for the crashing waves with welcoming mouths. Sugar shocked weekends of early morning coffee sex. Backseat math equations with extra-marital racecar prize winners clocking hours at the Laundromat. A designer fixed price menu. Arms into arms stumble lips and looks, knowing looks. Florescent predators with diplomat passports and hotel keys. Cocktails on the rooftop in the hot tub with the lights off. Footsteps like heartbeats on sidewalks and bedsheets.
Child Bite
Surprise: One of the best things about having multiple programmers at Wavelength is that sometimes some of us supposedly “in charge” show up at Sneaky’s on a Sunday and have no idea what’s going on. Such an unsuspecting frame of mind helps out when it comes to having your face melted off by a band of searing awesomeness. Our man Kevin Parnell came across Child Bite, an as-yet little-known quintet of dudes from Detroit, Michigan, and booked them for a Wavelength last October. Yours truly was truly blown away by their super-tight blend of no-wave freakouts and steamrolling rhythms that reflect their hometown Motown’s R&B heritage. Truly heavy-duty, teeth-clenched-intensity stuff — *yes*. The MP3s you can sample on their MySpace page don’t really do them justice, so just trust in the Wavelength stamp of approval and get your ass down to Wrongbar in time to have it whupped and then shook by the one and only Child Bite.
The Magic
If you listened to the last Barmitzvah Brothers album, you may have noticed that it sounded like a split album between two different bands. Shortly after it came out, the band indeed split, with Jenny Mitchell striking out on her own as Jenny Omnichord, and Geordie Gordon forming The Magic. The Magic’s debut EP blends an old-school pop style that references crooner-like lounge and disco. Their hooks dig into your brain and make a nest. And sometimes they wear cute shorts.
