Hospital Bombers @ The Mod Club: Arrived halfway through their set and was surprised at how sparsely populated the venue was (I was afraid they had already reached their wristband allowance limit). Nothing extraordinary. Mid-tempo indie-pop with some competent harmonies and basic chords.
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ The Mod Club: It was a little strange seeing the veteran New Jersey punk-rocker opening for a band like Sloan - considering he could easily headline the Mod Club on his own (which he did, twice, last year). Undoubtedly, the local Ted Leo faithful were holding off for his free headlining show at Yonge-Dundas Square the following evening; which left a somewhat indifferent and lackluster crowd for this show (this being essentially a corporate gig: a sneaker company was celebrating its centennial). The chatter at the rear of the venue almost equaled the volume coming out of the amps and Leo was clearly perturbed, although he gamely played on without letting it on.
Luckily for those actually interested in the show, Leo and his band still let it rip for 40 minutes with both old and new material and no doubt left many in attendance converted.
Sloan @ The Mod Club: For guys nearing their forties, I’m not surprised that their musical oeuvre has slowed down over the last couple of albums. Not in terms of proficiency (if 2006’s rambling double-disc Never Hear The End Of It is any indication), but in terms of musical tempo. The set was mostly culled from the just-released Parallel Play (their ninth studio album) and featured many a mid-tempo number that had the crowd nodding in appreciation, but not much else. The only throwback during the main set was “Everything You’ve Done Wrong” from 1996’s One Chord To Another that garnered a hearty sing-along.
Guitarist Jay Ferguson was apparently suffering from a “sore throat” so singing duties were left mainly to bassist Chris Murphy and guitarist Patrick Pentland while drummer Andrew Scott got an extended turn at the mic for a few songs.
The band (and the crowd) finally showed some enthusiasm during a rowdy encore of crowd-favourites “The Good In Everyone” and “She Says What She Means”.
Nonetheless, you have to admire Sloan for at least realizing where their bread is buttered and sticking out for this long. The songs haven't really gone down in quality, just sort of plateau-ed. I doubt we’ll get a classic album like Twice Removed from them ever again, but at least they’re still going.
Morning Electric @ The Silver Dollar: Sometimes during these festivals, I find myself with an open slot where no one in particular that I want to see is playing. Usually I hit up a nearby venue and take a random stab at an act in hopes they’ll surprise me.
These guys were pretty unremarkable and the gig is more memorable for other reasons. I had just stepped inside and began taking pictures when security dragged an unwilling patron past me and out the door. However, not before legendary Silver Dollar promoter Dan Burke (who was standing directly in front of me) launched a few haymakers into the dude’s face for good measure on his way out. It’s good to know that I can spend less than ninety seconds inside the Dollar and get to see an altercation.
Dr. Draw @ Tattoo Rock Parlour: My original plan of catching the Rural Alberta Advantage at the Boat was thwarted when I showed up and discovered the venue was already at capacity. Thus, I had to scramble for Plan B.
I (foolishly) balked at seeing Monotonix at the Reverb as I would be seeing them on Saturday (more on that in my Day Three report), so I hiked to the nearby Tattoo Rock Parlour to catch Dr. Draw.
I had seen his impressive rock/classical fusion many times before, but never in such an intimate setting. The crowd was small, but fervently supportive and most walked out knowing they had seen one of the better sets of the festival.
People In Planes @ The Reverb: I haven’t heard much from these guys since their initial hype surrounding their debut album, As Far As The Eye Can See, a couple years ago. At the time (January 2006), I had interviewed them and saw them play at the packed Mercury Lounge in New York City. Back then, it could’ve easily have been projected that they would climb the proverbial ladder and been a much bigger band than they are now. However, it’s interesting to see how they’ve settled into being nothing more than an above-average rock band (at best) with middling popularity. It was also interesting to note their omittance of their most popular single, “If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)” from the setlist in favour of more unremarkable cuts from their upcoming album.
Flash Lightnin @ The Horseshoe Tavern: At this point in the night, I was starting to tire and wear down, so I decided to catch one more band and call it a night. Luckily the Horseshoe wasn’t as full as I had anticipated and I got a good look at one of the hidden gems of the local scene, Flash Lightnin. Their blues inspired arena-riffage would’ve made them superstars back in the 70’s and this was one of the more pleasantly surprising sets of the festival.
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