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Month: February 2011

Hawksley Workman @ Drake Underground

Published by haterhigh on February 23, 2011

      . : : February 20th, 2011 : : . I had some vacation time left over from 2010 (you know, from my REAL job. That one that pays the bills for this site.), and opted to take it, quite randomly, this particular week in February. Little did I know at the time that it was going to be THIS week that CBC Radio 2 was going to broadcast concerts from (at least) two excellent Canadian artists? Or that The Dears were going to play a free record release party? That the Jenn Grant concert I’d been anticipating was only the tip of…

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Jenn Grant @ Horseshoe Tavern

Published by haterhigh on February 21, 2011

. : : February 19th, 2010 : : . The Horseshoe Tavern had filled up by the start of Rae Spoon‘s opening set, quickly limiting my options for taping positions. At the Horseshoe, I usually get on the dance floor area directly in front of the stage and tape off the right speaker stacks. Wasn’t happening. No way I was getting in there. So I took advantage of those heading to the bar between Olenka And The Autumn Lovers and Rae’s sets to position myself by the left stacks. Because the way the room is laid out, the left speakers are aimed away from the stage…

[ continue reading ]Jenn Grant @ Horseshoe Tavern

Rae Spoon @ Horseshoe Tavern

Published by haterhigh on February 21, 2011

. : : February 19th, 2011 : : . I went to The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern (that’s its proper name, with reason!) to see Jenn Grant solely on the word of blog commenter, penpal and friend, @ricker. Well, that, and the charming video for Getcha Good. I had never heard of her before his suggestion (despite her somewhat popularity for contributing Dreamer as the theme song to Canadian drama “Heartland”), so I was surprised that the show was close to sold out on the morning before the show. Even more surprised that the ‘Shoe was full when I, notoriously ridiculously early to venues before concerts, showed up. I found…

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Luke Doucet @ West End Cultural Centre

Published by haterhigh on February 18, 2011

. : : November 6th, 2010 : : . Luke Doucet is a wonderful guitar player. I’ve seen it first hand on a couple of occasions. But for whatever reason, I keep missing him when he comes to Toronto and not tracking down his recorded repertoire. When @ricker asked me to record his CBC2 set, I jumped at the chance because I knew it would serve as a wonderful reminder just how warm his voice is, and how brilliant his chops. Let this excellent dFM-sourced recording be either an introduction to a great Canadian artist, or a reminder of just how special he…

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Telekinesis @ KEXP Studios

Published by haterhigh on February 18, 2011

. : : February 16th, 2011 : : . I’ve blogged about what a surprisingly fun set Telekinesis put on when I saw them perform last autumn, and am excited to say that the album many of the songs from that evening previewed live up to my memory. 12 Desperate Straight Lines is a fantastic power pop record, and I’m excited to see the band when they hit up Toronto next month. For now, I have to settle with this short set courtesy of KEXP Radio in Seattle, WA, which I have recorded and now share with you. 01. [introduction] 02. Country Lane 03. Please Ask For Help 04. [interview] 05. Dirty Thing…

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The Dears @ Sonic Boom

Published by haterhigh on February 18, 2011

. : : February 17th, 2011 : : . I loved the Dears when I first discovered them, opening for Matthew Good in 2003 as part of their No Cities Left tour. I listened to that album constantly, and shoved it on several friends with varying success. I saw the band tour that album five times in venues as varied as large congress centres, small clubs, and outdoor stages. But that band as I knew it imploded. Key members left, and the band seemed to be a rotating door of replacements, none of which seemed to click quite right. And, in my opinion, it showed. The follow-up discs…

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Colleen Brown @ Engineered Air Theatre

Published by haterhigh on February 15, 2011

      . : : March 17th, 2010 : : . Sorry for the quiet last few weeks. I’d been counting on getting to see Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans a couple of weeks ago, but came down with a killer migraine. I was afraid it might have been the start of a horrid cold, and decided to nip it in the bud and take a night off and rest. It did a lot of good, with the exception that I missed what was, from all accounts, a stellar show with a guest appearance by HaterHigh.com favourite Kathleen Edwards. 🙁 Things are looking to…

[ continue reading ]Colleen Brown @ Engineered Air Theatre