Bruce Peninsula, Dusted, Skeletones Four (Great Hall, May 24 '12)

Bruce Peninsula put on a jubilant first show back after a string of at least four late last year. Not only was the crowd enthusiastic but the band themselves were ecstatic to be reunited; hugging and laughing amongst themselves. It is always a treat to see them in full and that's what we got as all ten members belted it out for us in the lovely and relatively full Great Hall. At one point the crowd unanimously broke into a massive handclap on the first beat of the breakdown which brought a large smile to lead male vocalist Neil Haverty. Similarly when second man sang The Swimming Song, one of my favourite covers (period) I had an equal beam back. Their own material was just as great and following Adrenaline they closed out strong with Steamroller with Neil finding himself steamrolled to the stage, a move he'd concede afterward were accidental but evidenced the power of the song nonetheless. The encore cheers were legitimate, hauling everyone back out for the first song they ever wrote together, Weave Myself a Dress, into Crabapples that Neil climbing to the balcony to close the triumphant set.

Dusted

Dusted is Brian Borcherdt's incarnation outside of Holy Fuck that isn't his stripped down solo work. This project borrows from both - the high vocals through mic effects, the similar guitar of his solo work, but the more full sounding and effects of Holy Fuck. The drum set carried a keyboard, effect knobs and electronic drum pad (as well as a backlit, transparent kick drum). Volume was up and music enjoyable though as it was a first listen the set did run slightly long, even with the mid show appearance of a large, red-panted and bearded violinist to mix it up. Outside of Holy Fuck this may be the happiest medium for Brian's musical output.

Skeletones Four, as the name suggests, are a 4 piece from Guelph, Ontario. They embody the guitar

as their clear, ringingly sound is obviously technically polished and sounds great. Primarily guitar-focused there are some lyrics to surround the instrumental breakdowns that are sincere and do not come across as proggy or pretentious. The bass lines emanating from the Gordon brother, Evan, in his signature cowboy boots and buckle, were strong and smooth, especially on third from last, also the best song of the set. Someone said they should score a movie and I could hear it; a gripping tale of adventure and suspense.

PS I Love You (Garrison, May 15 '12)

Second album, second shot. Skipping the openers in favour of Hey Ocean I arrived just in time for the duo's set. However they aren't a live duo anymore, being joined by a Matters (formerly D'urbervilles) member who augmented their guitar/drum barrage with either keys, bass or more guitar. The Garrison was full but not jammed and frankly I thought the audience was going to be more into the band that had double cover stories the previous week (both Exclaim and Now). Off the top the band didn't kick it (opener saw Paul on bass, not guitar) and nobody, myself included really got into it. Maybe five tracks deep when some more standout tracks (Muster Station's 2012 and current single, Sentimental Dishes) were added it began to pick up. There was a perfunctory ovation for an encore and it satisfied but wasn't mind blowing either. I'd been promised a show I could feel as well as hear so despite the ear plugs it hardly came across as such. That being said when I disengaged them for the final number it was definitely loud, if not earth shaking. That could be said for the entire show in fact.

Hey Ocean, By Divine Right (Clinton's, May 15, '12)

Sound checks always seem to take forever, especially so when you've gotta leave. This was the case but finally Hey Ocean! were ready. All eyes fall to the lead singer (and lead, well only, clarinet) but the five other band members deserve recognition for crafting the upbeat, indie pop for her to lay her impressive vocals over. This was exhibited right off the top with A Song About California and carried through the handful of tracks I was able to stick around for. I Am A Heart was one highlight of these. A revealing intro to Change set us up for the whistle/synths, claps and exquisite vocals. I didn't get a chance to Make a New Dance Up but was pleased to have caught what I did while supporting Skate4Cancer in the process.


By Divine Right is the name of the band retained by the lead singer and guitarist. After all he told a story of playing their second anniversary at Clinton's in1992, at which point his female bassist chimed in that she was 5 at the time and the equally young-looking drummer was definitely still a minor. There was a little variation, a couple acoustic guitar tracks to close and a few catchy riffs would pop up, but for the most part it was a couple chords strummed repeatedly. Sure this works in punk bands and apparently it worked for a Toronto indie band in the 90s too, but here it seemed to fall flat. The room was packed, sold out actually, with what one had to assume were eager Hey Ocean fans as the chatter raised whenever you could be heard over the sound system. I definitely know the band's name however all night I couldn't place a single song.