Chilly Gonzales - Koerner Hall (April 21/15)

Settling in on his piano bench Chilly must have already been comfortable, not simply because he was dressed in his now traditional bathrobe and slippers but because he was about to play a homecoming. Although a European resident for many years now and a consummate performer regardless of locale I'm sure, there still seemed to be something special in the air here in the Great North. Without a word he focused on his piano for a prolonged moment before bringing his hands from his lap to the keys. From there he impressed with a few solo piano songs (not necessarily from the compilations with the same title) before finally bringing out the Kaiser Quartet. To applause they took their positions, violin 1 and 2, viola and cello, and then continued to just hold these positions while Chilly played an entire song until coming in for literally the last note - an A minor. "My Crazy Horse" he would introduce them as - Gonzo's playful side beginning to show. A performer through and through, he had a flair during his playing as well as a number of other tricks. As banter he often acted as a teacher, explaining some musical elements with audible examples (we did hear The Eagles, however briefly, not wanting that to be the one takeaway) and history likened to contemporary pop culture (Wagner is Kanye but also Tupac). Yes the quartet (plus drummer) were sometimes used as props but he also obviously had high respect for the group who played excellently and took everything in good humour. Before his first rap he broke out the bongos and played a sample of Beethoven's 5th (or LVB as he preferred to refer to him) but carried on with the bongos for his own tune. Although he did also rap Supervillain Music, Self Portrait (a great Nick Cage quip) and a couple others these were less prominent than straight instrumental. Personal favourite The Grudge was introduced by saying it had been converted from a piano track to a "banger" by Boys Noize and then he had to convert it back. The change was noticeable in a slower version but also of note, despite the semi-frequent curses that littered the songs it was "sick f&%!" that was changed to "schmuck" and the first half of "put it in your mouth/so you won't see it coming" was dropped altogether (plus he added "supposedly" before "hit him in the stomach" when talking about what led to Houdini's death.) A few others from Ivory Tower made the set, as did a song that he showed was in the attached school's grade 9 piano book before dramatically throwing it away with a dismissive "I don't need this - I wrote it!" At the end of the set, after a hum-along, a nearly instantaneous standing ovation was put up which was warranted, for despite being mostly instrumental (not my fave) it was highly engaging and a thoroughly unique show. Upon his encore return with the crew he claimed to be a "musical genius" and then stood upon the keys of his piano (cringe!) to rap (Not a) Musical Genius. The second encore didn't seem that unheard of considering to that point Never Stop hadn't been heard (instrumental). However the third and final outing just saw Chilly and the cellist for a song announced to a groan as Cello Gonzales, from recent Chamber Music. Even after that many reappearances, all of which spurred by standing applause, I would have been content to settle back in for another set. Not that I wasn't satisfied but more that I was thoroughly enjoying the mix of music, classical elements melded with contemporary pop, plus learning a few things and the comedy of it all from Chilly's unique flair. A non-traditional concert but an excellent one of a kind.

Amy Millan, Patrick Watson (Koerner Hall, Nov 10)

Amy Millan began the evening, admitting that these were songs she hadn't dusted off in the nearly two years since her last solo album, Masters of the Burial. If there was rust there it did not show from the leading lady, nor her upstanding accompaniment. The selection of gems from both of her solo albums was beautifully brought to life with the aid of Ben Whitely on standup bass, Dan Whitely playing acoustic and electric guitar or alternatively an electric ukulele that had a uniquely great sound. However it was the multi instrumentalist Christine Bougie who opened on steel guitar but also played drums and whatever else was required, that really completed the sound. Ooo that lap steel with those acoustics. Magic! Speaking of magic it was simply great to hear Amy's smooth vocals at the forefront of the set. It was fantastic to just allow the music to overtake you from all angles and be immersed in the sound as she incorporated tributes, including a Sarah Harmer number and her beautiful Death Cab version (I Will Follow You Into the Dark). She also chose to play Stars' Ageless Beauty for its reference to melting, on this the debut evening of Cape Farewell North America, a foundation to raise public voice regarding climate change. Amy's self-proclaimed 'baby daddy', Evan Cranley played trombone on a couple songs but did not wish for any limelight, having just traveled home from possibly the final BSS show the previous night. The wonderful room was filled with Amy's sweet music, as well as her good humour in light-hearted banter, to really set the right mood to begin the evening.

Patrick Watson and co. were charged with the task of picking up from here following the intermission. They made an impression off the top by entering in sheer darkness, guided only by flashlight rings on their fingers. Taking their positions you could only reason that it was Patrick singing from the piano but in reality it was far too dark to tell. The song, about shining a little light, was being quite literally interpreted. In fact, the lighting was stunning all night long as strings of bulbs stretched from ceiling to stage that lit in pattern, and were coupled with backlighting through a smoky haze. It was a beautiful visual complement to the already wonderfully dense aural experience. A prime example was a classic that followed the few brand new tracks from the forthcoming album that they had wrapped in studio just a day earlier. This strong classic was Beijing and it was stunningly performed. As the song swept back and forth from piano through the achingly awesome strings over to the drums (and pots and pans?) and back again, the backlit reds flashed in time to make it an all-encompassing glorious song. I beamed the entire time and sat nearly stunned in its conclusion - most probably the best single piece of music I've witnessed this year.

Although this breakthrough moment happened early in the night it did not mean the rest of the set was a throwaway - far from it. To take advantage of the hall a few members stepped away for a two-person, one-mic campfire song front and center, before everyone was invited back for another one-mic effort to Big Bird in a Small Cage. The third and final song with this set-up saw Patrick in his unique, quirky way introduce Amy Millan who leant backing female vocals on a song that transitioned smoothly back into a full-stage, all-hands-on-deck show.

There were some lighter moments too, for example when the violin/drum battle was neatly ended by a slide whistle solo from Patrick (before he casually tossed it away once its use was no longer required). For the remainder of the set they returned to strong-sounding, fully fleshed out songs using everything but the megaphone. None quite hit the high of Beijing but it was still excellent and akin to that feeling.

A standing ovation from the audience had them return for Luscious Life much to my pleasure. Now following this they were taking their bows and Patrick apologized that they were limited to only one song for the encore. Despite the disheartening news we continued to applaud and as the band was headed backstage their fearless leader bee-lined for the piano. "I'm going to get in trouble for this" he told us as he launched into a solo rendition of The Great Escape. He flubbed a part and admonishing himself for it he returned to replay it again. Then leaving the piano to come center stage in the dimly lit room he ensured that we were singing along loudly (we were!) before reseating himself to close off the song and the concert. Watson is a musical genius whose live show really showcases this and deserves recognition. The venue, the Amy accompaniment, the reemergence with new material and the obvious enjoyment both on-stage and off, all summed up to make this a truly special musical evening.