Jill Barber
Standing confidently in front of a capacity crowd with a guitar in hand, Jill Barber strummed, dipped, swayed and, most importantly, sang her way through a selection of songs from Oh Heart and A Note To Follow So (recently liberated from obscurity by Zunior.com). Older beyond her years, Barber delivered a blend of pastoral folk and jazz leanings all underpinned with a pop sensibility. Picture Sarah Harmer transported to the 1930s. Barber becomes more and more comfortable on stage as she continues to seduce her adopted Halifax home. She sent the capacity crowd on their way with a rendition of “The Tennessee Waltz†and a tune by her older brother Matthew.
Death By Nostalgia
Beneath the Marquee, a crowd gathered like moths to the light. It became difficult to sit still when the sound of the overarching keyboards and methodical rhythm section was delivered through the speakers. Death By Nostalgia is lovingly linked to the past but you are never bombarded with any unearned or overbearing sentimentality. The T-shirt clad trio of Matt Reid (vocals/keyboards), Rod Affleck (bass) and Spencer Cantley (drums) is more than apt at unleashing a steady stream of instrumental deviance, passionate melancholy and all-out rockers since shifting from a four piece. Former DBN guitarist Jim Cooper was even present to momentarily rock the mic.
Dog Day
A couple of couples make up Dog Day. It’s the musical marriage of 50-percent of the Burdocks (Seth Smith and Nancy Urich) and half of the Hold (Casey Spidle and Crystal Thili) that compose the full-on priceless-ness of this side-project with main stage presence. At the centre is Smith’s voice, both a lyrical and sonic gift to Halifax’s indie rockdom, weaving through standouts from their Thank You EP like “Use Your Powers,†“Sleeping On Couches†and “Zombie.†Seeing a young band that is simultaneously reminiscent of a Halifax past yet fresh and primed for a full future at the historic Khyber club is a textbook pop explosion moment.
Japanther
Usually when a band “phones in†a performance it’s a bad sign. With the dynamic dyad of Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, it just adds another layer to the sonic salad. Two jury-rigged pink telephone receivers, bass guitar, credit card pick, rear-facing drums, a pile of cassette accompaniment and litres of sweat all round out the Japanther experience. Like a Frankenstein version of the Ramones, the Beach Boys and Public Enemy being channelled by a far less chaotic Lighting Bolt, Reilly and Vanek have themselves a lo-fi travelling road show of relentless rhythms, grafted melodies and well choreographed vocal samples.
Royal Wood
Halifax may have welcomed Wood to town with unrelenting rain, but his performance was far from dampened by the experience. Backed with airtight precision by In-Flight Safety (who apparently had practiced only briefly that day in less than accommodating conditions), each song, such as the heavy “Weight Me Down,†the bouncy “Once†and the enlightening “The Spirits and I,†came to life, anchored by either his piano prowess or guitar playing. Wood is on his way to establishing himself alongside the Canadian royalty of artists such as Slean, Sexsmith and Wainright.
From: Halifax Pop Explosion Reviews (October 11 to 15, 2005)
By Carsten Knox, Iain K. MacLeod and Scott Reid
