this year.

It’s spring in Toronto when I can dawn a pair of sandals and slide into a seedy club to take in some spectacular live music. It’s been a while since I last wrote, and I attribute this to my new job. It has me working some long days, and by days I mean afternoons into the wee morning hours. It’s loads of fun, and I’m happy. But I digress. My new job also makes it tough to take in shows, so I was stoked to learn The Mountain Goats were in town on my night off. So off to Lee’s Palace I went, with my $13 admission fee in hand.

The last time I was at Lee’s was for Mike Doughty a year or so earlier, and it was a pretty empty show. Coincidently Mike played the previous night, but I had to work and was unable to make it out. I hear it was a great show. I was pleasantly surprised to discover Lee’s quite full for The Mountain Goats show. I like to arrive early to catch the opening bands, cause you never know what hidden treasure you might find. I arrived just as Jeff Hanson was playing his last few songs. I gotta say I wasn’t impressed. It took me a moment to clue into the fact that he was a male, because he sounded an awful lot like a girl. Your typical slow singer/songwriter ballad songs. I was in a mood to rock a bit, so I grabbed a Blue and waited for my buddy to show up.

The 2nd band was miles above the opening guy. They are a band called Shearwater (no, not Stillwater), a band from Austin Texas. They were tight. Drums, keyboards, bass, guitar/banjo and a violin. Robin(?) the bassist typically plays a standup bass, but it broke before the show, so she borrowed a electric bass. They said this was her first time ever playing an electric bass, so I’d say she did well. It can’t be to big a difference, so correct me if I’m wrong. They lost me for a bit when they did some noise making, jam session, but it all came back when an audience member slow-clapped the rest of us into a round of applause. The drummer of Shearwater’s name was Thor, and he is the gentlemen with the long flowing blond locks in the photo above. The kicker is that he also was wearing a fanny pack. I would have bet money he was a roadie if I didn’t see him play the set.

Having never seen The Mountain Goats before, and having just discovered them a month or so back while on the East Coast or Bust road trip, I have no clue what they look like, how many their were, or the size of their shoes. Having mostly listened to the new album I was expecting a large band, because the album is rich in drums, piano, violin, bass and guitar. So when two guys climbed on stage with an acoustic guitar and an electric bass I was disappointed. Granted this disappointment did not last long. They proceeded to make those instruments scream, and blew my socks off. The vocal range and style of John Darnielle are unique, and satisfying. About 3/4 of the way though the set the guys from Shearwater came out and played a number of songs, adding that extra kick I was looking for.

My only complaints would be that I think they only played for 1h, though it felt longer, and they did not play some of the hottest tracks off the new album: This Year, Dilaudid, Up The Wolves and Magpie. Heck, they could have played the entire album and I would have been happy. I imagine they didn’t play these tracks because they have not yet discovered how to play them at a live show (Dilaidid is basically violins).

In the end it was a completely satisfying concert, and a great break from the hectic and long days of Labatt Blue Chip Poker. I couldn’t have asked for better timing.