VOL. 1 NO. 1 Winter 2015 Upfront MAGAZINE VOL
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upfront MAGAZINE VOL. 1 NO. 1 Winter 2015 upfront MAGAZINE VOL. 1 NO. 1 Winter 2015 editor-in-chief Chloe Silver contributors WORDS PICTURES Emilia Vieni Matt Janicki Jacob Hrajnik Lauren Barthold Dean Snowball Dasha Zolota Evangeline Fitz Jacob Hrajnik Claire Mclean Alex Lysakowski Eric Berall Evangeline Fitz Kaylin Baker-Fields Linda Arki Jessica Lewis Lucas Kschischang OT Truong Matt Mullenweg With special thanks to Paul Sych. depart features ments 8 TOUR DATES 20 DEATH FROM THIS ABOVE 1979 10 VENUE 12 WARDROBE THIS IS MY 13 SOUNDCHECK FAVOURITE 26 SCRAP OF 14 OPENING ACTS PAPER THE 40 ENCORE FRONT COVER The Flaming Lips at The 42 DOUBLE TAKE Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, 2009. Courtesy of Matt Janicki. 46 AFTERPARTY 32OKTOBERFEST BACK COVER Childish Gambino playing to a huge crowd in Oakland in 2012. IST WUNDERBAR! Courtesy of Matt Mullenwag. I have been going to concerts in that’s only from the fans’ side. Imagine Toronto for a long time. what the performers must be feeling My first concert was at the when they end a set that they have SkyDome (yes, it was called the given their all to perform. That feeling SkyDome then) way back in 2003. My is what Upfront Magazine is about. We dad took me to see a slew of performers aim to examine the concert experience at the Concert For Toronto festival from top to bottom, start to finish. such as The Tragically Hip, Barenaked Sometimes literally. Ladies, Sum 41, and more. This magazine wants nothing more Now, 11 years later, I attend a live than for you to enjoy your concert show at least twice a month. Being able experience to the best of your ability. to see musicians perform the music you We do our best to bridge the gap have heard so many times is really cool. between audiences and performers, You can watch the music being created so that everyone can share in the and see how the musicians experience experience. After all, we’re all just it in person. And the closer you are to searching for that feeling, right? the front, the experience heightens all So read on. Experience, remember, editor’s s the more. On numerous occasions, I learn, and discover all that Toronto’s LETTER have looked into the eyes of performers indie music scene has to offer to you. as they held out microphones to me What are you waiting for? It’s time for because they noticed I was singing you to get Upfront. along to their lyrics. That feeling you get when you walk Stay tuned, out of a show that was so exciting and fun and intense, is incomparable. And Editor-in-chief Chloe Silver winter 2015 7 TOUR DATES january 2 3 4 Mississauga 1 2 decembershoegazers Huge Cosmic hit the Your new fave mix of Willie Nile hits the Handlebar. rock and folk, Strand Horeshoe Tavern. Article on page 14. 1of Oaks visits the Rock out to Death Get a little country Horseshoe Tavern. From Above 1979 at in your veins. the Sound Academy. Article on page 20. 3 8 9 10 5 136 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tokyo Police Club returns to Toronto at Danforth Music Hall. 11&12Article on page 32. 14 15 16 17 Rural Alberta 20 11 12 13 14 16 17 Hang out with Advantage hits the Cracker15 and Danforth Music Hall, The Johnny Red Eyes Camper Van their second time in revisit the Smiling Beethoven at Lee’s Toronto this year. Buddha Bar. Article Palace. Article on page 32. on page 18. 21 22 24 25 261927 18 20 21 22 23 Jason Collett’s Basement Elliot Brood brings Revue comes back for a Check out The Vaselines 24their sound to the second year during Luminato at Lee’s Palace. Phoenix. at the Dakota Tavern. Two Alternative rock fresh nights for twice the fun! 18 from Glasgow. 28 29 25 26 27 28 29 30 Nikki Fierce ring in the new year at The Big deal that he Sister. Article on is, Owen Pallett page 16. 19 plays two shows on the same day 31 at Lee’s Palace.31 winter 2015 9 THIS VENUE One part concert venue, one part crazy dance party, one part late-night burrito haven. This place has it all. 10 let’s head over to Located on Bloor, in a very loud block And when the bands have played of the Annex between Borden and their encores and gotten on their tour Lippincott, lies Lee’s very own Palace. vans, you can head upstairs to the The building in its present incarnation Dance Cave for some amazing beats lee’s.as a concert hall has been open since from the eighties, nineties, and oughts. 1985, although it originally opened as In the coming months, the Dance Cave a movie theatre in the 1950s and even is slowly becoming a concert venue as served as a restaurant in between. well. Hosting small bands like Elvis The front facade of Lee’s, with its Depressedly and Paul Cargnello, both colourful graffiti-style outsider art, the venue and the bands are quickly is easily recognizable and has helped gaining momentum. the venue reach an iconic status in Truly one of the great music venues Toronto architecturally. Musically the of Toronto, Lee’s is a special mix of venue is iconic as well, having hosted concert hall and night club with a Big the Toronto debuts of such renowned Fat Burrito franchise open as late as bands as Nirvana, The Smashing the hall. You could not want for more, Pumpkins, and Oasis. literally. winter 2015 11 WAR- SOUND DROBE CHECK How do people pick the shoes they wear The sun shone brightly into my eyes to shows? Generally, you know you’re on an early morning in August. Today going to be standing for a while. Do you was Edgefest 2013, a popular summer go for comfort or style, or both? If you music festival held at Downsview wear heels, you’ll be able to see better calm Park, and I was chosen to be a concert but your feet will not thank you for it photographer for the event. At 6:00 by the time the main act hits the stage. AM I can’t say I was terribly excited. And what about outdoor concerts? before My body ached as I forced myself out of There might be sand or mud or even bed and began to pack my camera and snow! Decisions, decisions. Story by Emilia Vieni extra lenses. the I was one of the first people to arrive on the grounds. As I began to take photos of the early risers that arrived at the festival, people of all ages stormbegan to show up, many with tattoos and strange flower headbands. The energy slowly began to grow as more and more people filled the grounds. I could tell that this was going to be an exciting – if not exhausting – day. As the day wore on, the crowds grew with the darkening clouds. Rain didn’t have a chance to quell kicks. the excitement that I witnessed from bands and audiences alike. I shot photos of Mother Mother, Monster Truck, and The Lumineers among other performers. The quiet I had ABOVE Monster Truck’s Jon Harvey experienced in the morning had been sings his guts out all over the crowd. completely taken over by the sounds of cheering, guitars and bass. I got to stand right at the front with the help of my media pass, and I could feel the energy of the crowd. winter 2015 13 OPENING ACT Huge Cosmic has, quite literally, a huge rather than take on extra members. Huge Cosmic blend mayonnaise-thick sound. They sound like a merry band Though the band’s name was chosen fuzz tones, clean guitar taps, buzzy of fifteen but in reality are comprised from a Haruki Murakami novel, the synths, busy drumming, 11/8 time of two. band once toyed with the idea of signatures, and ‘90s Emo reminiscent Vocalist/guitarist Jacob Hrajnik naming themselves “Gradients” – as vocals. Their music is an uncommon and vocalist/drummer Dean Snowball it seemed that every song they were melange of math rock and shoegaze. huge quickly realized they could enlarge writing was an ever-evolving and never- their sound with the use of a loop pedal, returning series of movements, moods, Hear Huge Cosmic live in action at cosmic bass amp, sampler pad and keyboard, and ideas. Exploding out of the canvas, http://hugecosmic.bandcamp.com/. Huge Cosmic is Dean Snowball and Jacob Hrajnik. Most of the press photography of the band makes them look deep and dreamy-eyed, like their music. RIGHT Huge Cosmic’s first EP, Microcosmic. You can listen to it in its entirety on their bandcamp. winter 2015 15 OPENING ACT Nikki Fierce began as a summer project transformation into a new person. shortly after three bored girls watched The genre of their music is hard the movie “The Runaways.” They were to pin down, but recently they’ve inspired by Joan Jett’s sound and decided upon the combination of “fierce” attitude. Evangeline had a indie, alternative, rock, and pop, with a guitar and Claire had her dad’s drum mixture of grunge as well. set. Emily originally began with keys, Nikki Fierce represents but moved on to bass which became her everything the girls can be with instrument of choice. The band name their best potential. It is about love, originated from the British movie confidence, acceptance, and of course “How To Be.” The girls were struck by empowerment, otherwise known as the character named Nikki Fierce, being “fierce”.