Luck Be A Lady Tonight – Steven Page live at Canalside – June 20, 2013

 

Luck Be A Lady Tonight – Steven Page live at Canalside – June 20, 2013

A band is an organic unit made up of the sum of the members’ talents.  A band losing a primary member is sort of like a person losing a limb; it changes the entire tenor and tone of the band.  Fans of Barenaked Ladies have lamented the loss of Steven Page since he left the band a few years back.  Page has released two solo albums (one while still with BNL), as well as an intriguing collaboration with The Art Of Time Project.  This past Thursday he brought his new band to Canalside in Buffalo, NY.

Page began by alternating songs from his latest album, Page One, with BNL classics.  Opening with “A New Shore”, Page seemingly set the stage for a night of new material.  Early on, he alternated new songs such as “Indecision”, “She’s Trying To Save Me”, “Over Joy”, “Marry Me”, and “Entourage”.  The best performance of the night might have been reserved for Page’s non-album track “A Different Sort Of Solitude”.  This tune is a rocker seriously pop sensibility, and was an incredibly vibrant surprise.

 The biggest responses of the night, however, we for BNL classics such as “Jane”, “The Old Apartment”, “What A Good Boy” and “Enid”.  Beginning with “Enid”, Page went on a run of BNL tunes to close out the night.  I caught “Break Your Heart”, “It’s All Been Done” and “Brian Wilson”.  The little ones ran out of gas and so we had to leave, but one more song was forthcoming.  If anyone wants to add a note about that I’d be grateful.

The fact is that Page was engaging on stage, although not as wild and funny as in his BNL days.  Indeed, the suit he wore spoke more of a Vegas style stage show than a rock concert.  Nevertheless, Page used humor and reminiscences of more than 20 years of performances in Buffalo to connect with the crowd.  There’s no doubt that the old BNL material was what the crowd came for, and I have to admit that the songs Page played still sound best in his voice.

The show had two opening acts.  First up was Buffalo’s own Son Of The Sun, whom I’ve written about in the past.  Their set was very solid, and vocalist Zak Ward did an outstanding job of establishing himself in the big open space along the Erie Canal.  The band created a big wall of sound that helped get the early crowd in the mood for the night.

Pittsburgh rockers The Truth had the middle spot, and their set was eye opening.  Performing a mix of covers and original tunes, the band showed off some serious songwriting chops.  Much of their original material was co-written with legendary Nashville songwriter Bernie Nelson, and is very radio friendly with elements of classic rock and country woven throughout.  Co-lead vocalists Paul Michael Benson and Ayesha Scott make for a great vocal mix.  Benson is an accomplished vocalist and front man, but Ayesha Scott lit up the night with a voice that could stop a stampede.  Benson’s presence is key, but Ayesha Scott is a star in waiting.

Jason Plumb and the Willing - All Is More Than Both

Jason Plumb and the Willing – All Is More Than Both
2012, Soccer Mom Records

Saskatchewan-based singer/songwriter Jason Plumb got his start in the early 1990’s as the front man for The Waltons.  Touring with Barenaked Ladies early in their career, The Waltons became a fan favorite across Canada and parts of the Northeast U.S, largely on the strength of Plumb’s songwriting and his voice.  The band waned with the 1990’s, and Plumb has gone on to become one of the most respect Indie songwriters in Canada.  Both as a solo artist and with his band The Willing, Plumb historically brings a quiet intensity and subtle melancholy to his songwriting that is compelling.  Plumb turns a corner on his latest album, All Is More Than Both, his third turn with The Willing.  With Canadian super-producer Michal Phillip Wojewoda at the helm, Plumb finds the anger and the joy embedded in his melancholy and lets it rip on what is his most vibrant album to date.

Recapturing a sonic vigor not seen since his earliest work with The Waltons, Plumb begins a full-on aural assault with “First Time”, a wondrous blend of 1980’s rock and Americana that recalls the glory days of a teenager and first love.  This is easily the most commercial single Plumb has produced in some time, but he does so without giving up a bit of quality in his songwriting.  The chorus is infectious and will inhabit your head for days; you won’t be able to help yourself from dancing and singing along.  “Losin’” has a much darker and heavier feel.  Co-written with Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies (who also contributes vocals here), there is a palpable anger to the song that may surprise longtime fans.

“What You Leave” is quite another matter altogether, a wonderfully melodic take on growing up, aging gracefully and coming to terms with what is important in life.  Former Barenaked Lady Steven Page lends his golden pipes in support of the most aurally appealing track on the album.  “Alone With You” is a catchy, mid-tempo anti-love song with a chorus that sounds like it belongs on 1970’s classic rock radio (Eagles, anyone?)  Plumb’s brilliance shines here in simple things, and you’ll find it hard to get this song out of your head.

Jason Plumb returns to gentle, melodic melancholy on “Hold On”, a gorgeous rumination on not being taken in again by love.  The vocals here are sublime, and Plumb builds the song in small measures to a chorus you simple cannot shake.  Listen for vocal support from Alexa Dirks, whose voice could light up a room.  “All By Myself” finds Jason Plumb and the Willing muscling up for a buoyant mid-tempo rocker full of the sort of hooks that make radio programmers drool.  Don’t be surprised if this song finds its way to the airwaves as we move into the summer months.

“On A Chain” blends pop and Americana in a brilliant reflection on not being able to break away from an old love.  The chorus is full of gorgeous vocal harmonies spread out around an edgy melody line; the contrast is appealing, and the mix of voices is pure magic.  Plumbs dips into romantic territory with “Falling Star”, which sounds as if it might have been left over from his Beauty In This World sessions.  It would, in fact, be surprising if this were a leftover, as the song is Plumb at his finest blend of poetry and melody.  It’s a beauty, and builds into a symphonic sounding chorus that leaves an impression on the listener.

"Under A Gun” finds Plumb sticking with his more lyric side, crafting a subtly beautiful melody line drenched in an ethereal, country-tinged arrangement that wraps you u and rocks you gently in its arms.  “Sweet Misery” starts with the simplest of piano lines and builds into an ode to the mix of suffering and joy that so often makes up love.  The twist here is that Plumb is looking back at someone from the past and realizing how good it was even if he couldn’t see it at the time.  Plumb reasserts his status as one of the finest working songwriters of his day right here.  You’ll have this song on continuous repeat.  Jason Plumb and the Willing close things out on a pragmatic note with the incredibly upbeat country/rock of “Naturally (Ain’t Up To Me)”. The chorus will invade your brain and refuse to leave as Plumb waxes poetic on a newfound acceptance of our ultimate place in life.

I’ll step outside the role of reviewer for a moment and offer a disclaimer: I have been a Jason Plumb fan for years.  I saw him with the Waltons back in the day when they opened for Barenaked Ladies in Ontario and small clubs in Buffalo.  I have followed his career as he has branched out; first on his own and later, with Jason Plumb and The Willing.  It’s not surprising that a fan is going to like the work of one of his favorite artists.  (Reviewer hat back on.)  What is surprising, however, is when a well-established songwriter who is respected by his peers remakes himself and raises the bar twenty-five years into a successful career.  Some credit has to be given to Michael Phillip Wojewoda for overseeing the same sort of transformation he has wrought with acts such as Barenaked Ladies, The Rheostatics, Spirit of the West and Ashley MacIsaac.  But the bulk of the credit goes to Jason Plumb and the Willing.  All Is More Than Both is brilliant from first note to last.  This is Prairie Music Award worthy, Juno Award worthy, and yes, GRAMMY Award worthy.  It’s also one of the easiest selections ever as a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating:  5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Jason Plumb at www.jasonplumb.com or www.myspace.com/jasonplumbandthewilling.  All Is More Than Both is a Canadian release.  If you need a CD, you'll have to go MapleMusic.  Digital versions are available from the e-tailers below.

     iTunes

Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Former Barenaked Ladies vocalist engaged...

Steven Page, the former co-lead vocalist for rock band Barenaked Ladies tweeted in the early hours of this morning that he is now engaged to his girlfriend of four years, Christine Benedicto.  The pair have registered for Crate & Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest and are seeking votes.  You can check out their entry here.

Page is one of the co-founders of Canadian rock quintet (now quartet) Barenaked Ladies.  Page and Ed Robertson wrote/sang many of the band's signature hits from its inception in 1988 until Page's departure in 2009 for a solo career.  Page released his second solo album of original material in the Fall of 2010.  You can check out our review of Page One here.

Wildy's World Top 60 Albums of 2010: 20-11

 Today we work ourselves down to the brink of the top-10.  The great music keeps rolling!  I know we're all excited to get to 2011, but this is one last chance to remember the great albums we talked about in the past year.  Let's roll...

20. Social Code – Rock N Roll
The Edmonton rockers pack a punch while retaining a distinct pop sense in their US debut, a big rock album that manages to be commercial without sounding like that was the point.

19. Steven Page – Page One
The former Barenaked Ladies co-front man proves he can make it on his own, bring his own special blend of darkness and pop sensibility to Page One.

18. Sami.The.Great – Nothing Left To See
Sami.The.Great is going to be a star someday.  Nothing Left To See is perhaps a reference to Sami's heart, which she wears on her sleeve.  It's certainly not representative of her songwriting.  You'll want a long musical relationship with Sami.The.Great.

17. Alexis Foxe – To Have And Want More
Alexis Foxe is over the top, ala Lady Gaga and Madonna.  Luckily she has the singing and songwriting talent to back up her musical hubris.  To Have And Want More is a brilliant start that will appeal to music fans of all ilks.

16. JD Eicher & The Goodnights – The Shape Of Things
Perhaps one of the most understated pop efforts of 2010, The Shape Of Things sneaks up on you, settles into your brain and takes you on a ride you won't soon forget.

15. Barenaked Ladies – All In Good Time
No one knew what to expect from Barenaked Ladies after the departure of co-founder Steven Page, but it's safe to say that the band surprised fans and critics alike with their most mature and musically satisfying album to date.

14. Scarlitt – Hope Unseen
Scarlitt avoids the comic-book character quality of many new pop/metal bands to deliver an old-school, wall shaking collection of songs so well constructed musically you won't quite believe what you're hearing.

13. Laura Roppé – I’m Still Here
Roppé  is the comeback kid; not only kicking cancer to the curb but remaking herself as an artist in one of the most brilliant and emotionally naked artistic turns of 2010.  Roppé jettison's the glitz and polish of her debut album for a depth of emotional honesty that is startling and welcome.

12. Trout Fishing In America – Lookin’ At Lucky
Trout Fishing In America returned in 2010 with their first album for adults in more than a decade, an amazing collection of songs that show maturity and nuance blended with an ear for melody that is incomparable.

11. Gunnar Madsen – Two Hands
While you might not think of Madsen as a piano virtuoso from his work with The Bobs, Two Hands is by far the most impressive instrumental album of 2010.

Steven Page - Page One

Steven Page - Page One

2010, Anthem/Zoe/Rounder Records

The past eighteen months have been a real-life roller coaster for Steven Page.  The former Barenaked Ladies co-founder, vocalist and songwriter has lived through legal troubles, relationship upheavals and well-publicized schism with his former band mates.  Longtime fans of Steven Page and Barenaked Ladies tend to have highly polarized thoughts on the matter, but there's little doubt that Page's voice is one of the most distinctive in pop music over the past two decades.  Page has done well for himself in the days since the breakup, reinventing himself as an artist and recapturing his love of songwriting and performing with the newfound freedom and lack of a safety net implicit in being a solo artist.  Earlier this year Page released The Art Of Time Project, a collection of classic cover tunes done with classical instrumentation and Page's iconic vocals, but you just knew it wouldn't be long until Page came back with original material.  This week Page released his third solo album, Page One, leaving behind some of the cynical darkness that marked his later work with Barenaked Ladies.

Page One opens with “A New Shore”, a bright and airy tune about starting over.  Page brings the same pop sensibility that characterizes his previous work but with a more orchestral feel.  Page explores hope as a new concept after coming through dark times and finding life and love again in a solid and promising opener.  “Indecision” is delicious pop; sounding like the Beatles if they’d broken out two decades later.  The song has a classic bachelor theme: the inability to commit or decide.  Page takes a brave step in acknowledging his legal issues from 2009 in oblique terms, capturing the larger picture that may have been missed in the press at the time.  Page manages to turn lemons into pop lemonade with subtly pointed self-commentary.

“Entourage” takes on the societal obsession with celebrity culture in biting and satiric terms.  This is classic page, sounding purely reverent on the surface while ripping and shredding in the seams.  It’s a great song.  “Marry Me” is a new wave love song with a classic chorus right down to the sha-la-la’s in the backing vocals.  Page takes on the conundrum of two individuals who march to their own drummer yet find themselves in love just like everyone else in a wondrous pop arrangement.  “All The Young Monogamists” could either be a prologue or epilogue to “Marry Me”.  Opening in baroque musical stylings, “All The Young Monogamists” illuminates the love story of two jaded souls who have been around the block and made their mistakes, promising to be true while acknowledging that it’s not in their nature.  Page again hits multiple levels in song, expressing the intent to love forever while acknowledging the underlying imperfection of humanity that sends best intentions awry.  The arrangement here is nothing short of brilliant.

“She’s Trying To Save Me” gets into the sort of zany darkness seen in Page’s best material with Barenaked Ladies.  Page gets a songwriting assist from Stephen Duffy here, and the pop sensibility is through the roof.  This one is ripe picking for a soundtrack, as the theme might be very appealing for a motion picture, and the song might be the most radio-ready on the album.  Page explores depression and self-destructive tendencies within a relationship in “Over Joy”, telling his beloved to let him go as she’ll be better off.  It’s a remarkably mature bit of songwriting; something Page has shown a touch for in the past but perhaps never quite so cogently as here.  The melody is memorable and the hook in the chorus will keep you coming back.  Page has a great sense of theater as well, completely changing Page One’s tone with the snarky dance tune “If You Love Me”.  The theme here is ignoring all of the damage and destruction in an individual or relationship and simply being in a moment.  It’s a fun, emotionally dysfunctional tune that’s either extremely tongue-in-cheek or an outward expression of sociopathology in song.

“Leave Her Alone” finds Page intersecting two generations of music and ideals while exploring the clash of an older generation who grew up by getting out of home as soon as they could and contrasting it with today when kids return home after school and stay.  The big band jazz opening cedes to rock n roll in the bridge and chorus with a transition that happens so fast and so clean you might not notice it right away.  “Leave Her Alone” takes a laissez-fair attitude, a sort of “everyone finds their own path in their own time” concept drenched in a brilliant melody and arrangement.  Page vamps like a Vegas pro and gets a big assist from Prince’s NPG horn section.  “Queen Of America” feels a bit like an incomplete thought, but manages to convey the importance of breaking out of conformity and being yourself.  The song is delivered in 1960’s pop style with a mild techno beat.  Page One closes with “The Chorus Girl”, a bit of mellow musical détente about dreams and directions to come in a dreamy pop moment that shows off Page’s more lyric side. 

Stephen Page rediscovers his love of making music on Page One.  There is fluidity to the songwriting here that will be recognizable to fans of his early work with Barenaked Ladies.  Page has grown up both personally and musically over the years, but the sense of musical spontaneity that makes Page great is back.  The over-arching sense of darkness in Page’s later BNL work has been tempered here with humor and grand melodicism; the result is more balanced songwriting that is mature, reflective and laced with wit. The voice that makes Steven Page instantly recognizable is still here and still as dynamic and wonderful as ever.  Page gets songwriting assists from Stephen Duffy and Craig Northey (The Odds).  Musical assists come from Will Owsley, Esthero, Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Dorian Crozier (The Rembrandts, Pink, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion) and others. Page One is a declaration of independence and a brilliant step forward for Steven Page.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Steven Page at http://www.stevenpage.com/, thestevenpages.blogspot.com or www.myspace.com/stevenpagemusic.  You can order multiple formats of Page One from http://www.stevenpage.com/.  The album is available as a CD or Download from Amazon.com.  A digital version is also available from iTunes.

Review: Barenaked Ladies - You Run Away (single)

Barenaked Ladies - You Run Away
2010, Raisin Records

It's hard to believe it's been 12 years since Barenaked Ladies dominated both US and Canadian radio with One Week, much less that it's been 17 years since I first saw them in an over-crowded and likely illegally packed former truck garage in Buffalo, NY. I've heard Barenaked Ladies go from a jazzy acoustic-Pop sound to brooding new wave to Poppy dementia to mellowing Pop maestros who Paul McCartney himself calls one of the most interesting bands in Pop music today. Co-founder/vocalist/songwriter Steven Page departed the band last year, wanting a larger share/stage for his songwriting, leaving Barenaked Ladies as a quartet for the first time in nearly two decades. The band chose to continue in this fashion rather than trying to replace Page's iconic voice.

Barenaked Ladies will release their 11th studio album, All In Good Time, on March 23, 2010 in Canada with a US release due on March 30th. It will be the first new material as a quartet and has been a source of both agita and excitement for longtime fans. On January 8th, the Ladies released the first single, You Run Away, on their website. It would be hard to call You Run Away a departure for the band, as BNL have ever been moving toward a more developed and nuanced sound, but for years Ed Robertson and Steve Page were yang and yin, respectively, for the band. They served to balance one another, as Page's darker side brought out the lighter aspects of Robertson's musical character. Over the past few albums, Barenaked Ladies have become more and more egalitarian in their songwriting, changing the balance of songwriting duties and influences.

This change in structure started to bring out a fuller texture in the band in general, and Robertson's songwriting in particular. If You Run Away is any indication, the change that has been fomenting for the past decade comes into full bloom in 2010. You Run Away is a mid-tempo, sorrowful ballad. It could be a song about a failed relationship (and I am sure some fans will speculate about the lyrics and Page's departure), but it's not an angry song. The melody is among the finest Barenaked Ladies have crafted in their 20+ years together, and it might be just the tune needed to return Barenaked Ladies to the Pop charts.

Robertson is in amazing voice, and arrangement is serene and melancholy, full of an almost tragic beauty. If You Run Away is representative of the album, All In Good Time could be their finest album yet. On a purely subjective level, as a fan, You Run Away brings me back to a time and place when I used to listen to the band incessantly. Not because it sounds like they used to, but because it sounds like Barenaked Ladies are once again creating like they used to.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Barenaked Ladies at http://www.barenakedladies.com/. Barenaked Ladies will release All In Good Time (read review here) on their own label, Raisin Records, but recently signed a distribution agreement with EMI Music. The song will be released on iTunes in the near future. For now you can stream You Run Away on their website. You Run Away and All In Good Time were produced by Michael Philip Wojewoda, who previously produced the band's groundbreaking 1993 debut album, Gordon, and their 2008 Children's album Snacktime, as well as albums for Spirit Of The West, Great Big Sea, Ashley MacIsaac and The Rheostatics.

Review: John O'Mara - Five Year Mission

John O'Mara - Five Year Mission
2009, John O'Mara

John O'Mara walked away from a tech job to start a five year mission to bring his mix of Alternative Rock and Eletro-New Wave to the world. Long a popular solo performer in Portland, Oregon, O'Mara got his first taste of electronic music as member of the duo Fuzzmonkey. O'Mara's debut album, Five Year Mission, brings an eclectic mix of sounds from the 1980's and today that have been compared to bands such as Joy Division, The Cure and The Talking Heads. Produced by Sean Flora (The Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand), Five Year Mission is likely to turn some heads.

O'Mara opens with Your Sister, an Electro-Folk musical decoupage that is difficult to follow. The track is not representative of the album as a whole and is probably not the best foot forward O'Mara could have selected, but it’s a decent listen. Amiss has a great mix of New Wave sound and Pop sensibility that made bands like The Cure and Talking Heads such behemoths in the 1980s. This is Pop songwriting that also has a future as a dance club hit. Happy Hour explores the dark side of that weekly celebration, in which happiness is a goal that's never achieved, and perhaps moves even further out of reach as the bridge of drinks grows longer. Happy Hour is perhaps the most traditional Pop/Rock/Alternative songwriting on the disc, reminding me a bit of Elvis Costello in the process.

Made Of Stone mixes upbeat dance sounds with the deep melancholy and pathos that characterized the 1980's new wave music that paved the way for Goth's birth, whereas The Broken Part reminded me a bit of some of Steven Page's darker work with Barenaked Ladies (i.e. Call And Answer). I Saw You is a breath of fresh air, an acoustic guitar based piece featuring the mesmerizing Morgan Grace in a duet with Latin roots. O'Mara has found his way back to the root of his muse here and the results are stunning. Satellite Radio has a David Bowie feel to it, right down to the vocal style, but isn't quite up to Bowie standards. Five Year Mission closes out with It Is Done, a mix of eclectic electric sounds, organic music and effects.

Five Year Mission proves one thing, John O'Mara was right to quit his day job. The album is very much based in the New Wave style of the 1980's but has enough current Alt-Rock buzz to make it an appealing hybrid of styles. This isn't necessarily an album that's going to do well on traditional radio, but college and internet stations will have a field day with John O'Mara, and the licensing deals can't be far behind. From a listener's standpoint, the album is an excellent find with a few bumps. O'Mara may still be figuring out where he's head musically, but he's definitely headed in a direction you'll want to follow.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about John O’Mara at www.myspace.com/fuzzzmonkey, where you can purchase a copy of Five Year Mission.