The Casbys: The People’s Awards at the Phoenix Concert Theatre

Photos by Katrina Lat

Last Thursday night we queued up a little after 8:30pm for the once a year event known as The Casby’s; The People’s Awards. Or (According to 102.1 The Edge) the combination of New Years Eve and the Oscars or “The Best Party in the 6ix”. Despite the London esque drizzle and drab mid October weather, the atmosphere was festive & anticipatory as a breathtaking selection of Toronto’s finest edge listeners, media personnel and either associates of Molson or friends of associates politely waited to see what their exclusive tickets would grant them. Doors opened at nine o’clock and the morass of humanity piled in willy-nilly each soul earnestly seeking the spot they thought would best yield them whatever it was their hearts desired that evening.

As we find our chosen spots of rock n roll vigil and patiently wait for the spectacle a palpable feeling of anticipatory apathy permeates through the room. Nine thirty comes and goes when suddenly, as if it were planned, Fred (an edge radio personality) hit’s the stage to welcome the waiting music acolytes to Toronto’s coolest party. While waxing poetically about the wonders of this city and the value of supporting Canadian and particularly Toronto artists, Fred casually mentions that this awards show through various permutations has been running since 1981 and without further ado welcomes Modern Space to the stage.

The Curtain drops and we are presented with Modern Space. A relatively new band on the Toronto scene, approximately two years old, the five-piece band’s compositional style carries elements of both Tokyo Police Club & USS . Signed to Warner Music Canada; they bring a distinctly base-y flavor to the stage. In a number of their tunes the base is utilized as more than simply a part of the rhythm section, being essential to the hard driving melodies that sometimes we first hear in the bass line. The songs themselves, although well-written Modern Space rarely stray from the accepted vernacular that is simple chord transitions in their compositional style. Their catchy melodies and flowing lyrics inspire a tacit dancelike response from a rapt crowd. There’s a slight possibility that the drummer occasionally moonlights as a stunt double for Macklemore.

Modern Space Finish their last song and as the curtain descends to enthusiastic applause, the first award of the evening is presented by Fred, Rick Campanelli, Hot dog Mel & Fred’s toy story shoes. Following Fred’s shoes the two-piece band The Darcys take the stage, seizing the party atmosphere of the Phoenix with heavily techno-influenced beats and the attitude to match. The lead singer, dressed in the manner one would expect late nineteen sixties Paul McCartney to should he be summering in the Hamptons sings out over the heavily electric base harmonies. A sound that is reminiscent of Cobra Starship and Foster the People seizes hold of the crowd’s waiting ears and as the heavily percussive rhythms fill our ears, a trance like guitar line reaches out over top of the morass that is the sound bellow. At some point a pre-recorded choir kicks in and ratchets up the intensity of this gentrified electro pop punk performance. The Darcys leave the stage with their current most popular song Coming Up for Air the heavy beat assaulting the audience daring us to dance. The Palm muted rhythmic guitar takes second their to the words and heavy beats, however serves to remind the audience that this is still a rock band while we sway methodically right up to the curtain closing.

After the brief interlude of another award presentation, the up and coming British artist Michael Joseph Nelson better known as Banners took to the stage with his 4 piece band. His opening number starts with an ethereal drone on a single A (on guitar) and a dotted rhythm or stilted drum beat. The stacked vocals wind up the intensity as the audience is drawn in to the melodic creation that is Banners. His second piece rests on the trance like melodic effect he infects the audience with in his opener, long drawn out vocal drones occasionally punctuated by terraced guitar lines that ascend to the vocal line before descending gently back into the comforting morass of sound that is the harmonies. For his final song, he fully engages the audience, the slower tempo paired with the apparent volume increase daring us to enter into this melodic trance with him until the curtain descends.

Following another brief interlude punctuated by awards presentations and Molson reps launching tee shirts into the crowd. Following the tee-shirt bonanza Finger Eleven takes the stage launching into one of their earliest hits One Thing. In a surge of nostalgia, familiarity and joy the audience belts the words not missing a single lyric. The band slides seamlessly into their new single Wolves & Doors loosing the rapt audience participation, but maintaining the crowd’s enthusiastic energy. During a brief lull Scott Anderson passes his thanks to both the audience and The Edge, before launching into a brief tag that turns into paralyzer at which point the entirety of the Phoenix lights up as if this was the moment we’d all been waiting for. The band then chooses to extend their biggest hit by interspersing Paralyzer with excerpts from songs such as Pink Floyd’s: Another Brick in the Wall much to the delight of audience and critic alike. The Curtain comes down as the audience revels in the realization that culmination of the evening is at hand.

Before The Sam Roberts Band takes the stage, Jose Dye and Wade McNeil take to the stage for the last awards presentation, presenting the award to Aaron Solowniuk was there to accept it on behalf of the rest of the band. Before leaving the stage Jose Dye presented a gift from The Edge and all their listeners to Gord Downie a special memorandum.

After a slightly longer wait than confortable the curtain opens for the last time and the Colombia Records band The Sam Roberts Band launches straight into one of their biggest current songs If You Want It , immediately ratcheting up the angsty rock and roll tension with it’s repeated minor chords and alternating tempi. As they melody switches to a major key and the tempo drives forwards so does the audience, raising the pulse and enthusiasm with the volume. Riding the palpable wave of engagement, the band immediately transfers into their second piece before opening up Were all in this together with a Tron like intro before the 4/4 back beat and the driving guitar theme pushes us forwards right in to their final song and the final song of the night Brother Down. The audience takes up the easy chant, singing back, the rock concert vibes in full swing bring the show to a ear-shattering end with a guitar solo that any rock god from the eighties would have appreciated.

The Casby Winners