If you have followed my writing at all here at Live In Limbo, you might notice that I have covered local Toronto band catl. twice before. I think the music they play is such a jolt to what it means to be Canadian and make rock music. While most bands that make retro music tend to use 80’s synth pop, or 60’s/70’s classic rock, catl. one ups them all and borrows music from the 1920’s up to the early 1950’s before Rock n’ Roll was a genre. The band consisting of Jamie Fleming and Sarah Kirkpatrick were celebrating the release of the band’s fourth album This Shakin’ House with a grand party at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in front of many friends and family. The mood was joyous and fun with Jamie and Sarah milling about the space before their set, instead of holed up in a dressing room. They recognized many people who came to show their support on a late night Thursday show which speaks volumes of their ability to transcend genres and demographics. They brought along a few friends to open the night and set the mood for what was to come.
The Mad Ones, a duo from Toronto, opened the night at 9:30 and played a brisk but memorable 30 minute set. Imagine Foo Fighters at their hardest, say playing songs like Wasting Light or All My Life, then mash it up with Weezer at their hardest like Hash Pipe or the guitar riffs on My Name Is Jonas. After hear those songs in your head turn throw it in a blender with Death From Above 1979 and you will start get their sound. It’s alternative rock with a very hard beat. I feel like I’m not describing how hard these guys rocked.
Frontman Andrew DeVillers played his red Epiphone SG with a lot of distortion but his chords were clean and easy to distinguish. He kept a nice rocking beat while he yelped and half screamed his vocals as loud as possible. To keep with the Foo Fighters reference he has a similar vocal range as Dave Grohl but making it his own at the same time. Drummer Phil Wilson banged on the drums so hard Keith Moon would give him props. I don’t know if there was a mic in front of his kick drum but it wasn’t needed as you could feel the sound wave it was created. He had some really interesting Bonham-esque drum fills. Some of his beats had a funk or early RnB edge to them, which made their music very different, than anything else I’ve heard. Wilson was also sweating so hard it seemed like he had a running faucet over his head, which added to their garage rock appeal. I can see these guys breaking out in the Toronto scene just like noise punks METZ did last year.
Second up on the night Bloodshot Bill a one-man band. While sitting down he played a kick drum and cymbal set with his feet and played guitar at the same time. His style can only be described as a schizophrenic Elvis hillbilly music. This is a man inspired by all the country bad boys like Hank Williams and Kris Kristofferson and added a unique twist to the country rock style. He seemed like the kind of man who probably plays most of his shows behind chicken wire curtains that venues have set up. His singing was a mix of Elvis, Johnny Cash and Bobby Pickett of Monster Mash fame. For good measure his songs also included snoring, wheezing, yelping and animal sounds for extended periods of time. The slowly growing crowd seemed to really dig his hypnotic style of manic playing. I saw at least one couple dancing along together like they were at a saloon and music from the jukebox was playing. His guitar playing was impressive as at one point he played a Wipeout like solo. It became apparent that surf music was also an inspiration for many of his songs with his break neck strumming. He included audience participation in many of his songs by getting them to shout parts of the chorus back at him. After his set I ran into Bill in the bathroom where I caught him taking a hobo shower since the temperature on the Horseshow must have been cranked very high. After he washed his face he re-slicked his hair back and got back to his greaser image.
catl. finally hit the stage just after 11pm and while they were setting up and about to kickoff the first song, some family members pushed their way through the front of the crowd and passed up two tequila shots for them. Jamie and Sarah raised their glasses, cheersed the crowd and got down to business. Sarah looked over across the stage where her drum kit was set up (she doesn’t sit like an idle Meg White, she stand so she can dance like her life depended on it) and asked innocently enough, “Are you ready?” to which the crowd roared back they were. Except she shushed us and laughed as it was directed to her guitar player who was checking his tuning. They laughed and tore into their set. After a few songs they band realized their “catl” sign they brought wasn’t light up, so they flicked the switch and the now packed venue cheered them on. Sarah was very proud to finally have their new album out and available to be purchased, to which Jamie chimed in “Yeah so buy our shit!”
A few songs in they brought up Pete Ross who played mouth harp on a few songs and designed the album artwork to come up and join them on stage. While Jamie and Sarah don’t lack the ability to sound like a 10 man band with the amount of energy they have, bringing up a harmonica player makes the songs sound like they do on the album, which was fun to have. Ross stayed for the rest of the set.
I last saw catl, play at June Records back in February and while they encouraged people to dance it was a bit hard as the fluorescent lights and limited space didn’t exactly set the mood to boogie down. By the third song every single person was grooving away, even the most serious of looking men. Their rockabilly/delta blues style of music makes it impossible not to dance, even if you don’t want to (or can’t!) but it casts a spell over you.
Having the three piece band and with their new tunes it reminded me of the live version of Midnight Rambler by The Rolling Stones found on their Hot Rocks album. I’m referring to when the song turns into a mad frenzy after the breakdown in the middle. It’s a fitting analogy since the Stones love of The Horseshoe is well documented. There was plenty of banter throughout the show as Sarah mused about the intense heat of the venue and how it was making it impossible to hold onto her drumsticks with such sweaty hands. Or how Jamie described one of their new songs that Sarah introduced as being written about her. “It’s getting close to summer time, which means clothes are coming off and that brings out all the cat calls towards women. This song is called Fuck You Blues!”
For Gateway Blues the band brought up the two girls who were from the music video to dance with maracas behind them. It added even more energy to the night as the highlight track from the new album is easily the most danceable song they have. The girls stayed for the last song of the night, which ended in raucous applause. It was a late night overly sweaty rock show and I don’t think it could have planned any better. If you were one of the unfortunate souls who didn’t make it out to the show you must catch their next show in the city, which is during Canadian Music Week at The Garrison on May 8th.
