arts
22
Friday, February 2, 2007
Throwdown Thursday tantalizes crowd
Andrew King
At left Jamie from Of the First Born Sons performs a gig onstage and at right What’s He Building In There rock out at this past Throwdown Thursday at Phil’s. Andrew King reporter
Like a 50-year old hooker, Phil’s isn’t easy on the eyes, but still offers that little extra something that the younger, flashier breed just can’t match. For the last year or so, Phil’s has been hosting Throwdown Thursdays, where the music finally matches the décor — dirty, gritty and a lot of fun. I hadn’t been until this past Thursday, when in lieu of playing songs ranging from metal to hardcore and everything in between, Phil’s turned it’s DJ booth into a stage for one fantastic night of live metal from one hell of an underrated lineup. Anyone familiar with KW’s local music scene has probably heard of Abacus, who have re-banded under the new (and clever) moniker What’s He Building in There? I’d be lying if I said the name change came along with a complete sonic makeover; however, this new formation offers a more fine-tuned musical machine than its predescessor. Their
set was completely engaging, striking a fine balance between energetic presence and musical precision, ideal for any live act regardless of genre. Their songs themselves sound like they were written for the stage in that that they are extremely lucid, hence the time and tempo changes which could potentially disjoint the songs’ flow out in a progression so natural that it’s hard for an attuned listener not to be drawn in. Vocalist Chris Schroeder was on the ball with his Dillinger EP Mike Pattonesque vocals that transition seamlessly from screaming to crooning and filled the stage with a dominant presence. What a great band made up of some down to Earth dudes who were more than a pleasure to talk with. Do yourself a favour and keep an eye out for these guys. Cute costumes, too. It was announced that headliners Threat Signal bailed on the show due to an illness, but to say that Farewell to Freeway taking their place on the bill was a rainbow after the storm is a complete undersell. The only
February 2 Bocce, The Sourkeys, Agile Like This and Knock Knock Ginger — Artery Gallery $5 or $4 with food bank donation, doors at 8 p.m.
thing I’ll say about this emotional metal band is that if you haven’t heard them yet, you should get on it like a Texan does his sister because they’re a solid live act with some above-par releases. Starting to feel the effect of the ever-lovely $1.75 gin and tonics, my excitement to see Of the First Born Son again grew exponentially. This band have snowballed into a much greater entity since the last time I was treated to their brand of breakdown-drenched metal, and it seemed that their fan base in the area has done same. I found their set to be great, and they ruled both the stage, and subsequently their audience. I know they had the home field advantage, but I’ll be the first to say that with this confidence and energy, this band could own any stage they graced. Their songs were tight and accentuated by a rock-solid rhythm section that made the breakdowns all the more fun. I have the first EP they released about a year ago and have loved it since, and so I was a little disappointed they left “Ignite” off of the set list; however
February 3, 8 - 10 Upstart Theatre Festival — Hagey Hall $10 in advance
Imprint’s Music Mix
February 2 Prize Fighter C.D. release party with guests — Bomber Tickets $9 at the door, 9 p.m., a 19+ event
Gregory Pepper & His Problems “Motherfucker”
February 2 - 3 F.A.S.S. — Hagey Hall $8 at the door, Fri 7 & 10 p.m., Sat 8 p.m.
Cut Chemist “The audience is listening”
February 2 - 8 Pan’s Labrynth — Original Princess $6 at Turnkey, Sat 7 p.m., Fri, Sun - Thur 9:30 p.m.
Love is All “Aging has never been his friend”
February 3 B.A. Johnston and Wax Mannequin — Jane Bond $5 at the door, doors at 8 p.m.
they made up for it with an array of tracks that I’ll regretfully say could probably eclipse my old favourite. I need to get my hands on whatever this band has released lately. That was a hint… A band called A Satellite Connecticut closed the show, but I had to leave early, and so I’ll say that the crowd seemed to love it and to warrant a headlining spot in front of these three groups has to count for something, so check them out. To regurgitate, I had one hell of a night out. Phil’s is actually a good live music venue that brought back memories of the good old days of The Embassy in London. I have to strongly recommend Throwdown Thursdays to any fan of heavy music in the area, and so even though there won’t always be live music, there will be a lot of great people and a fun atmosphere matching that of any other night of the week at Phil’s, minus the dudes dressed like Flava Flav. Kudos to Tony and Corey for organizing the event and taking really great care of me, as well as the local talent that should be drawing much larger
Tokyo Police Club “Cheer it on” Knock Kock Ginger “Love Renee”
February 4 Play With Clay — Clay & Glass Gallery $5 each, 1 to 2:30 and 2:45 to 4 p.m. February 7 Golden Dogs w/ Yoko Casionos — Starlight $9 advance, doors at 9 p.m., all ages February 7 The Anxiety Graphs - Reverend Luke Murphy — UW at Cambridge lecture hall Free, 7 p.m. February 8 Emerald City Wine Gala and Fundraiser — Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery $75 in advance