A hot summer night in Jason Mraz company

Just as summer finally hits Toronto with its 30C ++ so does Jason Mraz brings sunshine & heat along with his band. From reggae to pop to rap Jason Mraz can play it all!

Although I'm not one of his biggest fans I can still appreciate every single note of his, reminding myself that stars are shining above my head and that his music is just relaxing. If I were on a beach surfing waves I'd probably have one of his songs in my head.

Jason Mraz can be resumed in simple words: sun - surf - beach. Does that remind you of anyone else? You got that one right: Jack Johnson. Often compared to him, Jason Mraz mixes more reggae & rap to his music style.

The Molson Amphitheatre crowd was as broad as one could get: from teenagers to people in their 40's/ 50's, Jason Mraz seems to reach them all. What he might still need to achieve is getting his own crowd into the "party". All around me, the crowd seemed almost too polite and laid back,just like Jason is known to be. Everyone sitting in their seat, not daring to get up and dance.

Jason Mraz might have felt exactly the same way when he said: "alright everyone, get up and dance. You're here to dance and have fun! So get your hands up in the air and follow me!"

A definite highlight of the night was when Jason Mraz was joined by K'naan and G. Love, to perform "Curbside Prophet", followed by personal favorite reggae remixed "The Remedy", and crowd favorite "I'm Yours".

The reggae & rap mixed songs went on but didn't seem to reach the crowd who was definitely too laid back to get up and dance to the beat. Blame it on the heat? Maybe, but most of all it might be because Jason has too many mellow songs on his setlist.

Jason Mraz ended the night on a positive note, singing " You and I Both" that sealed the singers connection with his crowd. The only down part of this, is that it took him almost two hours to warm up the Toronto crowd.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/corinnecopreni/sets/72157621934098873/

My videos from the concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHcuKLSFnes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7N-Ejk8EfQ&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPitkzvsYw8&feature=channel

Viva La Vida Coldplay!

Last night at the sold out Rogers Centre here in Toronto 45,000 people were singing along with the biggest band in the world of the moment: Coldplay.The U-shaped stage was dominated by massive screens and glowing lights allowing the crowd to see Chris Martin's band from anywhere in the venue.Chris Martin used all bits of stage to run around and get closer to his beloved Toronto crowd. Starting off the concert was "Life in Technicolor", followed by the new single "Violet Hills" and one of their biggest hits "Clock". And suddely, while the first notes of "Yellow" came on dozens of enourmous yellow balloons descended upon the crowd, making them screameven louder! "Are you ok?" asked Martin, inviting everyone to sing along: "Consider this your Canadian Idol audition ... Even if you're in row 706 and you're only here because of your girlfriend," he joked.He went on talking, asking "what is there to do on a Thursday night in To-ron-To!? I'm glad you could all come to see us! All the garbage, all the stuff you have to get through, to get to us. Even the hairdresser are on strike! " joking about his crazy hairdo! Coldplay played lots of slow ballads, amongst them " Fix You" that made the entire crowd light up their lighters and sing along. When the long awaited "Viva La Vida" came on then it was an uproar of "Ohhhhh ohhhhhhhh ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" that went on and on.If you though you were having an amazing time you had yet to see all 4 band members moving to a mini side-stage right in the concert bowl and startan acoustic version of "Green Eyes" , "Death Will Never Conquer" sang by drummer Will Champion and Michael Jackson's"Billie Jean".One of the best moments was probably when Chris Marting asked everyone to turn on their cellphone and make a "Coldwave" as he called it.The entire Rogers Centre was glowing like a christmas tree!When we though we had seen it all, down came butterfly confetties while they were singing "Lovers in Japan". Another surprise came right at the end of the show, when Chris Martin said: "This band is made of 1 idiot and 3 very shy guys! And its William's birthday so lets everyone sing happy birthday to him!" Coldplay managed to put on an intimate show although playing in a place like the Rogers Centre. They truly are the biggest band in the world at the moment and thats why, no matter the recession they still manage to sell out any venues they go to.A bonus or as Martin would say: "the best value we've ever given out for free" was the free CD of live tracks Coldplay gave out to everyone in the crowd,entitled "Left Right Left Right Left". What more really can you ask for?
Watch the video of Viva La Vida I took

Sasha Fierce aka Beyonce was in town: she just forgot to pack some soul into her luggage!

Definitely not my music style, but its a music blog and sometimes we have to bend to the public demand....

Monday night at the soldout Molson Ampitheatre Beyonce's alter ego Sasha Fierce came out full force. With big hair, big heels, big costumes and an Hollywood production-like show that made the crowd go crazy even before she started singing.
I almost had the impression that Charlie's Angels were on stage, as all13 dancers and musicians were perfectly coordinated in their skin tight shiny suits and big hair floating!

Opening the show with Crazy in Love, Beyonce set the crowd on fire launching confettis in the air, while thousands of women starteddancing and screaming, while shaking their "booties" imitating Beyonces world famous moves. The show was visually supported by a gigantic LED screen that played videos of her fans and substitued her while she was making one of her costume changes. While songs like Single Ladies (Put a ring on it), or Naughty Girl made everyone dance, the Ave Maria combined with Sarah MacLachlan's Angel came out like a bizarre mix. What were they thinking really!?

The highlight of the night was probably "Irreplacable". Calling out to the crowd, Beyonce had the entire Molson Ampitheatre singing to her :"To the left, to the left", while waiving their hands. "That is so beautiful" she said.

Beyonce's performance seemed almost too perfect and staged, but after all it truly lacked of soul.

Check the videos I took of the concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBoUDYKIY2o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdEhSqYfymY

Yeah! the Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Ottawa BluesFest 2009

If Karen O didn't seem too thrilled to sing on a Sunday night, she certainly pulled an amazing performance. Although it took a little while (and a massive eye-shaped balloon) for the Ottawa stucked-up crowd to get into the groove and dance, I'm positive this was a very nice ending to this years Ottawa Bluesfest edition.

Karen O is not only a singer, she's a damn fine entertainer. Her thriller-movie like screams and moves all combined with her amazing voice and band, make of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs not only a must see but a must live performance.

The set list consisted mainly of songs from their new album "It's blitz!" with Gold Lion, Skeletons, the crowds favourite (and personal!) Heads will Roll and of course Zero for which Karen O wore a black leather jacket. The now heated up crowd sang along to the acoustic version of Maps (a real treat!) while the mega eye-ball surfed on top of them.
Now, if you missed their Bonnaroo show, their Quebec show, their Ottawa show, then you better get onto next week performance in Toronto or go up to Montreal for Osheaga. Some say they are "tour whores" this year, but really they are THE ONES that are worth seeing this summer!

Here's a couple of videos I took at Yeah Yeah Yeahs performance at Ottawa Bluesfest this past week-end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Gc-PfFh20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtVl9cPcSmk&feature=channel

Cheers,
Corinne

BONNAROO:10 reasons why you should consider packing up next year and head down to Bonnaroo in Tennesse!

So if you're reading this you've either missed Bonnaroo this year; or you've heard about Bonnaroo and you're still biting your nails for not going; or you were there and feel like you "still" didn't get enough of Roo!

Here's 10 reasons why you should consider going!

1) The l ineup. From Bruce Springsteen, to Phish (double performance including a surprise jam with The Boss), to NIN, to Beastie Boys,to Mars Volta, to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to MGMT, to Plubic Enemy,to Crystal Castles, all the way to Jimmy Buffett surprise appearance this year Bonnaroo's lineup had something for all (including DrewBarrimore watching MGMT show from the VIP section).

Photo: Peter Buck from REM

2) The venue. Nothing better to host 85,000 + festival goers than a 750 acres farm field. Located in Manchester (Tennessee), Bonnaroo will give you a good excuse to drive 16 hours down South(*from Toronto).

3) The stages. All 13 of them! Big screens, big sound system, big crowd!
Or If you're tired of running around just head to the 24h movie theatre and relax.Yes even that is included in your package!There's also a comedy stage, just in case you need a good laugh.

4) The sound system. It'll blow your ears off while still making you dance your night away!PS: **consider packing some earplugs**

5) The crowd. Amongst 85,000 + people you'll certainly make new friends, you'll see weird and random costums, hats, body painting etc. The bestone till now was Eugene (see pic). Did I forget to mention I saw Santa Claus? That's maybe why Bruce sang: Santa Claus is coming to town!

6) The hippies. If you're a hippy kinda person then you'll likely never leave this town! Don't worry, if you forgot your tent, you'll certainly find an old WV ready to host you!

7) The food. Lets just mention these: alligator jerky & blackened catfish burrito. The rest is yours to discover!!

8) The soap bubbles, the hula hoops, the bongs. Lots & lots of those. See # 6 !

9) The weather. We were blessed by the sun, the 32C+ and also the mud. Nothing better for pictures than people dancing in the mud trust me! If then they all head down to the massive water fountain its even better! (see pics)

10) You. Having fun in Bonnaroo is all about you and what you make out of it. We were there 16 hours a day, running around, shooting pictures,discovering new music, enjoying good brewery beers, the sun, the atmosphere, life all with a big smile on our faces. We had a blast and maybe all that smiling gave us a couple of new funny rinkles on our tanned faces!

Go check out the pictures of the venue on www.flickr.com/photos/corinnecopreni
Don't miss out on next year's edition of Bonnaroo.
Cheers!

Bonnaroo 2009

Go check the photos from Bonnaroo on

www.flickr.com/photos/corinnecopreni

Keane @ Sound Academy

Keane @ Sound Academy

May 23 2009

come back for the full review

Photos : http://www.flickr.com/photos/corinnecopreni/sets/72157618772067372/

Mat Kearney interview & concert with Keane

Last Friday I had the chance to meet up with Mat Kearney.
We chatted a little and here's what he had to say about his new album: City of Black & White.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INs3pT2eRYo

The next day I went and shoot photos of him opening for Keane at the Sound Academy in Toronto. Needless to say me and the other 2,200 people that showed up had a blast. The sound, the music the lights of Mat Kearney's performance were stunning and he easily conquered us all. His new album City of Black & White is now # 16 on the most downloaded albums on iTunes.
You should definitely give it a go!
Cheers,

To see photos of his show :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/corinnecopreni/sets/72157618772083832/
Next up, Keane's review.


words: Corinne Copreni
Video & interview: Corinne Copreni
Photos: Corinne Copreni

The power of expression: Alejandra Ribera

If you are looking to spend a Tuesday night in good company, then you should head out to the Cameron House: Alejandra Ribera will certainly catch your attention.

Her unconventional vocals paired with trumpet, guitar & base make her music unique. Blending jazz, international music and alternative pop Alejandra Ribera has already been compared to Edith Piaf, Tom Waits and Joan Armatrading. Although fame might be not around the corner yet, the passion and grace of her movements, the dark subjects of her songs and her disarming humor blend to make of Alejandra an artist to look out for.

"Its the grown up music" she plays, the one that can either make you sing, cry or think, but can never leave you indifferent. Besides her music, what makes the show special is Alejandra's personality that reaches her public. Introducing her songs with "out of the blue" comments you can't resist but laugh and smile. I had the pleasure to meet Alejandra before I actually heard her music, and I don't have but good words for her. She initially caught me with her passion for music, her irresistible laughter and her desire to make and be the difference.

Now its your time to get out there and discover her. You might find yourself pulling out that "red" banknote while she's walking around the room to collect some change that, as she says:"will be spent responsibly". I'm sure you wont regret it!

You can catch her every Tuesday at 10pm at the Cameron House.

She will also perform on May 13, 2009 at 12h30 at Dundas Square in Toronto.
Cheers!

Words: Corinne Copreni

Photos: Corinne Copreni

View also photos of Alejandra Ribera: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31142057@N02/sets/72157617561713671/

Metric @ Mod Club - Toronto

Who'd you rather be? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

Last night Metric was at the Mod Club here in Toronto, showcasing songs from their new album Fantasies. If their fans had to wait a long time to hear new songs from the band, the new album was certainly worth the wait. Lyrics, sound and a more mature Emily Haines on stage made last night show a not to be missed performance. The palpable chemistry between guitarist Jimmy Shaw and lead singer Emily Haines well resumes thirteen year of making music together.Starting of the show, the long version of Twilight Galaxy only encountered a minor sound problem, which reminded the band of older shows at the Mod Club. Once the synthesizer sound fixed, the band performed a non stop 2 hour plus show. With songs like "Help I'm Alive", "Gold Guns Girls" , the personal favorite"Gimme Sympathy", Metric reached out to their fans who were singing and dancing their night away with " Collect Call" that without a doubt gives the best life advice: "If somebody's got soul / You gotta make the move / Make the move."
Seing the people in the crowd, Metric gets the job done thats for sure. Another advice came when Haines said:"I rather hit my face over and over again and live with the consequences, than not live my life 100%". I seriously hope that they continue to do so for a longtime, regardless of how long time passes in between albums. I most definitely enjoyed hearing once again some of their older songs like "Handshakes", "Dead Disco, "Monster Hospital" and "Empty", dedicated to their beloved Toronto crowd. While a fan was lucky enough to hold hands with Emily while she sang, another one was bold enough to grab her "bottom"! "You're lucky I'm not going to punch you in the face or we'd make it on the cover of NME magazine"! she said. I wonder if he almost wished that to happen. Metric ended the show with the soothing guitar version of " Live it Out",who is becoming the trademark of their show. It wouldn't be the end of their show without light up lighters andJimmy and Emily singing: Said you would never leave/Now you're never gonna be here again/You checked out/But I don't want to live it alone.

Metric is now on to their Canadian and north American tour.
If you're in Montreal tonight then head to the Megastore on Saint-Catherine and catch a glimpse of their performance. You will love it!

Till next time. Cheers!


PS: I just cannot get this album out of my head and cannot help it but dance in my office! :)

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Crystal Castles under curfew! CMW update

UPDATE: It has come to my attention that Crystal Castles did NOT choose to end their show after 15 minutes.

This is what happened according to the band label, Lies Records:

"The power was suddenly cut at 1am. The band asked the stage crew to fix this, the stage crew tried using their walkie-talkies to contact someone and instead discovered the walkie-talkies were 'off' as well. 'We lost our power too' was the only response the band received about the problem. We had all assumed it was a power issue until much later when two fans approached the band and stated they had asked security to ask CC to continue playing but the response from security was 'This is a hotel, no noise after 1am.'"

So if there's someone we should actually really blame it's CMW management, who let the show run late and didn't plan this out right. What a disgrace.

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Canadian Music Week 2009 Edition

500 bands and 4 nights to see the most of it.
This is Canadian Music Week!

Intense as usual this year CMW lineup included Bloc Party, The Ting Tings, Anvil, Crystal Castles,The Arkells,and Joshua Radin just to mention few.I've been running all over town to get the most of it and while shooting and dancing till sunriseI couldn't help thinking this was a great way to start off spring season!

Wednesday night I set out to go see Jason Bajada and Joshua Radin, and this was certainly broken hearts and messed up relationships night!
Last time I saw Jason Bajada was about 5 years ago, in a small cafe' downtown Montreal. He played solo, with a guitar and a harmonica, songsfrom his first album Puer Dolor. Back then I fell for his melancholic voice and lyrics and now, five years later, I fall once again for both. His third album "Loveshit", is a confession of broken hearts, unfortunate relationships, beautiful girls and jealousy.Love ripped Jason's heart, but with his new album he will conquer yours in a matter of minutes.

Later on, Joshua Radin gave Toronto his first and only live solo guitar performance of his tour.With no set list handy Joshua Radin quickly made intimate contact with the crowd and fulfilled their requests playing the heartbreaking ballads “Closer” and “Winter” and the romantic "I'd Rather be with you". Joshua Radin's raw voice can easily induce just the right amount of tear shedding, of which I saw more than a few. Although he made sarcastic comments of all his past relationships with comments like: " don't feel bad,she just cheated on me!!", You can tell, that this album is a healing in the process of past relationship mistakes.For someone who started playing the guitar and writing songs just four years ago, Joshua Radin is up there with the A list artists.Yes, having songs like "Closer" and "Winter" in TV shows like "Scrubs" or playing at Ellen DeGeneres private wedding certainly helped in the making. But he's got talent, so given the chance wouldn't you do it?

Thursday night: another "school" night, another night out!

The El Mocambo showcased all bands from Montreal including Pas Chic Chic, Duchess Says, We are Wolves and the notorious Malajube.As soon as I entered the venue I got "attacked" by lead singer Annie-Claude of Duchess Says who literally grabbed my arm to dancewhile I was trying to take pictures! Although, I saw them last summer at Osheaga in Montreal, Thursday night's concert was one of thehighlight of this night.Annie-Claude singing in the middle of the crowd certainly made the show unique and unusual. If you setout to see them on March 31 in Montreal then be ready for some "moog rock" and an enormously intense live performance!




Followed by a heap of fans in orange jail suit printed with, 'Rockin'Rights' on them, Montreal's band Your Favorite Enemies had pretty much it all to keep the crowd entertained. A lead singer that kisses ladies in the crowd, jumps on top of the bar and guitarists with crazy hairdo. Although the lyricsdidn't convince me, their show gets a 9/10 for entertainment. They know how to Rock'n Roll and are definitely a band you should check out live!














My discovery of the night was local Toronto band, Gentleman Reg. Performing songs from his recently released album "Jet Black" he delivered a solid performance. He made the crowd sweat, sing-along and dance. It took me 1 song to like him, 2 to tap my feet to his beat and 3 to buy his CD on i-Tunes. That was a quick sell Mr. Vermue: two thumbs up!
A very nice way to end my night was Naughty by Nature performance at Circa.

Packed with hip-hip fans these guys could make anyone pull their arm up and swing it to their beat!The crowd was filled with energy, and both NBN band members gave them 100% performance: music, jumps & ripped off shirt included. This was the best end of CMW first night out one could have!
Other bands of the night that I set out to see where: rock/country band $100,Toronto's The Warped 45s, the recently cited "Top 10 Hot bands in Canada" Ketch Harbour Wolves,and punk rock band SNFU.

Having to go to work the next day I headed back home to get some well due rest and be ready for Friday night.

Friday,I might have missed out on Bloc Party as I couldn't get into both sold out shows, but I had the chance to see many other bands well worthrunning all over this city.
First on the list was Montreal's indie pop, Mothers Fathers.

The tight stage at Rancho Relaxo could hardly fit their lead singerwho looked way too tall to even fit in!With clean and polished sounds, they're worth being recognized for their excellent music. Listen to "Ghost" or "Caught in your glow" and you'll find a hintof Coldplay if not U2. Why aren't they all over the radio stations is a mystery, but I guarantee you we'll soon hear way more from them.

Can you say: Sprengjuhollin? If not, given a chance and all five members of this Icelandic band will teach you, at the cost of not letting you leavethe venue if you don't say it right! They play pop/catchy songs, they entertain their public like no other band and theyare definitely good. As soon as they sat foot on stage they brought me back to Iceland in a matter of minutes with their energetic music.As some said: you'd have to be stubborn not to like them! Check their myspace page and if you're out to SXSW don't miss them.

Pop Montreal night at Silver Dollar showcased The Superstitions, The Mark Inside, The d'Ubervilles and The Ghost is Dancing.
This last one is worth mentioning even just for the fact that they stripped down to their underwear! I did enjoy their indie-pop sound and thankfully not only their presence on stage: that was a bonus well needed at 2am. In between performances I ran all the way up to Lee's Palace and took a lookat The Supersuckers. Not my style but the line-up outside and the jam packed crowd looked like they were having the time of their life.

I wish I knew the name of the band playing the after-hour in someone's basement. Illegal? Probably. Worth being out past 4am? Yes, at least just to confirmthat Toronto lives the night ALL NIGHT LONG!












Saturday night was Canadian Music Week's Indies Awards. Performing were: Hey Rosetta, Jon Lajoie, The Midway State, Anvil, Arkells, Beast,USS and Crystal Castles. Definitely a line-up good enough to crouch down in the photo pit for nearly 6 hours for. Astral Media Radio Favourite Single went to Lights for the song Drive my Soul. She also won for Favourite Solo Artist.Some other awards winners: Crystal Castles as Favourite Electronic Duo, M.I.A for favourite single "Paper Planes", and Anvil was inducted to the Hall of Fame.
I must give a big thumb up to the Midway State lead singer Nathan Ferraro soulful voice and piano skills, who for the records was nominated at theJuno's for Songwriter of the year. They have reached international success thanks to their song "Unaware" which was featured on the O.C.
I don't have enough thumbs to award Anvils performance. Their music might not be my cup of tea but I'd set out to see them in a jam crowded outdoorlive show anytime! Anvil,thats heavy metal for: we are above and beyond awesome!

Favourite performance of the night, besides Anvil of course, was Montreal's Beast. Lead singer Betty Bonifassi has more than an unique voice: she is theatrical in every way. Moves, attitude and looks. The words rapped emanate energy while the beast in some songs is gospel alike.
There's anger and darkness combined and you cant help but dance to their beat.As Betty Bonifassi performs Mr.Hurrican line: "...Don't mess with the Beast Mr. HurricaneYou're not coming for peace stop bringing the insane, Cuz the Beast is in your face!", the crowd starts clapping their hands to the beat and the party continues on. 10 Satans out of 10!

While some bands are worth seeing live, others like Arkells or The Midway State are better when listened to in your car. Try out Arkells"The Ballad of Hugo Chavez" this summer on a road trip. Make sure that the windows are all down, the radio volume all the way up and you and your friends singing along!You'll know what I mean once you'll try it out.

The word "wired" doesn't even begin to describe USS performance. Ashley Boo-Schultz and DJ Human Kebab are all over the place. Mixing Cd's heads upside down, jumping off the speakers and making banana-strawberry smoothies while playing the guitar or singing, these guys can pretty much do it all.Although,that's entertainment for sure I was more interested in DJ Human Kebab to pull out some back flips than listening to their music which I found sounded pretty much all the same. Seen once; wouldn't recommend seeing them twice!
Long awaited, was Toronto's electronic band Crystal Castles. Fans from all over, England included, where up front to see them. I don't need to tell you that the 15 minutes performance left all unsatisfied.
UPDATE: It has come to my attention that Crystal Castles did NOT choose to end their show after 15 minutes.
This is what happened according to the band label, Lies Records:
"The power was suddenly cut at 1am. The band asked the stage crew to fix this, the stage crew tried using their walkie-talkies to contact someone and instead discovered the walkie-talkies were 'off' as well. 'We lost our power too' was the only response the band received about the problem. We had all assumed it was a power issue until much later when two fans approached the band and stated they had asked security to ask CC to continue playing but the response from security was 'This is a hotel, no noise after 1am.'"

So if there's someone we should actually really blame it's CMW management, who let the show run late and didn't plan this out right. What a disgrace.

As Canadian Music Week approached to an end I ended the night at one of Canada's best live venues, Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern, just in time to checkout Vancouver's Vancougar band. With charming looks these four girls band will rock you out!
With the adrenaline running high, a new list of artist to check out and a ton of photos to edit, this year CMW comes to an end for me.
Now, I'll get some rest andwait for the coming up NXNE. Another music festival another marathon. Till then, rock on!

Words & Photos by: Corinne Copreni

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Iceland Airwaves Festival 2008 - video mix

Directed by Corinne Copreni
Music by: Familjen
Title: "Det Snurrar I min Skalle" (Translation: My head is spinning)

Iceland Airwaves Festival video mix

Music by: Familjen

Title: " Det Snurrar I Min Skalle"

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Chromeo Oh Oh

March 24, 2008
Crowd-Surfing in Heels!?!
What current touring act passed through Toronto last Saturday night and caused such a scene....(yes, she's wearing heels!)Foo Fighters? Ladyhawk? Chromeo? or Sebastien Grainger?"CHROM-E-O, OH, OH...CHROM-E-O, OH, OH"
Those were the words reverberating throughout the Opera House last Saturday night.
For the 800+ 1980's born hipsters in attendance, the wave of Montreal's Chromeo has surely caught on since last summer's sold out, over-flowing show at the tiny Social on Queen West. Tonight they headed East, Queen East.

The American Apparel-clad crowd sang-a-long to every song Chromeo shot their way, all the while dancing up a storm. From "Bonafide Lovin'" to "Tenderoni", to my personal favourite, "Two Step"Chromeo's Arab/Jewish collaboration of P-Thugg and Mike 1 had the crowd eating of their hands. And just as the crowd was loving it, so were the duo, easily having a great time on stage.Having two albums to play with, Chromeo kept their set disappointingly short; a mere 50 minutes (including two easy encores). However, judging by the crowd and the constant cheers, all that was given, was appreciated, and everyone left with a familar vibe flowing through their veins...
Welcome back to the 1980's
Flashbacks by Jess Watt and Corinne Copreni

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Edgefest 2008

A sweet surprise, an accessible location, familiar songs, an abundance of food options, a few heavy downpours, a new twist to an old game, a million planes passing overhead and a sole beer tent: this was Edgefest 2008.

The discovery of the day and one to watch out for, came from Montreal's kitschy Creature.With their rock-pop debut album "No Sleep At All", Kim Ho, CowBella, SidZ and Anna Ruddick can definitely make you dance! They came out singing "Who’s hot Who’s not?" and ended with my already personal favorite "Pop Culture". Worth mentioning: crazy AA outfits; Kim Ho's and CowBella's funky ultrasound like voices; and many a cowbell on stage! If you're ever in need of some "booster kicking" songs in the morning, you should check them out…http://www.myspace.com/creaturecreature or http://www.creatureband.com/
Former Tool guitar tech, Billy Howerdel and his band, Ashes Divide debuted their inaugural cd "Keep Telling Myself it's Alright" to the first rain drops of the day with the song "The Prey". Alternating mellow to more hard rock songs, this alterna/rock band somehow managed to move some heads in the crowd.
By the time the infectious sounding The Bravery took the stage the first major downpour of the day began. Surprising the crowd didn’t seem to mind and actually started dancing, singing and getting into the mood and mud! Even at 4pm on a rainy afternoon vocalist Sam Endicott (who's looking very Crispin Glover-esque) manages to rock it all. With a massive backdrop of the cover of their last release "The Sun and The Moon", the New York band caught everyone’s attention. With songs like "An Honest Mistake", "No Brakes", "Every Word is a Knife in My Ear", "Believe" and the must-clap-your-hands, "Public Service Announcement", Edgefest finally seemed to get a much needed kick-start. As the rain kept on pouring down Endicott reminded the drenched audience, "this is not the end of the world" and dedicated the next song "No Brakes", "to the big fat man singing and dancing with only a towel in the back!"And so he went on, talking to the crowd in between songs, encouraging them to sing and dance, and while candies were flying on stage making it the "sweetest stage" the band as ever been on, others continued dancing in the rain while waiting in the massive beer lineup. I however wondered when and if the band might put of something as good as their debut.
Attracting the 30+ crowd, Sam Roberts Band rocked into their new release "Love at the End of the World", which inspired the first crowd surfers of the day, some to the point of getting up at least three times! But this is the Sam Roberts crowd: true pop rock lovers, the ones that can sing along to "Oh Maria", and dance along to songs like "Bridge to Nowhere". The 2003 album "We were Born in a Flame" is still a crowd favorite and the Sam Roberts Band is well aware that their first single "Brother Down" and "Where are all the Good People Gone?" cannot go missing in each of their performance, as the crowd eats them up. With his dreamy eyes, Sam Roberts still manages to catch all the attention and rocks out hard. But would you consider it edgy? I think not.
Though the wait time was lengthy we managed to get some of the best entertainment in and out of the sole beer tent.Fenced in like animals, afraid to leave, as the lineup to get in was pushing a 4 hour wait at times, the Bud-infused beer drinkers came up with a reincarnation of the classic Slip 'N Slide. Let's call it Extreme Table 'N Slide: 4 round tables, some with a plastic covering, others with exposed wood, lined up, dowsed in water and one crazy dude sprinting 20m to slide over the tables in craziest way possible: flips, flops and many wipeouts. Ouch! This had to hurt. Just as the tables were raised to get some air involved in the tricks, the cops broke it up to much disappointment by the crowd.
Now what were we to do while waiting for STP......For those who didn't have the patience or the necessary id to enter the beer tent, the fences were the next item of attack, as at least 100 people broke through before security could control the breach.And for those guys who couldn't walk the crowds to the port-a-potties, and were teased by the many behind the fence in the beer tent, a lone, empty fence behind the media tent and adjacent to the stage was taken over by guys and girls alike. (Yeah we all saw you!)
An hour in a half later the reconciled Stone Temple Pilots took to the stage. It was as if it was a test to weed of the true fans from the fakers, as upon settling into "Big Empty" another downpour occurred. Soaked, the crowd ate up all the band had to give: every hit imaginable. "Vasoline", "Big Bang Baby", "Wicked Garden", "Lounge Fly", "Lady Picture Show", "Sour Girl", "Creep", "Down", and "Sin". With the mandatory crowd surfers afloat there was still, however something missing.... Was it the odd interstitials of Queen's We Will Rock You or Lou Reed's, Walk on the Wild Side that sucked out some of the energy or was it Weiland's failing voice? Though you can't blame Weiland's on and off stage efforts: when he wasn't singing from atop the drum kit or on raisers, or halfway though the crowd belting out "Plush", he was pacing the stage. STP played a solid set with an encore (odd for a band with second billing at a festival). If you haven't seen Scott Weiland perform in one of his few incarnations, do try to catch him while you can, cause if there's on thing for sure, you never know if he'll be back.
Following the STP set, we garnered some so-called inside information: some of the members of headliner Linkin Park were had yet to arrive in the country due to plane troubles. Knowing this, and knowing the event had a strict cut off of 11pm, and it was already after 9pm, we decided to pack it in for the day, feeling exhausted and 'dry' we set out to get 'wet'.

Experienced and soaked by Jess Watt and Corinne Copreni

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Osheaga Day 2 : Jack Johnson Review

As another day comes by, and we are back at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Saint-Hélène. As we don't dare defy the rain, we pack once again our ponchos, which will be only later be used just to sit on the damped grass to rest and relax while waiting for another show to go on. Day 2 saw us running from stage to stage to see the following bands: Jamie Lidell, Matt Costa, The Kills, The Black Keys, MGMT, Gogol Bordello, The Go!Team, Duffy, Broken Social Scence, CSS, Chromeo and Jack Johnson! Yeah, not much rest but with a wide range of indie, soul, electro, rock, pop and surf music who needs rest?

Jack Johnson is what Montreal was there for. As the head of Media Relations for the festival had said, Jack Johnson is the biggest artist in Montreal right now, so it would only seem right that he would headline the closing show. A sea of blanket sitters cascaded out from the stage to the hills, and top it all off - under a rainbow.

JACK JOHNSON"Its nice to finally be here with you"

And so Jack Johnson began his long awaited and first Montreal performance. In front of a thick crowd and under summer stars Jack Johnson started off with Hope from his latest album 'Sleep through the static'. Playing along, surfing from one song to another, the crowd responded to him singing and dancing. No better setting could have Jack chosen to sing his only French/Spanish song Belle. Although he had the crowd conquered even before getting onto the stage. Jack Johnson managed to have a chit chat with his listeners and make them laugh. He mentioned his wife telling him to stop being an idiot when singing in French, and then apologized for destroying the words! When he messed up Sitting Waiting Wishing the crowd sang words before him and he had to tag along to keep up with the lyrics. As per usual Jack presented the members of his band, including pianist Zach Gill who is about to release his solo album (he is also member of the group Animal Liberation Orchestra aka ALO), of which we heard a song. On stage also was singer and friend Matt Costa who had performed earlier in the day, with whom he sang Sweet Jesus.Jack Johnson went on and on, singing non stop for more than an hour and a half, playing the guitar and making the crowd dream of waves and surf. There was no doubt of an encore and what a surprise when he invited on stage Jimmy Buffet to sing the first song he ever learned to play on his guitar: Pirate Tale. We heard everything from Banana Pancakes to Sleep Through the Statics, a rapped Staple it Together and he ended with Angel and Better Together. Jack Johnson made me and the other 18,000 people in the crowd dream of Hawaii, of beach and sun, and long for a summer that feels just started and its about to end.

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Friday and Saturday Night in the World's Most Northern Capital City

Friday night is THE night in Reykjavik!With a population of only 120,000 (200,000 if you count the Greater Reykjavik area) the world's most northern capital has one of the liveliest nightlife's overseas. It might not seem like a lot of people for a capital, but give them live music, a few drinks and a whole weekend to dance and they'll show you what the word 'party' means. Quite frankly after driving the entire country (including off-road driving in the desolated interior) for 5 days in what I baptised "the land of no-one", a couple hundred thousand people seemed like a lot!Friday night is on...are you ready for it?

Alive and kicking merely describes the massive flow of Reykjavikurs bottle-in-hand antics that fill the downtown streets, bars and clubs. Yes you read that right: while the legal drinking age is 20, no rules seem to apply for drinking in the streets. Cellphone in one hand to find friends in the line-up and a bottle of wine in the other, people stroll the streets before our incredulous eyes.
Friday night we experienced some more local bands and a couple others from the UK.First on the list was the solo singer of Planning to Rock. Dressed up in a white one-piece that reminded me of a nucler fallout protective suit, a knight-like silver mask and supported by amazing visuals in the back, Janine Rostron is certainly 'original'. Once again it was all about the look more than the music, but just for that she certainly should get an 8 out of 10.
Was it mask night in Reykjavik? Maybe, since even our second pick of the night, locals Dr.Spock were all about their crazy attires, wrestiling masks and fortunately this time, their music and yellow plastic gloves! Hard rock, creapy screams and tight leggins made this band stand out while still filling the venue with testosterone! I have to hand it out to the lead singer: the outfit 10 on 10 and 2 thumbs up!
Definitely worth the wait was the Swedish band Familjen. With this year's one hit album "Det Snurrar I Min Skalle" the indie-electronic band is conquering crowds all the way from Europe to Australia. Both guys were entertaining, the crowd was singing and dancing restlessly to their songs and my feet lost control to their music! Count me in if they ever show up in Toronto: I'll be the first one in line!
After dancing to Familjen's eclectic beat the UK Indie band These New Puritans seemed to have a different kind of party in mind: dark and sombre, if not depressed! With the lead singer barely moving from his microphone, the band all appered stiff and somewhat unamused. Too bad I say to them, as the crowd is ready to party both inside and out of the club. While running from venue to venue I truly began appreciating this city. It reminded me of where I come from, a small town in Northern Italy where a couple of streets made the days, nights and weekends of my teenage years. I stopped for a moment, looked at the crowd, that honestly looked so young I still wonder how they managed to get into bars, and I remembered how it felt finally being suddenly under the spotlight when something big happened in the city. For 5 days during the Airwaves Festival Reykjavik gets to be the centre of Europe's musical attention, its population the life of the party, and I, the amazed spectator of this magical happening. I can only wait for Saturday to come and more to discover.
The Final DayHave you ever heard about the Blue Lagoon? No, I'm not talking about 1980's Brooke Shields movie, but aboutIceland geothermal top notch and must not miss out on destination. Saturday afternon, finally blessed by the sun we were off (bikini and flip-flops included) to the Blue Lagoon. Only 50 minutes away from Reykjavik, in the middle of literally no where there it was: turquoise blue water awaiting us at 38C degrees! With a DJ spinning and the crowd eating it up in the blue waters, this is a place I'd come back to in an instant. If the bus ride back to downtown was quiet the night that awaited us was certainly not! If Friday is the night to go out, Saturday night of Airwaves was my personal favourite and made me stay up till 4am with no regrets!
You want to hear some rock? You want to dance to a band that you are likely never to hear about here, in Canada? You want to be impressed? Than look out for this band coming all the way from the Faroe Islands: Boys in a Band is their name. Bjork's 'Declare Independence' introduced their performance, and the 23 year old lead singer annouced the band's intention of reuniting the nations of the Faroe's and Iceland. It was probably not the venue to be politically out there, but the crowd couldnt resist their energy. Besides their music, I must give it my 2 thumbs up to the keyboard player's beard and outfit! They have the moves, the music and style that only few bands have nowadays. They are THE band to look out for and if you're ever lucky enough to get to the Faroe Island do not miss one of their shows.
Hearts racing, we ran over to the next venue to catch Montreal's Handsome Furs. They were so handsome that the local English paper, The Reykjavik Grapevine gave them the spotlight in its Sunday issue!
After that it was time to line up: CSS was about to begin and we were still outside trying to get back into Reykjavik's Art Museum. The venue was perfect for lead singer, Lovefoxx's Bjork-like outfit. This was the band the Airwaves Festival crowd was waiting for and it was worth every single energizing note.
Lucky enough to sit in what has got to be the smallest pit in the entire Reykjavik music scence we saw Toronto's Crystal Castles performance. Though the venue's sound system gave the duo issues, it only made their show darker and fiercer. The crowed loved it and so did we!
French singer Yelle was next. Her intense voice,beat and an original outfit made her stand out in this long night. Another add to my renewed playlist, and definitely another surprise to this festivals line up.
Worth mentioning is another well known local band: FM Belfast. Somehow reminded me of Montreal's Chromeo with their flamboyant electronic beats. I must say I lost track of how many people were on stage at one point. But at the end of four intense days all that matters is that they had fun, we were amazed and the crowd was once again restlessly dancing the last night away.
For the more curious of you, here are some interesting fact about Iceland:
**Reykjavik's winter temperatures tend to be warmer than Manitoba!****Most Icelanders don't have a family name, therefore they use their given name and then father's-name-son (Jonson)or father's-name-daughter (Jonsdottir) ****Whale,shark & sheep heads can often be found on the menu****Beer was banned until 1989 ****Iceland has no army, navy or airforce but they do have a coast guard****The island of Grimsey in the north of the country is the only part that touches the Artic circle****Iceland is the oldest democracy in the World (about a 1000 years)**

Words: Corinne Copreni
Photos: Jess Watt

Posted by Corinne Copreni

Iceland's Airwaves Music Festival Heats Up Reykjavik: Nights 1&2

The Iceland Airwaves 2008 was this year on its 10th edition. What started off ten years ago as a talent show for local bands (10 bands in 1 night!) is today an integral part of the cultural and musical life in Reykjavik if not Iceland itself!
Over the years local bands like GusGus, Jan Mayen, <3 Svanhvitt, Emiliana Torrini (who performed "Gollum's song" in the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) or the more known Sigur Ros have shared the stage with international bands like Keane, The Bravery, The Kills, Bloc Party and Montreal's Chromeo just to mention a few.The land of volcanos, geysirs, fairylike landscapes and throlls (yes we saw a few) sure knows how to put on an outstanding music festival and party till dawn!
Spread out all over in Reykjavik's downtown, the festival attracts a fair amount of tourists, media and music-lovers from around the world. A few words can describe the Icelandic music scene: vibrant, energetic and powerful. The land of Bjork is certainly producing a fair amount of original and unique bands: we had the chance to discover and appreciate more than a few.
To start out our 5 night marathon (the festival line-up counts in at more than 200 bands)we headed out to see Who Knew. This six-piece boyish band from Iceland started off their performance dancing and shouting their songs with tons of energy. Musically defined has an indie/powerpop band they certainly are a band to keep an eye on in the future!
6+ band members seem to be the ideal number among Icelandic and Scandinavian bands. Among them was VICKY. Outfits, hairstyle and a faux moustache were all there, but what seemed to lack with these ladies was some actual talent. All show is what is was.
A Bjork in the making is the lead singer of Mammut's, Katrina Mogensen. With a distinctive voice she got our thumbs up delivering a solid performance. The band just put out their latest album "Karkari" which has been well received in the UK. If you like Bjork in her early days then you might want to check them out.
Described as the next Sigur Ros meets System of a Down locals, We Make God delivered an awesome looking performance: head shaking, hair flying and a fiddlestick to scrape the guitar. Unfortunately again, looks were all that got them through.
Certainly particular and unique was <3 Svanhvit's performance. I personally counted 11 members on stage, but a couple of rabbits might have fallen off my radar. Yes, they had mice ears on their head, a wok amongst their numerous instruments and unfortunately for them a stage too small for all to fit! Despite this, it didn't stop them from throwing a party, making the crowd sing along to their songs and making me grin for the remainder of the night. If you must, compare them to an Icelandic version of Toronto's Hidden Cameras.
Playing with the most energy of the night, singing/trashing & bashing was Ultra Mega Technobandid Stefan. Playing in a trendy Reykjavik bar this "Dark Knighted" band trashed the quiet party of attendees for a book launch and...made their night! People got up and danced while the lead singer Stefan seemed wildly possessed by his own music as well as the keyboard player who lost control of his own instrument sending it on the floor! They were wild and their music well worth listening to before going out to party all night. Two thumbs up!
Our second night saw a display of international and more Icelandic bands.
First performers of the night to catch my ear were the electro-pop Icelandic band, Sometime. The name might not say much about them, but their beat is catchy and can certainly make your feet tap and your body dance. Althought they have just released a couple of singles ( "Catch me if you can" being one of them), their first album is on its way for 2009 and shows around the UK and Northern Europe have already been booked. They stole their crowds heart from the first beat and kept it until the end of their performance! Well done.
Rekjavik's Art Museum was one of the main venues of the Festival and personal favourite, as it allowed the crowd to visit its art exhibits until 11pm. All art displays were from Islandic artists, and their originality and uniqueness made of thisvenue a perfect fit for some of the performers.
One of them the US band Mae Shi,who delivered a great performance. The lead singer was all over the stage if not sitting in the photographers pit or covering the crowd with a gigantic multicolored parachute.
The acoustics of the Museum exalted Florence and the Machine's already broad voice. Wearing a bowtie and waitress-like suite, her performance was theatrical, her voice grand and the crowd conquered! If you like Cat Power you will love her (and vice versa!). 'Wake up to Kiss with a Fist', go to your kickboxing class listening to 'Hospital Beds' and invite your date to dance on 'Girl with 1 Eye'. Yes, you got it: Florence and the Machine is my new must have on my playlist!
If Florence struck me with her powerfull voice, UK's Fuck Buttons just made experimental noise and the Swedish band El Perro del Mar hit me vocalist,Sarah Assbring's melancholic/sweet sounds.
One act definately worth mentioning is the Icelandic band Gus Gus, well known all over Europe as well as overseas. With their unique electronic and techno melodies they made the Reykjavik Art Museum crowd dance till the end and preparing them for a long week-end of dance, fun and party.All this and its only Thursday....What more can Reykjavik produce?
WIth that said, we ventured out to grab a bite...Icelandic style with a "boat". No, it wasn't a cruise under the stars but a sub-like sandwich in the main square! Montreal has poutine, Toronto perogies and hotdogs, and Reykjavik has boats, aka sandwiches whose most recurrent ingredient seems to be canned pineapple??!!

Posted by Corinne Copreni

discover where the adventure lays

find the thrill in life

enjoy every moment given

go wherever the flow takes you

never regret

...carpe diem