Born Ruffians - Live At The Pyramid ; The Awkward Stage - Live At Music Trader

Hit a pair of shows last night.

Before I get into them though, you've probably noticed I have a new blog header (assuming you read often enough to notice) so I want to make two quick acknowledgments:

1. Endless thanks to the wonderfully talented Whitney for making me the new and awesome blog header.

2. Thanks to the inimitable Greg MacPherson for allowing me to use a photo from his website. If you're unfamiliar, Greg is the singer/guitarist on the left. In the middle of the local musical collage are fragments of Novillero whilst on the left is Keri Latimer, the leader of Nathan (both photos snapped by me).


So yeah, last night was an action-packed live music evening. First I hit Music Trader and caught a free in-store set by Vancouver indie-rockers The Awkward Stage. TAS sounded great for being confined to such a small space and easily left me craving more. Had I not already purchased tickets for The Born Ruffians, I definitely would've hit The Lo Pub for their later show.

Then I mosyed on down to the Pyramid for Born Ruffians, Plants and Animals and Slim Twig. Slim Twig didn't impress me - I had a hard time getting past the strident organ that seemed to dominate every song, although that might have been the result of poor mixing by the Pyramid staff. I can't say for sure (No photos, sorry).

I was completely unfamiliar with Plants and Animals (above), but was treated to a pleasant surprise. For a three-piece sans bass (although I think they used a bass sparingly), these guys sure had a refreshing, rich sound, something almost everyone in the crowd picked up on. When they finished I heard several people shouting for more. I wouldn't have complained.

Born Ruffians, the headliners, were terrific too. The youngerish trio exuded endless energy as they sped through a bunch of new material and most of Red, Yellow, and Blue. It's unfortunate they started so late (approximately quarter to one) because nearly halfway through the set, at least 1/3 of the crowd had faded away - I saw many people yawn, check their watches, quickly calculate what time they would get home, then promptly leave. And by the time they finished their main set list, a throng of people instantly filed out, not even bothering to wait around for an encore (they played one song). I can relate. I was tired too.

Infinite Playlist: I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends