Law Low, Mt. Royal, and Rah Rah - Live At The Lo Pub

Whenever I catch a show at the Lo Pub, I'm reminded of this myth I once heard about King Louis (not sure which one). Said monarch was able to manipulate his ocular blind spot so when he was haranguing his densely populated court, he could remove undesirable courtiers from his field of vision and stay focused.

The entrance to the Lo is adjacent to the stage, and there's always a stream of people flowing in and out throughout the night. It can be a little distracting. I always think how handy it would be to possess King Louis's uncanny ability.

Minor complaint aside, I spent the last two evenings there and had a pretty grand time both nights.

Yesterday, I caught celebrated Icelandic folk-singer Lay Low who played there as part of the increasingly popular Nuna festival. And the place was just brimming with people. Her 45 minute set was intimate, warm and undeniably irresistible, and the singer herself was unspeakably charming, often squeezing her eyes shut while singing. I was impressed.

The previous night, Medicine Hat's Mt. Royal (above) and Regina's Rah Rah rocked the considerably-less-populated joint. My Rah Rah pictures turned out too dark, my fault for neglecting the flash, so they're essentially unpostable. Rah Rah's set was imbued with enjoyable and spirited indie-rock, and I was surprised by how mature they sound relative to their ages (I had them pegged as in their early 30s and they were actually very low 20s).

Mt. Royal I was completely unfamiliar with. Their harsh and noisy sound complete with screamy vocals was pretty off putting, and since I was beyond tired, I seriously considered bailing. However, after a few songs, their rather unique sound grew on me, woke me up, and I ended up enjoying them.

A lot.

Infinite Playlist: Califone - Roots & Crowns