...manitoba...

[SaggyBalls]

Set to see Primus, Brahm, Bob, and myself head to Toronto on a delightful sunday. I got off work early, chilled, and hd prepared to bust it at the koolhaus.

it was sold out.

I thought to myself 'Hmm...what the hell are we going to do now??!'

i picked up a NOW magazine, flipped to the music listings and lo and behold!!!

Manitoba are playing at Lee's Palace with the russian futurists!

so we head down to the bar and we're 'the last 3 in' - whether we were or not i felt lucky already. I'd heard some of the stuff on CBC radio 2 and typically that music trips me out when i hear it...late at night either driving and zoning out ro te hypnosis of the road or I hear it when enjoying a beautiful night. to be honest, that radio station turns to a jumble after awhile but i trpycally love everything on it...so for me to remark 'i heard those guys on cbc 2' means that it's at least cool.

so I heard both acts on the radio but forgot that the russian futurists played synth pop.

i thought 'i was in the mood for primus so manitoba had better kick my ass'

I'm in pain as I type this in my rollie chair.

Picture this scene: you're in Lee's palace filled with people slightly younger than you for the most part(i'm 24) and looking very studious. people that say sorry for walking through the crowd. 3 guys in animal masks and red hoodies walk out onto the stage. 1 gets an electric guitar and 2 sit down to seperate drum kits. while a projector shoots mideo onto the band of various strange scenes, some sequenced to the music perfectly (not a jamband i guess - yippee!!). both drummers have relatively small kits. one gretsch and one yamaha...nice rich wood drums with small kicks.

remember the kick when you feel the pain from the rollie chair.

I can't really describe too much of the set to justice so I'll try to narrow it down a bit...i've got to be concise...

...an undulating wall of sonic textures made electroacoustically. It was shoegazey post rock with a great sense of freedom and understanding - polyrhythmically expressive while still rock and incredibly strong.

the band put its first album out in '00 - no wonder i remember manitoba. I've had 3 years to potentially hear their music which makes sense because I was living near ottawa about then and had a break from the radio between aug-01 and aug-02 so they likely mystified me then too.

I'm a bit sad to miss a herb primus show, but I'm kinda happy. As much as a primus show'd make me say 'wow' I doubt I'd have walked away feeling I was supposed to be there.

I was in the perfect listening spot at Lee's (almost...move me 7 feet to my left and put me on a chair/leaning post on a 5 foot pedestal in a cage with a go-go dancer and i'd likely be at the perfect spot) and the show was honestly very embracing. At one point the left/gretsch drummer/keyboardist/melodica/whatever said 'i've been growing this beard for 2 months' then took an audience poll as to whether the beard should stay or go.

the audience preferred a covered face for that monster - ether way i think it's cool he wears a mask.

Manitoba

[kung]

I thought Manitoba was just the one guy Dan Snaith.

[Tungsten Gruvsten]

The new album is good, worth picking up...he made his mark with his first album but to me it sounded way too much like Boards of Canada.

Manitoba is just Dan Snaith - check out the tune 'Dundas, Ontario' from the first album, very cool and there's lots of remixes on the net...

good to hear you guys caught a good show and didn't just drive back!

[SaggyBalls]

not live. 3 guys in red hoodies and animal masks...howler monkey and bear/cat creature.

no david wilcox jokes please.

Manitoba might be dan snaith but there were 3 dudes on stage. that's all i know about that. it was really cool and a nice change of pace. upliftingly psychedelic in an absolutely psychological sense. Unearthly sounds.

go listen to the site if your internet connection's any good.

you should've been there, kung.

[SaggyBalls]

that's the thing with toronto - there's ALWAYS a good show. you just might miss it.

The new album sold out just before I could buy a CD so I got the vinyl. Wish I had the option of the double disc up in flames. I like the album...although not too representative of the awesome force of 2 drum kits being pummelled by 2 howler monkey-clad lunatics.