Show Recap – Dog Is Blue

February 21, 2012August 23, 2012

Dog Is Blue Live: Rancho Relaxo with Hue, James & Blackburn and Illitry

Dog Is Blue Live at Ranch Relaxo, Feb. 16 2012 Photo by R.Mirsky

When: Feb. 16, 2012
Where: Rancho Relaxo, Toronto ON
Who with: Hue, James & Blackburn, Illitry

Set List:

Tortoise
Dusty Bones
Young Enough (Ukulele)
Till the End of the Day (Kinks cover)
Southern Ontario
People
Raise Your Dead (Ukulele)
Laura’s Song (Ukulele)

Shows like this past Thursday at Rancho Relaxo are why we play live music. All the bands sounded great, the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves as much as we did, we didn’t have any technical difficulties AND the sound was amazing. We should probably retire now.

Something clicked earlier in the evening when we decided to start the set with “Tortoise”. We usually ease in to that one, so it definitely signaled a “show them that 2 people can rock pretty damn hard” approach to the set that was a lot of fun. We also brought out the ukulele again for a few songs, which seemed to go over well (especially during “Laura’s Song”).

The whole shebang was put together by the good folks at The Indie Machine, so we definitely recommend checking them out for future shows.

If you’re looking for a less biased recap of the show with some great pictures (not unlike the one above by our pal R.Mirsky) check out the writeup at Buyingshotsforbands.com. If nothing else that review reveals the scary fact that some people are actually listening to the nonsense that Paul says between songs. Scary indeed.

January 25, 2012August 23, 2012

Show Recap: Broadview Espresso with Anna Atkinson & Our New Ukulele

Dog Is Blue live at Broadview Espresso with Anna Atkinson

When: Jan. 7, 2012
Where: Broadview Espresso, Toronto ON
Who with: Anna Atkinson

Set List:

Dusty Bones
She Said
People w/Anna Atkinson
Young Enough (Ukulele)*
Till the End of the Day (Kinks cover)
Southern Ontario (Ukulele)*
Alligator Song
Raise Your Dead (Ukulele)*
Laura’s Song (Ukulele)*
*First time

This recap has been a long time coming. I held off a bit to get our favourite albums of 2011 and gallery of pedals I built last year posted first before we were too deep into 2012!

When this poster went up around our neighbourhood people thought Laura was leaving the band*. I suppose we should have clarified that it was her farewell to Broadview Espresso (we live across the street though, so take “farewell” very loosely…). Suffice to say she sold her soul to Dog Is Blue a looooong time ago…

Speaking of posters, I always try to save the ones we tape to the counter at the coffee shop, as after a few weeks they look wonderfully grizzled and abused by all the drips and spills. Sadly, I’ve only actually been able to rescue one of them, but a vigilant friend took the photo above before it got tossed.

As for the show itself, what more can you say about Anna Atkinson than she’s awesome? This time around she had accompaniment in the form of stand-up bass and vocals, which only made the experience more ethereal and charming in the intimate setting.

We kept the atmosphere light by debuting 4 songs newly arranged for the concert ukulele (we’re working on recording these for fun, so stay tuned). Speaking of which, Laura completely one-upped me by running the uke through one of my fuzz pedals during “Laura’s Song” —I can jealously admit that the sonic destruction was magnificent!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Dog Is Blue show if the audio/video equipment didn’t malfunction. We were set to record the whole shebang through multiple mics, but somehow only ended up with Anna’s set. The nerdy A/V gods are still mad at us apparently. We’ll sacrifice a VCR for them before the next show.

*They also thought someone drew that moustache on her, but that’s actually one of Laura’s self-portraits as is.

December 5, 2011

Show Recap: Live as Batman & Robin at The Central

Dog Is Blue live at The Central as Batman & Robin on 03-12-11

When: Dec. 3, 2011
Where: The Central, Toronto ON
Who with: Henry Adam Svec, Folklorist (w/WL Altman)

Set List:

Tortoise
Dusty Bones
Batman Theme*
The Way It Goes
People
Song Written Upon Getting Cut By the Argos (CLF Sessions cover) w/Henry Adam Svec
Stan & Georgie
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells*
Till the End of the Day (Kinks cover)*
Young Enough
Laura’s Song
Southern Ontario
Raise Your Dead
She Said
*First time

Years from now it won’t matter what songs we played at the 100 Days of Batman show last weekend, or even how hampered we were by technical difficulties for the first half of the set (check your cables, kids), because the above photo* will still exist in the ether of the internet as proof that we actually performed in full Batman & Robin costumes.

In fact, there was apparently some higher power at work (the spirit of Batman, maybe?) making sure that there was no further evidence, as BOTH video cameras we brought mysteriously didn’t capture a single shot and our audio recorder was never even turned on.

All told it was a fun, if sloppy, change of pace and we figured out the technical difficulties just in time to crank up the distortion for a rendition of The Kinks’ “Till the End of the Day” (using the latest of my Saturn electric guitars live for the first time…and promptly breaking a guitar cable at the end). Pulling out some Batman related tunes was also a hoot (we’ll probably record the three new songs listed to the left for a fun EP).

Henry Adam Svec and WL Altman put on a great opening set, as expected. I can never get enough of the subtle humour and great songwriting in Henry’s projects.

*Taken by our stalwart supporter/friend Justin Heldsinger

September 13, 2011

Show Recap: Broadview Espresso with Bernice

Dog Is Blue & Bernice Live At Broadview Espresso 08-09-11

When: Sept. 8, 2011
Where: Broadview Espresso, Toronto ON
Who with: Bernice

Set List:

Dusty Bones
Southern Ontario
Thirteen (Big Star cover)
This Will Be Our Year (Zombies cover)
She Said
Tortoise
Song Written Upon Getting Cut By The Argos (CFL Sessions cover)
Slow Boat To China
Raise Your Dead
Laura’s Song

A week before this show, when the poster to the right was still in pristine condition (I love taping one to the counter and watching it deteriorate over time…), one of Broadview Espresso‘s regular customers said to me “aren’t you worried about playing with Robin (front-woman for Bernice)? What if she blows you out of the water…you’re not going after her, are you?”

Funnily enough, we did play after her and I was a little worried that her phenomenal voice might be a tough act to follow. Thankfully, we’re nothing if not foolishly brazen.

These Broadview Espresso shows are often really intimate and not as crowded as others, so I thought it was a good idea to bring out my trusty little homemade tube amp, but when there are suddenly close to 50 people crammed in there 5 watts just doesn’t cut it. Laura’s Microkorg got rave reviews after the set though.

Oddly enough, of all the songs we played that night “Slow Boat to China,” a tune we usually avoid or butcher entirely, was the crowd pleaser (this happened when we played in Montreal as well, actually). We also debuted our version of Big Star’s “Thirteen,” a tune we may or may not be recording very soon (re: it’s 90% done).

All told it was another one of those wonderful shows that reaffirms why we do this in the first place…

…for the drugs, money and babes, obviously.

August 10, 2011August 10, 2011

Show Recap: The Central with Tiny and The Mountain, Garbageface & Ryan Ringer

When: Aug. 6, 2011
Where: The Central, Toronto ON
Who with: Tiny and The Mountain, Garbageface, Ryan Ringer

Set List:

Slow Boat to China
Dusty Bones
She Said
People
Southern Ontario
Tortoise
Raise Your Dead
Laura’s Song

The summer gets away from you pretty damn quickly. We blinked and suddenly hadn’t played a show since our CD release party in June. Thankfully, our good friends Tiny and The Mountain, Garbageface and Ryan Ringer asked us to play their tour kick-off party at the Central to get us off our asses.

Oh, and it was Taste of the Danforth in our neighbourhood this weekend, so any excuse to get out of the East End was a good one…we did, however, stop by the street festivities first to get a couple of awesome bubble guns from one of the vendors, complete with noises and flashing lights. Mine instantly started leaking all over my pedals and I managed to zap a friend right in the eyeball with the laser (you can sort of see Laura using hers in the photo above).

All told, we were rough and out of practice, but had a lot of fun and even had a singer or two in the front row during “Southern Ontario.” It was also our first set using a Microkorg we picked up used last week, which I promptly used to completely derail “Laura’s Song” by choosing inappropriately heavy bass patches.

…if you can’t have fun and screw around then why the hell are you in a band?

June 13, 2011

Show Recap: Tranzac Tortoise CD Release Party w/Anna Atkinson

When: June 9, 2011
Where: The Tranzac (main hall), Toronto ON
Who with: Anna Atkinson

Set List:

Dusty Bones
Slow Boat to China
Dusty Bones
Stan & Georgie
People
The Way It Goes
She Said
Southern Ontario
Tortoise
Raise Your Dead
Laura’s Song

What a way to end a tour…The main hall of the Tranzac has been on our list of “venues to play before we die” since the beginning and last Thursday not only put a checkmark in that box, but filled it full of dynamite and blew it up in a cloud of coloured lights and confetti.

Surrounded by friends, family and other supporters we celebrated the release of Tortoise while Anna Atkinson (who joined us on stage for “Southern Ontario”) was eagerly doing the same for her debut album, Mooniture.

Of course, I could go on and on about how awesome we were, or how much fun the whole night was, but we had a few very supportive bloggers on hand that night whose take on the evening will likely be a little less biased. Here are a few quick quotes, but click through to check out the full reviews:

“Watson and Heaney have a fantastic chemistry on stage.” – Grayowl Point

“Overall the evening had a loose, comfortable feel. It truly was more like a party with friends than a concert.” – Snob’s Music

Expect more videos from the show too, as we had Laura’s sister on hand filming along with our little sports camera mounted at the front of the stage.

April 6, 2011April 6, 2011

Show Recap: The Central with Tiny Mountains, Oh Darling! & Brodie Dakin

When: April 2, 2011
Where: The Central, Toronto ON
Who with: Tiny Mountains, Oh Darling!, Brodie Dakin

Set List:

Dusty Bones
Southern Ontario
People
She Said
Stan & Georgie
Tortoise
Young Enough
Raise Your Dead

There are shows that are tough; there are shows that are fraught with problems and technical difficulties; there are shows where no one is there to play to. There are also shows where not only does it all work out, but you have a damn good time too. Saturday night at The Central was a prime example of the latter.

Our good friends in Tiny Mountains were celebrating front-man Robb Mirsky’s birthday and were kind enough to ask us to play. The Central is the perfect little spot for such a shindig—big enough to fit a small crowd, but small enough to be cozy, with great beer on tap and good eats too.

The first club show with my new Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin, this was also one of the first shows we’ve actually played with our trusty Roland Jazz Chorus JC-77 amp—felt good to have a reliable and loud tank up on stage with me. Of course, my homemade pedals were acting up as always—no fault of their own, mind you. I simply forgot to plug good ol’ Santa Wahs in at all. Technical difficulties keep us mega-rockstars humble.

As always, Laura was rock solid and even got a few verbal jabs at me between songs (she owes me more than a few by now). This was also the first show with her kick drum mic (a great Craigslist score), something we’ll be using a lot.

Photographer Karol Orzechowski (http://decipherimages.com) almost caught a tambourine to the chin in my exuberance, but still managed to take these great shots:

March 29, 2011March 29, 2011

Show Recap: Earth Hour at Broadview Espresso with Anna Atkinson

Candles

When: Mar. 26, 2011
Where: Broadview Espresso, Toronto ON
Who with: Anna Atkinson

Set List

Southern Ontario*
Laura’s Song – First Time!
Tortoise
Record Body Count (Rheostatics)
Slow Boat to China
Dusty Bones*
People*
The Way It Goes*
Stan & Georgie
Song Written Upon Getting Cut By the Argos (CFL Sessions)
Hot Air Balloons (and Submarines)
Raise Your Dead
Young Enough*
This Will Our Year (The Zombies)
* w/Anna Atkinson

I have to admit, we had no idea Saturday’s show was to coincide with Earth Hour until that morning. Anna emailed asking if we should light some candles and play acoustic. Selfishly, my initial thought was “crap! I’ve been itching to try this great new electric guitar I just bought…” In the end, the earthly sentiment prevailed and the first half of the show was played in acoustic intimacy of a candlelit Broadview Espresso.

As usual, Anna Atkinson commanded the crowd with her unique brand of quirky charm and undeniable talent. We’ve tried backing her up before, but she doesn’t need it at all. Laura and I, on the other hand, benefit greatly from her viola and backing vocals, so she joined us for a good chunk of our set.

In the end, the unplugged immediacy of Earth Hour left it’s mark, as we switched back and fourth between full-on electric and microphone free. I was just giddy to be trying my brand new Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin II guitar (sounds great through an amp or acoustic and looks real perrrtty).

This show also gave us the opportunity to test a few of our more recent tunes to an audience of friends before the new album comes out. “Laura’s Song,” for instance, was played live for the first time and went over well even without my waltzing with a small Casio in the background. Of course, no show of ours would be complete without forgetting to play a song we were excited about. In this case it was “She Said,” but we’ll rectify that at The Central this weekend!

Speaking of songs we forgot to play, here’s a live clip from this show of the one we forgot to play last time, “Young Enough.”

Oh, and this was our first show with band t-shirts! More on those to come very soon…

February 7, 2011

Show Recap: Rancho Relaxo with Smugshot and Richard Gracious

Rancho Relaxo

When: Feb. 2, 2011
Where: Rancho Relaxo, Toronto ON
Who with: Smugshot, Richard Gracious

Set List:

Dusty Bones w/Anna Atkinson
Southern Ontario w/Anna Atkinson
She Said
Tortoise
People
Young Enough w/Anna Atkinson
Raise Your Dead w/Anna Atkinson

This was the night of the “big snow storm” that had all of Toronto (not to mention southern Ontario and a good chunk of the U.S.) stocking up on canned goods, sitting in their panic rooms locked & loaded for the apocalypse. Of course, we only got about half of the expected white stuff here, so the show at Rancho Relaxo went on as scheduled.

Getting ready to record our new album this month, we used this set as an opportunity to work on some of the new material. Case in point, Anna Atkinson joined us on viola for a few tunes (complete with a great new haircut…) and “She Said” was played live for the very first time.

Of course, I’m an easily distracted mess, so new accompaniment and the debut of a recently built guitar pedal along with strange stage hum made for interesting results. Thankfully, I make it a habit to surround myself with beautiful, talented and dependable women who pick up my slack and slap me with it.

Given all the hoopla over the snow, it ended up being a good time. We were very grateful for an audience who actually braved the overblown weather, and both Smugshot (complete with Keytar) and Richard Gracious (who ended the night with a drunken dance party) were a lot of fun (and each covered bands I’d completely forgotten about—Wheatus and Afroman respectively).

Bring on the House of Miracles!

January 12, 2011February 4, 2011

Show Recap: Broadview Espresso with Anna Atkinson

When: Jan. 8, 2011
Where: Broadview Espresso, Toronto ON
Who with: Anna Atkinson

Set 1:

Hot Air Balloons (and Submarines)
Wish
Seacaptain
Happy Hallowe’en
Stan & Georgie
People

Set 2 (with Anna Atkinson):

Colours (Donovan cover)
Dusty Bones
Tortoise
Southern Ontario
Raise Your Dead
It Happens in Florida (Burning Hell cover)

A stark contrast to our set the night before in Kingston, this was the sort of show you could only get away with in an intimate setting amongst friends and fervent supporters.

The idea was simple: pare down the excess (re: no light rings or huge pedal board) and collaborate with our good friend and ultra-talented multi-instrumentalist Anna Atkinson. The result consisted of a quick set by each act before joining forces for what Anna called “the mega set.” “Mega” in this case meaning unrehearsed and haphazard—something that in the wrong atmosphere would have crashed and burned, but in the dimmed lights of Broadview Espresso, amongst an attentive and interactive audience of familiar faces, was welcomed with an air of mischief and fun.

It wasn’t fun and games at first though, as our trusty Korg Polysix seemed to have a mind of its own, bending notes all over the place (turns out it was just cold from having spent the night in the trunk). Thankfully, one of the many perks of living across the street from the venue was being able to run back and grab our Roland Juno 106 as a stand in*. Also, just like the previous show, we didn’t write a set list and forgot to play “Young Enough,” a song we had actually rehearsed with Anna prior (look for a new version of that tune at some point).

Thankfully, the slap-dash set seemed to still go over well (our new Twitter friend Matt, who also helped us name “Little Dragon Slayer,” tweeted: it was probably one of the coolest musical experience I’ve had. follow him–he’s clearly a smart dude).

Speaking of Twitter…one of our favourite online personalities, Louise Andre, took some great photos:

Dog Is Blue Live at Broadview Espresso in Toronto on Jan. 8, 2011, by Louise Andre

Dog Is Blue and Anna Atkinson Live at Broadview Espresso in Toronto on Jan. 8, 2011, by Louise Andre

*Laura doesn’t like the Juno 106.