The CanCon Catalogue

Cross-posted on nxew.ca

You may remember the Raccoons as a classic Canadian cartoon portraying the adventures of Bert Raccoon and his friends in Evergreen Forest. However, I predict that within a few months, the top Google result for "The Raccoons music" will be not "The UnOfficial Raccoons Homepage" (as good as this page is), but instead the website of Victorian up-and-comers the Raccoons.
The first I heard of these guys was when they opened for Mother, Mother, I quickly grabbed a copy of their EP and set about praising them (show review here, EP review here). It seems I was only slightly ahead of the curve, as they have now won the Monday Magazine award for "Most Promising Band" and been touted by none other than Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 as the heirs-apparent to Hot Hot Heat, Wolf Parade, and Black Mountain.

Well, as it much as it pleases me to be able to say "I saw them when," I am a little disappointed I won't have the chance to check them out live again until  June, when they return to British Columbia for the release of their first full-length album. The reason for this long absence is what seems to be a North American tour, starting in Hollywood, California on April 20, and then winding its way all across this great country of ours. If they're coming to your neighbourhood, I strongly, strongly recommend you check them out (tunes below the tour dates).

Tour Dates
20 Apr 2009        20:00  The Knitting Factory     Hollywood, California
27 May 2009       20:00  TBA                               Montreal, Quebec
28 May 2009       20:00  The Casbah                    Hamilton, Ontario
29 May 2009       20:00  Lee’s Palace                   Toronto, Ontario
30 May 2009       20:00  Zaphods                         Ottawa, Ontario
2 Jun 2009          20:00  Royal Albert Arms         Winnipeg, Manitoba
3 Jun 2009          20:00  Amigos                           Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
4 Jun 2009          20:00  Liberty Lounge               Calgary, Alberta
5 Jun 2009          20:00  Pawn Shop                      Edmonton, Alberta
8 Jun 2009          20:00  TBA                                Vancouver, British Columbia
9 Jun 2009     20:00 Official CD Release - TBA  Victoria, British Columbia

If you've never been to the Alix Goolden Hall in Victoria, British Columbia, then consider yourself among those who have not experienced one of the better concert venues around. And if you've never seen Jill Barber in concert, then consider yourself among those who have not experienced one of Canada's better live performances. And so, if you were among those who saw Ms. Barber at the Alix Goolden last night, you may consider yourself lucky.

The show was opened by a game David Myles, who entertained the crowd with the story behind the song he wrote to convince his wife to marry him ("I wrote it five years ago, and we got married last fall, so it didn't work as well as I wanted it, too") and how despite being an East Coaster, failed to visit Cape Breton for years because he had it so built up in his mind. An old friend of Barber's, he was a good fit for the opening act.

Barber, for her part, took to the stage with a four piece band that included a stand-up bass and multi-instrumentalist (violin, clarinet, saxophone) and a glittery backdrop that was, apparently, the first thing she ever bought online. I was curious as to how she was going to mix the fifties soul sound of her most recent disc, "Chances" with the singer-songwriter-country-folk fare of her earlier releases, but she pulled it off ably. She started with a couple of "Chances" songs, before donning a guitar and delving into her back catalogue. She switched back and forth throughout, sometimes losing band members for the more intimate numbers. What gave it all continuity was her gift for putting fresh legs on old themes (love found, love lost, love never had), and her formidable pipes. Powerful but never overdone, she can lay claim to being a female chanteuse in the tradition of Patsy Cline.

The highlight of the night came with the last song before the inevitable encore, this is when she pulled out "Chances" first single, the propulsive, call-and-response blues of "Oh My My." With the audience joining in, the band going all out, and the church setting, you could easily picture a similar sound coming out of a southern gospel church circa 1923. Alas, that's the only song she has in that style, I'm sure if she wrote a few more, there would have been dancing in the aisles. As it was, there was simply a rush to the merchandise table. Definitely a show to check out.

Jill Barber plays Vancouver tonight at The Rio Theatre and in Penticton, BC, on April 5 at the Dream Cafe.