Remembrance Day shows

At the One World last night, caught Gilbert Switzer, Jeff Coll 5 and Gary Flanagan. The air was thick with irony. Switzer are a charming trio; the girl (Meghan?) is cute as a button and one of those people other people like on site. The singer, "Uber", is dynamic, and I liked some of the parts where he was singing and not screaming. His blog features some very fine poetry. And the third guy... uh... "shaved head guy"... is a good foil for the other two. All three look like they genuinely enjoy what they're doing, and there is a really good, non-ironic vibe to a band who sticks around and enthusiastically supports the other bands playing.

But. Ah yes, but. They perform that kind of yelling punk for the most part that doesn't have much of an audience in the over 28 crowd. Which is to say, I felt very old watching them, which sort of soured me for a while.

Jeff Coll 5, however much irony Sean ascribes to them, are a tight, good musical unit. As previously at Gus', I was impressed with their updated 80s sensibilities and dance groove. Insane Jesus wasn't there, but the show didn't really lack without him. I love the three keyboards! Gosh, it feels like surfacing to a familiar island after a long time lost in the sea of guitar rock. There are such a pack of them (8 or so members?) that there's always something fun to watch. And Jeff Coll himself is such a Matthew Broderick / Ferris Bueller little thing, kind of funny and driven and very entertaining to watch in that indie white-guy-dancing kind of way.

Gary Flanagan was like a weird collision of Kevin Smith on slimfast, Gary Numan, and some guy that a friend of mine used to date--we called him "Mark the Doormat". He did a strange sort of entertainer / schtick / 80s tribute ironic melange that featured a sock puppet, the Dancing Robot, and sound samples from ABC and Styx among others. He did passable (and terribly ironic) covers of Depeche Mode, New Order and Talking Heads that left me confused over whether it was ok that I actually enjoyed the music or not. A highlight was catching the OW owner completed breaking out behind the counter to one of the covers... it made me feel like I was in high school for a brief moment.

From One World, we headed to Stage Nine where we caught a West African drum set by Fola, Benn Ross' Fabulous Band and some of Jenn Grant. Unfortunately I petered out before Down with the Butterfly, but got the chance at the door to give them kudos for the CBC story. The first two bands did a lot to eradicate the leftover bad feeling from the heavy dose of young and ironic at OW. Fola in particular proved so infectious I couldn't stand still. I was dazzled by three young ladies on the floor who had taken African Dance classes and were illustrating some of the rhythms. I was jealous of their uninhibitedness--once I too danced with abandon. But I need a supporting partner in crime usually for these forays, and I had no girlfriend with which to cut loose.

Benn Ross and Fola were entirely the antithesis of irony. I love that about Halifax. In one evening, we caught six bands, each very different from all the others. Cover for the night: seven dollars each. Sweet.