Posted: February 5th, 2007 | Author: Dan Misener | Filed under: Music, Toronto | No Comments »
They night after I moved to Toronto, my friend Laura took me to Graffiti’s in Kensington to see Kevin Quain play. It was a Monday, I remember. Earlier that evening we watched the sun go down and the city light up from the top deck of a ferry on its way back from Centre Island.
And I was really excited to see Kevin Quain.
Not long before I moved, my friend Neil had seen Kevin play in someone’s living room.* Neil bought both of Kevin’s CDs, Hangover Honeymoon and Tequila Vampire Matinee, and had lent them to me. I was amazed. The songs were wild and raw, with lyrics about vampires and hangmen. Kevin’s voice was gravelly as hell. And he played the accordion. The accordion!
But more than anything, it was the lyrics that got me. For me, Kevin Quain’s songs do the thing that all great songs do; they make me feel like they were written just for me. Take “Hangover Square:”
What if your dreams don’t come true?
What if your nightmares come looking for you?
Listen kid, you’re gonna love it here.
Doubt, fear, and hope.
In three lines, exactly how I felt after leaving everything I knew to follow my dreams in a city I didn’t understand.
The first night I saw Kevin Quain perform, it was just his voice and a guitar. It was everything I’d expected.
A few Sundays ago, for the first time in almost a year, I went to see Kevin Quain and the Mad Bastards play at the Cameron House. And I picked up a copy of his new-ish live solo CD, Dog Show Volume 1. Listening to it now brings me right back to that first night in Toronto. The songs are bare, and sad, and beautiful and perfect.
Honestly, I cannot recommend this man’s music enough. Trying to explain how good it is is really frustrating. But perhaps that’s a testament to his songs.
Go to Kevin’s website. Or his MySpace. Listen to his music. If you live in Toronto, go see Kevin play. If not, follow Ralph Alfonso’s advice and buy his CDs: “Send him the money. Thank me later.”
* I honestly cannot recall why this performance took place in someone’s living room. I do, however, remember that Neil’s explanation included really greasy hamburgers
Posted: January 25th, 2007 | Author: Dan Misener | Filed under: Music | 2 Comments »
So I’m in a band.
Last week, we spent some time in Murray Daigle’s MDS Recording studio.
The result: a seven song EP without a name (yet). You can listen to the whole thing three songs on The Canaries’ NewMusicCanada page. We’ll also sell it in fancy packaging at shows, probably for a fiver.
Speaking of shows, we’re playing The Savannah Room on February 6, 2007, with Joan’s Smith’s band The Achievers. Should be fun.
Posted: November 8th, 2006 | Author: Dan Misener | Filed under: Music | 3 Comments »
Marilyn was my bass guitar.
I bought her from Musicstop on Cunard Street in Halifax. She’d been on hold for me for months, and I’d been slowly paying her down, bit by bit, while she waited patiently for me in the Musicstop warehouse. I made the final payment the day after I got back from visiting my friend Jamie Bambury in Kingston. It was the spring of 2001, and I’d just finished Foundation Year at King’s. Life felt really good that day.
I’d had a hankering for a new bass, and boy, did she fit just right.
Marilyn was a real, genuine, born-and-bred-in-the-U-S-A kind of bass guitar. She was sleek, and sexy, and she had five (count ‘em, five) strings that let me hit notes I didn’t even know existed. Plus, she was a really pretty shade of blue. I played her for five years straight, and she always sounded amazing to me. In that time, she came with me most everywhere I went, even to cities where I didn’t own an amp to play her through. Those times, I’d just pick her up and hold her. She felt good.
Marilyn was my bass guitar. But now I have a new bass, and as of today, Marilyn belongs to someone else.
Am I sad? A little. But we ended things on a good note.
Posted: July 10th, 2006 | Author: Dan Misener | Filed under: Music, Radio | No Comments »
Last fall, I joined a rock and roll band. We call ourselves The Canaries. And I’m proud to say that we’re playing our very first show. In case it didn’t arrive in your inbox, here’s the email:
THE CANARIES
LIVE AT CLINTON’S
THURSDAY, JULY 20TH
Frank Sinclair, Mike Zikovitz and Dean Pomeroy (formerly of The Plastic Folk) are back with a new band, a new name, new songs and a new member, bassist Dan Misener.
So come by Clinton’s on July 20th at 9:00 to see The Canaries’ Toronto debut.
The Canaries
More details (address, maps) at Upcoming.org.
Posted: June 12th, 2006 | Author: Dan Misener | Filed under: Music | No Comments »
Tomorrow, I’ll play a gig with my friend Ainsley McNeaney (and a pile of other bona-fide musician types, including Dean Pomeroy, Tim Francom, Miguel Malaco, Kristine Grey, Cait Boyle and Mohsin Bhujwalla).
You can listen to some of Ainsley’s tunes on her MySpace account.
It happens Tuesday, June 13 at the Red Guitar in Toronto. It’s an early show with 2 sets, starting at 7:00. Details at Upcoming.org.
