Kazoo! #195 showcases musical acts at eBar
A cozy crowd of twenty-somethings and dadcore hipsters gathered Friday, Nov. 14, to kick off Kazoo! #195 at eBar in downtown Guelph. A non-profit, artist-run organization, Kazoo! was founded in 2006 by a team of Guelph musicians, artists, and community organizers, with a goal to create a community for new music, and to make connections between audiences and artists via year-round shows. Friday night at eBar, Kazoo hosted three talented bands, and accomplished just that.
Starting the show off with a bang at around 10:15 was Guelph’s own Baby Labor. The duo (made up of Dan Loughrin on guitar and Jake Cadieux on drums) has a way of weaving in and out of genres, all with a loose, spontaneous feel. At the same time, however, Baby Labor’s music is calculated to give the listener a feeling of chaos, which was definitely present Friday night. Their 45 minute set included few vocals other than the occasional “HIT IT” from Loughrin, and their high-volume, jazz-inspired math-rock quickly launched the eBar from 0-100. Living up to their name, Baby Labor was both loud and a little bit touching – I mean, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Next up was Peterborough’s The Lonely Parade. After a quick break between sets, the crowd settled back in to hear this three-piece alternative girl band play what can only be described as punk-esque ballads. The three share the vocal talent, with Charlotte Dempsey balancing bass and lead vocals, Augusta Veno on guitar, and Anwyn Climenhage playing drums. The lyrical content of The Lonely Parade’s set was what really set them apart. It is not an easy feat to make your music relatable, but this band did it, and did it well. Their ‘Depressing Song’ was vaguely political, hinting at society’s flaws with lyrics such as: “White people f**k things up / throwing away and using up / if moving to mars is the new subdivision / but then where will we go?” Between their songs, which are compellingly real and raw, and their exquisite musicianship, The Lonely Parade shone Friday night.
Headliners The Skeletones Four (formerly Skeleton Forest) took the stage at midnight to play for the city where they grew up. The Torontonian post-punk/psychedelic garage-rock group played in a super-charged style all their own. Their harmonies were ghostly and gloomy, and their tone leaned dangerously close to pop, but add in a synth, a couple of guitars, and a handful of soul, and you get a chemical reaction of something both weird and fascinating. That something is The Skeletones Four, made up of front man (vocals, guitar, keyboard) Andrew Collins, bassist Evan Gordon, guitarist Jordan Howard, and drummer John Merritt. The crowd, quite thick by the time the Skeletones hit the stage, swayed along through the set of spooky-yet-soothing tunes. The Skeletones Four created the perfect end to a night full of talent, and left the audience warm, even on a night where the temperature was far below zero.