THURSDAY, March 4

Stirling – Horseshoe Tavern, 9 p.m.

Not the beer (Sterling) and not the power-pop band from Ottawa that made some noise on the festival circuit a few years ago (Starling), fuzzed-out rockers Stirling are originally from Edmonton but now call Toronto home. Their sound was atmospheric like The Dears, and Matt Booi’s expressive voice had hues of Jarvis Cocker. Keyboards added a melodic alternative to a second guitar.

The Parkas – Horseshoe, 10 p.m.
I could probably go on for hours about how The Parkas’ breed of rock and roll is energetic and upbeat and hopelessly infectious, but (full disclosure) seeing as how the nucleus of the band is related to me, you probably wouldn’t take my word for it anyway. Check ’em out for yourself.

Matthew Barber – Horseshoe, 11 p.m.
Local singer-songwriter Matt Barber falls into that new category of sensitive romantics headed by John Mayer (except not so sappy). Based on my informal and very limited sampling, he seemed to one who people were specifically there to see. Recently signed to a major-label deal with Warner, he’s sporting a more rockin’ sound these days with his new Union Dues band. Musically they were solid, but Barber himself didn’t really have enough charisma as a frontman to hold my attention.

Jets Overhead – The 360, 12 a.m.
Highlighted by eye Weekly as a “CMW secret,” Jets Overhead was billed as being in “the tradition of Oasis and The Vines.” Whoever wrote that must have been on crack, because Jets Overhead had no edge to them whatsoever to warrant comparison with even the relatively mild Vines, yet alone the battlin’ Gallaghers. I left after three songs.

FRIDAY, March 5

Hostile Takeover – Sneaky Dees, 9 p.m.
True to the indie rock tradition of the venue, this trio took to the stage for their first ever show and promptly ripped into a set of simple, raw, bare-bones rock and roll. They started off sounding like a blend between the Pixies and Sonic Youth (not a bad thing, mind you) but over the course of the set showcased a varied sound that ranged from down and dirty garage rawk to more melodic hook-driven songs to a harder, punkier sound.

Displaying poise that belied their declared inexperience, the band looked comfortable on stage, and the lead singer led the crowd through their rock and roll paces like a seasoned vet. Refreshing. Expect to see more of these guys in the future.

Vulcan Dub Squad – Sneaky Dees, 10 p.m.
Emerging onstage in green army jackets and Nazgul-esque black hooded facemasks, one would’ve expected these guys to launch into a hardcore death metal sonic assault. Instead, they unleashed another kind of madness. Opening with a highly melodic instrumental, it was reminiscent of when Saturday morning cartoon villains would drop their intimidation and descend into unexpected silliness. What the hell were we in for?

By the end of the second song, with the lead singer visibly catching his breath after a virtuoso performance, our questions had been answered and the crowd had been won over. The Vulcans reminded me somewhat of the Hives (just not as one-dimensional), in that their musical roots go back to bands like the Stooges, but filtered through a different cultural perspective so that what comes out is something new. Encouraging the crowd to buy T-shirts and CDs, lead singer Ranbir Gundu declared, “This is what we want to do, not work at Cockbuster.” You gotta admire the earnestness.

Grasshopper Sound Clash – Rancho Relaxo, 10:30 p.m.
With a name like Grasshopper Sound Clash, you just know that you’re in for something interesting. GSC is pre-recorded drum beats, a shitload of samples, a guitarist, and one white boy with crazy dreads in a Def Jam T-shirt giving it his all. The band (if you can call it that) was pretty old-school-none of the equipment on stage seemed to be manufactured after 1985. GSC describes their sound as a mix of “hip-hop, dub reggae, punk, and classic rock.” It’s crazy but it works. You can tell that these are two guys committed to creating something that is just a little bit different, but most importantly, fun and energetic.

Madcaps – Rancho Relaxo, 11:30 p.m.
Madcaps are a five-piece ensemble that features keyboards, a saxophone, bass, drums and guitar. Their road-tested sound blurs the line between jazz, funk, and rock and roll. And they definitely delivered a blast of a live show. What sets these guys apart is the intensity of their delivery. They really beat the shit out of their instruments-but in a very controlled manner that comes from long hours logged on the road. All their energy was poured into creating a groove, and they got really animated on stage. These weren’t little guys either, and it was amusing to see them negotiate the spatial challenges presented by the modest Rancho stage.

SATURDAY, March 6

Mara – Cameron House, 9 p.m.
No matter what gender you are, it takes a pair of brass ones to stand up on stage alone and rock out with an acoustic guitar-and that’s exactly what NYC singer-songwriter Mara did. Launching into her first song, “Cheat,” I was expecting a typical males-are-awful ditty, but instead Mara delivered a full-throated ode to desire that had the whole place buzzing.
Her stellar were pipes reminiscent of Melissa Ethridge back when she was supposed to be the next Boss. Weak songwriting tended to drag down the set somewhat, however, with generally abstract and trite lyrics that were difficult to emotionally connect with. This was made all the more clear when she did hit the right emotional buttons, especially in the stand-out “Peace and Rock & Roll.” It was hard not to cringe inwardly when she announced it as a song she wrote post-9/11, but it ended up being a heartfelt expression of an individual feeling somewhat lost in a senseless world. Get her a band and more solid songs, and she’s a star.

Death From Above – Horseshoe Tavern, 9:30 p.m.
With a name like Death From Above, you can pretty much guess what you’re in for musically. Clearly graduates from the FUBAR school of rock, this duo pummelled the audience with thundering bass and drums amped up full blast. Unfortunately, there’s a reason why you generally need at least a trio before you can call yourself a band. There’s only so much variety you can produce with just a rhythm section. But at least the drummer was kind enough to impart nuggets of heavy metal philosophy to the masses. Introducing one song, he announced, “It’s about not doing your homework and starting a band. Or doing your homework and not starting a band. Or growing a mustache-it’s about the execution of ideas.”

These are the assholes who live in your neighbour’s basement and spend their time drinking beer and playing loud music during all hours of the night. (But hey, there were about ten people up at the front who were really into them, so who am I to poke fun?)

The High Dials – Horseshoe Tavern, 10:30 p.m.
I have a friend who spends almost all of his time listening to British Invasion bands that I’ve never heard of. He definitely would have liked these guys. Sprawling, atmospheric, and at times even psychedelic, the High Dials are a product of a different time. They also incorporate more modern influences such as Radiohead. Generally, the songwriting was pretty quality. Some songs were a bit long for my attention span, but maybe I shoulda been stoned.

LEI – Rancho Relaxo, 11:30 p.m.
What if Nirvana had been fronted by a chick? No, wait-scratch that. More appropriately, what if Puddle of Mudd was fronted by a rock chick instead of a guy? Well, then you’d have LEI. “We like rock crowds,” lead singer Lucy Di Santo (formerly of Acid Test) declared in a voice that was halfway between a snarl and a purr and nowhere near pretty. She must have meant metalheads whose ears have been pulverized over the years and can no longer really tell anything about what they’re listening to, except that it’s loud. Most likely to be appearing on Bland102 sometime in the near future.

The Undercurrents – Clinton’s, 1 a.m.
Based on their bio description, I was expecting The Undercurrents to be blisteringly hardcore. But then they came on and the guy starts wailing away like he’s the second coming of Paul McCartney. Their sound falls somewhere between Fastball and Weezer, and the best thing about the group is that they have one hell of a guitarist. They’re on the young side, so this band definitely has the potential to develop into something significant in time.