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Whiteboard Project/We, The Undersigned/This Day Burns/Ninjaspy @ The V-Lounge [Feb. 24th, 2011]
| Message Board > Show Reviews > Whiteboard Project/We, The Undersigned/This Day Burns/Ninjaspy @ The V-Lounge [Feb. 24th, 2011] |
| DTjackson User Info... | Although the snow was over, it was slowly melting and forming into dangerous ice. The wind chill was alarming. Though, we were faced with a huge Thursday bill. It wasn't going to stop me, because I was ready to rock, but would it keep the crowds away on this solemn Thursday night? I arrive early and rush in [after some meet and greets] to avoid the damnation outside. I rarely find myself wearing a jacket inside the V-Lounge, but it was pretty much a needed necessity. For this show, you'd have to mosh to stay warm. Not planning to get drunk enough for that. Whiteboard Project was a perfect kick off for the night. They hit hard without warning with intricate riffs that would have you imagine there would be no way there was just three members. Paul Jacobs transfers from screaming, death growls to melodic singing with ease as he amazes the audience with his guitar ability. I just stood there in awe as he finger tapped his way to glory. Yet, on the other side of the stage, was bass player Mark O'Halloran finger tapping in a harmony to Jacobs. I got a definite Mudvayne vibe to this band, but without the mainstream appeal. If you could ever imagine Mudvayne mixed with Meshuggah chugging and time signatures, Whiteboard Project would be in there. My god, the bass playing is amazing in this band. Though, it was the drummer that held my attention for most of the set. Jeff Laird was a definite heavy hitter and he came up with some really complex patterns and fills that could rival many legends. I found it extremely interesting that he had two high hats on either side, which he used depending on what side of the drum set he was favouring. It was something I had never seen before. The songs sprawled with not much repetition. One part would lead into another and then into another, with the possibility of a re-visit to what you could call a chorus. There is a prog element to the band, which is quite enjoyable. Not a band you go to sing along to, but just keep your eyes glued to their ability. Jacobs got us to raise our middle fingers in the air and proclaim "Fuck Shitcouver!". It was not something everyone believed in. If I had anything bad to say about this band, it did drag on near the end of the set only because there wasn't much difference in the songs nor was there a barrage of energy on the stage. More of a stand still and "check out what I can do" kinda deal. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by this band from up island. Hopefully they come down more often. They passed over their three track CD to me at the show, and it's solid. Recommended, no question. Then came We, The Undersigned from Fredericton, New Brunswick and they upped the ante. After a short bass related issue, they launched full tilt into their intense set. While not as technically impressive as Whiteboard Project, they had songs that were easier to digest. Though, this was more punk than metal as the lead singer swung his microphone around dangerously [which he explained to me was a game where he sees how close he can get to the guitarist's face]. The group rarely slowed down with piercing shouts. The crowd tonight was having some major ADHD. If the lead singer took a much needed break for some water, the fans would disperse back to the bar or to a table. The use of a guitar solo was rare, but when it was used, it was fantastic as the guitarist reefed on his wah wah pedal. The bassist, somewhat resembling a pirate, head banged his way through the set with determination. Often the guitarist or the vocalist would perch themselves on the bass drum, but it didn't phase the man behind the kit. What I truly enjoyed about this band was their sense of humour. The lyrical content is, more or less, bizarre and they are quite entwined with their band buddies, Ninjaspy in the way where in the blink of an eye, they can pull a 180 and go in a whole new direction five times in the span of one minute. I see great things for this band in the future. For Victoria's This Day Burns, I felt it was an odd choice for this bill. After a hugely complicated set up that seemed to go on forever, I couldn't figure out who was playing what. Everyone seemed to be fiddling around with the drums. Fiddling with the pedals. Just when you thought they had everything figured out, they'd fiddle with another thing. Then back to the drums. Alright, I think they are done...they all go off stage. I'm just itching for them to go on, yet I'm a bit skeptical of the acoustic guitar they were soundchecking. Suddenly, some ambient guitar doodling cues over the PA and the band make their way to the stage. This better be god damn good for the amount of time they took to get on stage. The band has a few familiar faces, as ex-Saul guitarist Chris Heretic sits behind the drum set and current Funk Vigilante Matt Williams wore his bass with pride. The group is also rounded out by Jon Sinclair on guitar, and frontwoman Jasmine Wietzke with her curious acoustic guitar. That's when things got really really slow. The problem wasn't that the band was bad. The problem comes from having two fast paced bands kick off the night. The band mixed the dreary burn of A Perfect Circle with Lacuna Coil. First things first, I'd like to point out that Wietzke has an amazing voice and all of these musicians are impressive. I just think this type of band would work better with a different line up. Part of which, none of these guys I would call drummers. Heretic and Williams actually switched off mid-set. They got the job done, but we've seen such incredible drumming tonight, it's kind of a write off. There was also an odd buzzing sound that was difficult to pin point. Might have been a bad wire. There was also an Avenged Sevenfold tinge to the music. After a few slow tracks, Heretic switched to bass and Williams went to drums. For what reason? I'm not exactly sure. They played some more slow stuff. Wietzke proclaimed "This next song is a slow song...well, a slower song. I know, a slow song. What the fuck?". She provided , and it wasn't until Wietzke switched to bass and Heretic picked up a guitar, that they injected some energy into the set. It was a welcome change and it got the audience's [and my] attention. She wasn't as good as a bass player as Heretic or Sinclair, but it served the purpose. After that one, they went back to the slower material. This band would do well on The Fox in Vancouver. A work in progress with the working title of "Gibbled Chicken" was another highlight with Heretic's trademark riffs that he was more known for in Saul. It came across as very Avenged Sevenfold influenced. The thing with this band is that they either need to be all slower ambient laden songs or they need to really balance the fast with the slow. I also took issue with everyone switching instruments. In an interview, they say every time they switch an instrument, it brings out a new side of them and you can feel it in the music. I didn't really feel that. What I felt was that I had a preference for each instrument someone was on. Heretic, I found to be a better drummer than Williams. Williams was the best bassist, yet I was impressed by Sinclair's ability as a bassist, as well. Heretic, though, he is a guitar player through and through. If I had my way [zero chance of ever happening], you'd have Williams on bass, Heretic and Sinclair on guitar, with a drummer who lives and breathes drumming. Ah, but the moment we'd all been waiting for was upon us. If I could sum up Ninjaspy in one word, it's fearless. This band blends sporadic metal with ska at the drop of a dime. It's almost like they operate in their own time signature, or they come from a different planet. I found it had elements of Strapping Young Lad but way crazier. Joel Parent [guitar/vocals] spun around the stage like madman with a microphone headset. Now that may look silly on some, but when you take into count that this guy is all over the stage, it just fits. Tim Parent [bass] was also exciting to watch as he performed some stage dance moves on stage, and at one point he knocked into drummer Adam Parent. Hmmm, I wonder if they are related. Anyway, definite highlight for me was the song Evolution of the Skid. Joel Parent can scream, sing and all out be weird at different points during one song. It doesn't have to make sense in this band. If parts are only performed once, then, that's it. Many times at the V-Lounge when the members were jumping around and twirling, I thought they were going to come in contact with the many flatscreen TVs at the V-Lounge, but I guess they've been at this a long time and have built a sixth sense. I never realized how big this band is. I had seen them about five or so years ago at Lucky's and they weren't even headlining, but that show stuck with me. Now they are on a Japanese label and doing tours around the world. They are set to go to Mexico this year. There was a girl that came in, that was so ecstatic that Ninjaspy was playing that when she touched Joel's hand, she had a minor freak out. Yes, the crowd was wild. There were a few broken bottles and moshing casualties. One man managed to jump on stage and barely land a backflip. Joel seemed rather amused with it as he kept playing. After that, security got a little more serious. The same man then tried to backflip OFF the stage onto the floor...I was screaming "NO!" in my head. Luckily, security pulled him down. God bless drunk people. Adam Parent was a definite whirlwind on the drums and barely broke a sweat. Another cool part of the set was that Joel could control the delay on his vocals with a wah wah pedal. It added a lot of atmospheric disarray to the set. This performance was not light on rock moves. Joel tossed his guitar around full circle at least two times. He also performed some ninja worthy moves. Hell, the guy even brought out a sai to use on his guitar to scratch at the strings and as a guitar slide. He was also quite apt at finger tapping. The lyrical content, much like We, The Undersigned is absolutely bizarre in a Zappa-esque quality. They were eager to involve the crowd in participation with their lyrics. How many times do you get to sing the words "Gone, gone, we're out of tampons"? Tim Parent provided great back up vocals. I would also say there is some Mike Patton in this band. I have to say, this was the best show so far I have seen this year....and none of these bands are my "buddy's". It was so worth it to do that 30 minute walk over icy sidewalks, and I'm very glad other people thought the same way. If you missed Ninjaspy or you've never even heard of them, there is word of a big Victoria announcement soon. You better get on it, because Ninjaspy rocked my ass off. - Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:15am | ||
| oRLY? User Info... | good stuff I will do my best to catch ninjaspy the next time round... i've seen 2 of the other bands, This day... and whiteboard... quite impressive and thought the same about this day burns as you did. - Fri, 4 Mar 2011 1:19pm | ||
| DTjackson User Info... | Glad you liked it. I'm really trying to branch out. Yes, Ninjaspy is definitely a must see show. Mayhem ensues. - Sun, 6 Mar 2011 3:12am | ||
| Paul Jacobs User Info... | It was Fuck Chad Kroger, I really like Vancouver. Thank you for the honest review and hopefully we'll see you there next time. - Fri, 18 Mar 2011 8:03am | ||
| DTjackson User Info... | Whoops, it was hard to hear. I can stand behind that statement 100%! Let me know when you guys play again. I have your CD on my iTunes. Good stuff. - Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:44am | ||
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