couple of shows

We probably only make it out to a tenth of the number of concerts we used to since becoming parents, but this year has been good to us all things considered. I'll typically see reunion shows of the bands I grew up with (although some bands never called it quits). I don't know if anyone else out there has experienced this, but I think at some point in my late 20's and early 30's I felt like I wasn't able to connect with very much new music anymore. It recently dawned on me that maybe I'd reached an age where anyone making new music was a whole lot younger than me. That was OK because I still really love the music of my teens and 20's, but a few bands have came onto my radar and become some of my recent music staples. Wild Nothing and Wye Oak are a couple of examples. We saw Wye Oak play the Horseshoe on Monday and Wild Nothing at the Great Hall last night.

Wild Nothing had the most incredible opening act, DIIV, I enjoyed so much I went over to the merch table and bought their album. When DIIV first came on stage I immediately expected dark, heavy stoner rock (I mean the drummer was wearing a touque and Hellraiser shirt). Then they began and their swirling chiming guitars immediately brought me back to my years of shoegaze. As their name suggests, they aren't the reincarnate of Slowdive but they definelty sound more akin to Ride. They played with exuberance and energy and the smile across my face didn't finish till the end of Wild Nothing's set.

Wild Nothing were fantastic live. I wasn't sure how their music would translate live because I always imagined it being created in Jack Tatum's bedroom. But as a full band they managed to take the songs I've loved for the past two years and flesh them out to a full and danceable live show.

We arrived too late to Wye Oak and because the club has a habit of overcrowding and packing in I couldn't see the band on stage. But they sounded great and it was still an awesome night out.

On our way to the show last night we saw this rainbow over Lake Ontario in Mississauga. This was Owen's first rainbow and luckily it was probably the most clear and full rainbow I'd ever seen before. Owen thought it was pretty cool and once it disappeared he asked for us to make new ones for him. To distract Owen from begging for more, Nuno started immitating this 'double rainbow guy' which made Owen laugh hysterically that he joined right in.