On the Local Front: Indian Handcrafts

Last night I went to Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern to see a free show for a band from Barrie I had never heard of called Indian Handcrafts. The band is a two piece comprised of Brandyn James Aikins and Daniel Brandon Allen, but by their sound you would think there were at least 5 people on stage. Indian Handcrafts play loud. Really fucking loud. My head is still ringing, but that is okay, because they also play well. On their myspace page they have labelled themselves as a metal/psychedelic/shoegaze act which I think discredits or downplays the cohesion their sound has. Indian Handcraft mixes hardcore, punk, garage, blues and metal without sounding as if they are necessarily mixing all these genres. It just comes across as their brand of loud, energetic, aggressive, shit-kicking rock n' roll.Their sound is contemporary without being too modern and there isn't an abuse of effects (aside from a gain that is cranked way up).

As for the stage presence and personality, the two play with agression and passion 'getting into it' without seeming as though they are dancing around 'for' the audience. There was significant banter ie. "don't you have jobs in the morning" but it was kept light and brief and by the time the feedback was done ringing out from the last song the guitarist had already switched guitars and dove into the next track. Professional. Another thing is the band feels distinctively Canadian, perharps it is their rugged yet familiar sound, or maybe it is just that the two look like they stepped off the set of a Molson Canadian commercial, but Canadiana is a presence that is definitely felt. Highlights of the set include a track about "a guy in Barrie who lost his mind and just hangs around Sobey's pushing shopping carts" and a cut about an impending zombie apocalypse.

Here is a minute of footage I caught on my Iphone mid set.

Keep your eyes/ears out for Indian Handcrafts, because they have their shit together.



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Rising: Sleigh Bells

In April of 2010 I had the pleasure of being present at the first Toronto performance by Brooklyn rock/electronic duo Sleigh Bells. Prior to their album release Sleigh Bells presence was limited to a rough demo circulating online featuring very lo-fi production with an extremely gated sound. I had wondered the degree of intent with this effect, as the recording sounded as though it just could not contain the music, a cool effect but bordering on, well shit.
Sleigh bells consists of Derek Miller, former guitarist from hardcore band Poison the Well and pop vocalist Alexis Krauss. The performance consisted of Krauss yelling over chopped up punk, rock and electro beats while Miller played as loud as fucking possible. It got loud.I had only hoped that this energy and pure volume could be translated back to a recorded medium and just months later the issues I had with the demo were reconciled with the release of the debut lp Treats. Loud, gated, but listenable. Since the release of Treats Sleigh Bells have garnered heaps of underground and mainstream exposure and have gone from playing the 200-300 cap club circuit to 1000+ venues. Sleigh Bells plays loud, no matter what your musical pedigree is you cannot dismiss their raw energy. Listen



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