It was on this day in 1991 that an album came out that knocked me on my ass. The songs, the production, the musicianship, the performance and the way the whole album fits together with interludes and off-kilter tunes along with more accessible anthems was a revelation. It has elements of metal along with tons of funk and rock. They lyrics paint an unabashedly pessimistic yet realistic view of modern inner city urban life with a heavily anti-drug message, mixed with an undeniable uplifting and optimistic undertone. The album is The Reality of My Surroundings and the band is Fishbone.
Here are my favourite tunes from this incredible album. I've also been lucky enough to photograph the band twice. Click through to check out my pictures of Fishbone at The Horseshoe Tavern and at TURF, The Toronto Urban Roots Festival.
Day 1 of the 2015 of TURF, The Toronto Urban Roots Festival, was fantastic. The weather was great, the crowd, as always, was fantastic and, of course, the music was sublime.
Prior to the big festival at Fort York, the TURF team put on a Club Bonus Series the coincided with the main festival, as well as a Preview Series. I didn't make it out to all those extra shows, but for the ones that I did, my posts are linked below.
If you missed my individual posts, here's all of day one in one place, plus links to my Club Bonus Series and Preview Series posts.
I know what you're thinking, "Dude, didn't you just put up a post on Fishbone's performance at TURF? What's up with that?" Well, yes I did. After not having seen Fishbone in more than 22 years, I saw them twice in two days. And you know what? Their second show, closing out the South Stage on Friday night of The Toronto Urban Roots Festival's outdoor show, was at least as good if not better than their Horseshoe show.
It was a more compact set, to be sure, but they packed more than two hours worth of energy into that one hour and their greatest-hits set was just what a body needs to carry you off into the night.
I got to see Fishbone at The Horseshoe Tavern. I mean, I got to see Fishbone at the Horseshoe Tavern! In the days leading up to the show, and as I waited for Fishbone to hit the stage, I found it hard to believe that I was getting the chance to see this band that I saw at Lollapalooza 1993 perform at intimate confines of The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern.
Fishbone was in Toronto as part of the line-up for the 2015 edition of The Toronto Urban Roots Festival. They got this particular gig as part of the Club Bonus Series. It provides an opportunity for festival-goers and others to see some fantastic festival acts on our local club stages. It's a very cool part of a very cool festival.
On this particular Thursday night, the crowd was warmed up by Les Hôtesses d'Hilaire and my new favourite band, Sate. Check out those pics, if you will. Fishbone hit the stage to a very enthusiastic crowd who were definitely amped to see this legendary band. And Fishbone delivered. Their huge setlist (picture below) spanned over two dozen tunes and about two hours of performance. They delivered heaps of groove, tight horn hooks, hard rocking tunes and even unique instrumental nuances like the appearance of the Theremin. They kept the energy level high, demonstrating the talent, musicianship and showmanship that we all knew we'd experience.
Much like my post on Sate, this post is on Fishbone's Horseshoe show only. I also shot them at the TURF outdoor festival at Fort York. Those pics will follow in a bit...
Here are some tunes that were highlights from their massive setlist. I chose a bunch of live versions for that live concert vibe.
TURF announced its fantastic line-up a while back and has been adding more great acts to it. They've also announced a preview series of club shows (my pics of Northcote's fantastic show go up tomorrow).
Now they've announced the initial set of gigs for the Club Bonus Series that takes place after the main festival grounds at Fort York have gone to sleep. Straight from the TURF team, "The TURF Club Bonus Series, which runs September 16th – 23rd at the Horseshoe Tavern and Lee’s Palace, is a great opportunity to catch rising roots artists in a small club and see your favourite bands twice during the TURF weekend!" More show announcements coming July 14 and 22.
You can get in by buying a VIP Plus ticket for access to all TURF shows or individual tickets to the club shows. Individual Club Show tickets go on sale Thursday, July 9 at 10am.
The following shows are at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern:
September 16 Cold Specks and Grand Analog
September 17 Fishbone, Sate and Les Hôtesses d'Hilaire
September 19 Elliott Brood, Ron Hawkins and Jim Bryson
September 20 Punch Brothers and Gabriel Kahane
September 21 Heartless Bastards and Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
Here are some tunes from these artists. I'm still reeling from the thought of seeing Fishbone at The Horseshoe.
So many important things happening today. First, it's 420.
Second, today's the day that The Toronto Urban Roots Festival, TURF for short, has unveiled their line-up for 2015! The big names include Of Monsters and Men, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Wilco, The Avett Brothers, Neko Case, UB40, Cake and Lord Huron. Also on the bill are Desaparecidos featuring Connor Oberst, Deerhunter, Built to Spill, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Shakey Graves and Will Butler. I'm personally excited about some more of the small-print acts like Fishbone, Skydiggers, The Elwins, NQ Aruckle, Ron Hawkins and the Do Good Assassins and Restorations. In total, there will be 46 acts across three stages, so more acts will be announced as we get closer to the show date.
Due to the Pan-Am Games, the festival is later than usual. It's scheduled for September 18-20 at Fort York Garrison Commons. This year's focus is on the Toronto scene with a local artist kicking things off on each of the three stages each day. The biggest challenge that I see for TURF is the other festivals, including Riot Fest, that are scheduled for the same weekend.
TURF ticket info:
Earlybird Tier One 3 Day Passes, 3 Day Front of Stage VIP Passes, and 3 Day VIP Plus Passes go on sale Thursday April 23 at noon through Ticketfly, and then at Rotate This, Soundscapes, and The Horseshoe Tavern Friday April 24 at noon
Earlybird Tier One ticket sales end on Wednesday June 10 at Midnight
Single day line-ups and tickets will be announced June 8 and on sale June 11
The Club Bonus Series, which features many of the festival performers, appearing in venues like Lee's Palace and The Horseshoe Tavern, is back and will be announced in early July
Here are some of the acts that I'm most looking forward to. Of course, one of the things that I like best about TURF is the acts that I discover by seeing them at the festival.
Of Monsters and Men
The Avett Brothers
Neko Case
Desaparecidos
Deerhunter
Built to Spill
St. Paul and the Broken Bones - quite the build-up from Mr. Letterman. I think these guys will put on a super-fun show.
Fishbone - I haven't seen these guys since the second Lollapalooza tour back in 1993
Skydiggers
Chuck Ragan
The Elwins
NQ Arbuckle
Ron Hawkins and DGA (Do Good Assassins)
Restorations - really like what I hear on first listen. Look for a more in-depth post on these guys.
Just in case you missed it, you can see all my TURF coverage from 2014 and 2013 by clicking right here. I've got pics of such artists as July Talk, Gogol Bordello, Gaslight Anthem, Hey Rosetta!, Drive-By Truckers, Shovels & Rope, Black Joe Lewis, Deer Tick, Gary Clark Jr., London Souls, The Hold Steady, Frank Turner, Lowest of the Low, Matt Mays, Dawes and more.
