Telekinesis at The Drake Underground - Concert Photos

I love that elusive genre called power pop. Seattle's Telekinesis embody the spirit of that genre, with hook-filled guitar rock tunes with catchy choruses and upbeat attitude. I've seen Telekinesis a few times now and they never disappoint with their high-energy tunes.

The band is on the road celebrating the release of their most recent album, Effluxion. It's a more piano/keyboard driven album than Michael Benjamin Lerner's typical guitar-driven tunes. Which brings us to the unique complication of this show; their keyboard player couldn't cross the border into Canada because she didn't have her passport. Ooops. The band personified the old saying, "The show must go on!", learning some tunes during soundcheck and powering forward with a different set than they intended, but a great set.

They featured a bunch of my favourite tunes like "Wires", "Please Ask For Help", "Power Lines", and "Tokyo", as well as other great tunes from across the band's catalog. They even gave a special treat to a couple in the front row. Seems that they used "I Saw Lightning" as their wedding song and Michael was gracious enough to perform it for them. Quite a special moment.

You can check out my photos of Telekinesis from performances at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in 2015 and in 2013 by clicking here and here.

And check out my photos from Sontalk's awesome opening set.

Check out a bunch of my favourites from Telekinesis' setlist.

"A Place in the Sun"

"Courtesy Phone"

"Wires"

"Please Ask for Help"

"I Saw Lightning"

"Coast of Carolina"

"Power Lines"

"Tokyo"

And here's "Cut the Quick" from the new album, which they didn't play at the show:

New music from Telekinesis: Courtesy Phone from Ad Infinitum

When Telekinesis played at The Horseshoe Tavern last year, they had not relesed this video for "Courtesy Phone" from their latest album Ad Infinitum. So here's the upbeat power pop tune, complete with keyboard accents and and addictive melody.

Check out my pics from that gig, in case you missed them.

Five years ago: Telekinesis' 12 Desperate Straight Lines

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's a day when we celebrate various things: Love, Commercialism, Restaurant Reservations for the Second Busiest Night of the Year, Chocolate, Overpriced Flowers, Guilt...

But here at one in ten words, you'll get none of that. Except for love - love of music. And really catchy, energetic power pop is some of the music I love best.

Five years ago, Telekinesis, the project of Seattle's Michael Benjamin Lerner, put out their second album, the really solid 12 Desperate Straight Lines. The album features amazing tunes like "Please Ask for Help", "Dirty Thing", "I Got You", "Fever Chill" and "Country Lane". I love the songs, the guitar hooks. the classic pop song structures delivered with timeless passion and high energy, and the overall vibe of the band.

I've been a big fan of this band for many years, featuring them on the blog many times, and catching their live shows at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in both 2013 and 2015. Click through to my pics from both shows.

Take a trip back to when this album came out by listening to some of my favourite tracks:

"Please Ask for Help"

"Dirty Thing"

"I Got You"

"Fever Chill"

"Country Lane"

Pic from Merge Records.

Telekinesis at The Horseshoe - Concert Pictures

​The last time I saw Telekinesis at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern was just when I was taking my concert photography up a notch. Not a very big notch, mind you, as it was a step up from taking photos with my iPod Touch to taking photos with a point-and-shoot. I was even too timid to get really close to the band. My shots of Telekinesis and opening act Deep Sea Diver are here.

This time, Telekinesis were in town promoting their latest album, Ad Infinitum, which shows a change in Michael Benjamin Lerner's song writing from guitar driven power pop to more keyboard heavy tunes.

I am amazed that more people don't know about Telekinesis. They are such a cool band and the songs are so good, they should be playing to a sold out Horseshoe Tavern. Instead, a small but enthusiastic crowd gathered close to the stage to soak up the tunes.

The set was solid but way too short, in my opinion. I could have done with another 5-10 tunes easily, but I was satisfied by what we received. We got around 45 minutes of taught power pop delivered by a solid band. The drums held everything down, the guitar sounds were cool and it all came together very well. Can't wait 'til next time!

Check out this very cool and painfully underrated band, and do yourself a favour and check them out live if you like what you hear. Here are some tunes from their setlist.

"Falling In Dreams" from Ad Infinitum

"In a Future World" from Ad Infinitum

"Please Ask For Help" from 2011's 12 Desperate Straight Lines

"Power Lines" from 2013's Dormarion

"Ghosts and Creatures" from Dormarion

"Country Lane" from 12 Desperate Straight Lines

"Tokyo" from 2009's Telekinesis!

New Telekinesis song Sleep In

Telekinesis have a new album called Ad Infinitum coming out on September 18. We've already heard "In A Future World" and now we get to hear the synthy smoothness of "Sleep In". Michael Benjamin Lerner and the band are heading out on tour and appearing in Toronto at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern on October 25 with Say Hi.



Pic from Facebook.

New tune from Telekinesis' forthcoming album Ad Infinitum

Michael Benjamin Lerner's Telekinesis have a new album on the way. It's called Ad Infinitum and it will be out on September 18. Check out his synthy new direction, combined with his impeccable pop songwriting sensibilities, on the track "In A Future World".



And here's the album trailer, showing Lerner hard at work.

I caught Telekinesis at The Horseshoe last time they were through town, and I'll definitely be looking to catch their return to The Horseshoe on October 25. More tour dates here.

Pic from Facebook.

The Top 20: The best albums of 2013, according to me. The year's most awesome and cool pop, indie, and alternative albums.

As has become my habit, I'm not ranking my albums list. These are the 20 albums that made the biggest impression on me in 2013, alphabetically.

1984 Influenza

Biffy Clyro Opposites

Chvrches The Bones Of What You Believe

Cults Static

Frank Turner Tape Deck Heart

Frightened Rabbit Pedestrian Verse

Haim Days Are Gone

Lorde Pure Heroine

Metz Metz

MS MR Secondhand Rapture

Neko Case The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

Sleigh Bells Bitter Rivals

Small Black Limits of Desire

Superchunk I Hate Music

Telekinesis Dormarion

The Darcys Warring

The Joy Formidable Wolf's Law

The Naked And Famous In Rolling Waves

The National Trouble Will Find Me

Young Galaxy Ultramarine

Telekinesis and Deep Sea Diver rock The Horseshoe

What are Telekinesis? I would say they're a power pop band. But they probably need an "indie" in there somewhere. Indie power pop? Power indie pop? Indie rock? Whatever you want to categorize it as, it's good.

Maybe it was the Leafs play-off game 6 that took the crowd away from The Horseshoe on this unseasonably cold Sunday night, but those in attendance got a great and intimate show.

As one might expect, the drum kit was front and centre for the Telekinesis show. Michael Lerner is the creative force of Telekinesis and as the live drummer/singer, he should be up front. Although at first it's strange to see a drum kit at the front edge of the stage, it felt perfectly natural once things got going.

Telekinesis were a power trio when they played Fallon. Indeed it was a different band, since I recognize Jason Narducy who plays bass for Bob Mould playing with Telekinesis on Fallon. 

The addition of the keyboard player helped flesh out the sound with added texture, backing vocals and Charlie Brown dance moves. Their bassist tried some comedy on us too, which strikes me as bold, for a bassist.

Question and answer period preceded an acoustic portion of the show including "Symphony" from their most recent release Dormarion.

They were open to requests, even asking us to "put our YouTubes away" to do a tune they hadn't rehearsed much. They needn't have worried as they did a great rendition of "50 Ways".

Check out some tunes from the amazing Telekinesis, all of which were highlights of the Toronto show. I would recommend cheking out all their releases: 2009's Telekinesis!, 2010's Parallel Seismic Conspiracies, 2011's 12 Desperate Straight Lines and their most recent, Dormarion.

"Power Lines" from Dormarion

I was surprised that they were hitting up "Please Ask For Help" from 12 Desperate Straight Lines early as the second song of the set.

"Empathetic People", their latest single from Dormarion, rocked hard

"Lean on Me" from Dormarion

"Dirty Thing" from 12 Desperate Straight Lines and Parallel Seismic Conspiracies

"Country Lane" from 12 Desperate Straight Lines

They did an amazing cover of one of my favourite songs ever: "Don't Change" by INXS.

Then they closed with "Tokyo" from their début. Just so you know for next time, they don't do encores.

Deep Sea Diver from Seattle, Washington opened the show to a small but enthusiastic crowd. It was Jessica Dobson's birthday and I hope that as an audience we were a good enough present. We didn't get cake.

Jessica has had a successful career, playing in the bands of  Beck, Conor Oberst, Spoon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and most recently The Shins. With Deep Sea Diver, she's stepping out front and putting her own music first. I  hope that she and the band will be enormously successful. There are some amazing tunes here.

Set closer "You Go Running" and other tunes from History Speaks got us all bobbing our heads and soaking up their dynamic delivery.

New Telekinesis video

I'm off to see Telekinesis tomorrow night at The Horseshoe here in chilly Toronto. Just in time for the gig, they've released a new video. This one's for "Empathetic People" from Dormarion.

I'll bet you're all looking forward to one of my gripping post-show posts, aren't you?

New Telekinesis video for Ghosts and Creatures

I've featured Telekinesis in a number of posts. I think their brand of three-piece power pop is awesome.

Their latest album, Domarion, is out now and I've got tickets in my hot little hands for their show at The Horseshoe here in Toronto on May 12.

New Telekinesis!

I've featured Telekinesis on the blog before. They have a new album called Dormarion coming out soon and they've put out a new song called "Ghosts and Creatures" for us to check out. They'll be hitting up The Horseshoe in Toronto on May 12. I hope to be there.



If you don't know this band, here are a few tunes.

"Look to the East" from their eponymous 2009 release,

"Please Ask for Help",

"Dirty Thing",

And "Country Lane" from 2011's 12 Desperate Straight Lines.

New Telekinesis video for Country Lane

It looks like the fun-loving guys in Telekinesis have released a new video, this time for "Country Lane" from their most recent release, 12 Desperate Straight Lines.

Telekinesis' music can bend my spoon

Telekinesis are a great power pop band.  I thoroughly enjoy the tunes and would love to see these guys live.  They could really get a venue like The Mod Club bouncing.  I hear bits of all kinds of bands, but you can listen for yourself.  Then pick up great albums like 12 Desperate Straight Lines, Parallel Seismic Conspiracies EP, and Telekinesis!

They were on Jimmy Fallon a few nights ago - here they are doing "Please Ask For Help".



And here's the video for the same tune, "Please Ask for Help"


"Look to the East" Why have they never released this tune as a single? It's the best!


"Tokyo"


"Dirty Thing"


"Awkward Kisser"