by Deacon Day / Bandwagon Magazine
When was the last time you thought a band sounded better live than on the album?
It doesn't happen very often, but when have the opportunity to experience this, it almost doesn't seem real. You've spent so much time listening to mp3s or CDs, that you have every little note engrained in your brain, which makes the songs take on distinct repetitive memories of their own.
After a year of watching Basia Lyjak, I finally went to one of her shows. On March 20th I headed over to the Annex Wreckroom for the release party of Basia's the newest single, "Don't Talk". Basia was kind enough to provide me with a pre-pre-release of the single (which is great, by the way) so I knew the song pretty well, along with all the songs on her 2007 release, "Writings on the Wall."
She blew my mind! When Basia sings, she belts it out! It surprised me at first because she seems to have such a mild voice while talking. Throughout the performance you could see that she was putting herself into the music, that this was HER. Basia has had quite a musical journey over the years, but apparently she's found a strong footing in today's rock.
Each of the members of the band are definitely seasoned musicians. What you THINK you hear on Basia's recordings is amplified with a wall of well-grounded instrumentation. I was fully impressed with the punch that you get from their live show. The best part of all this, was that every other band of the evening didn't compare in tone, energy, or charisma.
So after the single release party at the Wreckroom, I started thinking about what I mentioned at the beginning of this article, that bands don't usually sound better live, due to production and many re-takes of tracks. Did I happen to catch Basia and her band on an amazingly great night? I wasn't sure, so I checked to see when their next show was, and I went to it.
On the evening of April 9th I grabbed a couple other writers and we headed to the TIMAs (the Toronto Independent Music Awards). This was the first night of the TIMAs, being held at Jeff Healey's Roadhouse. I was pretty impressed with the quality of the bands that had been chosen to play that evening, most already having some media attention.
So what did I think of Basia THIS time??
Again, amazing.
Even though most of the bands were great that evening, Basia stood out as a contender for the rock spotlight. I hope to see a lot more of Basia Lyjak. She has solidified herself as one of my favorite performers in Toronto.
You can find Basia at some big events coming up. She'll be performing at NXNE '08 at the Hard rock Cafe on June 13th, KPYO.net's Youth Day on July 26th, and the Rock the Foundation Showcase at the Tattoo Rock Parlour on July 31st.
Go. Experience. Preach.