Bryan Keith Lanier @ Galerie Rye

It has been too long since I have been to Montreal’s Galerie Rye. It is just as lovely as I remembered it. Galerie Rye’s current show features a solo exhibition of artist Bryan Keith Lanier. Filled with glossy Hercules’s, ships in turmoil, buildings stripped bare and more collaged/graffiti-like pieces, this show features several genres of Lanier’s work and personal iconography.

Raised in a Christian family in America, the image of a dignified, godly figure sporting a curly beard references those idealized men of Greco-Roman origin familiar to Lanier in his childhood. These images are transformed into pop culture icons. Glistening with epoxy, these Hercules’s have leather masks in place of their traditional laurels. In White Rhino Hercules wears a head decoration featuring a rhino horn that protrudes from his forehead. Juxtaposing the confidence intrinsic to this decoration, Hercules’s head hangs in submission. Perhaps this gesture speaks to the struggle every icon has between being a personified object and an objectified subject.

Like Lanier layers his pieces with paper mache, acrylic, and epoxy, each work is rich in layers of souls. While living in Japan, Lanier acquired an interest in the “Shinto” whereby a soul is present in tactile but non-living matter. This is materialized in the glow of colour that is emitted from behind each Hercules. Lanier refers to the Shinto as “emotional radiation,” whereby the spirit of the maker is present in the work. With this in mind, Lanier’s works evoke the spirit of the sculptors of the Hercules sculptures he references, and we as the audience in turn are invited to feel the radiation of Lanier’s spirit. Our own connection to each of these images completes each work.

The second series in Lanier’s exhibition are the White Ships. These ephemeral ships carry an unsettling air of despair. They face the terrors of being pushed to the edge of the world or being swallowed up in its collapse, in a metaphorical sense as opposed to a depiction of Armageddon. In Rogue Waves and Cold Front the waves represent the matters in our lives over which we have no control. Similar to cross-sectioned scientific diagrams, the catastrophic waves that host the ships have been cut laterally so as to expose a limit to each wave, cloud and the universe.

Other works present in this exhibition explore the notion of placing a toy ship in a bottle. Here, however, we see a ship in a light bulb and sailors in a bottle. Lanier succeeds in creating works in which his viewers can existentially try to measure the limits of space. Each container-the bottles, the light bulb, the empty space behind each cross-sectioned wave pattern, reveals mankind’s struggle and inability to measure and contain space beyond Earth.

The limitlessness of space is illustrated in one Hercules piece, HOLYGHOSTFACE. Against a spotted paper mache background, this Hercules turns his face down and away from the viewer. In this act Hercules casts a shadow across half of his face. Alternately, his shadow exposes a continuum of the white spotted marks from the background, revealing these white specs as stars in an infinite space receding into his face. If this makes you intrigued and dizzy, you are sharing your relation to such existential thoughts with the artist.

These shiny Hercules’s expose the fatigue and exhaustion of pop icons, mirroring the struggles the White Ships undergo while they simultaneously reign over the gallery to inspire hope amongst our inability to bear the unknown and loss of control in such waves.

I’d like to thank artist Bryan Keith Lanier again for speaking with me about his work and sharing his very beautiful remarks regarding his experience with each piece.

Bryan Keith Lanier's solo exhibition runs till February 6th.

Bryan Keith Lanier: http://bryankeithlanier.blogspot.com/
Galerie Rye: http://www.galerierye.com

Aidan Knight @ L'Escogriffe, August 9th, 2010

I’ve realized it to be common amoung many Victoria musicians to refer back to their home when speaking about their songs. Beyond references to the habitual rain as found in the banter of Vancouver musicians, Victoria musicians consistently allude to the slow lifestyle of B.C.’s capital. Victoria’s folk artist Aidan Knight made his Monday visit to Montreal no exception.

Filled with sincerity and humour, Aidan expressed his gratitude to his audience, letting us know that he hoped we were ready for the show with “a beer in hand, smile on face, and pal at side”. Aidan and fellow guitarist Dave joked about their absolute lack of the French language, suggesting they should try to fulfill entire conversations with “Je suis Dave” and “Jambon”. The crowd enjoyed their humour.

“So this song-guess what? It’s about Victoria! You asked for it.” This tender ballad beared a more direct reference to his hometown. Singing about his local corner store, Aidan sang gently, letting the notes making up “sour key” sustain. In addition to singing about Victoria explicitly, Aidan sung of knitting for loved ones, an Alberta river and the tale of his hotmail correspondence with the girl of his affection visiting Hawaii in his younger years.

The show featured three musicians (Olivier Clements, David Barry, and Jonathan Anderson) who played the guitar, bass, violin, flugelhorn and organ to join Aidan on his guitar. Aidan Knight’s vocals are soft, yet gripping. His voice bares a resemblance to the haunting quality of John Vanderslice and the rich tones of Andrew Bird. This comparison translates most effectively in Knight’s live performance.

After providing a supporting role in several bands on the West Coast, Aidan Knight is celebrating the release of his own debut album, Versicolour.

Aidan Knight: http://www.myspace.com/aidanknightmusic
John Vanderslice: http://www.myspace.com/johnvanderslice
Andrew Bird: http://www.myspace.com/andrewbird

Jenny Holzer Solo Exhibition @ DHC/ART

Old Montreal’s DHC/ART is hosting the work of text-based artist Jenny Holzer until November 14th, 2010. This solo exhibition features Holzer’s recent work and work from her Truisms (1977-79) series.

When one enters the DHC/ART, they find themselves in a room with declassified US government documents, made accessible though the Freedom of Information Act, blown up and silkscreened over canvases. The first declassified e-mail the gallery visitor reads is concerned with interrogation and torture techniques imposed by the US military. A disturbing tone is set for the rest of the visit. This e-mail correspondence is spread across several canvases. Our eyes trace over the black blocks that cover up what is still confidential to the unsettling descriptions of these interrogation techniques. Large maps are found on the adjacent and opposite walls. They feature plans of attack on Iraq and are coloured a haze of florescent pinks and purples, intentionally akin to the colour of bruised flesh. As one travels up the stairs to reach the other rooms of the exhibition, one travels further and further into these exposed truths. The second floor contains “Ribs” (2010). Text travels across each horizontal LED sign, the respective ribs, where testimonies of US soldiers and detainees are transcribed. The inconsistent movement of the LED signs is discomforting to say the least. I became slightly nauseas from the text’s movement and the information alike. This theme continues on the next floor with “Thorax” (2008). We are isolated in these small white-museum box rooms, left to encounter and negotiate the meanings of one LED projection per room. Our senses are disrupted in a similar vein to the goal of interrogation techniques applied to prisoners of war.

The final floor features additional declassified memos, e-mailes and testimonies silkscreened onto canvases. These canvases encircle a table low to the ground in the rooms centre. It is adorned with bones, arranged systematically. They do not appear in a memorializing way, rather numerical. Upon closer attention, metal tags inscribed with text can be found attached to select few bones. The tags, however, are not Holzer’s commemorative words but are instead the words of victims and offenders of sexual crimes committed against women during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia (1992-1995).

The exhibition carries into the second of the DHC/ART buildings. In it, the one-liners from Holzer’s LED sign series Truisms (1977-79) are featured. Truisms once infiltrated the advertisement space in New York City with its messages that do not urge one to buy, but instead to comply with ones hearts desires and Holzer’s advice for life. Each of the two works occupies a different room. Trying to keep up with all the messages running across each LED sign is dizzying as the flashes of contrasting colours alternate, appear and reappear from their tracks. One can become entranced when aiming to absorb as many of the consecutive statements as possible. The ever-changing text dislocates our moral codes as we read the proverbs laid out by Holzer.

Jenny Holzer’s chilling exhibition plays with language, censorship and our senses. Upon leaving the exhibition, one can feel the freedom of being exposed to natural light, removed from the hypnotizing texts Jenny Holzer has challenged us with.

DHC/ART: http://www.dhc-art.org/

Maylee Todd + Hooded Fang @ L'Esco, July 27, 2010

Steamy as a sauna, L’Escogriffe welcomed energetic musicians and an audience that embraced all kinds of dancing last night. Toronto’s Maylee Todd and Hooded Fang made Montreal the last stop of their summer tour together. Beginning the night with a full venue, Hooded Fang charmed us with their pop music, orchestrated with horns and equip with gentle harmonies. After their first song, they urged their audience, “Come Closer!” The consistent pace of the drumming encouraged dancing amongst the audience. As a dace party ensued, we learnt that despite some bad luck with animals earlier that day (a bird relieving itself over the bass player and food-poisoning-by-mussels experienced by the lead singer), Hooded Fang was in good spirits. Fans of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros would be fond of Hooded Fang’s harmonies. Fans of Stars would enjoy Lorna (main female vocalist of Hooded Fang)’s soft voice. Hooded Fang makes pleasant and catchy music for any mood. The reptilian monster-like figures employed as the band’s graphics nicely juxtapose the sweet nature of their music.

Another creature could be seen in the venue-a plush lion’s head. Boasting a fluffy mane, this lion’s head is usually found worn by Maylee Todd in promotional photos, but last night this lion’s head damped the sound of the drum. Being much to warm for any costume, Maylee instead delivered her majestic performance barefoot. She claimed to be tired at the beginning of her performance, but I’m not sure if I believed her. Sharing boundless energy, Maylee began her set with her harp before moving to the guitar and later dancing with her vibraslap. Hooded Fang horn players Lane and Julia accompanied Maylee for the second half of her set. Her music is a fusion of Bossa-jazz and funk. Delivered with confidence and charm, Maylee’s jazz infused music makes us feel as though she has taste and style beyond her years. The freedom of her spirit is implicit in the title of her debut album Choose Your Own Adventure. As the end of the evening approached, Maylee called for a good ol’ “soul train”, whereby two lines formed and the individuals at either end met to groove back down the line aside one another as Maylee acted as the MC. Sad to see the evening reach its end, we all breached the thick air of the venue towards the refreshing feeling of the cool air that met our bodies outside. For these musicians, dancing in this humidity is worth it.

Hooded Fang: http://www.myspace.com/hoodedfang
Maylee Todd: http://www.myspace.com/mayleetodd
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: http://www.myspace.com/edwardsharpe
Stars: http://www.myspace.com/stars

Five Alarm Funk @ Le Divan Orange, June 22nd, 2010

Vancouver eleven-piece band Five Alarm Funk took the stage at Le Divan Orange last night, playing for their first time in Montreal. They have been on a CD release tour to share their new album Anything Is Possible with Canadian fans. When their choreographed arm gestures coincided with their melodic climaxes, audience members could not help but share their energy. I’ve never seen an entire audience jump and throw their hands in the air at Le Divan Orange as I did last night for Five Alarm Funk.

Having played together for seven years, Five Alarm Funk has grown to become a band that embodies many eclectic sounds. While their previous album Voodoo Hairdoo (2008) carries a more funk/afro-beat/Latin oriented sound, the heavier bass lines, Tayo Branston’s raspy vocals akin to Gogol Bordello, and the use of horns similar to Beirut create a more Baltic sound, even chamberal at times, for their new album Anything Is Possible. This is especially evident in “Soft Six”, during which the musicians stacked their hands in front of their chests and bobbed up and down like Russian dancers. One musician created bows and arrows with his arms and shot them into the crowd. Other musicians wearing Viking, gorilla and shark costumes danced on stage. Vivacious as they were, many of the musicians became shirtless to keep cool. Seeing Five Alarm Funk live is more than just a sampling of their new music-they give a truly theatrical performance of undeniable umph.

The encore featured an amplified cover of “The Final Countdown”, heralding the entire audience to join Five Alarm Funk in jumping, proving these Vancouver folk are musical and theatrical gems with whatever they craft. Prior to Five Alarm Funk’s performance I was feeling ill, and after realizing I felt better by the end of the night, I came to understand that Five Alarm Funk is a fine medicine indeed.

Five Alarm Funk: http://www.myspace.com/fivealarmfunkmusic
Gogol Bordello: http://www.myspace.com/gogolbordello
Beirut: http://www.myspace.com/beruit

Sweet Mother Logic @ Casa del Popolo, July 20th, 2010

Visitors to the Casa del Popolo were greeted by a myriad of lovely sounds last night. Montreal’s instrumental band Sweet Mother Logic is hard to describe and I am even nervous to write about them, fearful that I cannot giving them all the remarks of awe that they deserve. My iTunes reads the genre as “Unclassifiable”. On their MySpace, they describe themselves as “Experimental/Acoustic/Pop”, but I suppose you’d really have to come to a show to experience just how this is realized. For me, their music exists somewhere between an orchestra and the climactic music of a space-themed video game. Whatever it is exactly, it is a truly distinctive sound. I was sold after the first time I saw these musicians perform months ago and have tried to see them every time I can since. Sweet Mother Logic features two cellos, guitar, keys, synth, drums, and sometimes videos (by VJ Bandit) to accompany their music- a sensory delight.

Performed were many songs from their 2009 self-titled debut full length CD, including variations from each track. To see Sweet Mother Logic live is to experience something new and different each time. They broke into seemingly flawless improvisations during which the musicians were laughing and exchanging smiles. “Ghost Army” was chosen as the encore song. It’s climax was repeated, turned, and twisted; “Ghost Army” subsequently grew into an extended jam. Quite frankly, Sweet Mother Logic rules. Do yourselves a favor and see them the next time they perform. Sweet Mother Logic is Adrian Aitken, Erip Kaplin, Jack D. Kelly, Jean-Pascal Saint-Cyr and Justin Wright.

Sweet Mother Logic on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sweetmotherlogic

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ Il Motore June 22, 2010

I had been waiting for New Jersey alternative punk-rock band Ted Leo & The Pharmacists to come to Montreal for years now, so their time spent felt only too short. Realizing after the show that they did play nineteen songs, I discovered that enjoying their show removed me from time entirely and placed me simply in the sensation of enjoying Ted Leo & The Pharmacists live.

Although performing from the far left corner of Il Motore’s stage slightly separated from his audience, Ted Leo gave a performance full of energy. With greater speed given to his songs live than found in his recorded material, Ted grew sweaty as the audience attempted to keep up with their clapping. Something I did not expect, however, was a rather sedate audience. Other than the ten or so who began a miniature mosh pit as soon as “Me and Mia”, a fan favourite began, the crowd remained tranquil. Ted spoke with the crowd in between songs. Most impressively, he did most of this in French. He expressed his gratitude towards the opening band Screaming Females, a band also from New Jersey, but there was still something that gave me the impression that he was not totally psyched to be there.

Performed were eight songs from his most recent album “The Brutalist Bricks”. The bands’ new songs are just as solid as their older material. Like all Ted albums, “The Brutalist Bricks” starts with a bang-“The Mighty Sparrow”. “The Mighty Sparrow” was played near the beginning of their Montreal set list. Also played was one song from “The Tyranny of Distance” (2001), two songs from “Hearts of Oak” (2003), and four from “Shake the Sheets” (2004). The crowd was able to rally up some energy to herald an encore, although with their general lack of enthusiasm I’m surprised Ted even gave one at all. Returning to the stage with a fresh shirt, which read “Happy 400th Quebec!” Ted performed a new song solo. Look out for a new one with the words “Live as if I could…” in it. Continuing in solo, he covered a Nick Lowe song, “So It Goes”. The final song “Timorous Me” began with just Ted. The entire band (Chris Wilson on drums, Marty Key on bass, and James Canty on guitar) joined him for the last half of this upbeat song to close the night.

While I can’t comprehend the sleepy feel of most of the audience on this night, Ted delivered a performance as energetic as you would expect from listening to his recordings and proved that the new album is worth attention for old and new fans alike.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists are touring through the US and Canada now. See their MySpace for tour details: http://www.myspace.com/tedleo

Screaming Females on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/screamingfemales