Wednesday night I finally got up and out to a local show. I hope to do so more often, and profile great local music, as the world knows, Montreal is producing some great music!
Plus, this show was at the very well known local venue Casa del Popolo.
Eleanore Altman opened. She played the piano, and was accompanied by an acoustic guitar player. She has a nice voice, not too high, but it can get up there on occasion. I liken her voice to be somewhat Tori Amos like. Her fairly short set was all original material, save for a Radiohead cover of “A Punchup at a Wedding”, or the full title/subtitle, “A Punchup at a Wedding. (No No No No No No No.)”. With just acoustic guitar it definitely sounded different, sans the bass, electronic, and other elements. Had she not said, I cannot say as I would have recognised it for sure. She said the Radiohead song is about having received a bad review, something she knows all too well she said. Well, being that it was the first time I saw her, not being too familiar, I would not give it a raving review, but definitely promising!
Glass Passenger played next, they played an interesting mix, they started with a couple of up-tempo rock leaning songs that were pretty good, and then mellowed out for the rest of their set (which was good, as I was too close to the lead vocalist’s amp!). The lead singer stated they are still a new band, finding their sound. Despite that, they sounded fairly good, playing folky rock if I remember correctly.
Ainsley McNeaney took the stage with seven people performing, her usual band, including guest violin and trumpet players. Her set also was not too long, but it made up for it in quality. With all of the musicians behind her, playing her original material. All of which was also arranged by her. It made for a very nice and entertaining show. She plays mostly pop, more traditional pop (as in not your typical mainstream pop!), albeit with a nice mix of various genres as well. Those genres include some jazz (via drum and bass rhythms), and even a polka number! If I had to say what her voice sounded like, I think I would go with my original though when I first heard her online, that being a mix of great Canadian female vocalists, that being a good thing! but Very much recommend checking her out.
To steal a little from her bio, and give a better idea:
Montreal indie musician AINSLEY McNEANEY began developing her own musical style while still a classical percussion undergrad at the University of Toronto, fusing traditional piano, voice and orchestral techniques into a pop music setting.
She has quite a few Montreal shows coming, including a weekly set at Le Dépanneur Café every Wednesday from 1 – 2PM. Check her MySpace out for some music, and a few other ways as well:
Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube.
Also, the openers can be found on MySpace as well:
Too Much Music (is a good thing) 
I also attended the Eleanore Altman concert and walked away with the impression that this was more than ‘promising.’ Ms. Altman possess a solid, yet refined vocal technique, with which she expresses every nuance of her original compositions. Simultaneously directing her attention to the very demanding keyboard part and executing it impeccably, she delivers a performance which is totally engaging. WOW! I loved it!
Thanks for dropping by! I find I am not too great as a musical ‘scout’. I really have to get to know the artist in order to get a good impression.
[…] McNeaneyI first saw Ainsley McNeaney back on July 20 at the well-known local venue Casa del Popola. Her set did not disappoint. She plays (and her six […]