Stream Team: Reviews Week of April 30
Terra Lightfoot
April 29
With strings of white lights cascading down the wall behind her—settled in at the Sonic Unyon office in Hamilton, Ontario—the warm and witty Lightfoot offered an all-request hour to nearly 300 people. The guest list included contemporaries Jill Barber and Charlotte Cornfield; the latter jumped in to play a couple tunes. Hopping between acoustic and electric guitars, Lightfoot played songs from her breakthrough 2017 album New Mistakes, including “Ruthless,” “Two Hearts,” and “Norma Gale,” along with covers of Rita Chiarelli’s “These Four Walls” (“I play it when I need power”) and Leadbelly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” closing with her ode to Bruce Cockburn, “Bruce Song.” Highlight: Her absolute jam “Never Will,” as ripped on a Gibson SG.
—Tara Thorne
Matt Holubowski
May 1
Matt Holubowski doesn’t take his fans for granted—even if they were on the other end of a computer screen, as they were during an online benefit concert for Moisson Montréal. The casual and warm exchanges gave Holubowski space to talk about Pokemon, his travels, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The singer-songwriter’s humanity transcended the cameras through a bilingual setlist which included “Mango Tree,” “The Highlands,” and a spontaneous cover of Radiohead’s “Lucky.” Holubowski was joined by a special guest in the form of the sunset featured in the windows of his jam room. In this moment of accessibility under a neon moon crescent, fans were grateful to share this moment. “The story of a song, that’s something,” said a fan in French. Even from a sofa, this concert was a unique moment of access to Holubowski’s universe.
Matt Holubowski n’a pas tenu pour acquis le plaisir de renouer avec le public lors d’un concert en ligne, au profit de Moisson Montréal. Les échanges sympathiques ont permis à Holubowski de parler de Pokemons, de voyages, ou des Beatles et Rolling Stones. Entre les interprétations des “Mango Tree” et autres “The Highlands,” le montréalais transcende les caméras avec toute sa chaleur et son humanité, accompagnées d’une setlist bilingue qui a ratissé ses trois albums, en plus de quelques reprises, dont une version bien spontanée de “Lucky” de Radiohead. Le crépuscule qui se joint à Holubowski dans les grandes fenêtres du local fut le plus beau des invités. Cet instant d’accessibilité, sous un croissant de lune de néon, ne passe pas inaperçu. “L’histoire d’une chanson, ce n’est pas rien,” souligne un spectateur. Même à partir d’un sofa, ce concert témoigne de l’accès privilégié offert sur l’univers de Holubowski.
—JE Sheehy
Photo Submitted By: Brian Morris
Steven Page
May 2
Steven Page’s second Live from Home concert sold out, but the lucky 866 who snagged a ticket sang along on mute throughout the event. “I’m proud to see these are as much your songs as mine,” he said. Before the show, audience members from around the world introduced themselves and chatted about which songs they hoped to hear. Page played a mix of his solo work, including “The Chorus Girl” and “White Noise,” and classic Barenaked Ladies hits “Enid” and “The Old Apartment,” as requested. Despite being alone in his basement office, Page stayed animated throughout the high-energy performance, which featured three guitar changes and the occasional sip of white wine.
—Kim Hart Macneill
Jake Boyd drum clinic
May 3
As a drummer, I understand the idea behind practice…it’s like flossing. Do I practice? Not really. But when Hollerado’s Jake Boyd started his online drum clinic, I remembered just how important practice is. Boyd kicked things off by giving participants exactly what they came for—a full-energy live rendition of Hollerado’s “Grief Money.” Afterwards, and out of breath, Boyd ran through a typical practice session involving stretches, rudiments, grooves, and fills, plus another live front-to-back of a song by Girlfriend Material. The man put his work in and exuded joy with every hit. His audience played along on practice pads, fully engaged. The energy was contagious and I walked away with a revived urge to work on fundamentals, while playing in my head Boyd’s corny reference to Sloan’s song “If It Feels Good, Do It.” Challenge accepted. —Adam Nimmo