OCTOBER SKY LIVE @ THE ANNEX WRECKROOM

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OCTOBER SKY LIVE @ THE ANNEX WRECKROOMINDIECAN SHOWCASE

A few days ago I saw October Sky live at The aAnnex Wreckroom in Toronto. I had not seen a full set yet, so I was looking forward to seeing them kill it at the Wreckroom. In case you don’t know October Sky, they are a band fresh out of Montreal and literally, they were fresh out of Montreal arriving in Toronto at 5pm that day just in time for sound check.

The band members are; Karl Raymond – Vocals/Guitar, Yanik Rouleau - Keys, Alex Racine – Drums and Andrew Walker on Bass. This was the band's first show since the wrap of their Canadian tour, kicking off a few more gigs before the year’s end. The band was eager to hit the stage and luckily they didn’t have to wait too long. Things were moving slowly though, as the first band were nowhere to be found and that threw everything off.

Note to all newbie bands if you are the first band slated to perform, be there before the venue opens to the public, and have your shit set up and ready to go! Time is money for many people; especially if you are a shitty band like this one ended up being, the quicker you get off the stage the better. I had to leave after two songs, I would rather bare the cold ass winter weather smoking in a corner, than be tortured by the sounds emanating from the lead vocalist. The band was called Ivy Tree or something like that, I cannot remember and I really don’t care. The vocalist wasn’t the only problem; musically the instrumental breaks were all over the place and repeats of the first tracks instrumental solo attempt. I had to save my ears, I know I was trying to be less like a Simon but it’s so hard not to say what is meant to be said. I tried so hard to use a less cynical view, but something’s just can’t be dimmed. This warm up band reminded me of why the need for blunt honesty, it’s the only way to go of course! That band must do us all a favor and disband immediately or go to music boot camp, take vocal lessons everyday for 7 hours and practice all day every day. I was laughing so hard because the lead singer thought he was amazing, the aura of arrogance reeking off him, he had absolutely nothing to be cocky about.

As I jibbered to a few of The October Sky larries, i could tell that they all were dying to rock out. Since the end of the tour they’ve been missing the stage as most musicians do when they have down time. Finally they hit the stage. For an indie band they know how to make it an entertaining show. The intro ‘The Darkest Light’ dropped with lights and fog, it was like a show at a stadium but the venue was much smaller. The first track they played was Sacrifice; one of their singles off their debut “Hell Isn’t My Home’. I think it’s the next single to drop, but I could be lying. The band killed it, loving every minute of rocking out on that stage. Andrew was sick yet he still rocked the bass. Alex loved the drums, he was so into it you could see the enthusiasm in his face and how he played. Yanik was jammin away on those keys and Karl was tearing up the vocals shredding the guitar at the same time! The vocals were good, it was almost like I was listening to the LP. The downer was at times it sounded as if there was too much phlegmmage going on with Karl’s throat, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a cold.

The band's chemistry is what makes them come to life, along with their music and showmanship. Nothing out of the ordinary other than the misplacement of this band they belong on a bigger stage. I think a great music line up would be Gods Of Now, Goodbye Glory, October Sky, All The Brightness and Art Of Dying as the headlining act. If there was to be a music festival I could throw even more bands in there like Scarlett Sins, The Trews, Walk Off The Earth, and Three Days Grace would definitely be headlining! Maybe one day I’ll put together a touring festival, kind of like Taste Of Chaos with better bands.

October Sky played seven tracks off the current LP and also debuted a new tune titled “Failure” that will feature on the next record. The track was not bad at all, I wasn’t feeling the vocal arrangements at the end of the track, it could have been done better but it’s new so I’m sure they’re still working it in. Either way we’ll see how it sounds on the new record. Overall this band kicked some serious ass by far the best performance of the night. Vocals just need a little more volume during the verses, the words were almost inaudible. The transitions between tracks could be a little more fluid but other than that this band has got what it takes to get to the next level. They are already steps ahead of many bands, big band small venue.

- 11/30/2008 ©FRIDAE2008™

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