Review and photos – Braids at Lo Pub, Aug 24 2009

– by eugene osudar/photos by Dallas Ludwick

pairs
couples
dancing
massage

monday
night
motifs

at the Lo

Knots
single
solo
on stage,
all the world is,
and so am i

Dallas says
his songs
need a female
voice
in harmony.
they’re so
melancholy,
i write down
Morrisey
(without the tasty
bite)

is that fair?
Morrisey
extracted chunks
of flesh
with words
while J Marr
strung guitar
lines
round and round
your spine.

therapy
sessions
couples
pairs
music
healing
suicide heels
flats
stilettos
chunky ones
too
dancing
monday night
motifs
how do women
dance in heels?

those toes
painted toenails
those feet
so lovely
needing
precious
kisses,
kneading

returning to massage
round and round

Absent Sound
is an experiment
in sound noise
and rhythm
effects
pedals
and bare feet

Robbie and Amanda
Chris says, they’re a beautiful couple
that’s why he’s here,
there, everywhere
tune traveler

i thought he was in Montreal
but no
he’s here, now
explaining there’s a woman
in Saskatoon
that he’s chasing
he is A Band Called Country
and he wants me to write
his Wikipedia entry.

“i don’t know what i’m going to write,”
says me to Raphaelle.

“you’re not going to write about this?”
she says hopefully
to me
later after
i see her
walking from the washroom
to the stage
toilet paper stuck to her
heel
see, it’s the shoes
and the movement
and i tell her
“you have a piece
of toilet paper stuck
to your shoe.”

and she says, “you’re not…”

monday night motifs

i don’t know what i’m going to write,
i’m just typing.

i think she wanted me to write
about the toilet paper
stuck to her heel.

i’m not even thinking anymore.
i’m just typing.

round and round
i’m tied up in Knots
i’m lost in Absent Sound.
thinking about Morrisey
and Johnny Marr.

Dallas says,
“this sounds like internal organs.”

the buildup,
harmonic
breathing and heart beat
drum,
the first song
and every song
is a buildup and reaching
delicious crescendo
singing and howling
to the stars
ecstatic climax
and cool down
breathing and aaaahhhhhhhing.

like internal organs.

melodic topographies.
from water
streams river flows
oceans, landing
rolling prairie
shield dreams
climbing
mountains.
under stars
moon. planets.
Mars. round and round
the Big Star
Alex Chilton.

Lammicken
Lemonade
Plath Heart
Native Speaker
Same Mum
Said Silver
Glass Deers

“crazy wicked experimental shit,”
i think that’s what Yvette says.

Raphaelle lead Voice
(some of that Bjork vocal magic)
and guitar
Katie Lee, keys, vocals
Austin drums and voice
Taylor guitar voice and percussion
too

Lemonade
entrances
drawing in
everyone to come
forward
to the front
to the stage.
listening.
believing.

we’re lost
round and round
twisting,turning
like
Braids
the harmonics
the symphonic(s)
of these pop songs

“it’s Beautiful!”
a young man yells.

Bobby,
from Weatherman Underground,
says, “it’s such a great lick.”
round and round the guitar
line
weaves like long hair
twisting Braids
like Johnny Marr plays it
into our spines.

exquisite melodics.
experiments
in voices
oooooooze
aaaaaahhhhhz
in doubling guitar pop licks
no bass
keys, oh yes
(Nods,Bops,hip,shakes)
vocal
choices
instruments and beats
like Africa
like jazz
like straight ahead rock
double the drums
heart beats
breathing
just like Internal organs,
thank you, Dallas.
murmurs
and tremors
spine,tingling,chills.
screaming
highs.

don’t let us stop
believing
in
these sound,scape
sculpture,s
and yet
they’re pop song,s
at heart.
beat.
breathing.
internal organ,s.
aural topography.

“okay,
I Love Them,”
says me to David and
Alannah, of The Playing Cards.
she says,
“They’re Beautiful.”

we’re in love.
singles. pairs
couples
Audience and Braids.
round and round
and Knots and Absent Sound.
and all the other musicians
here there everywhere

at The Lo Pub.

Braids.
every song
moves, weaves
deeply breathes
into
us.

Life.

Love.

and after the last one,
the intention was
for Said Silver to be
the end
45 beautiful minutes
but
no,

we won’t let them go

we roar,
we ask,
we demand.

“we actually don’t have anymore,”
pleads Raphaelle.

the Audience refuses to accept this.
and Braids
relent.

pulling out Glass Deers
a song they haven’t played for
quite a while
Raphaelle apologizes
in advance
and yet

what happens
is magic,

it is even More
Beautiful
than the previous 6 beautiful
songs

it is as if
We carry them through.
the song,
the rust.
in this relationship of trust.

Katie Lee says,
“that’s a song we wrote
as a (true) collective.
we jammed it.”

“thank you. you’ve been
the best audience we’ve ever
had,” Raphaelle says.

you are welcome
and thank you…

we came to the Lo
in singles and pairs,
some kissing couples
too,

they came to The Lo
as Braids, Calgarians
now living in Montreal.

and then
Braids
began to play,

and we were
helpless,

we fell in Love.

with the best band
on the planet
on a Monday
night, August 24,
Lo Pub.
Winnipeg.

Thank you, Jonah.