Concert Review: Bernhoft

How do you describe the indescribable? How do you put into words something you need to see with your own eyes, hear with your own ears, to truly understand the experience? One-man band conjures up images that don't do him justice, like a cheesy vaudeville sideshow act comes to mind, which does not befit him at all.

This Norwegian singer, recently residing in New York, came out with his first solo album in 2008 after releasing albums with several bands going back to 1996 (he would have been only 19 or 20 years old at that time). Classically trained, exceptionally talented, he defies being only one specific genre. His music is a mixture of soul, R&B, blues, jazz, a hint of pop all rolled up into one very funny, sometimes heartwarming or heartbreaking, dance your ass off, multi-talented dude with an edgy, rich, soaring voice (some might describe it as “panty melting”).

With 2 guitars, 1 keyboard, 2 mics, and a looping apparatus, this one man combines layers of music by doing all the harmonizing vocals, using the back of a guitar for a drum beat, some beat boxing or other sound effects, adding the guitar or keyboard, putting it all together to make it sound like a full band. It really is astounding and must be experienced to be believed. I'm very picky about the music I like but out of 5 stars I'd give him 12 because he's just that good.

If you only get one of his albums, I would recommend his live album from 2010 called 1: Man 2: Band. It's a double CD set, the first one is solo, the second one with a band (hence the name of the album). However, after speaking to him following last night's concert, he has a new album coming out in the Spring of 2014.

I also asked him, prior to this year, if he'd ever been to Toronto before. He jokingly said he may have been here for a wedding. I surmised he meant as a guest, not as a wedding singer. In reality he had never been here to do concerts and yet he's done three in Toronto this year alone:

NXNE Festival March/13 at the Drake Hotel

The Virgin Mobile Mod Club June/13

The El Mocambo Nov/13

Hopefully with his new album coming out in the Spring, he'll have the opportunity to “Come Around” again soon. I was too busy having so much fun to keep track and I couldn't even tell you the order of his setlist or if it's complete:

Ever Since I Was A Little Kid

Fly Away

Streetlights

So Many Faces

Choices

C'mon Talk

Stay With Me

Wind You Up

Sunday

On Time

Come Around

Space In My Heart

Shout (Tears For Fears cover)

A Bad Place To Reside

Check him out on his website at bernhoft.org and on YouTube.

bernhoft.org

C'mon Talk (Official Video)

Come Around (new song) 

Concert review: David Ryan Harris and Hanson

The concert took place at the historic Danforth Music Hall which was opened in 1919 in the city of Toronto. The 1,500 capacity crowd was lined up down a city block and around the corner for the sold out show. The first floor of the venue manages somehow to have either full seating or just a wide open concrete floor depending on the concert. Last night it was standing room only. I was lucky enough to get upgraded by Live Nation so I could have a floor view. I chose to stay there for the opening act, David Ryan Harris, the man I really came to see. Not that I'm averse to Hanson but the boy band era was not really part of my generation.

Not only is David Ryan Harris an amazing singer-songwriter-musician-producer but just seems like a genuinely down to earth “real” human being. Just a man and his guitar had the audience mesmerized with his beautiful voice, compelling and humorous storytelling and his ability to take familiar songs, mash them together in a medley, altering the lyrics to fit his story. It was funny, funky, bluesy, soulful and a heartwarming shared experience with just the right amount of audience participation. He even downplayed the “showy stuff” after he played his guitar behind his head, bringing the music back down to being real and honest. One point in particular struck me as he was speaking to the girls in the audience about worrying so much about their physical appearance before he played his song 'Pretty Girl'. To paraphrase his message: Be yourself, love yourself just the way you are, others love you just the way you are too, the little insignificant things you spend so much time worrying about are not important, especially to guys, and you are amazing anyway just for being girls. Just an indication of what this man is all about, keeping it real.

At intermission, as promised, David made himself available to sign his CD's after his set. I'm not one for autographs as that is not important to me but it did offer an opportunity to have a bit of a chat with him. I even said as such to him, that I really just wanted to say Hi and ask how the Canadian leg of the tour was going so far. When I told him my name and mentioned our little twitter chat he said he recognized me from my avatar. Not important but he was just a lovely man and it's nice to be acknowledged in some way. I wished him well on the rest of his journey through Canada and would have loved to talk more about it but others were waiting for his autograph. I decided to enjoy the comfort of my seat in the second floor balcony for the second half of the concert.

There is no doubt that the Hanson brothers are also exceptionally talented singers and musicians. The crowd sang every word to most of the songs. They really mixed up the set with quiet songs, high energy dance songs, an a capella version of a Bee Gees song that really showcased their voices and each Hanson brother individually did one song alone on stage. There were times during their set where there was too much of a lull, perhaps too many quiet not so well known songs where even the diehard Hanson fans went back to their conversations about other things and checking their phones. That may just be a normal generational thing but it did drag a bit too much in spots. As I am not well-versed in Hanson's music beyond when MmmBop was popular perhaps it's not for me to say but maybe they might want to rethink their setlist as there were too many quiet songs in a row. Don't get me wrong, I still danced my ass off until I was a sweaty mess for the more energetic songs, even if I didn't know them because that's how I roll, just like I did for David Ryan Harris' set.

On a side note: As we were shuffling out of the balcony seats I was astonished at the amount of garbage left on the first floor below. People, pick up your shit and put it in the garbage/recycling bins. Other than that, it was a fun-filled exuberant evening making more musical memories.

David Ryan Harris - Pretty Girl Mash Up

Hanson- a capella Toronto Nov 9/13 

Gavin DeGraw – Make A Move album review

At first blush this album seems to have heavier production, that it's more masculine and gritty. Yet upon listening to it more it still has beautiful, softer elements like some of his previous songs. Perhaps not quite as artsy and feminine, there isn't that one usual bawl-your-eyes-out, I-wish-I-had-someone-that-loved-me-like-that song that he has had on each of his previous albums, it still evokes a range of emotions. It's a more mature, less overly romantic, realistic approach to songs like that.

There are times when the production overpowers making it hard to decipher the words. Some of it seems unnecessary but by the same token it pulls you in, completely envelops you and you can't just listen to it casually like background noise. Still, sometimes less is more.

Despite what some are saying, it's not such a departure from his earlier work but rather a progression. Better to progress than to stagnate and always sound the same on every song you put out. This album is very much old Gavin but still fresh and current. People that dislike it are forgetting previous songs like Chemical Party, I Don't Want To Be, In Love With A Girl, Cop Stop, Medicate The Kids, Relative, Sweeter, Radiation...all of which are edgier, rocking songs so this album is not so different that it should be dismissed as being too hard or selling out. Still I was hoping that there would be a stripped down bonus track but I haven't heard any mention of it from those that already have it in other countries.

My most favourite things about music are lyrics and vocals. I love words that paint a picture, that tell a story yet are still vague enough that they allow you to see it your way and are so open to interpretation. Gavin just knows how to be descriptive in such a way that it's not completely about his experience, his interpretation but how it affects you on a personal level and for you to use your own imagination. Vocally he is just spectacular in his range and ability to change it up, particularly on songs with a slower beat where he can really play with it. Vocals can sometimes make or break a song for me. He has managed, once again, to come out with an album where there isn't one song I don't like or that I would skip over although it's funny how the live versions speak to me even more so.

Originally I was going to pick apart each song but that would be giving you my own interpretation rather than leaving that up to you. Besides there's so much going on, so many elements from different genres touched upon as if he said, “I'll take a piece of that and put it here. Maybe a dash of this and a sprinkle of that”. I recall his saying something about ingredients...quote from Billboard interview, “I feel like the refrigerator has some nice ingredients in it and I just wanna make the right meal”. He's managed to come up with a great mixture of music for whatever you might feel like feasting upon. Each song has it's own unique flavour yet works together without any one song being so far out there that they don't blend well with the others.

Best I Ever Had

Make A Move

Finest Hour

I'm Gonna Try

Who's Gonna Save Us

Everything Will Change

Need

Heartbreak

Every Little Bit

Different For Girls

Leading Man

Streaming link from MSN.CA

Billboard interview

Gavin DeGraw – 'Who's Gonna Save Us' (unofficial lyrics)

I know you got a wild side that I don't wanna hold back

And everyone I ever had was just a means to an end

Now we're standing at the edge, we've never been here before

So are we gonna give in, what happens if we fall?

Chorus:

Who's gonna save, who's gonna save us tonight, tonight

Who's gonna save, who's gonna save us tonight, tonight

We've been way too cool for this but it's just too strong to fight

So tell me who's gonna save, who's gonna save us tonight

Politics and presidents, it's like they're building a wall

I got my own line of defence somehow you broke through it all

At the bottom of an empty bottle is where the truth starts to spill

Don't wanna wake up with regret from this feeling we can't kill

Chorus:

Bridge:

See and believe you're making me breathe deeper than the ocean

Beside us who can we call, we're risking what we have for something more, don't wanna lose it all

Who's gonna save, who's gonna save us tonight, tonight

Who's gonna save, who's gonna save us tonight, tonight

We've been way too cool for this but this word's too strong to fight

Should we stop, should we wait before it's too late

Should we stop, should we wait before it's too late

Tell me who's gonna save, who's gonna save us tonight

Gavin DeGraw – 'Make A Move' (unofficial lyrics)

Hey, from the first time that I asked your name

It's like a drug that went straight to the vein

I feel a high coming on and it's all because of you

We could get it goin' like one, two, freeze

Put up your hands and surrender to me

I know I'm easy to read and it's all because of you

Chorus:

I don't care where we sleep tonight

I don't care if it's in or outside

You know what to dooooo

Make a mooooove

You could throw away your phone

Make believe that we're all alone

I'm talkin' to youuuuuu

Make a mooooove

'Cuz I'm ready

I been thinkin' 'bout somethin' you once said

That life is short so let go of regret

So then I take your advise and I bet it all on you

And now your giving sexy a whole new name

Ya what I'm feelin' is hard to explain

I'm thinking we're overdue and I bet it all on you

Chorus:

Bridge:

I'm aware of what you're going through

Not afraid to say I've fallen for you

If you need someone to talk to I've got the time

Chorus:

My song lyrics

Finally inspired to finish these lyrics. My first attempt so be gentle LOL.

Special To No End

So you've chosen to be with another

That's okay 'cuz I'm fine on my own

Just be sure 'cuz when it all fall to pieces

I'm so done, I don't want you no more

I waited for years to be with you

You had me and then shoved me away

What the hell did I even see in you?

I actually thought you could be my soulmate

Chorus:

I won't compromise for anyone ever again

I deserve so much better than you

It's your loss 'cuz I'm special to no end

One minute you say you love me

Then I see you with someone new

Already doing things and meeting your family

And here I was waiting for you

What a waste of time and energy

Just what was I waiting for?

Now it's all just a dim memory

It wasn't worth being on the floor

Chorus:

Bridge:

You tried to crush my spirit

You played the game so well

You can't crush my independence

I woke up from your spell

Chorus:

Gavin DeGraw 'Best I Ever Had' Review

To be honest, I did not like it at first. I didn't like the fact that it sounds like other bands. There's no need for an original like Gavin to copy other people's sound. Then it dawned on me that it's a perfect summer concert tour song. I could just see the crowd jumping up and down to that stomping beat, fists pumping the air and singing along at the top of their lungs. I could see how marketable and radio-friendly the single could be, although it could be mistaken for other bands. I could see how it would get people pumped up for the album release in the fall. Then I took a closer look at the lyrics.

It starts out with environmental and social issues, how we are all fallible and imperfect human beings, even someone like Gavin DeGraw. You can all join in in issues such as war and saving the world because it's fashionable again but the freedom to do things like smoke inside are taken away, rightfully so but still slowly being stripped of our freedoms and thus the irony.

I love the line “Take me home, I can’t stand this place ‘cause there’s too many hipsters and I just can’t relate”. He's not saying it from his perspective as that kind of life goes along with a career in music but that just speaks to me as I have no time or patience for hipsters and their materialistic, artificial personalities. Give me real, down-to-earth, non-materialistic people any day. The latest fashions don't mean anything to me.

Many people are speculating about what he means by neon gypsy which I don't think is a person but rather a place, like a city lit up with neon signs. People are drawn to these places by the shiny lights and the chance of making it big. A city where people come and go like gypsies, never really planting roots, always searching for something they can never quite find whether it be a career in the limelight, winning a jackpot or a relationship that works out. Desert rain, the ultimate in quenching your thirst whether it be literally or figuratively, emotionally or mentally. Helter Skelter meaning disorder, confusion, rushed chaos, all over the place making it difficult to pin down and put into words clearly.

The best I ever had may not be a person either. It could be a place or a moment in time, a life changing experience so memorable it will never be forgotten and will be forever looked back at fondly. Trying not to get stuck in your head could be the perceptions that go along with a career in music and not getting a big ego. It could be being so absorbed in the songwriting process, working out lyrics and melodies, that it closes you off from what's going on around you. It could mean how we stop ourselves from doing or saying things because of our own inner voice or how we spend so much time running things over and over in our minds and over-thinking things. Then it goes on to speak of the ridiculousness of people believing everything they read, even if it's such an unreliable source like a bathroom wall.

Night sky full of drones (war or invasion of privacy through satellites), this neighborhood of clones (hipsters or wannabes), I’m looking at the crowd and they’re staring at their phones (irony and not living in the moment), then more environmental issues. Self-realization of being fallible, doing imperfect things, self-medicating with things that aren't even good for you and more confusion.

Going on to mention States is a brilliant move to get people to feel a connection to the song, to feel that American pride, and yet keep it in perspective by saying “I think I love you , but don't even know you”. I love you all for supporting me and allowing me to have this great career but keep it real and at arm's length. Then there's that realization, that little pang of awareness that while you're out on the road, watching all the 'signs' pass you by, having this career there's still that little voice in your head saying you should “find someone before it gets too late”, at least according to what family or society thinks you should do. You're not getting any younger and you don't want to end up alone with no children or grandchildren. Some of us are just fine with that notion but society frowns upon it.

Lyrics can look deceptively simple, musically it's very intricate and in true Gavin DeGraw style, either you love it instantly or it grows on you until you find it makes your jaw drop in all its complexity. At least these are my thoughts on the new single “Best I Ever Had”. I won't be the same.