Five Alarm Funk and Hey Ocean!--Double Header R on R Show
I've been putting off writing this review.
I have to admit it's because I really don't feel like writing it any more. The only reason I'm dragging my fingers to the keyboard is because I said I would. And, being a lass of my word, here I am.
Why? Is it because the concert stank and I don't know how to tactfully place my words so as to not offend? Is it because it was just lame and I don't want to bother?
Far from. It's because it was so amazingly good. Point final.
So, feeling kind of greedy about it, I don't want to spread the word, let alone on the Internet, because, well, then others (including reps, agents etc.) could learn more about them, which might mean that Vancouver would, yet again, lose some of its best talent, but then again, if I don't, others will rave anyway, so here it goes:
Hey Ocean!
Take an adorable girl, Ashleigh Ball, give her some incredible vocal talent and spunk, put her in an even more adorable bumblebee outfit with little bouncy antennae and surround her with some hot musicians decked out in bee keeper outfits. Add in some awesome guitar riffs, good sound (except for some of the early feedback), fine lyrics and catchy melodies and you've got Hey Ocean Friday October 20th. During Hey Ocean's set the audience pretty much stood mesmerized most of the time.
Where's the pirate Waldo and the pirate captain? Can you spot them in the page? Can you say "Yarrr matey!"?
I have to say that I've been a fan of Hey Ocean since I discovered them on MySpace a while back. They give me the same kind of bells going off sensation as I felt when I first saw Diana Krall years before she went big. I will never forget seeing her play her piano tunes and feeling like she had a little something something to make that mass appeal. Only, take that something something and multiply it a few times to fill up a few sea basins, because that's the oceanic size I feel in the potential of this band.
You'll have to check them out for yourself to see that I tell no lies. Remember No Doubt before they got big? No, not ska, talking authenticity. Remember what it feels like after you've been out in the cold and come home to someone wonderful who makes it all better again? Or the feeling of taking a dip after a day working in the hot sun? How truly...
refreshing.
That's the kind of addictively nutritious quality Hey Ocean possess. All they have to do is keep up what they are doing, watch out for egos and agents, and there is no doubt in my mind that wonderful things will manifest for this crew...
Five Alarm Funk
Well, if it sounds like I'm gushing over Hey Ocean, you are right, but as if the evening wasn't good enough, the big FAT cherry on the top of the night was Five Alarm Funk.
(Clickable infrared photo by Berman.)
We're talking a cherry the size of James and the Giant Peach here. Something you can climb right inside of, groove in and chew on. A cherry also big enough to fit a crowd that would pack R on R's to beyond capacity, seeing as the line up on the 20th literally went around the block and I know a few disgruntled folk who did not get in. Keep this in mind: when you want to see these guys, buy advanced tickets!
By the time Five Alarm came on later in the evening people had had a few, and were keyed up for action, and it's a good thing because they needed that energy. If you haven't seen Five Alarm Funk in concert, and you plan to, make sure that you get plenty of rest the night before, drink fluids the day of, and do a bit of stretching before the show, because even if you don't like dancing, somehow, some way, you'll probably end up getting your freak on at least at some point during the night (unless you have a bad case of stick-up-your tooty-Vancouveritis). In that vein, here is a shot proving that I can get funky on the dance floor as well as on the key pad:
This is the second time I've seen FAF live. The first was a sold out show at the Commodore, which blew me away. I didn't think it could get much better Friday, but it did. If any of you Five Alarm boys are reading, you pushed the bar there, but now it's that much higher...
Friday at Richards was even better than their 'regular act' as we were treated to not only a musical barage of chakra cleaning and cresting grooves, but a visual Halloween spirit montage as well. Most of the fellas sported some sort of kooky costume which made them come off like the offspring of The Village People on speed. There was a horned devil, a chivalrous knight, and even a gorilla on bongos who kept his fat furry costume on the WHOLE set.
The whole set!
Whether it's because having twelve young men on stage fills up the room with some flaming pheromones, or because their tunes pummel away any sense of care about maintaining a neat image in favour of bouncing around like a maniac is up to debate. However, whichever way you look at it, Five Alarm Funk is one of the funnest, funkyest live acts on the continent.
_________________________
Click on here for Hey Ocean's MySpace page with links to their website, photos, downloadable music and upcoming gig information.
Click on here for Five Alarm Funk's MySpace page that has music samples, photos, gigs, and links to their main website.
Thank-you to Nuria P. for camera usage and some photos.
I have to admit it's because I really don't feel like writing it any more. The only reason I'm dragging my fingers to the keyboard is because I said I would. And, being a lass of my word, here I am.
Why? Is it because the concert stank and I don't know how to tactfully place my words so as to not offend? Is it because it was just lame and I don't want to bother?
Far from. It's because it was so amazingly good. Point final.
So, feeling kind of greedy about it, I don't want to spread the word, let alone on the Internet, because, well, then others (including reps, agents etc.) could learn more about them, which might mean that Vancouver would, yet again, lose some of its best talent, but then again, if I don't, others will rave anyway, so here it goes:
Hey Ocean!
Take an adorable girl, Ashleigh Ball, give her some incredible vocal talent and spunk, put her in an even more adorable bumblebee outfit with little bouncy antennae and surround her with some hot musicians decked out in bee keeper outfits. Add in some awesome guitar riffs, good sound (except for some of the early feedback), fine lyrics and catchy melodies and you've got Hey Ocean Friday October 20th. During Hey Ocean's set the audience pretty much stood mesmerized most of the time.
Where's the pirate Waldo and the pirate captain? Can you spot them in the page? Can you say "Yarrr matey!"?
I have to say that I've been a fan of Hey Ocean since I discovered them on MySpace a while back. They give me the same kind of bells going off sensation as I felt when I first saw Diana Krall years before she went big. I will never forget seeing her play her piano tunes and feeling like she had a little something something to make that mass appeal. Only, take that something something and multiply it a few times to fill up a few sea basins, because that's the oceanic size I feel in the potential of this band.
You'll have to check them out for yourself to see that I tell no lies. Remember No Doubt before they got big? No, not ska, talking authenticity. Remember what it feels like after you've been out in the cold and come home to someone wonderful who makes it all better again? Or the feeling of taking a dip after a day working in the hot sun? How truly...
refreshing.
That's the kind of addictively nutritious quality Hey Ocean possess. All they have to do is keep up what they are doing, watch out for egos and agents, and there is no doubt in my mind that wonderful things will manifest for this crew...
Five Alarm Funk
Well, if it sounds like I'm gushing over Hey Ocean, you are right, but as if the evening wasn't good enough, the big FAT cherry on the top of the night was Five Alarm Funk.
(Clickable infrared photo by Berman.)
We're talking a cherry the size of James and the Giant Peach here. Something you can climb right inside of, groove in and chew on. A cherry also big enough to fit a crowd that would pack R on R's to beyond capacity, seeing as the line up on the 20th literally went around the block and I know a few disgruntled folk who did not get in. Keep this in mind: when you want to see these guys, buy advanced tickets!
By the time Five Alarm came on later in the evening people had had a few, and were keyed up for action, and it's a good thing because they needed that energy. If you haven't seen Five Alarm Funk in concert, and you plan to, make sure that you get plenty of rest the night before, drink fluids the day of, and do a bit of stretching before the show, because even if you don't like dancing, somehow, some way, you'll probably end up getting your freak on at least at some point during the night (unless you have a bad case of stick-up-your tooty-Vancouveritis). In that vein, here is a shot proving that I can get funky on the dance floor as well as on the key pad:
This is the second time I've seen FAF live. The first was a sold out show at the Commodore, which blew me away. I didn't think it could get much better Friday, but it did. If any of you Five Alarm boys are reading, you pushed the bar there, but now it's that much higher...
Friday at Richards was even better than their 'regular act' as we were treated to not only a musical barage of chakra cleaning and cresting grooves, but a visual Halloween spirit montage as well. Most of the fellas sported some sort of kooky costume which made them come off like the offspring of The Village People on speed. There was a horned devil, a chivalrous knight, and even a gorilla on bongos who kept his fat furry costume on the WHOLE set.
The whole set!
Whether it's because having twelve young men on stage fills up the room with some flaming pheromones, or because their tunes pummel away any sense of care about maintaining a neat image in favour of bouncing around like a maniac is up to debate. However, whichever way you look at it, Five Alarm Funk is one of the funnest, funkyest live acts on the continent.
_________________________
Click on here for Hey Ocean's MySpace page with links to their website, photos, downloadable music and upcoming gig information.
Click on here for Five Alarm Funk's MySpace page that has music samples, photos, gigs, and links to their main website.
Thank-you to Nuria P. for camera usage and some photos.
posted by isabella mari at 2:36 a.m. 
2 Comments:
Hey Isabella! You are SO on the mark with these guys. I was there that night and it was (imho)the BEST concert of the season. I was the opposite of you, I had seen Hey Ocean, but not FAF. Ash was so cute in her bouncy bumble bee outfit.
I already love Hey O, but didn't know what to expect with F Alarm, and although I had heard that they were good I was not prepared for how good...Holy freaking cow do they rock! I don't want to lose them either...
Thanks for posting this. I couldn't make it that night (jealous), but I know that FAF are the bomb as I've seen them in Whistler. I hear there is talk that they might do another double concert and I WILL get advanced tix for that one...
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