KID KOALA, Dec. 4th, the Marquee, Halifax - Dr. DJ puts on a clinic Dec 07 '04    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 Mai by Eri Sugai From $4 The Bottom Line Kid Koala is a fun and talented must-see DJ. Swift was pretty sweet too. Check either of them out if they come to your town, but especially Koala. Hey, it's time to test how much you know about me. Remember back a couple years ago, when I wrote that concert review of Radiohead in Molson Park? Actually, I'm not going to humour myself with a fake answer - I know you don't. I'll recap it quickly: Radiohead was transcendent, drinks were overpriced, and by the end of the show I felt as though I had showered in other people's sweat. This is not what I came here to write about though: opening for the British juggernaut was a lonely Chinese-Canadian named Eric San, who, trying to win over the most nerdish and cynical crowd in the world (or, in other words, the average Radiohead crowd), spun a couple records and hoped for approval. He was shy and awkward, considering the audience's immediate dislike of every act that was't Radiohead, but he smiled the whole time and seemed like a nice guy. And his sounds! Not being a DJ, I had no idea exactly what he was doing, but it sounded impressive... I think. Bleeps and bloops, funny samples, wikkity-wikkity scratching, meaningless dialogue... it was original, that was for sure. Anyways, this DJ who seemed as though his only friends were his records, was actually the turntable prodigy Kid Koala who would go on to be a contributor to the Gorillaz, Deltron 3030 (my personal favourite right now), and other zany projects, many of which spawned from the unpredictable mind of Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, the king of producing creepy, spaced-out theme music for people who are up to no good. I tucked away my memory of seeing the Kid live, and looked forward to the time when it would become relevant again. ...and I waited. And then, what's this? On December 4th in the fair city of Halifax, 2004, the maverick turntable wonderboy was playing a show with local heroes the Jimmy Swift Band. I was unsure at first - after all, this is someone whom I only remembered vaguely from an opening act, and with whom I had had no other musical or sentimental contact. Would it be worth it to make the trek to the show? Now that all is said and done, I can answer this question with a resounding yes. And I mean resounding. That night was one of the best times I've had in a while, and the concert had a lot to do with it. I guess I can officially say I'm a Kid Koala fan now (this also being because, since we last tangled, I became more appreciative to the DJ genre, frequently listening to DJ Shadow and Dan the Automator's solo stuff). So, as you must have guessed, I made the decision to abandon my responsibilities of school and shizzle for 24 hours of sweet Halifax partying. I wouldn't have done it, though, if I didn't have friends going up too (I live in Wolfville, an hour drive outside of Halifax, which is quite far when you don't have a car) as well as a nice little break in between essays being due at the end of the semester for University and the start of exams for me to sneak out. So, with that said, I hit the road (literally) by hitchhiking there with my good friend Double Down, a pot-smoking hippie native to Nova Scotia. The hitch was no problem, getting picked up almost immediately. The first order of business when we got there was boozing, which had priority for the concert was getting gradually closer. So we did this heartily at one of Double Down's friend's student housing arrangements. The group of us (there were three of us going to the concert, the third being Matt, a music-geek lite whom with I my first year of university) got plastered by drinking Molson Dry Ice (cheap and 6%), talking about the new Franz Ferdinand record, and listening to some jam-band's take on classic rock standards. When we were ready, we got a lift to the Marquee, an excellent venue that sadly will be shutting down within a month. It was my first time there, but I liked it from the minute I walked in - it's a club in the truest sense of the word. However, this is not when we entered, but believe me, I tried: the bouncers turned me away for having unopened cans of beer in my backpack, which I had wholly forgotten about. I wasn't worried, the show wasn't to start for a while, so I figured me and Matt would go drink them someplace inconspicuous. Double Down was already in, probably chasing the tail of some dreadlocked maiden, so we forgot about him for the time being. Matt and I walked maybe two blocks away until we hit the monstrous Citadel Hill, a clean-shaven field of inclined grass that led up to the historic fort in the heart of the city. Citadel Hill is huge, and in a whim we both decided to get drunk on the hill. Whoooooooooo... and so forth. From halfway up Citadel Hill you could see the whole city, and Dartmouth (Halifax's twin city) on the other side of the harbour. It was a magnificent backdrop as Matt and I finished off our beers and reminisced on the good old days when we went to University together. Although it was an ill-conceived idea - the police station was right at the foot of the hill, and crowds of people probably saw us drinking and overheard our witty repartee - it was a great time, and by the time we left to get back to the show, we were both enthusiastically drunk and drunkenly enthusiastic. We got into the Marquee this time, and hung out with Double Down while the opening act (a local act called Brother's Pass) finished a good, spaced-out jam band set. Once they were done, a table was set up with three glorious turntables and a jungle of wires and digital equipment. The anticipation! We headed for the front, because the crowd was still sparse, and I knew this was a show that I would want to get up and dance to. After about ten minutes, the Kid came out to a roaring and supportive crowd. I really commend you, Halifax, for this: I was expecting you to give me a bunch of closed-minded Phish phreaks, but instead the crowd was really ready to get down to the sounds of Kid Koala. He started off by mentioning that it was his birthday that day (the crowd sang 'Happy Birthday', how cute), but didn't waste time before busting into some karazzee sh!t. Kid Koala mixed up strange, rhythmless old-man samples with groovy and irresistible beats constantly, which prompted me to dance for one minute and merely listen and appreciate the next. It was all impressive, though: when he played songs people knew ('Check Your Head' by the Beastie Boys, 'Shout' by Tears for Fears, 'Party for Your Right to Fight' by Public Enemy) they were hardly recognizable over bizarre but intoxicating music with relentless rhythm sections. I remembered from the first time I saw Kid Koala that he mixes stuff up A LOT. He won't let a single tempo or beat go longer than two minutes before changing, and although this can get annoying if you're dancing and enjoying the groove, I guess it's just his style. However, this style of his comes with the benefit of being able to witness the virtuoso in action, because he scratches like crazy. It's like watching Jimi Hendrix show off his chops if he was a DJ instead of a guitarist. The set concluded with an immediate demand for an encore, in which he returned and played a totally chillin' collection of tracks, calming the audience down before the energetic Jimmy Swift came on. It's good that he did; the audience needed some time to rest. Kid Koala had been the reason I came, but I was interested in the Jimmy Swift Band. The local maritime music scene has a greater local pull than you might expect, and the Jimmy Swift Band is supposed to be one of its backbone performers. I knew Double Down was big into them too, so I suspected that they'd be a jam band type, likely to meander around through the same chord progressions for twenty minutes - something I never really enjoyed too much. Sure, Phish, Dave, and the Dead are all well and good, but they have a whole lotta 'meh'. I always prefer pop tracks (short, sweet, and catchy) to loping jam-outs, although I do admit that I enjoy both types overall. Simply put, I just like one more than the other. Was Jimmy Swift a jam band? Sorta. Their rhythm section was straight out of current dance-rock: it sounded like !!! and the Rapture, and this I really appreciated because I'm an absolute sucker for dance-rock in all shapes, colours, and forms. And then there were keyboards, that sounded like everything to Coldplay to Yes, but never as extreme or indulgent. And then there was a conga section, a distinction markedly jam-bandy, but tasteful and appreciable. And then there was the guitarist/vocalist (possibly Jimmy Swift, if it is his real name), who definitely did his fair share of jamming and rocking. Although most of it sounded fresh and interesting (the rhythm section was the key to this motley crew equation), it occasionally degenerated into unnecessary and purposeless jamming. This was rare though, because the majority of the set was energetic soundscapes with infectious dance beats. I was impressed, and look forward to seeing them again... which I'm sure I will in like two weeks, considering they rarely leave the province. Matt, Double Down, and I relaxed for this set, taking it in from a booth as we watched Jimmy Swift rock out and the audience groove. We left just before it ended because by that point it was already 3am, and we were all exhausted. Double Down and I said our goodbyes to Matt, and were on our way walking to a buddy's of his house to crash for the night. Kid Koala's excellent performance prompted me to download his first album, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, which I find almost impossible to understand yet nonetheless like. Once again, I guess if I was a DJ I'd be able to appreciate it more, but even as it is now, with my record-spinning capabilities confined to dusting off my Uncle's collection occasionally to listen to Zeppelin or the Stones, I really enjoy it. Koala's fresh, vibrant, and eclectic take on music is so much fun it's impossible to dislike, and I recommend that you check it out if he comes by your town. Jimmy Swift, too: although they can be a little monotonous, and are considerably less musically valuable than the Kid, they put on an excellent show. So that's it for me. Koala gets a five out of five, while Swift gets a three-and-a-half out of five. As I finish this review, it's 3am, and I have an exam tomorrow morning at nine... hmm. Normally I'm a self-dictating Nazi about school, getting essays done before their due dates and whatnot, but not tonight; I was so gosh-darn inspired by Koala's general awesomeness that I couldn't wait another night. If that won't prompt you to see Koala next time he's in your town, I don't know what will. Oh yah, did I mention tickets were only $15!? Check this guy out before he blows up - you won't regret it.

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