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Like A Motorcycle at CMW
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By Olivia D'Orazio
LikeAMotorcycle-CMWIt took a few moments for Like A Motorcycle to find their f...By Olivia D'Orazio
LikeAMotorcycle-CMWIt took a few moments for Like A Motorcycle to find their footing on stage at the Bovine Sex Club on Thursday night – but only a moment.
The Halifax-based trio are in Toronto to play a handful of shows, including a stop for Canadian Music Week. The band plays a fast, hard-hitting type of punk rock, though grunge elements are certainly present. All three members – guitarist Jillian Comeau, bassist Kim Carson, and drummer Michelle Skelding – share vocal duties, which adds depth and variance, making for a sound that is uniquely their own.
A great gritty ’70s vibe pervades their set, with Comeau’s plunging guitar riffs and Carson’s heavy bass lines and Skelding’s charged drum beats.
They’ve also got an amazing presence on stage – gladly using the entire stage to jump around and enjoy their music. The music is fun, and they’re having fun; and the crowd seemed to feed off of their seemingly endless supply of excitement and energy.The audience also appreciated their unfiltered between-song banter, which made for an intimate set.
‘Under The Gun’, the first single off of their upcoming album, was particularly well-received. It’s a fun track; head-bopping and slight ska undertones, with catchy lyrics, like: “I need you just to get out of bed / You need me like a hole in the head.”
They also played a new song for the eager crowd, telling the audience: “It’s brand, brand new – like, only been played twice before, so hopefully you like it.”
And we did.
Like A Motorcycle continues their Toronto tour with stops at the Horseshoe Tavern, Supermarket and the Bovine Sex Club. For more on Like A Motorcycle, visit: http://likeamotorcycle.bandcamp.com/
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Video for the Day (April 3, 2013): Like A Motorcycle – Slipping Away
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Sometimes it is hard to put your finger on the particular reason why you like a band and for me Like...Sometimes it is hard to put your finger on the particular reason why you like a band and for me Like A Motorcycle is one of those bands. Yes, there is the solid tight sound. Yes, there is the pounding, yet melodic, bass and drums. Yes, there is the screaming guitar. Yes, there is good singing and harmonizing. But there is something more. Like A Motorcycle has the “IT” quality that people often talk about, but can’t describe. The more I listen, the more I am drawn to the band.
You can check out the video for “Slipping Away” below and then download the song for free. You can also download “Under The Gun” for only $0.99 and the Dress Decent EP for just $3. Just think, you could have the complete Like A Motorcycle collection for under $4.
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GPS woes no match for sweet music
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The Thursday night drive to Liverpool for Nova Scotia Music Week was dark and stormy, and a bit whi... The Thursday night drive to Liverpool for Nova Scotia Music Week was dark and stormy, and a bit white-knuckle for a stretch under construction with no visible road markers or shoulders.
But eventually the inviting lights of the annual music industry event’s 2012 headquarters came into sight.
It took a bit longer than planned, after arguing with my GPS that White Point Beach Resort isn’t located in the town of Liverpool itself but rather 10 kilometres farther down the coast.
But the detour was minor compared with those of other attendees, like singer Bonnie Ste. Croix, who tweeted that her GPS had taken her halfway to Kejimkujik National Park before she figured something was amiss.
“It could have been worse, we once had a couple wind up in White Point, Cape Breton,” a desk clerk in the spaciously rebuilt main lodge informed me, and I felt foolish for relying on technology in the first place for my fourth trip to the historic South Shore vacation spot.
With my bearings more or less restored, it was time to hustle back the way I came and jump into some live music.
With many delegates not expected to appear until Friday, there were only a pair of showcases scheduled. One was the Yarmouth Metal Stage located in Alley 9 — named for its position adjacent to an eight-lane basement bowling alley — and a mixed-genre lineup at the new Best Western Plus Hotel, across from the equally brand-spanking new Queens Place Emera Centre, home of Sunday night’s gala Music Nova Scotia awards show.
But there would be miles of music to get through before the weekend’s congratulatory finale.
The first shot across the bow came from Halifax’s Like a Motorcycle at the smoke-filled Alley 9. The female power trio quickly erased my road rage with some crunchy power chords from guitarist Jillian Comeau, sweet vocals and beats from drummer Michelle Skelding and bassist Kim Carson’s hyperactive stage antics, including a few knee drops that will surely shorten the lifespan of her skinny jeans.
Just because the volume was lower in the Best Western’s Queens Room, the same can’t be said of the quality level, with sets by a number of Nova Scotia acts deemed, using a phrase well-known to those in the grant-writing process, “export ready.”
Just back from Iceland’s Airwaves Festival, Mo Kenney’s subtle folk sounds required an admonition to the chatty industry crowd, which brought it down to a dull roar, while charismatic Kayo’s joyous fusion of hip hop and Caribbean sounds, and Gypsophilia’s inventive cafe jazz, gave listeners and dancers a dose of second wind as the night was on the verge of coming to a close.
Queens Room listeners seemed especially drawn in by the sounds of two expansive Halifax indie bands, Paper Beat Scissors and SoHo Ghetto, whose songs are deeply poetic and are enriched by the current penchant for breaking away from the standard guitar-bass-drum dynamic.
Paper Beat Scissors included violin, euphonium and bassoon for this incarnation, but it’s clearly the vision of founder Tim Crabtree, just returned from a tour through Europe, that gives the songs their emotional charge.
Fronted by Marc-Antoine Robertson, septet SoHo Ghetto shows its mettle with a strong performance honed by rehearsing and recent touring, demonstrating how it earned Music Nova Scotia Award nominations for new artist and group recording of the year for the EP Humble Beginnings Make for Good Night Life.
During a lunch break between Music Nova Scotia’s Mind Over Music conference sessions Friday, Robertson also expressed his enthusiasm for being chosen to perform at Sunday’s awards gala and getting to share the stage with his never-there roommate, top nominee and non-stop touring machine Rich Aucoin.
“We’ve been granted 31/2 minutes to create an epic moment, that’s how we’re treating it, and it’s epic for us to be asked to be part of the most important showcase for this community of musicians in Nova Scotia,” Robertson says.
“Being asked means you’ve worked really hard over the past year to earn your spot in the show, or in the case of the Barra MacNeils, you’ve had this incredible 25-year career that’s being recognized.”
About to embark on another trip through Ontario, SoHo Ghetto could have been used as an example of what to do right at one of Friday’s more entertaining conference seminars, titled No One Owes You Sh**!, hosted by the Red Tentacle agency’s Josh Hogan and Hassan King.
Essentially it boiled down to common sense notions like “Don’t be boring,” “Don’t be unprofessional” and “Be good to your fans,” but it’s amazing how many musical careers are stopped cold when these simple rules are ignored.
The seminar earned the stamp of approval of Halifax Pop Explosion director Jonny Stevens, who declared it “The best music industry talk I’ve ever heard.”
After another full night of music around Liverpool on Friday night, Nova Scotia Music Week’s showcase series closes tonight with another solid rock bill at Alley 9 including Alert the Medic and Gloryhound, a broad range of pop and hip hop at the Best Western and some of the region’s brightest songwriters at Lane’s Privateer Inn.
Back at White Point, the African Nova Scotian Music Association holds Black Vibes II at Lakeside Hall, and the Jost Vineyards Stage features roots, rock, dance and hip hop with the Stanfields, the Town Heroes and AA Wallace.
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Music Review: Like A Motorcycle Dress Decent (Independent) by Carsten Knox
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An EP of six songs, with only one topping three minutes, this is lean, mean and fucking good. From t...An EP of six songs, with only one topping three minutes, this is lean, mean and fucking good. From the first riff and waah-oh of “Hitting The Bottle,†the Halifax trio (Jillian Comeau, Kim Carson and Michelle Skelding)stakes its claim to a sweaty, relentless sound, tapping into a particular be-leathered badass rock vein. What makes Like A Motorcycle stand out is a real understanding of how to establish a solid melody, harmonizing voices over squalling guitars and propulsive drums. That and songs about good booze, bad love and two-wheeled sex machines. A highly promising debut, which along with skills honed by their regular gigs, should see them explode forthwith.
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Motorcycles and music ON STAGE / Halifax Pop Explosion turns 20
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Five days, 160 bands, 15 venues.
This year Halifax Pop Explosion celebrates 20 years and will hi...Five days, 160 bands, 15 venues.
This year Halifax Pop Explosion celebrates 20 years and will highlight a plethora of local queer talent, including Heather Green, Mo Kenney and the all-female rock group Like a Motorcycle.
“The Pop Explosion gives local bands like us, just starting, the opportunity to meet and connect with national and international acts and their representation,” says Jillian Comeau, Like a Motorcycle’s guitarist. “It’s not something we could necessarily have access to otherwise.”
The Halifax trio, made up of Comeau, drummer Michelle Skelding and bassist Kim Carson, opens for The Pack AD at Reflections Cabaret. Like a Motorcycle will highlight the occasion by releasing a single from their forthcoming album, Naked Pictures.
“We feel like we have been working the last two years for an opportunity like this, and we are going to show HPX fans everything that Like a Motorcycle is about,” Comeau says. “Sweat, three-part harmonies, crunchy hooks and dance-beat drums.”
Comeau says Halifax was integral to the development of the new album.
“This environment is conducive to new bands with lots of opportunities to play and grow,” she says. “With a wide range of venues that accommodate new bands, bands that are on the rise and touring bands, we have a built-in ladder that just about anyone can climb if they put the work in. It sets Halifax apart."
For those who prefer more tailored, glossy harmonies, Heather Green, who will perform with Young River, will bring her sound to The Carleton on Oct 18.
“Halifax has relaxed me and restored my faith in being a struggling independent musician,” Green says. “I can play a gig and not freak out about having to pay for it if I don’t get enough people there. I can develop relationships with real people who are generally interested in my music and not just trying to make a quick buck.”
Green is thrilled to be a part of the 20th anniversary festival, so much so that she wishes she could bake all the staff a cake to congratulate them on their hard work. “I’m just really happy to be a part of it. I know that the selection process is competitive, and I’m honoured to share in their milestone festival.”
Local up-and-comer Mo Kenney, who performed at last year’s Halifax Pop Explosion, will also give fans a sneak peek of her self-titled debut album at the festival.
“HPX is significant to Halifax's music scene because it gives local artists the chance to play with artists from out of town,” Kenney says. “You can meet other musicians, network and check out a massive amount of live music.”
Halifax Pop Explosion
Music Festival and Conference
Tues, Oct 16-Sat, Oct 20
halifaxpopexplosion.com
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INTERVIEW: Like A Motorcycle
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Ian had a little chat with Like A Motorcycle after their set at the Seahorse, February 23rd 2012.
...Ian had a little chat with Like A Motorcycle after their set at the Seahorse, February 23rd 2012.
Videography by Ian Kean & Chuck McLearn
Interview & Editing by Ian Kean
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Like a Motorcycle Dark melodies and cute merch
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Like a Motorcycle played its first show at Gus’ in March. Since then the band has been working its a...Like a Motorcycle played its first show at Gus’ in March. Since then the band has been working its ass off in a quest to create rock music that is darkly melodic and deeply felt. Good buddies Kim Carson, Jillian Comeau and Michelle Skelding have kept themselves busy booking shows, creating merch (cute t-shirts and collectible buttons of their faces) and, most importantly, being prolific---their six-song EP, produced by Jay Methot, is due out July 19. Like a Motorcycle’s music is a heady mash of squalling guitars, bass lines that stick to your ribs and tight, soulful drumming, with lyrics about attraction, headfuckery and all that other stuff that drives you to drink. They’re clever but not glib, scrappy but not hardened, and seem to know how to confront crimes of the heart without yielding to them. See what I mean on June 28 when they play at the Seahorse.
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Live Underground with Like A Motorcycle
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3 piece, all female rockers from Halifax, (we'll ignore the chick band title as it's old & dated). I...3 piece, all female rockers from Halifax, (we'll ignore the chick band title as it's old & dated). I'm talking about Like A Motorcycle. They've got their first EP to be released soon, I spoke with their bassist Kim Carson tonight on Live Underground.
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Vroom, vroom: It's Like A Motorcycle
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Like A Motorcycle's band name defines them to a tee; these three Haligonians play fast, unabashedly ...Like A Motorcycle's band name defines them to a tee; these three Haligonians play fast, unabashedly loud music. Like A Motorcycle is Kim Carson on bass, Jillian Comeau on guitar and Michelle Skelding on drums. It all started last January, when Carson and Comeau, who had penned songs together, recruited Skelding, of No Flyers Please fame.
"We were a bit enamoured with Michelle," said Carson, laughing. "It took us a while to land her."
They played their very first show last March at Gus' Pub, a show that catapulted the band onto the Halifax circuit. "We ended up getting asked to play a show with some other great bands in Halifax, we got a little bit of press and it just took off from there. It was really well received," said Carson.
Their sound is a compilation of the musical backgrounds of the three members, which ranges from '90s grunge to the Rolling Stones. "It's a little bit grungy, a little bit of distortion. Michelle is a very dance-y drummer, very upbeat. A lot of melodic bass lines, a lot of dissidence. And we all sing," explained Carson. "It keeps it really interesting."
Their debut EP, Dress Decent, was released on Sept. 21, coinciding with the first date of their mini-tour of New Brunswick. Dress Decent is a six song record, recorded, mixed and mastered by Jay Methot. Everything was recorded live off the floor, except the vocals. When we spoke via telephone, Like A Motorcycle was excitedly waiting to get Dress Decent back from the presses. Like A Motorcycle will start the touring with Saint John's Tune in Tokyo for their New Brunswick dates.
Carson is looking forward to the future,
"Hopefully after this tour and this EP, it will set the stage for bigger things," she said.
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Like a Motorcycle revs up
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It was just this past fall that Kim Carson and longtime friend Jillian Comeau started writing songs ...It was just this past fall that Kim Carson and longtime friend Jillian Comeau started writing songs together and stumbled upon some rock and roll magic. Their search for the drummer to finish the puzzle ended in January with Michelle Skelding (No Flyers Please), who rounded off the unintentional girl-band, Like a Motorcycle. "People expect a certain gimmick or schtick with an all-girl band...it's rock and roll, and I think that's what's going to set us apart, not that fact that we're women," says Carson, "I think this is the start of something really good." While they are no strangers to the stage, this'll be their first gig together besides playing Reflections' Rockin' 4 Dollar$. And Carson says keep your eyes on MySpace, demo tracks are on the way.
Saturday March 12, Gus' Pub, 2605 Agricola Street, 10:30pm, $5
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Like A Motorcycle Revs Their Music Engines
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With their heavy raw sound and energetic stage presence, Like A Motorcycle is gearing up to hit the ...With their heavy raw sound and energetic stage presence, Like A Motorcycle is gearing up to hit the Halifax music scene as one of the hottest all-female rock 'n roll bands to keep an eye on. Haligonia's Emma Prat puts on her helmet and takes a ride with Kim Carson and Michelle Skelding.
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Episode 105: Breaking Records
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The star of this episode is Crazy Mister Twister from Take Part. He's wasn't on the show, he just ca...The star of this episode is Crazy Mister Twister from Take Part. He's wasn't on the show, he just came up as a topic somehow... but you know who WAS on the show? Two of the girls from the band, Like A Motorcycle! They talked to us about their newest album release, shared some tour stories, and laughed with us. A LOT.
We also discussed the Nova Scotia man who is trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for juggling chainsaws, and played an on-line game about poverty called, "Spent." Did we survive, or end up lying in a gutter offering handjobs for handfuls of change? Listen through to find out!
YouTube Links: Part 1: http://youtu.be/Y-HF9h4tVtQ Part 2: http://youtu.be/rp0roc0LJdY
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Show Overview: HIND LEGS, CURSED ARROWS, COBRA CAMARO, LIKE A MOTORCYCLE - August 5th 2011 @ Gus' Pub
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We arrived at Gus', after attending the Kuato EP release show, just in time to catch the last song o...We arrived at Gus', after attending the Kuato EP release show, just in time to catch the last song of Like A Motorcycle, a fast rising three piece punk rock band with plenty of blues rock influence. Their matching guitars accompanied matching vocals from all three members. Guitar solos and bass fills a plenty ran along top of the no frills drumming and give the band the difference needed to stand out amongst the 100 other three piece rock bands that play Gus' every year.
supersonic
