No Sinner

Colleen Rennison has the type of voice that makes you speak in cliches or reference artists usually identified by one name.

Whiskey soaked. The Mississippi. Janis. Etta. Those are the easy and overused terms you get any time a big voiced female howls over bluesy riffs, but Colleen’s case, they fit like skinny jeans… or low cut jeans shorts.

More importantly, No Sinner has the chops to support Colleen’s booming voice and warrant lofty comparisons. Sure, No Sinner could be defined by Colleen’s powerhouse vocals, but the band effortlessly delivers authentic sounding gospel, blues, classic rock n’ roll, and vintage R&B.

Let’s be honest; No Sinner could have followed the infectious “Boo Hoo Hoo” with 18-minutes of silence and got few complaints, but surprisingly tender and reflective swayers like “Rise Up” and “That’d Be The Day” prove the band is more than run of the mill, retro rock revivalists.

The high water mark of Boo Hoo Hoo for me is the bbq ready “Call My Name.” A bona fide Pavlovian trigger for Summer, Rennison’s soulful vocals ride the wave of guitar and god damn, if your mouth doesn’t start salivating and get you daydreaming about cold beer and grilled meat, your a better man than me. It’s tailor made for good days and better nights and should be on everyone’s playlist.

I know there’s no shortage of bands trying to fuse soul into classic riffs, but Boo Hoo Hoo succeeds where so many fail. This record is going to be big and No Sinner will be even bigger. Might as well get on board early to avoid the lines. - Herohill

We’re just a few hours away from wrapping up 2011, so obviously it’s time to start building up the hype list on the Vancouver music front for 2012.

Let’s start with newcomers No Sinner, who just released their debut single and video Boo Hoo Hoo.

The band, consisting of singer Colleen Rennison, drummer Ian Browne, guitarist Eric Campbell and bassist Matt Camirand (of Black Mountain fame), is said to have been inspired by the likes of Big Mama Thornton, Janis Joplin, Etta James and THEM.

The result is smouldering blues-rock heavy on the soul, and the video for Boo Hoo Hoo, shot at the Waldorf Hotel, pays tribute to that old fashioned style.

No Sinner will be releasing its debut six-song EP in March.

Who on the Vancouver music scene has you all abuzz for the upcoming year? Send me your suggestions at fmarchand@vancouversun.com. - Vancouver Sun

We’re just a few hours away from wrapping up 2011, so obviously it’s time to start building up the hype list on the Vancouver music front for 2012.

Let’s start with newcomers No Sinner, who just released their debut single and video Boo Hoo Hoo.

The band, consisting of singer Colleen Rennison, drummer Ian Browne, guitarist Eric Campbell and bassist Matt Camirand (of Black Mountain fame), is said to have been inspired by the likes of Big Mama Thornton, Janis Joplin, Etta James and THEM.

The result is smouldering blues-rock heavy on the soul, and the video for Boo Hoo Hoo, shot at the Waldorf Hotel, pays tribute to that old fashioned style.

No Sinner will be releasing its debut six-song EP in March.

Who on the Vancouver music scene has you all abuzz for the upcoming year? Send me your suggestions at fmarchand@vancouversun.com. - Vancouver Sun

By Gregory AdamsNo Sinner are a brand new band made up of a few Vancouver scene vets, including Black Mountain bassist Matt Camirand and Matthew Good skinpounder Ian Browne, though the group stray far from stoner jams and radio rock. Instead, the outfit, led by smoky singer/songwriter Colleen Rennison, trot out the kind of backwoods rhythm & blues that would have roughneck bar patrons lobbing full bottles of MGD around as a compliment.

Filmed all over Vancouver's Waldorf Hotel, "Boo Hoo Hoo" finds the group kickin' into the greasy rocker full tilt from the establishment's cabaret, while Rennison passionately delivers the tune's downtrodden and dire midsection while pounding a bottle of whiskey up on its rooftop.

If the bluesy stomp gets your blood boiling, No Sinner are playing a local show at W2 tonight. A six-song EP is expected to drop sometime in March, along with a seven-inch sporting "Boo Hoo Hoo" on the A-side, with "Love Is a Madness" on the flip. - Exclaim!

Friday, Nov 23rd. Commodore Ballroom

Vancouverites are a finicky breed. We love to hate, especially on one another. That said, the next time I hear some eye-roll happy hipster cunt go off about the lack of local talent in this city, I will remember this concert and kick them in the junk, gender irrelevant.

The Ballantynes preheated the still-forming crowd with style and ease. Singer/guitarist/organist Jarrod O'Dell was a show-stealing ball of frantic intensity (imagine a ritalined-up post-puberty Billy Elliott doing his best Mark Ronson impression while two healthy mod broads in Adele dresses smash tambourines against their ample elbows). The Ballantynes' sound is built on a hearty retro stock with splashes of surf rock added to spice things up. Despite some mic issues (at points you couldn't discern a single word O'Dell was singing, but you knew that whatever he said, it was probably smooth and horny as fuck) the presentation was tight and the band definitely whetted the appetites of an audience that clearly came for something a little harder and stronger.

Harder and stronger you say? No Sinner started their set with a sludgy ass slide solo that morphed into a seven-minute gutter ballad. These homegrown bluesy R&B rock revivalists had us wrapped around their gritty little fingers in no time. Lead vocalist Colleen Rennison is everything one could want in a rock goddess. She has soulful delivery and raspy pipes, she looks unwashed and thirsty, and she wears denim on denim the way only a down-and-out barfly who just ran out of fucks to give can. She wailed at the ceiling, her Canadian lady-tuxedo clinging on for dear life. Henceforth, Daisy Dukes atop ill-fitting red stripper heels will be the look.

Even though bandmate (and guitarist) Eric Campbell was finger fucking his telecaster to death, all eyes were on Rennison. Some wanted to be her, some wanted to fuck her, one of us wondered; if she clicks those candy-apple ho-strollers together three times, will she suddenly wake up in a trailer park outside of Abbotsford? All kidding aside, if Beth Ditto's vocal chords challenged Rennison's to a duel, the Gossip would undoubtedly need to hold auditions for a new matriarch.

The Pack AD hit the stage with a calm intensity, not uttering a word before launching into a slew of fervent tracks (if you haven't heard it yet, check out the new single "The Water" on Soundcloud). Seeing The Pack live, one can't help but be reminded of a pre-breakup DFA 1979. They are cool and collected, yet they have a thick severity that somehow manages to fill out the gaps in their hazy two-piece assault. Singer/guitarist Becky Black was effortlessly forceful, strangling her guitar without causing a single vein to bulge from her forehead. Drummer Maya Miller's steady crash and thump held together the hard and sweaty set, and her dry banter kept it light between tracks, allowing the audience (and Black) a chance to catch their collective breaths.

The band's focused frenzy whipped the audience into a strangely obedient fervour which would later morph into something much sloppier and harder to control. Amidst a steady stream of stage dives, one enthusiastic audience member would manage to accidentally knock over Black's mic AND unplug her guitar. Many artists would have seen this as just cause for a tantrum, but it barely seemed to irritate or phase Black, and it didn't take away from the lengthy and thoroughly appreciated encore she and Miller delivered.

I guess that's the beauty of Vancouverites playing for Vancouverites: though we shit on each other for fun, we can't fault one another for trying to have a little.

- Steev - JamSpace

Friday, Nov 23rd. Commodore Ballroom

Vancouverites are a finicky breed. We love to hate, especially on one another. That said, the next time I hear some eye-roll happy hipster cunt go off about the lack of local talent in this city, I will remember this concert and kick them in the junk, gender irrelevant.

The Ballantynes preheated the still-forming crowd with style and ease. Singer/guitarist/organist Jarrod O'Dell was a show-stealing ball of frantic intensity (imagine a ritalined-up post-puberty Billy Elliott doing his best Mark Ronson impression while two healthy mod broads in Adele dresses smash tambourines against their ample elbows). The Ballantynes' sound is built on a hearty retro stock with splashes of surf rock added to spice things up. Despite some mic issues (at points you couldn't discern a single word O'Dell was singing, but you knew that whatever he said, it was probably smooth and horny as fuck) the presentation was tight and the band definitely whetted the appetites of an audience that clearly came for something a little harder and stronger.

Harder and stronger you say? No Sinner started their set with a sludgy ass slide solo that morphed into a seven-minute gutter ballad. These homegrown bluesy R&B rock revivalists had us wrapped around their gritty little fingers in no time. Lead vocalist Colleen Rennison is everything one could want in a rock goddess. She has soulful delivery and raspy pipes, she looks unwashed and thirsty, and she wears denim on denim the way only a down-and-out barfly who just ran out of fucks to give can. She wailed at the ceiling, her Canadian lady-tuxedo clinging on for dear life. Henceforth, Daisy Dukes atop ill-fitting red stripper heels will be the look.

Even though bandmate (and guitarist) Eric Campbell was finger fucking his telecaster to death, all eyes were on Rennison. Some wanted to be her, some wanted to fuck her, one of us wondered; if she clicks those candy-apple ho-strollers together three times, will she suddenly wake up in a trailer park outside of Abbotsford? All kidding aside, if Beth Ditto's vocal chords challenged Rennison's to a duel, the Gossip would undoubtedly need to hold auditions for a new matriarch.

The Pack AD hit the stage with a calm intensity, not uttering a word before launching into a slew of fervent tracks (if you haven't heard it yet, check out the new single "The Water" on Soundcloud). Seeing The Pack live, one can't help but be reminded of a pre-breakup DFA 1979. They are cool and collected, yet they have a thick severity that somehow manages to fill out the gaps in their hazy two-piece assault. Singer/guitarist Becky Black was effortlessly forceful, strangling her guitar without causing a single vein to bulge from her forehead. Drummer Maya Miller's steady crash and thump held together the hard and sweaty set, and her dry banter kept it light between tracks, allowing the audience (and Black) a chance to catch their collective breaths.

The band's focused frenzy whipped the audience into a strangely obedient fervour which would later morph into something much sloppier and harder to control. Amidst a steady stream of stage dives, one enthusiastic audience member would manage to accidentally knock over Black's mic AND unplug her guitar. Many artists would have seen this as just cause for a tantrum, but it barely seemed to irritate or phase Black, and it didn't take away from the lengthy and thoroughly appreciated encore she and Miller delivered.

I guess that's the beauty of Vancouverites playing for Vancouverites: though we shit on each other for fun, we can't fault one another for trying to have a little.

- Steev - JamSpace

After two killer opening bands, the Pack A.D. stole the thunder back and truly delivered a headlining performance worthy of the epic history of the Commodore. While Vancouver bands the Ballantynes and No Sinner held their own with talent and heated theatrics, The Pack A.D opened their set with a teasingly subdued entrance, moving straight into the first song without bothering with introductions. With the first riff though, the air was electric. Becky Black screamed pure rock ’n’ roll while Maya Miller delivered a steady, clean drum beat that pounded into the audience like a second heartbeat. As things got going, countless audience members began diving off of the stage nearly knocking over equipment.

This is a live band not hindered by lack of a bassist or a second guitarist; they clearly know how to fill the gaps and their chemistry easily shows why they’re successful. Vocalist and guitarist Becky has gained a confident stage persona, announcing with dry humour that after the first song, “We’ll play one more” — and what an understatement. With Becky’s guitar screaming just as loudly as she was, similarities to Joan Jett can be made in the best way. Her deep, strong voice elevates the band from solid rock ‘n’ roll to an elusive place some musicians can only hope to find. Particular highlights came in the form of songs “B.C. is on Fire” and “Deer,” both from their 2010 record We Kill Computers, but found great company with plenty of newer songs from their fourth studio album, Unpersons. - Beatroute

Concert review of The Ballantynes, No Sinner and The Pack A.D. at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, November 23rd 2012.

Friday night, three Vancouver bands playing in one of Vancouver’s finest venues, all for a very nice price! Say no more! With all three bands playing in front of a home crowd the audience was alive and the bands were feeling it and ready to rock’n roll. Although all three bands pour their tea from a different tea pots somehow it all came together to be a fabulous night at the Commodore. First on were The Ballantynes, newbies number one and this septet do passionate happy fifties garage soul. Newbies number two are blues soul rock No Sinner. And oldies, ok, ok fairly old compared to the first two when comparing the number of released albums, the two piece drum guitar garage rockers The Pack A.D. who closed out the Friday night.

First let’s start with the Ballantynes, this is what they say about themselves “With two male and two female vocalists, two guitars, two drummers, bass, and our special lady the Hammond organ, we aim for a sound that’s like a big soul-soaked bear hug for your eardrums, if the bear was wearing a jean jacket and was into The Clash”. And that is what they do and did Friday night a very energetic soulful bear hug ! We definitely will be hearing more from The Ballantynes in the near future.

The BIG surprise of the night was No Sinner. This band came out on stage and completely changed the vibe in the room. No Sinner kicked off their set with a soulful song which started with Eric Campbell amazing the crowd with his guitar skills as Colleen Rennisson strolled onto stage in her sexy cut off shorts and proceeded to sing perhaps one of the most sexiest songs I have ever heard (or atleast since the first time I heard Led Zeppling Who Lotta Love). The steamy duo took the stage front and center and the audience was memorized. You can read the punchy and short Mania Canadia blurb on this up and coming band album review of No Sinner’s Ep ‘Boo Hoo Hoo’ right here.

Watch the video of an unreleased song and we think it is called ‘Five Years’ cause Colleen was sticking up five fingers ….

Third and last on the bill for the night was The Pack A.D., a band we had never heard of before moving to Vancouver and that says more about us than about The Pack ‘After Death’. Becky Black (guitar and vocals) and Maya Miller (drums) generate a fierce and loud punk blues rock pop sound straight out of the greasiest Vancouver garage. Massive and impressive ! This was The Pack A.D.’s last show on their tour and they definitely closed out the night with a bang. The crowd was dancing, surfing, and stage diving. Their fast paced songs had everyone feeling the energy and the room was electric! - Indie Fuzz

Concert review of The Ballantynes, No Sinner and The Pack A.D. at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, November 23rd 2012.

Friday night, three Vancouver bands playing in one of Vancouver’s finest venues, all for a very nice price! Say no more! With all three bands playing in front of a home crowd the audience was alive and the bands were feeling it and ready to rock’n roll. Although all three bands pour their tea from a different tea pots somehow it all came together to be a fabulous night at the Commodore. First on were The Ballantynes, newbies number one and this septet do passionate happy fifties garage soul. Newbies number two are blues soul rock No Sinner. And oldies, ok, ok fairly old compared to the first two when comparing the number of released albums, the two piece drum guitar garage rockers The Pack A.D. who closed out the Friday night.

First let’s start with the Ballantynes, this is what they say about themselves “With two male and two female vocalists, two guitars, two drummers, bass, and our special lady the Hammond organ, we aim for a sound that’s like a big soul-soaked bear hug for your eardrums, if the bear was wearing a jean jacket and was into The Clash”. And that is what they do and did Friday night a very energetic soulful bear hug ! We definitely will be hearing more from The Ballantynes in the near future.

The BIG surprise of the night was No Sinner. This band came out on stage and completely changed the vibe in the room. No Sinner kicked off their set with a soulful song which started with Eric Campbell amazing the crowd with his guitar skills as Colleen Rennisson strolled onto stage in her sexy cut off shorts and proceeded to sing perhaps one of the most sexiest songs I have ever heard (or atleast since the first time I heard Led Zeppling Who Lotta Love). The steamy duo took the stage front and center and the audience was memorized. You can read the punchy and short Mania Canadia blurb on this up and coming band album review of No Sinner’s Ep ‘Boo Hoo Hoo’ right here.

Watch the video of an unreleased song and we think it is called ‘Five Years’ cause Colleen was sticking up five fingers ….

Third and last on the bill for the night was The Pack A.D., a band we had never heard of before moving to Vancouver and that says more about us than about The Pack ‘After Death’. Becky Black (guitar and vocals) and Maya Miller (drums) generate a fierce and loud punk blues rock pop sound straight out of the greasiest Vancouver garage. Massive and impressive ! This was The Pack A.D.’s last show on their tour and they definitely closed out the night with a bang. The crowd was dancing, surfing, and stage diving. Their fast paced songs had everyone feeling the energy and the room was electric! - Indie Fuzz

Friday night was a hell of a homecoming for the Pack a.d.'s Becky Black and Maya Miller. The local duo has spent the fall touring across Canada, and this gig represented the end of its 2012 campaign. Given the adoring response they received from the fans in the Commodore Ballroom, the pair must have felt grateful to be back in Vancouver.

The evening boasted an outstanding all-local bill, and openers the Ballantynes got the festivities off to an electrifying start as concertgoers filed into the room. The seven-piece's setup included two drummers and three vocalists, and their full-bodied arrangements gave some rock 'n' roll heft to their vintage soul-pop songs.

Unquestionably, the star of the performance was singer-organist (and occasional guitarist) Jarrod O'Dell, whose vocals found the middle ground between a heartthrob croon and a punk-rock snarl. During one upbeat number, he slung his guitar to his side and dipped his mike stand close to the floor without missing a note. A couple of songs later, he almost clocked singer Vanessa Dandurand over the head with said mike stand as he flailed and thrashed around the stage.

The distinct possibility of injury made his dangerous display all the more thrilling, and the Ballantynes were rightly rewarded with a warm ovation from the audience, which had swelled significantly over the course of the performance.

Next up, No Sinner kept the energy high with a selection of bluesy tunes that encompassed sexy R&B grooves, fuzzy psych riffs, tear-jerking balladry, and booze-soaked rock 'n' roll. Holding it all together was firecracker frontwoman Colleen Rennison, who strutted around the stage wearing a denim vest and a pair of revealing minishorts similar to the ones seen on the cover of this year's Boo Hoo Hoo EP.

She possesses a truly awesome set of pipes, and she proved herself equally adept at bloodcurdling shrieks and precise vocal runs, all of which were executed with note-perfect accuracy.

No Sinner leaned heavily on its influences, and it was sometimes hard to hear much originality amid the well-worn blues tropes. Still, the four-piece had enough badass attitude to get the crowd even more amped up for the headliners.

The floor was mostly full by the time the Pack a.d. took the dimly lit stage and launched into a string of hard-hitting garage-punk cuts that included new single "The Water". Black was clad in a denim jacket, and she howled into the mike while clutching her six-string. Beside her, Miller sat behind her kit and pounded out thundering rhythms on almost every tune.

The energy went into overdrive a few songs in with the chant-filled "Haunt You", which inspired clapping, moshing, and crowd-surfing from the tightly packed punters. Throughout the set, the musicians frequently shared the stage with showgoers who clambered up to the front in order to hurl themselves back into the throng below.

At one point, the stage-divers became so rambunctious that Miller warned them, "Don't get hurt," genuine concern creeping into her voice.

For the most part, however, Miller's between-songs banter was funny and sarcastic, as she facetiously marvelled at Vancouver's rainy weather and introduced the breakneck punk highlight "8", culled from last year's Unpersons, as being "gentle and romantic". She additionally noted that this would be the band's final local show for a year.

Soon after this, Black chided the rowdy fans, who knocked over her microphone and accidentally unplugged her guitar during "Sirens".

This hiccup aside, the Pack a.d. seemed to be having just as much fun as the audience, and the duo repeatedly extended the set by adding songs to the encore. It delved into its back catalogue for the bluesy, slide-laden "Don't Have to Like You" from 2008's Funeral Mixtape, and finished the night with a screech of feedback as Black tossed aside her axe and strode off the stage. If this really does turn out to be the band's last hometown appearance for a year, it certainly departed with a bang.

This was the first all-local Straight Series show. Below, you can see some photos of the crowd. - Georgia Straight

No Sinner kind of stole the spotlight on Friday night opening up for The Pack AD at the Commodore Ballroom, as the leggy blonde Mrs. Colleen Rennison absolutely killed her set. These guys have been around for just over a year, but have made a huge impression on Vancouver with their sole album. However, if you’ve only heard the album the live show definitely kicks everything up a notch.

The Pack AD was up next with a show as fun, intense, and sarcastic as always, thanks to Maya Miller and Becky Black. I mean that seriously: you can’t go to a Pack AD show without having the time of your life, dancing, getting danced on by crowd surfers, and impersonating Becky by mumbling along. The crowd-surfer / security guard dodgers were definitely having the time of their lives as they crawled on stage in droves and not-so-stealthily dove the crowd. Then comes the intense part: song after song, nonstop music with a few sarcastic comments in between. The show was a good mix of old and new(ish), but there will be even more new music in the near future, as they are disappearing to finish a new record.

This was their last show in Vancouver for a little while, but if you are worried about going into Pack AD withdrawal, check out the Vancouver Music Review’s interview with them from a few months ago. - The Province

No Sinner kind of stole the spotlight on Friday night opening up for The Pack AD at the Commodore Ballroom, as the leggy blonde Mrs. Colleen Rennison absolutely killed her set. These guys have been around for just over a year, but have made a huge impression on Vancouver with their sole album. However, if you’ve only heard the album the live show definitely kicks everything up a notch.

The Pack AD was up next with a show as fun, intense, and sarcastic as always, thanks to Maya Miller and Becky Black. I mean that seriously: you can’t go to a Pack AD show without having the time of your life, dancing, getting danced on by crowd surfers, and impersonating Becky by mumbling along. The crowd-surfer / security guard dodgers were definitely having the time of their lives as they crawled on stage in droves and not-so-stealthily dove the crowd. Then comes the intense part: song after song, nonstop music with a few sarcastic comments in between. The show was a good mix of old and new(ish), but there will be even more new music in the near future, as they are disappearing to finish a new record.

This was their last show in Vancouver for a little while, but if you are worried about going into Pack AD withdrawal, check out the Vancouver Music Review’s interview with them from a few months ago. - The Province

When the Straight shows up at Greenhouse Studios on a rainy Sunday night, guitarist Eric Campbell is putting a Robbie Robertson-esque overdub on something that sounds like “TV Eye” by the Stooges as filtered through Big Brother and the Holding Company. This is where No Sinner—maybe the buzziest band in the city, possibly even the best—is working on its new album.

At the back of the room, Colleen Rennison is keeping an eye on things. The 24-year-old vocalist is wearing a beaten-up varsity jacket with her name on it, although the signature cut-off denim short-shorts—the ones barely concealing her ass cheeks on the cover of No Sinner’s debut Boo Hoo Hoo EP—are missing. She is wearing pants, at least, something Rennison wasn’t doing when she was busted along with Campbell and one-time bassist Parker Bossley for running naked through the streets of Brooklyn a few months ago. “About five seconds after my tits came out, an unmarked car with two tough lady cops rolled up, and we stood naked in the rain for 45 minutes while they wrote our tickets,” Rennison recalls, “laughing the entire time.”

It seems that Rennison’s wild-child persona is no act, even if her show-biz career started innocently enough in movies like the hokey 1999 Bruce Willis–Michelle Pfeiffer film The Story of Us (she played their daughter).

“I worked a lot, but I always wanted to be a singer,” she says, recalling the strategy she eventually adopted. “ ‘I’m gonna run away from home, I’m gonna sell drugs, I’m gonna try everything, I’m gonna do everything, and then I know I’m gonna come out the other end of it with the ammunition to be a rock star’—that was always my plan,” she says, pulling on a mickey of Wiser’s Special Blend just to prove it. “I got a little bit more than I bargained for. You go down those rabbit holes and then sometimes you can’t find your way out.”

When she did emerge, Rennison started fronting the cover band Little Sister and the Time Machine with local vets like Ben Yardley (now in La Chinga) and bassist Hayz Fisher of the New Values—who happens to be coproducing No Sinner’s new material. “That’s when I pulled myself out of that dark world and started becoming a musician,” she says. It’s also when Vancouver realized that Rennison was an authentic Janis Joplin–size talent.

The rest fell into place with surprising speed, no matter how hard it is “to find people who’ll play with girls with big voices”. Bossley was man enough for the job when he cowrote the material that would show up on Boo Hoo Hoo, and she handpicked Campbell after seeing him perform with the Dirt. Bassist Matt Camirand hopped on board for the EP release, spending enough time to push the band in the darker direction we’ll hear on the next record (he recently left on amicable terms, to be replaced by Brad Ferguson). They got their dream drummer when Ian Browne—a Matthew Good Band veteran and one of the tastiest players in the city—eagerly gravitated toward the new project after catching Little Sister.

Being a little older and more seasoned, Browne is well aware of the danger No Sinner is courting with the kind of passion-and-whisky-drenched blues rock he and his cohorts are playing. Nobody wants to hear the Headpins again. Do this kind of thing wrong and…

“… It can be embarrassing,” Browne says with a nod. “I think we do feel the pressure of not wanting to be a joke. It’s a strange genre ’cause it’s so easy to fall into that bar-blues thing where it would be lamer than lame. Anytime it starts to sound pedestrian and bar-blues—well, it doesn’t really get there. I know Colleen and I both listen to a lot of the same kind of music, and the first time I heard Eric, he reminded me of Steve Cropper. The kid was, like, 19.”

Campbell is “the purest, realest soul,” according to Rennison. Not long after she says it, he adds a grimy, overdriven, apocalyptic guitar break to a track called “Mandy Lyn”, effectively wiping out any chance that No Sinner’s new album might lean too close to “bar blues”. He uses an ancient and battered Silvertone with homemade pickups that he scored for 50 bucks from a yard sale and that isn’t much use except for sounding grimy, overdriven, and apocalyptic.

“I try to play like Steve Cropper, and then I have my moments where I let the Neil Young out,” he says softly. “The closet Neil.” Campbell’s solo is only marginally exceeded in volume and impact by the blood-curdling scream Rennison produces to close out the track.

“I think Colleen’s one of the ballsiest people I’ve been in a band with, and I think that makes us a bit fearless and raises the level of what we’re doing to her level,” states Browne. “She’s got a great voice, like, a huge voice, and we have to make the context happen for her to be that big.”

Mission accomplished. “Mandy Lyn” is a monstrous slab of old-school rock, like gourmet meat and potatoes. It’s certainly no joke, and definitely not pedestrian. Taking another slug from her Wiser’s, Rennison adds, - Georgia Straight

You rarely see the kind of balanced fan representation that was on display last Friday at the Commodore. What I mean is, when The Ballantynes streamed onto the stage at 9:30, they weren’t playing to a disappointingly thin opening crowd. There were more than a few people in attendance whose main draw were The Ballantynes.

The seven-piece East Van ensemble wasted no time in heating things up, kicking off their set with “Stay”, which saw the saucy Jennifer Wilks and Vanessa Dandurand trade off vocals with bandleader Jarrod Odell while he made angry love with his Hammond. Odell amped up even more for “The Message”, gesturing grandly and pointing to the rafters like a true, inspired Reverend of the New Church of Garage Revival.

Then came “No Love”. By mid-song, you could almost see the band members’ individual energies shake off any remaining early set restraints and just… click. From that point on, The Ballantynes went full throttle, performing with an uncompromising vitality and a genuine, infectious exuberance that is rarely seen on a stage. Playing through their set with the rapid refrain of a runaway locomotive, The Ballantynes could not have set the bar any higher.

Luckily, No Sinner was up to the challenge. The gang popped the set cherry with “Mandy-Lyn”, a slow, grinding rock number that prompts flashes of half-cut, whiskey-goggled infidelities in dark tavern corners. “Won’t you take me up to your room / where we can howl at the moon.” Damn.

No Sinner plays like hot sex. The band’s set felt like a series of tumbles in the hay, some nice and slow, some hard and fast, but always with just the right amount of sweetness and teeth marks.

The combination of Colleen Rennison’s playful yet soul-drenched vocals and Eric Campbell’s intuitive and incendiary blues guitar is powerful to the point where you’re not sure what to focus on first. The magic happens when you stop trying and land somewhere in the middle. Bolstered by Brad Ferguson’s thick bass sound and Ian Browne’s wide open, jazz and blues-infused drums, the sound No Sinner achieves is an encouraging reminder that the old guitar-drum-bass-vocal combo can still, when done right, sound new and exciting. After a short homage to The Stooges’ “Loose”, No Sinner wrapped up their set with the title track to their April 2012 EP, Boo Hoo Hoo.

The Pack A.D. walked out ready to tackle the dangerously charged room and did not disappoint the faithful, whose palpable anticipation bordered on giddiness. “Haunt You”, which you’ve surely heard and tapped along to by now, was gasoline on the well-lit mass of humanity that popped and bopped front and centre.

It’s become clear that not everyone can pull off the stripped down, two-person rock approach that was reintroduced to the mainstream years ago by The White Stripes and more recently by The Black Keys; Pack A.D are far past pulling it off. Edging closer to a punk sound than the aforementioned acts, guitarist/vocalist Becky Black and drummer/back-up vocalist Maya Miller have developed their own raw and heavy rock sound. Pack A.D. deliver their music in a way that is “Pack A.D.” and nothing else. The nitro burst their 2011 album Unpersons gave them was well deserved and, to many long-time fans, just a matter of time.

Announcing Friday’s gig as their last show for about a year, Black and Miller gave their fans what they wanted and needed, despite all the distracting stagediving, which was admittedly entertaining at times, but was more often half-inspired. At one point, Black left the stage in frustration when her mic fell over, thanks to doofus who pushed the stage monitor. As much as I love seeing musicians lose their shit and work over the odd fan, it was impressive to see Black soon return, clearly encouraged by Miller, and churn out a few more crowd-pleasers.

Vancouver rock fans got what they were looking for last Friday, and then some. But, being the greedy, slick lick-addicted little fans we are, we still want more, more, more. Based on the Commodore show, there’s sure to be more magic right around the corner. - Vancouver Weekly

You rarely see the kind of balanced fan representation that was on display last Friday at the Commodore. What I mean is, when The Ballantynes streamed onto the stage at 9:30, they weren’t playing to a disappointingly thin opening crowd. There were more than a few people in attendance whose main draw were The Ballantynes.

The seven-piece East Van ensemble wasted no time in heating things up, kicking off their set with “Stay”, which saw the saucy Jennifer Wilks and Vanessa Dandurand trade off vocals with bandleader Jarrod Odell while he made angry love with his Hammond. Odell amped up even more for “The Message”, gesturing grandly and pointing to the rafters like a true, inspired Reverend of the New Church of Garage Revival.

Then came “No Love”. By mid-song, you could almost see the band members’ individual energies shake off any remaining early set restraints and just… click. From that point on, The Ballantynes went full throttle, performing with an uncompromising vitality and a genuine, infectious exuberance that is rarely seen on a stage. Playing through their set with the rapid refrain of a runaway locomotive, The Ballantynes could not have set the bar any higher.

Luckily, No Sinner was up to the challenge. The gang popped the set cherry with “Mandy-Lyn”, a slow, grinding rock number that prompts flashes of half-cut, whiskey-goggled infidelities in dark tavern corners. “Won’t you take me up to your room / where we can howl at the moon.” Damn.

No Sinner plays like hot sex. The band’s set felt like a series of tumbles in the hay, some nice and slow, some hard and fast, but always with just the right amount of sweetness and teeth marks.

The combination of Colleen Rennison’s playful yet soul-drenched vocals and Eric Campbell’s intuitive and incendiary blues guitar is powerful to the point where you’re not sure what to focus on first. The magic happens when you stop trying and land somewhere in the middle. Bolstered by Brad Ferguson’s thick bass sound and Ian Browne’s wide open, jazz and blues-infused drums, the sound No Sinner achieves is an encouraging reminder that the old guitar-drum-bass-vocal combo can still, when done right, sound new and exciting. After a short homage to The Stooges’ “Loose”, No Sinner wrapped up their set with the title track to their April 2012 EP, Boo Hoo Hoo.

The Pack A.D. walked out ready to tackle the dangerously charged room and did not disappoint the faithful, whose palpable anticipation bordered on giddiness. “Haunt You”, which you’ve surely heard and tapped along to by now, was gasoline on the well-lit mass of humanity that popped and bopped front and centre.

It’s become clear that not everyone can pull off the stripped down, two-person rock approach that was reintroduced to the mainstream years ago by The White Stripes and more recently by The Black Keys; Pack A.D are far past pulling it off. Edging closer to a punk sound than the aforementioned acts, guitarist/vocalist Becky Black and drummer/back-up vocalist Maya Miller have developed their own raw and heavy rock sound. Pack A.D. deliver their music in a way that is “Pack A.D.” and nothing else. The nitro burst their 2011 album Unpersons gave them was well deserved and, to many long-time fans, just a matter of time.

Announcing Friday’s gig as their last show for about a year, Black and Miller gave their fans what they wanted and needed, despite all the distracting stagediving, which was admittedly entertaining at times, but was more often half-inspired. At one point, Black left the stage in frustration when her mic fell over, thanks to doofus who pushed the stage monitor. As much as I love seeing musicians lose their shit and work over the odd fan, it was impressive to see Black soon return, clearly encouraged by Miller, and churn out a few more crowd-pleasers.

Vancouver rock fans got what they were looking for last Friday, and then some. But, being the greedy, slick lick-addicted little fans we are, we still want more, more, more. Based on the Commodore show, there’s sure to be more magic right around the corner. - Vancouver Weekly