The Prince Brothers

I have become convinced that the staff of Nevado Records sneak into my apartment when I'm not home and peruse my personal CD collection for inspiration. For now I'm afraid that I don't have any physical evidence to support this theory, and they haven't stolen anything yet so I guess that it's no big deal. But I can't think of any other way to explain the way that they consistently sign acts that so perfectly cater to my own scattered taste. The latest example of this is Yukon Blonde, who performed last week as part of Nu Music Nite at the Horseshoe.

I thought that I had timed everything perfectly, especially since I got to the venue just shy of the band's supposed 10:50pm start time. However, as I got there another band known as The Prince Brothers were just setting up. This was a bit irritating to be honest, since it was a rainy night and I wasn't really in the mood to be out, and the prospect of being able to just get out, quickly see a set by this band that I've been hearing all kinds of good things about, and getting home early-ish, was just enough to convince me to go. This irresponsible setback was definitely putting a wrench in my plans. That's the bad news. The good news is that The Prince Brothers were actually a really good band.
This Toronto band, led by brothers Eric and Bryan Prince, have a very warm and organic sound that puts them in a unique place for a pop rock band. Usually those adjectives are reserved for artists that dwell in earthier, folksier territory but The Prince Brothers take those roots and accentuate them with grand chorus's and addictive hooks. This is what makes them the type of band that I don't think a person could truly dislike unless he was deliberately being contrary. Their set was mainly composed of songs from their latest release entitled From This Place, and if there were any aspects that stood out for me, it was their very tight musicianship, as well as their impressively smooth sound. I'll admit that my description makes them sound somewhat generic, but that's not what I mean at all. If I was grasping for some sort of comparison, I suppose The Rheostatics would be a good place to start, along with perhaps Wilco's Summerteeth period. Also, if you're looking for a bit of a visual, the drummer does the bulk of the singing, and the other vocalist looks like Trey Anastasio which led me to think that he sort of sounds like him too, but that could just be my mind doing that warped comparison thing that it sometimes does. Anyway....good band. - It's Not The Band I Hate, It's Their Fans

A bit saccharine, but they've got a song named after Elton John, so they at least know how to diva-it-up.

The audience was almost non-existent, just me and the volunteers really, but this worked in their favour by generating an intimate and meaning-potent musical experience. They sang directly to each of us and I felt like I was being serenaded. With such an empty venue, however, they could do with some stage banter to temper the mild awkwardness.

Their music has a very earthy feel to it, like it was born in a crystal pond north of Huntsville and fed on blossoms and ladybugs 'til it developed into something beautiful. The guitar strumming was strong and loaded with heart. All their songs are ostensibly about love (and the disasters therein).

Lead vox suffers from an endearing case of stompy-foot as he strums. So fun to watch. Because of the empty space, all you'd hear after each song was clap. . . clap. . . clap. But they were so gracious and charming for every bit of it. They've got a keyboardist who looks like David Usher with a moustache, which may or may not be a bonus. Suffice it to say, their image pales in comparison to their talent, but they've got indie cred coming outta their wazoos. - Chart Attack