The Handlebar and The Howlin’ Gales put together two shows that feature a boat load full of bands. Blast Toronto made it to the second night to discover some of the underground bubbling from this cauldron of musical mixtures. These are great night to go out and discover new music that may soon become a new favourite band to follow in Toronto.
Rat Quartet
These guys are not rats nor are they a quartet. They are two guys in sunglasses. I will tell what I found unique about this duo was their style of guitar. They each have a very opposite style of playing and they do it at the same time. It is like they are both competing for the audience’s attention.
What made this combination unique was that the singer played his guitar with a sense of joy while the other player seemed very serious with his sound. It felt like some kind of sibling rivalry.
It felt like harmony vs dissonance. The singer was out to engage with his audience while the other guy was happy to stand by his monitor and just play. He had some Bob Dylan in him, stay disconnected to his crowd.
They really did get the crowd’s attention when they did the Beatles-“Something”. It was a beautiful version on this classic song.
This is Rat Quartet:
The Spare Parts
The Spare parts opened their set with an accapela country style song. It was about a man who would do anything for his partner. He would even cook. It was a very sweet opening song.
This was the first time this group played the Handlebar. They were so excited they brought along a journal for the guest to sign it. They want to keep a record of people who have been to their show. You can tell I signed it because of the Blast Toronto sticker I added to my message.
This is a real feel-good band. They even had a song about western boots and then began to stomp about it.
Near the end of their set, they asked Isaac to join them on stage with his modern violin and add that extra sound to their epic song- Gas Station Rose.
These are the Spare Parts:
Propter Hawk
Propter Hawk is a band that is slowly climbing the ranks of bands to look out for. I saw them about a year and a half ago. Fast forward and this band have grown musically as well as having a strong stage presence. Their 2nd song was a heavy blues tune that goes off like a stick of dynamite. It smoothed itself out and weaved a musical yarn that tightened the connection with the crowd.
Like every good band out there, they usually have to pull out a cover song. They chose David Bowie’s Starman, and I turned into a teenage boy again singing at the top of my lungs. There was this guy on the other side of the stage just going to town on this song. See my Instagram video- https://www.instagram.com/reel/DR-YYjskakL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Near the end of their set, Malorie the singer would step back and let the boys loose for a while and that is when you get to see a new side to this rocking band. It just looked like a boys night out as they ripped it hard on stage.
This is Propter Hawk:
The Howlin’ Gales
There is something interesting happening to the Howlin’ Gales. When I saw them last, they were a two-piece band. Now they are a 3-piece band. The other two guys are the sunglass dudes from Rat Quartet. They told me that the leader Mark has been trying out different incarnations of this band. Next year Blast Toronto will delve into the world of podcasting and will invite The Howlin’ Gales so you can find out what the heck is going on.
As of today, I do like this embodiment of a new sound. The harmonies are quite good, and they carry a very earthy nature about their sound. It feels wide open like the prairies.
Mark invited up a special guest to perform a song that they wrote together when he was in the band, The Young Scones. You could see how much joy these two were having playing together again. See the photos in this article.
Mark did three cover songs and did a great job on all of them. So, if you are a fan of the songs, “Ain’t no Sunshine” Bill Withers, “Folsom Prison Blues” Johnny Cash and “The Weight” by the Band. This was a perfect ending as the entire crowd was singing and sway to this classic Canadian Song.
This is the Howling Gales:
Spiral Palace
The first thing you will probably notice about this band is the singer. He looks just like a classic rocker with a full-on beard from the year 1973. It was a good year for music. If you recall the singer from the movie “Almost Famous”, he looks like that kind of front man…and he acts that way too. Max-the singer- gets up on that stage and he becomes the show.
What is it that makes this band stand out? Well, they blend a strong sense of Disco music mixed with strong Rock riffs and then add a melodic violin in the mix and you get an original band looking for a space to grow.
They do have the talent to mix things up as well. They added a reggae-tinged tune that helped slow things down to just enough to drag your Ketamine infested mind into a warm submission. They brought things back to a funk like state to gear you up again for a big ending.
This was the moment of truth. The violin player asked Mark if he could wear his cowboy hat for the next song. Do not mess with a man and his hat!
Well, Isaac got his wish and played the hell out, “The Devil went down to Georgia”. After 5 different bands that put everything out there, this was a perfect way to finish the evening.
This is Spiral Palace:
Here are a bunch of Instagram pages for you to explore:
www.instagram.com/rat_quartet_band
www.instagram.com/thesparepartsband
www.instagram.com/propterhawkband/
www.instagram.com/thehowlinggales/
www.instagram.com/spiralpalace/
Check out our directory to see who else is playing at the Handlebar- Handle Bar – Blast Toronto
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