The Little Black Dress/The Artist Life @ S.C.E.N.E. 2011

I am combining these last two as they were my my final two shows I caught during this year's S.C.E.N.E. The great thing about the GTA and Niagara music scene (or so I think anyways) is the fact that everybody knows everybody. You see so many bands become friends after playing countless shows together, touring or meeting other musicians through friends of friends. And The Little Black Dress and The Artist Life are no exceptions - they are great friends!

I had originally heard about The Little Black Dress through two different outlets - a friend and another band (well musician really), Jesse Labelle. I am always willing to check out new music, and The Little Black Dress was definitely worth checking out.  I was instantly impressed by Dan Sadowski's unique voice and the tunes in general. I also liked the fact that the lyrics weren't as childish as you tend to find a lot of indie-pop bands to be. I find that these indie-pop bands tend to have a younger following and so the music is geared a little more towards them then the general public. The LBD's lyrics are honest and they aren't afraid to sing about sex and real life.

While nearing the end of the night we ended up in the small bar Mikado (which while it was on the "main strip" I still managed to get lost), to catch this great band. While the stage was small and the lights low, Dan and the rest of the guys still managed to have a great time. I loved the fact that Dan was barefoot on stage. It just made me feel like he was comfortable on stage and ready to have a great time while not worrying about cramped toes!

You can check out these guys on facebook, and twitter as well as pick up their EP on itunes! Great songs, great band and I had a great time watching them live! They're one to watch out for!

Now, in and around the same time, The Artist Life took to the stage at L3. The L3 is probably the venue I have visited most whenever I am in St. Kitt's and it's probably one of my favourites in general. I love the overall feel of the place and the atmosphere is always inviting. I was excited to finally be stepping back into the bar after quite an absence!

I had listened to TAL for quite some time thanks to an East coast friend (*cough* Thanks Nelle!) but I had never gotten the chance to see them perform live until this night. Their set was full of high energy, sweaty boys and a captivated crowd that seemed to enjoy the music just as much as they enjoyed creating it on stage.  Sticking to songs mainly off their recently released album Impossible, they definitely kept the full crowd at L3 entertained.

Their new album itself is rather enjoyable and reminds me of Blink 182 mixed in with their own unique twist. I find myself listening to it as much as I can. It has most definitely become one of my favourite albums for the summer of 2011!

You can also find TAL on myspace, facebook and twitter and you can also pick up their new album Impossible on itunes and in stores!