by Melanie Wong
Patrick Krief, the longtime guitarist of Montreal-based
rock group The Dears, is currently on tour promoting his recent solo album, Hundred Thousand Pieces. Critics are
raving about the album and it’s no wonder why: Krief’s venture is the utmost
showing of his musical skills—composing, producing, mixing, and even laying nearly all of the tracks himself.
Unfortunately, the multitalented wonder’s
live performance at the Bowery Electric last week was less impressive.
As a vocalist, Krief’s grasp of pitch and tonal projection
were surprisingly weak; he was consistently flat and his lack of vocal presence
made his gripping lyrics seem dull. The backing group as a whole, though, was cohesive
and dynamic, while musically, Krief’s compositions conveyed real ingenuity.
Above all else, the most unfortunate aspect of the evening
was the balance of sound (or rather, lack thereof). After the first few songs,
almost the entire audience had escaped to the farthest corners of the back bar
area, and with good reason: the music was so loud and distorted that remaining
in the front stage area became unbearable.
Bowery Electric is a tiny venue the
size of an East Village studio, with stone walls and wood floors. Nothing should
ever—and I mean ever—reach volumes that loud in such a small and resonant
space. At Krief’s beckoning, some audience members inched back toward the
stage; however, their energy for the remainder of the show was lifeless and
apathetic.
The best part of the show actually turned out to be the
opening band, My Pet Dragon. Lead singer Todd Michaelsen’s vocals were strong
as he belted out his edgy soft-rock tunes. With heartfelt lyrics, catchy melodies
that never became trite, and a pleasantly comfortable stage presence,
Michaelsen and his duo partner Reena Shah are entertainers with real potential.
It was a shame, really, to watch Krief’s artistry go
unappreciated, but a word of advice to all performers: make sure that during
your sound check, you actually check your sound. It was quite obvious during
the brief sound check that heavy distortion was going to be likely, and a
seasoned performer such as Krief should have known better than to allow that
possibility to become a reality.
His blunder caused irreparable damage to the
evening, creating an aural experience that I hope never to repeat.
Hey Melanie,
I’m sorry to hear the show was a disappointment for you. I really am. As a matter of fact, we were caught up at the border and didn’t get a chance to have a sound check. We arrived just in time to play the set. It was plug and play, and definitely no easy task for the house tech.
We can’t always control the sound of a room as we don’t travel with our own sound person. (this is a low level production). That said, it did seem like the wrong type of room for us to be playing. We are a loud band! We were not even using our own equipment, as we found out upon arrival that all bands must use house gear.
As for vocal pitch. Sometimes you can’t hear yourself, and sometimes you just have an off night. Not sure what happened there. But one thing I can say for certain, is that I take this very seriously and I always strive to deliver an amazing performance.
I guess what I’m trying to say is. I want a rematch! 🙂
Come to union hall August 16th, and I’ll make it up to you. And if we still disappoint, I’ll buy you a shot or something.
Cheers,
Patrick Krief
ps. Hit me up for a guest list spot, on twitter or fb.
Hey Melanie,
I’m sorry to hear the show was a disappointment for you. I really am. As a matter of fact, we were caught up at the border and didn’t get a chance to have a sound check. We arrived just in time to play the set. It was plug and play, and definitely no easy task for the house tech.
We can’t always control the sound of a room as we don’t travel with our own sound person. (this is a low level production). That said, it did seem like the wrong type of room for us to be playing. We are a loud band! We were not even using our own equipment, as we found out upon arrival that all bands must use house gear.
As for vocal pitch. Sometimes you can’t hear yourself, and sometimes you just have an off night. Not sure what happened there. But one thing I can say for certain, is that I take this very seriously and I always strive to deliver an amazing performance.
I guess what I’m trying to say is. I want a rematch! 🙂
Come to union hall August 16th, and I’ll make it up to you. And if we still disappoint, I’ll buy you a shot or something.
Cheers,
Patrick Krief
ps. Hit me up for a guest list spot, on twitter or fb.
Hey Melanie,
I’m sorry to hear the show was a disappointment for you. I really am. As a matter of fact, we were caught up at the border and didn’t get a chance to have a sound check. We arrived just in time to play the set. It was plug and play, and definitely no easy task for the house tech.
We can’t always control the sound of a room as we don’t travel with our own sound person. (this is a low level production). That said, it did seem like the wrong type of room for us to be playing. We are a loud band! We were not even using our own equipment, as we found out upon arrival that all bands must use house gear.
As for vocal pitch. Sometimes you can’t hear yourself, and sometimes you just have an off night. Not sure what happened there. But one thing I can say for certain, is that I take this very seriously and I always strive to deliver an amazing performance.
I guess what I’m trying to say is. I want a rematch! 🙂
Come to union hall August 16th, and I’ll make it up to you. And if we still disappoint, I’ll buy you a shot or something.
Cheers,
Patrick Krief
ps. Hit me up for a guest list spot, on twitter or fb.
Hey Melanie,
I’m sorry to hear the show was a disappointment for you. I really am. As a matter of fact, we were caught up at the border and didn’t get a chance to have a sound check. We arrived just in time to play the set. It was plug and play, and definitely no easy task for the house tech.
We can’t always control the sound of a room as we don’t travel with our own sound person. (this is a low level production). That said, it did seem like the wrong type of room for us to be playing. We are a loud band! We were not even using our own equipment, as we found out upon arrival that all bands must use house gear.
As for vocal pitch. Sometimes you can’t hear yourself, and sometimes you just have an off night. Not sure what happened there. But one thing I can say for certain, is that I take this very seriously and I always strive to deliver an amazing performance.
I guess what I’m trying to say is. I want a rematch! 🙂
Come to union hall August 16th, and I’ll make it up to you. And if we still disappoint, I’ll buy you a shot or something.
Cheers,
Patrick Krief
ps. Hit me up for a guest list spot, on twitter or fb.
Hey Melanie,
I’m sorry to hear the show was a disappointment for you. I really am. As a matter of fact, we were caught up at the border and didn’t get a chance to have a sound check. We arrived just in time to play the set. It was plug and play, and definitely no easy task for the house tech.
We can’t always control the sound of a room as we don’t travel with our own sound person. (this is a low level production). That said, it did seem like the wrong type of room for us to be playing. We are a loud band! We were not even using our own equipment, as we found out upon arrival that all bands must use house gear.
As for vocal pitch. Sometimes you can’t hear yourself, and sometimes you just have an off night. Not sure what happened there. But one thing I can say for certain, is that I take this very seriously and I always strive to deliver an amazing performance.
I guess what I’m trying to say is. I want a rematch! 🙂
Come to union hall August 16th, and I’ll make it up to you. And if we still disappoint, I’ll buy you a shot or something.
Cheers,
Patrick Krief
ps. Hit me up for a guest list spot, on twitter or fb.
Hey Melanie,
I’m sorry to hear the show was a disappointment for you. I really am. As a matter of fact, we were caught up at the border and didn’t get a chance to have a sound check. We arrived just in time to play the set. It was plug and play, and definitely no easy task for the house tech.
We can’t always control the sound of a room as we don’t travel with our own sound person. (this is a low level production). That said, it did seem like the wrong type of room for us to be playing. We are a loud band! We were not even using our own equipment, as we found out upon arrival that all bands must use house gear.
As for vocal pitch. Sometimes you can’t hear yourself, and sometimes you just have an off night. Not sure what happened there. But one thing I can say for certain, is that I take this very seriously and I always strive to deliver an amazing performance.
I guess what I’m trying to say is. I want a rematch! 🙂
Come to union hall August 16th, and I’ll make it up to you. And if we still disappoint, I’ll buy you a shot or something.
Cheers,
Patrick Krief
ps. Hit me up for a guest list spot, on twitter or fb.