Mac Demarco

[Murph]

Anyone else?
I loved his album, 2, but after one listen, this new one Salad Days, is even better.  He has what seem like just fun little ditties wit nonsensical lyrics but they seem to eventually worm their way into your brain and unravel.  I'm a fan, dont let the fact that Pitchfork loves him scare you off

[Come Closer]

Agree with everything you said. AOTY so far for me.

[Northern Neighbour]

I haven't listened to the new album yet, but hope to tomorrow. I'll likely be heading to his show on Friday night.

[Crispy]

Very cool stuff, I love his style. I've only heard Salad Days so far, need to check out his other work.

[Northern Neighbour]

Seeing him tomorrow night!

[oistheone]

Well, isn't this a pleasantly melancholy album. Lovin' it!

Think I may make an impromptu trip to see him Montreal on Sunday...

[oistheone]

Anyone seen him before? I've heard he puts on quite the show.

[Northern Neighbour]

I'll let you know tonight or tomorrow. Seeing him at the intimate Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield.

[oistheone]

Nice, enjoy the show!!

[Northern Neighbour]

O, you must go. The show was re-Marc-able. The crowd sure helped, as the university students were rocking, and Mac and his band fed off their energy. A mosh pit developed and some crowd surfing, and Mac got into the act as well.

They closed with a fantastic cover of Neil Young's "Unknown Legend".  I'll be writing about the show for Monday and will share. Unfortunately, we didn't take any photos, as we just enjoyed the performance.

[Crispy]

O, you must go. The show was re-Marc-able. The crowd sure helped, as the university students were rocking, and Mac and his band fed off their energy. A mosh pit developed and some crowd surfing, and Mac got into the act as well.

They closed with a fantastic cover of Neil Young's "Unknown Legend".  I'll be writing about the show for Monday and will share. Unfortunately, we didn't take any photos, as we just enjoyed the performance.

Wow! 

[oistheone]

You had me at "Unknown Legend"! Holy shit! Thanks for the show report!! Tickets purchased.

Now, to find a way to Montreal...

[Northern Neighbour]

Where is he playing in Montreal?

[oistheone]

He's playing at Société Des Arts Technologiques (said in my best French accent), which appears to be some sorta cool, dome-like venue. Should be interesting! I'm taking off from Toronto early tomorrow afternoon. I am incredibly pumped!

[Northern Neighbour]

O, how was the show?

Here's my little write-up.

therevue.ca/?p=3765

[oistheone]

That's a great writeup NN, thanks for posting! Shares a lot of the sentiments I had after seeing last night's show.

And that show was fantastic! I hadn't seen a single glimpse of Mac's band before the show, so I had no idea what to expect, but MAN, what a unit! Was NOT expecting them to be so damn tight and groovy. Bonus points to the lead guitarist -- whose name I really have to look up -- because his tone and playing was incredibly tasty. Their live sound reminds me of Dr. Dog in a way -- very well-written pop songs with melodic and funky grooves and incredibly tight harmonized guitar parts. And like Dr. Dog, the crowd just goes fuckin' nuts for 'em.

Bonus points to the bassist for going on a hilariously profane and misogynistic rant near the end of the show -- the awful shit he was saying resulted in him being booed mercilessly (deservedly so), but I took it as him playing a Ted Nugent-esque role rather than him actually meaning what he was saying, so I laughed. If he was serious, MAN, that guy is fucked up! Either way, you definitely don't see that at every rock show. Actually, the level of overall brattiness did not disappoint. Mac happily (and violently) kicked numerous guys who surfed their way on stage right back into the crowd. There was also a good ol' fashioned mooning, and more girls flashing their goods than I've seen at any show in recent memory. Just hope these raucous shows don't overshadow Mac's talent, because as you said NN, in terms of pure popcraft right now, I'm not sure there are many who are doing it better.

Here's a clip of "Let Her Go":

Mac DeMarco - Let Her Go - Live at SAT in Montreal

[SIDENOTE: I swear Montreal hates me, because in what is becoming a disturbing trend every time I go to the city, someone fucked with my shit. I woke up in the morning to go get some breakfast and my car window was fuckin' smashed, all my shit rummaged through. Of course, I had nothing but garbage and CDs in the car, but the punk who broke in apparently thought the CDs weren't even good enough to take. Makes me question my taste in music! But anyway, this cheap getaway turned into a $300 glass repair, so as always, fuck you Montreal.]

[Northern Neighbour]

Sorry to hear about your incident in Montreal. We always park in a lot if we're seeing a show downtown.

But glad to hear you enjoyed the show. I wasn't expecting such a raucous show, and part of it seems to be contrived in terms of the fans. It's almost as if the young crowd assumes they have to go ape-s*** during the show. Don't get me wrong, I thought the crowd's enthusiasm added to the show, but some guys just go off to get off.

[Ob1jacobe]

I really liked 2 but was late giving this one a listen.  What a mistake.  He has same talent skill as singer/song writer as Kurt Vile and Adam Granduceil.  Sounds timeless and timely all at the same time (obnoxious sentence). Love it!

[oistheone]

Man, "Blue Boy" is so catchy it should be illegal.

[oistheone]

Caught Mac and band at the Opera House in Toronto last night and I'm glad to report Mac remains one of the few artists that makes me laugh almost as hard as I rock. Plenty of hilarious stage diving and crowd surfing, and at one point the bassist from the opening band tried to crowd surf while holding a gigantic tray full of ice, ending exactly in the disaster you'd expect. Lots of cold and wet concert-goers in the first few rows.

But you know, beneath all the crowd-surfing and on-stage weed smoking, Mac and the band have some remarkable talent. They're a pop-rock juggernaut in disguise, as tight as anyone when they want to be. They've started to really jam out songs and bring 'em back like seasoned pros. They mixed up the setlist and arrangements big time from when I last saw them a few months ago. "Let Her Go" went from a breezy pop ditty to almost a Ramones-level tempo. "Let My Baby Stay" became a crooning, swirling, psychedelic gem that had MMJ-levels of stereo-panning reverb washing over the crowd. And "I'm A Man" was just fuckin' HEAVY!

They've got four more shows in town this weekend as part of some SXSW ripoff festival, and I think I may just have to catch 'em again!

Mac Demarco - Blue Boy - Live at the Opera House, Toronto