Black Mountain
Date: April 24, 2009 Kicking All Those Storms Around Since 2003, The National Arts Centre has been organizing a series of regional scene events in odd-numbered years. This spring's edition saw a Pacific invasion, as the BC Scene drew hundreds of artists from our most westerly province in to the capital region. For me, the centrepiece of this two-week affair was the combination of Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, and The Pack A.D., who each destroyed at the Capital Music Hall. I initially looked at this line-up as a great double bill of Black Mountain and Ladyhawk, with The Pack A.D. being unknown to me. Perhaps a lot of other ticket-holders felt the same way, as the floor was quite sparse when the two-piece took the stage at 9:00 on a Friday night. Those who arrived late really missed out, though, as guitarist/singer Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller unleashed a blazing garage rock blues attack. With Black's face usually hidden behind her long hair and Miller stuck behind the kit, you might have expected the openers to have trouble generating heat on the quiet floor. In fact, though, the two were very charismatic and their straight-ahead set steadily brought more people to the front of the floor. Miller fantastic voice is a blend of raw power and rough-around-the-edges grit, perfect for the soaring sounds that she coaxed from her guitar, slide and otherwise. For her part, Miller set the tone for a night of great drummers, propelling the songs with a force that belied the band's stripped-down nature. She also showed a great deal of panache, swinging her sticks with broad, sweeping motions on slow songs like "Oh Be Joyful," and generally putting a lot of style into her playing.
Although The Pack A.D. was unknown to me, I walked away from their 30-minute set with songs like "Don't Have to Like You," "Blackout," and "What's Up There" stuck in my head; and I left the club with both of their CDs in my hands. Although Amanda Putz, who was hosting and presenting the show for CBC Radio 3, couldn't entice the band back for another song, they had already hit the mark of a bang-on opening set. The floor never evolved into the crush of bodies that you feel at a punk show but it was certainly denser and more energized when Ladyhawk came out. The Vancouver four-piece has earned that goodwill with solid touring. This was my fourth time seeing the group pass through Ottawa; and while I have some regret that only one of those instances was a headlining slot, they were definitely a perfect lead-in for Black Mountain. Ladyhawk got down to business quickly, mixing a few new songs with previous standouts, such as "The Dugout," "Fear," and "S.T.D.H." The band kept the pace brisk, moving from one soaring riff to the next in a tight set. Singer Duffy Driediger took the time to engage the crowd, though, including an amusing moment when he stepped a few feet back from the mic and called out encouragement for his own band, which surely sounded great on the radio broadcast. Black Mountain drummer Joshua Wells added keyboard support on a couple of songs, including "I Don't Always Know What You're Saying." Ladyhawk concluded their sweaty, 40-minute set with the excellent new song "(You Are My) Hellfire," which saw Driediger push his vocals to more of a crooning style atop a propulsive rhythm. Black Mountain took to the stage in darkness, led in by an extended synth intro from Jeremy Schmidt. In a preview of the approach to follow, the band was unhurried, letting Schmidt's drone fill the hall for several minutes before Wells kicked in with the recognizable drum beat of "Tyrants." My initial reaction was excitement at hearing the band lead in on such an epic note, as the stomping intro of that eight-minute song gave way to its oh-so-slow core, with Stephen McBean and Amber Webber coming in on vocals. In retrospect, I was right to be thrilled by the song but wrong to think it a noteworthy epic, at least as part of the Black Mountain arsenal. This is a band that studied at the school of Sabbath, subscribing to the belief that heaviness is best done slow; and they are predicated on the notion of locking into a riff and holding it until the song has to burst in a new direction. "Tyrants," as great as it was, was simply emblematic of the night to follow. Black Mountain stayed with their critically-adored latest album, In the Future, moving on to "Angels," pushing "Wucan" through an extended finish, and unleashing "Queens Will Play." The band always sounded great and it was a treat to watch the talented players; but they definitely kept their stage antics to a minimum. With the band members mostly keeping still as they unfolded their heavy jams, the stage lighting did a lot to set the mood, while the music washed over the audience. That crowd remained enthusiastic as Black Mountain detoured to their self-titled debut album, starting with an amazing rendition of "Druganaut," highlighted by prominent lead turns on synth and guitar. "Don't Run Our Hearts Around," the song that first drew me to the group, was similarly empowered live. The band started with a slowed-down take of the main riff, layered on a very spacey synth sound, drew out the breakdown until the entire room was coiled like a spring, and absolutely exploded into the finish, led by Wells' amazing drumming and McBean giving up on the melodic side of his singing in favour of pure, powerful screaming. After that haymaker, the band slowed it down for "Heart of Snow," which afforded a breather even as it hit its intended mark.
With their holding-pattern approach to song structure, the end of those seven songs saw the band eying the conclusion of its set, which it brought home with "Evil Ways," "Shelter," and "Stormy High." In typical fashion, when they returned for an encore and said "let's spend another fifteen minutes together," they had only one song in mind, "Bright Lights," and they were actually underselling it, as they unleashed in its full seventeen-minute glory. This drawn-out number echoed the set that preceded it; and if you appreciated the band's approach to laying down songs, it was the perfect capper for the concert. Although this was the only portion of the B.C. Scene that I attended, I'm glad that the showcase came when it did. The three bands that came made an excellent case for Vancouver as being in the midst of a musical crest. The Pack A.D. was a welcome surprise, Ladyhawk delivered as they always do, and Black Mountain elevated their already-expansive music, letting the songs grow even more epic in the live setting. CBC Radio 3 Links to full concert and photosThe Pack A.D. setlist Set
Ladyhawk setlist Set
Black Mountain setlist 
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