C.I.A. Concerts Presents
Toronto's MUST SEE indie electro live act PLUS WU-TANG CLAN'S Fountain Of Wisdom TOGETHER for ONE SPECIAL NIGHT!
A little over three years ago, Graham Walsh and Brian Borcherdt started Holy Fuck, a chaotic live celebration of lo-fi noise and weirdo casio-driven rock. With a rotating rhythm section consisting of some close friends and multi-talented players they were described as “Toronto’s evil super group”.
Without rehearsing or arranging parts prior to hitting the stage, Holy Fuck wrote the songs from their album, LP, live on tour. Each time they’d return from tour they’d check into a studio and cathartically capture the energy of the live show, recording the songs that had now taken shape. The only problem was they had too much material. A couple of unfortunate computer hard drive crashes later a good chunk of the material was lost. Maybe this was a good thing as it brought to light recording sessions that would have been otherwise overlooked, like the live satellite radio recording on Verge XM, or “Super Inuit”, taken from a live recording made while on tour with !!!.
Drawing from different recording sessions, even with different members, the new album maintains a unique feel from song to song. While the material was recorded for the most part in a studio environment, Holy Fuck recorded it live, as if on stage. Therefore the songs still breathe a live frenetic energy. The final sheen of the studio feel may come largely from the mixing hands of both Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys) and Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene).
Holy Fuck’s well-known live show has become a force to be reckoned with. One of their first shows was at Pop Montreal where New York based MC, and ex-Antipop Consortium member Beans was so impressed with their unique take on ‘electronic’ music that he invited them to Coachella as his backing band.
Now only a few years later they have become a heavy hitting live act, with a devoted audience consisting of cultish fans and new comers drawn by their reputation. They’ve toured with Do Make Say Think, !!!, Clinic, Wolf Parade, Cornelius, Metric, and Mouse on Mars. They’ve also made appearances at world renowned festivals like Vegoose, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Montreal Jazz, SXSW, and CMJ.
Their reputation as a must–see live act gained them a slot on this year’s John Peel stage at Glastonbury. This performance ended up being hailed as on of the top three performances of Glastonbury by NME.
“This Canadian mega-group ply an interesting trade of organic electronica where they shun all usage of laptops, pre-programmed backing tracks in favor of Real Instruments with Real Soul creating experimental improvised songs where not even they know what will happen.” -Drowned in Sound
“The sound ranges from Nintendo-ish blips and beeps to space-age-y static and more typical electronic fare: huge freakout breakbeats anchored by swiveling bass guitar. What’s surprising about Holy Fuck is the band’s range of registers. Though most of the set is upbeat, faux-trad indie-dance music, a few pieces thrown in at the end hit melancholy notes, with Walsh’s yearning melodica sliding in and out of a sober five-note backriff. The set ends with a reverb-heavy, sun-is-rising/new-day-is-born meditation on life. It’s something that could have been copped from Sigur Ros—it’s that earnest and genuine.” -PopMatters
“Call them purveyors of unintelligent dance music – the laptop-free Holy Fuck soundsystem couldn’t care less. They’ll keep tweakin’, twistin’ and punching their effects pedals, turntables, film synchronizer, bass and drums in an engrossing improv dubwise style.” -Now Magazine
GZA/GENIUS
When it comes to thought provoking, street-bred raw lyricism, The Wu-Tang Clan’s fountain of wisdom, GZA takes his job very seriously. The way he crafts his double-edged rhyme flow mirrors the skill and precise technique of one who works with fine ceramics. GZA’s metaphoric and multi-layered lyrics are often touted by critics as his rap name implies; genius. Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in every borough of New York City, The GZA’s workmanship can be found three albums deep with classics dating back to 1991 including the albums Words From The Genius, the gold-selling Liquid Swords and Beneath The Surface. Before his days of microphone notoriety, GZA found himself, during the early ages of rap music, traveling throughout New York City sharpening his rap skills in scattered rhyme battles. “I’ve studied rap in every borough,” the GZA says proudly. “I’ve been rhyming before a lot of these cats out here were born. We’ve [Wu Tang Clan] always drank, ate and slept hip-hop. I love it.” On his latest blockbuster album Legend Of The Liquid Sword, The GZA makes reference to his hip- hop foundation on the reflective “What We Die For.” “I grew up around B-Boys, DJs, MCs, through rap, never thinking in ways of TV,” the Genius raps. “It was strictly all about magnificent rhyme clout.”
During GZA’s travels, he encountered other rap veterans that recognized his promise and helped to nurture his talent. “I watched a lot of people come up that are big now,” Genius says earnestly. “I used to make demo tapes with cats that rocked with Russell Simmons and people like that. The history goes so far back, I’ve always been really focused on writing dope rhymes.”
The GZA’s dream of perfection has been realized once again on his fourth album to date. Legend Of The Liquid Sword not only regains the powerful momentum started by the last three releases, it adds to the Genius’ verbal legacy with uncompromising integrity. Heat-seeking darts like the introspective, “Auto Bio” where GZA breaks down the elements of his life that created the man he is and the crime thriller “Luminal.”
What has always set The GZA apart from the ordinary is his ability to create complex images with simple context. In the same way it’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words, Genius assembles his words to create thousands of vivid pictures. “I don’t like to just be simple,” he explains. “Even though some of my stuff can seem simple at times, I like to write in a way that when you listen to it over and over again, you hear something new and it requires you to think.” Legend Of The Liquid Sword does just that. Whether the listener gets captured by the vocal acrobatics of Santi White (who has written songs for Res) on GZA’s “Stay In Line” or the authentic old school soul production on the masterpiece “Animal Planet,” Genius weaves satisfying brain food through his lyrics. In his phenomenally cerebral use of metaphors, The Genius flawlessly equates human city dwellers to animals in the jungle on “Animal Planet”, which was produced by rhythm doctor Bink (who has produced heavyweight joints for Fat Joe, Nate Dogg, Mr. Cheeks and Faith Evans). With beats by fellow Wu Tang brother RZA, Jaz-O (Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt album), DJ Muggs (who has produced for Cypress Hill, Mobb Deep), Wu producer Mathematics (Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Sunz of Man), Arabian Knight and other sonic masterminds, GZA’s talents come across even heavier. On the adrenaline raising Hip Hop call to arms, “Knock, Knock” (the album’s shining debut single), The GZA asks on the chorus, “knock, knock, who the f* is banging at my door, is it abstract, commercial or hardcore?” In his signature way of ill rhyme construction, GZA further defines the parameters of what rap music should be.
Don’t call GZA’s comeback just a comeback, it’s a return of an entirely revolutionary thought process. “When we did “Back In The Game” on the Wu-Tang album, I did a verse about gambling,” he explains solidly. “I didn’t want to be ‘back in the game’ or ‘back on the block,’ that’s typical. I made it all metaphorical.” It’s those same metaphors that makes the Genius’ liquid sword a living legend in it’s own time.
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