I am happy to report that project Shut Up & Study, now in its third day of existence, is going quite well. True, I have unabashedly added a couple more projects to my roster of daily commitments,  but my book review is now due in two weeks so it all balances out (or does it?) I would even go as far as to claim that this unexpected yet unequivocally well-received news was the reason I was able to truly enjoy Julie Doiron’s show the other night. Guilt-free concert-going in times of academic crunch? Who knew!

As some of you may know, Julie Doiron’s Dark Horse recently became my September Summer anthem (gotta love my self-deprecating sense of humor) and  my appreciation for Woke Myself Up has only grown since then.  Her albums may be predominantly hushed and mellow but, trust me, Julie Doiron definitely knows what live shows are meant for! What’s more, she has an unpretentious stage presence and shares stories with her fans as if they were close friends, telling personal anectodes in a very immediate, unfiltered way. There was even a part of the set that was completely on demand, with Julie taking requests from the public and never once saying no. For such a veteran of Canadian indie rock, I was impressed by her down-to-earth attitude… though also surprised by how self-conscious she sounds in between songs. Luckily, I think her sound only benefits from this awkward energy. In fact, that  may very well be the key to her raw and heartfelt performances.

And since we’re discussing indie rock icons of the female persuasion, here’s a picture of Emily Haines that Noelle took last Wednesday, the (in)famous day of my front-row antics at Massey Hall.  And yes, Noelle did not have to zoom, we were that close to the band.