Penske File, New Elders and Cory Levesque at The Daily Grind
Penske File, New Elders and Cory Levesque showed us that Thursdays night is as good of a night as ever for some punk rock.
The trio from Burlington, the Penske File, rocked us with their Flatliners-esque punk rock in the very intimate setting of The Daily Grind. With very little room to move around, the bass player used every inch of it, running and jumping around. They have a very refreshing sound, all three members sings, the drummer can really wail and they even have harmonica on some tracks, such as the really awesome “Suburban Bustle.” I particularly liked the track “I’ve Been Thinking,” where the drummer is the lead vocals, which always blows me away. I picked up their album A Restless Symphony and gave it a listen this morning. The album is great, but if you want an example that really takes it up a notch when playing live, look no further than Penske File who pick up the pace and intensity in person. Check these guys out when you have a chance. As if you needed more of an incentive, they are truly nice dudes who gave a shoutout to Cory Levesque and dedicated a song to him.
Ottawa’s bluesy garage rock band with a punk snarl, the New Elders played a great set as well. The boys have a sort of old-school feel to them with just the right modern edge. My favourite tracks were “Tiger Style,” which was really rocking and “All Too Human” that really showed off the band’s range. It was fun to finally see this band live, having seen Richard Barrie solo several times before.
One of my favourite bleeding-heart acoustic storytellers, Cory Levesque, opened up the night. Always the joker, he opened by saying “I just recently learned to play guitar and started writing songs two weeks ago.” Funny guy. Cory has played over 45 shows this past year, this one marked his last for 2013. I am very glad I was there for it. His personality is infectious, he always has singing along, even the new faces. He played a bunch of the tracks I love to hear, namely “Let’s See the World” and “Where I’d Rather Be.