The Elwins + Heyrocco & Mosely @ House of TARG
Photos by Elizabeth Durnford
It all began as a typical night at House of TARG. I arrived just after 9 and immediately ordered a plate of perogies and a tall can of Pilsner, complete with signature TARG dent. I played a few games of Star Wars pinball (less than two weeks now!) and mulled around a bit, gawking at the diversity of metal heads, punks, goths, and hipsters. Literally anyone is welcome here. I eventually found myself at the merch table where I was greeted by the most raggedy group of young men I have had the pleasure of setting my beautiful blue eyes on, and a girl in a hotdog costume. After a round of vigorous hellos and a hand shake from a gentleman who called himself “Taco,” I came to realize who I was speaking with.
Heyrocco is a self described âDisney Grungeâ band from Charleston, South Carolina â âSouth Carolinaâs First Rock Band,â as Iâm reminded by the large patch stitched on the back of singer Nate Doggâs military jacket (I was speaking to a newly converted fan after the show who was wearing the same jacket, apparently Nate sold it to him, right off of his back, for 50 bucks). Anything to get by when youâre on the road seems to be the lifestyle these guys are living, and living it they are. From the moment Heyrocco crammed themselves onto the small stage at TARG, their energy didnât fade for a second. Barefooted Nate Dogg stands front right, the words âDONâT SHOOT!â painted on the front of his guitar in bold, white letters, âHello Torontoâ he muses into the microphone, antagonizing the crowd just enough. This is the kind of guy I want to tell me to fuck off and he looks like he would, with just the right amount of idontgivetwoshits attitude. But he wouldnât, because these guys are some of the friendliest dudes I have ever had the pleasure of talking to.
Heyrocco released their debut album Teenage Movie Soundtrack in early 2015, and their setlist was comprised of mostly songs off of this album. Standout moments for me were, âLoser Denialâ and âElsewhereâ although the entire show was fantastic with great energy and loud, in your face rock music. If you get the chance to catch a Heyrocco show near you, take it! You wonât regret it! You too might be able to pee next to a barefoot grunge-punk in a bar bathroom.
After Heyrocco played an absolutely killer show, which likely damaged my hearing permanently, ABBAâs âDancing Queenâ comes on in the bar and the TARG crew quickly tear down the stage and set up for the next artist. Mosely is an Ottawa-based, high energy family band. Lead singer Dani and bass player Mat are married and the drummer is her younger brother. Itâs all so cute. Mosely played an entertaining show, complete with an out of place head banging fan. Dani has a nice voice and the band has a solid sound. Also, tons of merch! For the love of God, go buy some merch, people!
After another flash teardown by the TARG crew, during which another track from the Mama Mia! soundtrack was playing as background music, The Elwins are up. The Elwins are an independent band from Keswick, Ontario. They started the year off strong with the release of their second full-length album, Playing for Keeps. The single from this album, âSo Down Lowâ reached #12 on Canadian alternative radio and was featured in an ad campaign for Fido.
Two spherical cones just barely managed to fit onto the stage with the band. The cones, as well as multi-coloured lights on the floor, lit up along with the music. It was a truly impressive spectacle considering that the stage is smaller than a dorm room. When combined with smoke machines and a setlist padded with high energy songs that the crowd seems to know all the words to, youâve got all the makings of an entertaining show. The Elwins start off with some upbeat, pop-influenced indie rock. Songs like âBubbleâ and âShow Me How To Moveâ seemed to really get the crowd going. The band relaxed a bit and started to visibly have more fun after the crowd started singing along and dancing, prompted by the girl in the hotdog costume. When the band came to their hit âSo Down Lowâ there wasnât a single person in that bar, including the bartenders, who werenât dancing. Heyrocco and the hotdog joined them on the cramped and tiny stage for hype factor. They finished their set off with âWay Too Longâ (which their set was not) and finally a cover of a Beyonce track. The night was a triumphant success. The Elwins move on the the East coast after this to finish off the Canadian leg of their world tour.
Check out more of Spectrasonic‘s upcoming shows here.