Cramming into Dick’s before the hole closes... By Luke Simcoe, OP Contributor Fatlip w/ Cadence Weapon — Richardfs on Richards (July 7) Okay everyone, huddle up, I’ve got a confession to make: I have no idea how to act at hip-hop shows. Moshing is never a problem for me, and I’ve got that whole indie-rock, arms crossed, foot-tapping thing down pat, but neither of these seem appropri- ate at a rap concert. I call this problem RRAS, or rap-related awkwardness syndrome. Luckily, there’s a cute for it in the form of Edmonton’s Cadence Weapon. Visibly inebriated and decked out in an under- sized tee and tight ripped jeans, Cadence hardly fit the typical hip-hop image when he took the stage. His set didn’t exactly follow the rulebook either, and his rock ‘n’ roll take on rap performance was refreshing. He rolled around on the stage, started a mosh pit in the crowd, and scream-rapped half his rhymes without any loss of clarity or precision. Showmanship aside, the best part of the show was Cadence’s unique brand of humour. His between-song banter was hilarious, and he would add running commentary to his own songs — “This is where the drums come in—they add tension.” You get this feeling that the whole thing is a bit of a joke, but you’re never quite sure. It’s a good vibe. Unfortunately, despite being billed as a double headliner, Cadence was relegated to a pitiful 30 minute opening spot for ex-Pharcyde member Fatlip. Although he did roll out a couple of new tracks, the bulk of it was filled up with tracks from Breaking Kayfabe. “Lisa’s Spider” was unfortunately absent from the set list, but his single “Black Hand” and set-closer “Oliver Square” were standouts. The latter actually had a few people chanting “E-town!” and throwing up Edmonton “E” hand gestures. In closing, my RRAS seems to be clearing up, and I definitely have to agree with Cadence Weapon when he raps that “I’m better on a pint or two.” The Rentals w/ The Salfeens and Ozma — Richard’s on Richards (July 25) What can I say about the long awaited return of Matt Sharp and The Rentals? Ozma and the Salteens opened. Ozma out-weezered Weezer (one of the guitarists even had Rivers’ trademark light- ning bolt guitar strap). The Salteens crammed an entire brass section onto the small stage at Richards for a combined presence of nine people! The Boompa records upstarts have been gaining quite a name for themselves in the Canadian indie scene, thanks in part to relentless touring. The band’s catchy melodies, and guitarist/vocalist Scott Walker’s voice, brings to mind thoughts of The Decemberists. When the Rentals arrived on stage, one thing was clear: Matt Sharp seems to have a new lease on life! Anyone who caught his solo appearance here last year knows what a sad sack he was for a while. But Shape stormed on stage like a nerd on a mis- sion for “Move On.” He got right into the crowd, and kitsch’d it up with some on-the-spot running. Unfortunately, the band began to lose steam shortly thereafter, and didn’t pick it back up again until “My Head is in the Sun.” The problem with the middle 1 4 DOUGLOPOLITAN AUGUST 2006 of their set was that it focused too much on the slower and folkier material from Seven More Minutes, an album that not only lacked the power-pop punch of Return of the Rentals, but also featured Matt’s sleep-inducing slower singing style. His Perry Como routine was what turned so many people off of his solo material, and it had the effect of making the evening seem a bit bipolar. Thankfully, the gang returned to what they do best for the encore. Matt thanked the audience and told us that the brick wall at Richards made him feel like he was on SNL. After the heart-on-sleeve rou- tine, they began a cover of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” which eventually segued almost seam- lessly into “Friends of P.” It was a perfect Rentals moment. Ups and downs aside, it’s always great when you get to see a band that you thought you’d never see. Matt’s newfound enthusiasm bodes well for the forthcoming new album. I just hope he remembers that he’s at his best when both of his feet are plant- ed firmly in the world of pop. Matt Sharp sends a shout out to all the “friends of P” in tha house. PHOTO BY: Luke Simcoe | found it on teh interweb! By lain W. Reeve, Net-Shirt Junkie This Week’s Website: T-Shirt a Go-Go! www.bustedtees.com www.defunker.com www.jerkassclothing.com www.tshirthell.com www.threadless.com A line to a near forgotten Barenaked Ladies song comes to mind. “One day I'll find the secret to your social chemistry/and I'll print it on a t-shirt and it will make you want to be with me.” That is precisely what the new trend in internet distributed witty shirts is doing. There are, of course, countless t-shirt sites on the net. Here’s is a taste. First up is Busted Tees. Specializing in quirky humour, obscure cultural references, and witty redesigns of well-known cultural symbols, Busted has something for you, me, your kid brother, and just about everyone else. While they are a little slow with develop- ing new designs, their designs remain available indefinitely in boys and girls sizes, They also have a sister site called Defunker which specializes in more artsy images than funny madness. Best Shirt: “You Have Died of Dysentery” with a picture of a wagon. Who doesn’t want an Oregon Trail shirt? Next is Jerkass Clothing, It is very similar to Busted Tees but with a bit more of a vintage look. Thus they will kind of remind you of Cherry Bomb or Bang On and may leave you wondering why you'd want to pay the shipping when you could just nip downtown and get the shirt today. ’d only bother if you see a design you like a lot. The big advantage they have over other sites is the ability to customize shirt colour, style, and size, along with the orientation of the design on the shirt. They even do hoodies! Want the words on the back, or a picture on the lower right of your shirt? Well they can hook you up. Best Shirt: “I Killed a Guy with a Trident” with a picture of a trident...’nuff said. T-Shirt Hell relies a little less on catchy imagery and more on the class “words on a shirt” approach. The shirts run the gamut from knee-slappin’ funny, to “why would someone buy that’ stu- pid. Some of them are witty and hilariously inappropriate, some of them remind me of shirts 40-year-old fat women at the bar drink- ing Bud Light wear. Best Shirt: Not tons to work with here. ..1 kind of like “You Can’t Have Manslaughter Without Laughter,” but that’s about as good as she gets. Truly the king of the online shirt business right now is Threadless Tees. Nevermind the esoteric artsyness of many of their designs, it’s the business model that makes this place awe- some. Anyone can post a design up on the site. Designs are then voted on, with the best ones going forward to production. New shirts show up faster than you can buy them and there are so many that you will always find something interesting. You can’t customize colour, but this is mostly because the designs are so spe- cific and well done that they demand a particular backdrop. The one downfall is that limited runs mean shirts often disappear quickly, so if you see one you like, snap it up! Or go to Voltage Clothing on Main St. to check some out in person. Best Shirt: Too many to name! Go check it out for yourself.