Fantastic Five Blank Pages.

I love these guys more and more every time I see them. And last night Five Blank Pages was fantastic. Really. Playing in the second slot of the Two Way Monologues showcase at Rancho Relaxo, they undoubtedly earned themselves some new fans. Their music is infectious---in a good way!---and the band members' personalities come across well on stage: appropriately fun and nice and welcoming, with just the right amount of excitement. Great stuff. FBP plays shows all over southern Ontario, so if you live at all close to the GTA there's no reason why you can't catch them live. And make sure to pick up a copy of their new full-length album, Last Blush. I've seen this group a handful of times now, and they are consistently good, but I think last night they were the best I've seen them. *Gush*

Now, to the rest of the evening.

JH and I arrived in plenty of time to catch the start of now-moribund The Incidentals' set. This band's sound didn't quite fill the room like FBP's did, but with catchy tunes and a good onstage vibe, they are hard to dislike. I felt like I'd heard some of their songs many times before. I haven't, but my point is that they feel familiar and make me want to sing along even though I don't know the words. The trio played a few new songs, so we'll get to hear those again when the band resurfaces at Young Mother sometime in the spring. Good luck recording, guys!

I was looking forward to hearing the headliners, Ten Kens. There's been some buzz around this group, and their MySpace offerings are good. But, well, I just didn't like them live. As I am wont to do, I did my best to get into what they were doing. It didn't work, and before the end of their set MB and I just couldn't take it anymore, so we left. (JH left a couple songs earlier.) They weren't actually bad; their shtick did nothing for me. I felt no desire to talk to the band members afterward. For me, this is a bad sign. Maybe it should be all about the music, but it's not: if I think you're uninteresting and giving off a prima donna attitude for no earthly reason that I can discern, then I probably won't like your music. But don't take my word for it.

MB and I ended the evening at the revamped Massimo's. And CLM was there too. Small world. (DT, with whom I went to high school and who I now run into at indie shows, was at the Rancho too last night.)