I live for nights like this. Surrounded by a bunch of fanatics singing along to every word, hugging each other, pushing around in a non-threatening moshpit, the sense of community pulses with every bass reverberation. People who have never heard Farenheit before move closer to the stage curiously, bobbing their heads and smiling, eager to purchase the CD after the show. Even if you didn't know all the words, the good news is that you could at least understand them. A guy I've never met before hands me a shot in the middle of the set, gives me a "cheers" and disappears. How completely sneaky of him!

Every once in a while all the perfect elements collide and a ground-breaking new band emerges from the ashes and the chaos. My soul bonds closest with fiercely independent vocal melodies that haunt the mind for weeks; powerful, textured guitar riffs, devoid of all fillers and cheesy solos; versatile sonic environments that are fulfilling but throw a few unexpected curves; lucid lyrics soaked in well-written metaphors and honest admissions; and a fast pace soaring through a barrage of cataclysmic emotions that are both painful and ultimately satisfying.

Ever get a sense that some bands fashion themselves around the idea they're going to be a mainstream hit sensation... but in the end their over-achiever ways fail miserably, leaving everyone wrinkling their noses as if someone had just let a stale fart slip out, their heads reeling like "What the hell just happened there?"

See what happens when you take Buck Cherry (remember how obnoxious "Cocaine" was??)... add Collective Soul vocals and cheesy Velvet Revolver guitar solos... and lyrics as pretentious and stupid as Jimmy Ray's. Feeling nauseous yet? A Thousand Cures couldn't save you.

I don't necessarily enjoy picking apart a band like Thanksgiving leftovers. However, as your trustworthy local journalist, I feel the need to help you sort the meat from the fat within a richly saturated scene. Tonight's performance by Here And There was so foul I couldn't resist a lengthy criticism. It's not that they were so bad I had to run from the room and give myself a mental douche of Billy Talent to save my sanity. Moreover, it's that they were very visibly a basement band that should have never made it to the surface, playing with more established bands like Zeroscape and Rehab For Quitters. I revel in their amaturity and felt the need to share these findings.

Social Distortion w/ Mest & Dead 60s
Monday, Oct 10th @ The Kool Haus
Ticket Price: $35

Admittedly, the first time I heard Social Distortion's new song, "Reach For The Sky" on the radio, overridden with its cliches and Offspring-like guitars, I went running for their self-titled 1990 release in a panic. Perhaps I overreacted a little as songs like "I Wasn't Born To Follow" still carry on the rockabilly ballad tradition they're so noted for. You're likely to run into some uplifting messages about living life one day at a time, coming from a weathered veteran. You'll probably be singing along to "Ball And Chain" too, whether you like it or not. I'd recommend this show to anyone who's craving nostalgic, punk-laced rocknroll or anyone who's never seen them before.

As you may have read in the Globe And Mail, Starbucks is planning to expand their "Hear Music" operations to Toronto. Maybe they've kept a hawk-eye on sold-out Rolling Stones shows and rising coffee sales in our financial buildings, wondering how they could capitalize on our middle-aged population. Maybe they're naive enough to think our young population will care. Maybe they just want to drive competitors like HMV to insanity and the brink of extinction. But likewise, although we have Walmart Super Centres in Canada, small trendy shops still thrive. While reading all the bland articles about "secret negotiations" between the Canadian Government and Starbucks, I thought I'd offer my two cents, examining several different angles.