Bell Orchestre / Clogs / Snailhouse
Theatre Plaza,
Montreal, Quebec
November 10, 2005

It may have been the day that the first hints of snow were in the sky, but the atmosphere was warm and cosy at Montreal's Theatre Plaza on November 10, 2005, where Montreal-based Snailhouse and Bell Orchestre were teamed with more-or-less American-based Clogs for an evening that managed to stymie preconceptions—even for those who knew the music and background of any/all of these three intrepid groups.

Theatre Plaza is a 1920s-era movie theatre that's been lovingly converted into a live concert venue. While the lack of seating made it a somewhat surprising choice for the chamber leanings of Clogs, it actually worked to their advantage. With surprising attention given not only to the sound system (which was superb) but to the lighting as well (outstanding), the venue was the perfect place to stage a triple bill where all was not what it seemed. It was also proof positive to aging naysayers that there is, indeed, an adventurous young fan base out there whose ears are wide open to possibilities extending far beyond what MuchMusic and MTV would have you believe is defining contemporary music.

Calling Snailhouse a group is, in fact, a misnomer. Snailhouse is, in fact, the name used by singer/songwriter Mike Feuerstack to group together a number of recording projects that range from the solo effort Fine (Grand Theft Autumn, 2000), to The Radio Dances (Rhythm of Sickness, 1999), where Feuerstack is supported by bandmates from Wooden Stars, who recently regrouped and are expecting to record in 2006.

Feuerstack's self-effacing writing is as economical as it is direct. His brief set consisted of songs that were deeply personal, yet avoided the sturm und drang so often associated with contemporary singer/songwriters. For the first half of his set Feuerstack—accompanying himself on an electric guitar and, consequently, avoiding the inherent folksiness of the usual singer/songwriter aesthetic—was alone on stage. He'd probably not want you to know it, but he's a deceptively fine player—deceptive because he comes from the same kind of minimal approach of Daniel Lanois. Still, his purity of tone and elegant simplicity belied greater talent, the same way Bill Frisell manages to speak volumes with a single note. Not that he's comparable to Frisell—only that they both prefer the significance of one note in place of many.

For the second half of his set, members of Bell Orchestre joined him, fleshing out the material without cluttering it—an approach that would be heard more when they took the stage for their own set. Bassist Richard Reed Parry and drummer Stef Schneider propelled Feuerstack's songs gracefully, while violinist Sarah Neufeld, trumpeter Kaveh Nabatian and French horn player Pietro Amato developed long, languid harmonies that made, at one point, Feuerstack's own falsetto simply part of a larger orchestra. A beautifully understated start to the evening.

Clogs, with three albums already out on the Brassland label, were clearly the most established group to take the stage. While violist/violinist Padma Newsome has been the group's primary composer since inception, their latest release Lantern (to be officially released in January, 2006, but available at shows now) is something of a departure, with the majority of the material "composed and developed by Clogs. Still, that should come as no surprise, because anyone familiar with the group—guitarist Bryce Dressner, bassoonist Rachael Elliott and percussionist Thomas Kozumplik—know that it's never been anything short of a wholly collaborative affair all along.

With each album representing both a logical development and departure from the last, it should also come as no surprise that Lantern, while sounding like nobody but Clogs, represents something new as well. Texturally it's as varied an album as they've made, with Dressner bringing out his electric guitar for the first time (in addition to acoustic guitar and ukulele), Newsome playing piano, melodica and mandola, and Elliott also doubling on melodica. For their all-too-brief 30-minute set, Clogs concentrated exclusively on material from Lantern, which in some ways is the most song-based work they've created in their five-year history together.

While the inherent intimacy of their sound might have seemed at odds with the bigger, rock-oriented style of the venue, they not only fit in perfectly, but adapted seamlessly to their surroundings, playing at times with a fiery intensity only hinted at on record. Clogs excel at making the most unconventional of instrumental combinations not only work, but feel as if they've always belonged together—electric guitar, viola, bassoon and steel drums creating a delicate backdrop for the album's title track, which also featured Newsome's softly melancholic vocal.

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