Lithium Magazine

Review and photos by Mike Bax

www.myspace.com/juliettelewis
twitter.com/JulietteLewis

Thanks to some pretty really gnarly traffic, I managed to miss a lot of the opening acts material this evening. Toronto was rife with goings on this past weekend (sporting, festivals and concerts) and closing down the Gardner Expressway for the weekend threw traffic into an utterly tragic mess all weekend long.

I got there in time to see a few songs from Dearly Beloved, and they sounded quite good.

After a rousing sing-along to 'YMCA' by the Village People, Juliette Lewis and her band took the stage at 11:30pm on Saturday night, with Lewis jumping in behind the drum kit for the first song of the evening, bashing out a solid backbone to the track in a vintage pair of 'Chuck Norris' styled sunglasses.

There was an interesting crowd in attendance at Lee's Palace this evening. I saw fans in laytex, pump heels, denim leather jackets and leather bustiers. As with most Juliette shows, I think she draws a mixed crowd of fans; some who know nothing about her music and are curious to see a Hollywood starlet on stage; some who know just her music; and some who have been TOLD to check her out live by friends who have experienced her material at a previous performance.

This evening's performance marked my third time seeing Lewis live. I saw her for the first time in Lee's Palace in 2005, supporting the You're Speaking My Language album (her second release with The Licks). At that show, I went in as someone curious to see 'the Hollywood starlet on stage'. I left Lee's that night with the album in my hand, and a new understanding of Lewis and her commitment to rock and roll. This isn't something she's doing to pass the time. Lewis isn't making a Bruno album like Bruce Willis, or levying a train-wreck of pseudo-rock like Joaquin Phoenix… No, Lewis is fully immersed in her craft.

What's more, is her albums get better and better as she keeps going. There are choice songs on Like A Bolt Of Lightning, You're Speaking My Language and Four On The Floor to be sure. She pulled some material from these albums for the setlist as she performed this evening. But her most recent album, Terra Incognita is my favourite of her four albums. Terra Incognita feels (to me) like her most achieved material - it plays like an album of music by a learned musician. I found there were moments on her previous albums that felt a bit forced - and I don't hear that at all on Terra Incognita.

What's really impressive while watching Lewis perform is the energy that pours out of her with every lyric she sings. Lewis can't weigh much more than 100 lbs. She's carrying ZERO body fat, and wiggles and writhes around on stage like an embodiment of Iggy Pop circa 1972 (making the cover song that much more enjoyable to watch). Songs like 'Uh Huh' and 'Suicide Dive Bombers' are total crowd pleasers live, and easily justify the twenty to twenty five bucks her show will cost you. The evening isn't all about Lewis, either. She is recording and touring with a quality band of musicians, and if you catch her live on this tour, you'll see this for yourselves.

Lee's Palace was packed to the back door for this performance. There were numerous people singing along to some of the songs that were played, showing a growing fan base of fans of her music, and not just her movies. The show was awesome. She's playing The Starlight in Waterloo this evening - check her out live if you can.