Kaleo in concert in Ottawa: A full report in words and photos

[Ross MacDonald was out there again. – AC]

Summer is ending, and it sure felt like a melancholy fall evening in Ottawa on Wednesday night. Unseasonably muggy and the rain made the streets downtown miserable. So a mid-week concert was the perfect remedy to turn that frown upside-down.

Naturally the place to be was definitely Ottawa’s newest music venue: HISTORY Ottawa. Rock music has medicinal properties, and Iceland’s bluesy rock band Kaleo was the prescription that the doctor ordered.

First up was the indie-roots band Pernikoff Brothers. As the name implies the band is made up of brothers Tom and Rick Pernikoff singing and on guitar / bass, joined by their friend Kevin on drums.

As Tom first addressed the audience: “We’re from St Louis Missouri” (slight pause, no real reaction from the crowd; fortunately the polite Ottawa patrons didn’t start heckling), “this is our first time in Ottawa” (pause again, this time met with cheers).

Most of the set was filled with upbeat music, led by drummer Kevin. He has deep beats like a train chugging down the track. He was also throwing in lots of rim shots for good measure. And alongside Rick’s deep five-string bass they filled the venue with their beats.

The band did play a couple of quieter songs that accentuated Tom’s finger picking. Notably a beautiful slowed down version of ‘Home’ originally by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros . And the song worked remarkably well between the two brothers.

There were big cheers with Rick played some harmonica. And the crowd absolutely loved Kevin’s drum solo that closed out the opening set.

Before the headliners took the stage, some of the audience members at the front of the crowd reminisced about their VIP experience. Most often a VIP ticket will give access to watch the sound check, and perhaps a few questions answered from the band. But before the venue opened its doors for all the concert-goers, Kaleo set up right in the middle of the general admission area and performed an acoustic set. Those who paid for VIP were very impressed.

And then a few minutes after 9pm (ten minutes early), Kaleo took the stage. Although JJ’s deep baritone voice could fill the hall by itself, he was backed by a full band.

When one thinks of a gritty, bluesy rock performance, you think of Gretsch hollow-body guitars, or maybe a Telecaster. And although JJ was playing a hollow-body, it was an ES-335 cranked way up, and Rubin surprisingly slung an SG. But there was no mistaking those notes for a metal show, it was a finger picking symphony, mesmerizing.

It is little wonder that Kaleo sold all 2,000 tickets to their concert. Ten years after ‘Way Down We Go’ was released, this tour is proving that Kaleo have put together that perfect mix that gets the feet tapping and bodies swaying.

A little later they performed their cover version of an Icelandic song ‘Vor í Vaglaskógi’. It is remarkable how a quiet song, even in a language not understood by the audience can captivate all their fans. That was the power of a perfectly delivered performance.

Of course one of the biggest sing-alongs was for the last song of the main set. ‘No Good’ rocks like the classic swamp rock of the southern US (or south-west Iceland).

After a short break the band came back and performed their biggest hit, and tour namesake ‘Way Down We Go’. This beautiful song highlights JJ’s vocals, and the transition from piano to guitars.

The band closed with two singles from their debut album: first ‘Glass House’ with its infectious drum beat, and then straight into their final song ‘Rock n’ Roller’.

This was a perfect evening of guitar-forward rock that is desperately needed at this juncture. And Kaleo delivered in spades.

Several years ago it would have been a rarity for a band to sell out an entire venue in the middle of the week in sleepy little Ottawa. It looks like HISTORY Ottawa is turning that boring persona around.

Kaleo:
Jökull Júlíusson (aka JJ) – lead vocals, guitar
Rubin Pollock – lead guitar, backing vocals
Daníel Ægir Kristjánsson – bass
Davíð Antonsson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson – harmonica, lap steel, guitar, keyboard, backing vocals

Pernikoff Brothers
Tom Pernikoff – vocals, guitar
Rick Pernikoff – vocals, bass, harmonica
Kevin Bowers – drums, percussion