Did you know that Stuart Berman, senior editor of Eye Weekly, also sings for a band called The Two Koreas? And that Eye Weekly critic Jason Anderson and Sun music critic Kieran Grant were also in the same band? I know I didn't. Even better, the band is pretty much a rawk-us good time if you're up for some fun garage rock. I'm all about electroclash lately (meaning the past 5 years), but I do enjoy some good old jumpin' up and down in the same spot at a fast pace for many consecutive songs. The Two Koreas are playing the Grinchmas Benefit for Oxfam at the Silver Dollar TONIGHT, December 21st, so read on to get a breakdown of what you can expect for the show's awesome price of Pay What You Can.

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All this Myspace hunting is netting me some awesome finds. The Two Koreas (TTK) is something I likely wouldn't have paid any attention to had I read about them in one of The Eye's written reviews, but loading up a link to a band whom I've never heard before, and having this garage rock that I don't usually associate with my preferred playlist of choice actually causing me to play the drums on my keyboard instead of doing something useful is very refreshing. While I like to think I like my music all complicated and crap, it's the simple hooks that make or break a track, and TTK has hooks scattered all over the place. I'm damn sad that I'll be in Montreal for the show tonight, though, I'll have another chance the day I come back on the 29th. TTK has 4 songs on their Myspace page, with none of them freely downloadable. Rest assured, I did some sleuthing and found a site that offers two of the tracks you can hear on theirspace for free, without resorting to drastic measures. On to a brief breakdown of the tracks that TTK has decided best represent what they have to offer.

Cloth Coat Revolution has a repetitive and driving beat of the drums, really reminiscent of Spalding Rockwell's Ingrid. The hand claps are your cue to start pogoing about 4 inches higher. UBoat Commander; I'm a sucker for the way the bass is EQ'd, and the tone TTK coaxed out of it. Bass should be snappy and present, as ya dance to it. It's gonna take a little time before they finish that rhyme, but not too long. Bad Captains starts with someone throwing mud inside their amp. Vocals could be a little closer to the front of the mix, but it suits the decidedly garage nature of the music. Big general mud-up and breakdown during the last quarter of the track, but it remains fun, and this could translate really well live if the members get all twitchy on stage. Ends all pretty and shit. Return to Oslo would be the radio friendly track. A lot less crunch to this, with cute little breakdowns between chorus and verse. I don't recommend stuff I don't like, and I like this stuff. I wouldn't want to hear nothing but UBoat Commander, kind of like how if I wanted Metallica to stay true to their classic albums, I'd only buy their classic albums.

I've heard that the band's music is all very stream of consciousness and the like, with Berman unable to physically write anything down. With a dash of luck, their show tonight will convey that sense of playful chaos that comes through in their recordings, and for PWYC, you're gonna have a hard time beating tonight's awesome lineup at the Silver Dollar.

- Myspace Page (also their "official" site)
- Record Label page where you can download 2 tracks to your computer

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Dan Burke and Pete Carmichael present GRINCHMAS II, a benefit for Oxfam featuring: Lullabye Arkestra The Two Koreas Jewish Legend Lipstick Machine No No Zero Track Dirtyaz Grassy Knoll & the Magic Bullit Escalate.

December, 21 2006 at Silver Dollar
486 Spadina Ave
416-763-9139
Cost : PWYC

Theirspace likes to show up every Thursday. Know any local acts with shows in the coming months that you think are worth my time? Email me at ryan[at]blogto[dot]com, and maybe I'll think they're double-awesome enough to be featured on Theirspace!