Aaron Cadwaladr at Cafe Deux Soleil

Though only my second visit in the last two years, I felt quite comfy among the dim spotlights and numerous candles at Café Deux Soleil. I enjoyed a delectable selection from their vegetarian bill of fare whilst Aaron Cadwaladr and band members prepared, running through a brief sound check. Backed by a charcoal canvas with three noticeable lime green splashes of paint, the four-piece took their places, commencing the first of the evening’s two sets.

Both confidence and camaraderie were immediately present between the band members. Lyrically, I was immediately captivated when I heard Aaron’s poignant voice sing “lock your defense in a jar, give yourself a little time to kill” in “Engage The Air”. During “Engage,” Nathan Shubert donned an accordion on his torso, carefully preventing any obstruction to his keyboard for these shared duties. “Take These Chances” displayed Cornell St. Jean and James McRae locking down a solid rockabilly beat, complimenting both Aaron’s finger picking and Nathan’s pleasant ivory chops alike. Introducing electric mandolin on “Slow Down”, a ‘faster tune about slowin’ down’ gave life to the repetitive offering.

Throughout, the sound resonated well, with great tension and dynamics between each instrument in the mix. Aaron has an intriguing ability to project his voice well with his mouth remaining slightly ajar. His voice most shone during his magnificent rendition of Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” where xylophone was brought to life. The toe-tapping grooves delivered by the tight unit of musicians then paused as their first set came to a close.

Initially, I was pleasingly surprised by the inclusion of Aaron’s live band, but found myself wishing for at least some solo effort. Although this wish was granted at the beginning of the second set, Aaron did not obtain the rest of the crowd’s undivided attention. I enjoyed “Fingertips” as best I could, but felt that the audience could simmer down, considering the lack of backing group. Aaron was rejoined, eventually adding yet another member to their ensemble, a guest musician by the name of Elise Burr, who contributed her violin to the already eclectic mix of instruments on stage. While such an addition is both present and pleasant on the record, tonight it was the only audible flaw. It came off a tad harsh in the mix, possibly due to levels of the audio engineer, which rendered a less than favorable version of my favorite tune “Wade Through The Dark.”

While I thought a strong conclusion might have been missed, I was set dead in my tracks when Aaron’s guitar upstrokes were heard on The Clash’s “Wrong ‘Em Boyo.” Afterwards, Elise’s effort came through when her violin picking well complimented the staccato 1-2-3 punches of the xylophone in “Here By Me”, which left us with a warm final note of the evening. Overall the crowd may have ranged from infant to elder, though the satisfactions derived from the evening’s soundscapes were a common ground indeed.

Aaron and his talented band of musicians can be found touring British Columbia throughout November. They’ll be back home, playing The Railway Club, on November 26, 2009.