On The Scene – Rob Moir, Carleton Stone, The Den Scholars and more

Rob Moir‘s last trip to Sydney was fronting Dead Letter Dept on Underground Operations‘ annual Unity Tour alongside labelmates Closet Monster and The Brat attack. It’s been five years since then and a lot has changed for Moir, who cut his teeth in seminal punk rockers Marilyn’s Vitamins.

Rob has since traded in his electric guitar for some intimate performances, witty humour, and a captivating stage presence. With his new record ‘This is the Lie’ in tow, Rob hits Governors Pub on Saturday night on the tail end of his 33 date North American tour alongside Halifax based songstress Kelly Sloan.

Also on Saturday night, Carleton Stone headlines a party at the Bicentennial Gym. The show, which will also feature The Company, Backpocket Material, and Breagh MacKinnon, will help the bands head to Charlottetown for the 2011 ECMAs.

Friday night brings the Transatlantic Zodiac Ensemble back to town, hitting Governors Pub alongside Alicia Penney. Influenced by gypsy and world music, the seven piece band began as a one-off assembled by vocalist Micheal Dalton. Consisting of students from St FX, the band has a CB in connection in current drummer Steven Wilton and ex-members Greg Hann and Mike Oulette (of Carleton Stone Drives the Big Wheel).

Thursday night I had the chance to catch The Yarnells and Heartwood Slacks at St George’s Church. The church was near full with a great mix of people of all ages and walks of life, an interesting crowd for a chilly Thursday night.

After thoroughly enjoying the folk/indie rock style of Heartwood Slacks, Caper Radio took the chance to talk to the assembly about community and campus radio. The presentation briefly reflected on the past of the station while making a case for further community involvement and the application for a developmental FM license. Let’s hope for more information on this as it progresses.

Track of the Week: The Den Scholars – We Were Lions. This new ensemble, lead by Northside songwriter Brett Jerrett, has been camped out in the studio finishing their demo before taking over the world. This track, though unmixed, is full of clever lyrics and vocal harmonies. They hit the stage at Wentworth Perk on March 24th. Make the effort to see them.