Colin Munroe @ CMW 2009

El Mocambo

Toronto, ON

on Mar 13 2009

Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

03/14/2009 11:57am

Background / Composition:
This Torontonian got a lot of attention recently for his "remix" of Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" and its video, which was shot in Dundas Square. He says he "does things a little bit differently" live, and he's not joking.

Grade: 70

Comment:
Munroe recently released an album, which he recorded and produced himself. He also plays all the instruments on it. Live, he drums standing up while he sings, and runs all the other instrumentation except the guitars through a laptop. He's accompanied by a guitarist named Ben, who looks like Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy's doppelganger.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E
Pronunciation: G
Stage Presence: G
Stage Banter: S
Image: G
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: S

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Nearly half the club had emptied out when Munroe took the stage, which was kind of appropriate, because apparently he's "The Unsung Hero," according to something scrawled on his kick drum. Nonetheless, he did a great job sticking out from the rest of the performers due to his bizarre stage set up and surprising virtuosity for a songwriter whose material skirts closely to emo.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: G
Work Habits: S
Organization: G
Audience Participation: N
Sound: G
Composition: G
Songs: S

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Munroe loses some points for bragging about recording all his instruments and producing his own album, which he did in the middle of his set. He also loses points for admitting he wanted to play everything live himself, but couldn't and needed Ben and his laptop to help him. Nonetheless, it ain't easy to sing while drumming, and Munroe's vocals were smooth throughout his entire set. But it's a bit unclear why he felt he needed to put a keyboard beside him, since he only used it once (during his "Flashing Lights" "remix") and kept awkwardly transitioning between his drum microphone and the keyboard microphone, which made his set a bit disjointed at the beginning.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: S
Problem Solving: S
Teamwork: G
Sexiness: G
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: E
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: N
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Munroe has the kind of mid-20s, one-third scruffy, one-third emo, one-third loveable music nerd thing going on. His pop-punk guy playing the drums thing may be a bit much for your average fan of the genre, but it's different and at least proves the genre can be improved upon and doesn't necessarily have to be all about your standard guitar, drums, bass, vocals set-up. It seems like he's still getting used to playing live, so it'll be interesting to see how he's honed his show and where he is in a year or so.