"If I was sleeping with boys, instead of making all this noise playing my guitar, would it make me a star?"
Last Update: March 7, 2008
This section contains reviews for shows I attended from 2002-2007, where memory and/or blog serves. Newer reviews can be located on my music blog (see link on main reviews page). If you'd like to contribute a set/review from one I haven't seen, email me at iciclespark@yahoo.com.
CAMERON HOUSE - 06/03/07
SETLIST:
Meeting The Future At Full Speed
Land On Your Feet
Can't Fail Anymore
Life Is Short Enough
Stars In Our Eyes
New York Minute (Don Henley cover)
Important
REVIEW:
(Excerpt from Vox Blog)...Last to the sweatbox stage was Karen Kosowski, and I felt bad for the
audience. You see, having spent significant time witnessing Karen's
incredible live shows, a short set was simply a tease. Favouring new
material, the neophytes were not exposed to classic set staples like
Don't Assume; they were, however, rewarded with the best rendition of
Important (one of the strongest tracks on Karen's last full-length
effort, Out Here At Sea) I have ever seen - and I've probably seen the
song performed 30 times now. Hearts were collectively ripped out and
effectively stomped with every line, every pleading wail. It made for
a stark contrast against the more uplifting feel of the new material
showcased at the start of the set. In a solo setting, the more
electronic tracks (Stars In Our Eyes) seem stark, and somehow laced
with a more melancholy undertone, a strange foreboding contradicting
the lyrics. Somehow, it worked. But with a powerhouse delivery and
genuine and friendly stage manner, I defy anyone to leave a Karen show
unsatisfied. To bastardize one of her songs (and undoubtedly, I will
be ribbed for it later), it's long past time for it, but perhaps this
next album will be the one where her day in the sun will come along.
THE CENTRAL - 12/02/06
SETLIST:
Meeting The Future At Full Speed
Over + Over
Your Day Will Come
Love & Bandaids
Tragic
Crazy Little Game
Monday
Fire Burn Me
Important
Can't Fail Anymore
Manic Depression (Hendrix cover)
Land On Your Feet
More Than A Sign
Encore:
Life Is Short Enough
New York Minute (Henley cover)
REVIEW:
A night full of happiness, and also a bit of wistful sadness.... The happy
being Karen getting engaged to Marc - congrats guys! It's about freaking
time! ;) The down note being that this will be the final show before
Karen enters the studio to record her new album.
Judging from the songs we've been treated to over the last few months, the next album feels like a blend of OHAS and OP, dashed with hints of National Sound's electropop feel. This all makes for an exciting waiting period, and demonstrates what makes Karen so fantastic: she never makes the same album twice. Few artists are as open to exploration and change as Karen.
Fire Burn Me was a treat - a song from the now out of print Optimist Party, I'd never heard it live before.
Of the new material, More Than A Sign and Meeting The Future... are the strongest songs in my opinion; I can tell that should they make the album, they will live on the endless loop with Love & Bandaids, Nothing To Declare and East Coast.
The energy was fantastic and both opening acts were equally amazing. One hell of night (fuelled by an insane amount of Sauvignon Blanc)... and Karen looked none the worse considering the alcohol she was fed in celebration of her engagement. All of us there that night were lucky, indeed.
CAMERON HOUSE - 9/15/06
SETLIST:
Meeting The Future At Full Speed
Land On Your Feet
Important
Crazy Little Game
Tragic
Don't Assume
Monday
More Than A Sign
Love & Bandaids
Can't Fail Anymore
Manic Depression (Hendrix cover)
Your Day Will Come
Encore:
Life Is Short Enough
New York Minute (Henley cover)
REVIEW:
I never reviewed this show at the time it happened, so this will be a bit bittersweet. 24 hours later my fiance decided to break up with me, and while now, I am infinitely grateful he did (I deserve better, I've come to learn), this show is now strangely ironic in terms of the songs and themes.
For starters, New York Minute: it's one of my favourite Karen covers hands down, and a favourite song of mine overall. Looking back at this show and contemplating how 'everything can change in a New York minute' is a sad affair. Land On Your Feet, Monday, and More Than A Sign also take on an even more poignant feel to me reflecting back.
Suffice it to say, Karen and the band were on their game that night, and it's a shame that one of the best shows I've seen the woman put on is tinged with the sadness of that time. This show introduced several new songs I had not yet heard, and was indeed a special treat.
CAMERON HOUSE -
4/8/06
SETLIST:
(Um.... somehow it hasn't been recorded anywhere I can find. Not
even in LJ. This is a shame.
REVIEW:
Since I don't recall the setlist... this is problematic.
I know the day was chaos because I was helping work the door. I know
Karen played Love & Bandaids. I know there was a great deal of awesome.
That's about all I know. Sorry!
INDIGO BOOKS YONGE & EGLINTON - 1/20/06
SET ONE:
Tragic
Crazy Little Game
Love & Bandaids
Your Day Will Come
Important
Tell Me What I'm Doing Wrong
Don't Dream It's Over (Crowded House cover)
SET TWO:
Trying Anyway
Stained Glass Window
Baker Baker (Tori Amos cover)
Karma Police (Radiohead cover)
Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Buckley cover)
Always Catching Up
Can't Fail Anymore
REVIEW:
Twas fabulous to see so many of the crew again, even if some of them threaten
to abuse their board powers Wink
Lately I seem to be catching the band gigs, so the duo combo was a sharper
contrast sonically than usual to my brain's latest show memory. Some songs
feel better that way to me (Important, e.g.) while others just feel different
and new (Always Catching Up). I really love that we have that opportunity on a
regular basis to see Karen's songs "try on new shoes".
Highlights for me were Love & Bandaids (I will easily argue to the death that
this song is a brilliant timeless gem destined to be on par with the likes of
Desperado by The Eagles and Me And Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin), Don't Dream
It's Over, Baker Baker (c'mon, Tori whore here, are you shocked?), Always
Catching Up, and Stained Glass Window (which isn't played nearly enough).
The audience was decent for a bookstore gig, and Karen mesmerized a little boy
for a while which was awesome - show them good taste in music young, I say!
C'EST WHAT - 11/19/05
SETLIST:
We'll Find You
Tragic
Love & Bandaids
Crazy Little Game
Always Catching Up
Baker Baker
Karma Police
Tell Me What I'm Doing Wrong
Important
Scared To Death
Wish On A Star
Don't Assume
REVIEW:
It's happened again: each time I settle on a Karen cover tune that I
think is the best cover she's ever done, she goes and surpasses it. I am
of course babbling about her cover at this show of Tori Amos' Baker Baker, a
song I adore by my favourite singer (and one Tori closed her last Toronto show
with). How stunning, and how awesome to take it to acoustic guitar
instead of simply grabbing Tori's tabs and playing it on piano?
The entire show was a very solid performance. I grow more fond of Always Catching Up with each listen, and I am sort of wishing it had made OHAS, as it fits beautifully with that album (I personally would slip it in between TMWIDW and NOW). I was disappointed with the turnout and noisy drunken friends of the opener, especially given that the full-band ensemble (welcome Mr. Guitar!) was very tight. It was nice to see Ben again after a spell of duo shows! Highlights were the covers, Always Catching Up, and Don't Assume.
INDIE WEEK - HOLY JOE'S - 9/23/05
SETLIST:
Tragic
Love & Bandaids
Scared To Death
Crazy Little Game
Important
Karma Police
Tell Me Now
REVIEW:
Forgive me, but I was seriously exhausted for this show, and then worked the
next day on no sleep. But miss Karen? Fuck that. The sound
was pretty decent in this venue but the lighting really blew, and the dark
blues just don't work for me at all.
Karen did an awesome job opening up the group of artists playing the venue that night (never an easy task), with Scared To Death, Karma Police and Tell Me Now coming across especially strong. Marc was of course his fabulous self (lucky bastard Philosopher Kings!). Vocals on STD were particularly beautiful this night. If you missed it, you suck! Photos available from this night on site, albeit taken at Karen's gig with National Sound at the Drake later that night.
C'EST WHAT - 5/31/05
SETLIST:
We'll Find You
Important
Tragic
Karma Police
Love & Bandaids
No One's Watching
Tell Me What I'm Doing Wrong
Always Catching Up
Scared To Death
Don't Assume
Out Here At Sea
ENCORE ONE
Always Been Kind
New York Minute
ENCORE TWO
Woman
ENCORE THREE
Wish On A Star
Lover, You Should Have Come Over
REVIEW:
Bootlegs are a beautiful thing. They allow you to remember the little
nuances that get forgotten over vodka. ;)
I think this was my favourite Karen show to date, not only for the set (YUM!) but for the crowd as well. The crowd was in excellent spirits (and up to their eyeballs in spirits of another kind) and really into the show. It doesn't always happen that way at these things, so it was a great vibe. The band was tight of course, and Karen in great form. New York Minute was especially beautiful, reminding me of the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over live take on the Don Henley track - extremely effective. Out Here At Sea was also rather emotional, as well as Important and Wish On A Star. The repeated demands for encores led to Woman making an appearance, a song Ms. Karen ought to play far more often. Good thing she listens when I bellow (oh my lord, I sound drunk on this recording). A night to remember, no doubt.
C'EST WHAT - 5/17/05
SETLIST:
We'll Find You
Important
Tragic
Karma Police
Love & Bandaids
No One's Watching
Tell Me What I'm Doing Wrong
Always Catching Up
Scared To Death
Don't Assume
REVIEW:
(Taken from Livejournal entry) Karen, although she seemed a bit under the weather (like it was hard to
get a full breath), did a great job as always. Her Glockenspiel was "home sick", she said. Doug of course cracked off that it was
"Glocken-spewing" and I snickered all night. I was a bit of an insane monkey that night, being as I ran from the Sarah McLachlan show at the ACC with my best friend straight to C'est What. But the performance was well worth it.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Karma Police - she just fucking rocks this song out. She's promised me a live MP3 of it sometime very soon.
Love and Bandaids - I never get sick of it. It's my favourite.
Don't
Assume - Just keeps rocking even harder with every evolution in live approach. It's like her Precious Things or something. Solo, with band, etc etc it is always good.
C'EST WHAT - 5/3/05
SETLIST:
Scared To Death
Slide
Love & Bandaids
We'll Find You
Tragic
Karma Police
Tell Me What I'm Doing Wrong
No One's Watching
Crazy Little Game
Don't Assume
Lover, You Should Have Come Over
Important
Out Here At Sea
REVIEW:
(Taken from Livejournal entry) Tuesday, being good friends and also fans, Doug and I cruised down to
C'est What for the first installment of Karen's May stretch there... she's playing every Tuesday this month to promote her new album, Out Here At Sea.
The show went extremely well - Karen brought out some new toys, including her glockenspiel, and also her new drummer, who is a sarcastic smart ass like me, which works.
The setlist was also
amazing.... she played the entire new album, a few old classics, and two covers, one of which just kicks absolute ass.
Highlights were Scared To Death (haunting as hell), Love and Bandaids (my hands-down favourite thing she's done), Karma Police, Don't Assume(rocked and sassed out), and Out Here At Sea (my second favourite on
the disc, and it's on there because I demanded she put it on).
C'EST WHAT - 12/29/04
SETLIST:
Love & Bandaids
Trying Anyway
Nothing To Declare
Karma Police
Crazy Little Game
We'll Find You
Important
Lover, You Should Have Come Over
Slide
No One's Watching
Tragic
REVIEW:
(Taken from KKcom board) Karen the trooper fought off the ills of a cold
and got up and rocked the joint, performing some fabulous tunes, including a
cover of a song I absolutely love. The sound in the new music room was very
nice. My only complaint is lack of seating, but hey, I suppose I'll just have
to show up earlier and earlier (and drink more wine... hmm this isn't so
bad....)
I have to say, and I know I tell you this a lot Karen, that the duo combo of
you and Marc (and computer makes 3!) is the most effective live show,
particularly for the new material. The chemistry is great (and with the
addition of Strumpet, things are even better)...
CLINTON'S - 9/11/04
SETLIST:
(May not be in order)
Important
Don't Dream It's Over
? (Cannot recall)
REVIEW:
9/11 gig featuring several artists doing a few songs as a benefit for 9/11. Karen solo. Don't Dream It's Over was particularly stunning this night.
THE B-SIDE - 7/28/04
SETLIST:
Um.... err.... I have lost it, methinks. Check back later. Likely very similar to the Live @ The B-Side Live EP
REVIEW:
Another strong duo show performance by Karen and
Marc. The set was a mix of updated OP tracks and songs that would later
become the groundwork of OHAS. Sonically, this show was more pleasing in
terms of house sound. Huzzah!
CORNER COFFEHOUSE - 7/10/04
SETLIST:
Marianne
Church
Nothing To Declare
Tell Me Now
Optimist Party
Woman
Trying Anyway
Crazy Little Game
Stained Glass Window
Don't Assume
Wish On A Star
Important
Love & Bandaids
Wrong
Tragic
We'll Find You
REVIEW:
Coming soon!
THE B-SIDE - 6/2/04
SETLIST:
Don't Assume
Love & Bandaids
Tragic
We'll Find You
Important
Tell Me Now
REVIEW:
This show was made available as a limited edition live
CD. An amazing showcase of the transition from OP era Karen to OHAS.
Karen and Marc were very much on this night, and it was a treat to
watch. The duo shows soon became a fan fave.
(From Livejournal) Being Karen's pimp, I simply had to floor it and move my
ass downtown last week to help at her merch table for her show. Whereas she
now plays with a band live and records as such, this show was one of a series
of duo shows with her bassist/boyfriend Marc.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this show, even moreso than the full band show
I saw a few months back. Karen and Marc play off each other incredibly well,
and are very in sync (think Tori Amos and Matt Chamberlain). The set was
great, much new material, and I am loving it.
REVERB - 3/23/04
SETLIST:
Apparently AWOL from my trusty LJ. BOO. Check back later.
REVIEW:
Coming soon?