Thornley

Club Denim (Cowboys)
Guelph, Ontario
February 11, 2009

It sure is nice to see a top notch act give the cobwebs a shake in the old Club Denim downtown Guelph. I’ve heard it before, said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s one of the best sounding barns you’re gonna park your ears in.

Add to that, a killer sound man, with some of the loudest, best sounding equipment known to man and you’ve got the soundtrack to a great party.

Despite technical difficulties before the show, which actually worked out in our favour as the Denim’s sound system got a bit of an audio overhaul, Thornley managed to rise above it all and deliver a stellar performance.

Dumping a bucket o’ gasoline and lighting a match, Ian opened the night with a swift boot to the nuts, getting the bonfire burning with “So Far So Good”, arguably one of Ian’s best and definitely heaviest ass kickers.

Thornley’s numbers are to the extreme such that any true metal head can fully respect and appreciate his heaviness but also satisfy and appeal to any singer/songwriter/musician in the house as well.

Still touring in support of his amazingly well written and instantly classic album, “Tiny Pictures”, Ian openly admits he’d like to see the band finally achieve commercial success that escalates a guy from comfy living to easy living. He’s been tending to this garden far too long not to reap that golden harvest he’s been dreaming about while toiling in shit infested dives and sleeping in less than desirable quarters. Seems to me, the only way one can make this happen is to literally sell your souls to our brothers south of the border.

But alas, Ian is fighting the extreme uphill battle trying to win a fight that Canadians are finding increasingly difficult to take up arms. Not only is the music biz so tough these days, but especially for Canadians, the distance one must travel between major metropolitan centres in an effort to make friends from coast to coast is a grueling portage on both mind and machine. Your vehicle MIGHT make it across our little island called North America, but you MIND will be left behind in a few locations with no hope of ever getting it all back!

I saw Thornley at the beginning of this tour and he wowed me equally that first night as he did at Club Denim in Guelph. I guess when your band mates consist of musicians the calibre of Watchmen bassist Ken Tizzard, guitarist Paolo Somethingorother, and drummer Thatguy Behindtheplexiglass, you're bound to be making some great music night after night and having an awesome time doing it.

I can’t say it enough but I will say it again, go see Thornley. If you ever get the chance, just do it. Especially as a Canadian music supporter, you MUST find yourself in a Thornley audience some time soon. You’ll fuckin love it. But… bring earplugs, you're gonna need em!! ;)

The Phoenix
Toronto, Ontario
April 9, 2009

Seems to me, Thornley is one of those bands that when mentioned, most people don’t know who you’re talking about. But hum 3 notes from any of their numerous hits and people are naming that tune. From the newest radio mainstay “Make Believe” to the previous efforts like “Come Again” and “So Far So Good” to the oldies while penned in the now considered “retro” band, Big Wreck. Tunes like “The Oaf”, “That Song” and “Blown Wide Open” are instantly recognizable to anybody subject to Canadian rock radio.

My opportunity to finally take in a show fronted by Ian Thornley arose through a friend and I graciously accepted the offer to shoot in exchange for photos. My kinda deal. I got to the venue early enough to take in and witness one of the longest sound checks I’ve ever seen. The ones I usually see, the techs run around like madmen setting everything up and the band walks on to play a song or two and they’re gone. Not this time man. Most of the setting up had already been done by the time I got there so what I saw was the band walk on and do what seemed like a whole set. We’re talking 8 or 9 tunes at least. A little fuckin around on guitar, a little this n that.. I really wanted to hang around and watch the rest of the sound check but the crew I showed up with was really hungry as I always am, so we buggered off to get some food in our gullets.

We got back to the venue just in time to catch Inward Eye which I have to mention as being one of the best live bands I’ve seen for pure raw energy, original sounding material and a pleasingly humble confidence that puts these guys heads n shoulders above most of the new crap they try to tell us is music these days. Thornley seemed rather mellow in comparison to the 3 brothers from Winnipeg but what Thornley lacked in energy, he made up with his truckload of hugely recognizable tunes and talent.

I’ve read it somewhere before and I must reiterate or what the hell, plagiarize what’s already been said. Ian Thornley is Canada’s answer to Chris Cornell. He can fire up a tune worth moshing to with a voice that commands instant respect and admiration and then he can slow it down to an easy going crawl but still bring one to their knees with his talent and soaring vocals as demonstrated on the very last tune when he walked out onstage and just did his own thing.. him and his guitar.

The new album, “Tiny Pictures” was heavily and justly represented with a smorgasbord of the album’s numbers. Firing up the show with “Underneath the Radar” and the pulsating “Conscience or Consequence” but then thrust into the past with the classic “That Song” and back to the future for the huge radio hit, “Make Believe”. Tiny Pictures is just an amazing musical offering highlighted by the likes of “All Fall Down”, a jangley southern sounding hillbilly stomp that had me riveted during the sound check and stompin in the photo pit.

I can’t say enough about the new album. Just go get it. Unless you’re a 3 chord simpleton, dance music fanatic or into the latest 15 minutes of fame band, Thornley ain’t for you. If you want REAL music with substance, talent and thought involved, get moving. Record store. Tiny Pictures. It’s waiting for you.

Thornley Official Web Site

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