Mother Mother @ The Plaza, Tonight

Whenever I make a crack about the Barenaked Ladies, there is always someone with good taste that pipes up to say, "You know I actually saw them live once and they really impressed me." This has happened enough times for me see that being corny and being a good performer are not mutually exclusive traits.

When talking about Vancouver's Mother Mother, I only bring up The Barenaked Ladies because they, too, are a Canadian band that cross-pollinate acoustic pop, folk, jazz, and rock, use harmony, and have a sense of humour. And, as it seems, they both have a very charismatic live performance.

A brother, sister, and college pal initially formed Mother Mother as an acoustic trio in 2005. After adding a bassist and drummer, the five-piece toured and gained some recognition on the festival circuit. At last year's Pop Montreal Festival, reps from Last Gang Records--home to Metric and MSTRKRFT--watched Mother Mother perform and knew they had to sign them.

Upon first listen of their debut record, "Touch Up",--made with the help of Kurt Dahle and Howard Redekopp (New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara)--it's refreshingly difficult to find comparisons. Among the jambalaya of country, modern pop, acoustic blues, and pre-rock vocal harmony, you can clearly discern their classical and jazz training--they are sharp musicians who can comfortably jump in and out of character. The opener, "Dirty Town," sounds like Foghorn Leghorn headlining at CBGB and is the perfect introduction to their whimsy and undeniable hooks. And while I see The Barenaked Ladies as corny, Mother Mother's humour is inflected more with inky wit and mischief. It's that playful kind of sound that makes CBC Radio 3 so eclectic and I could easily see Mother Mother sharing a bill with CocoRosie, The Be Good Tanyas, and Pixies.

kenton, debra-jean, ryan, molly, jeremy = mother mother

For some it may be a bit too much a of departure from the current indie pop scene. It's unusual to hear such an unplugged sound and savvy melodies, and I'm reminded of the reactions to the Swing revival during the 90s when everyone was listening to Grunge and Gangsta Rap: it's playful, well-crafted music by trained musicians that stands quite separate from the current pop landscape. That said, they would be well-served by some rough edges and the patina that will eventually come with time.

Mother Mother plays tonight at the Plaza Club on the third stop of their national tour. You can expect a tight performance--reviews for their previous shows have been overwhelmingly positive, and a friend of mine even saw them play a house party last year and said they were outstanding.

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MOTHER MOTHER + THE BUTTLESS CHAPS + Guests
@ The Plaza Club, 881 Granville
Tickets at Zulu, Scratch, Red Cat, Highlife & www.clubzone.com
Show your Jeff O"neil Weenie Roast Ticket stub and get in free!
MOTHER MOTHER on stage at midnight - so you've got time to make it!