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Gardens & Villa are back and they will make you dance

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Having just recently dropped the Televisor EP shortly after Dunes Gardens & Villa are half way through their North American tour.

Both the album and the EP were reflective of the band’s experiences and collective vision embossed by the production gifts of Tim Goldsworthy (Cut Copy, DFA Records, Hercules & Love Affair) and Richard Swift (The Shins, Foxygen, Wake Owl). As a result new records are very smooth and sonic, a sound that generally flows well during a live set.

This Santa Barbara five-piece played a late show in Toronto’s Garrison on Saturday. The venue itself is one of those back room divey live performance rooms that is not know for neither good sound nor good lighting, reasons that deter many people from attending shows there. This time was not much of an exception and with a rather lengthy and abrupt performance by SANDY Alex G the night was off to a rough start, but as soon as Gardens & Villa took the stage the evening took a sharp turn to promise-land.

The stage was lit up with translucent triangle shapes which gave the venue a very refreshing new look. The room filled in just as G&V went into their first track with which we all went on a sonic journey. Shifting from foot to foot, bopping, frantically dancing or slow dancing everyone in the room was tuned into the G&V wavelength.

As expected, Garden & Villa deliver a fantastic live performance of mesmerizing ambience with sing-along lyrics delivered by Chris Lynch’s soft eccentric voice. It was hard to pin point which track stood out most but it is safe to say this intimate Toronto crowd was into the highlights of the album from “Bullet Train” all the way back to “Black Hills.”

This was the Garrison at it’s best and Garden & Villa made it happen. Whatever the weather, this show will be worth your time.

TOUR DATES:  
Wed. Oct. 15 – Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room at The Crofoot
Thurs. Oct. 16 – Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
Fri. Oct. 17 – Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin: der Rathskeller
Sat. Oct. 18 – Ames, IA @ The Maintenance Shop
Sun. Oct. 19 – Kansas City, MO @ The recordBar
Tues. Oct. 21 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Wed. Oct. 23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Thurs. Nov. 6 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
Fri. Nov. 7 – San Antonio, TX @ 502 Bar
Sun. Nov. 9 – Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
Thurs. Nov. 20 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Fri. Nov. 21 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Sat. Nov. 22 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Sat. Dec. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex

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