709 lines
32 KiB
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709 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
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| _ \ \ \ / -_) _| _ \ _| \__ \ _ \ \ _` |
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_\___/\_/\_/\___|_| \___/_| ____/\___/_| _\__, |
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____/
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Tower Of Song Canadian Culture E-zine
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Editor: Mike Winter
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mfw127@sparkle.usask.ca
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Issue #2
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September 26, 1994
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Table O' Contents
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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||Introduction||
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||The Thunder Bay Scene || ~ Michael Ball
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||Reviews and Stuff ~ Mike Winter/Electronaut
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Featuring::Music That Beavers Like
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:: Vinyl Up Yr Bum ||
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||Sloan Article\Gig Review\Interview|| ~ Keith Moen
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||Tour Dates a Plenty|| ~Various
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-
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=-=--=-=-=-=
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Introduction
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=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Well, welcome to the second issue of Tower of Song. Please submit stuff
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for the next issue, or even write me, as I would love to hear your
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comments on this issue. I would like a lot of diversity, Canada is a
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big country, and the 'zine is a bit Saskatoon-centric right now. If you want
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to see the first issue, just e-mail me, and we should have a ftp site set
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up by next issue. Get yr voice heard.
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Late Breaking Bulletin: I now have a mailing list set up, by which you
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can have future issues delievered to yr mailbox in a timely fashion!
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To subscribe send a message to: music-request@arts.usask.ca with the
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message text:
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subscribe music your-name
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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Thunder Bay's World Domination By Michael Ball
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Thunder Bay. I think this city should be re-named to 'Break Up' city. It seams
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many of the good, promising bands have either broken up or fallen by the
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way-side. Those that have left us, Fat Like Dad, Cold Fusion, and Mobious,
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three of the most prominent and hopeful bands, have left a big void in the
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local scene. Local bar owner Frank of Crocks N' Rolls, agrees. "It seams like
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there are no bands here any more" Frank quips as he sticks his head out of the
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Kitchen area. But alas, there is hope on the horizon, or tunes in the
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basement! Thunder Bay's best known band, Headcramp, has just released a full
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length CD titled 'Mind Blowing Beef-fest Spectacular' on Meathead Records.
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Distribution is handled by Cargo Records. The band had some bad luck this
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summer, as some of their equipment was stolen, delaying the tour. But rumour
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has it that A&R types are looking at the band. Good Luck! Another success is
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Mouth. After winning big at two contests, the band has made a full length
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album and hopes to have it out in the new year. Another spirited upstart is
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Love in Venice (see short bio following). LiV is in the studio recording the
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first single to be released on Meathead/Cargo Records and will have an album
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out in the spring. Look also for other young upstarts Julian to be making some
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waves soon. Are you happy Frank? Still the best place to play in Canada is
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found right in here in the Bay, Crocks N' Rolls. I think he is.
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-
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Love In Venice: Who are those guys? And where did they get those hats?
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Formed in the ashes of a dying Thunder Bay music scene, Love in Venice
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emerged like the Pheonix in the late summer of 1994. Consisting of songwriters
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Mahlon Ward (voices) and Michael Ball (guitar), bassist Rob Hole (who secretly
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is Gene Simmons - shhh!) and the rhythmic drumming of Arek Wojciechowski.
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Combining powerful lyrics and strong emotion with an emphatic stage presence,
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Mahlon Ward is a natural lead for the band. Charged enthusiasm, combined with
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the members' unconventional music palettes, have created the Love in Venice
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experience.
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Love in Venice quickly emerged as a driving force. Playing at all levels
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of the club scene, the band became popular for their high energy sound and
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near chaotic stage shows. The music is heavy on groove and strong on feel.
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The very nature of the band and their music, with free flowing songs and
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extended guitar playing, is reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix or The Doors. Songs
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like 'Ride the Eagle' and 'Horse' have a late sixties feel while 'Dream the
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Unknown' is solid mosh music. The lyrical style is that of emotional
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fragmented youths trying to make sense of the world and themselves.
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In the fall of 1994 the band will be releasing a single from Meathead
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Records and distributed through Cargo Records. The song, 'Kool Kendra', will
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be a lead-off single to an upcoming album. The album will contain only a
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sample of the prolific song writing of Love In Venice and is experimental
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in many ways. Look for a January release and Cargo Records distibution.
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Music for themselves. Music for the people. Love in Venice.
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Touring, promotional and other information on the band can be made
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through ballm@gov.on.ca or by contacting: Pandemonium Productions, 400 West
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Arthur Street, Suite 5, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7E 5R2. Band info can also be
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found on the 'SloanNet': jrcovey+sloan@ac.dal.ca
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Reviews And Such By Mike Winter
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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--
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Eric's Trip _Gordon Street Haunting_
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Chris, the guitarist for Eric's Trip, has talked about how the band
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tries to distil an element of magic in all their recordings. Rock
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'n' Roll after all is a pagan pursuit. The beauty of Eric's Trip
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is that their noble pursuit is so often achieved, with a sound like
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Sebadoh should have. Following up _Love Tara_, the best album of
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1993, _Gordon Street Haunting_ is a holdover release until their
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new lp comes out on SubPop in the fall. You can feel the magic of
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the band in the ominous guitar squeal of 'I'm so Near Here' before
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the power chords crash over you in pure danceable white noise. Or
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the haunting mystical melodies of 'Departure Song' and 'Lightly
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Feeling'. With this release Eric's Trip strengthens their position
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as Canada's best band.
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--------
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Jale _Dreamcake_
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After a series of great singles on Canadian labels such as
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Cinnamon Toast and Derivative, Jale hit the bigtime this year,
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signing with SubPop and releasing their debut LP _Dreamcake_. To
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resort to cheesy metaphors, _Dreamcake_ leaves the same impression
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as the fluffy pink cake on the cover; nice to look at but not a
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full meal. I think I should like this album more then I do, there
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are some great songs like 'Not Happy' 'Again' and 'Promise', but
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for some reason a lot of the melodies and riffs don't' stick on me
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the way their vinyl releases did. At Jale's best they sound like
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a more danceable Breeders, at their worst just bad girl-rock
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sludge. All in all, a pretty good album, if not quite up to their
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potential, and I have a feeling that it will grow on me.
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-
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Triston Psionic _Sounds of Triston Psionic_
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Sure, there's the sonic freakout at the beginning of 'Screamin' Beamin' and
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the Daydream Nationy intro to 'The Nightmare Returns', but deep down these
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fellers are all punk-pop despite their noisy aspirations. After appearing
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on a host of compliations and seven inchers, many on their self-run label
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Sonic Unyon and a cross-country tour with Eric's Trip, the band finally got
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ten songs together for this release. The band is suprisingly tight and
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really hit some highs on songs like '25 cents' 'Nightmare.."and 'Ketchup'
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when the melodies groove and the chunky guitars really kick in. All in all,
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a durn fine release and definite promise of great things to come.
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Music that Beavers Like By the Electronaut
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Hello hardy Canadians and friends of music everywhere. This is a review
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column focusingexclusively on Canadian bands. Call me biased, but I think the
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canuck bands are among the best on the planet. An let's be honest, the canuck
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music scene is exploding with such force that the shrapnel is falling on all
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four corners of the globe. I'd like to think of myself as kind of a guide who
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charts this glorious explosion by writing really long and hopefully somewhat
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informative reviews on the plethora of great canuck bands currently making the
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scene. A good deal of my free time goes into music. Listening to it, talking
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about it, doing shows at the local community radio station, and buying and
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selling it.
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------
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Sister Lovers _Giver, the Official Bootleg Album_
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This is the blissful result of what you get when you mix one part Sister
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Lovers with one part strong alcoholic beverages an leave them to their
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own devices in their basement recording studio. Right from the getgo
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'Vancouver's most fun loving pop band' rock out with the awe-inspiring
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'Ritalin Kidz'. If this tune doesn't have what it takes to be an anthem for
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todays disenfranchised 20-somethings I don't know what does. Other tunes of
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note include 'It takes a certain kinda man to chain his wallet to his pants!
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(Petey Wheatjeans comment on modern fashion), 'Tutti's Tits' (homage to the
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lovable facts of life star) "Clap for the Nardwuar" (a tribute to everybody's
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favourite Canuck dj) and covers "Crazy Nights" (bass player Jstar sings the
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Beat's "Dreaming", which is hot stuff at CITR). Any way you slice it, these
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mutants of pop culture are a national treasure. And speaking of pop culture,
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guitarist Klienz recently dethroned the former kings of pop trivia, LA's
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Redd Kross on Vancouver radio with a killer quiz. GO CANADA!. Anyhow,
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_Giver_ is essential listening. Buy this and I'll see you in musical heaven.
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Also look for a full length CD which they are currently recording,
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tentatively called 'Carnivorous Plants'
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Horrifying Circus Music
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PO Box 78069
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2606 Commercial Dr.
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Vancouver, BC
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V5N 5W1
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--
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Smugglers _Wet Pants Club_
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Ah, the Smugglers. The an that put the ass in Canadian Ambassadors. To
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be frank, I love the Smugglers. Their illustrious recording history
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includes:appearing on the first four releases of Nardwuar Records, a full
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length for Seattle's Pop Llama records and then a retrospective album
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featuring lots of old and some new stuff, and a great 7" for Mint records
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(not to mention a split 7" with the Hoods, an appearance on Puck Rock
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Vol. 1 and an EP for Spain's Radiation Records). To get to the point, all of
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this aforementioned only serve to inflate the giant, powerful Smugglers
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balloon that has hovered ominously over the Canadian music scene for
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years. Their new full-length kind of deflates the balloon, making it a little
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flaccid. Don't get me wrong, _Wet Pants_ isn't a bad album, it just doesn't
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live up to previous efforts.
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Problems:
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a. There are no Dave Carswell rockers like 'Your Mom's the Devil' or
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'Superstar'
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b. Too many covers. 'Big House' is good but 'Pacificia Stomp', 'Luau' an
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'Lies' aren't too hot, and Kiss like a Nun has already been released.
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I like 'Time Marches On', 'Mach 1','Surrender'and 'Amnesia' a lot, but
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there's' just too much filler on this album. If you're a fan of the band, this
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album is worth having for the hilarious liner notes by Nardwaur, a rad
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silhouette drawing by Robynn Iwata of Cub, an a candid of 'les Schmugs'on
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a scary log ride. If you're a first time listener, I would recommend getting
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'In the Hall of Fame' or'Prty Pooper ! 7' They kick butt!
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Radiation Records
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Ado.1427
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48080 Bilbao
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Spain
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---------
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Tristan Psionic _Songs of Tristan Psionic_
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The good news about songs is that the production is such that the bands
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great live feeling is allowed to come blasting through your speakers.
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honestly, T. Psionic is the most incredible live band! When they pased
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through S'toon at the beginning of the summer with Eric's Trip and played
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at our local punk all age club, their set got me dancing like such a fool that
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all the locals who didn't think T. Psionic were hardcore enough wanted to
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pound the snot out of me.
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While these guys are definitely disciples of Sonic Youth, they're not ripoffs
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in any way. They take frenzied, eking, fuzzy guitar experimentation an
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wield it into kinda melodic, pretty darn catchy songs.
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Plus Tristan psionic deserves utter respect by any proud Canuck because
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two members of the band are also head honchos of the great new Sonic
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Unyon label which is a collective of sorts that is responsible for helping a
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lot of bands put out their music that otherwise would not get heard
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outside of Ontario.. Which is cool.
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Sonic Unyon
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PO box 57347
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Jackson Station
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Hamilton, On
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L8P 4X2
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---------
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DBS _Catch 22_
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In a world where cheesy Epitath bands like Offspring represent punk music
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to the majority of the country, it's refreshing to see that not all of our
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youthhave been corrupted by SoCal sap. These fifteen year olds from
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North Van thatk eusch a lightheared approach to their tunes tat you'll find
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yourself chukling an singing along with songs like 'runaway','cheating at
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solitaire','lalala' and 'wayout'. DBS can't stand bands who take themselves
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too serioulsy or use their shows\records as a vehicle to express their
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political beliefs. Instea, they sing about 'girls,dead bodies,ex-girlfriends'.
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Another neat thing about the ban is that while they fall best into the
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category of harcore, they don't have that generic monotonous 'every song
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sound the same' sound. This is due to the various semi-silly subject matter,
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an realy quirky, cool, surprisingly talented gutiar playing. Punk dittys
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about best friends who move away and people who realize that cheating at
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solitaire is wrong are a rollicking good time.
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Jes @ 980-5202
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-------
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Vinyl Up Yr Bum
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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-------
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Ten Days Later _Go With the Flow_ 7"
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Oh yah, Ten Days late is "that other all-female band from Vancouver."
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While the band may not receive as much media attention as Cub, that
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doesn't stop them from rocking out. Take peppy, driving, somewhat punky
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guitars, throw in a singer who is so melodic,she could single handedly get
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the band a deal with K records if she wanted to, ada pinch of fun lyrics and
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sing along choruses, an you'll have a pretty good idea of whatTen Days
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Late sounds like. Checkout how the label art on the b-side magically
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transforms the little pole on your record player into a naughty private part.
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(Rude? Vulgar? Crass? Totally. Good fun? Definitely!)
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Lark Records
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PO Box 162
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916 W. Broadway
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Vancouver BC
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V5Z 1K7
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-Electronaut
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------
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Kat Rocket _Coffee Shop Philosophers_ 7"
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A nice slab of vinyl from this Ontario four piece, apparently in advance of
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an upcoming long player. English-style guitar (when IS the new MBV
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coming out anyways) flows nicely with the standard issue haunting female
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vocalist. The a-side is a protest song about Bosnia that, suprisingly,
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doesn't come off as trite, while the b-side is a nicely atmosphereic tale of
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broken love. Reccomened
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Hoodwink Records
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256 Betty Ann Drive
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Willowdale, Ont.
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M2R 1AB
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-Mike
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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Me, Myself, and Sloan By Keith Moen
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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Preview
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Sloan/Thrush Hermit
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Thursday, September 15, 1994
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Louis' Pub, University of Saskatchewan
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As a youngster, I vividly recall watching Toni Basil perform
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her then new single "Mickey" on American Bandstand. Sitting in my
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pajamas on that Saturday morning, eating Honeycomb cereal, I was
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inspired. I knew I was hearing something special, something that
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would endure, something that regardless of how hokey it was, was
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here to stay.
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I also recall getting an unmarked tape a few years ago from a
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friend who is a live sound engineer based out of Vancouver. He had
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just returned from a tour of the West Coast and had spent
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considerable time in both Los Angeles and Seattle meeting with
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industry professionals and musicians. He claimed to have happened
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upon a band from Seattle whom he felt were going to be the next
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big thing. Over the next several weeks I listened to the cassette
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of this unnamed band regularly and found it to be hook-filled
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power pop, and decided the first song had anthem potential. I then
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lost this nameless band's tape and, although I wondered who they
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were from time to time, never pursued a replacement copy. Months
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later this anthem song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and the band
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Nirvana were tearing through the pop charts and redefining the
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musical landscape for a generation.
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The emotional impact each of the above musical experiences had
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on me is comparable to my feeling upon first listening to Sloan's
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latest effort Twice Removed (DGC Records). The album is well-
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crafted but not crafty; precise without pretension; a calculated
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gamble for the band without a calculated feel. It is pure guitar-
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based pop, as pop once was, and as pop will be Q and has already
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begun to become Q again. It is a strong and diverse effort, and
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one which will either bring the Halifax band a whole new legion of
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fans (and the lucrative U.S. market), or undermine existing
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support of fans unwilling to evolve with the band. There is no
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doubt Sloan has grown since the release of its debut album Smeared
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in 1992.
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"We're four distinct songwriters evolving at four different
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rates and in four separate directions," says bassist and vocalist
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Chris Murphy. "Some people look at that as a problem but we see it
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as being democratic. It's also volatile. Fortunately, we channel
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that potential for an explosion into the music." Twice Removed is
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clearly a tribute to the band's ability to write separately but
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work collectively. The process that tears many bands apart seems
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to add a vigour and energy to Sloan's music. It has served the
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band well.
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The strength, quality, and maturity of the song-writing also
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seems to be a major difference between the debut and sophomore
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albums. Guitarist Patrick Pentland says that while the songs on
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Smeared were done in true garage rock fashion, the songs on Twice
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Removed were mostly written in relaxed and personal settings, and
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on acoustic guitar. It is natural, then, that the resulting album
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is light and stripped down compared to the loud guitars and
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fuzzbox riffing which characterize Smeared.
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Band members claim their experiences of the last two years are
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featured prominently in the lyrics on Twice Removed. During that
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time band has toured extensively in Canada, Europe and the United
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States, and established their own record label, Murderecords,
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based in Halifax. The label has released E.P.'s by Eric's Trip,
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Hardship Post, and Thrust Hermit, who are the opening act on
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Sloan's current tour. Murderecords is also marketing a limited
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edition vinyl release of Twice Removed. "We can't help but rant
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and rave about what's happened in the last two years. It's true to
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our lives," Pentland says.
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Although comparisons are unfair and often misleading, Sloan was
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categorized by many when Smeared was released and criticized for
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hopping on the grunge bandwagon. Twice Removed is ample evidence
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that many of those original complaints were unfounded, or at least
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pidgeon-holed a band with loftier talents and aspirations.
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Strangely enough, though, even more comparisons are now being
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drawn with the release of the new album. Drawing from the
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foundations of pop/rock music, there are echoes of the Beatles and
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early Rolling Stones. More modern comparisons include the
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Pretenders (is it just me or does Jay Ferguson sound just like
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Chrissie Hynde on "I Hate My Generation"), Lou Reed, XTC, and
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Matthew Sweet. Comparisons have even focused on guitarist Jay
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Ferguson's suggested resemblance to Mick Jagger and Murphy's
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resemblance to Jim Morrison. All things considered, the band is
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sharing some fine musical company.
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Anyone who has seen Sloan perform and is now fearing an
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"unplugged" style concert can set those fears aside. There are
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clear signs in several of the songs on Twice Removed ("Pen Pals,"
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"Worried Now," "Coax Me") that they will fit right in to a live
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set known to keep limbs flailing on the dance floor. Commenting on
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the difference between the album and a live show, Pentland says:
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"These are the songs (on the album) that we wrote the way that we
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wanted to present them. If we are going out on some limb, well
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that is what makes playing and writing in a band satisfying and
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fun. Come and see us play, that is the only cool aspect of the
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band as far as I'm concerned."
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--------
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Sloan with opening act Thrust Hermit plays Thursday, September
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15, at Louis'.
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Before Sloan's performance at Louis' on Thursday, September 15,
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I had a chance to speak with guitarist Jay Ferguson about
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influences, the new album, and the current tour.
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Sheaf: "How has the tour been going so far and what has the crowd
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reaction been like to the new album?"
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Jay: "It's been all right. This is the fifth show unfortunately
|
|
it's not all ages but the last time we played in Saskatoon the
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|
club was full and it was fun. The crowd response to the new record
|
|
has been great and we are essentially playing sold-out shows right
|
|
across Canada."
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|
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Sheaf: "Are you enjoying the same success in the United States?"
|
|
Jay: "It's great in the mid-West and good on the coasts. In places
|
|
like Boston, Detroit, Washington D.C., and San Francisco were get
|
|
the same sort of response as we do in Canada. The shows in the
|
|
South, particularly the swing through Texas, Louisiana, and
|
|
Alabama is hard. We still play a lot of small clubs there."
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|
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|
Sheaf: "What's your favourite part of being in a band?"
|
|
Jay: "The live shows are really fun, but touring is long and
|
|
stressful. I like recording and I like staying at home. We have
|
|
our own record label Murderecords which we work on a lot and
|
|
that's my favourite thing."
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|
|
|
Sheaf: "So the band is your job then?"
|
|
Jay: "I haven't had a job in two and a half years. This is
|
|
basically all I've done and it's great. It's been my total dream
|
|
since I was five years old. After seeing Kiss on t.v. and buying
|
|
Destroyer this is what I've wanted to do."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "The new album Twice Removed has a lot more refined sound
|
|
than the debut Smeared. I expect this is due to working with a
|
|
producer and in a studio."
|
|
Jay: "Right. We basically just knocked off the first one in our
|
|
friend's bedroom, and added bits a pieces later on evenings and
|
|
weekends. This one was sort of like our first real album in a real
|
|
studio. We actually planned out all the songs, and it took a long
|
|
time for arrangements and pre-production. We did demos by
|
|
ourselves at home and had our producer, Jim Rondonelli, come to
|
|
Halifax to help us practice and whip us into shape. Then we went
|
|
to New Jersey for three months to record the album."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "What was it like working with a real producer for the
|
|
first time?"
|
|
Jay: "At times it was a little hard because the four of us are
|
|
pretty headstrong as to what we want. It was all right having him
|
|
around; he helped us get sounds and things like that. At times it
|
|
was frustrating and I'm sure it was frustrating for him working
|
|
with us. There were a lot of clashes but he was good at being the
|
|
politician between us and the record company."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "Did the four of you stay pretty unified as far as your
|
|
goals for the album?"
|
|
Jay: "Pretty much. There was a lot of not fighting or anything but
|
|
back and forth in the pre-production stages. Not necessarily about
|
|
what songs we should record but how they should be approached and
|
|
things like that. I feel the four of us had been ironed out before
|
|
we went into the studio."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "Did you take those songs into the studio written
|
|
individually or collectively?"
|
|
Jay: Most of it is either done by one person or two people; it
|
|
sort of depends on the song. But there is not usually a lot of
|
|
four-way collaboration. It's not like "Hey, I've got a riff, let's
|
|
jam." There's nothing like that.
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "Did that happen with the first album?"
|
|
Jay: "Peppermint and Smeared were both recorded at the same time.
|
|
For that session we didn't have any idea; we just went in and
|
|
recorded. It wasn't as planned out. If someone wanted to lay some
|
|
more guitars on it, we tried it. We went in and recorded a ton of
|
|
stuff and for mixing we'd just add some guitar here and take some
|
|
guitar away there, then build it up. With this record we pretty
|
|
much had the idea of all the parts before we went in. So this one
|
|
was a lot more planned. The first one was just a total free-for-
|
|
all, basically."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "How do you feel about the comparisons that have been drawn
|
|
in response to the new album between Sloan and early Rolling
|
|
Stones, the Beatles, the Pretenders, XTC, and other very
|
|
traditional pop/rock bands?"
|
|
|
|
Jay: "That's fine. I love those bands and those records. Twice
|
|
Removed is a bit more traditional and straightforward than our
|
|
last record. It's straightforward but it is also sort of all over
|
|
the place. I like a lot of variety when I listen to a record. I
|
|
don't like the same thing repeated twelve times like on a Smashing
|
|
Pumpkins record. I don't mind those comparisons at all because I
|
|
love all of those bands."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "All of you guys must have grown up listening to those
|
|
records, particularly the late seventies/early eighties music."
|
|
Jay: "I did, but not the other guys. We all grew up listening to
|
|
Kiss. After that Chris was totally into Rush and all that stuff.
|
|
Then in grade ten he got his head turned around by Minor Threat
|
|
and American hardcore. Patrick and Andrew grew up listening to
|
|
Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but Andrew was also into Bauhaus,
|
|
Joy Division, and things like that. I don't know how many of them
|
|
were Jam fans. I don't think Patrick was. He was into metal and
|
|
AC/DC a lot , but he was also into the Cure, Sisters of Mercy, and
|
|
the Cult. I started working in a record store when I was twelve,
|
|
and my boss was a huge Pretenders fan. I also knew all these older
|
|
guys who hung around the store who were really into the Jam and
|
|
the Specials. I didn't know anything about those records but I'd
|
|
buy them and go home and listen to them. So most of my influences
|
|
come from hanging around a record store when I was twelve and
|
|
thirteen years old."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "How does it feel to be compared looks-wise to Mick
|
|
Jagger?"
|
|
Jay: "I've gotten that a few times; I think it's my new haircut.
|
|
My girlfriend cut my hair just before we went to do our new video
|
|
(for the song "Coax Me"). I had been watching the video for the
|
|
Jam's "A Town Called Malice" and I decided I wanted my hair like
|
|
that, so I guess it kind of ended up as a hybrid."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "What do you think of the video?"
|
|
Jay: "The whole thing was our idea, basically, and we just got a
|
|
bunch of money to do it. It was inspired by a bootleg I have of
|
|
the Rolling Stones playing on Top of the Pops in 1967. We tried to
|
|
emulate all of the camera moves. But MuchMusic hates it. They put
|
|
it in an optional rotation, so programmers only play it if they
|
|
want to. They played it a bit when we first handed it in, but then
|
|
it really tailed off. We shot it on video, which I think annoyed
|
|
them a bit, and they said we looked really bored in it. We're
|
|
really happy with it though."
|
|
|
|
Sheaf: "What's next when this tour is over?"
|
|
Jay: "The Canadian tour we're on now goes for eight weeks. Then
|
|
we'll go home, and we'll be going to Europe either in November or
|
|
just after Christmas. We have a few new songs in the works, and
|
|
there's always a lot to do with Murderecords. It'll be busy."
|
|
|
|
------
|
|
|
|
|
|
Review: Sloan with Thrush Hermit
|
|
Louis'
|
|
Thursday, September 15, 1994
|
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|
|
|
|
Sloan loosens up for crowd-pleasing
|
|
performance
|
|
|
|
On Thursday, September 15, Halifax band Sloan took to the stage
|
|
at Louis' in front of a packed house for an evening of energetic
|
|
and entertaining music.
|
|
|
|
The performance was centered on material from their new album
|
|
Twice Removed. The crowd was also treated, though, to a number of
|
|
cuts off of the band's debut album Smeared. Although the dance
|
|
floor was essentially full for the entire set, it reached overflow
|
|
levels during Sloan classics "Underwhelmed" and "I am the Cancer."
|
|
|
|
The show opened with a rousing and comical introduction by
|
|
Thrust Hermit bassist Ian McGettigan. Sloan then ripped into a
|
|
relaxed but heavy-sounding version of "Pen Pals," the lead track
|
|
on Twice Removed. This loose but true approach to the songs
|
|
remained throughout the performance.
|
|
|
|
The concert also featured excellent versions of "Bells On,"
|
|
"Coax Me," and "Deeper Than Beauty," all featured on Twice
|
|
Removed. Perhaps the most memorable song of the night, other than
|
|
"Underwhelmed" which worked the crowd into a complete frenzy, was
|
|
drummer Andrew Scott's "People of the Sky." Scott came out front
|
|
to play guitar, while guitarist Jay Ferguson moved to bass and
|
|
Chris Murphy moved to drums. The song was both funny and catchy,
|
|
and will be the second single from Twice Removed.
|
|
|
|
The high point of the evening which essentially everyone
|
|
missed, unfortunately, was Sloan's pre-show sound check. Due to
|
|
several technical problems, the check was lengthy but thus
|
|
provided the band with the opportunity to have some fun. In the
|
|
very relaxed atmosphere of the empty bar, the bad cut into several
|
|
tunes including U2's "Seconds," Joe Jackson's "Pretty Boys," and
|
|
the Who classic "Tommy." They also did masterful renditions of
|
|
"Coax Me," "Worried Now," and a hilarious version of "People of
|
|
the Sky." It was a treat to see a band obviously enjoying each
|
|
other, and having a great time.
|
|
|
|
Thrush Hermit opened the show with a solid and tight if
|
|
unspectacular set. Although still quite young (a couple of members
|
|
are just a year out of high school), they performed like wily
|
|
veterans. Their sound seemed similar to that of the headliners,
|
|
but rooted more in American than British pop/rock music.
|
|
Comparisons that came to mind during the performance included some
|
|
of the more interesting Cheap Trick and the Buzzcocks. Although
|
|
the crowd on the whole seemed somewhat disinterested in their set,
|
|
the response was good given it was Thrush Hermit's first visit to
|
|
Saskatoon. Expect good things to come from the band.
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
S>U>B
|
|
P<O<P
|
|
|
|
Sub Pop On the Road, 09/20/94
|
|
For more information contact Joyce Linehan at joycel@subpop.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eric's Trip
|
|
-----------
|
|
Booking agent: Contact Sub Pop East
|
|
|
|
October
|
|
2 Halifax Pop Explosion, Halifax, NS
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jale
|
|
----
|
|
Booking agent: Boche, Billions Booking
|
|
|
|
September
|
|
28 Halifax Pop Explosion, Halifax, NS
|
|
October
|
|
6 Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ
|
|
7 The Stone Pony, Ashbury Park, NJ
|
|
8 CBGB, New York, NY
|
|
9 Local 186, Allston, MA
|
|
11 The Grogge Shoppe, Clevland Heights, OH
|
|
12 Double Door, Chicago, IL
|
|
21 Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
|
|
23 Stache's, Columbus, OH
|
|
27 Cicero's, St. Louis, MO
|
|
28 Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS
|
|
29 The Blue Note, Columbia, MO
|
|
|
|
|
|
:::: S A B R E T O U Q U E r e c o r d s ::::
|
|
|
|
proudly presents ...
|
|
|
|
ADAM WEST's Brunswick Hotel Tour...
|
|
|
|
September 24 ADAM WEST @ the Commodore, Vancouver, BC
|
|
September 25 ADAM WEST @ Harpo's, Victoria, BC
|
|
September 27 ADAM WEST @ the Bronx, Edmonton, AL
|
|
September 28 ADAM WEST @ the Republic, Calgary, AL
|
|
September 29 ADAM WEST @ Saskatoon, somewhere, details when I get them
|
|
October 4 ADAM WEST @ Crocks and Rolls, Thunder Bay, ON
|
|
|
|
|
|
excerpted from P. W. Casual's Gig Listings. finger pwcasual@io.org
|
|
for further listings ( ...and the update to the elusive Sask. date
|
|
cited above)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The following is a list of the Canadian performances for Loreena McKennit's Fall '94
|
|
North American Tour:
|
|
|
|
Oct. 26-28 Stratford, ON Avon Theater
|
|
Oct. 29 Banff, AB To be confirmed
|
|
Oct. 30 Calgary, AB Jack Singer Concert Hall
|
|
Oct. 31 Edmonton, AB Jubilee Auditorium
|
|
Nov. 06,07 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
|
|
Nov. 08 Ottawa, ON National Arts Center
|
|
Nov. 10 Montreal, PQ Place des Arts
|
|
Nov. 21 Halifax, NS Rebecca Cohn Theater
|
|
Nov. 22 Charlottetown, PEI Confederation Center
|
|
Nov. 23 St. John, NB Imperial Theater
|
|
Nov. 25,26 Quebec City, PQ Le Grand Theatre
|
|
Dec. 08 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theater
|
|
|
|
For American tour dates, or for further info on the above dates,
|
|
call 1-800-361-7959.
|
|
|
|
|
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