Jan.25/06 Recap

"Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed
Or to victorie!"

They call it the Supper Robertson Supper Show, yet there was no Haggis at the Railway diner car. One had to settle for ham and salami pizza.

Or, as Burns himself would say:

"The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief and' pain,
For promis'd joy!"

For the second week in a row, 21TR kick off the proceedings. Again a good set, raised a notch when Alvaro Rojas joined the band on stage in the capacity of bass whisperer.

Then a solo accoustic set by Kingsway. Some nice tunes with a cool gritty edge to them. Neat voice...bit of a rasp to it which I liked.

Then came Pockets, ranting against a backdrop of Super on bass, ACM on guitar and Hobbs on drums playing 'Mr. Greenie.' She was joined partway through by her always inventive other half Chris, and the two of them launched into an explosive version of a tune that I believe was called 'Poop.'

And finally, a bit more 21TR (although Alvaro had left, racing crosstown to jam with one of the legendary Naso brothers). They closed with 'Last Call.'

For alchohol.

At the Railway Club.

In our city.

In Canada.



"O Whiskey! soul o' plays an' pranks!
Accept a Bardie's gratefu' thanks!"


ACM.

January 18/06 Recap

Getting a little behind on these things. Luckily each Suppershow is burned indelibly in my mind.

In the beginning, there was 21TR. (That reminds me of a song by the Australian hard rock band Heaven, who had a tune that featured the line "In the beginning, there was volume, and the Lord He said 'Go Bang Thy Head!")

Anway, we started the evening with 21TR, who played a decent set. Nicely-paced with some good stuff. Are we wearing out 'Hey Rock's Living Room?' Say something mathematical...say something metaphysical...each week a different 'say something.' It was the Mule who started this whole thing way back in the beginning, was it not? I'll have to start perusing the dictionary.

Then what? Oh yeah, a jam with Hobbs on drums, ACM on bass and Shockk on guitar. A lot of curtain action in this segment, with cameos by Robertson himself, as well as Pockets and Fireman. Needless to say, the jam was in F#.

Then Roadbed. It was the original lineup, featuring Hobbs on drums. Kind of like when Phil Rudd finally got back with AC/DC. 'Gibbering Fool,' 'Bent' and 'Scarbjacket.' I must say, Shockk was in serious tour-de-force mode on this occasion. I think this was the 'burned indelibly in my mind' part of the evening.


ACM.

Jan 11th Re-cap

A good crowd this week, seemingly in a 'let's get on with 2006' kind of mood.

First up, Dustin Rilkoff, aka Jack Freelance, with a two-song set. A solid one-two accoustic punch; JF can hold his own with just a guitar on a stage better than most.

Then 21TR, stretching out a bit for a longer set than usual. Brock Pytel joined in on drums this week, and did a great job. The band pulled out some less-travelled material, like 'Last Call' and one of my own favorites, 'Bay City Kitty.' It felt pretty good...I liked the set.

Then a special treat, as my dad once said, before serving me herring for breakfast. But no, this was a real treat, a puppet show from the Baboon Torture Division. If it was breakfast it would be French Toast with your choice of syrup, jam or honey.

And then what? Oh yeah, a poem moment, featuring musical backing from Eric Eyes, Brock, ACM, and a Fireman with a plan (and a new horn, which earned kudos from R. 'Mule' Hughes, who spoke of 'genuinely horn-like sounds,' and made reference to Miles Davis).

On with the year, folks.



W. Black.

January 4th Re-cap

Let's see, things got rolling with 21TR. A mellow set, maybe a bit too laid back, although it picked up a bit as it went. Sim came up for some impromptu SuperSimian, which is always nice. I thought Deborah was going to come up to join us for 'Blue Skies,' but for some reason that didn't happen.

Anyway, Deborah (TheLandofDeborah.com) was up next for a great little set of her own tunes. I like Deborah's voice very much, and she is also able to craft some top notch songs; involved without being esoteric, catchy without being banal.

The next act was a jam consisting of Sim on bass, Shockk and Jeff Younger on duelling guitars (electric vs. accoustic), and Stoke ACM on bass. It seemed to be a little off the rails, until S. Robertson, evidently inspired by New Years Eve at Babalong, got up and performed one of his burlesque routines.

Thanks to all who came out, and try to catch Deborah at one of her shows around town.



W. Black.

Resolutions

I resolve to maintain a balance between something that matters and something that does not.

I resolve to be more aggressive in keeping wooden hand made horns played by insane maniacs away from music exploring a more diverse set of note options.

I resolve to cut free from a drum kit for a while... Or at least have nights that don't always require a drum kit.

I resolve to try to make it fun for all involved.

SR