The supper show night before feeling

Somewhat afraid to disturb the flow of fine re-caps posted but disruption is what is needed on some nights.

think of a clear river flowing and then you take a stick and jab at the riverbed and watch the silt cloud up the water and flow downstream. Next thing you know a fish comes in to see what new thing might have been exposed in his world.

I'd say the jabbing was last Wednesday when the goal was to make it through the night without me playing the acoustic guitar meaning that we wouldn't play the stuff we rehearse... It was definitely a stick in the riverbed.

I didn't even have a drummer lined up yet Mule Hughes and Simian were in the house. I could have done a better job of using the talent but I think in some weird way it was some sort of a test for the 21tr crew. A chance to assess our skills and shine light on the strengths and weaknesses.

Wednesday march 22 we go back to the egg, where the biggest risk could be a few new songs that are perhaps under rehearsed... Sounds pretty comfortable.

S Robertson

March 15, 2006 Recap

Well...

Special Ides of March show, featuring the assassination of my ego; after playing almost weekly for a year in this venue with this group, the bar staff still have no idea that I'm in the frigging band.

Just jamming tonight. Not sure if any of it was any good.

Rob 'Mule' Hughes, just back from hanging out with Voivod in Montreal, took a welcome turn on the drums.

Then Super stripped to reveal that he was wearing a bra while the band played Iron Maiden's 'Running Free.'




ACM.

March 8 Recap

Decent enough crowd. The Eric Eyes band started off, and did a creditable job.

21TR were solid. Horn jam was brief but wide ranging; even denizins of that elegant Railway backroom got a blast.

I had the rest of the week off, and was in a bouyant mood. The talk turned to puppet shows. I foolishly guaranteed Pockets that I would deliver a puppet show based on a radio play called 'Practical Alternatives,' penned by Mule Hughes and produced by the elusive JR McClelland.

I featured in it as the Mad Scientist.

Stay tuned.




ACM.

March 1, 2006 Recap

Only the hardcore Supperholics in the crowd tonight. Pity, as Super brought cream horns.

I think it was Pete Townshend who once said, after The Who had delivered a great show to a sparse crowd, "we were playing for the people who weren't there."

This is perhaps a tough but crucial step in the evolution of a band; the ability to legitimately make people feel that they may have missed something worthwhile if they don't show up.

This evening's show was a good one. I thought the band recorded some personal bests with some of the tunes, particularly the newish 'Melasoma.'

There was also a pretty good jam thrown in, featuring a smoking walking bass groove by Alvaro Rojas, with some nifty spoken word stuff by Pockets and a woman whose name I don't know. Hobbs was in top casually-killing mode, and WB had a good time for once in his life, though he was careful not to show it.

Then there was a brief but insane three-man horn jam, led by a dapper Fireman.

The evening ended with a kind of made-up-on-the-spot punk tune. Not sure what that was all about.

Anyway, I liked it.



ACM.

FEB. 22nd Recap

Lots of gear on stage tonight. There were a lot of bands on the late bill, and the stage was like a Surrey pawnshop.

As for the show....where's the Mule when you need him? I'm sure he'd be able to give a pithy summary of the evening.

The thing with these kinds of blogs is that you want to be positive, but at some point it comes across as smileyfaced PR. Maybe it was just me, but there was a bit of a Team-Canada-playing-Switzerland-in-Turin vibe in the air.

21TR were drummerless, and though the formula has worked in the past, it seemed a bit laboured tonight. Shockk is pretty much indestructible in any guise, including Interior Design, which he offered up on this occasion. There was a jam at the end with A. Rojas on bass, Shockk on guitar, a Pronger-like WB on 2nd guitar, and Super on drums and vocals.

I've never been completely sold on drummers as vocalists. Ringo Starr would belt out the odd tune in the Beatlemania days, a gimmick that was reprised by Peter Criss and Kiss (although I think he generally stepped out from the kit for his balladeering). Then there was Don Henley, Triumph, and of course the guy from Night Ranger. I think Levon Helm pulled it off okay with the Band.

Of course the greatest vocal performance by a drummer took place a few years back at Cafe Du Soleil, when a black-fingernailed R. Hughes, playing in a trio called 'Restore' with Super and the Shockker, belted out his suburban anthem 'Fort' ("You couldn't find it, asshole, even if you tried!").

We could've used a bit of that tonight.



ACM.

Earl Parrish recalls

It's always hard to play a show on the same day that Canada gets eliminated from the men's Olympic hockey tournament. It makes for strange feelings. The lone good thing is that we can no longer say that head coach Pat Quinn is the greatest coach in the world, which is something that has been painfully obvious for about 4 years.

Anyway this is a supper show blog... so let's get on with this dog.

Great crowd tonight

No drummer for 21tr this evening but onstage was enough gear to sink an ocean liner. A few touring bands were in town and so their gear was up on stage lined all around the perimeter. This made a more intimate environment, S Robertson brought the damn drum kit anyway... just in case.

21TR played a fine set that perhaps was a bit too quiet and somber for a large crowd of depressed hockey fans.

Next up was Interior design who also was a bit thrown off by the kayos of the day. Fortunately it is impossible for Interior design to play badly.

To finish off the night S Robertson jumped on the drums with Alvaro on bass and Willingdon Black and Shockk on Dual guitars. The moment was to expand on the concept of Dave P. you can't always be like Dave P. but every once in a while you have got to think like him. The music was fantastic... they were excellent!

One of Dave P.'s Goals is to become the I world record holder for indoor rowing. The concept being that thinking along those lines is possibly a little extreme. It's a noble cause for higher beings which is great, and it's not for everybody, but that doesn't mean you have to sit in front of the TV and eat a box of bugles.

The night ended and we all went home still a little unsure of what the hell happened that day.

Mule-Eye View

I arrived shortly after the Supper Show began last night, and the music I heard drifting down the stairwell of the Railway Club was hi-fi in the extreme. 21 Tandem Repeats' sound has really taken a leap forward now that Alvaro Rojas has joined on bass and eventually, I hope, Chapman Stick. The set featured a new song called “-----oma,” with a cool riff/refrain that definitely got under my skin, and a 21 TR version of Supersimian’s “On Frozen Pond,” a number well suited to the clear, cool weather we’ve been enjoying when we’re not inside following the Olympic exploits of our nation's hockey teams or wincing at the succession of awesome spills on the luge track.

Yes, everything seems to be falling into place for 21 TR, save for a Super-approved nickname for their new recruit. Super solicited suggestions from the audience, but come on—the guy’s name is Alvaro Rojas. How can you possibly spice up, augment, or otherwise improve on that handle, except by pronouncing it with rolled Rs in the manner of Ricardo Montalban? The name outshines even Aljoz Mulej, one of WB’s former alter-egos. Hey Super—leave that name alone!

After 21 TR’s set everyone had to scramble for the last scraps of stage time, resulting in a typical Supper Show grab bag to round off the evening. Speaking of grab bags, someone left a stack of free CDs on the bar, from which I scored a copy of A Certain Trigger by Maximo Park. You can bet I left a satisfied customer.

TRH

Feb. 15/06 Recap

"You do look glum! What you need is a gramme of soma."

Aldous Huxley.

Soma was the imaginary drug in Aldous Huxley's 'Island.' I grew up on Huxley Avenue in Burnaby, except that it was named after the Victorian scientist Thomas Huxley, not the Bloomsbury writer Aldous Huxley. How do I know this? Because it was an English scientist neighbourhood; the next street over was Darwin, and the one after that was Halley.

And this ties into the Supper Show in that the band introduced a new tune tonight. The new song rhymes with 'soma,' but some (ie. one) band members are dissatisfied with the title, and are lobbying to have it changed.

Of course, this can be a tricky issue. I once played in a band (perhaps I still do ) for which I wrote a song called 'Reefer Girl.' The title came from an old pulp novel (one of my favorite sources for song titles), and was a tribute to a couple of people from my past. One of my musical compatriots took exception to the song's content. There was a heated discussion, but in the end I did change it, as I discovered a new pulp title ('Hotrod Sinner') that was more syllablistcally compatible with the riff.

Pause.

Super Robertson returned from California in an energetic mood, engaging the audience on various sundry matters. The set seemed decent from the stage. There was a brief interlude in which a guy named Dave delivered some stylish rapwork. Then another guy named David--better known as the Fire-Man--came up and played some horn. Then 50% of 21TR were summarily dismissed, and replaced with 33.3% of Roadbed, a.k.a. Shockk, who joined Roadbed Mk I for a version of 'Bent.'

Eric Eyes then got up on drums, and was met with an upbeat groove that caused him some angst. Deborah (landofdeborah.com), who appears on Devon Townshend's new album, as well as 21TR's new album, read the night's poem.


"..there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon..."

And four for a bright eternity at the Supper Show.



ACM.

Feb. 8th Recap

No Super Robertson tonight, which meant no 21TR. Super was down in California, apparently negotiating the framework of an upcoming reality TV series.

This left the surly bastard known as Willingdon Black as host.

Things got off to an uneasy start when a young Rasputinesque man came into the Railway and asked one of the barmaids to set up the television beside the stage. Soundman JLS was drawn into the endeavor, which made the building of the pyramids look like a casual task.

With things already running late, Willingdon Black stepped in, asking that no television be watched while the Supper Show proceeded. This was received with polite tension by the bearded man, who indicated that he wanted to watch the Grammy award telecast.

Perhaps it was fortunate that Eric Eyes was not able to procure a drum kit (though he did bring a digeridoo), as it cut down on the amount of sound gear setup, and things finally got underway with a set from King Dinosaur. KD had tickets to a Canucks game, but blew off the first period so he could perform (I imagine he wished he'd skipped the game altogether; the Canucks lost to the lowly Blues). His well-received set concluded with a cartoon-illustrated version of Clapton's 'Railway Song.'

Then came Dustin Rilcoff. His voice was in good form, and he offered up some groovy tunes. Willingdon Black sat in on a couple of them.

Interior Design closed the night, establishing a blend of virtuosity and peacefulness. The perfect culmination of an evening that was not as comfortably low key as it might have been.

Feb. 1st Recap

How about that! It looks like the title of the Jackass Has Haybreath/21TR tune 'Bay City Kitty' has similar origins to the name of Scottish pop outfit the Bay City Rollers. (I think Super suggested as much one time, but I scoffed dubiously).

According to a website called classicbands.com...

"The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop/rock band who began to take shape when they were known as The Saxons....
Wanting to change their name to something that sounded more 'American', they decided to stick a pin in a map of the United States to help them choose a new handle. The first attempt landed in Arkansas, but wanting something sexier, the next nearest place that appealed to them was Bay City, Michigan. The suffix 'Rollers' was added and the new name was complete."

Of course, Super Robertson penned the words to Bay City Kitty in honour of a family cat that 'bolted from the car' while the Robertson family was travelling through Michigan.

Anyway, the Jackass version contained a rather nifty bass line from Smash. I noticed that Alvaro Rojas, who once again stopped by for the first half of Supper Show, seems to have picked up on the same groove. Another one for the great minds think alike file.

Pretty decent 21TR set all around.

I seem to recall a poem moment, but I may have been daydreaming. Then Hobbs/Black/Robertson went back up.

Sim joined them for a version of 'Bill Von Bacon Tell' that was Withnailian in its utter dishevelment.

Dustin came up for a much better 'Curtain Draws.'

Then 'Last Call,' and that was it.

Dare I use the word 'consistency?'

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

December 28/06 Recap

There was a bit of a post-Christmas hangover vibe at the Railway this time around. Having said that, it turned out to be a decent-sized crowd; even the middle tables started filling up.

Dustin Rilcoff, aka Jack Freelance, roused himself from his sickbed to start the show off with a well-received two-song set. He was followed by the Shockker, in Interior Design guise.

Let me digress for a moment. I saw a movie over the holidays. It’s called ‘Sideways,’ and it’s about these two guys who go on a week-long road trip through California’s wine country. In one scene, the lead character, a keen wine aficionado, swills down a glass of Pinot Somethingorother.

“Quaffable,” he says “But hardly transcendent.”

Interior design has a CD out, and it’s transcendent. I tell you, this is a suberb record. It’s a Dom Perignon, 1953. This CD has the potential to be a soundtrack to your life for the next few years.

Anyway, back to the Supper Show.

After a four ‘song’ Interior Design set, it was time for 21TR. They (er...we) started with a somewhat perfunctory ‘Failure,’ followed by a similarly serviceable ‘Ditchpig.’ Super Robertson grabbed his bass for ‘Sanctuary,’ which was spiced up by Marjorie Robbins, and the classic ‘Bicycle Story.’ And then Fireman came up for a bit of a horn jam, which he brought to a close with a nifty and frantic flourish.

As Supper Shows go, it was quaffable.

But hardly transcendent.



W. Black.

December 22/06 Christmas Show Recap

No Wednesday Supper Show this week. Instead, a Thursday Christmas feast, featuring Solomon Standing, 21TR, Mongoose, and the Family Stump.

All in all, a four course meal, with the various musicians on hand offering up more chops than a butcher shop.

Le t's switch metaphors...

Like the national hockey team, steeped in depth with four solid lines, each band made an impression on its shift; each turning over to bring a different character and dimension to the game.

The crowd was solid all the way through the night, and sporting as much joie de vivre as the entertainers. It was a classic Railway mix, at times grooving in bunches in front of the stage, at times swelling on their feet to catch the action, and somtimes just sitting back, enjoying the tunes.

On the whole a great night. Thanks to all who came out.

December 14/05 Recap

A decently-sized and amiable crowd, their mood due partly to the holiday season and partly to being extensively plied with cream horns and peanut butter cookies.

The night starts with a SuperSimian duet. A nicely-delivered rendition of ….. (can't remember the song name).

Next up; 21TR. Shockk on drums. A solid enough set, highlighted by a Jack Freelance-fronted 'The Curtain Draws,' and sent off the rails a little by a weightless 'Bengal Tiger' and amphetamine-paced 'Fuse-Lit Bombs.' Frontman Super Robertson also decided to make a song up on the spot, which caused less consternation among his bandmates than usual.

After that, Willingdon Black and the Snake Island Salvage Company. A somewhat new feature to the Supper Show, featuring ACM as Bass Whisperer, with Super Robertson on Drums and the Shockker on guitar. Powered with some superb bass grooves (one of which was an excerpt from Rob 'Mule' Hughes' 'Saturn and the Beautiful White Devil'…we won't play it again without his permission). Jack Freelance offered up some nice rapwork, with Pockets contributing her usual canny insight. Fireman, the local music scene's own Rasputin, approached the stage, horn in hand, but was stopped at the 'door' by bouncer/drummer Robertson. The Fireman was, however, was allowed to deliver a re-cap of his own Flying Monkey's cult gathering, which took place the previous Saturday.

After that, there was an excited murmur in the crowd.

"That looks like Roadbed," said a voice.

"It is Roadbed!" said another.

And indeed it was. Super, Shockker and Sim on stage for a brief set of 'Gibbering Fool' and 'Provincial.'

Super Robertson complained afterwards of bass problems during the set, but it all sounded good out in the crowd. It was speculated by experts that Robertson's Fender Stu Hamm Signature Bass was simply acting up, having been so recently and expertly handled by Willingdon Black. When back in the hands of its owner, the bass rebelled by hurling itself at stationary objects and refusing to play in tune.

Bass Whisperer

I threw down a few lines of "Watchin' You" during the monkey horn jam last Wednesday. No one noticed.


W. Blackout.

I disagree totally

The Supper Show is great... Last week Willingdon Black sang Train Time, the week before Pockets led some spaz aerobics class. Does it get any better than that!

I thing the Mr. Spoil sport "this blog sucks turtle cocks", has a bad attitude, and an even worse sense of fine art.

The Supper Show is in fact the finest thing that has ever happened in a long, long time. Funny, great music, shocking, original, great music, and puppets made from the image of common faces seen at Canada Lynx Records events over the years.

I say Super Robertson and Willingdon Black et al are real Canadian hero's for doing what they do, and doing it with so much integrity.

I suspect that Mr. Spoil sport out there is venting some other problems.

Go poo on somebody elses blog.