SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-Bathurst Street Theatre, Toronto, ON (April 4 & 5 1997).
The Rheos played two nights at the Bathurst Theatre and as I was looking at the setlists I was really impressed that in the two nights the band played 44 songs. Of those 44 only 9 were played both nights. So they played 26 different songs between the two nights. That’s cool especially compared to some bands, like Rush, who play literally the same set list every night. Of course it’s possibly more fair for a fan who can only go to one show, but for fans who will go to both, what a treat. The first night was a bit more “hit” heavy with “Claire” and “Horses” and “All the Same Eyes.” Whereas the second night had some other great songs like “Christopher” and “Soul Glue” and a great version of “Shaved Head.”
I have already written about these shows, but in going over them I found that I was very harsh about the April 4th show. Unfairly so. I complained about the quality of the sound (which is actually not that bad). And I complained about the lack of violin in King of the Past which, come on Paul, lighten up, how are they going to play that? I also accused Dave of being early on the “King of the Past” first chorus, but it was actually Martin. Oh well.
In the April 4th show they tell the audience that they are recording a live album And they engage with a guy in the front row who I wearing a Mr Bean shirt and tell him to take it off. They say he has an “umber 31” shirt under it I think—no idea what that is.
This is the first mention I’ve heard of Harmelodia, the kids album. And “Easy to Be with You”‘s lyrics are not settled yet—with California being in place of Harmelodia. “Dope Fiends” has a drum solo but sadly it is cut off.
I mentioned in the original post that the April 5 show has a lot of tracks that made it to Double Live. Like “Good Canadian,” the improv piece—man the band was big into smoking, eh? They also mention the demise of the CBC Radio show Nightlines (which they’d record an album for soon).
They play “Public Square” from their debut album, which sadly gets cut off. And a fun acoustic version of “Legal Age Life.”
The band is having fun and are so nice–they seem genuinely pleased that people came from a long way to hear them.
Between the two nights, 11 songs made it onto Double Live (there are 29 on the album in total). They sound pretty different here (mixing and all) so it’s worth checking these out too.
[READ: February 24, 2014] For Those About to Rock
In addition to his hockey books, Dave Bidini has written a number of books about being in a band. On a Cold Road was his memoir of touring with the Rheostatics and The Tragically Hip. Since he likes to write and since he’s a musician, it seemed to make sense to have him write a guide for beginning rockers. This book explicitly states in the first few pages that if you are as old as Bidini, the book is not for you. I am not quite that old, but I got the point. But what’s more rock n roll than not listening to the man? So I pressed on.
The book contains some real-world practical experiences for those who may be just starting out in a band. He says there was no book like this when he was a kid, so he hopes it’s useful. And the book ranges roughly between being a fun guide to rocking out and being a cautionary tale about how tedious and unfun being in a band can be (and how many people may try to take advantage of you). This book is also very specific about being in a touring Canadian band. He talks about slogging it through cold winters across the Trans Canada Highway, something that young bands from Florida certainly don’t have to deal with. But his specifics really help to shape the overall completeness of the book, so take his examples and make them your own.
So I play guitar, have never been in a band and while I always thought it would be fun to rock with others, never had any real desire to “tour.” Is this book still for me? Why yes, it is. Because Bidini has been playing music since the early 80s and he has some wonderful stories.
Perhaps the most useful chapter is the first, in which he talks about “making it.” And the point is that making it is what you want it to be. If you want to be a successful touring musician who can play clubs and not have to get a job, then your idea of making it is much different from those who want to be mega platinum sellers with 12 cars, or even those who just want to be able to release one record. Perspective is something that all musicians, and all artists, need to keep in mind.
Then he gets more practical–buying your first instrument. He peppers this section with stories (common knowledge and personal) of famous musicians and their first guitars. The next chapter is the one about touring. This is a good chapter for fans of the Rheostatics because he talks about some of their more heinous tours (and a hilarious trip to Ireland). Then the most practical matters–naming your band and how you’ll dress. His insights into these are both quite useful–if not rather funny.
This all leads up to “the bands we love and why,” which is really the whole point: who has inspired you to make the music you make. For Rush fans, this section features a giddy moment when Dave (as a young lad) was able to interview Neil Peart (in and of itself a dream). When he asked Neil what he’s been listening to, Neil said that he has been really enjoying a band called the Rheostatics–had Bidini ever heard of them? Swoon.
His section on playing in the studio “a world of brown and tan” is very interesting both for those who may want to do such a thing some day and for those of us who always wondered how the magic happened. His stories about their making the Introducing Happiness album and, better yet, the Whale Music album (in which Neil Peart played drums on a track, and they all stared agog in the studio) are wonderful.
The book ends with love for records store (were there even enough in 2004 for this to be relevant) and his hatred of radio–its’ college or nothing for new bands these days.
Anyone interested in a breezy book about what its’ like to be a musician–whether you care about Bidini’s band or not would enjoy this book–both for the insights it provides and the amusing anecdotes he shares. And while this may not be THE book that will help you make it as a musician, if you’re young and interested in being one, this is a good primer to browse through–especially while you’re hanging around wondering when you’re going to make it.
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