SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-The Casbah, Hamilton, ON (November 12, 2005).
This is the first show of their’s that I’ve heard open with a kind of jazzy instrumental. MPW is playing a jazzy beat on drums and Martin seems to be noodling on mellow chords (or is that Tim?).
And then they kick into a mellow version of “Bad Time to Be Poor” which I feel doesn’t sound quite right. It may be the recording levels (the quality is crystal clear), but it feels very sharp and not very relaxed.
For “Aliens,” Martin forgot the words a bit. And when he starts “The Tarleks” Dave interrupts after the first line to say that Frank Bonner (Herb Tarlek from WKRP in Cincinnati) emailed him and said that he’s on an internet soap opera now. Then they start talking about Green Day (who Martin describes as “chicken little punk”–the sky is falling but I’m drinking bottled water. But he is mostly upset because instead of holding up lighters people are holding up their fucking cell phones.
Once again the “Song of the Garden” is punky–fast and fun. They also have a ton of fun with “Four Little Songs.” Ford Pier is playing keys again, and his contribution is an old song called “Nanaimo.” He had asked if they should do “Mustang Sally” and Dave said that if they play that it will automatically be the worst gig ever. And they throw in the (I believe intentionally) worst rendition of “Smoke on the Water” I’ve ever heard. Later on, Martin throws in the riff from “Hey Hey My My” into “Feed Yourself” and as that song ends he starts singing the Neil Young song, but he’s got the words all wrong too. It’s pretty funny, especially when he sings “It’s better to burn out than it is to fuck up.”
“Power Ballad for Ozzy Osbourne” has a lengthy intro about Billy Joe Rent–I have to wonder if this and the middle part of “Feed Yourself” about the dead body are impromptu things Dave makes up and then maybe sticks with.
“Satan is the Whistler” i sloppy but good. Until they get to the fast section which totally falls apart. Then they count off 1,2 ,3 4 and speed through it much better.
Martin talks about his CBC movie Black Widow, which I’d love to see. Is it available for viewing anywhere?
Paul McLeod (his band Hibakusha opened, I believe) sings a great version of “Jesus was Once a Teenager Too.” They follow it with a great version of “Stolen Car” (with some amazing backing vocals in the “marijuana” section.
In the previous show, “Try to Praise his Mutilated World” was amazing, but this one falls a little flat I’m afraid. But it is all made up for by the hilarious synth “Record Body Count, Now!” done to the tune of “Everybody Dance Now.”
As the show comes to an end they play “Legal Age Life” and someone shouts “Take it, Ford,” and he seems stunned and then plays an incredibly lame (again, I believe intentionally) solo.
It’s a sloppy but fun show and comes up to their multi-night run at the Horseshoe.
[READ: September 10, 2015] “The Last Cut”
This is a very short story and an emotionally draining one at that.
The premise is fairly simple. Eric, a hairdresser, is happily cutting his new client’s hair. She is pretty and is willing to try a dramatic new cut, which he believes will really accentuate her looks. He is mid-way through the cut when he gets a phone call.
It is Mrs. Swenson. She is Renee’s client, but Renee is out for a couple of days. Mrs. Swenson says that she needs to have her hair cut tonight. And then there’s this dramatic line: “His throat and eyes ached. His chest, too. He wished he had found a way to say no to Mrs. Swenson.”
What is up with Mrs. Swenson? We have probably all had people we have to deal with who we would rather not. Is she really that demanding? In fact no, “Eric had once or twice cut her hair, which, he remembered, she wore in a knot at the back. She was maintenance rather than style—middle-aged, very low-key. ”
The waiting is maddening. He agrees to keep the shop open late, but she is even later than that. He is just about to call and cancel, when she shows up. And we learn what the issue is.
The story is told tenderly and, dare I say it, sensuously. It’s really quite a powerful little story.
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