SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATCIS-The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, Ontario (August 24, 1995).
The blurb tells us: This was the first proper Don Kerr show in Toronto. They had played the Roadside Attraction tour but this was the first in Toronto. It also features 4 songs played for the first time – Connecting Flights (aka Two Flights of Stairs), Four Little Songs, Sweet,Rich,Beautiful and Mine, and All The Same Eyes (aka Crescent II). Also the only known cover version of Joe Jackson’s I’m The Man.
As the show opens, you can hear Martin playing some cool sounds but you can also hear people asking questions on the tape, like “what are you guys doing after?” “It depends on who has what where.” And the snarky response, “Oh I think I know who has what and I can tell you where it is.”
Then you can hear even more chatter: “We got the best seats in the house. You’ve seen them before haven’t you? We have to get right up front. When we finish our drinks.”
Martin’s noodling resolves into a lovely “Song of Flight,” and once the song starts properly you can’t hear the talkers (aside from occasional shouts). This segues into a gentle “California Dreamline.” After Martin sings the line, “in love with each other” Dave chimes in “and all of them wearing shirts like that” (this is not the first time I wish there was a visual). Shockingly, or not, you can hear the chatter again during the quiet section of the song.
There’s a kind of weird version of “MJ”—it feels like they’re being a little goofy with it. It segues into a more folkie sounding than usual “Cuckoos.”
Dave chimes in that these “songs feature all kinds of strange beings and creatures cuckoos Michael Jackson (Martin: that’s the weirdest one of them all) whale people, bird people, turtle people, and people from space; not to be confused with People from Earth [the opening band] who use their talent for good not evil.” This is a lengthy intro to “Aliens” a song I love which I feel they hadn’t been playing very much.
This is the first known recording of “Fat” which wouldn’t come out until 1996. It sounds great.
For some reason, Dave says, “I told you you shouldn’t have worn such a flashy shirt, Martin.”
For “Introducing Happiness,” Dave says, “Make us happy Tim, send us a little message of joy.”
“Claire” opens with Tim singing a couple of lines Spirit of the West’s “Scaffolding” (from their then-new album). “Claire” features Tim oohing in the beginning (with a la la thrown in), I think this was fairly recent convention. There’s a pretty wild solo from Martin. The whole song is nearly 7 minutes and when it’s over, Dave says, “That’s the weirdest version of ‘Claire’ we’ve ever done. And that’s something, I think.”
Dave says they’re going to debut some new material tonight (I guess they’d played “Fat” before?). The first is Tim’s brief “Connecting Flights.”
“Fishtailin'” has a quiet ending. But it’s followed by a rocking “Dope Fiends.” Dave says it’s a song about Etobicoke. The middle features a drum solo (a good one with different drum sounds like in the previous show which also featured Don Kerr–although Dave calls him something else. It has a great soaring ending.
Dave says, “We’re going to do a very serious piece now. I think it’s our most profound work to date. Tim chimes in: Especially the very end. Before continuing, Tim says, “I think this is our first proper show in Toronto with Don Kerr on the drums.” Dave: “It won’t be our last we’re playing here tomorrow and Saturday.”
The “serious” song is “Four Little Songs” which they mess up right away and then start again. The song sounds pretty much as the record does, except he says “I had a dream I was in Neil Peart’s kitchen.”
There’s a kind of cut in the tape and when it comes back, someone is shouting “finally, finally, it’s about fuckin’ time” and Dave says “no kidding eh, it’s about time we got serious and …” Then he is interrupted: “you want me to take off my hat? That’s a steel-rimmed hat. That’s a Kodiak hat. (Tim: it’s pure dachshund, that’s very expensive). Dave: Do you want to wear it or do you just want to touch it? What do you want to do? There’s a thing with the scabies on the scalp. Not cooties… scabies. Or is it rickets?
Dave continues, “We had a great summer we opened for The Tragically Hip on their Roadside Attractions tour. They played with Eric’s Trip. Julie from Eric’s Trip is going to open for us… Welcome Julie to Toronto! and Benji and Julie’ husband whose name I forget.”
They play another new one: “Sweet Rich Beautiful Mine.” After the song, Dave says, “Martin, I think that can be the slogan for the 90s what do you say.”
We’ll complete our new song trilogy with another new song: “All the Same Eyes” is another gentle Tim song which segues into a furious “RDA.”
Introducing “Self Serve Gas Station,” they tore down the gas station and the hopes and dreams of little Rexdale boys everywhere. I’m awfully settlement about it. How about you?” Martin: “little boys love gas stations.”
Martin thanks the People From Earth for opening. Some shouts they sounded too much like you… Martin replies.: “they’re related” (Martin’s brother John Tielli was the lead singer).
“Self Serve” starts and then Martin stops it: “I thought Dave hit a wrong note but he was tuning, I forgive him.”
“Soul Glue” is as usual boppy and fun. After the “They dragged the bottom of the lake” line, there; s a rough scratching guitar noise and Dave shouts “I found a shoe!.” When they get to the end section Martin sings “didn’t say anything at all” (he hits a really high note–atypical for this song and it sounds great.”
They start the vocal introduction (you you you you) to “Horses” and someone in the audience shouts “Here we go.” After Dave does a little chant the band starts. It’s a very unusual version as the first verse is very quiet with Dave practically whispering the lyrics and the only loud thing is Tim repeating the “you you you” the song itself grows really intense, as it should.
During the encore break, Tim says “Don had to go to the bar to get beer for them. Sorry it took a little while.”
They end the show with two covers. Dave announces that Jane Siberry has a new album out (that would be Maria). This is from her new wave period, her pink period, which is my personal favorite period. “One More Colour,” obviously. It’s followed by a fast, wild and chaotic version of Joe Jackson’s “I’m the Man.” I can’t quite tell who is singing lead.
This is a really fun show with the introduction of new songs and some experimenting. It was the last show of 1995 (on this site) excluding the Group of Seven show which was quite a different thing entirely.
[READ: March 4, 2009] “The Adventure of a Skier”
This is the first piece I have read by Italo Calvino. Calvino’s name has been around for ages, but I honestly didn’t know a thing about him.
So, with that in mind, Italo Calvino was, at the time of his death, in 1985, the most translated contemporary Italian writer. This story was translated by Ann Goldstein.
This was a simple, very simple story.
It begins with a bunch of disorderly boys clamoring for the ski lift. There’s some wonderful details of just what an uncoordinated pack of rowdy boys looks like. (more…)
