SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-Ultrasound Showbar [2nd GSMW Night 4] (February 28, 1994).
Second annual Green Sprouts Music Week held at Ultrasound Showbar Feb 25-March 1 1994. Setlists for all shows were fairly similar in content focusing mainly on the 25-30 songs that they would use for consideration on Introducing Happiness which began recording the following week. Rare performances of Symphony, Green Xmas, Floating, Woodstuck, Halloween Eyes and a cover of Blondie’s Heart Of Glass. This is show 4/5.
Sounds like people are sitting and then there s a request for people to stand up to make more room, but what about the people who can’t see…? Let them fight it out I guess.
Most of this show is pretty clear with the exception of a few moments of wobbly tape. Also notable is that most of the songs seem to be played a little bit more slowly than usual. This makes them much easier to hear–and makes most of the lyrics really clear.
The tape is wavery through “In This Town.” As an introduction to “Introducing Happiness,” Martin says “I think our next record is going to be a happy record…we didn’t have any idea how it was going to sound but… [someone mentions where they are going to record it]: “how could it not be happy.” It segues segues into “One More Colour” and Clark says that should dispel all rumors about any antipathy between Rheostatics and Jane Siberry–we are going to cover one of her most excellent songs on our new record.
Once again for “The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos,” they ask “fancy beginning or simple?” Some people shout fancy! Then a few for simple! And then someone shouts “Angular.” Martin says “This sing is angular.” It’ sa fast burst of music and then comes a slow and kind of moody “Michael Jackson.”
Starting “Fishtailin'” Martin says, “I remembered to put my capo on this time.” Bidini says, “the capo is like the condom of the guitar. I don’t know how or why but it is.” Someone in the audience shouts, “it prevents you from having another key.” To laughter and confusion. Martin then says, “For this one we gotta start by snapping on what they call the one.” Tim jokes, “If you’re really good we’ll fly you down to Compass Point so you can record the snaps on the album.” They stop after a verse (everyone likes Tim’s falsetto) and no one seems to know what happened. Then they start again and all is well
Dave says “Me and Stupid” is a song about “fishing for fun and misadventure.”
Earlier in the night Dave and Dave were “fighting,” and Bidini said he was “Danny Bonaduce” and Clark was “Donny Osmond.” [I had no idea that this was a real “event” that happened in January 1994]. At one point he says he will have to go through Tim to fight Clark–that must make Tim Susan Dey. Tim: “At least I still got a career.” There’s a long version of “Oneilly’s Strange Dream” and Martin repeats the first verse entirely.
“Claire” sounds good–slightly experimental–like many of the other songs this night. “Floating” has an interesting opening with a cool bass line–this is probably the best recording of the song. “Full Moon Over Russia” is suitably wacky with some really extra crazy nonsense singing and playing–lines about Colgate and teeth and litter and whatnot. There’s some really jazzy section and Dave says, “I guess that’s why the kids love the jazz sound.”
“Green Christmas” opens with some whistling–“there should definitely be whistling on our happy pop album.” There’s an interesting bass throb to open “Alomar” which segues into the opening pretty guitar of “Artenings Made of Gold/Cephallus Worm–they loudly sing the “what did martin pull out of cat’s ass in Italy”many times. Every part has an extended section including a kind of ska groove during Uncle Henry.” In the middle they ask for “some of that nifty audience participation stuff” Tim says, “Get them to do something silly.” There’s some howling “kind of Halloweenish,” which gets them to sing a verse of “devils got horns devils got a tail 666 you’re a sitting duck ahoooooo.” This is from a thing called “Halloween Eyes (666 gonna fuck you up!)” that seems to have been recorded once in 2001. Martin jokes that the next time they’ll sing: “don’t look at me with those Halloween eyes / don’t tempt me with those pumpkin pies.”
Clark says “Uncle Henry” and “Halloween Eyes” just prove what you can do with a lot of… weed. Sorry, I mean happiness. Bidini says, “Someone is spontaneously combusting because we played this not on Halloween.”
Dave tells a story about smoking substances in the back of the van (audience member: “but that’s illegal!” and then says “I told Don Maclean I’d always call it marijuana perfume.”
“It’s the cleanest version of “Symphony” I’ve heard yet. It is slower than the others. As is “Jesus.” “Jesus” is so slow that Martin speaks one of the middle verses.
They give a shout out to Kevin Hearn (and other musicians) who is hanging around and watching–it seemed like they called him up at one point but I don’t think so.
They have a ton of fun with “When Winter Comes”– a really lengthy opening in which they tease each other (what can I do to please you, Tim?). Unfortunately this is where the tape gets all wobbly and warped so you can’t hear it very clearly. The whole song is ten minutes long. It’s wild and crazy sloppy with another song squeezed in by Bidini. But the crowd is insane for the chorus.
The next few songs are really slow and moody. They sound very different and interesting. But that pace seems to mess everyone up a bit. During “California Dreamline,” Martin misses the fast guitar solo during the “dolphins” line. And in the really slow “Palomar” it seem like Tim can’t sing the chorus that slowly.
Clark asks if everyone is enjoying themselves and a fan shouts “Green Sprouts always enjoy themselves.” Bidini notes, “but not too much… they always have just the right amount of fun.” He says that they’re going to be on Much Music to debut the video for “Shaved Head,” which they also play really slow and really moody.
For the encore they start with their weird sorta half-assed version of “Heart of Glass” that segues into their new wavey “Crescent Moon.” Martin says “we’re taking requests,” and someone immediately shouts “Woodstuck.” “Done!” Someone else shouts “and let’s hear it for the Trans Canada Soul Patrol.” They throw in the “Mommy’s alright” line from “Surrender” during the song.
Lots of requests for the last song, someone shouts “I Fought the Law,” but they decide to do “The Battle of Wendell Clark” which I haven’t heard in a long time and which they segue into “The Good Old Hockey Game.” It’s dedicated to the Olympic team who brought home silver.
As they finish, Clark says you can shuffle out to the shuffling sounds of the Shufflestatics.
Shave an a haircut, goodnight.
[READ: January 18, 2017] “Cold Fish”
This is a story of a couple who has gone to Key West. They are engaged, but this is not a wedding-related trip, just a vacation that Neil wanted to do. Mara can’t think of a reason not to go to Key West, so she decides that she just wants to get drunk and get a tan.
Mara orders dessert–key lime pie–and Neil who doesn’t like desserts, seems sad when she says it’s not the best pie she’s ever had (as advertised on the door).
Neil is always looking around for someone to take their picture. In the photos Mara looks put-upon.
She calls her sister from the hotel that evening and tells her about watching a Jane Fonda movie. Later her sister tells her not to call back unless they’ve eloped. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 