SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (December 9, 2016).
First of two shows at The Horseshoe Tavern featuring the return of Dave Clark on Drums. Featuring Hugh Marsh on Violin and Kevin Hearn on Vocals and Keyboards.
I’m not sure how many shows the band played since the previous show in April. This show was eight months later and the improvement in Martin’ on stage behavior is remarkable. He seems calm and comfortable. He hits his notes and (almost) doesn’t forget any lyrics. Hugh Marsh is on violin.
This is a really remarkable show.
It’s also the introduction of five new songs!
The recording sound is quiet and a little flat, so you really don’t get a good exposure to the new songs which don;t sound that great in this setting.
They start the show confidently with “Stolen Car” and Martin sounds great. Tim says, we don’t have any setlists (no sure if that’s bragging or complaining). It is followed by “King of the Past” with some soaring violins from Hugh.
“Claire” feels quiet, but the whole show does, like it’s missing a low end or something. After the song, Tim says, “That’s it for the hits, sorry.”
But Dave counters, “Here come the near misses” and they launch into “P.I.N.” Followed by a song from The Story of Harmelodia (Don;t worry it ends well) “It’s Easy To Be With You.” They both sound poppy and great.
Dave mentions the “wintertime seasonal shenanigans” as Kevin starts playing samples of Mister Rogers: “Sandwiches. I like to talk to you. You’re very special to me. Even if it were raining I’d like it with you.” This is the lead in to “Michael Jackson” which has a lot of fun keyboard sounds on the verses. The song instrumentation sounds very different, even if music hasn’t changed.
Then come the five new songs:
Music Is The Message (Tim Vesely) 4:45 This is a slow Tim song. It is heavy on piano and,in fact, feels like the other guys aren’t really part of it (I assume the recorded version will sound bigger).
Before Dave’s song, Martin says:
“Remember… eye contact with the first three rows. Make love to their faces.”
Dave: “I don’t know if i can do that with all of those people.”
Martin: “You can a little bit.”
Dave: “I have my eye on someone special, Martin.”
Kevin: “You’re a man of great stamina.”
Mountains And The Sea (Dave Bidini) 5:05 This song has a sing-song quality with a kind of farty keyboards (a recording issue no doubt). But once again, heavy on the piano and rather mellow. There’s a kind of orchestral middle section that’s quite unlike a Dave song (there’s even soaring vocals).
Dave Clark: “Martin, I’m not going to cheer because of those miserable people on deck.”
Martin: “The boys of the crew.”
Kevin: “Why don’t you like the boys of the crew?”
Dave: “They’re so cruel.”
Martin: “They kill stuff for fun.”
This is a lead in to The Albatross (Martin Tielli) 5:35 which Martin explains is pretty directly from a [Charles] Baudelaire poem called “The Unlucky Albatross.” It’s a very Martin piece, quite theatrical. It’s about the boys beating to death the unlucky albatross. The middle section is a very theatrical waltz with muzzy keyboards and a plucked violin.
At the end, Martin says: “That was in 16/11.” I’m not sure if he means the tempo or the year.
Someone shouts, “When are you releasing a new album?”
Bidnini: “It’s complicated.”
Martin: “We gotta get out of our contract with Sire Records, first.” [much laughter]
Tim: “Forty more years don’t worry about it.”
Kevin’s gonna lead us in this next song, Chemical Valley (Kevin Hearn) 5:27. It’s a very Kevin slow song (and quite long ). Again lots of keys and limited guitar (sounds like maybe Martin is soloing trough).
Bidini: “Dave Clark on the drumset tonight.”
Someone in the audience shouts: “I love you, Dave.”
Bidini: “I love you too, ma’am.”
Tim: “Other Dave.”
Clark: “Wow, Tim is a tough crowd.”
Super Controller (Dave Clark) 4:55 has a big “ba da da” verse.
Then back to the older stuff with a great “California Dreamline.” Martin sounds terrific. And they joke about “spooning in the dry sand.” Bidini: “We were into spooning like way before it was popular.” Martin: “Before there was a word for it.” Clark: “They tried knifing, they tried forking.” Bidini: “You guys ever whisk? That was dangerous. We learned how to whisk in Vancouver.”
“Legal Age Life At Variety Store” has a wild wah wah solo from Hugh Marsh, it also has part of “Uncle Henry” and a song with lyrics “We’re digging a hole on a military trail” which I can’t place.
“Queer” sounds great (with excellent backing vocals) and has a reading by Kevin dad of “The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski. Kevin takes a little vamp through “I’m Waiting For My Man” before the song ends properly.
“Dope Fiends and Boozehounds” is wild with some cool keys floating over the top and then an effects-filled drum (and keyboard?) solo and then an “Alomar” type solo before the howls and sirens bring the song to an end.”
The pages says “Shaved Head” but there is no “Shaved Head,” just a long encore break.
They return with a walloping “Peoples Republic Of Dave” (“You ready for G sharp?”). That was Martin’s request.
Kevin: “Was it from before you joined the band?”
Martin: “It was as I joined the band.”
Dave B: “It was before I joined the band …weird.”
Martin sounds great on “Saskatchewan” and “Northern Wish.”
And they do come out for a second encore. Clark says, “I’m gonna play brushed on this one.”
Martin: “We are Ratt. This is called “Round and Round”
They start “Self Serve Gas Station,” with Martin messing up and joking (!) “Sometimes its gotta start right.” He even throws in a jokey line: “What went wrong with Bilbo, is he dumb?”
In addition to Martin sounding fantastic, Clark is remarkably restrained. back in the day he was t he wild and checked id of the band, making jokes, reciting poetry. In this show he made one or two comments but was otherwise just an amazing drummer.
Knowing that they sound this good now means that I absolutely must see them again when they play next time.
[READ: June 16, 2016] “A Life of Adventure and Delight”
I found this story to be a little confusing. The action all made enough sense, but there was something that felt…off about it.
As the story opens, Gautama is shoved into a police van with a bunch of other men. It’s the first time he was arrested for calling a prostitute. He was 24 and a student at NYU.
He was from Gwalior and knew he would have to get married one day, so he wanted to have as much sex as possible. Perversely, he though that any woman who would have sex before marriage was depraved and foul.
Gautama had hired many prostitutes although his favorite thing was the negotiation (the actual sex was so immoral it was hard for him to enjoy it).
He was released the next day and made to do community service. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 