SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-Fall Nationals, Night 9 of 10, The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (December 16, 2005).
This was the second to last night, the 9th night of their 10 night Fall Nationals run at the Horseshoe.
This show seems to be a confluence of technical difficulties and goofs. The band is probably loopy after eight nights. They even got under way late, apparently.
They open with “Saskatchewan.” The song sounds great, the band is really into it. The backing vocals are great and the song soars. But then they spend nearly 6 minutes trying to figure stage issues out. Martin says, “Tim’s acoustic guitar is strung in Nashville tuning. You should try it sometime.” (I wonder what that means).
Thanks to Great Aunt Ida for opening for us tonight.
Martin says “This is the Cazostatics. Hugo Boss’ line of clothing. You notice Tim’s flannel shirt.” Dave and Martin talk about “guys touching their nipples, a 21st century phenomenon.” Martin: “It was funny 12 years ago. There’s one person who can do it I love him.” (I wonder who that is).
After a few minutes, Dave says, “Be careful or I’ll start talking about merch…. All right, I’m talking about merch (merch bassline).
This song (Tim’s new song) is worth it, I like it a lot. Tim: “this better be a good fucking song is all I have to say.” “Sunshine At Night” sounds good.
Don’t forget the bongos. Martin: “last night, I got to play the bongos with a black turtleneck on.” Dave: “I think you mean you got away with playing bongos wearing a black turtleneck.”
Then comes two songs from Introducing Happiness. “Fish Tailin'” and “Me and Stupid.” At the end, Dave says, “Tim, a little horn pipe on the bass.” Which he does. And then Dave says, “one thing we don’t know about Ford Pier–have you ever recited poetry?” “Never have done, sir?” Anything that rhymes? Greeting cards?” When pressed he comes with a verse from 7 Seconds’ “Colourblind.”
There’s nothing funny when you think about
All the hate in this world makes me just wanna shout
Whether Black, White, Brown, Red, Yellow, or Blue
All the caring in the world will depend on you
We gotta fight to change things; help rearrange things
Get along; stand together; live as one
But the only way to do it is to get right to it
Communicate, ?, and getting things done
Martin: “This is a weird night.” Dave: “Here’s “Marginalized.” The bass is off. After a verse, Dave stops the song. “The bass is really out of tune and the bass is vital. I wouldn’t have stopped if it wasn’t really out of tune.” Tim: “That’s the “Palomar” tuning form like two nights ago.” Dave: “Sorry this shows gonna take 14 hours. Have you heard about the merch?” (jazz chords).
Pick it up at the first chorus. Dave stops it again.
Tim: “Hang on a sec, I think you might have just been playing the wrong notes.”
Dave: “Even a moron like me can play a G.”
Martin: “Cazostatics”
Dave: “I could fucking kick this bass with my foot and G would ring out.”
Tim: “That’s the approximate bass.”
Tim just picks up again and finished the song with “Little Caesar” by Vic Chesnutt.
Martin has a lot of fun with the goofy voice saying “Hi there.” They play a great version of “The Tarleks” and then “Fan Letter To Michael Jackson.” Near the end of the song Dave says, “let’s rock.” Then pauses and says, “but first let’s reluctantly rock.” Tim: “may we rock?” Dave: “Not yet.” Martin: “Sorry. May we sheepishly rock?” Dave: “Martin is exhibiting a slight degree of frock on his very unrock guitar. Tim’s digging in. Ford has put away that nasty French horn and is coming to the dark side. Now we must rock.”
At the end, Martin takes off with “RDA” but after he starts it gets shut down. “Aww, wrangler Dave.”
Mike: “It’s only good when Dave calls out the chords.”
Martin: “Sorry dad, I didn’t mean to come out like that.”
Martin: “I’m playing a double neck guitar. The upper neck has 12 strings. The lower four of which are in octaves although two appear to be missing. The lower neck is a normal 6 string guitar.” In a cheesy voice: “I love this axe. It has rocked me through many a show. Check this out. The lower neck resonates in the upper neck. That’s no gizmo. That’s in the axe. Have I blown your mind?”
Ford: “Your inner pedagogue has really reared its head for this last Fall Nationals. You’ve been giving away all your shit. Kiss wouldn’t even tell people how they kept their make up from running.”
Dave says he wants to make a parody instructional guitar DVD. Ford: “Parody my nutsack.” Would anybody buy that? Tim says he would buy it if it was called “Parody My Nutsack: Dave Bidini on Rhythm Guitar.”
Ford says we’re demonstrating the chatter-to-music ratio.
This one’s called “Smokin’ Sweet Grass.” They start “Making Progress” which Tim says is “for the guy who just shouted ‘fucking play.'” It’s followed by a nice “Little Bird Little Bird.”
Ford tells a story about finding moth larvae on his suit pants. Every time he pauses, Dave plays a rim shot.
Tim tells his own story (Dave still doing rim shots). He says they got a dog which the cats hate. The vet gave him something you plug in the wall to release pheromones to make you cat feel good. Like cat prozac. Dave: “I snorted that backstage at the Duran Duran reunion.” Tim: “He gave us a sample and we’re on it tonight. So everything is okay. Until the end of the world.”
“Here Comes The Image” features MPW on the synth. Martin: “Mike forgot his mustache wax. It’s followed by “Who Is This Man and Why Is He Laughing?” with Jennifer Foster (better known in some parts as JFo). Tim: Dave Bidini on drums for two songs in a row. Pretty awesome.”
“Pornography” starts slow, but the end picks up and rocks. Martin says “Tim Vesely, the lizard king.”
Tim says this night is full of a crowd full of people who came from shitty office parties. Dave: “Our office party was tonight, two clubs over.”
“In This Town” rocks and is followed by “PIN” Dave says it’s from Night of the Shooting Stars, the black album. At the end, Martin starts making goat noises (??). Eat me, feeeeeeeed me.
Next comes “Four Little Songs.” Martin sings his verse like a goat. For our third little song, last night’s comedy guests The Imponderables. Their bit is all about dreams. Three guys tell their dreams. The fourth guy comes out. He’s certainly naked, possibly with an erection. Everyone reacts appropriately. Dave: “That’s The Imponderables and that’s John’s cock.” In Dave;s verse he sings “your voice will ring out like a giant…schlong.” He ends the song saying, “There’s certain things that make our Horseshoe stands that much more memorable.”
Ford plays a roller rink version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” After two minutes, Tim starts singing “Shangri-La” (by The Kinks) which segues into “Bad Time To Be Poor.” Man someone’s guitar is way off playing sour notes through the whole thing.
Then the return to “RDA.” It rocks and they have guests from Lowest of the Low Steve Stanley and Paul (can;t find his last name). Mid song they launch into a heavy version of “I’m So Bored With The USA.” Paul rails about middle management and wants cultural diversity he wants middle management to get out of public broadcasting. Dave: “Will someone save Canada from itself?”
Ford sings The English Beat’s “Save It For Later.” And then they end with a 20 minute medley
“Takin’ Care Of Business” (anybody bring a cowbell?), into “My Generation.” Martin sings “One More Colour.” It jumps to “P.R.O.D.” with Mr Ron Koop. Over to G. after a few bars, Ford says, “the suspense is killing me.” So Dave plays “Bud The Spud.” He kind of mumbles it very fast, “that’s the closest I’ve ever come to rapping.” It turns into “Radios In Motion” and then into “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Dave: Take it down to Bflat… never mind take it back to A. Ford sings “Monkey Man” by Amy Winehouse. It becomes “Green Sprouts.” Dave: “You know what I hate in this song?” The bridge? Tim: “Take it to the bridge.” The audience chanting 1,2,3,4. Tim instructs them.
Thanks to the Lowest of the Low, Great Aunt Ida, The Imponderables and TruthHorse tomorrow.
[READ: August 8, 2017] Demon Vol. 2
I really enjoyed the far out and rather over the top premise of volume 1 of this series (of four in total).
Volume 2 is much larger than Volume 1 (about 50 pages larger). And that extra size allows for more complexity.
And I admit I was a bit confused from time to time. The whole premise of the story is a little confusing in a wrap-your-head-around-it kinda way, but he added a new element that was a major Wha?? moment.
So Jimmy Yee, is a boring 44-year-old actuary. He didn’t realize that he was actually a demon until the day before when he tried to kill himself. Now whenever his body dies, the demon jumps into the nearest body. His personality transfers to the new body, and Shiga represents this by having Jimmy’s face on each new body (but if someone else looks at that person he still looks like what the now-possesed person’s face.
Jimmy has been experimenting with this whole Demon thing. And that means inhabiting various body and killing them (which looks like suicide). The police are after him for the series of murders he has committed (even though he himself is technically dead). (more…)
I Just Read About That... 