Monday, February 11, 2008

Snowed In

The Saturday show at the Back Nine did not get out until after 3 so my ECMA Sunday started a little slowly. When I did come around it was in just enough time to get myself cleaned up, spiffed up, and whisked up to the Industry Awards which were the precursor to the main Awards Gala starting at 8. My date, of course, was my all-access pass benefactor, Meghan "The Godsister" MacAfee. The highlight for us, beyond the food and drink, was Dolan's Pub being up for an ECMA for venue of the year. Before the ceremony Terry Dolan, former rugby player and lifetime Loyalist, told me that if he didn't win he was going to go apeshit and start flipping tables; I immediately started rooting against him. He didn't win and proved himself a liar; he hardly even shook his head. Probably for the best I suppose, but not for my entertainment value.

After a couple of bottles of wine Meg and I were primed for the Awards show to get started and were introduced to host Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) who crossed the line just enough and kept us in stitches all night.

The show opened with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and, although I don't know myself to be a fan of classical music, no performance moved me more during the awards show. Incredibly talented bunch. They, deservedly it would appear, took home the award for Classical Recording of the Year.

As the show wore on there were some local winners; Thom Swift and Tom Easley for Blues Recording and Jazz Recording respectively. The Divorcees, self-described outlaw country rockers from Moncton (1 from Freddy), picked up the Country Recording of the Year.By far the biggest winner though, and the guy that stole the show, was Joel Plaskett (and the Joel Plaskett Emergency). He won 6 of the 7 awards he was up for including the big ones like Recording of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year. He did not win Entertainer of the Year which the fans voted on and gave to George Canyon for the fourth straight year despite the fact that he has bailed on the East Coast and moved to Alberta. Boooo...

In between his many acceptance speeches Plaskett took the time to play this song(a much better version I might add). After his last award the Trews closed the show with a flurry.

That term was particularly appropriate because when we got outside of the Aitken Centre we were reminded of where we lived with a blast of winter. Undaunted we headed straight for the after party at the Delta and were happy to see that it looked like most everyone else came too. Hurricane Bardsley joined us for a birthday beer and we tucked in to catch the Divorcees play a set. They are what they claim and rocked the joint with just the right amount of twang. Very cool sound...classic country. The next band was billed as a "special guest" which I figured would be an outsider. It was not; it was Chucky Danger. I couldn't understand why they were billed as a "special guest" until about five minutes into their set, when they started really ripping. They slowed only once, playing like their hands were on fire the rest of the time. It was the most intense show I saw all weekend and I really look forward to seeing them again. The last performance of the night was by traditional Celtic band Shanneyganock. It's never quite been my bag but I was truly impressed that these guys could pull off a great sound in a big room without having to resort to some of the schtick of a Great Big Sea. And by the looks of the dancefloor when they played they were a crowd favourite for sure.

At that point I dragged my weary body out of the Delta which was still going strong. The whole place was a free-for-all; they were actually serving drinks in the lobby. At 3:30 I declined the offer from the bartender and got in a cab to call it a weekend.

And an incredible one.

Pace out.

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posted by Vitamin S @ 10:58 p.m. 1 comments

Clint Eastwood

Sometime last summer we were talking about good band names for the Tallest Band on Earth (although it has grown on me and the acronym T-Bone even moreso) and I suggested Guerrilla Funk. That name became Guerrilla Gorilla whith the thought of a group of kickass musicians dressed in gorilla suits and fatigues. It should be noted that this conversation took place at 3am on the beach.

The reason I bring it up now is because of a couple of things I saw on Saturday of the ECMAs. Around noon time I was driving down King St. and looked to the sidewalk and saw a kid with a gorilla mask and a guitar slung over his back walking down the street. I gave him a honk and went on my way. The gorilla theme would continue as, on my way home, I came across Ross Neilson and the Sufferin' Bastards playing an ECMA guerrilla show. They hired a flatbed from the Trius Truck Center and set up their badass music making machine out front of The Playhouse. Very quickly a crowd gathered and the boys set about rockin them. As the music pumped the crowd swelled, with industry types streaming out of the Crown Plaza across the street. And with one brilliant idea Ross earned a bunch of new fans without having to sell his soul. You can check some of it out right here.

That was just a sign of things to come as the day wore on. The evening was to be spent at the Music NS stage at the Back Nine. When I arrived there at 8:30 there was literally a thousand people in a line the snaked from the side door to the intersection of King and Regent. Fortunately we shelled out for a booth that let us slide in past the line.It also allowed us to mix our own drinks; which led to some drinks that you shouldn't be allowed drink in public.

The aformentioned crowd was there for a pretty kickass lineup. When we arrived Rebekah Higgs was onstage and she sounded great from what I heard but we were just getting settled so I would need to hear some more to offer a decent opinion; she did do enough that I would at least hear some more. She was followed by Jill Barber for whom I had high expectations. She sounded good but she lost me when she shhhhed the crowd for her set. This was a show in a bar with 50% bad seats, not a theater with good sightlines. She should have realized that...and played a set appropriate for the scene. Jordan Croucher came on next and sounded good. I would have listened more attentively if I had known at that point that he was a member of the St.F.X basketball team a few years ago. Smooth sounds though. The Sleepless Nights followed him and they were the best of the unknown bands for the night. Big band with big rockin' sound. Joel Plaskett came on next and he was the highlight of the night. I'd seen him before but not is such a cozy little venue. The crowd was eating it up and he played his hits in a tight 45 minutes set. The Contact came on next and seemed as surprised as anyone that they earned the slot between Joel Plaskett and the Trews. They sounded good but the crowd was getting drunk and wanted to hear songs they knew. I'll reserve any judgement on them. By the time the Trews came to the stage the crowd was fully lubed and eager to finish off with a flourish. They did just that, playing the straight ahead rock and roll they do so well. They were joined on stage by Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady) for a couple of Big Sugar songs to end the night. It was a great ending to another long and lively day of music. Oh, and this was cool too:Final day recap to follow.

Pace out.

PS - in case you were wondering, here is the reason for the title of the post.

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posted by Vitamin S @ 9:09 p.m. 0 comments