vintage

I owe you a few recaps, I think!

On September 27th and 28th, Martin Tielli performed at Hugh’s Room in support of his upcoming record, scheduled to drop around Christmas. I checked out the second show, which turned out to be well worth the $20 advance ticket. Tielli played for probably about two and a half hours (with a “cigarette break” or two), and not once did the time drag or the set become boring. His backing band was stellar, featuring musicians such as Selina Martin and Monica Gunter, and a large handful of Rheostatics favourites found their way into the setlist between excellent new Martin tracks — I was particularly thrilled to hear “Saskatchewan”.

Lately I’ve been feeling like a lot of the acts I’m seeing are just doing the same thing over and over, you know, a cute little chord progression and a quirky-just-like-everyone-else’s voice and some whimsical lyrics. I get frustrated going to shows sometimes because I don’t feel like I’m seeing anything new. Refreshingly, though, Martin Tielli can never be described as “cookie-cutter”. Everything he does is different and interesting and unexpected, and I really appreciate it. Whether it’s writing songs prominently featuring coleslaw or continuing to make crazy noises on his Steinberger, Tielli is always a new experience, and I love it.

I also worked the Alanis Morissette concert this past week at Massey, and while I can’t put her on the list of artists I really love, there’s no denying that she has been incredibly successful (the RIAA lists her as the most successful female rock act of all time, and Jagged Little Pill is the top selling debut album ever — just to name a few). She certainly knows how to put on a show, too. There were lights and strobes and a New Age-y tapestry with her painted on it, and she danced and thrashed and ran around the stage as if her energy was totally boundless. I was pretty impressed. While there was probably an empty seat or two somewhere in the hall, it was virtually sold out and the audience was really into it.

Scottish songster Alexi Murdoch opened, charming and folky with just a guitar and a few effects. Some of the crowd was restless during his set, and by the end the volume of chatter had gotten considerably louder, but I really enjoyed his tunes. Perhaps something more energetic might have been more appropriate for an Alanis warm-up, but nevertheless, Murdoch did a fine job and there were at least a few people who enjoyed his work, judging by the “I love you Alexi!” shouts from the main floor.

In other news, Canada has a federal election on Tuesday. My prediction: another Stephen Harper minority. I’m terrified to even think of the prospect of a majority, and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Stéphane Dion’s Liberals will have enough of a showing to turf Harper out. In other words … this election will more than likely end up being a complete waste of time, money, and useless attack ads. And an example of Harper breaking a law that he made to essentially avoid this exact situation. Politics is awesome.

And finally, a teacher from Alberta won the Hockey Night in Canada anthem challenge earlier today. Colin Oberst — no relation to Conor, I assume — of Beaumont won $100,000 and half the lifetime royalties for his composition “Canadian Gold,” which is the new Hockey Night in Canada theme song now that CBC no longer has the rights to Dolores Claman’s iconic and familiar one. 13-year-old (!) Robert Fraser Burke came in second with “Sticks To The Ice” — I hope we see more of him in the future.