Music

Sit down, relax, hit play and have yourself a ball with this track from Saint John legend Gary Flanagan. Recorded live at the Sunstar Lounge on July 17th 2010.

This Sunday, CFMH 107.3FM will begin their 2010 Spring Fundrive. News of their event reminded me to do some diggin' through the CultureHub archives to unearth these two video gems (above) from last year's Fundrive. The performances of Pat Lepoidevin and the Country Wangs were recorded at, the now former, Akhord Pub one year ago. It was the closing day of Fundrive. Earlier in the day, a lively group of CFMH volunteers could be found at the base of the City Market selling raffle tickets and giving away CFMH propaganda in the form of stickers, buttons and posters.

“It came together pretty well,” recalls Station Manager Brian Cleveland, one year later. “Fundrive usually creeps up on us, but that time we were prepared. We had lots of activities planned. It was all thanks to our volunteers, really. People like Darlene Partridge and Amanda Ryall really took charge with the planning.”

The wrap party at Akhord featured Pat LePoidevin, Natural Lines of Division and the Country Wangs, the latter being an acoustic make-up of port city rockers The Tasty Wangs.

“We originally only booked NLD and the Tasty Wangs. Then one day I got a call, or maybe Darlene did, from LePoidevin's manager. Pat was living in Sackville and his manager was involved with the campus station there so he must heard about the show through the station or our Facebook group,” Cleveland tells us.

When the Tasty Wangs heard they would be playing with acoustic acts, they made a last minute decision to play acoustically themselves. It was quite a transition from their usual punk rock, though sometimes bluegrassy, sound. If that wasn't enough pressure, they only had one week to prepare.

“Some songs were easier [to adapt] than others,” drummer Sean Boyer told me over Skype. “We have a couple of songs like Bull Shit Bluegrass (the hint's in the name) and Waxie's Dargle which is a traditional Irish song. They were pretty easy to bring over. Going acoustic wasn't hard, but how to give it a country flavour was for a couple of songs like Strange Duck. As a joke I started playing it on guitar at a third of the speed trying to find a groove for it and it eventually came together.”

The Wangs had never played acoustically before, nor did they since. When asked if they would ever again, Boyer revealed the grim news that time is running short.

“Greg is moving this summer to BC permanently. Before he leaves, we were talking about getting together to record a session of it. Just a living room with one nice mic in the middle to capture it live off the floor, even with any mistakes.”

Boyer said that him and guitarist Mike Thorley have talked about another band once Greg moves, but no plans yet. Regardless, you can see Boyer in a number of other bands such as Hospital Grade and his own project Regans Rayguns.

This concert is special for a lot of reasons. First of all, it was free! Second of all, it was Pat LePoidevin's first and only performance in Saint John. He is now living on the other side of the country and probably won't be back for a while. Third, how often do you get to see a punk rock band play their songs with a banjo, ukelele and acoustic guitar? Fourth, Akhord Pub and BBQ Records were nice enough to share the night with CFMH. BBQ Records had already booked a show that night. Because CFMH only had acoustic acts, they were allowed to play earlier, before BBQ Records' show. Typically, concerts were not allowed to begin before 10PM at Akhord due to noise complaints from the tenants above, Jungle Jerk's. This was the first show to incorporate the “Fireside stage.” In addition to the cozier size which required only a very modest PA, it allowed for quicker transitions between acts since the next performer could setup on the main stage as the Fireside show went on. It was the perfect solution for an ongoing issue which haunted this venue. And finally, a fifth reason this event was special was that CFMH gave us permission to do our first live webcast. We archived in HD and streamed live video online, all while simulcasting on their airwaves. Thanks for the trust guys!

All of this wouldn't have happened if CFMH hadn't taken the initiative to book a free show that night to show their appreciation to their supporters during Fundrive. CFMH is just as much a key member of the Saint John music community as the artists, the promoters, the venues, the records stores, and the patrons. Support Campus Radio Saint John so they can continue to support Saint John music, and provide public access to the airwaves. Cheers to CFMH!

For more information about CFMH, how you can get involved or if you want to donate, go to www.CFMH.ca

Download the full EP here
Wooden Wives - War Brides.zip
Includes all 5 tracks and high res album art.

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Last time I saw the Wooden Wives was at their 2009 Christmas show; an annual tradition of the Wives runnin' back to 2006 (which coincidentally was the first time I saw them). Their set began with a high octane cut of Janie Jones. Both being big Clash geeks, I was sure to commend guitarist/singer Jud Crandall on the cover after the show. "Dig it, man. We've been recording a lot lately. We should have an EP to release by spring time. Janie Jones will probably make it to the B-side," Crandall said back in December.

Spring is here. The new Wooden Wive EP, War Brides, is here! Janie Jones did make it on, including two other covers: Things Are Getting Better by the Kinks and Biff! Bang! Pow! by The Creation. Starting and ending the 5 track EP are two originals: Subdural Hematoma and War Brides.

"Punky R&B" is what you'll find under the Genre field in your media player. These two simple words describe their latest tracks pretty accurately. You can also hear just a spice of rust in their sound. The band members mutual love for Neil Young probably has something to do with it. The cover songs are pretty loyal to the originals with the tempo turned up just a tad.

The Wives are celebrating their latest release at this year's International Record Store Day festivities at Backstreet Records in Saint John. They'll be playing live on the Germain Street sidewalk along with Rose Cousins, Haunted Hearts, Riot River, and The Telecasts. The first act will start 2PM TODAY!

When asked if they planned on selling the EP at any point, Crandall responded "At present we're giving away 100 free copies of the CD, and maybe there will be a hard copy for sale at some point but probably not - we'll see." The free copies will be available today at Backstreet records. Remember, there are only 100 so get down there!

It breaks my heart to miss Record Store Day at Backstreet this year. The work put into this event by the musicians, the fine people at Backstreet Records and especially Gordy Tufts deserves to be appreciated by as many as possible. Be sure not to miss it (Cuz we ain't recordin' it. If someone else is, please post a link in the comments). This record store is an important resource to the music community in Saint John. One that has been around longer than most music venues (sad but true). Support it. When the Wooden Wives play their last song, take a peak at the records inside. At the very least, grab one of the performers or someone from Backstreet and say "Thanks!"

You can listen to a sample below. Download the entire EP here.

So why fly to Gothenburg when Oslo is an hour closer to Karlstad? Way Out West, of course! It's recently been ranked one of Europe's top 20 music festivals.

Not quite at the same level of quality as past videos, but not bad for a camera the size of my fist and using only the built-in mic for sound.

I would say Grizzly Bear was the highlight of the Way Out West Festival, but it's hard to choose just one. My Bloody Valentine, Vivian Girls, Wilco, Röyksopp ... to name a few. Like all multi-stage music festivals, the schedule over laps and you have to make some tough decisions. I missed some great bands like Beirut, Gang Gang Dance, Vetiver, Final Fantasy, and most regrettably, Echo and the Bunnymen.

The festival sold out at 25,000 tickets. Slottsskogen park can hold that amount of people for a joke. Finding a decent spot at the stage wasn't too difficult no matter how late you arrived. The late night shows, on the other hand, took place in several cramped venues around the downtown. All combined, they could maybe hold a couple thousand making it a competition to get in. I was one of the many unlucky ones the first night, hence the list of "missed great bands." I was sure not to miss Jay Reatard on the last night. I left Slottsskogen in the middle of Lilly Allen's set thinking I was ahead of the game. When I arrived at Stinky Fingers bar I was greeted by a line that streched well over a block long. I waited for over an hour, but got in.

When the show ended, I walked my usual route back to the hotel. I passed by the same ladies hangin' out on the corner, night after night. The thought never occurred to me that these women were hookers until a guy approached one.

"How much?"
She mumbled the price for a couple of different services.
"Hmm. I duno. It's my first time, so..."

So this is how you bargain with a prostitute, I thought. Next time I'll take a cab.

Picutres

Bands I Saw
Vivian Girls
Bon Iver
Grizzly Bear
Wilco
Röyksopp
Arctic Monkeys
Calexico
Olle Ljungström
Wolfmother
My Bloody Valentine
Lilly Allen (winner of the best costume award)
The Adolescents
Jay Reatard