So last night, I went to see Caveman Morrison live for the first time in over eight months, which is way too long, if you ask me! I was (and still am) battling a cold, so excuse me if I forget or misstate something. I arrived while the band were still jamming during soundcheck, and what immediately grabbed me was the lighting that the band rigged up. The stage had a warmer glow to it from the red and yellow lighting, and there was even SIRENS hooked up along the railing. That was new! Small crowd too, but it fluctuated all night, ranging from four people to a couple dozen through the night
I'll start the actual discussion of the concert by talking about the new lineup, which looks very different from when many of us last saw Caveman Morrison. Now on bass is Browbeat frontman Dutch Vanderploeg, and he seemed to have a firm grasp of all the songs! He's at least as good as former bassist Rick White, though I'll respectfully say this: Dutch is definitely more animated on stage. He was always moving and shown a great stage presence that really added to the sets! Also new was drummer Johnny Belanger (of Bear Hunters and D.O.T.H. fame), who replaced Jeff Richards last month. He was definitely up to the task last night, and though he did screw up a few parts, he was great, especially on such a short timeframe to learn all these songs! Also gotta love his enthusiasm and sense of humour too. If you were there, you'd have noticed! But one thing I'm surprised we didn't see is vocal work from Dutch and Johnny. You'll remember that both Rick and Jeff took singing turns with the old lineup, often on Fitswitch and Tragically Hip covers, but we didn't hear that from the new members last night. Dutch's Browbeat work speaks for itself, while Johnny sang a couple times on lead vocals in the D.O.T.H. days, it'd be interesting to see them take a singing turn in Caveman Morrison at some point!
And of course, Tym Morrison was as good as we ever see him on vocals and guitar! A few parts seemed to be off lyrically, but he made up for it with an ever improving range and predictably excellent guitar work! Not as many ventures out into the crowd for solos last night, but I reckon that's because of the small attendance. I also noticed that he seemed to be engaging in a bit more banter with the crowd than I remember him doing in January, maybe it's just me though. Their set was once again chock full of some great metal covers of songs from bands like Judas Priest, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Living Colour, and Ozzy Osbourne, along with some lighter fare from bands like ZZ Top, Collective Soul, Cheap Trick, and many many more! Over their three sets, the new Caveman Morrison lineup showed great chemistry and knowledge of the original songs, and I really got a sense of overall enjoyment from all three guys! They seemed very happy to be there, and it showed!
Overall, this was another fun Caveman Morrison show that hard rock and metal fans would be sure to enjoy! There were a couple spotty moments, but remember, this lineup is relatively new, give them time and they'll get even better! You can't go wrong with Caveman Morrison for heavy metal and hard rock covers, and hopefully a big crowd turns out tonight for their second show of the weekend! I just wish I could have stayed the whole night, my cold was getting to me really badly around the beginning of the third set, so I regrettably left early, and I hate doing that. I guarantee I'll be back to see them again very soon when I'm not sick, so I won't miss a thing the next time around! And yes, I got photos and videos, so click here to check out my pictures, or visit The Sault Metal Scene's Facebook page! And here's my video, of Caveman Morrison covering Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know", check it out!
And finally for today, here's some exciting updates from Garden of Bedlam! As we await the release of "Everything Will Die", tide yourself over with six brand new videos from Garden of Bedlam's headlining slot at Rotaryfest's Second Stage on July 17th! These come from the soundboard, and the songs all sound very clear, much better audio wise than the videos I shot at this show! Only real gripe is that the video doesn't zoom, but they're still really good, and in HD format, no less! All of their songs from that night have been uploaded onto the band's YouTube channel, except for "Your Disgrace" and "Around The Bend", I wonder where those clips went? Really good stuff, check the above links for more, as well as The Sault Metal Scene's YouTube channel for my take of this same show! Might we see some of this footage in their next music video, which drummer Derek Turner referenced on his personal Facebook page on Monday? I saw Rick DellaVedova roaming with his camera too, so note that as well! I have their opening song from the set embedded below, "Against The Grain", but make sure to check the above links for the rest of the new Rotaryfest videos!!That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for the results of this month's poll on your favourite radio shows on Rock 101 (VOTE TODAY!!) and our brand new poll! I won't divulge too much on it yet, just be here tomorrow for the new poll, and more! Thanks everyone!
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