First, I'll note that there was a disappointingly low turnout. I don't think there was even 20 people in the bar itself for the headliners, but I know it was nearing the holiday weekend, so it could have been worse! The opening band was local punk trio Redundant, who I hadn't seen live since the Ypres Metal Fest in April, and in the interim, they seemed to add a lot more originals into their setlist than I'd remembered. They sounded good, and if you were a fan of frontman Justin Langlois' original work with The Scary Uncles, these will be familiar and easy to get into! They also played some well received covers, including some amusing asides to Eminem & TLC material, and it showed their sense of humour well! Talentwise, Redundant gave exactly what I expect out of them, and bassist James White didn't let his birthday get in the way of playing as good as he ever does. I also liked the "R.I.P. Tony Sly" shirt that Justin wore, nice of him to honour the late No Use For A Name frontman! It was good to see Redundant live again, and hopefully it won't take 4 months for me to see them tear through some well done punk covers & originals (plus some fun on-stage banter) again!
Next up was the original crash band themselves, Sykotyk Rampage, but they looked slightly different thanks to the absence of bassist Brian Cattapan, who I believe couldn't come home for the show on Thursday. However, instead of playing without a bassist (like at the Zombie Walk afterparty), Sykotyk Rampage instead enlisted a guest bassist for their set, that being Tony Briglio, who you may recognize from the inactive "don't call them punk" trio The Fury! It was good to see him back on stage after so long, and he seemed to fit in well with Sykotyk Rampage in Brian's place! Their set was somewhat abbreviated from a usual Sykotyk Rampage concert, with only a couple of non-drinking songs (including "Acreage") and a bunch of songs to have a beer with, like "Roll A Doobie", "Drinking on the Weekend", and a well-received cover of Flogging Molly's "Fuck You, I'm Drunk" that this show's booker J.D. Pearce joined in on! For the most part, Sykotyk Rampage's improvised mix of punk, metal, alternative, and blues sounded as creative and entertaining as usual, and Paul Becker was a workhorse on drums and singing, but I did notice that guitarist Dirk Becker didn't sing a whole lot, and that includes backing vocals. Sore throat, or just not enough songs? Either way, they had fun and it was good to see them back!
Co-headlining The Jamestown Massacre was local punk/classical trio RedD Monkey, and they sounded as energetic and unique as ever. Their Canadian tour definitely didn't sap their energy, and they seemed happy to be home! Playing most of the songs from their CDs "Thought Control Tower" and "All Baroque" along with their cover of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" and some non-album originals, they shown the high tempo speed and punk intensity that we've come to love, and the fans that were there definitely enjoyed RedD Monkey's set! If anything, frontman Steve Mozarowski's voice did seem a bit strained at points, but that's my only major complaint. Steve's guitar work was often blisteringly fast, Joe Bumbacco's drumming kept up well and set great pacing, Pete Mozarowski still plays the cello better than anyone I've seen locally, and even when rapping about four dozen cookies, it fits with their sound! As always, I enjoyed RedD Monkey's set, and they're definitely one of my favourite active punk bands in the Soo!
And your main event on Thursday night was Calgary hard rock trio The Shotgun Dolls, and I have to give them props from the start for their cool light setup on stage that actually almost made it look like a different venue altogether! You know a band's good when even a small crowd is overly praising them & calling for an encore, and I can say the same for The Shotgun Dolls, as they delivered a high energy mix of hard rock and punk to who remained inside The Rosie on Thursday, and though the Lion Ride comparisons I'd made earlier in the week were visible, they had a bit more vocal freedom and some heavier guitar work to compliment their array of original material! Turner Midzain had solid vocal control and guitar skills throughout the night, Mike Badmington' bass playing was top notch, and though drummer Ty Gogal looked like he was melting under the lights, he kept up well on drums! The guys seemed happy to play here, and their songs definitely had a lot of aggression and attitude without getting too over the top, and I just wish they could have shown their sound off to more people. Great closing set by The Shotgun Dolls, and hopefully they're back in town soon!Overall, this was a fun concert, if under-attended, and it never hurts to a see a show with more of a punk flavour! I did get some photos, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, and yes, I have a couple of videos too! Here's Sykotyk Rampage (featuring J.D. Pearce) covering "Fuck You, I'm Drunk" and The Shotgun Dolls playing their song "New Blood"!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment