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Can any band that closes off a snowy opening night with Duane Eddy’s Rebel Rouser be all bad?
Of course not, and the Edmonton debut of this vaunted Vancouver club attraction delivered on that promise.
If the idea of veteran players like Lindsey Mitchell, Billy Cowsill, Christ Norquist and bassist Elmar Spanier rehashing ‘50s and’60s classics sounds as fishy as a Hastings Street greasy spoon, forget it. There is just too much craftsmanship present to dismiss this band as another group of jaded rockers.
Train, Train, Baby, It’s You, Raining In My Heart, Heart Full Of Soul, Tell Me – the hits kept coming throughout the second set, spanning two decades and several light years of musical expression. In each case, the gentlemen acquitted themselves well, although one would expect a somewhat hotter presentation as the week wears on and if the Ambassador fills up. Let’s hope it does, because this is the entertainment bargain of the week.
Through stints with his family band and Blue Northern, Cowsill has always been a fine vocalist, and the pipes were in good order last night. Marks also to Mitchell, a versatile guitarist with far more depth than his tenure with Prism displayed.
Add to this the solid rhythm section of Norquist and Spanier, whose acoustic bass adds a degree of authenticity to the ‘50s material, and you’ve got an entertaining evening and a interesting lesson in pop musicology to bool.
Honest musical entertainment that is unpretentious but doesn’t force you to surrender IQ points isn’t easy to find at a low-cover-charge tavern any more. This is it.
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