Big Sugar w/ Wide Mouth Mason @ Commodore -- 10/22/11

"To put it politely, we fucked some shit up".
That's what Gordie Johnson had to say early on about the previous night, the first of two sold out shows at the Commodore, and the kickoff for the Big & Wide tour, seeing Big Sugar and Wide Mouth Mason crossing the country "from island to island". It was also Big Sugar's first show in Vancouver since their farewell show eight years ago. I had been to that show and the return of the band, combined with Wide Mouth Mason, had me more than a little excited.

Wide Mouth Mason hit the stage at 9:30, starting off with an older tune, "Smile" before launching into one of my favourites off the new album, No Bad Days, "More Of It". The song's lyric "the only thing better than a good thing is more of it" was apt, with Shaun Verreault improvising "the only thing better than one band with Gordie Johnson, is two bands with Gordie Johnson", referring to his status as their new bass player.
The set was a split of new, like the sexy "Sweet Little Thing" -- with a little bit of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" slipped in -- and old, including the beautiful "Companion (Lay Me Down)", which they hadn't played live in years. As usual, Verreault was amazing on the guitar -- one of my favourites to watch live -- peppering solos throughout and being a captivating front man, getting the crowd into it and singing along, especially to their hits, their first big single, "Midnight Rain" and the song they ended the set with, the first song off their first album, "My Old Self".
It was a great set, definitely getting everyone excited for the night, and even though the amount of times I have seem Mason in the last dozen years is probably in the double digits, I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing them live, especially if they keep putting on shows of this quality.

setlist
Smile, More Of It, Midnight Rain, Get A Hold Of You, Go Tell it to the Waterfall, Shut Up and Kiss Me, Sweet Little Thing, Companion (Lay Me Down), What'd I Do, Why, My Old Self.

Then shortly after 11, the lights dimmed as Big Sugar hit the stage, over half a dozen members large. Aside from Johnson, there was the familiar faces of Garry Lowe on bass and Mr. Chill on harmonica, sax, melodica, and more, and new members Friendlyness on keys and "toasting", the drummer from The Respectables, Stephane Beaudin, and backup singer Meredith Shaw; as well as Shaun and Saf from WMM pulling double duty on rhythm guitar and a second, smaller drum kit respectively.
Any notions of rust on the band were immediately dispelled as their groovy bass lines and dirty blues rock burst forth, starting with "Work It Now" off the new album, Revolutions Per Minute. The first highlights of many came early on, with everyone singing along to "Diggin' a Hole" and one of my personal favourite songs, their incendiary version of "Dear Mister Fantasy".
The entire band had an unparalleled energy, especially Johnson, who had the crowd hanging off every word and note of the almost two and a half hour set, which was packed with songs old and new, and also included a few surprise guests. Canadian blues legend Colin James joined them for "Come Back Baby" and a twelve piece mariachi band, Los Dorados, came out for a couple songs, "Turn the Lights On" and "I Want You Now".
At that point the stage emptied for an acoustic song with just Johnson on guitar and Mr Chill on harmonica, before they brought the main set to an end with another one of my favourite songs, "All Hell For A Basement" and their rendition of "O Canada" -- ending with Johnson putting his double-guitar behind his head to play, proudly showing off the Canadian flag painted on the back.
They made us work for the encore, coming back out with the hemi-revving, tire squealing intro to "Red Rover" and an incredible extended rendition of "The Scene", with a little bit of James Brown's "Sex Machine" slipped in the middle.

It was, simply put, an unforgettable show, with Big Sugar reaffirming their status as one of Canada's best rock bands.

setlist
Work it Now, Diggin’ a Hole, Dear Mister Fantasy, If I Had My Way, Roads Ahead, Givin It Up For My Shugah!, Come Back Baby, Come A Little Closer… Now Come!, Kickin’ Stones, Empty Head, Counterfeit Wings (Are Some Jive Ass Wings), Little Bit A All Right, So Not Over, Better Get Used To It, I'm a Ram, Turn the Lights On, I Want You Now, Wild Ox Moan, All Hell For a Basement, O Canada.
(encore) Red Rover, The Scene.

ShoreFest: Wide Mouth Mason & Jeremy Fisher @ English Bay -- 08/03/11

It's that time of year again, time for the Symphony of Fire Celebration of Lights. Which also means it's time for Shore104 to put on their annual ShoreFest. This year they have three stages, one in Vanier Park, one on Kits Beach -- spotlighting the Song Search top 10 -- and the usual stage at English Bay, where the setup was a little different than the last couple years. Two years ago it was on the roof of the bathhouse facing the beach, and last year there was a stage set up on the beach, but this year it was on the bathhouse roof, facing toward the VIP area, so the people on the beach could hear the music, but not see the band. It was a bit of a strange setup, but luckily I was in the prestigious VIP area (where there were also appetizers from The Keg circulating) to catch the bands.

First up was Jeremy Fisher, who I had somehow never seen live on his own, just for the Malahat Revue. He took the stage with just his acoustic guitar (and an assortment of harmonicas) starting off with "Shine A Light" and "Cigarette", playing a good mix of old and new songs. The songs sounded great, and Fisher was also pretty funny, with great banter between songs; playing with the fact that the people on the beach below couldn't really see, like joking that Paul Simon had joined him when he slipped in a cover of "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard". There was another cover near the end of the set, when he mentioned that Prince wanted a ban on people covering his songs, so he had to do this while he still could, playing "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" -- and pausing mid-song to wonder about the lyrical content.

setlist
Shine A Little Light, Cigarette, Ain't Got Nothing but Plenty of Time, Scar That Never Heals (with Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard [Paul Simon cover]), Nothing To Lose, Left Behind, Singing On The Sidewalk, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man [Prince cover], Come Fly Away, High School.


There was only a brief break before Wide Mouth Mason, with their new permanent bassist Gordie Johnson (who you may should know from Grady and Big Sugar). They kicked off the set with "Why", before concentrating on their new album, No Bad Days. I had heard a lot of the songs live at their show back in January, but it was great to hear them again, being more familiar with the album. The funk-infused "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and the bluesy "Sweet Little Thing" were both definite highlights, and it was cool to see how well Johnson meshed with the always awesome Shaun Verreault and Safwan Javed, like they had been playing together for years.
They paused mid-set for the stunt plane that was doing tricks in the bay, and finished off their set with a few more -- including Verreault's amazing guitar playing showcased on "More Of It" -- ending with an old favourite, "Change".

There's one mire night of the fireworks and ShoreFest to go, and on Saturday I plan on checking out the Kits Beach stage which will feature, among others, Steph Macpherson, The Sumner Brothers, and the unveiling of the winner for this year's Song Search.

setlist
Why, Listen Sister, Get A Hold Of You, Go Tell It To The Waterfall, Shut Up And Kiss Me, Sweet Little Thing, Only A Secret If You Keep It, 
Only The Young Die Good.
Midnight Rain, More Of It, Change.

Wide Mouth Mason @ The Yale -- 01/14/11

Turns out the last time I saw Wide Mouth Mason, over a year ago, was the last time I would see the original lineup. When bassist Earl Pereira left, I was wondering what would happen to the band, but they picked one hell of a replacement. Last night was the first of two nights at The Yale, as a dress rehearsal, of sorts, before the trio went down to Willie Nelson's studio in Texas to begin recording their new album. Oh, and the new bassist? Gordie Johnson. He of Big Sugar and Grady. Producer of WMM, Joel Plaskett, The Trews and countless others. And just generally being legendary.

They kicked off the night with some older songs, "Why" and "Midnight Rain" to get everyone going, but the bulk of the set were the new songs. Or as Shaun called them, "baby pictures", snapshots of the new songs in their infancy, before they were recorded. And the cool thing was seeing the songs form on stage. They admitted most of them hadn't been played before, or had been just written, and you could tell some songs were still taking shape as each of the three members would throw in improvised flourishes here and there; especially noticeable when Shaun and Gordie had a brief back and forth before one of the new songs. Most of the new songs were very much in Mason's blues-influenced rock vein, but definitely sounded like they were evolving and stretching their musical legs, as it were. Especially with the the funk infused and playful "Sweet Little Thing". I also liked the titles of a lot of the new songs; "Only The Young Die Good", "Shut Up & Kiss Me" and "When The Night Fell, It Fell On Me" being a few good ones.
The set was bookended with more older songs, with one of my favourites, "Ease Your Mind" and then drawing the set to a close with "This Mourning", which segued into a little bit of Big Sugar's "I'm A Ram" before an awesome ending. I would have been content with that 45 minute set, but the band wasn't, as they  took a break and were back for more.

Opening with "Smile", the second set was again loaded with new songs. There was also the usual banter and joking from the band, as Shaun introduced one song being for "douches who text while driving. And people who get back into damaging relationships... and then text the person while driving". But when they had to restart the song for Shaun to switch guitars, they added: people who tune guitars while driving or drive with out of tune guitars.
The night came to an end with an extended "Change" and Gordie, at one point, behind the keys and playing bass simultaneously. And making it seem like nothing much.

Even though I have been a fan of the band for over ten years, and seen them at least a dozen times live in that span, their live shows always manage to blow away my expectations, and a lot of that lies on Shaun Verreault. More specifically, his guitar playing. With multiple solos throughout the night, Verreault makes it look absolutely effortless, and less that he is playing the guitar, but coaxing the sounds from it.I wouldn't hesitate to say he is one of my favourite guitarists to watch live.
After hearing these new songs in their infancy, I am very much looking forward to hearing the final product, which they said will be out later this year.

And I would definitely recommend anyone with free time tonight heading down to The Yale for night two.

Wil w/ Shaun Verreault @ Media Club -- 11/19/10

I am no stranger to seeing either Wil or Shaun Verreault live, and they're definitely no strangers to each other. I first discovered (and fell in love with, musically) Wil when he opened for Wide Mouth Mason, and I saw a pair of shows at UBC's Pit Pub with the two of them playing acoustically. So when I found out Shaun would be opening for Wil at his show at the Media Club, I was more than a little excited. Like those two previous shows, the two each came out to play acoustic sets. Or as Shaun put it: "Thanks for coming to see two men, naked on stage... holding wood."

Shaun Verreault, who you may know from Wide Mouth Mason, kicked off the night playing a set of his own material. Opening with "Too Much for Too Little", he covered material from both of his solo albums, as well as a brand new one written that day (as per a bet with Wil) and what I think was a new Wide Mouth Mason tune -- he prefaced it by saying the band will be recording, with Gordie Johnson on bass, soon. Verreault is a great storyteller in his songs, and that translates really well to his stage banter. He wove a few tales between songs, including the hilarious story of when he opened for the Beach Boys and had a bit of a verbal altercation with one of the members, who wasn't quite a fan of Shaun's set. He brought the set to an close with "Catch My Death", which was essentially a five minute guitar clinic. I always seem to forget just how incredible a musician Verreault is until I see him live, and he never fails to amaze me. I really hope I get the chance to see him perform again soon, and I really hope that the new Wide Mouth Mason incarnation, with Johnson, plays here soon as well.

And then there was Wil, who lived up to his reputation by breaking at least one, of not two, strings during the set. I've mentioned before how much I absolutely love watching Wil play live, and he was as good as ever. Like Shaun, his set was rather loose and intimate with a good amount of stories and joking between the songs. The size of the Media Club helped for sure, but a couple times he even played a song that was randomly yelled out from the crowd -- both older songs from his first album -- adding to the intimacy. Aside from those, he held up his end of the bet by playing a brand new song called "Angry Dog" and joked (I hope!) that it was so new it would never get played again. "Cooder Mountain" grew to an amazing intensity and "Honey Pie" -- one of my favourite songs -- was just mindblowing, as usual. After closing the set with the tender "Big Life" he came back out for one more, despite the mounting snow. The song was one that he has had for a while, but remains unreleased; I hope that changes soon, as it was quite good.

My only disappointment from the show was that they didn't jam together for the encore. The shows they played together both featured that, but not so much this time. Even if it were just for a song or two, it would have been cool to see. But despite that, both men put on amazing sets, and anyone who has the opportunity to see either one live would be a fool not to take it.

setlist:
Long Kiss Goodnight, Wedding Dress, Mama, Angry Dog, Both Hands, Cooder Mountain, The Deal, Honey Pie, Big Life.
[encore] Shipwreck.

Wide Mouth Mason & Odds @ Venue -- 10/01/09

By this point, I think I have probably seen Wide Mouth Mason in the double digits. Odds, however, I had almost never seen. When they were big the first time around, I wasn't really going to many shows, so I never had a chance to see them "back in the day". I did see them play a short set before the fireworks one day, but that was more like half a show... it doesn't count. For these reasons, I think was more excited to have them on the bill than Mason. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good WMM show, but I had already seem them once (and a half, as they did a fireworks gig too) this year already, and countless times before.

Starting off the night was Jordan Carrier, and he... sounded pretty much like you'd expect a modern day Fox Seeds finalist to sound like. The first song sounded downright schizophrenic and the rest of his set, he didn't really seem to have a style of his own, just a patchwork of other bands. He, and his band mates, were not bad, musically, but not captivating at all and I pretty much forgot about the entire set as soon as Odds came on.

Odds hit the stage not too long after Carrier was off and played through the first song, which I thought was kind of muffled. Though when they hit the stage, none of the mics were on, so I thought it was just the levels... then I thought something was odd when I noticed the flashing lights were not strobe lights, but above both emergency doors. And that the high pitch whining wasn't feedback, but an alarm. Turns out the fire alarm was going off, and due to this, the PA system shut off. So, consummate professionals as they are, Odds joked and riffed on stage, about how this was now a photo shoot and such, before realizing they'd have to take a short break for things to get sorted out. Luckily, it wasn't too long of a break and they were back out soon after. They played a good mix of their older hits and the brand new material, and they still knew how to work a show, especially lead singer Craig Northey. I am so glad that I got the chance to see them in the end. It may not be the original lineup, but they're still as good as they ever were. And it was just another reminder why Pat Steward is one of my favourite drummers.

Finally, Wide Mouth Mason was up, and they were as sharp as ever. Even having seen them so many times, they never cease to amaze me with the sheer energy of their live shows. As is usual for their shows, they focused a lot on their hits and faster songs, but there were a few older ones in there, as well as two brand new songs from the upcoming (eventually) new album. One they had only played a few times before, and one they hadn't played at a show yet. The latter had the great title: Stop Yelling and Kiss Me. There were some nice jam moments as well, like during This Mourning (I think) they broke it down, and at one point during Shaun's solo-ing, he noticed someone near the front taking a video and went to play right in front of them. I've seen him do similar things before, and it's just cool to see the band interacting with the fans, not just up there to play, get paid and go home. I've met all three members before, and they are all incredibly nice, so that's no surprise there.
For the encore, they came back out with Change, which saw Pat Steward and Craig Northey take the stage to help out. Change segued into a live WMM staple, a cover of Stevie Wonder's Superstition which had Steward take over for Saf drumming and Northey on vocals. THAT then segued into a really good cover of Billie Jean, before going back to Superstition for one hell of an ending to one hell of a show.

Aside from the mediocre opening act, the disrupting fire alarm, and one other incident* it was quite the excellent night of rock and/or roll.

*of all the shows I've been to this year... hell, of all the shows I've been to ever... the one show I almost get into a fight at is a Wide Mouth Mason show??? Bizarre.