Walk Like An Egyptian, Play Banjo Like A Musician

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers played a raucous and hilarious set of bluegrass at the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival last night, and it was pretty much exactly as the show was billed: a night of comedy and bluegrass - not necessarily in that order, as you can imagine from the International Bluegrass Association's entertainers of the year.


Here are some of the highlights of the show for me - mostly the jokes Martin was making on stage, and boy, was he at the top of his game!

"These are the Steep Canyon Rangers - they're not so much my band as im their celebrity."
"That bass also doubles as a fridge!" (he later pulled a beer out of it!)
"As you can see, we do not have a drummer in our band, like many bluegrass bands, because in bluegrass the rhythm comes from the other instruments, like the banjo (plays a few chords). But the downside to traveling without a drummer...no pot!"
"Where can we buy this album?" "In the merchandise tent. What a coincidence."
"By the way, if you're not enjoying the show so far, you're wrong."
"If you're not enjoying the show, then ask yourself - what can i, as an audience member, bring to the show next time?"
"My bandmates and i, we always said, as soon as this stops being fun we'll stop." And the rest of the band immediately laid down their instruments and marched off stage.
"Religious people have such beautiful music and art, and atheists really have nothing - until now!" And proceeded to launch into the Atheist anthem, Atheists Dont Have No Songs, a rollicking little ditty celebrating atheist culture that was pure Martin-esque hilarity. Check it out:



Back to Martin's antics...

"Our next song is called...Angry Birds Level 7"
"All of you, help keep the minimum wage right where it is..."
"The Steep Canyon Rangers are undermining our relationship with all their passive-aggressive horseshit. Tweet."
"I hope you've enjoyed listening tonight as much as ive enjoyed finger-synching to the records played onstage."

Truly a comedic genius, that man. Keep it up, Steve. 

For another great review of the show check out jambands.ca.

Barr-ing Their Souls On Stage

Ever seen a man play a bicycle wheel like a violin? After last night, I have. 

The Barr Brothers performed at the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival last night, closing out the first spirited day of Jazz Fest with a show that was all over the board – high energy yet melodic, soulful and lullabye-esque, at times chaotic and at others in perfect sync. The brothers, Brad on guitar and Andrew on drums and percussion (and bike wheel), are joined by Andres Vial on bass, keyboard and various other noisemakers, and Sarah Page, playing an instrument not found on too many rock or jam stages, a stand-up classical harp.

With the haunting, ethereal tones of the harp echoing through the creative cacophony at the perfect times, the music felt airy and uplifting, even while Brad sang about making deals with the devil and the plight of a deacon’s son.  

As I listened to Brad sing the slow, sultry lyrics to the Neil Young classic Don’t Let it Bring You Down, and with no bearing to the weather outside the tent, I envisioned a thunderstorm – dark, grey clouds slowly advancing and blanketing the sky, before an explosion of thunder from the drums and guitar, and petering out just as quickly like a summer deluge.

Songs like Give the Devil Back His Heart and Ooh, Belle showcase the diverse areas of inspiration contained in the Barrs’ musical oeuvre – Andrew once said the inspiration for Deacons’ Sons came to him while he was listening to the music of Sahara desert nomads and pacing the house with his guitar.

Lofty, softly clanging bells, abacus-like shakers, maracas, bicycle spokes and ghostly pedal effects showcase the diversity and range of this group, who defy categorizations like “folk” or “blues,” often containing folk, blues, rock and classical sounds in the same extended jams.

This iteration of the brothers’ musical journey, which began with a Great White-style nightclub fire in Montreal that resulted in Andrew and Brad fleeing from the club with instruments in hand, led to them meeting a woman who would become their manager and a new home base in one of Canada’s cultural hubs. For the Providence, Rhode Island duo who were formerly two-thirds of jam-rockers The Slip, this was fairly out of their comfort zone, but soon friendships with local musician Vial and Page, with whom the brothers shared a wall in their apartment, led to the band’s formation.

Perhaps it was the progressive, unconventional nature of the quartet’s musical acumen, or the nurturing atmosphere of Montreal’s music scene, but the slightly mis-nomered Barr Brothers have created a niche for themselves, touring extensively through Canada and the US at many of the major summer festivals. Their shows still have a slightly amateurish feel to them, but in a good way – it’s an unassuming feeling, built on the charming and intimate notion that these incredibly creative artists would feel just as at home around a campfire as they are in a nightclub.

It would be harder to set up that bicycle wheel around a campfire, though.

The Barr Brothers continue their summer tour at the Metropolis in Montreal on July 1.

Bonnaroo Breaking News

In the latest announcement, the folks at the Bonnaroo music festival have said Phish will actually close out the festival with the final Sunday night performance.

It had been speculated that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band would get the honours, though it seems Phish will now take their rightful place at the forefront of the fest. The band's first set, on Friday, will be a "special late night performance," which could easily be something like 12-4a.m.

Meanwhile, the Boss and his boys will suit up Saturday night, likely in the main evening show at 8 or 9p.m.

The Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, TV on the Radio and Snoop Dogg will also perform.

Stay tuned for more news from Bonnaroo, and for my preview of another great fest, 10,000 Lakes.

The Music Is About To Begin

The summer festival season 2009 is here! Most of the major fests have unveiled their lineups, and I already can’t wait for June to get here! Check out the individual artist lineups and festival breakdowns here, and navigate to the individual homepages to join their mailing lists.