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Hey Ottawa, skip the buzz....


Dr. J

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Explaining oneself is usually a pointless exercise, but who can argue with Red Green. What I meant was: Rather than listen to what other people have to say about a band(the buzz), it is always better to listen to the band itself (the show). Hence skip the talk and catch the show. Nothing more, nothing less. You see I'm just not that clever...or subtle

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For those who like the talk: The Spades are a 3 piece rock band from Peterborough, who just released their debut CD "Burning on Fumes" 10 original tunes ("intelligent songs that rock" as one writer put it). Recently the band has played with The Golden Dogs, The Tragically Hip, Wide Mouth Mason and have been joined on stage by James Gray of Blue Rodeo. On Sept. 12 they will join The Sadies, The Hip, Matt Good and others for a benefit concert on the grounds of the Royal Military College in Kingston. Those in that area can catch a live interview (and acoustic performance)by the band on K-Rock 105.7 (Sunday, Aug.29 8:00 pm.), those in Ottawa can catch the band at the Pourhouse this Fri & Sat. These guys rock big time. Take my word for it. Or........

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Hope some of you folks can make it out to The Pour House tonight or tomorrow. The Spades really are a fun time (sorry for the initial confusion). If you do make it out, come up and say hi. I'm the guy who's not in the band but knows all the lyrics. Usually near the merch table...if there is any merch. Last week in kingston with The Golden Dogs, we were selling Phil Collins T-shirts, but got this scary reaction from their lead singer so we stopped. Go figure hehehehe Wherever you go, have a good one (and keep your stick on the ice).

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I went to the show, and was very impressed. Comparisons to The John Henrys came to mind, but they're not an exact copy. TJH is a little more country (and has more members, which enriches/"spreads" the sound a bit more), The Spades are a little more rockabillish.

The show was supposed to start at 10:00pm, and I think they hit the stage at 10:15pm, and then proceeded to do three sets, each of which was 35 - 45 minutes, which was a nice arrangement. The first set was good, the second set floored me (it almost erased any memory I had of the first set). With the guitar trio line-up, it almost sounded like a Slip cover band playing The John Henrys' greatest hits. Like TJH (and The Slip), the songs are written to be harder and more interesting than they have to be, with changes you couldn't see coming, but afterwards, could be the only thing that could have come. The songs varied from straight-up rockabilly, to solo acoustic guitar, to strange covers ("Stick Shifts And Safety Belts" by Cake, in particular), to country-ish stuff. No, not jammy (though I think they could do it if they tried), but fun end-to-end.

As I said, the first set was good, the second set great, but when the bachelorette party (complete with one woman in a white dress and veil) came in, the third set was weird. The b.p. did, however, get up and dance, so they added both weirdness and enthusiasm to the mix.

Velvet, I'd love to see a show with The Spades and The John Henrys. I'm not sure who would get opener vs. headliner status, so how about two (35-45 minute) sets each? Bill it as an alt-country meltdown at Babylon or something...

Thanks, Dr. J, it was great hooking up with you, and having you intro me to the band.

Aloha,

Brad

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