Silver Hearts > Slammin' Jack

[kung]

Twas a brilliant night of music in Guelph this eve, I can speak from experience because I am still somehow standing at (well it's 7:16am and my girlfriend is none to impressed) this time in the morning. The Silver Hearts at the Ebar was probably out of alot of peoples league at a $10 cover, totally understandable given the size of the band. Anyways it was fucking brilliant despite the late twenties early to mid thirties scenester crowd, they lightened up a bit later on. It was an 8 piece lineup (I'll fill in the details soon enough) particularly worthy of note was the jerry rigged theremin run through an old transistor radio, the lap steel/lead guitar/electronics definitely accented this textural force field theremin trip. People should know the Silver Hearts and if uncertain imagine a completely Canadian voice for a country choir, informed by the psychedelia of dense air, enough to make you a babbling fool for everything they represent. That about covers it.

My girlfriend was definitely mocking me that I felt any obligation to check out Slammin' Jack in light of the Hearts playing. In her mind the authenticity and importance of the Hearts is a given and a band like the Jack is a bit of a hoaky romp. Very close to the end of the Hearts show I dragged myself off. I caught a good four tune/jams at the end of their night. One was suspiciously like a Burt Neilson Waves jam which made me a little anxious about how Jeff Kornblum feels playing something like that. Anyways I yammer on but it was noteworthy that they played a coherent lively transcendant sounding groove. The contrast between them and the Hearts was more than noteworthy. Two different approaches to the same world weariness.

[paisley]

nice review (for pullin an all nighter)

I love how the Silver Hearts' theramin player never cracks a smile, I'd be beamin like a rainbow up there if that was my job

awesome band... my personal labeling for them is Tom Waits meets a New Orleans funeral march on the Delta

Slammin Jack have been growing steadily for a young band, I'm quite anxious to see what the past 7 months have done for them (they passed though town heading out east last summer and were quite good but a little insecure(really worried about the small hamilton turnout)... on their way back west a month later they had the road in their eye and easy smiles and you could hear that take the playing up a bunch of notches)

[AdamH]

Interesting review. I would've liked to see the Silver Hearts in a smaller venue than Barrymore's and pick up any difference in the audience. That being said I thought they were great wehn I saw them

The best thing about the E-Bar is all the olives they give you in a martini

[boogieknight]

Yes, the silverhearts are one of my favorite things about living in peterborough. And the paino/trumpet player is from Grey county. Representing Yo!!

[whiteymuseum]

The Silver Hearts are coming to Hamilton *The Underground* tonight (Friday). An interesting side-note is that JOE HALL from Continental Drift is opening the show.