ROOTS ROUNDUP May 14 2005 - Fairview Pub, Vancouver, BC, CA

[StoneMtn]

Roots Roundup put on a twenty-year-anniversary show to a somewhat rowdy, hopping, energetic crowd at the Fairview Pub on Saturday night. (This was a two-night run, but I missed the Friday night show.) This gig was definitely worth the drive down from Whistler!

The band is an eight-piece, with three guitars, one bassist, two trombone players (one of whom also shares the lead vocals with a guitarist), a percussionist, and a drummer. I don’t know how they do it with all those musicians up there, but they play like a well-oiled machine, and not a note is superfluous from any band member.

This band has not played together in about seven years, but I certainly couldn’t tell. Their sound was tight and the music was pumpin’! Their own brand of high-energy ska, with an infusion of funk, some reggae, and a little blues had the crowd in an uproar. (Unfortunately, any uproarious moment can turn a bit ugly, and there was one concert-goer who found it necessary to get a little out of hand during second set. He was expeditiously removed midway through the set, though, and the party partied on; while the police attended to the ugliness outside the venue.)

The crowd was an interesting mix. I saw it as a melange of the usual university crowd, a bunch of ska/skinhead types, and interspersed with a bit of Vancouver’s “hippy” element. Some of the fans had clearly been on the Roots bandwagon for the whole twenty-year run, but it was also really impressive to see how many were out for their first Roots experience. (I, myself, had never seen these guys before, although I tried once in 1997 at Thunderbird Stadium, but for some reason that I can’t remember actually walked into the show after everyone had finished, packed up, and gone home. All I can say is that I waited far too long for this experience.)

The highlight for me was definitely “Bike”; Roots’ tribute to “tearin’ up the road” on a two-wheel-mobile. The lyrics and feel of that song just blow me away … “Like a rock ‘n’ roll band, chuggin’ away over hills and down alleys I can ride all day…” to the point that I can actually “see” myself on that bike along with Roots wind in my hair, rippin’ up the street.

These guys have a fantastic, charismatic stage presence. You can tell they’re having a blast up there, and the mood is very contagious.

I also had the opportunity to meet David “Monkey Boy” Hathaway (Guitar) between sets. It was truly a pleasure to make his acquaintance, and was actually rewarding in more ways than one as the Monkey Boy made sure that I walked away with a free gift; a copy of Roots’ 1997 release, “Rootsrospective” on CD. To say the least, that disc made my ride home to Whistler grooooooooovin’! (The band actually offered gifts to anyone interested, as there were free copies of Roots’ old cassette, “What We Do”, available to anyone who asked.)

According to Monkey Boy, this is not the last we will hear of Roots; as other gigs will abound in future. In this one, insignificant concert-goer’s opinion, I certainly hope he’s telling the truth. A band with this kind of talent and charisma should not just fade away. I look forward to seeing innumerable Roots gigs.

Setlist (courtesy of the Monkey Boy):

Set 1

Move Your Feet

Screamin'

No It U Love

60 Cycle Hum

Sittin’

Coastin’

Sleeping Half The Time

In This Time

Take Me Back

HMS Cadillac

Sea of Sound

Set 2

Spirit

One Percenter

Boulder

Why I Otter

Settle Down

Bike

1st Impression

1/2 Pipe

Trust In Fate

Jumbo Spliff

Encore:

Chicken Strut

What We Do

Quote of the Day:

I’m going to post something on one of those message boards, to ask people and find out if it is actually normal for you to write down every single song during concerts!

[StoneMtn]

News from Roots Roundup, about this last show and the future...

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who came out to our first shows in

8 years at the Fairview in the middle of May. We were overwhelmed with how

many people came out, both new fans and old friends that we have not seen

in many years. The best news? We'll be doing more shows this fall, both in

Vancouver and in the general area surrounding. Which means we'll make it

over to the Islands at some point soon! This mailing list and the website (

www.rootsroundup.com of course ;-) ) So, let those who missed out know that

there'll be further chances to dance themselves silly.

Secondly, if you keep an eye on the website, slowly over the summer we'll

be getting more content up there. At the moment, all the pictures taken at

the Fairview shows are there, plus some video from the first night and some

video from 1989. We also have video from 86, 93, and 97, so as that gets

converted, we'll put that up there as well. A common question when we

played in May was whether or not any CDs were available. Greg and I are

pondering whether or not to produce some more copies of Rootrospective, the

16 songs CD from 1997 that encapsulated some of our better songs across 4

releases. If you have an interest in this, please let us know and we'll

contact you when we have some more available.

Again, thanks from all of us, to all of you and we look forward to seeing

you all again soon, much sooner than the 8 years its been between shows.

peace,