Over the Edge + October 26, 2005

Reviews 9

Concert

Hammering Prince George

TABATHA LUNDHOLM STAFF WRITER

After much deliberation to get my journalist cohort into the Road Ham- mers show on October 14, we settled into the CN Centre to enjoy this country music phenomena. The set, including two full-sized Western Star trucks, provided a much more low-key event than the recent Collective Soul concert. No throngs of throbbing fans stripping and crowd-sutfing their way towards the stage: just people sitting at the tables provided, and dancing to the one man show, Rick Staley. Up there on the stage, with no band- mates, just a man and his guitar.

Watching a sea of cowboy hats and beer cups, I was reminded of the first time I dared to enter the Cadillac Ranch. Somehow, the cowboys and girls just seem more honest. ‘They're not afraid to dance in front of other people, and the guys seem to honestly enjoy it and are good at it.

While listening to Rick Staley, I realized that when he spoke, he had a Canadian accent, but when he played, he acquired that throaty, southern accent that defines country music, Twang, I think it's called. Without that standard country twang, all of his songs would cease to be country, and would evolve into soft-rock. The effect is still good, though, and I guess that's what all these people came to hear. Some people just love the twang.

The Prince George band, The Night Owls, took the stage next employing a very rock-country style. A powerful female singer accompanied by the rest of the four-member band rocked PG, country-style. With some awesome guitar licks, it was an amazing open- ing act. Being slightly more rock than country, they did a few common cov- ers such as Lynard Skynard’s “Sweet

Home Alabama,’ “Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison, and the Drifters Under the Boardwalk.’ All of these were ex- tremely loyal covers, done with such class that I gained massive respect for this PG band. I had the most amazing urge to get up and start strutting my limited line-dancing moves. Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” rang through the stands and the cow-people all got up to dance to this classic story about a cheatin’ woman and a car. Come to think of it, it really does seem like a typical country song.

The Road Hammers took the stage with the Western Star trucks flashin’ and honkin, and the cow-people went wild and flocked to the stage to wit- ness this country marvel. I have to admit it, the band had class, style, and moves to give Prince George just what they need. The band’s chemistry is powerful, vocally-superb, and so damn sexy that I could see the hormones rising off the floor. They were amaz- ing musicians, all of them, each with a clearly-defined stage persona. This trucker-dedicated band gets on stage and they actually look like they belong there. It’s like a worn-in pair of cow- boy boots: they just fit. These Canad- ian boys sure know how to party.

With a wide variety of instruments ranging from the steel guitar to the accordion, the Road Hammers are destined for country music great- ness. With choreographed moves to make PG sweat, they move smoothly from song to another, and even when a singer forgets the opening words, he calmly prompts the audience to sing along and remind him.

Jason McCoy and Clayton Bel- lamy have amazing on-stage brotherly chemistry, such that when Clayton forgets the words, Jason comes over to shove him. It's all fun and games with

this band.

As they wind down for a slow num- ber, the audience all turn to one an- other to dance cheek-to-cheek. Clay- ton Bellamy paid tribute to Johnny Cash by replicating “Folsom Prison Blues,’ and the audience danced their achey-breaky hearts out. After a few more songs, the band attempted to retire for the evening, but the Prince George fans would have none of that. The audience fans erupt into a chant to bring the men back out. A strong encore finished the band off, and they turned to tuck into their signing table where they sign everyones merchan- dise with appreciation and courtesy, You can tell that these guys just love being a band.

After the show, I got the chance to talk to the founder of the Road Ham- mers, Jason McCoy, about the show. “Tt was pretty dang cool,” said the vi- sionary, “cause it's always nice to tour Canada: it's home.’

I asked him what the biggest com- pliment they had ever received as a band, and the response was totally unpredicted: “People covering the songs I've written... and people getting the Road Hammer logo tattooed on them,” he said. “The best part about it is the everyday challenge and all the work that has to be done... We never meant for this to be a mainstream thing: it just went nuts... five or six years, ago I decided that if I ever did a trucker tribute album, I'd dedicate it to the people hammering the road for a living,’ said the 2005 Canadian Country Music Association's Male Vocalist of the Year, The group, also consisting of Chris Byrne and Clayton Bellamy, are working across Canada to promote their new 2005 record, “The

”

Road Hammers’.

Review Askew

ARTIST My Morning Jacket ALBUMZ

LABEL Ato Records

YEAR 2005

NATHAN KELLY STAFF WRITER

My Morning Jacket's frontman (and core songwriter) Jim James has decid- ed to take this Jacksonville, Kentucky band into a slightly different musical direction on their new album, Z. In- stead of relying on Jim's stunning and expansive voice and minimalist song structures, as they have on previous releases (including the band’s fan- tastic last album It Still Moves), the band now sounds much fuller, more rock-oriented, and employ the use of electronic instrumentation more

frequently then they have in the past. James’ voice has evolved on this album as well: he still worships Neil Young, but his tone is much more pleasing and controlled than Young has been in the past.

For fans of Jim James's early work, this album may seem quite jarring. My Morning Jacket's first two al- bums (The Tennessee Fire and At Dawn) drew from folk-country song structures cross-pollinated with a bit of psychedelica and indie-rock that eventually moved into a more power- chord direction with It Still Moves. Z continues this progression of adding more modern elements into James’ traditional song structures. Examples of this progression can be seen in the album opener,“ Wordless Chorus’, and

Evolving in Style Without Losing Substance

the carnival-esque “Into the Woods’.

Z is also the most consistently happy album of My Morning Jacket's catalogue. In the past, the band would have one or two upbeat tracks per album, such as The Tennessee Fire's “T's About Twilight Now” and At Dawn's “Honest Man’, surrounded by James’ more typical slow country- tinged songs. Z, however, is domin- ated by songs with an more upbeat and rawkin’ guitar sound. Song such as “What a Wonderful Man’, “Off the Record’, and “Lay Low” display that the band isn't afraid to try having a little fun without losing that trade- matked My Morning Jacket sound.

Z is an excellent record from an ex- cellent band. Hopefully, My Morning Jacket will continue to make records as interesting as this for the rest of their (hopefully long) career. If you havent heard this band yet, this album is a good place to start, as it shows all sides of the band and exposes some intriguing possibilities of what may be ahead for them.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you like this try: Neil Young & Crazy Horse ~ Rust Never Sleeps (Warner Brothers Records)

Movies

Look Gromit ... Cheese!

—,

THE

WER

DIRECTORS Steve Box and Nick Park

MOVIE Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

STUDIO Dream Works and Aardman

YEAR 2005

ASHLEY-PAIGE SMITH AD MANAGER

Nick Park's clay-animated characters, Wallace and Gromit, have finally come to Canada in a full feature length film. Ahh, British humor... the one thing that always brings a smile to my face! Aard- man and Dreamworks came together a few years ago to produce “Chicken Run’, a film about chickens repeatedly trying to escape from a farm. Together again they bring us “Wallace and Gro- mit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit’, a cer-

i ae Ti CREATORS OF CANCWEN resued

CURSE rn © E-RABBIT.

tain-to-become-classic of all Wallace

and Gromit films. The concept behind Wallace and Gromit was created in Britsol, England: there are three other, very good shorter films that I find quite humorous, but my favorite of the three is “Wrong Trousers’, mostly because it has a penguin posing as a chicken!

This current movie runs through Wallaces new romance with Totty and his newly-developed love of ‘veg: Gromit is his usual self, with perfect expressions more than making up for his lack of speech, If you want a good, hearty laugh.I suggest that you watch this movie, and, if it pets your Buddha, follow it up with other films of Aard- man origin.

Bountry-Huntress Flick Does Not Impress

DIRECTORS Tony Scott MOVIE Domino

STUDIO New Line Cinema YEAR 2005

EARSON GIBSON ARTS EDITOR

“Based on a true story... sort of” are the opening frames of Domino, a movie based loosely on the life of the bounty hunter Domino Harvey. ‘Loosely’ doesn't even begin describe it. This movie is a fantasy story through and through, requiring a considerable amount of belief suspension to keep your left eyebrow from getting stuck in a permanently-raised position.

Despite the occasional silliness, Domino has loads of high intensity ac- tion and some good laughs. If you love bounty hunters, bank robbery, gangsters

and sexiness, you'll like this movie. The plot structure jumps around quite a bit and may be hard to follow for some of the stoners in the crowd, but just sit back, relax, and it'll all come together in the end. My personal highlight was when Tom Waits drove onto the screen in an old Chevy, playing something of a prophet figure for the crew during an unexpected mescaline crip.

All told, the girl-power crowd is go- ing to enjoy this movie the most, but pretty much anyone could enjoy it if they try. Unfortunately, I have to give this movie only 3.5 imaginary units of quality measurement, because Keira Knightley’s sickeningly-sweet aristo- cratic English accent makes me want to punch her in the mouth. If it weren't for that, I'd give it a four.