April Wine with the Tree Streets at Sarnia's Ribfest
Friday July 18, 2008
by Brian Hay
The show was opened by the Tree Streets. They're a young three piece band out of Sarnia who are now based in Windsor. They have promise. Their material is good and their basic sound is as well. And their bass player, Dave Russ, has a fabulous voice. He has power, projection, volume and expression and is able to deliver it all without screaming. He has a great talent there.
But they need some seasoning. The work from the other two was inconsistent. Lead guitarist Brenden Fraser had some great moments, and obviously knows how to play. But he didn't always seem to know what to play. Some of his solo work (which could have raised the level of the songs) ended up buried inside of them instead. Their rhythm section needs work as well. (Dave) Russ, originally a guitarist, didn't always seem comfortable with the bass. And their drummer, Colin Jolly, was slow. He could play the fills but, mostly, he seemed to be be playing along rather than dictating the beat.
But, again, they are young. With time and a lot of hard work, they can be good.
April Wine was Another Matter …
The talk about all these old rockers going out and living on their laurels never seems to quite go away. But the truth about most of these guys is that they can really play. They've been doing it for a long time and (generally) are very good at what they do. The band, "April Wine", is no exception. They were good when they were producing hits and they're still good.
As the Rhythm Section Goes so Goes …
The first part of the show was strong enough but the pivotal moment came when the rhythm section took over. During a cover of (king Crimson's) '21st Century Schizoid Man' (drummer) Jerry Mercer and (bass player) Breen LaBoeuf stepped up a notch and began playing off of each other. It forced the rest of the band (lead guitarist Brian Greenway and singer/ guitarist Myles Goodwin) to follow and it was a thing of beauty. Mercer and LaBoeuf climbed all over the patterns each laid out while Greenway and Goodwin put out some of the most inspired work of the evening. After that point they never looked back.
King Kong Behind a Drum Kit …
One of the high points was (Jerry) Mercer's drum solo. It was interesting, exciting and fun, both to hear and watch. He played a wide variety of patterns, kept it concise musically and showed both the skill and raw power that's made his reputation what it is. And he looked like King Kong having a blast doing it. Hopefully the kid from "The Tree Streets" stayed and watched. It would be hard to get a better lesson on what to do and how to do it. Because, this time, the seventy year old (Mercer turns seventy next year) ran circles around the kid who's less than half his age.
The sound wasn't always perfect though. It was good most of the time but came apart during some of the loudest moments. When that happened the mix turned muddy and the vocals were muffled. Thankfully, it didn't happen too many times. Mostly, the execution and the sound was clear and crisp. April Wine played a solid mix of old hits and newer gems. They're still active in the studio and the newer material they played was as fresh as their hits were when they were hits.
All in all, it was a good way to spend a Friday evening.
This line acts as a space bar.
Drummer Jerry Mercer
… Like King Kong Behind a Drum Kit …
April Wine:
Official Site
