Proof that not all Canadian music sucks

Last night I went to see alt-country chanteuse Neko Case at the Lobo Theater here in Albuquerque. It was the first time I’d seen her, and I really wasn’t familiar with her music beyond a couple of tunes I’d heard on the radio. However, I’d certainly heard her name bandied about a lot in the music press, typically with any number of superlatives attached to it, so maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that I was slightly disappointed with her show. When anyone gets hyped that much, it’s hard to live up to.

Still, I was only slightly disappointed. Even if she’s not the Second Coming, she’s still a damn fine singer. She has the raw power and some of the same inflections as Maria McKee (the singer for one of my fave bands of the ‘80s, Lone Justice, who’s also done some great solo stuff), coupled with the smoky timbre of Hope Sandoval (of Mazzy Star, of course), plus a touch of Patsy Cline’s soul. She’s also a very good songwriter, with a wicked sense of humor, and I suspect that if I'd been able to hear more of the lyrics I'd have been impressed, but the sound was not all that great. But throw in some interesting covers (Buffy Sainte-Marie!) and the fact that she’s pretty hot, and you have a very enjoyable evening.

Making it even better were the Sadies, who both opened for and backed Neko. While you’ve probably heard of Ms. Case, odds are you don’t know about these guys, who hail from up Ontario way. I didn’t, but I’m glad I do now. They combine a lot of familiar sounds in some quirky and inventive ways to make something cool and new. They seem most firmly rooted in what’s now called Americana, which may seem inappropriate for a bunch of Canadians, but keep in mind that the Band was 80% Canuck. Actually, guitarist Travis Good has sort of a Rick Danko-esque voice (along with complete mastery of his Guild hollow-body’s volume knob--you’d swear he was playing pedal steel sometimes) and he was dressed the part as well. There are also elements of surf (especially in the super-twangy instrumentals), European folk-punk (I heard echoes of the Waterboys), Southern rock (echoes also of the Outlaws), even psychedelia (the All Music Guide hears Moby Grape, and the bassist looks like he could have been a member), but I think the oddest (given the context) and simultaneously the most charming element is Merseybeat. In fact, when they started their set, my first thought was “the Outlaws meet Gerry and the Pacemakers.” Guitarist Dallas Good (Travis’s brother)'s black suit, skinny tie, and mop-top haircut probably didn’t hurt in making the connection, but his gorgeous, chiming-like-a-churchbell-in-the-Liverpool-morning Telecaster work would have done it regardless. Take a listen to an mp3 of my favorite song from last night and you’ll see what I mean. Then maybe listen to their other songs…maybe even buy one of their records. Maybe even give it to me for Christmas.

P.S. In case my subject line was confusing--the Sadies are Canadian, but Neko Case is not. She's from Virginia and now lives in Washington, I believe. And if you want to buy me one of her records, too, that would be fine.