Blue Rodeo Has New Kick: New Member is Impressive; Roots-Rockers
Offer More Fire
Winnipeg Free Press
By Bartley Kives, Music Reporter
When you're the new guy, you know someone's going to force you
to hold a tambourine for the entire opening song.
But Bob Egan made one heck of an impression last night at the Walker
Theatre, making his Winnipeg debut as a member of Blue Rodeo.
The lap and pedal steel player is best known for his work with
critically acclaimed American country-rock band Wilco. Now, Egan
is a member of Canada's most successful and dependable roots-rock
outfit, which turned in an inspired and uncharacteristically raucous
performance last night before an audience of 1,350.
The Yank - a Minnesotan, actually - got a chance to shine two songs
into the set during The Seeker, a tune from Blue Rodeo's eighth
studio record, The Days In Between. Songs from the new disc dominated
the early part of the show.
From the moment Blue Rodeo walked on stage, you knew it was going
to be a great show - the sextet simply picked up their instruments
and started playing in an impressive display of unpretentiousness.
Singer/guitarist frontmen Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor were particularly
on the ball, hanging their bittersweet harmonies over an unusual
display of bombastic banging courtesy bassist Bazil Donovan and
drummer Glenn Milchem.
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…sounded more natural and confident than they have in years,
at least to this observer.
Kim Deschamps, Egan's predecessor, was a gifted and brilliant pedal
stelel player. But you can never underestimate the rejuvenating
powers of a little change.
At press time, which is earlier than usual on Fridays, Gray returned
to play accordion while Donovan was playing stand-up bass. Fifteen
more…
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…cally Hip of Austrailia because they are huge in their isolated
homeland but relatively unknown in the rest of the world.
The piano-based quintet, which takes its name from a left-wing
Aussie politician, knocked off an impressively diverse half-hour
set that veered from sentimental, boozy love songs into jazzy, samba-based
flights of rhythmic fancy.
The Australians and their Canadian…
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