CMW: Dine Alone Showcase (El Mocambo, Mar 23, '12)

Not in chronological order, or any order at all really.

The Sheepdogs were rumoured to be the secret guests and were the logical choice. Following hours of speculation their manager confirmed my suspicion while taking a piss upstairs, so it was pure elation when they took the stage. They rocked as they are apt to do. Learn & Burn, The One You Belong To amongst em. I'd taken off my amateur blogger cap by this point and put on my drunk music fan bib so details are sketchy but it was fun. What do you want me to say? I Don't Know!

If The Sheepdogs epitomize '70s rock I'm not sure what era Monster Truck represent but it is unabashed, straight-ahead, loud-as-they-can-get-it, rock and roll that they play. And it's pretty darn good too. Didn't realize just how loud the upstairs of the El Mo can get until I got run over by a Monster Truck (wuh waa).  

The Apache Relay were a band I was told I was going to like. From the opening a capella intro I was into it and as the band joined in it only improved. There was an energy on stage from both the music and the members that carried back and forth with the audience. The amped violin added a stellar touch too. Found a new group in these Nashville boys.

Upstairs of the El Mo (my first time ever up there) I found the bearded Spencer playing earnest acoustic guitar before his band of slide guitar, cello, violin, drum and electric guitar also came to life. Folk music riding the swell of those instruments, Grey Kingdom was a pleasant surprise. Spencer proved to be a very amusing fellow though his candid banter as well.

Also upstairs Hacienda played a set with the endorsement of one of the Black Keys members. It was a fine little enjoyable rock set though that's about all my notes have to say about these guys.

I purposely arrived early for The Great Bloomers to see what the five piece has been up to since I last saw them years ago. They played some indie rock without much flare so unfortunately they didn't stand out in the sea of CMW.

Same goes for Dinosaur Bones as Great Bloomers. I'd seen em at last year's CMW and like some of their recorded stuff but didn't set themselves apart with this middle-of-the-line set.

Unfortunately a band I was really looking forward to catching again, Parlovr, were right before the Sheepdogs but on the other level. Having already slipped in through the out door for the 'dogs I didn't want to chance being stuck away from the special guests and therefore missed them.

The Sheepdogs (@Beerfest, Exhibition Bandshell, Aug 7)

The Sheepdogs quite successfully transformed Beerfest into Beardfest with a healthy dose of '70s rock and roll. Guitar solos ruled the afternoon as the most recent (and only independent) Rolling Stone cover band rocked the beer swillers much to our delight. That riff on Southern Dreaming brought us through the light rain off the top, and Right On did the same as it picked up. Somehow we were able to get by the biggest downpour with I Don't Get By. Tossing in back-pressed-to-back double guitars and the sweet midsong breakdown of Learn and Burn the crowd couldn't be bothered by the weather (besides there's always more beer). It was all worth it to shout along to I Don't Know as the sun burst through to create a sun shower. From the music to the weather, we had just about all the elements of a blissful Woodstock set.

The Sheepdogs X2 - Hillside Saturday 2011

The Sheepdogs were in the midst of three fests in as many days, but weren't too busy to rock Hillside twice. First the four pups gathered on stools with a pair of acoustic and an electric guitar, plus some shaker percussion. Their throwback songs actually came across really well in this format, and it is important to note that Neil Young's Down By the River didn't feel out of place in the least. As I watched from amid the large, seated sun stage crowd I couldn't help but think 'I could be looking at the cover of the Rolling Stone.'
However it is their full-on rockin' sound, as showcased a few hours later in the Island Tent, that has gotten them to where they are. Unabashed '70s rock and roll delivered with confidence and every hint of sincerity. This resulted in a capacity crowd and once finally inside the place was wild with people grooving up and down the picnic benches. The incendiary solos only spurred them on, especially on Learn and Burn. Impressive and worthy of the cover story accolades.

The Sheepdogs (Horseshoe, Mar. 11, CMW)

It is tempting to start listing off the classic rock'n'roll influences heard in The Sheepdogs music. Fellow Western Canadian band The Guess Who is an obvious one. Even moments are reminiscent of The Doors would apply. However it seems more accurate to say that this band is a classic rock band of yesteryear. As if wormholed back to the turn of the decade 1970 the Sheepdogs blasted out guitar licks while maintaining a straightforward listenability. They looked the part too with their shaggy hair, and shaggy, white-fur guitar straps. The titular track from their last album, Learn and Burn, came replete with soaring guitar solos and rock drumming, but that is only one example from a unabashedly loud rock set. For half an hour at the 'Shoe last night it was the seventies and the crowd was more than willing to go along for the trip!