Buck 65
Date: April 11, 2007 Solid Gold After being shut out of Buck 65's most recent Ottawa stop, because it was a university-sponsored affair only open to students, I almost missed his follow-up gig at Algonquin College due to sparse advertizing. Fortunately, someone mentioned the show on the Punk Ottawa message board the day before it happened, so I made it to the Observatory Lounge to catch my twelfth Buck 65 set. Also on the charity bill were The Phonogarde, who was a great lead-in for Buck, and Neverending White Lights, who played fine but never really caught me. The Observatory Lounge is set up with couches to the sides of the floor and cafeteria-style tables and chairs in the middle, so I ended up seated front and centre for the night. I'm not used to sitting down at many shows but it worked for a casual concert that started with a solo acoustic set from The Phonogarde. I later read that The Phonogarde also play as a three-piece but on this night, Christian Masotti relied only on his voice, guitar, and storytelling, none of which disappointed. An opening slide guitar number set the tone for a set that was stepped in blues and folk, including a take of "Goodnight Irene." Masotti piled some serious vocal gymnastics on his solid guitar work, proving himself unafraid to push his voice to a scream, draw it in to a whisper, or twist it to suit the song. It was the kind of dynamic performance that you need to hook people with a solo opening set. Working equally in his favour was his easy-going stage presence and comedic storytelling between songs. Masotti claimed Buck 65 as an inspiration; and he displayed a similar skill with telling tales, keeping the crowd in stitches with his meandering stories, whether or not they pertained to the songs in his set. (A confessed addiction to YouTube, which he declared most useful for viewing the montage sequences from the Rocky films, was a highlight.) In fact, he devoted several minutes discussing the backstory to a song that he hadn't even planned to include in his set, "Talkin' Dry Clean Only," only to have the crowd later demand its inclusion. As it turned out, that was an interesting addition, as it showcased a very different half-spoken vocal approach, injecting a neat twist in a strong set. To my surprise, Buck 65 had the middle slot on the bill; and it wasn't long before he was in action. The last few locations that I have seen Buck perform at were either outdoor festival stages or huge clubs. He has a knack for connecting with the audience even in those distancing settings, so an intimate venue such as the Observatory was like shooting fish in a barrel for him. Even a lyrical stumble on the opening number, "Indestructible Sam," failed to slow his early momentum, as he simply paused his musical backing and powered through the verse conversationally, before letting the music kick back in for his finish. As has been the case with other recent sets, Buck concentrated on material from recent and upcoming releases. His Dirk Thornton project was represented by "Temporarily in Love"; "Dang!" and "Suspect" made the cut from Strong Arm, the latter including some nimble scratching on the screaming fade-out; and "Heather Nights" joined "Indestructible Sam" as Dirty Work offerings. Buck performed only a few songs from his regular CDs, including "Rough House Blues" and "Kennedy Killed the Hat." He introduced the latter by referencing a sticker that he saw on a French album, "bonne pour la danse," and while the venue wasn't inviting for crowd dancing, Buck had heads bobbing all night while he himself hammed it up on stage. True to form, Buck had lots of stories for the crowd, including a musing on the inherent humour of neck braces, which he went on to demonstrate by affixing one before he played his next song. His exaggerated turns while wearing the brace typified the comic physicality that has become an increasingly significant component of his stage presence in recent years. Despite his claims before "Kennedy" that his two dance moves are "the jump and the twist," the truth is that Buck is always punctuating his songs with a shake, a quick draw motion, or any other pantomime that echoes his lyrics. Between his tall tales and his wry song delivery, I think that this may have been the most mirthful set that I've seen from Buck; and the casual setting certainly reinforced the mood of friends sharing laughs. After a couple of truncated festival slots, seeing Buck play for an hour left room for some new twists; and I was happy to hear several songs that were completely new to me, including a pair from a collaboration called Bike for Three! and one so new that Buck wasn't sure of its name. Buck clearly has a lot of music lined up for release; and from what I've heard, I can't wait for the full albums. Probably the best moment of the night was another unreleased track, "Spread 'Em." Buck also played that song at the Virgin Festival, to an equally huge reaction. This one is sure to go down as one of his true classics when The Situation drops in the fall. The set closer also echoed that Virgin Festival set, as he mixed "Wicked and Weird" with a recording of "The Coo-Coo Bird," a fantastic pairing to bow out with. The closing set of the evening was held by Neverending White Lights. Frontman Daniel Victor noted that because of the small venue, he'd be staying on acoustic guitar to put a different slant on their music; but being unfamiliar with the band, I can't say how sharply the songs were reworked. To be sure, the group did not lack for volume, as the five-piece filled the lounge with a loud but clean mix. The White Lights added several covers into their set, including the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale." While their playing was fine throughout the night, and they interacted well with the crowd, I ultimately never felt a real connection to their music, rendering their performance decent but unspectacular, from my perspective. Overall, though, it was an excellent night of music, with Buck 65 coming through as strongly as ever and The Phonogarde proving to be an unexpected treat. I'm definitely appreciative of the Punk Ottawa poster for spreading the word on this concert. <--Prev (Heaven and Hell) | Next (Apostle of Hustle)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |