Celebrating the release of the bands 5th full-length album, The Trews decided to hold themselves a little party to commemorate the finished project. The band took over The Danforth Music Hall for a sold out show that was something of an epic party.
Opening act The Glorious Sons lead singer Brett Eammons starting plinking away on a keyboard with a slow burning ballad pace. With a quick count in the band came out guns a blazing. The first song they played was the fun and beautiful tune Ruby. Eammons has a wild stage persona, taking all the best performances from the likes of Alice Cooper and Freddy Mercury. During the breakdown Eammons instructed the crowd to repeat the way he would sing “Ruby” back at him. Even though they are a fairly new band, due to their style they fit right in on the bill and no one had problems getting into their music. Playing in the large yet intimate DMH was very advantageous to them too. Guitar players Jay Eammons and Andrew Young did their best Brian May impression and brought the epic-ness to their style of playing.
The band won a talent contest hosted by HTZ-FM based out of St. Catherine’s that got them the opportunity to open for bands like The Trews and Finger Eleven. Oh the headliners also won this contest exactly 10 years ago too. The band played a mix of classic rock, gospel, and alt-country styles that is fun to listen to no matter the occasion. They played a cover of The Door’s classic L.A. Woman with their own musical touch to it. Brett Eammons did his best Jim Morrison impression and slithered around the stage. He would alternate bang his head back and forth and using his mic stand as an accessory to wield around like a staph or a spear.
The crowd was very involved in their set, like during White Noise the crowd chanting the title chorus back at the band, which they clearly reveled in. This group of guys clearly enjoys playing together and even though they have only been together for a year, every day seems like a new and fascinating adventure for them. These are the same guys who I’m sure back in high school the only thing they listened to was hard rock and metal, then one day they realized their parents Guess Who, ZZ Top and Queen records were actually awesome. They marry their hard rock background with the fun of classic rock and power chords. When they ended the set with Mama, the first single of their EP Shapeless Art, it was the most well known tune and a lot of the crowd sung along with the band. Coming out of the mold The Trews and The Sheepdogs blazed, I think they will be well known to a wider audience soon enough.
After what seemed like an eternal wait, the impatient crowd couldn’t wait to cheer on the heroes from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. There were a bunch of TV’s set up around the stage and all of a sudden they flickered with Trews stars and feedback and white noise was played over the speakers. They kicked off the show with Rise in the Wake a very loud and fun song off their latest self-titled album. Colin MacDonald brought out his energy right away and it was setting the tone of what was to come. He would drag his mic stand around the stage so he could play in front of everyone. He would also almost lean into the crowd to play his solos to which the crowd went nuts every time it happened.
Since it was a CD release party there was going to be a few surprises. Early on in the set the band brought out Gord Sinclair the guitarist from The Tragically Hip to join them on Hope and Ruin, the title song from their last full length. Sinclair played acoustic guitar and co-sung the choruses. It was clearly a lot of fun for everyone involved, but sharing the stage with one of your idols must have been extra special for the band.
There was no shortage of pomp and showing off coming from anyone in the band. Colin and his brother and fellow guitarist John-Angus MacDonald would try to steal attention by giving more to the fans every song. They would meet at center stage and try to out play the other. They would rock so hard they would fall to their knees and shred down low. They lead into Paranoid Freak a jam Colin described as being about having too many news stations on TV. The psychedelic freak number had lots of screaming and funky jazz parts. What was most fun was the way the stage lights were set up, they caused a huge shadow to be cast on the wall and you could clearly see the band’s silhouettes cast perfectly. It was a very Orwellian image and I don’t know if it was planned but it worked just right.
They played several songs off their newest album but the fans were the loudest for their biggest hits. On So She’s Leaving the mic was turned on the crowd and their enthusiasm seemed to make the band blush a bit. The mood got a bit more somber when Colin introduced Highway of Heroes, a song he stated the band wished they never had to write. It was inspired by the passing of their old friend Nichola Goddard who died in combat in Afghanistan. “We support the troops, not the wars” Colin stated, before diving into the song. The stage was lit only in red; multiple lighters went into the air and several people held peace signs up too. It was a tender moment that showcased the band is not just a party rock group.
All the bands members also got their solo time throughout the show. Touring keyboard player Jeff Heisholt got an extended solo. But drummer Sean Dalton got the special treatment. Everyone left the stage except Dalton, and he proceeded to play a fantastic solo. It was like a marching band major snuck into a house party and tried to impress John Bonham and Neil Peart. John-Angus got his chance to solo alone too, to the point where he felt like he needed some added beat so he played the kick drum and his guitar at the same time, with different timing. It was a very impressive feat.
The guests didn’t stop as later on they brought out Gordie Johnson front man of Big Sugar and Brett Eammons from The Glorious Sons out to play The Power of Positive Drinking. Colin, Gordie and Brett traded verses and Gordie and John-Angus had a rock off to see who could play a crazier riff. The theme of the night seemed to be one-upmanship as the guests stayed on to sing Poor Old Broken Hearted Me, to much delight of everyone. Colin exclaimed that they had been together for a decade and five albums, but they don’t plan on slowing down at any point.
When the show finished instead of chanting the usual “encore” to bring the band back out, the crowd started chanting “We’re not ready to go!” a nod to their most famous song. When they came back out they played a four-song mini set, bringing out Johnson and most of The Glorious Sons. Of course they did play I’m Not Ready To Go with extended choruses and maximum audience participation. It was a night of face melting solos, and genuine appreciation from the band that they could enjoy so much success. They took several bows and shook the hands of everyone in the front row. Normally when I cover shows I don’t get a ticket, just a stamp on my wrist saying my name was crossed off the list. I knew this night would be different when I got a physical stub, and at the end when Colin was throwing his guitar pick into the crowd I caught it. For someone who is only a casual fan of the bands music (and being honest it was back in high school), they put on one of the most fun shows I have ever been too.
Photographs by Neil Van.
Thanks to Live Nation for media access.
