The Sadies w/The Sunparlour Players @ The Horseshoe Tavern

I still can't decide if The Sadies are my absolute favourite band in the city or not, but watching them perform on Friday definitely confirmed that they've got to be the most talented. Performing 50 songs in two and a half hours, the Good Brothers never missed a step, playing songs that alternated genres between rock, blues, garage, country and even hints of punk that had me wondering if there was anything that they couldn't play. Standing up front, I could really see how tight the band was, and there were even a few moments where I was trying really hard to pay attention to where exactly Travis' fingers were going along that fretboard, although most times they were just a blur. As per usual, my favourite moments were the band's sharp instrumental forays into surf rock, but I also really appreciated their excellent choice of covers this time around. I've heard their awesome cover of The Everly Brothers' Price Of Love before, as well as their crowd pleasing rendition of The Flamin' Groovies' Shake Some Action, but Friday nights' highlight for me was their hyped up version of Love's A House Is Not A Motel, which is a freakish masterpiece in psych-garage to start with, let alone when you get these cow-punk giants to put their stamp on it! They also showcased their usual gang of familial guest stars, namely Margaret Good (their mother) and well as Darcy Good (their cousin.) The other guests were more on the lower end of the popularity scale, but by no means less talented, including Justin Rutledge whom I had seen just a few weeks ago.It was hard for them to keep up with all of the requests being shouted their way, but they did the best that they could, making for a highly enjoyable evening that will hopefully continue to be a semi-regular occasion for me.

Photos: The Sadies @ Horseshoe Tavern on flickr.
Myspace: The Sadies

Opening for The Sadies were The Sunparlour Players. The Players are a local folk band featuring Andrew Penner, Dennis Van Dine and Rosie Rosenthal and judging by the audience's enthusiasm for them, it looks like they already have built up quite a local fanbase. One must tag them with term 'folk' rather loosely however, because I can't remember the last time that I had heard folk music played with such ferocious intensity. The band was quite heavy on percussion, with every member banging away on their own little bass drum, while introducing a little banjo, clarinet and organ pedal into the mix as well. They complemented The Sadies very well, boasting a sound that was like the Carter Family on a caffeine fix.

Photos: The Sunparlour Players @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: The Sunparlour Players