If someone asks me who my favorite band is, I pause. I do so because saying the name means I'm going to have to explain who the band is to a party that will generally get less and less interested the more I go into detail. I have two favorites, but the one for which I have expended the most emotional energy is called Blue Rodeo. Their music has been described as roots, which means good music that isn't going to get a lot of commercial play. When the fiddle and lap steel are prominent, you are looking at a niche band, at least in America. Yep, they're Canadian.
I would assume that a large percentage of Canadian Atlantans were at Smith's Olde Bar last night. I could get bitter and complain that such an accomplished group has to play in a venue that fit maybe 200 in a room last night. But honestly I'm glad that I can see them in such an intimate setting. The band's been together since 1984 and belies the common rock myth that two alpha dogs can't co-exist.
I discovered the band along with my college roommate in 1993. He would not stop listening to the ballad "Now and Forever", which was a song about regret and loss after a breakup. He was going through a breakup and I assume that it helped.
Blue Rodeo often uses the imagery of ghosts in their songs. I don’t think of ghosts as real. Instead they are our own creation manifested in painful memories of the past.
Consider gems like this: “I was happy for a while. Then I started chasing your stone cold heart. I was happy for a while. Then everything started falling apart.”
Or, better yet, check it out.
The band has become like a good friend who's known me for nearly 20 years. How can you overstate such a relationship? I can't wait for their return in 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment