Western Canada plays Winnipeg

TESSA VANDERHART STAFF

Maybe it was because I kept being reminded that I wasn’t really supposed to care about the show; perhaps I really am a characteristically indifferent Winnipegger. Whatever the case, last weekend’s Western Canadian Music Awards were, strangely, just what I was expecting.

The Oct. 19-22 weekend was filled with lectures during the day, shows during the evening, and capped off the excitement with an award show on Sunday.

The Friday-night CBC Radio3/ Definitely Not The Opera-sponsored showcase I attended got off to a strange start, as host Sook-Yin Lee ascended the stage of the West End Cultural Centre to announce that the audience would be time-travelling to 1 p.m. the next day, Saturday Oct. 21. Apparently the show was run “live” on DNTO, so you could probably stop reading this review right now and just listen to the podcast at cbc.ca/ dnto. But that would just be typical Winnipeggian non-participation, so you shouldn’t do that.

First B.C.’s T. Nile was thrust into the stage-light, all curly hair and big blue eyes. For banjo music, it was shockingly easy to relate to (I guess being a girl isn’t that uncommon a condition). Nile’s performance, for all her frilly green dress, doublebass- thumping accompaniment, meticulously prepared stage-talk (reminding us that Winnipeggers are supposed to be cold audience members), and sweetly timid voice, was just a little too restrained — green, even.

Then my good friend Sook- Yin returned to the stage, this time requesting we pretend that it was actually right before T. Nile’s performance. Um.

The addition of a second guitarist to the lineup of local plugged-in poppers the Telepathic Butterflies was extraordinarily powerful, if effect is to be measured in great hair. His moustache rivalled any I’ve ever seen, and was so classic rock it almost hurt (and did kinda hurt, if only because the new ’70s influence didn’t match my UMSU-orientation notions of the band’s sound). This set taught me that the ability to grow facial hair is the key to success as a musician.

The clear highlight of the evening was Ridley Bent, billed as “hick-hop” but more accurately described as “really good country music.” Bent, nominated for Songwriter of the Year, didn’t have to complain about a cold reception, ostensibly because the large crowd that assembled in the West End had gathered after hearing rumours of his performance at this year’s Folk Fest. Inspired by literature and pop culture, Bent’s ex-girlfriendmarinated lyrics — “like Pluto, she doesn’t exist anymore” — and talent for storytelling were what people came to see, though at the time I didn’t know it.

No, it took another travel through time to make that clear, as Lee liveedited the applause for Bent to instead come after the last performers, the Junior Pantherz. Almost immediately after the applause subsided, the place cleared out. Lee is clearly psychic.

The Pantherz weren’t bad, but no one would know besides the DNTO delegation, a few straggling performers, and three motherly figures wearing “SASK MUSIC” windbreakers. Also, they weren’t great. If Nile was green, the Pantherz were recyclable — and “Straight from your arms [mumble mumble mumble] harm” is especially hard to believe when the three hardrocking farm boys in the band are supplemented with a bombastic blond keyboardist whose keyboard, strangely, doesn’t even appear to be plugged in.

Even the apparently omnipotent Lee felt for the Junior Pantherz: “I’m glad you kept going,” she said, as the “SASK MUSIC” ladies took the stage to congratulate the kids. I hope they do better in Saskatoon.

For whatever reason (if the Pantherz are reading this, it wasn’t your fault, I swear!), I didn’t go to any shows on Saturday night, though a few interesting acts were up, or to the awards on Sunday. I’m sure they were all great.

The WCMAs have two notable traditions: one, they’re held in a different province every year (alternating between B.C., Alta., Sask., and Man.) and two, an emissary of the chosen province is commemorated at the awards ceremony for their contribution to the region’s musical landscape.

So not only did we get to have the awards in Winnipeg this year, but we also got Harlequin into the Western Canadian Music Awards Hall of Fame.

Local bands did reasonably well. The Perpetrators were awarded Best Blues Recording for The Gas and The Clutch; Paper Moon was nominated for best pop group and Novillero’s video for “The Hypothesist” also lost out.

Sam Katz’s honourary election campaign chair, Fresh I.E., won Best Christian Recording for Truth Is Fallin’ In Tha Streetz.

And Nickelback won in the Sleeman-sponsored Best Rock Recording category, just in case you were wondering.

With observations and camerasettings advice from Joel Trenaman.