Bedouin soundclash and myspace host free concert
LEAH WERIER
Photo by Leah Werier
With a capacity of 300, the West End Cultural Center is considered an intimate venue. Bedouin Soundclash’s free show on Sunday, Sept. 16 felt as if it were a concert thrown in my living room. Surely the lucky MySpace.com users who gained access to the MySpace secret show would agree with this claim.
MySpace.com is a social networking sight similar to its main competition, the widely popular Facebook.com. MySpace’s defining trait is the music section where musicians have the ability to post music, write blogs, and even become friends with their fans: free advertising at its finest. However, MySpace has extended these benefits to fans by throwing free surprise concerts around the globe. Maroon 5, Ice Cube, NOFX and Gym Class Heroes are just some of the big name acts that have shocked fans and performed at these seemingly impromptu concerts that rely solely on word-of-mouth promotion.
Soundclash is known for the hit “When the Night Feels My Song” which, as stated by their website, was a number-1 song on the MuchMusic Countdown. Soundclash fans found out about the event primarily through Myspace, others through radio and Facebook. Tickets were handed out on a first-come first-serve basis and people began to line up as early as 7:30 p.m. to get in on it. Several people missed out by coming too late — the small building had reached its maximum capacity.
The concert began shortly after 8 p.m. with Zacky Ibrahim, one of Bedouin Soundclash’s backup singers. She brought reggae and hip hop infused dance tunes that had the Winnipeg audience fully entertained. Shortly after, the Winnipeg ska band The Afterbeat played a rousing set getting some members of the crowd jumping up and down and getting the whole crowd warmed up for the treat ahead.
After a two-year absence from the peg, Bedouin Soundclash played a well received set for the diverse, young crowd who were surprisingly quiet, yet energetic. Vocalist Jay Malinowski sounds even richer live, while backup singers added their crisp harmonies to bassist Eon Sinclair and drummer Pat Pengelly. Their performance proved that they are a well matched trio who couldn’t be having more fun than they do performing together. Their music is a fusion of reggae, rock, soul, and punk; each musician brings their own style, which is clearly reflected by Soundclash’s diverse sound. They show real musicianship by blending these styles smoothly and responding to each others energy. They performed popular originals titles including “When the Night Feels My Song,” “Rude Boy Don’t Cry,” “12:59 Lullaby,” and “Until We Burn In the Sun.” They also entertained the crowd with covers of The Clash and The Ramones. Malinowski lent his scratching and soothing voice to a stirring rendition of Peggy Lee’s “Fever.” Malinowski is courageous and confident on stage, but has the substance to justify it. With the concert ending around 11 p.m., the small group of Winnipeggers left feeling as though MySpace had given them a priceless gift.
Few users wondered how MySpace can afford to provide these free shows. MySpace has over one million users and it is regarded as a hot spot for advertising. Everyone on the sight is a potential customer and businesses use profile information to zoom in on certain demographics. MySpace’s refined search engine allows any user to search through other user’s profiles based on zip code, age, average income, and gender. For advertisers, this is thousands of dollars saved in research. For users, it is advertising bulletins displayed on page profiles, specialized links that mirror each user’s specialized interests as well as virtual piles of spam e-mail. Clearly, it is a price that Bedouin Soundclash fans and MySpace users alike are willing to pay.
