DAY FOUR OF CANADIAN BANDS YOU NEED TO KNOW

I’ve seen Sam Roberts and the boys three times in the past three years, but I think his performance at the Orpheum this past year was his finest to date. I’d seen him for the first time in 2006 on a calm, summer day on a grassy field at Deer Lake Park. Everyone there was wearing their t-shirts and sunglasses, as Sam Roberts played us a tight and confident show as the sun set.  Next, I saw him a few months later in Whistler Village at the Ski and Snowboard Festival, and the snow was coming down. Although it was cold, the only ones affected by the weather were the TELUS models, who came out before Roberts and used his stage as a catwalk, as they were booed to no end. This show is my sentimental choice as best, because my friends and I got to meet Sam before the show, got pictures/autographs with the 5’6 front man. We told him that we’d skipped school and drove 3 hours to come see his show, to which he responded, “Education’s important, but I’m glad to see you got your priorities straight.” He even decided to dedicate Where Have All The Good People Gone? to us when he saw us at the foot of the stage.

But his best performance was at the Orpheum, January 10th in Vancouver. With the crowd made up of everyone from college kids, all the way to baby boomers who still wonder why they don’t make ‘em like Led Zeppelin anymore? I was excited to finally get to watch one of my favourite Canadian artists perform indoors, and especially in a venue with such great acoustics. I was blown away. With almost two more years of experience and material behind him, the Sam Roberts Band put on a show I will not soon forget. With his Springsteen like effort on stage and with the talent to back it up, he blazed through his endless set list. I also think that this was the first time that I’ve seen him that his entire band sported their own beards on stage. That night was fool proof evidence for me that even though he is known to some as an MTV icon, his ambitions transcend the labels given to him.

The Montreal rocker has released three full length albums and a very successful EP The Inhuman Condition, which was re-released in 2002, which kick started his music career in Canada. And this wasn’t Sam’s first attempt at cracking the music scene. Nine years earlier, he had a band called William, which changed to Northstar in 1996. By 1999, Northstar was no more, so Sam decided to release a solo album called Brother Down, which is considered a collectable among hardcore fans. This self-titled track off the album was re-recorded for his 2001 EP The Inhuman Condition, became a huge hit in Canada the next year and Roberts has not looked back. His latest release Love at the End of the World was Sam Roberts first to reach #1 status in Canada. The video on this post is the final track off the album, called Detroit ’67 and is my favourite track off his new album.