This wonderful bag of treats makes for a great, ready-made party tape - it's 100% Canadian "classic" rock in the making, with some newer blues-rockers thrown in for good measure! "Strange Things" is probably the first blues song referencing Toronto (with slide guitar, although rudimentary) that I'd heard prior to Paul Fenton's "Highway 401 Blues" - don't get fooled by the particularly gruff vocals on this one.
Mr. St-Nicholas displays a wide range of vocal influences by the likes of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed and cleverly humorous and thought-provoking lyrics that complement the highly exciting instrumentation.
There is something here for everyone who digs a rock beat - straight-ahead rock, blues-rock, punk rock, country-rock and rockabilly, with a dash of rhythm & blues thrown in for good measure. Although Mr. St-Nicholas prefers to concentrate on what he does best - playing lead guitar - as opposed to being the lead vocalist, there really isn't any problem there at all. He also performs adeptly on bass guitar on "Just an Evening (In My Life)", "Pale Blues", "Betty Page..." and "Lesbian Girlfriend" as well as mixing in synthesized keyboards and drums on "Pacific Pilot". "Gringo" Partridge (of Walter Ego and 84), who, with Benjamin, co-wrote and sings lead vocals on "Kiss My Ass Goodbye", performs on bass guitar, M.T. Ryall lays down the drum tracks, except on "Cigarette" and "Lesbian Girlfriend", played by Jeff Owen (a classically trained musician and former hairstylist at Toronto's infamous House of Lords, which long catered to rock musicians and fans alike. Jeff is now playing with a Buffalo band called "Gravity Check".
Just as the Monks sang "I Can Do Anything You Like" (from "Suspended Animation"), Mr. St-Nicholas can also stake that claim. While adding his own unique signature stamp on memorable songs like the darkly megaphonic sound of "Easy", and the raunchy barrelhouse harmonica blues of "Strange Things", I heard traces of Robin Trower on the explosive hard-rock lead guitar of "Pounding", which in fact was included in an American movie (the title of which was not disclosed) under the band name of "Ethical Dilema [sic]". Jimmy Page is emulated on the excellent instrumental, "First Step", Teenage Head on the brilliantly manic "Lesbian Girlfriend" (you'll love it or hate it!) and Lou Reed on "Needful Things" and "Betty Page (You're an Old Maid)" - with hilarious phrases like "varicose veins on your leathers and chains". "Why Oh Why" draws a rhythmic parallel to the Northern Pikes' "She Ain't Pretty (She Just Looks That Way)" and "Second Chance" could have been a tribute to Neil Young's This Note's For You CD.
Benjamin is poised to forsake the punk/hard rock roots inherent on most of these tracks and is actively seeking a blues-rock lyricist and vocalist (male/female) to collaborate with. He certainly proves his talent as a blues-rock guitarist on the Z.Z. Top/SRV-influenced "Pale Blues", the exciting, bass-heavy "Walkin' Song" and power-chorded "Pacific Pilot" (which could have been an extended guitar solo by Goddo's Gino Scarpelli.
This collection of songs was partially gleaned from two of Benjamin's previous music projects - The Fabulous Killer Tomatoes, who released a CD, Together Again for the First Time, as well as the aforementioned Ethical Dilema. |
