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The team of Nash, Alex and Cut-Throat Cathie head up to Brampton for their second Arts Festival. The festival is being co-ordinated by a charming character named Friendly Rich who is also one of the performers. The festival has been running all week long in this funky old theatre. There have been comedians, punk bands, artists, filmmakers and just plain weird performers. The crowds have been small as Brampton isn't quite ready for an arts festival. It's at least notable that they attempted the event at all. I decided not to go on this adventure because it wasn't high-brow enough for my muzzle, but it sounds like my kazoo band with two cats, a hamster and duct tape would have fitted right in. The show started with The Melody Maker, a giant musical contraption that mechanically played numerous drums and accordions all at once. It was the kind of goofy machine that one might see at a county fair or travelling side show. The thing played bad polka music. The proud owner/operator stood beside it on stage and, in a thick European accent and a little help from an overhead projector, he proceeded to explain the history of mechanical musical devices! In the forty minute presentation, at least half the time was spent talking. People were leaving the auditorium and going out to the lobby to get some air. : Later, Friendly Rich told Nash he thought the guy was going to play it a little more . It was like being tortured in a Bavarian science lab with accordions piped in for the muzak. The evening improved from there. Just before Nash was to perform, Friendly Rich took the stage with his own band of minstrels. It was an interesting blend of psychedelic jazz meets The Residents. A fitting warm-up for Nash's set of Bombardiers. Bombardiers is a video presentation of paintings put to music. The paintings, by renowned Toronto surrealist artist Robert Vanderhorst, were photographed in sections and then the images dissolved from one to the other until the entire painting is shown to the viewer. Each painting takes three to five minutes to reveal. The eight paintings with music creates a unique artistic live presentation. Two of Rob's paintings have also been used for the covers of Nash the Slash CDs Lost in Space and Normal. Tonight, Robert is at the gig. At the end of the presentation both Rob and Nash sign autographs in the lobby. There are many familiar faces here tonight including Melanie Moss and her husband Steve, Bruce B, Ordinance Bob, plus some new faces/old fans such as Kim and Jeff, Stan (we know where you live!) and Chris Chisholm with all of his vinyl ready to be anointed. Because this is a theatre event, the whole thing is wrapped up early and the gang is back home before midnight. Some gigs are big events and others just happen because they sound like a fun thing to do. This was one of those nights. Digger |
