I love a band. I’m sure that’s of little surprise to any of you. That band is the Canadian fivesome Barenaked Ladies. See, that wrongfooted a couple of you. Call me silly, but there is something about my occasional posts on this blog that I fear may have suggested I only like Norwegian death metal and killing rodents for kicks.
I should clarify, I don’t just love this band. I LOVE this band. I love this band so much that if any of the comments start “is that the comedy band that sang one week…” I will hunt you down. I love this band so much that when they first announced their plans, 3 years ago, for a 5 day cruise around the caribbean with them and some of their mates on board playing music I actually cried because I couldn’t go. And again last year, real salty water poured from my peepers as I missed the second outing of what became known as Ships and Dip.
But it’s OK people, there is a happy ending, because when they announced their intentions for a third cruise the mighty pound was flying high against the dollar, and my sobs turned from ones of sadness to incredulous joy that a) I was allowed to go, and b) my credit card had enough juice left on it to pick up the tab.
This is why I found myself in Miami on 1 February, boarding an enormous boat bound for the Mexican island of Cozumel and then onto Key West, looking forward to the prospect of 5 days on the high seas with some of my favourite musicians.
Let me explain the concept fully. Barenaked Ladies, via a company called Sixthman, hire a cruiseship, then they book some bands – usually a mixture of who they can get and who they like, then they sell cabins to two and a half thousand fans, then finally everyone sails out of Miami for 5 days of watching live music, getting drunk and visiting a couple of places in the caribbean. It’s a simple concept, but it does work.
This year’s line-up was an eclectic mix. There were celtic bands, comedians, a few corking alternative bands, and of course, the Ladies themselves in their various guises. The deck was set for what proved to be a bloody good few days, and here over the next few days I will be trying to to bring some order to my somewhat scrambled memories, and write some highly critical and objective reviews of what I witnessed on that boat. Or, more accurately, explain to you in minute detail why it was FUCKING brilliant.
The roll call of bands on the boat was mixed – there were some bands I hadn’t heard of, but was interested in finding out more, there were some bands that were obviously aimed squarely at our American cousins, and there were some bands that I was really excited about the prospect of seeing. One of these bands was Sloan.
Sloan have been stalwarts on the Canadian alternative scene for over 17 years, but even after 11 albums, they have made not so much as a dent in markets outside their home, and it is a bit of a mystery to me why. The four piece have produced some of the very best power pop there is to be had – think hand claps, think hooks, think catchy – and their live show is quite something.
Sloan played 3 shows over the course of the 5 days, and I caught one full show in the main auditorium, which held about 800 people.
The band split songwriting duties, and they all sing their own songs. This means that when they play live they all move between guitar, bass and drums depending on whose turn it is at the mic. This makes for a pretty dynamic show, as each member has their own distinct style, both vocally and instrumentally.
My favorite by far is Chris Murphy, who is the most prolific songwriter in the band. His natural home is on bass, and possible because the vast majority of the songs are his, when he is at the helm, the band look at their most comfortable.
At this show, the room was half full, but every person there was obviously a fan, but there was very limited buzz on the boat about the band. And I think this goes someway to solving the mystery of their limited reach. Canada has decided to keep them all to themselves, and who can blame them? It’s just like Scotland and Teenage Fanclub. Just, for god’s sake don’t tell them I told you, or I’ll have the mounties after me.
Tomorrow: The best of the rest
Filed under: General Stuff, gigs, reviews | Tagged: Barenaked Ladies, Chris Murphy, Ed Robertson, Jim Creegan, Kevin Hearn, Ships and Dip V, Sloan, Steven Page, Tyler Stewart
I LOVE Sloan…..someone else has now mentioned them!! Kudos to you…..no-one has ever heard of them, anywhere, ever.
The barenaked ladies – is that the comedy band that sang one week…?
only joshing of course, the BNL are a great band and the cruise sounds like it was totally magical. 5 days on a boat with your heroes, its like a dream come true.
In fact it might be an interesting ELM article for the future – who would you want to spend 5 days on a boat with and why?
PS I’ve never heard of Sloan the band before – but I have been in Sloans the pub – does that count?
Not one but two cardinal sins there, Mole. Not only have yo incensed my rage by mentioning “comedy” and “one week”, but you have called them “the bnl”. There is no “the”.
A less balanced person than my good self would be hacking ISPs and finding IP addresses to hunt you down for those two slurs. Lucky for you, I am a balanced individual, and I also know nothing about computers.
Adrian, scantregard is a loony. Run fast and run far.
Though I shall now be calling them ‘the bnl’ just to annoy her!