It Came From the Boonies I

When you think of music hotbeds the first thing that comes to mind is not Tantallon.  Well something has to be done about that because Tantallon is full of talent just waiting to be discovered.  Thankfully once in awhile the bands in our area have a chance to play for an audience.  There was no greater chance than last Saturday when they played alongside ECMA and Juno nominee/winner and Halifaxs own Joel Plaskett. 

It was a show that had been in the works for months now and was not an easy one to pull of as it involved many phone calls, meetings, changing plans many times and getting donations from local businesses.  Although some of the big Tantallon businesses did not have the means to contribute that didnt stop Halifax businesses, Costco and Atlantic Wholesale from pitching in.  So after Matt Peters, Josh Salter and Rob Drisdelle (all of Sir John A. Macdonald) got things ready to roll along with the help of Bill Estabrooks, many volunteers, Sobeys, Costco and Atlantic Wholesale a show was organized to display the potential of the our local bands.  While the Bay Road Fire Hall in Lewis Lake is not the perfect venue for live music, it did the job nicely, and on May 22nd people came from all over to see local bands and Halifax's own Joel Plaskett. 

When the first band, Audity took to the stage the fire hall was by no means full but because of their energetic performance and strategic use of beach balls you would never have known.  Cinderblock Romance was up next and they completely changed the pace of the show.  Where Audity were straight ahead rock Cinderblock was hardcore riffing over raging vocals and hot guitar licks.  Next were SJA and Tone Deaf Battle of the Bands winners Fillmore North.  They wowed everyone with their funk styling and proved that Tantallon has some of the best young musicians out there.  As they had done before at the Battle of the Bands they delivered an excellent performance and left everyone happy.  The next act was Barrin Pularrin, truly the showman of the night.  As Matt Rockett went into a blistering guitar solo with his teeth, the headliner Joel Plaskett walked in and looked on in amazement at what he saw.  After that came a surprise show with F*nk You.  They came out in full costume and started wailing away including a well received cover of the Pink Panther theme.  As they ended their show they all formed a conga line and played all the way out the door.  After the aptly title F*nk You, came Nancy, another crowd favorite.  Cailean Lewis showed off his songwriting ability with a set full of original songs and an Inbreds cover (pick his Slim Cailean EPs up at Sam the Record Mans sometime soon).  On bass was Rob Drisdelle who not only helped organize the event but played in 3 of the bands (Audity, Barrin Pularrin and Nancy).  Nancy finished off the local portion of the night with a bang.  Up next were Halifax's, Porcelain Gods.  They strutted their stuff and played their indie pop tunes for everyone in attendance.

Finally the moment everyone had been waiting for had come.  Joel Plaskett came to the stage and delivered a performance that no one will soon forget.  He played everything the crowd asked for and told stories in between and even during songs.  His set was entirely acoustic up until his final song, the heart wrenching "Light of the Moon" where he took out his electric guitar.  After he was finished everyone screamed for more and Joel came to the stage to play two more final songs.  He took his acoustic guitar back under his arm and played Extraordinary from his most recent LP Truthfully, Truthfully and then he ended it all off with "Clueless Wonder" from 2000 release Down at the Khyber.  After he was done the crowd gave a standing ovation and he proceeded to sign autographs and talk to fans. The show went down without a hitch and people came from all over Halifax.  The success of this show has opened a few eyes already and it will hopefully lead to similar events in the not so distant future.  To keep up to date with local bands and any upcoming concerts be sure to check out http://tantallonscene.tripod.com.

Huge congratulations to all the bands that participated as they all played great sets and an even bigger thank you to all those in attendance, everyone who volunteered their time to make this show happen and the businesses that gave us very welcomed donations.  The show would not have been a success without your fantastic help.  The success of this event will surely lead to a brighter future for our local musicians not only of today but hopefully of tomorrow as well.