Review – Elliott Brood at the West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, Sept 30, 2009

– review by Eugene Osudar/photos by Ailsa Dyson

twisting
writhing
carnival timing
Ellllllllllliot
Brrrrrroooooooood

o you hucksters
of dance
carnies
of intensity
play us
into frenzy,

90 minutes
to fully live
to fully give
energy
and
passion
back and forth
breathing
sweating
breaking
nearly,

“c’mon dancers!”

they exhort
the dancers
to do their
thing, move
their groove
steps

and celebrate,

flashing
lights and
sirens

red flags
spotlights

distorted
banjo sounds

writhing
rolling
pumping

chest
organs
beating
harder than
your drums

Elliott Brood

oh they love this Winnipeg,
The Times Changed
High and Lonesome
home sweet home
their favorite bar
and music
community
in all of Canada

who did they mention?

The Perps
and Romi Mayes
Grant Siemons
Deeeeeee
Rangers
all in all
they’re having a
blast,first,ball

their musician
brothers and sisters
their Winnipeg family
in the house

celebrating
their Elliott
Brood
brothers

they’re raving
about this new
West End Cultural Center.

this beautiful new/old
venue
this stage
the sound

Mark Sasso’s roaring
and screaming
his voice is heavy
with (pardon me)
phlegm
he’s joking about
the swine
the cow
the rabbit
flu, oh,
this rabbit flu
makes
you wanna f#ck
makes you
wanna screw

i didn’t think
he could make
it through
an entire set
roaring it
the way he does

his scratchy, thick
voice, screaming
songs, from
the very start of

The Bridge

www.myspace.com/elliottbrood

and the fire is on
we’re on board
this dancing
train
steaming
fire to coal
in our hearts
in our locomotive
souls

“words and words and words”

oh we’re rolling
we the dancers

Casey Laforet
twisting
writhing in his chair
lifting from the seat
and
digging deep down
cork,screwing,
rabbit flu?
head nearly
touching stage
as if he wants to
head hang
the wooden
floor

Garden River!

oh those massive strings
driving drums!
Stephen Pitkin,
smashing cymbals!

Jannelle looks at me,
nods,
“oh yeah.”
and i roar,
Oh Yeah!!!!”

i dare you not to dance!

“i was kissing her…”

we’re kissing
the music
with our dancing
soles, these steps
are magic
strides
leaping jumping
weeping pumping
souls and hearts,

this is Canadian
music
at its finest.

and the encore
is a celebration of Winnipeg’s
finest musician
Neil Young
2 songs
(i know Ontario
claims him too,
we’ll share)

Second Son,

timing heart
beats, like hospital
breathing apparatus
sounds,
banjo acoustic
guitar going
on their rounds,

“it’s apparent
that his parents
never loved him at all,
second son
of the friend
of the chosen one,
now he’s threatening
to fall…”

“(Oh,) Alberta”
voices request,
and to play it now
we make our
promise to dance
and so we do
Everyone
(no one dares
not to) banjo
scratching itching
acoustic

The Valley Town
ukulele power
drive, boom box
heart beating,
“when the wind
bends
the trees…when
the dust
in your room
covers all…
there’s a house on the hill
how i long for her still
my home sweet home”
it’s all a ukulele
meditation groove.
nothing more/nothing less.

Fingers and Tongues
i feel like i’m
listening to a Stiff Records
single
spinning
exploding
in 1978 and that’s always
a beautiful Nick Lowe
feeling. that is
magic. i can feel it
Now
my body tingling and buzzing.
the power of a song
this song
to recall
a me when
i was searching
and discovering
a new music
a new genius.

and here we are again,
2009,
Elliott Brood.

Without Again,
there’s that part
that sounds so
Neil Young
harmonica parts of him
the heart of him…
“his love went south
and he’ll go west…
so get up
and get out
what are you down
about…”

pans and wooden spoons
tambourines
smashing along
they’re all strewn
on the floor and stage

Twill
Johnny Rooke
T-Bill
Chuckwagon
Edge Of Town
Without Again
The Valley Town
WIADFY
Fingers & Tongues/DDD

i don’t know
when it happened
but it happened
i was lost
in the reverie
(in the religiousness)
the spirituality
of music
of this band
Elliott Brood
these songs
i lost any
semblance
of reason
becoming beat rhyme
stepping, lifting
and moving
all around the floor
snaking through
audience

and that is the beauty
of the spirit
of Elliott Brood
and their music
their intensity

that sends
this wretch
into ecstasy
without narcotics
of any kind

dialing it up
from the outside to the inside
returning it
exponentially
(“you’re amazing!”)
send and receive
this fusion
of music
spirit
movement
energy

we’re all energy
we’re dance
we’re love
set
in Eeeeee
motion,
to the music
and spirit
of,

Elliott Brood
Sept 30
WECC.