Review – The Wind-Ups at the Pyramid Cabaret, Winnipeg, May 15 2009

– by eugene osudar

there’s a hot new band
another one to the sixty
(add it up/violent femmes)
in this the place to see
maximum rock n roll
exploding
all around me

my winnipeg

shhhhhhhhhh

don’t tell a soul
(the replacements)

minneapolis
never
saw something like this

and f#ck
you all
for not believing it

it’s here
in the heart of this city

i know rock n roll
i know talent

and it’s here
it’s Now!
it’s!my!winnipeg!

it’s going off
everywhere

Talk City

i caught a couple of their songs
as i walked into the royal
albert arms
a month or two ago
forgive my fragmented
broken excuse for a painted memory
(elvis costello
and the folk festival!)

i have seen (as of
16 May)
47 complete
sets of Live music
this month alone
and i don’t know
how many more
partial
sets
i am fragmented and
i was made to be broken,
(Soul Asylum,
when they were
Awe!Some!)

it’s here
it’s
now

and you’re asses not to read the rag

or whatever this ragged glory
of a winnipeg story
is called

guy maddin
neil young
randy bachman
burton cummings

bob dylan
visited neil’s winnipeg
home, just to catch
the buzz
he needs The Fresh Blood

it’s going off,
everywhere
in the ‘burbs
in the exchange
in the the houses
on west broadway

f#ck you!!!!!

listen to it,

Talk City
i saw two songs
and they were great
but two songs don’t
mean bo diddley squat

cuz guy maddin’s
my winnipeg
is red hot

so, there they were at The Forks
Skate For Cancer event
organized by jay
what a young man
what an event
bands from noon
until 11 PM

heavy bands.

and at 3:45 PM
i walk into the sunshine
day, and it’s warm,
it could have been
miserable
cuz it’s been
terrible
it’s been snowing
in the middle of may
late at night

it’s 5 degrees below normal
but that’s okay
the young skateboarders
are pulling their moves

rolling and rocking
and wiping out
and free/falling

it’s a surfboard
on wheels
on concrete

and they’re skating to raise
cash
and awareness

to fight the good fight

and Talk City
stand ready, breathe, and,
seeeeeeeeeethe
into something
called,

Revisionary Man

and Chris the lead singer
is one of the guy’s
who grabbed
me the previous night at the cavern
during The Afterbeat’s
typically blistering
dance mayhem
ska set

just another night
same old same old
for The Afterbeat
it’s just ska
some say, well,
f#ck you.

they have horn arrangements few can match
Listen!!!!
and dance!

open up,
prejudiced fools
bigoted souls
music snobs
out of towners
you frowners
false masked clowners

“this one’s for the movers and shakers.
for eugene,” says mike
leader of The Afterbeat.

open up
your jaded hearts

and

wake up
to the waking eyes
to novillero
to The Wind Ups

and chris and so many guys, grabbed
this 45 year old dancing dude
and danced with me
arm in arm
bumping shoulders

and i’m getting too old for this!

i’m bleeding here
i’m sweating
i’m aching
everywhere
deep in my bones
i’m crying here

i’m yelling!

it’s here
in my winnipeg
it’s now!

come one come all

d rangers

nathan rogers

fo!ps

weatherman underground

magnificent 7s

oh my darling

chic gamine

duhks

60 bands!

who would make your scene a joke.

Hot Live Guys

you have no scene

Angry Dragons

we own it.

and holy f#ck you while i’m at it.

and i’m talking to janelle
who knows the hard heavy scene like
few do in this winnipeg, says she,

“Talk City’s played 7 or 8 times
and every time i see them, they get
better.” and i see it in her eyes,
they’re sparkling
she knows. deep in her “achin to be” (Replacements) hard heavy bones.

and every song in their intensely
immensely 30 minute
torridly paced set
is
brilliant,

Lordsberg
Keep The Aspidiston Flying
(george orwell!)
Superdistorter
Great destroyer
and ending with a Massive
cover of TV On The Radio’s
Wolf Like Me.

and i’m dancing

i have to

and the boys and the girls are watching me
(i want them to see)
and they’re taking pictures of me
(45 year old
Old Man)
and i’m a joke to some
(Freak Scene/Dinosaur Jr)
a hero to others
(No More Heroes, The Stranglers!)
and a passionate soul
to believe in
to most
(In The City/The Jam)

i talk
Talk City
to Jay,
says he,

“they’re my favorite local band.”

(oh! and he loves The Heavy.)

“and i tried to get them on as late as i could,
without
pissing off the other bands
that have been around waaaaaay
longer.”

Talk City
are melodic.
they’re not just The Heavy,
they get it.
Chris can write with melody and Power.
and passion! and mostly
intensity,
and he Loves The City
winnipeg
and he loves the scene.

he talks about the bands.
with Love
Respect.
about watching movies
writing songs
with george orwell 1984
inspirations, he grins,

“don’t tell the george orwell estate!”

and The Wind Ups
are “just a cover band”

Andy sings with White Heat White Light
(Velvet Underground) Passion
he works in the Folk Music Store
we’re buzzing with electricity
In The Heart Of The City
cuz
elvis costello’s
playing a historic
5th night at the Folk Festival!

and rob plays guitar like few can
In The City
(ah, The Jam)
he paints houses

and jacques beats the drums
speed and finesse
(Street Fighting Man, Stones!)
and open shirt
pouring sweat
Neat Neat Neat!!!!!!

and reg plays bass
he and jacques are in The Telepathic Butterflies
another great local band. and reg is in Novillero.

they’re so So Lonely
(The Police)
cuz they’re just a cover band

They are My Favorite Local band.

not one original song. they don’t want to.
they don’t need to.
it’s for the Love
The Passion
of Punk
The New Wave
of garage
iggy
angel city
flaming groovies
squeeze
alice cooper
of great songs
great writers
performers
and they are!

The Best.

in my winnipeg.

The Telepathic Butterflies and The Wind Ups play the albert tuesday
night, early show, 9 PM, a benefit for a fallen record/cd store
employee. Ridley bent plays The Cyrk, Friday, 9 PM, done by 11. Then,
Mother Mother at The Pyramid.
saturday night at the Pyramid, Israel’s Monotonix!!!!!! and sunday at
the Park, The Ripperz (with their devoted following of friends who
sing every word of every song!!!!!) and The Playing Cards (i want to
see this local band, i like their myspace songs), and Effect and
Cause, $3.