On The Beat

Pere Ubu Returns

PERE UBU: They may hail from Cleveland, but it is a little unlikely this band will be inducted into that city's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not that they don't deserve to be. Founded in the mid '70s, they had a real impact on the punk era with a sound that included avant-garde, blues and industrial elements. They've continued to release commercially unsuccessful but always interesting albums made for a loyal fan base. Visits to Toronto have been rare, but a good size crowd showed at Lee's Palace recently to pay homage. Pere Ubu didn't disappoint, as main man DAVID THOMAS was in fine form. A veritable mountain of a man, he commanded the stage with ease, and entertained the audience with typically bizarre anecdotes (one was about writing a song for KYLIE MINOGUE). The newer band members are fine players, while long-time keyboardist ALLEN RAVENSTINE excelled on his ancient synthesizer and theremin. They concentrated on material from their new disc, St. Arkansas! but drew loud cheers of recognition for their final encore song, the classic Non-Alignment Pact. A good choice for opening act was MERCURY MEN, as they share a sense of aggression and musical adventurousness. In his first-ever gig with the band, bassist ROB HIGGINS (CHANGE OF HEART) fit like a well-worn glove.

HONEYMOON SUITE: No, the honeymoon ain't over. Back in the '80s, Honeymoon Suite were one of the few Canadian rock bands to grab success in the U.S. as well. Their sound was not really to my liking (though their hit New Girl Now is a catchy rock classic), but they deserve credit for that success. Now they're back, or at least leading lights JOHNNY DEE (vocals) and DERRY GREHAN (guitar) are. They've just delivered a comeback CD, Lemon Tongue on local label Bullseye, recently launched, fittingly, at The Hard Rock Cafe. They're a long shot to replicate earlier fame, but fans will dig it.

SONGWRITERS' CIRCLE: You have one last chance to catch this fine TV music series, as the final program airs on Oct. 4, featuring JIM CUDDY, COLIN JAMES and BRUCE GUTHRO. Host Bruce teams with other top Canadian songwriters who perform and talk about their songs in an intimate setting. Featured earlier were the likes of RON SEXSMITH, JANE SIBERRY and JIMMY RANKIN. It's a shame CBC-TV relegated it to such an unfriendly timeslot (11:30 p.m.). Hopefully, it'll be repeated.
ANNE LEDERMAN: This Manitoba-born, Toronto-based fiddle virtuoso is also a strong composer, as shown on her new solo CD fiddlesong (Falcon/Festival). She has been active on the local roots and world music scene via work with THE FLYING BULGAR KLEZMER BAND, Cameroonian NJACKO BACKO (who guests on the CD), MUDDY YORK and many more. Her eclectic tastes are well-represented on the CD, which was launched via a recent gig at Hugh's Room. Check out www.annelederman.com for more information.

NEW RELEASES: Sure to do well over the Christmas season will be an upcoming double CD celebration of opera entitled The Opera Album (on EMI, released Oct. 8). Clocking in at 150 minutes, it features PAVAROTTI, MARIA CALLAS, PLACIDO DOMINGO, KIRI TE KANAWA, JOAN SUTHERLAND, ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER, JOSE CARRERAS, JESSYE NORMAN, ROBERTO ALAGNA and other giants of the genre. It's no secret that this columnist is a major fan of local songsmith RON SEXSMITH. It's easy to recommend you grab his new album, Cobblestone Runway (now out on Linus), and an extra reason to pick it up is that it includes a free CD, a reissue of Ron's very first record, Grand Opera Lane (previously unavailable on CD and a real collector's item). It's fascinating to hear the sound of early Sexsmith, as he had a more up-tempo sound than represented on the following three albums he made with producer MITCHELL FROOM. A CD launch at The Cameron House last week confirmed his charm as a performer. International response to the new disc is welcoming, so let's hope this is the breakthrough Ron deserves.

Publication Date: 2002-10-06
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=1836