With the Canadian music scene thriving and Canadian artists dominating internationally, it’s easy to forget the ignominious acts of yesteryear. Remember Loverboy? Gino Vanelli? Obviously many of today’s top Canuck artists grew up watching Video Hits, judging by the choice of Canrock covers at last week’s Closer to the Heart benefit concert at the Hard Rock Café’s Club 279. The second annual benefit in support of the Regent Park School of Music (a non-profit organization that offers subsidized music lessons for area kids) gathered together a lengthy roster of the very best local talent singing their favourite Canadian songs. The concert was split into two hour-long sets, with the 15 artists singing one song in each set, backed by the all-star house band of guitarist Kurt Swinghammer, bassist Maury LaFoy (Starling, The Supers), and drummer John Obercian (Sarah Harmer).
Ex-Joydrop singer Tara Sloane was the culprit who busted out the eighties cheese, vamping through Vanelli’s “Black Cars” and Loverboy nugget “Turn Me Loose.” Sloane also popped up to sing backup vocals for several other artists, including the show’s host, Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart. Stewart’s sardonic humour shepherded the evening along nicely, but he confirmed the adage that drummers should be seen and not heard with his attempts to sing the Martha and the Muffins classic “Echo Beach.”
Aside from the bad retro tunes, several artists predictably chose to showcase influential Canadian songwriters, from Leonard Cohen to Bruce Cockburn, but also highlighted emerging songsmiths such as The Weakerthans and Ron Sexsmith. Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson declared he was nervous about performing Swinghammer’s hushed, delicate “Bartlett St.” in front of the songwriter himself, and Sarah Harmer also took a turn towards the contemporary with her pal Chris Brown (Brown & Fenner)’s brand-new protest song “Resist War.”
Protest was the evening’s recurring theme, with pop pixie Emm Gryner sporting a “Not My President” T-shirt while giving the Tragically Hip’s hit “Bobcaygeon” a rockstar spin. Veal frontman Luke Doucet also wore his opinion on his chest with “Fuck War” in big black letters.
But the show was all about music, not politics, and highlights of the evening included Harmer’s sweet acoustic Anne Murray medley (!), Danny Michel’s souped-up Neil Young rock’n’roller “Tonight’s the Night” that left the crowd ecstatic but utterly deafened, and former Regent Park School of Music grad Thompson Egbo Egbo playing a classy piano jazz number of his own, underscoring the cause of the night.
Throughout, it looked like the artists were having as much fun as the crowd. The loose vibe and killer backing band encouraged spontaneous collaborations, including the big closing jam, the Guess Who’s “American Woman” (appropriately enough). That so many top artists got behind the show just shows how tightly knit the local music community is. Credit goes to the organizers for a great concept, but kudos to the musicians for not only running with it, but milking it for all it was worth.
