A Little Bit Country

Thursday night was alt country at the Horseshoe Tavern as 3 country bands took to the stage. First up was The Pining. This 5-member all-girl band had beautiful 4-part harmonies and lyrics. Whether it was a slow number such as About The Truth or the toe-tapping Call It Quits, these gals got my attention from the first song. Each singer had a distinctive voice and you could almost match the mood of a song to a particular lead, as they each seemed to consistently gravitate toward a particular style. I was impressed and picked up their 2011 debut CD.
Next up was New Country Rehab. I first saw them opening for Basia Bulat last year. They were an energetic band with the blazing fiddling and guitar licks firing up the crowd. Lyrically, however, their original songs weren't quite up to par with their take on classics such as Effigy (CCR), Too Many Parties, Too Many Pals (Hank William Jr.), Fire On The Mountain (Grateful Dead), and Image of Me (Conway Twitty). But their murder ballad The Bank and The Army, poker ode Last Game, and road song Rolling Down The Road were fun tunes eliciting loud cheers and applause.

Last on the bill was Rattlesnake Choir. With midnight looming, I had to skedaddle home. That's the way things are until you tell your boss to take this job and ... well, you know. On the way home, I took a picture of a local church turned condo. The neighbouring houses have recently been demolished revealing the beautiful stain glass windows on the side. Once the modern condo building goes up next door, you won't be able to get this view from the street anymore.