All I Wanna Do

The week-end started unofficially Thursday night with a trip to The Piston for some music. I missed most of groovy R'n'B band Bernice's performance. I did catch the tail end of their set with their Sheryl Crow cover Are You Strong Enough To Be My Man. Kelly McMichael and the Gloss were up next. No wonder I haven't seen much of her and her synth band Rouge, she has moved all the way to the East coast. Her solo songs sat snugly in 80s/90s pop with slow rhythm and lush harmonies. In fact, with her light voice and fairly big hair, she reminded me of Belinda Carlisle. It was the kind of music to listen to in your bedroom, but could be a tough sell for a new audience. But she broke the Sheryl Crow theme by covering instead The Cardigans' Erase Rewind.

Kelly did triple duty tonight, singing also with Bernice and the final act Gentleman Reg as backup/keys. The latter was his usual sassy self, although perhaps with a bit more piss and vinegar tonight. He had a dig at his former label and a winking put-down at the audience for always "wanting things to be free" (in regards to his next single for download). Joined by Terra Lightfoot (bass) and Emma Tollefsen (drums), they played catchy but quite emotionally stark songs. It was a bit rough around the edges (as Reg quipped "Wow, we really haven't played together in a while"), but still enjoyable. With such numbers as The Declaration, How We Exit, and We're In A Thunderstorm, it's a shame he isn't playing to bigger audiences. Of course, Kelly and Reg did their lovely cover of If It Makes You Happy.