Bell Orchestre
Snailhouse
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.
Last Thursday, I went to the Theatre Plaza St-Hubert, because I had a ticket to the Bell Orchestre concert.
I arrived a little early and looked about for the front door. I had never been to the Plaza St-Hubert, so I was terribly confused as to where the theatre was. It just looked like a really big strip mall. So I whipped out my trusty notebook and looked up the address. That led me to an unmarked doorway with a carpetted staircase.
I was let inside and walked right up to the front of the stage. That's where I noticed the electric typewriter. It was sitting on stage among a strew of cables. It actually fit in with all the electronic equipment there. Have you ever noticed how stage technology all looks like it's front the seventies? There's chrome, blinking LEDs, and aerodynamic fonts on large metal boxes with huge cables coming out of it. I think it's marvellous that they're still housing things in boxes that look like relays, but there must be better designs for these sorts of things.
Clogs
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.
A man came up on stage and started singing. He was rather impressed at how attentive we were, and I soon discovered that he releases records as Snailhouse. He played a couple more solo songs before inviting some friends on stage to accompany him. This got quite a few laughs and people applauded wonderfully. As he played each of his songs, more and more of his band started disappearing on him, until he was the last person on stage for his last song.
Next up were the Clogs, which are an instrumental band. They had steel drums and a bassoon, amongst their other instruments. They were really good, and I later discovered that they helped Bell Orchestre tour the U.S. Later at the merchandising table, I discovered that they had brought all four of their CDs, so I picked up their latest one.
Bell Orchestre went on stage soon after. I actually bought my ticket to see them, and I did it in Cheap Thrills when shopping with Damian. He looked at their list of shows and said, "Hey, I should see Bell Orchestre." I'm not sure exactly why he said this, but it's probably because his "rock-star friend" plays in that band. That friend, by the by, is Richard Reed Parry. Anyway, the band came on stage, Richard and Sarah tuned their instruments and then they launched into a wonderful burst of beautiful sound.
Bell Orchestre
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.
The crowd surged and cheered and marvelled. The electric typewriter was played during one song. There were xylophones and bells and a violin and a double-bass and cymbals knocked on the floor. Everyone there agreed that it was a truly brilliant concert! It was such fun to listen to their songs that I instantly bought their album. I met Xavier and Patrick after the show and we all raved about how lucky we were to have been there. Then, Patrick noticed that I had the CD and noted that I should get it signed. Recognising a fantastic idea when I heard it, that's what I did.
In the process, I chatted to Richard about their tour; with Sarah about how they don't get enough e-mails; and with Kiveh about how I look like a violinist in the Islands. I also managed to chat with Stef for a while about what he typed on his typewriter and bumped into Patrick Watson. Pietro, I caught on his way to grab a new beer. By the end of all this socialising, I had a signed album and a bunch of e-mail addresses. Which reminds me, I ought to send these people links to the photographs I promised them.