Last Saturday Buzzard, Cuz and I went to the CJSR Fundraiser at the Starlite Room to catch a full evening of music, with a bill of seven bands playing both rooms of the venue, the Starlite Room and the back room called the Temple, all for a good cause, CJSR. CJSR (88.5 FM) is a campus based community radio station based in the Student Unions Building on the University of Alberta campus here in Edmonton.
We got to the venue early as we wanted to see the first band of the night. And the first band of the night was Edmonton's alt-country band The Denim Daddies. This would be my third time seeing them live. With two EP's and a newer album (Northern Goods) released in March 2024 they now have a good selection of songs to perform. Being the first band of the night on the Starlite Room stage (the main room) the band pretty much played to an empty room, which was a shame, but it didn't stop the band from putting on a good show for those that did get there early. Their brand of country music is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed their short set.
The next band up and on the backroom stage the Temple was a four piece instrumental band from Saskatoon called Deep Archive. I had never heard of them before, but damn, they were good, loud and tight. I'm not the biggest fan of all instrumental bands, and after 20 minutes I found myself wishing for some lyrics, they certainly are talented on their instruments playing a punk/grunge style of music. They did end their set with a Bruce Springsteen cover with vocals, I wanna say "Glory Days" but I'm not positive about that, the only song they played that had vocals. Good set.
Deep Archive.
As soon as their set ended it was back to the main stage for The Uncas. It was back and forth between the two stages all night. One band would end and immediately the next band would start on the other stage. It was hard to find time for a smoke outdoors or some fresh air with the music being non-stop, especially with all the good bands on the bill.
The Uncas are a whiskey soaked alt-country band from Edmonton. This would be my second time seeing them in concert. the last time was back in 2002 when they opened for Corb Lund. i didn't even realize they still performed. Led by lead singer/guitarist Sean Brewer whom plays in a hell of a lot of bands. They were awesome and one of my favourite bands of the night.
Back to the side stage to catch local hardcore punks King Thief. I was really looking forward to seeing this band live. I'd heard lots of great things about them and after streaming some of their music beforehand, I thought they were great, reminding me a lot of the band Hot Water Music. So I was stoked to finally see them, and they didn't disappoint. Though they didn't give me so much of the HWM vibe live, they were still awesome. Being the first time seeing them live, I didn't get all the lyrics like I did listening to their album. They were loud and very high energy live and the crowd had certainly packed the side stage in anticipation of them. The only thing that bothered me about the performance was near the end of the set was when lead singer went of on a rant about the UCP Government and Unions and such. I myself don't agree with everything the UCP or Unions do but I didn't think this was the platform do go on about it. It's a fundraiser show, let it be. As one guy in the audience yelled "just play the music", he took the words right out of my mouth. All and all though, I look forward to seeing them again.
It was back to the main stage now for Edmonton singer/songwriter multi instrumentalist Colleen Brown's band Major Love. Major Love is backed up by members of the band Scenic Route To Alaska. her music is a mix of folk and country. This was my chance to get out for a much needed smoke and fresh air.
Then it was off to the Temple stage to catch the power trio, Toronto's By Divine Right who headlined the side stage. This band was a big draw for me as I do really like them. I'd only seen them in concert once before and that was back in 1999 when they opened for the Tragically Hip. Their set was excellent, lead singer and guitarist Jose Miguel Contreras sounded great and ripped the hell out of his guitar. Another great set by a band I haven't seen in way too long.
Now it was time for the headliner of the evening Edmonton's cow-punkers Jr. Gone Wild. This would be my 17th time seeing the band live. so ya, I'm a huge fan, and as always they put on a great show. By the time JGW hit the stage it was getting late and venue had filled up pretty good. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with lots of people dancing and singing along. Another excellent show by these Edmonton musician veterans. A very fun night of music and running into so many people I knew at the show made it even more fun. Good times!!!
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