On Friday night my buddy Hurl I attended the Art Bergmann, A Bunch Of Marys and Ben Disaster show at the Pawn Shop here in Edmonton.
The first band of the night was locals Ben Disaster. This was my first time seeing this band. They started strong with their first two songs being good rockers in the punk rock vain, but after that they seemed to lose focus and not know what kind of band they are. They were all over the place, there is no doubt the band is talented, but they need to pick a genre that they are and focus on that.
Ben Disaster.
Next up was another local band called A Bunch Of Marys which is led by Mike McDonald whom also fronts Junior Gone Wild. This was the first show A Bunch Of Marys have played in a year, with Mike being busy with newly reformed Junior Gone Wild. This was my fourth time seeing them play live. For a band that hasn't performed together in a year they sure schooled Ben Disaster in what it takes to grab peoples attention. Mike's stage presence is commanding and the two guys backing him up were tight. Their forty-five minute set was a lot different then what I had seen them previously perform, with them even doing a Beatles cover. A great set for a band that hasn't played in a year. Here is hoping they play some more shows in the near future.
A Bunch Of Marys.
The headliner of the evening was the legendary iconic Canadian punk rocker Art Bergmann. Art has only played a handful of shows over the past ten years having struggled with alcohol and drug problems as well as health issues, suffering from severe arthritis. This was my first time seeing Art Bergmann in concert and wasn't sure what to expect. he has been known to put on some sloppy drunken angry shows and having to sit on a stool during his shows. Well on this evening he was spectacular. He seemed to have it together, not needing to sit down through out the whole show and playing guitar the whole time as well. As he has also been known to not playing guitar because of the arthritis. He was drinking through out the show, but didn't seem to be intoxicated to the point where his show suffered because of it.
For someone that is sixty years old and struggling with health issues, Art was very animated through out the show. His playing was good as was his voice. His back up band was bang on. He performed songs from his whole career including the song "Hawaii" from his old band Young Canadians. Other songs I recognized from his album 'What Fresh Hell Is This?", as I am most familiar with that album were, "Beatles In Hollywood", "Contract", "Another Train Song" and "Guns And Heroin". I thought there would be a bigger audience then there was, my guess would be about 200 people at its peak. This show was way better then I had expected. Art Bergmann could be Canada's Lou Reed. Good times!!!
Art Bergmann.
In concert news...Mike McDonald's other band Junior Gone Wild will be playing News Years Eve at The Blackdog Freehouse. Tickets available at the club.
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