What you Need Tour Blog #3.

A13

Matt Carter

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

Well, it's week three and Ross and his merry band of Sufferin' Bastards have just finished a week long stint at Edmonton's famous Blues on Whyte.

This week's update is presented in three sections: Triumph, Tragedy, and A Brush With The Super-Natural. Now, here they are in reverse order.

A Brush With The Super-Natural (or just some bad wiring)

"We get complimentary rooms at the Commercial Hotel when we play at Blues on Whyte," said Nielsen. "Typically, although we love this gig, these rooms are in our number one spot for nasty accommodations, but this time was a little different. As I walked down the hall to my room I couldn't help but think that it was smelling extra clean, like Mr. Clean or something. Also, there was a vacuum in the hall. My room and shower seemed to be extra clean. In general, I was pretty surprised. The only cause for alarm was that Shawn's TV was on when he entered his room. Ghosts?"

Built in 1912, the three-floored, 64-room Commercial Hotel is better known for the blues club it sits upon than as a venue for super-natural happenings. Non the less, it was the luck of bassist Shawn Worden to find himself being teased by a television set with a mind of its own.

"After finishing a matinee performance on Saturday afternoon, we headed back to nap at our palace on Whyte Ave," said Nielsen. "I closed my eyes to the sounds of madness just below my window and awoke to a message from Shawn Worden saying that the TV in his room was turning on and off spontaneously. Later, when I went downstairs to set up for the night I was relieved to see that he had not been over come by the supernatural."

Tragedy (or Cortez Kills Cherry Sherry)

"During our third set the day before, we performed an extra passionate version of Cortez the Killer," said Nielsen. "During this particular version of the tune I went to a place that happens once in a blue moon where I am completely overcome by the music. I lose control of what is happening. Sometimes this can be the source of a great show and sometimes the source of a great tragedy."

The next day, the tragedy was revealed.

"As I was stringing my number one guitar (Yamaha SA 1200) up from the strings I knocked off her the night before, I realized that Cherry Sherry's neck, the neck on my number one guitar was in fact, broken," he said. "In my performance the night before, I must have managed to break her neck during that particularly passionate version of Cortez. We hit Avenue Music Shop to see if they might be able to squeeze Sherry in for some surgery, but due to the length of time it would take to fix her and the number of guitars they already had in wait I realized I wasn't going to get her fixed any time soon. I had to put Sherry to rest and bought some strings to prepare the Green Hornet (my number two guitar) for the draft. The move to number one can't be a fun one. Every night you sit on the bench watching your competition giving and taking in a most spectacular battle of musical wrastle-in'."

Triumph (or The Green Hornet Has A Bitchin' Stinger)

"Saturday evening we set up and prepared for what would turn out to be an epic night with a crowd that seemed like they had been designed out of my own fantasy," said Nielsen. "They eat up every single thing we did. This was not only THE show of the tour for me personally but THE show of the past YEAR for me. Everything you want for a great show. For me, the best part was during Affliction, a tune we'll record in Mississippi in 2010, when we looked out and the entire dance floor was bouncing up and down, rocking out in a most primal way. We loaded out of the club feeling like we won the battle and the war.

"We look so forward to retuning in the spring to this Canadian institution of Blues. It's always great to have a home away from home and this is definitely beginning to feel like one of ours. We also had a chance meeting on this night with Johnny Tornado who recorded and played with Dutch Mason. He had great tings to say and it was fun to toast him."

Stay tuned for more bastard action next week and remember to check out the band's Fredericton homecoming gig at the Picaroons Brewery, in Fredericton on November 28. There are also a few house concert tickets left. They can be purchased at Tony's Music Box for the low price of $10 each. The draw will take place soon and the winner will get a bitchin' blues performance by the band in their very own home! For more information on Ross, check out his website at www.rossneilsen.com