The Cave Singers - Clever Creatures

So last Saturday one of my favourite bands played a show at The Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, 2 days after my birthday. I decided it would be great to gather a bunch of friends (15 to be exact) and drink ourselves stupid at the concert and then a bar after. The majority of my group had not heard of The Cave Singers but, thanks to the $15 ticket price and the fact that it was for my bday, they all welcomed it with open minds. I talked the band up as I just love all 3 of their albums and have seen them live 4 times (twice at Sasquatch Music Festival, at The Biltmore and the now defunct Richards on Richards) in which they have been incredible each time and are getting even better. And, like I knew they would, they absolutely delivered! 

The Rickshaw, which has a capacity of 1,000, was packed and bumpin' for the big show; a great crowd for a Vancouver show. We managed to make it to the middle of the stage, somewhat towards the back and all stayed together in a group (the pic above is where we were). This was by far the largest group that I have ever been to a concert with; every way I turned there was a new friend to talk to or dance with. Luckily the whole crew came ready to drink as well and 2 friends continued to trek to the bar, bringing back handfuls of beers. At one point I was triple fisting!

The Cave Singers opened with the gorgeous "Summer Light" and immediately captivated the crowd as everyone bumped along and pot smoke filled the air. They then picked it up with the rocker "At The Cut" before playing today's song, "Clever Creatures". Both songs were brilliant and my friends and I were really digging it. Some other highlights included the first time I had seen them play "Swim Club" (one of their most well-known songs and one that I have featured before on this blog), a pair of brand new songs, the excellent set-closing duo of the intense "No Prosecution If We Bail" and guitar-heavy "Black Leaf", and the encore of their best song, "Dancing On Our Graves" (another song that I've featured on this blog).

Throughout the night lead singer Pete Quirk sang haunting, eyes-closed verses on some tracks before switching to all-out bombastic growls on others. Lead guitarist Derek Fudesco played with his back to the audience for most of the night but was spot on with all the complex and groovy riffs. Then new member and bass player Morgan Henderson chugged along with drummer Marty Lund, ensuring that the beat never stopped rolling. The Cave Singers love Vancouver as they have recorded their albums here and, being from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle to be exact) they realize the greatness and commonalities shared among this region. These guys are getting bigger and better with every new album. I cannot wait for the day when they get to play The Commodore. I will certainly be there and I hope that you will be too!

A quick shout out to all my awesome fiends that came out! I had an absolute blast and was extremely hungover the next day lol. It was one of those nights where a friend and me wore each others coats home and had no idea til the following evening!

The Cave Singers - Have To Pretend

http://blog.kexp.org/2012/12/04/song-premiere-the-cave-singers-have-to-pretend/

I simply couldn't leave this without sharing The Cave Singers' excellent, brand new track, "Have To Pretend" off their album to be released March 2013, Naomi. This song has an amazing R&B groove, accented by some lovely ooohhhsss and the simple, jarring riff. It's very breezy and I can't wait for the whole album!