Uptown Magazine - August 20/09
GRAND ANALOG
Aug. 15, Pyramid Cabaret
w/ Lioness
It’s really a shame the last date on Grand Analog’s Souls on Fire Tour with Toronto’s Lioness ended up on the same night as Co-op and Hunnicutt’s annual Funk Boat party. Considering Winnipeggers haven’t really had a summer, it seemed like a lot of people thought cruising down the Red on the MS River Rouge was a more appealing option than hitting the dance floor at a club.
Although the crowd was smaller than it has been the last few times Odario Williams (vocals), Warren Bray (bass), Damon Mitchell (guitar) and Ofield Williams (DJ) have performed in the 204, that didn’t stop the band from delivering a sweaty set of tracks from 2009’s Metropolis is Burning and 2007’s Calligraffiti.
From catchy cuts such as Her Daddy (Don’t Like Me) to party starters I Walk Alone and Magnifico to dubbed-out Prairie reggae numbers such as I Walk Alone and Take it Slow, Grand Analog delivers music that not only rocks the house, but sounds tailor-made for cruising down Corydon in summer with your windows rolled down and your stereo cranked to 10.
Formed in 2007 out of the ashes of controller.controller, Lioness’ soulful dance-rock grooves were the perfect warm-up for Grand Analog’s genre-blending live set. With only a self-titled EP out in stores, the talented trio tested out some new material and dealt with an obnoxious, drunk heckler without missing a beat. Singer Vanessa Fischer commands attention when she takes the stage, and drummer Jeff Scheven and bassist Ronnie Morris quickly make you forget there isn’t any guitars.
B+
