Album: We Didn't Even Suspect That He Was The Poppy Salesman
I'll Never Tear You Apart
1990-ish, mid-January, Louis' Pub, closing in on midnight. Too much beer, not enough food. Wobbly as fuck. Stumble home. Frigid. Get to University Crescent and decide that it would help if I rested. Which I did. For several hours on a crunchy snow-covered lawn. Woke up feeling like the Alien alien was forcing his way out of my ears. But didn't lose any of my fingers or toes to frostbite. A minor miracle.
The reason I was at Louis' that night? The reason for my joyous over-indulgence? The Rheostatics. The greatest rock band in Canadian history, led by the inimitable Martin Tielli. The Rheostatics were successful from an artistic standpoint primarily because of the musical tension between the pop/country influenced Dave Bidini and the artsier, more experimentally-oriented Tielli. The Lennon and McCartney of Canadian music.
Since the band's retirement, Tielli has produced several interesting records, and a couple of absolutely stunning songs. He's a great guitarist, betraying influences ranging from jazz to flamenco to classical. And sure, at times he's too artsy for his own good, and at times his music is pretentious to the point of being un-listenable. Granted. But when he's on he creates beautifully evocative, wistful music. This is perhaps my favorite of Tielli's songs, with "From The Reel" a close second. Also, for you songwriters out there, I strongly recommend Poppy Salesman as a crash course in the art of melody.
The reason I was at Louis' that night? The reason for my joyous over-indulgence? The Rheostatics. The greatest rock band in Canadian history, led by the inimitable Martin Tielli. The Rheostatics were successful from an artistic standpoint primarily because of the musical tension between the pop/country influenced Dave Bidini and the artsier, more experimentally-oriented Tielli. The Lennon and McCartney of Canadian music.
Since the band's retirement, Tielli has produced several interesting records, and a couple of absolutely stunning songs. He's a great guitarist, betraying influences ranging from jazz to flamenco to classical. And sure, at times he's too artsy for his own good, and at times his music is pretentious to the point of being un-listenable. Granted. But when he's on he creates beautifully evocative, wistful music. This is perhaps my favorite of Tielli's songs, with "From The Reel" a close second. Also, for you songwriters out there, I strongly recommend Poppy Salesman as a crash course in the art of melody.
Was pleasant to listen to. I don't know what else I can say, to be honest. Kind of lame, I realize. But I will look into The Rheostatics as you speak very highly of them.
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