Friday, November 19, 2010

Siskiyou en France

Siskiyou at The Saint Ex in Bordeaux

As I mentioned, I went to Toulouse to see Peter play with Siskiyou. Peter had previously played bass on Siskiyou's record. At some point this past summer, Colin Huebert asked Peter if he would be interested in playing bass on an autumn tour of Europe. It was a split-second decision for him, as he would not only fulfill a dream, but potentially get to see me in Europe.

Despite my perhaps inherent bias toward Siskiyou, as Peter is my boyfriend, I really like their music. Prior to the show, I had only heard Siskiyou's album online. The live show was excellent. The live show was true to recordings, for example, using a melodica live as a substitute for the horns and accordion on the record.

Peter showcased his musicianship, not only played bass, but guitar, melodica and keys, and sometimes more than one of these at once, always transitioning seamlessly. In addition to Peter on tour with Huebert and Erik Arnesen, the line-up was rounded-out by Shaunn Watt on drums, vocals, and guitar. I first met Shaunn six or seven years ago when we were in high school, but had since lost touch. It was nice to meet him again so unexpectedly and on a completely different continent, and was a testament to how small the world (or the Vancouver music scene) really is. Although not familiar with his more recent projects, which include the Vancouver-based folk/rock band Red Cedar, I was a fan of Sic Semper, and think that Shaunn's vocals were a perfect fit for Siskiyou.

The write up in Le Lieu Commun's monthly listings compared Siskiyou to Sparklehorse, but I hear more old Modest Mouse and "It's All Going To End" reminds me of Eels.

My favourite songs are "Everything I Have" and "Never Ever Ever Ever Again" so it was awesome to see it performed live, with Bart on the musical saw for the latter. Another highlight of the live show was their rendition of Neil Young's "Revolution Blues," which you can watch here.

I really enjoyed my trip to see Peter with Siskiyou in Toulouse and Bordeaux. It was a fun couple of days in Toulouse and Bordeaux with Siskiyou, even with the van troubles. As we arrived in Bordeaux at 5:00pm and it was getting dark, I didn't get to visit the city, so I will have to go again and tell you about it then.

Did you see Siskiyou on one of their Canadian tour dates? What did you think?

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