Club Denim
Guelph, Ontario
November 4, 2004
Club Denim
Guelph, Ontario
November 4, 2004
So, I thought this would be the show that would set it all
straight about April Wine. Well... it was... and it wasn't. Here's
why. I'll back up and tell you that way back just after the first time I
shot them in 92, my buddy's band opened for them in Prince George, B.C. My
buddy said front man Myles Goodwyn was a fuckin dick. I said NO WAY. He SEEMS like a
good guy. Well, my buddy said, Myles was the biggest asshole he ever
opened for. My buddy's band was the house band, a crowd favorite, and
they were stifled to no end, no good lighting, no good sound, Myles didn't even
want to acknowledge the opening act let alone hang out with them at all... blah blah
blah. I asked about the rest of April Wine, not ALL of them could be total
dicks now could they? NO, just Myles, he calls all the shots. Well from MY
experience, Myles was a bit of a dick. Two songs into the set he sees me
and refuses to let me shoot the band. Not just him. The whole fuckin
band. The rest of
the band woulda been more than happy to let me shoot em. I know cuz I
would get their attention and point at my camera and they'd shrug or point at
Myles and give me that look like, if HE didn't mind, it would be alright with
ME. Hmmmmm... why was he like that? I woulda thought a blessed Canadian
like Myles woulda been a good dude...
I was
gonna just stand there in the front row and sulk like a fuckin two year old but
after a few tunes I found myself totally into the music. Like I said, I've
been a big fan for YEARS, since as far back as I can recall. I remember
when I was in grade 3, we were visiting my Grandparents and my Uncle had an
April Wine album and he told me these guys were WAY better than
KISS (which was
just impossible at the time) and was playing these tunes for me that I still
remember today. I just couldn't stay mad for long. I mean
they got some great fuckin songs. Oowatanite, Roller, Say Hello, Coulda
Been A Lady, just to name a few. Very few. There's MUCH more that I
could throw at ya. There are a shitload of awesome tunes that
April Wine can dig out at any given moment and treat you with.
And they play em good and tight. Myles' voice is still dead on. Gotta hand him that. He's still right nimble in the fingers too. Jerry Mercer, the 65 year old drummer was fuckin SMOKIN. Took him a couple songs to get going but he did a great solo which got the crowd right into it. Jim Clench, the bass player sang a few tunes ending the show with Oowatanite, arguably April Wine's best song ever. I REALLY got the impression that Jim is a fuckin good shit. Same with Jerry and guitarist Brian Greenway, who by the green way was hot as fuck tearing through Club Denim's walls with that sweet Les Paul of his. So my feeble little brain is STILL in turmoil over this whole thing. Do I say what I really wanna say and let it all pour out whether it sounds bad or not? Or do I lie and tell you what the band would love to hear?
Well, if you've been to my site and read ANYTHING I've ever written, you'd come to the conclusion that I don't give a fuck. I say what I fuckin mean and I don't give a rats ass who's FEELINGS are gonna be hurt by it cuz if I give someone a bad fuckin review and drag 'em through the mud a bit, it's cuz THEY DID SOMETHING to DESERVE it. I don't just attack some poor bastard out of the blue cuz he's UGLY. Fuck, if that's how I operated, most of the bands on this site would have HORRIBLE reviews. Hell, I'd have to do a shitty ass review about ME cuz I'm one o' the ugliest fucks yer ever gonna meet!!! I better stop now. I'm getting out of control again. In a nutshell I'll just say this: April Wine's music is really, really good. Check em out before they die. That said, April Wine's front man needs to lighten the fuck up. That's it, that's all.
Rock in the Park
London, Ontario
Summer '92
It was fun watching April Wine play for free at the park that summer. I don't even hardly remember it but one thing I do know is that every song they played was so popular everyone sang along to almost all of them. That's all I've got to say about that.
April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine
April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine
April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine April Wine
