Band of Brothers

Brant Bjork and The Bros. - Mike Peffer on drums, Dylan Roche on bass, and Cortez on guitar - rolled into Babylon (and that's not all they're rollin' if you catch my drift) for some lowdown grooviness and the emission of hip vibrations to a decent-sized Monday crowd. No opening act, but who needs 'em when the headliner steps on stage at 10:45 and steps off at 1 a.m. with only a 15-minute break?
Their sound reminds me of a bunch of bands from the Chicano rock scene of the early 1970s: Sapo, Azteca and early Santana. These guys wouldn't have looked out of place at a West Coast free festival circa 1972. Add some of the desert rock vibe of Kyuss and Queens of The Stone Age and Bjork's past in Nebula and you've got some primo stoner rock, of the type we get way too little of in Ottawa.

Bjork. Gee, he doesn't look like he's from Iceland ...



Dylan; not many could get away with this look.



Mike; lots of hair and flashing teeth.



Cortez just grooving away.



None of these guys moved around too much until Bjork started working some feedback by jamming his guitar headstock into his cab, so a few pictures tell the story. It was a show heavy with vibes.

Last but not least, a shout out to the folks who brought Bjork and Co. to town, CKCU and John Westhaver of Birdman Sound.



It seems pretty quiet out there, so I'll just once again mention that The Sunburned Hand of The Man will be playing at the Avant-Garde (about a block away from the Rideau Centre on Besserer St.) with St. Bernard of Love and Akisikala tomorrow.