Back to the future

I've just been away in Nelson, B.C., visiting family while an army of robot slaves update the blog in my absence. Fortunately there was a bevy of show opportunities awaiting my return because the Nelson nightlife, while pleasant in its own way, doesn't exactly offer the diversity of Ottawa. I walked over to The Rainbow after a full day of attending to neglected chores to see Gunsmoke and The Reverb Syndicate. The former is just back from tour, while the latter is readying itself for a trip overseas. The band on stage when I walked in the door was neither the former nor the latter: Sudbury's The Havocs. I hadn't heard of them before, but did recognize drummer Mitch as Varge bassist "Mike Fang"; guitarist Jeff Houle also served in Varge (as drummer). Bassist Paul Lowenberg rounds out the trio. Mitch and Jeff - who are brothers, I hear - also play in Statues (who came through town on August 9). Anyway, the family tree aside, these guys rock a heavy mod influence with covers of The Who and The Jam's In The City, and also covered MC5's High School.


The Havocs, The Rainbow, August 30, 2008

Gunsmoke sounded really sharp. So sharp Adam Freeborn sliced open a finger, leading to much blood on the bass strings and a premature end to the set.


Gunsmoke, The Rainbow, August 30, 2008

Finally the Reverb Syndicate capped the evening with their spyadelic instro-sounda, plus dancing girls. This was their first Ottawa show in a while - sort of a warmup for an upcoming Euro-tour.


The Reverb Syndicate, The Rainbow, August 30, 2008

They had a big enthusiastic crowd of dancers - hopefully a sign of future success on their overseas trip.

• Show reminder: The Stolen Minks, The Guest Bedroom and the Weathermakers perform at Irene's; Hell Yeah Fuck Yeah, the Bella Bombs and Zerg rock Zaphod's.