‘Got any paper? I need to do the setlist.’
Why The Waking Eyes owe us a new notebook, and other observations from the WCMA weekend
Jared Story and Jen Zoratti

“That’s it — back to Winnipeg!”

Perhaps inspired by that memorable line from The Simpsons, the Western Canadian Music Awards returned to the city where they were born back in ’99 as Prairie Music Week.

And why not come back to Winnipeg? This is, after all, the gateway to Western Canadian music, a city with musical influence felt beyond the Perimeter, through the cattle ranches, out into the rainy cities of B.C. and up into the Yukon.

Here’s a rundown of the best moments of the WCMA weekend.

Thursday, Oct. 19

One often forgets how small the Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club is until you’ve said sorry to the same person three times for bumping into him, but it’s the close quarters that make the place so very high and not at all lonesome.

Vancouver singer/songwriter Dan Mangan played off that intimacy, and his heartfelt Ryan Adams-esque alt-country sound was extremely captivating, with even the hungriest audience members ignoring their nachos to better appreciate his set. After disclosing that he “was” a Winnipeg Jets fan, the charismatic Mangan pleased the crowd by quickly putting his comment in the present tense.

Northern B.C.’s The Pucks asked the crowd if they wanted to hear some heavy metal. No Iron Maiden here, but rather the incorporation of a sousaphone, also known as ‘the big-ass tuba’ in marching bands. Locals Andrew Neville & the Poor Choices appeared for a keep-the-bar-open set full of what local musician J.P. Hoe called “genuine grit-groove.”

Friday, Oct. 20

If you ordered sweaty, dirty-ass rock ’n’ roll awesomeness, the Transistor 66 Records showcase at the Albert delivered in spades. With his drums placed front and centre, American Flamewhip’s Chris (Mama) Bauer beat the skins like they were a red-headed step-child before doing his best Keith Moon-ripping-shit-up impression.

Going even further into the pandemonium were the always chaotic Hot Live Guys. Guitarist Joe Warkentin was in his usual position, which is everywhere but on the stage. His antics steered attention away from drummer Mike Johnson’s onstage nudity, but at show’s end a lucky few got to see the over-exposed percussionist sit in an ice-filled beer bucket.

The Fabulous Kildonans topped both Mama and the Guys when Fat Johnny Campbell trashed his brand-new Gibson Firebird guitar as the old-school trio brought its punk-rocking set to a close with a cover of The Dead Boys’ classic Sonic Reducer.

Over at The Zoo, what The Morning After lacked in onstage nudity it made up for with placenta jokes. TMA guitarist Jean-Guy Roy was equal parts pumped musician and pumped new dad because his baby girl had been born just the day before.

Launching into a frenetic set chock full of mod-rock goodies, the four-piece was on top of its game. Pure energy poured from every guitar string, every key and every cymbal, and more tight sets like this will undoubtedly rocket The Morning After into next-big-thing territory.

Down the street at the Collective, ’Peg popsters Paper Moon played a sweet set as part of the Endearing Records showcase. Like its aptly named label, the quintet’s delicate indie-rock stylings charmed the pants off the sneaker-clad audience. They didn’t snag Outstanding Pop Recording at the WCMAs, but they win our award for Cutest Band Ever.

Saturday, Oct. 21

“Happy Saturday night!” exclaimed Perpetrators frontman J. Nowicki as he and fellow Perps Ryan Menard and Mama Bauer ripped into the bluesy classic Sixpack. The slightly older Windsor crowd showed no signs of age, moving and grooving more than your alcoholic aunt at a Loverboy show.

Saskatchewan’s Little Miss Higgins also cooked up some smoking old-fashioned blues, getting the crowd to chant “Bake my biscuits!” during her rendition of the Memphis Minnie classic. Apparently some dude actually wanted to bake Higgins’ biscuits, as she revealed the guy’s awful pickup line — “You got a nice dumper.” Ouch.

Over at the Pyramid the amps were cranked and the beer was cold. Following an energetic set by Alverstone, Tele took the stage and proceeded to blow the roof off the place, breaking a few eardrums in the process. Their keyboard-driven, electronica-fused set fired on all cylinders, and Matt Worobec’s fervent howl was probably heard in space. Between the trippy keyboards and the slaughtering drum kit, the quartet proved that it’s easily one of Winnipeg’s most engaging live acts — even though the band makes it impossible to order anything at the bar.

The night didn’t get any less loud from there. Garage darlings The Waking Eyes were set to bring the evening to a sweaty close, but not before rhythm-keeper Steve Senkiw stole notebook paper and a pen from Uptown to scribble out a setlist minutes before taking the stage.

More paper was lifted by The Morning After’s Jean-Guy Roy, who wrote his own comic pre-show review of The Eyes’ gig: “THEY SUCKED.”

Roy was wrong, of course. Powering through a lightning-fast set, the quartet continued to show how much they’ve grown since their Video Sound days back in 2004. All facets of a great Eyes show were there, from the driving guitars to bass lines you can feel in your chest.

Still, it wasn’t one of the quartet’s best nights — but if the new tunes are any indication we can expect some serious greatness from these guys when a new alb finally drops.

Sunday, Oct. 22

In case you were wondering, winning a WCMA is a lot like eating the perfect bowl of Cap’n Crunch.

“You know when the Cap’n Crunch is soft enough so that it doesn’t cut the roof of your mouth? And you get all the Cap’n flavour and none of the pain? That’s what this is like,” Jason Nowicki told reporters after the Perps snagged the award for Outstanding Blues Album.

Yes, the show ran an hour behind schedule, one award was accepted by a little girl pulled at random from the audience — who thanked her friend Sarah — and a lot of big names skipped out on the Cap’n Crunch euphoria of winning an award. But all in all, the fourth annual WCMA show wasn’t a bad time.

Some highlights of the night:

• Ace Burpee relaying a story about Corb Lund unleashing the “ol’ Hurtin’ Albertan” on some dude at the Royal Albert during a past visit to the ‘Peg.

• Harlequin closing out the night with a rockin’ rendition of Innocence while Spitz from hip hop award winners mood ruff stood in the front row, singing along and throwing the horns.

• Jann Arden talking to reporters after her Outstanding Pop Recording win, defending those who couldn’t make it: “You know, Diana Krall is so pregnant right now, I don’t think she could make it to the bathroom on her own.”

Besides, those who were disappointed by Nickelback, Diana Krall and Bif Naked not making it to the awards ceremony were missing the point. The weekend featured over 80 live shows from some of the West’s best players and most exciting up-and-comers, and music lovers in Winnipeg did their part to make the weekend a roaring success.

They showed up, they drank beer and, most importantly, they rocked out.