Review and photos - Subcity Dwellers at the West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, May 28 2009

– review by Eugene Osudar/photos by Shawn Coates

My First Time
the newly reno’ed
WECC

Magnificent 7s
Farrell Brothers
The Subcity Dwellers

First Times.
the first time
julie and i made love
hot and sweaty
and rhythmically
dancing, steamy/dreamy
winnipeg summer night
(nakedly)
throbbing to the beat
(hands gliding curves
hills plateaus points ridges peninsulas
plains fingers sliding forests valleys
caves)
of pure/true love
(salt licks, popsicle
sticks, fully ripened
mango lips)
hours and hours
hearts and souls
(ours)
aflame
(and)
the fire
(ours)
ablaze

instant enlightenment
that’s
the power of love
and
its intense fragility

“gone daddy gone
love is gone
far away”
(The Violent Femmes)

the first time
i walked into the newly
renovated
West End Cultural Center
WECC
closed for a year
a long hard year
of me dancing
and gigging
and writing
madly
tens of thousands
of pages
(some) rages
of poetry
of prose
and (mostly)
deeply felt
wondrous
illimitable
beauty
exquisite
kisses
and lustful
wishes
oh, the fantaseas
sailed

i knew

i am in love again

will i run?

or will i dance

The Dance

straight into it
The Fire
The Blaze
That Obscure Object Of Desire
The Luis Bunuel Craze

“won’t somebody tell me,
just what is the soul of a man?”
from the brilliant
Magnificent 7s cd
Dirty Roads
the song,
Soul of a Man

just what is
it?

it was just after eight o’clock
and i’m ready
i’m on the floor
the dance floor

i don’t have to dance
on the dance floor
i can dance in an aisle
balconies
in a church
on the earth (deities and humanity
how i :Love; to dance on the earth,
the soil, Mother Earth’s crazy quilt)
i can dance
where i want to,
it’s safe to dance!
The Safety Dance
Men Without Hats
at Le Rendezvous
decades ago!
I danced
back then
and Whirled
like the dervish
that Chris of The Hazy Pilgrims
says i am
when i dance
Now
“I see the Sufi in you,
when you dance,
it’s not normal.”

Whirling Dervishes
the holy men and women
in dance and celebration
of the Beautiful
en(Light)enment

i am
The Dervish
spin fly soar
rocket man!

i am not normal.
i’m a dancer
a poet
a gigger
and jigger
(and biter)
a licker
a massager
a Lover
a fighter

just what is the soul of man?

a beautiful (eugene) man.

the 7s walked on stage
TJ, Matt, Ida, Chris
David, Andy (7s minus Ingrid,
add Matt on sound
equals Magnificent 7s)
with smiles
meeting my smiles
(we knew what was about
to unfold)
and as soon as
the first song
strummed,

oh Dirty Road

i danced,
when the song
flowed
through my soul
!my dancing soul!

the first dancer
on the brand new dance floor of the newly
renovated
WECC

the opening shows
were all sit down affairs

oh, there were dancers
scattered about
(the seeds)
(sunflowers)
(saplings)
(The Belted Trees)

Hawksley Workman
Sarah Slean
and a songwriter’s circle
hosted and conceived/
by the wonderful Jeff Robson

but I was The First Dancer
at an official show

Firsts
and The Last
(Shawn Conner
knows how wondrous
this Replacements song is)

I Won’t be The Last
i’ll die
(long before
that dance floor
is done)
and scatter my soul
all over This Place
My Winnipeg
My Love
My True
(i love you,)

Dirty Road
Way Down Town
Pills I Took
I Saw The Light
Free Born Man
Whiskey Song
Darling Cory
The Wolf
This City
Todays Empires, Tomorrows Ashes

and somewhere in that second or third
emotion
that song
that dance
Rox
joined me
in the dance.
it’s all about the dance/
always is.

who will lead
who will follow
who will tease
who will flirt
who by fire
will kiss the sacred dirt
mother earth
her beautiful naked feet
that need oiling
and tender
honor

these hands
your feet
these hands
your tender toes

This City
is my favorite Winnipeg
song
TJ
i’ve told you so many times
beautiful heart
more than John K Samson
more than Greg MacPherson
This City is my Fave
what we need is a compilation
of their brilliant Winnipeg songs
(Jay, are you reading this?)
profits
for the inner city
at/risk/youth
that my heart aches for
that i can’t work for
anymore
too, much,
touch,pain/

when i hear the 7s
cover Propagandhi’s
Todays Empires, Tommorows Ashes
i understand
(and do i ever Dance!)
the intense majesty
of that band
at their best
what they mean to the youngsters
of winnipeg
it’s about The Dream
of making it
on one’s own terms
not dictated to by corporate hounds
transitory trends, false friends
no chains, no bounds
that’s the way
freedom sounds

the 59 Sound
Gaslight Anthem!

Matt sends us moving
through the
Whiskey Song

my hands are out of my pockets
rox’s indeed are in hers!
her feet/legs flying
tapping and sprightly
kicking
(we’re kissing) (the dance floor)

setting the tone for the evening
the invitation to dance
extended
two more beauties
join us
and the watchers
gather around
waiting their Moment

The Magnificent 7s
are one of the finest bands
in this Winnipeg explosion
of music
and their cd
Dirty Roads
recorded
live at the Rudolf Rocker
february 18-28, 2008
truly captures
their intense fragility
their unfathomable beauty
their majesty
their magnificence

now
if only
Ingrid
the prodigal daughter
would return

The Farrell Brothers
are straight ahead
garage raging rockabilly
no zig no zag
all jag(ged)
and raw
power Iggy Style!
cap the R’s
Restricted!
to DanceRs Only!

 

it’s their moment now,

the watchers
are
ready
Now!

from the opening sweaty
sizzling blazing

This is a Riot

the dancing was too far Gone
Daddy Gone (Violent Femmes)

no breaks between songs

rapid fire
firing line

we went wild
and The Mosh Pit
(s)exploded!

 

and somewhere
dancing there
i saw a young tall
thin man
unzip his jeans
dig his penis
and balls
airing them out
sweaty big balls
AC/DC style!

laughing riotously

he had a buddy
go down in mock
(i think)
head s(t)imulation
although, it may have
been the real sc(or)e,deal

the first felatio
in the newly reno’
ed WECC

(even Lynne of WECC
heard about this incident as we talked about it
before the brilliant Von Bondies show
at the Albert)

Fiery Line
Rebel
Let’s face It
Dead End Boy
Breakin’ Out
Wink
Burning Desire
Chains
Angel
Curb stomp
Lone Wolf
Rocker Panel
Wild Kind
Sten Gun
Rumble at The Opry

16 songs in about an hour
(perfect set length)
million miles per hour
reminds me of The First Time
i saw Elvis Costello
and The Attractions
My First Concert

oh you brilliant firsts!

and if you want to see
me dancing
YouTube
The Farrell Brothers
and the Magnificent 7s
at the Buddy Holly Tribute
Park Theater
and Dance With Me
Old 97s!

i’m the dancing
shadow man
(with beautiful Bonnie)
and i’m the old man
bopping effortlessly

the Farrells have played
seemingly forever,
15 years?
and the last two times
i’ve seen them,
the Buddy Holly tribute
and Now setting the table
for The Subcity Dwellers
they have Blazed!
set my dancing world
on fire
raging against the machine
and are now in the Fave Fave
list of the sacred sixty bands
that i love in This City

My Winnipeg
(Guy Maddin)
that fools still doubt
it’s here, it’s now
it’s everywhere
music
bands
artists
writers
exploding
all around us
it’s cold yes
and
it’s so very beautiful

The Subcity Dwellers

 

Gastown
Go On
Give Up the Gun
Temper
Pill Popper Rocker
Jerk Chicken Boogaloo
Drag Me Down
The End of the Bottle
1st & 55
After My Heart
Hey Brother
No More Lies
Rosalita (Bruce Springsteen cover!)

encores:

Wanted
Brand New Cadillac (The Clash!)
Hold the Pressure Down

 

YouTube
Subcity Dwellers
Drag Me Down/The End of the Bottle
(and you’ll find other live performance
clips
from my first dancing show
at the newly reno’ed WECC)
and you’ll see
you’ll witness
that the floor is packed
and heads bopping
stage fully loaded
trumpet (Allison)
trombone (Rob)
saxophone (Darryl)
guitars (Ian and Matt)
keys (Kevin)
bass (Darwin)
and drums,
one of my Fave Fave
drummers
in this city,
(Alain!)

it’s ska
it’s reggae
it’s punk
it’s soul
it’s a soul rhythm revue
it’s Stax
it’s the max
in dancing pleasure
in dancing orgasmmmmmm

by this time
rox, megan, amber and me
are pushed to the far side edge
so many are dancing
another sell out
400 movers and shakers
and everyone is selling their soles
and souls
out on the dance floor and beyond
everywhere
dancing sweating moving and grooving

 

no standing room
all dancing boom/boom
boom/boom!
John Lee Hooker
style!

that’s some of the story
of My First Time
at the newly renovated
WECC
just some
i’ve committed
most of it to memory
and journal
and to kisses
sweet and salty
and to the dance
ferocious and glorious

whirl with me
wherever
you may be

“dance with me

under the moonlight”

Old 97s

just
dance
like it’s
your, first, time.