by Leith Dunick
It’s almost hard to believe Halifax’s Sloan has been around the Canadian music scene long enough to celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of their albums.
And it wasn’t even their first – or second – record.
“This is as good as we get,” singer Chris Murphy said after the show, a rocking two-hour-plus affair that filled the floor at Thunder Bay’s Crocks.
The two-set show was a stroll down memory lane for fans of the band, who played their album One Chord to Another front to back.
Released in 1996 and heavily influenced by the sounds of the Beatles, One Chord to Another was a comeback album of sorts, after rumours of the band’s breakup on the heels of a heated dispute with label Geffen Records, who did little to promote their critically acclaimed Twice Removed.
One Chord to Another was recorded in just two weeks and captured the Best Alternative Album Award at the 1997 Juno Awards.
It’s stood the test of time, with singles like the opener The Good in Everyone, Everything You’ve Done Wrong and The Lines You Amend helping land it in the No. 34 slot in Bob Mersereau’s Top 100 Canadian Albums, 20 spots behind Twice Removed and one of three Sloan offerings on a list peppered with offerings from Neil Young, Rush and Joni Mitchell.
The Thursday night downtown crowd was only too happy to indulge the one-time indie darlings on their anniversary tour, lapping up the chance to hear One Chord to Another live, knowing a set of greatest hits and fan favourites was still to come.
Unlike many bands, where pieces come and go, Sloan has remained intact throughout their run, sharing singing and songwriting duties with a one-for-all and all-for-one Four Musketeers attitude.
Murphy, Patrick Pentland, Jay Ferguson and Andrew Scott, each took turns at the mic, belting out a parade of hits and sing-along staples like Money City Maniacs, Losing California, Unkind, Coax Me, If it Feels Good Do It and Who Taught You to Live Like That before closing with a two-song encore featuring The Other Man and 500 Up, the second single from their 1992 debut Smeared.
Murphy might have been selling the band a little short in his post-show comment.
This isn’t as good as Sloan gets, it’s as good as Canadian music gets.
They’ve earned their place in the country’s music pantheon and deservedly so. And their Thunder Bay show proved the quartet still has plenty to offer moving forward toward its 30th anniversary.
Sloan travels to St. Paul, Minn. on Friday night and carries on to Winnipeg on Saturday.
--taken from: TB News Watch
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