Cat's Cradle Carrboro, NC
Contact: jim@bighassle.com
Web: thestrumbellas.ca
Players: Jimmy Chauveau, vocals, guitar; Jeremy Drury, percussion; Jon Hembrey, guitar; Darryl James, bass; Isabel Ritchie, strings; David Ritter, keys
COMING DOWN the snowline from Canada are the Strumbellas, a five-player ensemble from Lindsey, Ontario. Sharing mutual grooves with fellow Ontarians Cowboy Junkies and Tokyo Police Club, they threw their own delightfully mixed-up folkie-rock-pop-sound off the big stage and into the Cradles’ far reaches, where it worked flawlessly around the rafters! Using their new record Part Time Believer as a ski jump into the mainstream rock groove, they mesmerized the near capacity crowd with flawless five-part harmonies and stellar musicianship on “Spirits”, “Young and Wild” and “We don’t Know.” From frontman and lead singer Jimmy Chauveau to backline guitarin’ wiz Jon Hembrey, this was an ensemble tour-du-groove, where everyone on the big stage was perfectly in sync. The show had exquisite solos from violinist Izzy, a Craigslist pick-up around 2008, low to the ground guitarin’ from Hembrey and perfect bass grooves by Darryl James. Punctuating Dave Ritters’ keys and Drury’s percussion, the show rocked, and there wasn’t a note out of place or a beat out of step. There is an entire set of skills necessary to play with others in any musical sandbox—it’s hard to define, but once you find it, and it works, it’s like magic. Oh, and add in a delicious mix of blended five-part harmonies.
This five-piece groove machine used every inch of the huge stage to perfection. Nothing was left to chance and with Jimmy taking the lead vocals, everything seemed to fall in line perfectly. It’s hard to miss the Gordon Lightfoot, Thunder Bay, Great Lakes influences in Jimmy’s smooth and expressive tenor. And that’s cool, since we are all part of something, and it’s a wonderful Iron Range legacy. This was like Earth, Wind and Fire without the horns, Tower of Power sans the brass, where the sheer energy coming off the stage was equal to the mass of the galactic center.
For a five-piece groove machine, The Strumbellas deliver a “wall of sound” in the truest sense of the word, redefining Phil Spector’s vision and making it their own with their unique instrumentation and arrangements. This show touched all the cardinal points of creativity: flawless execution, exceptional musicianship and thoughtful lyrical treatments, all wrapped up in a fun, energetic Resto Richard or Casse-Croute of Sound! Thank you to our friends from The Great White North: come back any time, eh?
Photo by Mark Shilowich
