Sep 20 2012 – On March 22nd 2012 we were out on the streets of Toronto checking out bands playing Canada Music Week 2012. That night, the band we gave our “gig of the night” mention was One Bad Son and had this to say about their set:
“The hard rockers slammed the crowd and we finally got to hear some awesome power rock. I had to double check to make sure it wasn’t Axl Rose singing.” T-Mak World March 23 2012
We liked the band so much we even featured them on our popular Emerging Artist Spotlight just a few days after we saw them live. Their website gives a fitting description of the band:
The spectrum of modern rock is typically split into two camps, with slick commercial chart-toppers on one side and flavour-of-the-month indie acts on the other. And then there’s Vancouver’s One Bad Son: an honest to goodness rock ‘n’ roll band that occupies a world of its own, cutting through the bullshit with cranked up amps and a resolutely DIY approach to music making.
Singer Shane Volk, drummer Kurt Dahl and guitarist Adam Hicks first joined forces in Saskatoon, SK, in 2004. The three friends moved into a house together, forming a tight-knit brotherhood and spending every free moment jamming and building up a catalog of songs. They independently released the albums This Aggression Will Not Stand in 2006 and Orange City in 2007. But it wasn’t until Adam Grant joined on bass in 2007 that OBS was truly complete.
One Bad Son (the album) is One Bad Son’s (the band) fourth offering, the band has released LPs in 2006 and 2007 and one EP in 2010. One Bad Son is being distributed by 604 Records and was produced by Danny Craig in Vancouver.
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| One Bad Son at Canada Music Week 2012 |
She’s On Fire kicks off the album with a shriek and the sweet sweet sound of electric guitar riffs. I like to write down my initial impression when I am reviewing a CD and what I wrote down half way through this song was “Bon Jovi with Axl Rose”. In retrospect what my mind was trying to convey is that this song is slick up tempo rock from (Dahl, Grant and Hicks) but with raw and powerful vocals from (Volk).
London Kills is not as commercially viable as the lead track but for me its a better song. More moody and a throwback to an early 80’s hard rock sound (before it became cheezy). The guitar solo in the middle of the song is perfectly positioned and clearly reminds me of why I like this band in the first place. They are real rock and roll the way its meant to be heard.
The next song is Rustbucket and a big highlight of the album. The chorus and the guitars interplay with an uncanny precision. Bordering on progressive rock the song changes tempo and tone more than once. The 1-2-3 punch of the first three songs are an excellent introduction to the band for the uninitiated.
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| That ain’t Queen that is Vancouver’s One Bad Son |
Slower songs and ballads were a staple of every rock album released in the 80’s and One Bad Son makes the trend cool again by slowing down things a bit on Scarecrows, Lie Awake, I’m Still Here and especially on El Camino. It’s interesting to hear a hard rock band slow things down to that level but if anything these guys have balls and are not following a prescribed formula book on how to make a rock record in 2012. One thing to note I have referenced Axl Rose vocals a few times so far in this review but go ahead and listen to I’m Still Here and tell me that I’m wrong with pointing out the similarity. Hey Shane next time in Toronto I want to hear you sing “Where do we gooooo now” right in the middle of I’m Still Here! Trust me it will come off amazing.
Closing song Retribution Blues is reminiscent of a good old anthem sing-along. I can totally picture if these guys get big and sell out the ACC this song being the closing song of the night. Massive spotlights on the band, confetti cannons blasting the crowd, a massive party tone with everyone singing the lyrics along with the band. ( Ok, snap myself to reality.)
Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 Very solid offering from Canadian rockers One Bad Son. Great mix of musical styles and standout tracks are London Kills and I’m Still Here. This record is one of the best indie rock releases we have heard this year and will most likely be on our Top 10 Indie Records of 2012 article. One Bad Son is right up there with Toronto’s TimeGiant and Ottawa’s Wise, Young & King as our favorite hard rock indie acts.
Tracklist:
1. She’s on Fire
2. London Kills
3. Rustbucket
4. It Ain’t Right
5. Scarecrows
6. True Grit
7. Moneytrain
8. Lie Awake
9. I’m Still Here
10. El Camino
11. Retribution Blues
