One Bad Son kicks Toronto’s ass with the best bar gig we have seen this year.
May 16 2013 – One Bad Son are arguably the best “real” rock band that Canada has produced in a long time. Their legacy traces back to the late 70’s/early 80’s (aka the golden years of Canadian rock) where Triumph, Rush, April Wine, Saga, Trooper, Coney Hatch, Max Webster were all names that showed the world that Canada was fertile musical ground. What we consider “real” rock is high energy, guitar riff driven music that energizes the soul and stirs emotions and this is exactly what One Bad Son delivered last night at Toronto’s Cherry Cola’s Rock N Rolla on Bathurst St.
One Bad Son are a product of Saskatoon (although the band has since relocated to Vancouver) and they caught our attention last year during Canadian Music Week. Here is our initial interview with the band last year as well as our review of their latest CD entitled One Bad Son (we take great pride in being the first media outlet to have reviewed this CD) which scored a very solid 4.5 out of 5. We saw One Bad Son perform their 40 minute set at Canadian Music Week (CMW) 2013 both times they played and gave them a “Gig of the Night” mention on both those sets. This led them to be named as one of our very select “Best of CMW” winners. Bottom line – we are no strangers to One Bad Son.
Tonight was our first chance to see their full bar set which is one hour long. I will preface this review by saying the only negative of the show is that 1 hour does not do this band justice and we would very much like to see them perform a 2-2.5 hour set with extended solos and jams. One Bad Son formed in 2004 and is composed of four highly talented artists; Shane Volk is the vocalist, Adam (Granny) Grant is on bass, Adam Hicks is the guitarist and Kurt Dahl is the drummer.
The set drew almost exclusively from the band’s latest CD including their Canadian Rock Charts Top 5 Single – Scarecrows and their new fast rising single It Ain’t Right. Both excellent live renditions and the live experience is actually superior to the studio recordings. The band also played Retribution Blues – (a personal favorite of T-Mak) and Volk tells the audience that they intend to make this song their next single. Retribution Blues really stands out as an impressive display of what One Bad Son can deliver in a live setting and what we said in the CD review still stands “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.)”
One Bad Son would not be so bad ass if they simply played their own songs or some cover songs – they take it to the next level and featured 2 mind-blowing mashup’s of Led Zeppelin’s In The Evening with their own Moneytrain and Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child with their own London Kills. Words can’t describe how excellent those renditions were and it is so refreshing to see a band tackle such an endeavor and mixing in some well-known rock staples with their own material. They did do one full cover song though of Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads and rocked the crap out of that one – so many highlights to choose from on the night but this one was right up there.
The band introduced one new song that will appear on their upcoming album. Satellite Hotel was yet another excellent song and illustrated the band’s maturity and drive towards the top of the rock throne. Satellite Hotel is a dark tune that lets Hicks shine with his shifting guitar tempo throughout the song – in fact this song (especially if extended to 10 minutes with drawn out guitar work) will be a strong focal point of future shows.
Volk is the cream of the crop of Canadian frontmen. He is right up there with Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Jay Buchanan of Rival Sons; the three of which comprise this generations group of legendary vocalists in the tradition of Plant, Mercury and Daltrey. He oozes confidence on stage as any real rock star should and can win over any fan in the first couple of minutes. He told me right after the show that he felt that the band was very strong tonight and we certainly can not disagree with that statement.
Dahl is a drummer with insane passion. The heartbeat of the band he is all smiles as he leads his band’s rhythm to the heavy and hard pace required. His passion for music is evident on his forearm as he proudly wears the four Led Zeppelin symbols as tatooed reminders of who the forefathers of classic rock are. He is the perfect drummer for One Bad Son and adds incredible musical and entertainment value to the band.
Grant plays a mean bass and is as energetic as any bassist you have ever seen. Usually the least noticed member of any band, Grant bucks the bassist stereotype and stands out along with the greats such as Geddy Lee and John Entwhistle both with his technical playing and his consistent headbanging. A joy to watch he is always in synch with Dahl to ensure that One Bad Son leave you with a gorgeous rhythm to infect your brain.
Hicks is the real deal on the guitar and clearly draws his inspiration from guitar legends such as Jimmy Page, Eddy Van Halen and Tony Iommi. His riffs add the spice needed to the potent classic rock conconction that One Bad Son deliver. In many ways he elevates the band to a higher level and when he walks to the center of the stage to take over the spotlight everyone in the audience takes notice.
One Bad Son’s live gigs are something to not be missed. They are clearly attacking Canada through one club show at a time often driving across the country to play their gigs. In fact in this, their first Ontario tour, they drove straight from Vancouver and came to conquer. They truly believe the music and the live show can speak for themselves and I can not imagine that anyone would ever go see their show and walk away disappointed. The band often converges around the drum kit and lets one member face the audience to show off his skills during the night and that is just one example of how polished they are on stage. They are truly a very marketable band and will benefit greatly from their showmanship and confidence. To add they are four of the nicest and most humble guys I have ever met in this industry. Good guys really do stand out and the boys from Saskatoon are on the right path to mega stardom. I truly want them to succeed and will do all I can to let the world know that One Bad Son is what rock lovers need to be hearing (and watching live).
Verdict 5+ out of 5 – This was the mother of all hard rock club shows. The combination of incredible music and four guys clearly loving real rock with the confidence to genuinely deliver it is exactly what the music industry needs. There will be a “classic” rock revival and One Bad Son will be Canada’s flag bearer. One Bad Son play again in Saturday in Markham and we strongly recommend that show.
One Bad Son deliver a potent elixir of excellent musicianship and live performance energy that Canada has been lacking for a very long time.
Setlist:
True Grit – FROM THE ONE BAD SON ALBUM
Rustbucket – FROM THE ONE BAD SON ALBUM
It Ain’t Right – FROM THE ONE BAD SON ALBUM
In the Evening/Moneytrain – FROM THE ONE BAD SON ALBUM
Satellite Hotel (new song)
Scarecrows – FROM THE ONE BAD SON ALBUM
Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
Retribution Blues – FROM THE ONE BAD SON ALBUM
London Kills/Voodoo Child (Hendrix) – FROM THE ONE BAD SON ALBUM
Agree with everything Terry said. If you’re in Toronto and don’t know One Bad Son, you’re listening to the wrong radio station cuz 94.9 The Rock was among the first to play Scarecrows and It Ain’t Right and play both on a regular basis.