By Shelley Arnusch
Who: Crepitus with Odessa
Where: Boot Pub
When: Saturday, June 25
Saturday nightÕs metal show at the Boot Pub features the return to the stage of locals Crepitus and the Whistler debut of new Vancouver band Odessa.
Odessa may be popping its Whistler cherry but one particular member of the band requires little in the way of introduction for those familiar with the local live music scene.
Bass player Briton Liakakos is a former Whistler resident whose family ties have kept him strongly connected.
Music fans with a few years in Whistler under their belts will recognize him as a past member of the BootÕs winter season jam/rock house band Cold Snap and from Whistler funk band The Dank Nuggs.
LiakakosÕs continuing association with fellow Cold Snapper Creekside Phil Richard inspired the invitation for Odessa to join RichardÕs hardcore metal band Crepitus at their old stomping grounds on Saturday evening.
Whistler knows what to expect from Crepitus by now — hard, Slayer-esque original metal epics worthy of the bone-crunching associations the name implies. But those who come out Saturday expecting a Dank Nuggs groove-out from Liakakos and company will receive a shock to the system. Odessa is a high-octane punk-metal project with intense vocals screamed in your face by new frontman Hugo Cecereu.
The band, which also includes LiakakosÕs longtime friend and collaborator Steve Rio on guitar and Matt Van Dyke on drums, is still teething, having only come together in January of this year. Surprising, considering the tight sonic bite they deliver.
Even more surprising is the fact that Odessa is the first foray into heavy punk/metal for all three original band members, whose resumes include Alpha Ya Ya Diallo, Search, and The Smoking Frogs.
Rio explains it was a growing mutual passion for heavy music that possessed the funksters to genre hop.
ÒNone of us come from a background of heavy music. We all listen to it but none of us played it,Ó Rio says. ÒDank Nuggs was a funk/cover band. Search was a seven-piece funk/Latin band with a full horn section that played seven-minute dance songs.Ó
Odessa would gain a metal pedigree with the later addition of Cecereu to the roster.
Rio says itÕs OdessaÕs irrepressible energy that makes it stand out from the eclectic mishmash of his past projects.
ÒThereÕs no ego involved. At our shows thereÕs a lot of energy, but thereÕs no bravado. WeÕre bouncing around like crazy on stage.
ÒI think thatÕs why weÕve picked up so quickly,Ó he adds. ÒItÕs the most fun style of music IÕve ever played, and IÕve done everything. IÕve done free-jazz, IÕve done funk, IÕve done hip-hop, IÕve done a lot of different stuff and this is by far the most fun IÕve had on stage.Ó
Following the Saturday night show at the Boot Pub, Odessa is sticking around to play a bonus show at GarfinkelÕs on Wednesday night, guests of reggae band Big Up. Odessa will also be back at the end of August to play The Punk Night at the Boot.
Upcoming music eventsÉ
The posters proclaim ÒThe Beautiful Girls from AustraliaÓ are coming. But thereÕs no need to start stockpiling bills to stuff into g-strings. This event is not a special presentation of Das Boot Ballet. Rather, these Beautiful Girls are an all-male beach groovinÕ folk-reggae-rock band that made its name in the Aussie surf scene and has since taken to traveling the world. Like fellow countryman Xavier Rudd, the Girls have a big following in Whistler. Get your tickets early for the July 4 th show at the Boot Pub.
Also on July 4 th , West Coast conscious hip-hop crew Sweatshop Union returns for a show at GarfinkelÕs with groove collective The Pocket Dwellers. Who says the Yanks get to have all the fun on July 4 th ?
Speaking of national birthdays, check out next weekÕs Pique for your complete guide to Canada Day music events.
