Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Return to the Locals’ Living Room

Slow Nerve Action closes out Monday Madness at the Boot Pub, with extra show at Merlin’s

What: Slow Nerve Action

When: Monday, April 24

Where: Boot Pub

Four months ago members of Slow Nerve Action decided to take a long-term hiatus from their infamous gutter-mind funk – the road dogs needed to put in some serious family time, with sexaholic rocker Chris Berry becoming a dad and guitarist Josh Gontier and bassist Benson returning home to Ontario.

But Monday the ambassadors of sexual funk are entering a ménage à cinq once again at their home stomping ground, the Boot Pub.

Invited as the last band to play Monday Madness night, April 24, before the pub and lodge face the wrecking ball, the band couldn’t say no: Gontier and Benson are flying out to bid farewell to their home away from home. Berry will have to get a babysitter.

Slow Nerve Action is a staple of Whistler’s live music scene. The Whistler-born band’s roots run deep, with too-many-to-count Boot shows over the past five years – at least one every three months.

The Boot Pub regulars have also closed for the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival twice, sharing the stage with Choclair and Three Days Grace. Slow Nerve Action’s debut album, The Soap of Beautiful Women, sold more than 3,000 copies, not including the countless pirated copies in circulation. The band’s latest album, Lovenasium , was released last spring. Their music has aired on the Outdoor Life Network, Sportsnet, Whistler Cable and countless ski/snowboard flicks.

Like the Boot Pub, Slow Nerve Action gave Whistler character: craziness with plenty of nakedness to go around.

"The first time we were at the Boot, Chris was sort of in a character: MC Logger," Gontier recounted.

"He wore a jock – he practically wore nothing. At one point, he bent over facing away from the crowd to pick up a beer and all the audience got was an eyeful of ass. You could hear the ‘aggh’ in the crowd. (He laughs.) Anything goes at the Boot. You can swear and get nude and get drunk on stage and it is all part of the scenery."

Along with the pub’s big stage and solid sound system, both listeners and musicians also appreciate the cheap beer and rowdy crowd Monday Madness afforded.

Monday Madness has been a longstanding tradition in Whistler. Every Monday, and I mean every single Monday for the past several years, you could always count on a live act in Whistler. No other bar in town has consistently hosted live bands on a weekly basis. From the Rheostatics to a string quartet, the Boot injected obscure, experimental and anything-but-ordinary shows into the mainstream mix.

Music aside, the tenor of the place illustrated in its nickname, the Locals’ Living Room, is what most will miss.

"There is something about a place that is a little bit grungy: it’s got grit and character," Gontier said. "Some of my funnest-ever party nights and shows have been at the Boot. I’ll miss playing there. I spent a good chunk of time there. It’s our favourite place. It makes me a little sad for Whistler to be losing one of the last pieces of real character."

Slow Nerve Action’s music certainly doesn’t lack character, covering the spectrum from spanking instructions to tag-team wrestling involving French ticklers, with lyrical themes unfit for print in any family newspaper.

The absolutely shameless fivesome of Berry, Gontier, Mikey Lunt, Benson and DJ Buddha (Jason Maclaren) poke fun at sexual delights with shows where nudity is expected and sell out crowds inevitable.

In addition to the Boot show, Gontier will be circulating as a solo act for après Friday, April 21 at Merlin’s, evening sets April 21 and Saturday, April 22 at the Crystal and May 1-3 at the Dubh Linn Gate Pub.

If you can’t get into the Boot Monday night, you can catch Slow Nerve Action Thursday, April 27 at Merlin’s.