What: Soul Shakedown Got the Boot
When: Saturday, April 29
Where: Boot Pub
Tickets: $25/$30
Okay Henny Penny we finally believe you: the sky is falling and landing right on top of the Boot Pub – not without a farewell party though and considering how the closing of the old Dusty’s at Creekside literally brought the house down, who knows what Whistlerites can expect from the Boot’s closing day festivities Saturday, April 29.
The bizarre yet masterful Keller Williams was the perfect match for the Boot farewell. The shaggy haired finger master of the acoustic guitar is anything but traditional, with music often offensive to those lacking a sense of humour. Rough around the edges and one of a kind with a rebellious spirit, the description could fit the Boot.
"It is definitely nowhere near a mainstream type of music," Williams said of his latest album, Grass . "I am not really paying attention to reactions. It was really self-indulgent. That record was really for me when I get old. I always wanted to do a bluegrass record forever."
One of the songs from his anything but traditional bluegrass album, Freaker By the Speaker, aptly foreshadows what music lovers can expect from the day-and-night concert.
Williams explains the inspiration behind the playful rant: "I was always that kind of guy trying to get as close to the speaker as possible," he said. "I like to stick to the lighter side of life in general. My music included."
His music is all about creating a dance vibe: a feat he later realized was impossible for a solo acoustic act. Not able to afford more bodies on stage, he surrounded himself with various guitars, upright bass, keyboards, vibraphones and a Theremin, and discovered the magic of the looping machine.
"I wanted to create more than I was able to do," he said. "I was going to all these shows and being a part of this dance vibe. I wanted to create that and create different avenues for me to travel down musically."
Williams will be joined by three other bands for the day’s festivities.
A Whole Lotta Led will rock out all your Led Zeppelin favourites with Grateful Greg, Creekside Phil JP Trottier and Tom Rimmer taking classics like No Quarter and Four Sticks out of Led Zeppelin’s lair at 1:30 p.m.
She Stole My Beer comes out of the woodwork to return to their old stomping ground at 3:30 p.m. Nationally-recognized rock ’n’ rollers in the band’s pre-1996 heyday, the seven-piece band now only comes together for one reason, a hell of a lot of fun. Country, rock, blues, ’60s psychedelica, the Beers know no limits.
Soulstream is afforded the historical title as the last band to play the Boot with the Vancouver funky house band wrapping up the concert lineup at 7:30 p.m. The 10-piece juggernaut of award-winning musicians collectively pool resumes that include five West Coast Music Award nominations, three Juno Awards and one Grammy Award, as well as commanding international stages such as Radio City Music Hall and the Sydney Opera House. No strangers to television and star greenrooms, members have performed on David Letterman, Oprah and Jay Leno and performed and recorded with artists such as Sheena Easton, K.D. Lang, INXS, Natalie Cole and The Rankins, just to name a few.
Soulstream ebbs and flows through multiple genres including soul, funk, R&B, Motown, salsa, jazz, drum and bass, house – whatever fits the mood.
Along with live music, Boot Pub followers can also enjoy a farmer’s market, children’s activity area, bull riding, food and beer tents, and a video-archiving station where the public can share their Boot memories.
WAVE will offer free shuttles between the Boot Pub and Lot 4 Parking for the event.
Advanced tickets are $25 or $30 at the gate. Admittance for kids 12 and under is free.
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster or by calling 604-932-3338.
Proceeds will benefit the Whistler Museum and Archives.
Punked last stand
Punk Night closes Thursday, April 27 with Three Inches of Blood, Javelin Reign, Pride Tiger and Slush at the Boot Pub.
Three Inches of Blood cracks reality with fantasy-driven metal music. The Vancouver-band tours globally and released two albums on the prominent Roadrunner label.
Javelin Reign, of Lovelost Records, punish metal with a positive reggae vibe that has shared stages with the likes of The End and Ion Dissonance, Goatsblood, Buried Inside and Exhumed.
Pride Tiger includes two former Three Inches of Blood punks who play ’70s-garage-inspired psych rock.
Slush is Whistler’s oldest punk band with seven fast and roaring albums to their credit.
Advanced $20 tickets are available at the Boot. Fifty tickets will be released at the door.
