Inside the Fillmore...not my photo though

Some of you may have noticed we only posted one article yesterday.  There’s a good reason for that — it was 93.9 The River’s Winter Icebreaker with special guest Sam Roberts Band as well as The Hard Lessons and Sloan. Not only was it a night filled with great musical talent, the whole event took place in the glorious Fillmore Theater (formerly the State).  Sam Roberts clearly ‘made’ the show – his performance was enthusiastic and dynamic even though it was the final show of a long North American tour. But I was also impressed with the spectacle of a show offered by Michigan natives, The Hard Lessons.

The Hard Lessons

The night opened with The Hard Lessons.  The short story of the band is that the lead singers are newlyweds Augie and Korin Louise Visocchi, who met in college and formed their band five years ago.  While Augie plays guitar and Korin manages the keyboards, a host of other musicians from the area also contribute to their sound which is aptly described as a mix of “raw-guitar…slinky-dance-groove…[and] plaintive ballad.”  Last night the pair was accompanied by drummer Mike Alonso who also had to put up with quite a bit of P.D.A. from the couple.

With Korin in dangerously high heels and Augie leaving the stage at one point to wander through the crowd on the main floor, The Hard Lessons gave an energetic performance.  And when I say “performance”, I mean it.  This was by all accounts an outrageous stage show, complete with a guest appearance by Santa Claus for their new Xmas song, “Beards Scare Children Unless They’re Attached to Santa” and a slightly over-the-top flag waving finale in which the Visocchis waved a Michigan and Canadian flag as their drummer wandered casually off stage.

Perhaps The Hard Lessons were a tough act to follow – they’re talented and a fantastic live show – but I wasn’t overly impressed with the Canadian band that followed, Sloan.  They were pretty popular among much of the crowd (especially the drunken devoted fans that sat behind me) but they seemed to fall a bit flat.  Their style seemed typical of the indie/rock bands that brought them success since their founding in 1991.  My concert partner assured me that Sloan was pretty popular, especially in Canada, but I’d like to add that they also seem especially popular with a certain age group…namely, the 30-year-old jet setting crowd.  So not quite my thing, but I don’t doubt their musical abilities.

The Sam Roberts Band...lead singer is a hottie!

And finally, it was time.  The Sam Roberts Band took the stage.  Opening with “Them Kids” quickly pumped up the crowd.  The balcony at the Filmore shook as the audience danced in their seats throughout the 2 hour set, especially during crowd favorites like “Don’t Walk Away Eileen” and “Detroit ’67“.  That last song, by the way, was especially exhilarating to hear performed live.  The music video is nice but doesn’t do justice to the vocal abilities of Sam Roberts.  He’s got a powerful voice that hints at old-school rock and roll depth but is also just ‘pop’ enough to be interesting.

If you’re like me, you’ve heard his music before but didn’t really notice The Sam Roberts Band.  That was a huge mistake on my part.  The whole group is extremely talented and they’re hot stuff in Canada with several Juno wins and nominations.  Roberts is a native of Quebec which no doubt inspired some of his bilingual songs but the group is legitimately enthusiastic about the city of Detroit.  It seems a perfect fit because many of their lyrics express yearning for a more glorious or idealized past.   You can hear more examples at their myspace page.

Enjoy,

-B.C.Bodnar