Rich Aucoin Is The Grinch At The End Of The Story
Thursday April 12, 2007 @ 06:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Rich Aucoin (Photo By Erin Howe)

HALIFAX — Oh, the places he'll go. Halifax's charming Dr. Seusster, Rich Aucoin, is nostalgic for childhood. The artist recently released his Personal Publication debut EP, which syncs perfectly in time to How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

In addition to his slightly anal-retentive precision, the kooky mastermind is widening eyes with his upcoming cross-country bicycle tour, appropriately coined "Oh, The Places You'll Go."

"I started thinking about things at length that have had a great impact on me," Aucoin says over a glass of red wine at Tom's Little Havana in Halifax. "And The Grinch sprang to mind almost immediately."

Aucoin has a heart of gold. He aspires to criss-cross the country on a two-wheeler with all of his eclectic instruments in tow, while allowing audience members to shave snippets of his curly locks to raise money for cancer research en route. The lanky wannabe Who will roll into town on his bicycle, set up for a gig and proceed to perform his layered and artful album in sync to the Dr. Seuss Christmas classic. Post-show, once he undresses from his lime-green Grinch costume and Santa Claus suit, Aucoin will request the help of an avid patron to buzz a chunk of his hair.

"The Grinch fantasizes about taking love away from the Whos and keeping it all to himself," says Aucoin. "I compare this to what goes through the club-goer's mind in the fictional world that is created in a dance club environment.

"Then it is romanticized in songs that are completely full of shit like 'Promiscuous' by Nelly Furtado. No one really cares about the other person's wants in that scenario. It's all about taking, which is just what the Grinch fantasizes about — taking love."

One might recognize Aucoin's familiar mug from performing in such acclaimed acts at The Hylozoists and Cuff The Duke. His brother, producer and Hylozoist Paul Aucoin, has played an integral role in his personal and musical development.

"Paul has helped me every step of the way," says Aucoin. "After recording with the Burdocks and on The Hylozoists' first record, my brother invited me to come on tour playing vibraphone and glockenspiel, which led to the other bands on tour [FemBots and Cuff The Duke].

"The tour was incredible. I couldn't have hoped for a better set of musicians to perform with and guys to hang out with."

The pseudo-Grinch will stop in these cities:

• April 12 Halifax, NS @ Gus' Pub w/The Just Barelys
• April 14 Wolfville, NS @ On The Verge w/Ruby Jean and The Thoughtful Bees
• April 15 Halifax, NS @ The Music Room w/Lee Park
• April 18 Halifax, NS @ Gus' Pub w/The Orchid and I Row Boats
• April 21 Halifax, NS @ The Bus Stop Theatre w/The Stolen Minks, Fire Flower Revue, Tanya Davis and Oh, Beautiful! Majestic! Eagle!
• April 27 Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse w/Ryan McGrath & The Woodenhouse
• April 28 Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse w/FemBots and Nathan Lawr
• May 4 Toronto, ON @ Whippersnapper Gallery (Over The Top! Music Festival)
• May 11 Victoria, BC @ Logan's Pub w/Run Chico Run
• May 16 Vancouver, BC @ Hoko's
• May 17 Vancouver, BC @ The Main
• May 25 Nelson, BC @ Hume Hotel
• June 1 Calgary, AB @ Broken City
• June 15 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo's
• June 7 Sault St. Marie, ON @ Lops Lops Gallery
• June 17 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern

—Shannon Webb-Campbell