Jon Rae And The River @ CMW 2006

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Background/Composition: Old tyme evangelical revival from charismatic preacher man and his six-member congregation. And sex. Dirty, dirty sex.

Grade: 81

Comment: After the first reach-for-the-sky-and-let-Jesus-into-your-hearts song (a Townes Van Zandt cover), I was wondering whether the gospellic intent was real or ironic. The next song was about a plea for necrophilia.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E
Pronounciation: G
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: G
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step: Jon-Rae And The River commanded the audience's attention, offering equal measures of salvation and sex. Seven people on stage can be a lot, but they did their best to meander about without crashing into each other. One highlight — co-vocalist Anne Rust D'eye and one of the guitarists coming over to hold up Jonathan Adjemian's analog synth for a solo.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: G
Organization: G
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step: Jon-Rae pulls off the delivery with panache. The guy looks young and awkward, but his voice (and Pentacostal body shakes) gives him the authority of a firebrand preacher. The songs are good, but some of the more, uh, carnal pieces could be dismissed as gimmicky (which is too bad, since they're quite good). The two vocalists do a nice job of complementing each other, but D'eye occasionally threatened to out-volume the frontman.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: E
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: G
Actual Ability: E
Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step: The band looked like they were having a hell of a good time up there, and did their best to interact with the crowd. They occasionally work with a much larger ensemble — a choir — and it'd be interesting to see how it changes the dynamic. That, and I want to hear 17 voices sing the F-word.