Hey Rosetta! @ CMW 2008

The Horseshoe Tavern

Toronto

on Mar 7 2008

Jen White (CHARTattack)

03/11/2008 9:30am

BACKGROUND/COMPOSITION: This sextet from the Rock have been making quite the splash on the East Coast with four MUSICNL awards and an East Coast Music Award nomination under their belt. But now Hey Rosetta! are ready to extend their brand of pop rock to the rest of Canada.

Grade: 82

Comment: Hey Rosetta! just finished recording their follow-up to 2007’s Plan Your Escape with musician/producer extraordinaire Hawksley Workman. Workman called the band a "dream project" to work with — already taking the hype factor up a notch. I was excited to see how Hawksley’s experiment would transpire on stage.

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
Pronunciation: E
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: E
Image: G
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: 
Charismatic frontman Tim Baker owned the stage, demanding attention from the crowd — but that said, it really didn’t take much to win them over. People were enraptured from the very first song, dancing and singing along to the entire set. While I overheard one person comment to his buddy, "There must be a lot of Newfies here tonight," I don’t think that provincial pride was the only thing at work here.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: G
Songs: G

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: 
Hey Rosetta! delivered a strong, tight set that highlighted the band’s songwriting abilities. My only complaint is Hawksley’s influence on their sound was overbearing at times — Baker’s voice wavered between his own and trying to sound like Workman just a bit too much. I really believe they need to take what they’ve learned from the master and translate it a little more loosely into their own sound.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: G
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: G
Level Of Inebriation: G
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: 
The band might’ve sounded like a Hawksley show at times, but combined with multiple members on stage and a slew of instruments, they looked more like a modest Arcade Fire. Their attire was fitting and unpretentious — it’s obvious they weren’t trying too hard to look cool and were just being their down-to-earth selves. (Although, I could be reading that entirely wrong, and like Paulie Bleeker from Juno, they could be trying really hard, actually.)