Blackwood Needs To Aim Smaller

Lee's Palace

Toronto, ON

on Dec 18 2008

Sheena Lyonnais (CHARTattack)

12/19/2008 3:29pm

Sarah Blackwood's CD release party for Way Back Home wasn't what I expected. The openers were exactly on par: an eclectic mix of rockabilly, hillbilly and punk rock. They were the kind of bands you'd expect to play with the lead singer of psychobilly band The Creepshow.

Sarah Skellington and her stand-up bassist counterpart kicked the night off with adorable music that reminded me why I always liked country. She came across as rather innocent but highly entertaining. She stood atop the bass and engaged in humorous choreographed dance moves with the bassist, who at times impressively used a bow on his instrument to provide a really unique element to their sound. They were solid openers.

Up next were Liquorbox, who came complete with a banjo, stand-up bass and a fiddler. The Kingston, Ont. band played way too many Hank Williams covers, and their originals were primarily about drinking whiskey, smoking pot and working hard. It was ridiculously hillbilly, but a ton of fun. I'd definitely play their songs on Banjo Hero if such a video game existed.

The Roman Line absolutely rocked. They were the only band not to include a stand-up bass, yet their bassist was probably the most talented of the night. He's mastered the famous legs-spread-wide-punk rock stance and played incredibly clean and fast.

The Roman Line tore through a set of Warped Tour-inspired punk that made me curse this winter weather and yearn for past summers spent at Molson Park in Barrie, Ont. The fans were rowdy, the music was epic and the set was stellar. They didn't entirely fit in the bill, but it worked.

Then came the petite Blackwood and her one-man band of Daniel Flamm, who flew in from Germany, where he plays with the soon-to-be-defunct Heartbreak Engines. Way Back Home took more than four years to create and, although it features contributions from The Matadors' Hooch and Blackwood's sister (and former Creepshow singer) Hellcat, this set featured just Blackwood, Flamm and an occasional stand-up bassist.

Flamm played a kick drum, guitar, harmonica and sang back-up, while Blackwood sang and strummed a mixture of country and acoustic songs. "Lonely Parade" was the only Creepshow-esque song, mostly because it featured her wicked 'billy drawl. The rest of the tunes were sweeter, prettier and more feminine. Instead of singing about Rue Morgue radio, Blackwood sings about love in this solo incarnation. Her style and talent makes her versatile enough to successfully pull off both.

The night's downfall was the venue being big and the turnout small. The entire show would have been better suited in a more intimate place. It was late by the time Blackwood went on, and at that time the crowd mostly consisted of her drunken friends who shouted dirty German words and "tannenbaum" whenever Flamm would speak. Despite this, Blackwood put her heart into it and wound up with a beautiful set. I can't wait to see her play again in a more fitting environment.