Daniel Wesley @ CMW 2009

Background / Composition:
Daniel Wesley's three-piece band have clearly spent a lot of time dissecting Police and Steve Miller Band records.

Grade: 87

Comment:
This Vancouverite's MySpace page cites Sublime, Jack Johnson and Bob Marley amongst his main influences and that's pretty much a 100 per cent truism. This was pass-the-bong, at-the-beach campfire stoner pop at it's most refined. Out of every act that plays CMW this year, my money would be on Wesley as the best bet for success. Once the potato-sack hippie set gets ahold of this guy it'll be all intergalactic wake 'n' bake superstardom, maaannn.

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

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Wesley was relatively rigid on stage, but his ace bass player made up for it with more bounce. We've got a soft spot for the Pittsburgh Pirates, so we'll consider his signature baseball cap-look an acceptable flourish, though it is a bit of a hide-your-face-from-the-audience device. Wesley was warm and personable onstage and it almost brought me around to his feel-good jive.

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

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
For a guy plying his trade in that reggae-pop-rock-jam scene, Wesley's songs were remarkably tight and free of the excesses that plague many of his contemporaries. It's also sounds obvious, but his songs were thematically on point, too. Let's face it, if you throw a guy in front of 20,000 at Bonnaroo and the first thing he announces "Hi, for my next song I'm going to play something called 'Drunk And Stoned'" those personalized rolling papers he's hawking at the merch booth are gonna start flying.

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

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Wesley's not the most image-conscious fellow, but that's pretty consistent with the low-maintenance vibe of artists in his genre.

The audience was interesting for Wesley. It's always cute watching the tree-planters who presumably hitch-hiked their way into the city for the show.