Street Pharmacy @ NXNE 2009

Kathedral

Toronto, ON

on Jun 20 2009

Sarah Kurchak (CHARTattack)

06/22/2009 3:23pm

Background/ Composition:
Street Pharmacy are a reggae/pop/rock four-piece with an arsenal of hit-worthy songs. They might just be the second best thing to come out of Welland, Ont.

Grade: 81

Comment:
Back in the day, these here report cards used to have a section that assessed a band's potential for future world domination. If that still existed, Street Pharmacy would probably rank pretty high on that scale. They're armed with plenty of radio-friendly music and a slightly nerdy but easy charisma, and given the right break they could finally give surfers and hippies a reason to stop buying reissued and repackaged Sublime material and start getting into some new music.

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

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
The 9 p.m. slot, even on a Saturday, is a pretty thankless one during NXNE, but Street Pharmacy took it all in stride and got a pretty significant percentage of the small audience dancing. The band's stage presence is on the laid-back side, but there's something charming and infectious about them nonetheless.

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

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Welland may be home to a river and the old canal, but it's no beach community. You'd never know it to listen to the band's music, though. Their laid-back grooves might just be the sunniest thing to come out of the Niagara Region. Maybe it has something to do with their proximity to the other Long Beach (not the California one) located in nearby Wainfleet, Ont.

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

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Street Pharmacy's hometown pride kind of melts my cold, black heart. It's nice to see a group with such a strong sense of where they come from and an eagerness to share that with the world through music and some between-song banter. Back in Welland, we would probably call that kind of attitude "way too cool."