On the Road Again
Live Review

Sloan
Slim's, San Francisco
July 14, 1997

There's nothing better than watching a few smug Americans get blown away by something they never saw coming.

Opening for Redd Kross at this relatively small nightclub (owned by Boz Scaggs!!) in downtown San Francisco, Sloan were in fine form, if not a little ragged. But that raggedness made the evening all the more buoyant as Chris Murphy's high, near screeching vocals in "Anyone Who's Anyone" announced the beginning of their set.

In this part of the world, most people had only heard "Underwhelmed" and didn't realize what they were about to witness. So with their fine harmonies and Andrew Scott's authoritative wallop on the drums, the boys who put Halifax on the rock map gave the audience a pop-glorious update.

To be fair the audience seemed to be peppered with Canucks, Murphy even seemed to know a few of them by name. So when he introduced "Coax Me" with the comment, "This one was a big hit in Canada", the Canadians cheered while the suspicious Yanks chuckled at what they thought was a joke. And the hits, as they say, kept on coming.

On "Everything You've Done Wrong", the boys replaced those studio version horn lines with Jay Ferguson's guitar and backing vocal "horns". While "The Lines You Amend" suffered a little in the mix, too muddy for it's subdued dynamics. the band rallied on "The Good In Everyone," "I Hate My Generation," "G Turns To D," "Nothing Left To Make Me Want To Stay," "Underwhelmed" and "People Of The Sky" whereupon Andrew Scott came forward on guitar and vocals while Chris Murphy demonstrated his excellent Keith Moon chops on the drum kit.

Having just been dealt the blow of having their US. distributor, The Enclave, fold while they are out on the road promoting an album, Sloan seem to be in great spirits despite it all and making new friends all the time.

Being their own bosses on Murderecords, I guess, it doesn't matter who get it in the States, they're the company after all. As they get more confident and make cooler and cooler records like One Chord To Another Sloan are sure to be recognized as the real creative engine that we Canadians have always known them to be.

Let's hope they don't have to break up again to get some attention, Stateside.

- Paul Myers