(a dated picture of Kevin Quain and the Mad Bastards)
This past Sunday I strolled over to the Cameron House, a Toronto venue best known for local bands, or, if you trust wikipedia "a unique Toronto crossover of CBGB's and the Chelsea Hotel in New York." Maybe that definition is more correct than I would have given in credit for. I was there to check out Kevin Quain and the Mad Bastards, who had been described to me as "kind of a folky, country sort of thing." Cool, a country act in Toronto. Right on.
Sure, there is a banjo, and a violin, and brushes on drums, but Kevin Quain is more of a gypsy, vaudeville mix meets 50s surfer on the west coast than Nashville. The band includes a violin, saxophone, trumpet, guitar, upright bass, guitar, drums, and a mix of banjo, piano, an accordion. It's a mix (and number of people) that seems more fitting of an indie band. Somehow, though, the Mad Bastards produce a sound less than typical, yet still authentic. And while I wouldn't call them a country band, occasional lyrics and melodies bring a little Hank Williams to the table.
Check em out, every Sunday, 10 PM, at the Cameron House. Pay what you can.
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