Old Canes

I feel really sorry for the 400 people who could have come to see Old Canes at the Mayne Stage but chose to do something else. That is my guess, that about 400 more people could have fit in there. After the show I approached the lead singer, Chris Crisci, and said, “Thanks man.” He said, “You’re welcome.” I went on, “I saw Neutral Milk Hotel open for Superchunk at the Lounge Ax over on Lincoln. That was a life-changing experience. I would put this show in that category. I really like the Appleseed stuff, and I love the old canes stuff. Keep it coming.” He replied, “I will.” He raised his glass to click with mine and that was it. I don’t know how to describe Old Canes stuff. It’s kind of rollicking. It’s kind of folky. It reminds me of Neutral Milk Hotel a little bit, but it’s more upbeat. It’s all acoustic, but it does rock at times. It’s like going on a hayride. Well a good hayride. I’ve been on the lame hayrides with my kids. You ride out into the pumpkin patch and it’s all dusty, you look at some pumpkins and they don’t look as nice as the ones all the way back at the Pumpkin Fest, and you also don’t have to lug them all the way back to where the other pumpkins are, so you just walk around and watch other idiots trying to lug pumpkins back onto the cart.

A good hayride would happen on a Friday night. Late fall, crisp weather, maybe a jacket required or a thick flannel shirt. You wouldn’t be with your kids, you’d be with your friends, and the girl you were digging on would be there. You’d split a sixer with your friends before the ride and when you got there you’d have a nice buzz going… Everyone is milling about, laughing. Some guy yells, “Hot cider! Get your hot cider.” Johnny comes back with 4 ciders and Fred pulls out a flask of whiskey. The amber liquid nicely tops off each cider and the four of you toast as the moon peeks out from behind some clouds. Jenny walks up, “Whatcha drinkin?” “Cider, you want some.” She takes the cup from your hands and puts it to her lips as her eyes gaze into yours. Everyone is a little tipsy as they load into the haycart. The moon is the only source of light as the cart careens through the forest. Jenny is giving you the eye from across the cart as she makes small talk with her friends. You sit there sipping your cider and getting warm from the inside. A glow appears in the distance. It grows as the cart comes through the forest to a clearing. There’s a bonfire and bales of hay are strewn about for everyone to sit on. There’s a shed out there and people are coming and going from it. The cart stops. Everyone unloads and takes a seat around the fire. Fred taps you in the gut with his flask. You take it, pop the cap and take a healthy gulp. Two men emerge from the shed. One has a guitar, the other a fiddle. They bust into some raucous foot stompin folk and every toe commences to a-tappin. People start to dance. You seize the opportunity to make your move on Jenny. “Would you like to dance?” “You bet sailor.” It’s not graceful, and you’re tipsy, but the two of you are touching and moving and the music is intoxicating. You both take a rest, and time stops as Jenny lays on your shoulder looking up at the sky. You hold her there and just exist. All good things must come to an end. You all pile back on the cart and head home. The only difference is that this time Jenny is sitting next to you and you’re holding hands.

So I hope that gave you a good impression of what Old Canes is all about. They’re basically a rollicking good time. The Mayne Stage is damn fine venue as well. Number one key element? An awesome beer list. If you’ve been to Lincoln hall, the setup is similar. You walk in, make your way to the back, they’ve got the bar there. Then you go through the doors to get into the space. It’s a wide open two story space that is sort of long like the shape of the key on a basketball court. It’s pretty dark, not the best for photography. Everything is brand new and totally posh. Bench style booth seating lines each side of the hall and then there are steps down to the main floor where cocktail tables are set up. There’s a little space in front of the stage for dancing. During the first act The Thin Man, I totally wished I had somebody there to dance with. I would’ve danced with my buddy Pizza, but I’m sure he would’ve wanted to lead. The Thin Man were really good. They had a pretty charismatic singer, a tall guy that looked like Kramer from Seinfeld. He played guitar and accordion. The music was honky tonkish. I liked it. Next to Old Canes, I liked them the best. Back to the venue. So the back of the main floor has a sort of VIP area. These are booths that are raised in tiers so you can sit back there, drink Courvoisier and watch the music. There was nobody back there. Tix for this thing were $10. Three solid bands. A really jamming new venue. There were maybe 100 people there. Has the whole world become somnambulant? Whatever. I can’t hassle it, I don’t like big crowds anyway. Although it would be nice for Old Canes to get some notoriety and make some money. I think I read somewhere that Chris had to sell a guitar cuz he was low on funds, that’s bull.

I was quite happy for the entire show in my booth spot along the side wall. I really liked the sound from there and wasn’t sure if it would improve anywhere else. When Old Canes came out. They started with Taxi on Fremont, which is my favorite song from them. I moved to the main floor assuming it would be better. It wasn’t. The sound was harsher and just plain not as good. So I moved back. After the show I was talking with Rusty, a multi-instrumentalist in Old Canes, kid looked like he was maybe 25, full head of crazy hair, played the upright bass with bow and plucking, played a few other instruments, now he’s on tour. Lucky bastard. I was explaining the sound phenomenon to Rusty and he replied, “That’s weird.” Good talk rus. I never made it up into the balcony. I did get a good sampling of the beer menu. I started with a Cane and Ebel, it was so darn good. Best brew of the night. Next I really wanted a Metropolitan Copper, but they didn’t have it. I went with a Metro Lager and it was a regular beer. Not bad though. Next I went off the map with an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. That was nice. Something different. Sippable. My final brew was a Founders Dirty Bastard. It was a Scottish Ale and they pack quite a whallop. Tasty. Although I only had 4 beers, I woke up the next day and felt like crap, that’s the joy of micro brew mixing, sometimes you end up with the perfect concoction for a hangover. It wasn’t bad though. I managed to shake it off by lying in front of the tv watching the bears suck.