The Return Of Live Music
The Return Of Live Music
BILOXI PARISH VS. STARPAINTER
The Owl Acoustic Lounge
July 16, 2021
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A line stretches to the end of the block, regret striking each patron as they round the corner and realize the venue has reached capacity hours before the band is ready to go on. Familiar faces flow in and out as jealous eyes dart between the smoke pit and the bouncer, anxiously awaiting access before the music starts. A haze of tobacco, weed, and forest fire smoke hangs in the air outside the patio. Inside, the taps have started to run dry as friends are reunited after far too long. Backs are slapped, ‘long time no-sees’ are shared. “How the heck are ya?!” an old friend calls to me as I line up at the bar. The parched taps prove themselves a non-issue as this crowd would rather crush cans of Pilsner anyhow. The Owl is in a newly minted venue that has more space than they ever could have dreamed in years past, but tonight the square footage is still falling short.
Any post-pandemic show, regardless of the band, will inevitably draw a big crowd, but when a double-bill of local favourites is at the best venue in town, you are guaranteed to get a packed house full of cathartic delirium. On a smoky summer night in Lethbridge, Alberta last week, The Owl Acoustic Lounge became an oasis of debauchery in the middle of the bible belt; and nothing – not a greasy neck blocking your view, not the wafting odour of the pit, nor a beer sloshed haphazardly by an over-served patron – could bring the vibe down.
The conditions were already set for a perfect evening, the music was just gratuity. Starpainter is a group of experienced alt-rock aficionados and psychedelic troubadours who don slides like wedding rings as they swoon and sparkle with jangling guitars and driving drums. Biloxi Parish provides just enough contrast to Starpainter as they play a dizzying blend of Menzingers-adjacent rock with booming vocals not unlike the deep raspy rage of Jim Morrison. There was plenty of rust to be shaken from the instruments, but both bands quickly worked through their jitters as they found their footing in their first couple of tracks. Not only did they find their flow quickly, but the crowd, in all their drunken splendor and post-pandemic positivity, was unable to notice or care about any blunders anyway.
Recently down a member, Starpainter relished in the freedom of their new four-piece and still managed to muster just as much tone and energy as they did with 6 more strings on the stage. Starpainter & Co. have had other “Jimmy quit and Jody got married” moments as they’ve persisted over the years, so their ability to adapt to a changing band dynamic came as no surprise to anyone. They gently built the pace and anticipation as they saved some of their crowd favourites for the back half of the set. Not only was it an exercise in building crowd anticipation, it also gave the band the opportunity to warm up their fingers before they ramped up the excitement with their crowd favourites.
Starpainter feels like visiting the family farm, sun-soaked nostalgia, lemonade served on the porch. Leaving the city just long enough to put the worries of capital in the rearview mirror, even if they are closer than they appear. When they bring the heat, it comes in the form of a scorching sun on a summer day rather than the fury of a raging bonfire. Biloxi Parish starts with a raging bonfire and lets the night take them where it will. Starpainter brought the energy up to a blissful haze and passed the baton when just enough Pils had been spilled to loosen everyone up for some rock n’ roll.
“When did these guys become such a great f*cking rock band?” a friend quipped before they’d even finished their first song. I knew at this point it was time to put away my notebook and join the pit. It seems there’s no better way to shake the rust than with thunderous, unabashed snare hits, because they were alive as soon as the sticks came down and fuzz started chugging mercilessly from the amps. Biloxi Parish had the command of a freight train as they rumbled through downtown Lethbridge for the first time in over a year. Lyrics belted out by the crowd, hair thrashing wildly, even the people stuck outside were sucked into the gravity of the party as they carried on the celebration on the other side of the glass. By the time they arrived at their usual cover of “Drift Away”, they had the crowd wrapped around their finger to join in on a chorus that was more poignant than ever:
“give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n' roll and drift away”
If you know, you know. The high of the live act is something that we chase endlessly, and if you have seen live music in recent weeks, you know the unrivalled bliss of that first show back. The Owl Acoustic Lounge provided the perfect southern Albertan oasis of catharsis for many folks to release that valve for the first time in far too long. There was no better place to be than on that floor as Starpainter and Biloxi Parish drove a freight train of freedom through town. Live music fans, rejoice! We are back in business and it feels better than ever. See you in the pit!
- Clay Geddert
