Folks often say that it’s the little things that can be the most rewarding in life. For Team GDW, just making plans to visit Canada for some live music always puts smiles on our faces – and we had circled on our calendar an early April visit to Ottawa, ON since last summer when purchasing tickets for a concert at the National Arts Centre.
As we rolled through 2024 and into 2025, those little things started to ramp up! We learned that The Stephen Stanley Band would be playing just across the river in Chelsea, QC during our visit – I mean, this was just too good of an opportunity to not miss catching some tunes from one of our favorites. And let’s be honest here, is there anything more satisfying than arriving at a venue unannounced (no social media hints dropped) to surprise an artist who has become a good friend of ours over the years? No, there really isn’t…
Having surprised Stephen (mission accomplished) when entering the historic Motel Chelsea – and catching up too with his bandmates Chris Bennett (lead guitar/vocals) and Cam Pyziak (percussion) – performing as a trio this evening – we found a great spot adjacent to the stage, and settled in for an evening of great music (double-header bill with Dead Root Revival, which we recapped last week).
“We’re gonna do something a little different. This will be a little bit of a quieter set,” Stephen announced as he adjusted his acoustic guitar tuning – referencing the rock and roll clinic just performed by his good friend Tom Savage with Dead Root Revival. “There won’t be as much grooving, but we’re gonna play a bunch of songs for you and hope you like them.” With a seventy-five minutes set at their disposal, the Stephen Stanley band launched immediately into the “The Owl” a beautiful tune, and one previously acknowledged as being dedicated to the memory of Toronto radio personality Dave ‘Bookie’ Bookman.
With minimal pause, the band transitioned into “The Troubadour’s Song” – the first tune that landed on the GDW music radar back in early 2018 to bring Stephen’s solo music to our attention. “That was called The Troubadour’s Song and if you look at your drink menu, there’s a drink named after that song and this band, which is really cool,” Stephen shared, prompting many to cast glances at the lists scattered around the room. “When I was a kid, and when I told my parents I was going to become a musician, they said that’s fine, but as long as … by 2025 … you have a drink named after you, everything will be okay.”
Drawing upon material from both his 2023 “Before the Collapse of the Hive” (“Straw Man” / “You’re No Exception”) and 2017 “Jimmy and the Moon” (“Under the Mynah Bird”) albums, some Lowest of the Low tunes would also be thrown into the mix. Crowd favorite “New Westminster Taxi Squad” was an obvious choice, but we did not anticipate the inclusion of “Dogs of February” – one of my personal favorite cuts from the 1994 “Hallucigenia” album. Thanks Stephen – that was a delight, and your turn to surprise us in the process.
Stephen would also take time to share a new tune – tentatively titled “Bad Decisions,” which he preceded with a tale about the origins of this composition. “Chris and I did a show in Picton in early December … and a friend of a friend came up to me and said, ‘wow, you were really done in by the catholic church, weren’t you?’ and I said, ‘what do you mean?’ and she said ‘oh my god, your lyrics are completely affected by your upbringing and religion.’,” he shared. “And I started to think about it, and she was right. I grew up as a kid and was raised in a catholic family. What I do remember about going to church is that every week I would try and listen to the sermon … but I’d get about ten words in, and I’d think ‘I wonder if the Leafs are on tonight.’ My mind would just wander off, and I never heard the sermon.”
With a few remaining songs heading down the stretch, Stephen invited Tony Silvestri (from Dead Root Revival) to accompany the band on stage and add keyboards to a few songs. It was fun to witness Chris turning to face Tony and demonstrate the chord progressions for “By Her Side” (“There are only fourteen chords,” Stephen joked) – but a musician of Tony’s caliber didn’t need much time to learn the ropes, and added some magnificent touches to this tune. Adding keys to “New Westminster Taxi Squad,” Tony would also add a phenomenal instrumental jam with Chris to close out “Jimmy and the Moon” – rightfully earning the appreciation of the room. “You’ve just witnessed the debut of the Stanley Root Revival,” Stephen acknowledged. “Give it up for Tony Silvestri.”
Set List:
- The Owl
- The Troubadour’s Song
- Under The Mynah Bird
- Straw Man
- Dogs Of February
- Bad Decisions (*unreleased*)
- Hey Darlene
- You’re No Exception
- Last Train Home
- By Her Side
- New Westminster Taxi Squad
- Jimmy And the Moon
- Chase That Devil
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
