It ’s fitting that Calgary’s Peter and the Wolves, who were the last band I covered at the Slice before everything shut down
because of Covid, would be the first band I covered once everything reopened.
The Calgary rock and roll/ rockabilly quartet returned to a packed Slice, July 2.
There is a lot of pent up post Covid energy. Music is life and people have missed being able to dance, sing, hug and groove together so the party was in full swing after their first set. I arrived just in time for their second.
Frontman Peter Cormier has his sets down to science. He tickles the ivories for the first half, lets his band mates bassist, Pedro, drummer Willie Garcia and new saxophonist/ vocalist Meg Thompson solo and sing, then switches to guitar mid-way through blues classic “ St. James Infirmary.”
“Jailbird Josephine” was an early highlight as Cormier kicked things into high gear on keyboards, blasting through a variety of piano powered rock and roll favourites , including selections from Ray Charles and lots of original music.
“ Jump , Jive and Wail ” was another early highlight.
Saxophonist Meg Thompson did a hair-raisingly good job of belting out blues classic “ I Just Want to make Love To You.”
At the mid point of the set, Cormier began “St. James Infirmary” on piano and switched to guitar mid song, for some rock and roll.
A newer song, “Take A Look” was first in a series of more mournful odes to broken hearts including “That’s the Trouble with Love.”
But he picked up the tempo and energy for the rest of the set, featuring more of Meg Thompson’s saxophone, ending with another new song “Be In Love With You.”
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
