I had a couple of good friends visiting from out of town on Tuesday, Aug. 19, so decided to give them their first Whoop Up Days experience- The Sheepdogs. Unfortunately we missed Fast Times’ opening set and due to standing in line just to get in the gates, missed much of the Sheepdogs’ set as we tried to find our place among the throngs of people enjoying the Saskatoon based retro classic rockers‘ laid back vibe.
They played a tight set of original music including a few new songs, the new single “Downtown” and sing along riff heavy hits including “Who Do You Think You Are” which channeled the spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
They were in a groovy, laid back mood as they were completely lost in their music, barely moving on stage until the end when bassist / backing vocalist Ryan Gullen started getting into it.
New guitarist Rusty Matyas fit right in like he'd always been part of the band. The power of the show lay in the power of the music itself rather than flashy pyrotechnics and a lot of leaping around. But there was even a trombone solo for one of the songs from Shamus Currie, stepping away from his keyboards.
For me, Shamus Currie’s organ was the highlight, as it underlined the ’70s spirit as much as the note perfect multi-part vocal harmonies, not to mention those guitar riffs and licks lifted from the southern rock playbook. Not that there’s anything wrong with that— musicians really had to know how to play their instruments back in the day.
The crowd sang along as one dancer in a white cowboy hat climbing the small hill leading up to the Whoop Up Days stage did not go unnoticed by Sheepdogs’ frontman Ewan Currie. The dancer conducted the crowd in a sing along before being escorted down the hill by security as Currie thanked them for being so gentle.
I love getting a taste of Lethbridge magic. The thing is you never know it will happen, which makes it all the more magical. So me and my buddies stopped by the Slice for their Tuesday jam because I wanted them to hear some of Lethbridge's talented musicians. And then four fifths of the Sheepdogs walked in for a beer along with a few of their fans and the dancer from their Whoop Up Days set.
They had a decent crowd on hand but they weren’t actually set up for the jam until local musician Jon Martin helped Slice owner Jesse Freed set up amps and drums around midnight.
A musician I didn’t recognize opened up with some impressive, exotic guitar playing and ethereal vocals followed by Steve Foord and Megan Brown playing some dark country music and a more upbeat favourite “Love in the Digital Age.”
They were followed by the Sheepdogs, who were convinced to get up and play. It was a thing of beauty as they began with a groovy, funky, blues tinged jam and followed it up with a deadly cover of the Guess Who classic “ Share the Land,” which featured those stunning vocal harmonies. They kicked it up a notch for their last songs, a solid cover of an obscure Bob Seger rocker “ Rosalie.”
