Advertisement

Music

New Country Rehab

NEW COUNTRY REHAB at the El Mocambo (464 Spadina), Friday (January 14), 9 pm. $12. See listing.


Fiddling force of nature John Showman of the Creaking Tree String Quartet and Foggy Hogtown Boys fronts this electrified roots band backed by James Robertson, Ben Whiteley and Roman Tomé. Referencing a genre that gets people riled up, NCR rehabilitates country classics while putting on one of the best live shows in town.

The band’s new self-titled debut album is 50-50 originals and covers, including an excellent version of Bruce Springsteen’s State Trooper and three Hank Williams tunes. Showman says Williams’s songs lend themselves to interpretation while addressing timeless themes like loss, love, mortality and hard choices.

“I’ve always liked that kind of songwriting,” he says. “Everyone can find a place in it, and there’s room in the arrangements to play with the music and have the lyrics stay as they are.”

NCR’s cooking up more originals these days, though Neko Case fans might appreciate their take on Williams’s Alone And Forsaken, also covered by Case and already earmarked for a follow-up album.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.