SMITH WESTERNS with UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West), Monday (February 28). $10-$12. HS, RT, SS. See listing.
Smith Westerns can relate to the plight of Toronto’s all-ages scene (see cover story, page 46). The young Chicago rockers are just barely legal to play bars in Ontario, but in the U.S. they’re still up against the same issues as local underage bands, even though their buzz-band status makes things a bit easier.
“A lot of our fans are kids our own age, and it totally sucks when they can’t get into the shows,” complains 21-year-old lead vocalist Cullen Omori as their tour van heads toward Vancouver.
“People think house party shows are raw and happening, but if you care about the music, you want to see it presented right in a real venue.
“In Chicago there were some all-ages venues, but the people who ran them would rip people off, not pay the bands very much and just do a shitty job overall.”
Despite their youth, Smith Westerns are already tour veterans. Their newest album, Dye It Blonde (Fat Possum), has significantly raised their profile, building on their debut’s T-Rex vibes by leaving behind their lo-fi beginnings for a lusher, cleaner sound. They’ve enjoyed underground buzz for a while, but this record’s breaking them to crowds beyond the garage rock scene that originally embraced them.
“It’s really cool to come back to rooms we played a year ago to only 40 people that we’re now selling out. All around it’s a better time now that we’re more popular. We still don’t have groupies, but we get around and we party.”
One lesson young bands should take from their success story is that going out on the road is still the best way to build a following. Sure, the internet has made it possible to get famous without leaving your house, but that’s no substitute for proving yourself live.
“We were trying really hard in Chicago but were still mainly playing for our friends. We got tired of that and wanted to see what other cities had to offer. It really wasn’t until we started touring outside Chicago that we started getting recognized there.”
That’s not just a Chicago thing. Dozens of Toronto’s biggest acts tell similar stories of making it elsewhere before getting taken seriously back home. Nevertheless, Omori finds our city particularly welcoming, and not just because of the lower drinking age.
“Toronto is actually one of our favourite places in the world to play. I really love it there. Everyone seems really cool and into the music.”
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com
