TORONTO – For Canadian musicians, little compares with the thrill of standing in front of a captivated audience, hearts aglow, to sing our national anthem.

It’s an honour, yes, but yet it’s one that can quickly turn to horror: flub a few notes of “O Canada” and an artist goes from patriot to punchline in the time it takes for a viral video to spread across the web.

“Singing the national anthem in front of a big crowd is terrifying,” Great Big Sea frontman Alan Doyle said in a recent telephone interview. “It’s like ‘Happy Birthday’ — everybody knows it, right?

“And everybody knows the melody and the exact lyrics. You usually have to do it a capella in a hockey rink or a baseball stadium or someplace you’re not normally singing, you don’t have your own monitors or soundcheck, you’re not doing it any kind of environment you normally do it in. But it’s supposed to be perfect.

“One slip-up and you’re on YouTube for the rest of your life, as the arsehole who said ‘And the rockets red SPARE.’ It’s terrifying.”

Indeed, the web is littered with laughable renditions of national anthems, which draw a rare level of scorn from patriotic types who don’t like to hear the tunes degraded.

And there are a variety of pitfalls that can trip up performers of any national anthem.

There are misguided reinterpretations (see R. Kelly’s regrettable interpretation of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a 2005 boxing match, which failed to resurrect the magic of Marvin Gaye’s spine-tingling rendition at the 1983 NBA all-star game), or forgetful singers who simply can’t remember the lyrics (check Michael Bolton’s overwrought performance of the U.S. national anthem at a 2003 baseball playoff game, in which he obviously consults crib notes contained in his cupped palm).

Of course, there are also situations where the vocals are just bad. And when you’re performing a song as recognizable as a nation’s anthem, you can expect crowds to be keyed-in to off-key notes.

Take Olympian Carl Lewis’s infamous 1993 performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a Chicago Bulls game, where his strained, cracking voice elicited laughter and a mid-song apology from Lewis (“I’ll make up for it now,” he pledged, ultimately failing to live up to the promise).

Then there was Roseanne Barr’s intentionally grating take on the U.S. anthem at a 1990 San Diego Padres game, during which her screeching vocal was interrupted by the boos of angry fans and by her own intermittent chortling.

The Canadian anthem hasn’t been subjected to such abuse as often, so the instances where “O Canada” has been publicly botched tend to stand out.

One popular YouTube clip showcases the Canadian anthem being sung south of the border during the Canadian Football League’s brief foray into the U.S.

Dennis K.C. Parks, singing at a Las Vegas Posse game, seems to improvise the tune completely while still messing up the lyrics (he does compliment Canada as the “true and strong and free,” though). The resultant mess actually sounds much like “O Christmas Tree.”

Canadian singer Jann Arden has endured similarly unpleasant experiences in the name of her country.

“It’s horrifying, to tell you the truth, singing the national anthem,” the Springbank, Alta., native said in a telephone interview.

Her worst experience performing the anthem was at a Calgary Flames playoff game back in 2004.

She didn’t have a monitor or in-ear plug and she couldn’t hear herself singing over a primed crowd who refused to relent their roar.

“It didn’t sound great,” she conceded. “Obviously, I was mortified. And people wrote in (to the paper) the next day and thought that I was drunk.

“It was a very horrible version of the anthem, so I thought, oh my lord, I’m never doing that again.”

(She did in fact sing the anthem again — at the NBA all-star game — but only after calling one disgruntled Calgary fan personally and apologizing for the subpar performance).

And yet, the vitriol spewed by fans after tone-deaf anthem performances pales in comparison to the toxic reaction that tends to greet attempted reinventions.

For every Jimi Hendrix, there are a few dozen would-be innovators whose fresh take on the standard spoils in front of the harsh glare of a crowd — even when they’re good.

Back at the 1968 World Series, Jose Feliciano’s soulful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” — which featured only his voice and an acoustic guitar — ignited a nationwide controversy (still, the Puerto Rican singer’s version was good enough to later spend five weeks on the Billboard chart).

More recently, 16-year-old Montreal jazz sensation Nikki Yanofsky kicked off the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics with a languid take on “O Canada” that drew decidedly mixed reviews.

“Wow…that sucked big-time,” read one representative YouTube comment. “You don’t screw with the anthem!”

Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson actually agrees.

“I’ve never been a fan of someone who tries to make a national anthem into a soul song or make it funky,” said Johnson, who wasn’t commenting specifically on Yanofsky’s performance because he didn’t see it.

“Some musicians forget that there’s words attached to it, and that the words are meant to convey a certain thing. I wouldn’t want to hear a reggae version of ‘O Canada.’ I mean as cool as that would be, would that really inspire what those lyrics were trying to inspire? I’m not sure it would.”

Johnson’s position might be surprising since he has authored one of the more unorthodox takes on “O Canada.” He prefers to play the tune on electric guitar — with no vocal accompaniment — with a cloud of distortion and feedback imbuing his version with a distinct vibe (he included it on Big Sugar’s 2001 album “Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready?”)

“I think it has to do with the level of sincerity,” explained Johnson, whose newly reformed band will play a Canada Day celebration in Brampton, Ont., on Thursday. “That’s just how I communicate, is with the guitar.”

Canadian musicians do get a bit of a break over their southern counterparts, though, given that “O Canada” is a much easier song to sing than “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is one of the toughest ones to sing,” Doyle said. “The melody goes so low and so high.”

Added Arden: “The American anthem is probably one of the most difficult songs a person can sing, but ‘O Canada’ is not a hard song to sing.”

And yet, even with artists admitting their anthemic apprehension — where flawless takes are rarely remembered and doomed performances can crash a career — there’s still an undeniable draw about getting up in front of a huge crowd to belt out “O Canada.”

“I’ve been playing it for 15 years and, to this day, it never just goes down as a routine performance,” Johnson said. “I played it at a Leafs game a couple months ago. When you’re standing there on the ice and you’re about to play it, as soon as they say ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please rise,’ you feel like you’re going to start crying or laughing. You’re out of breath. I don’t know how to describe it.

“It’s the only time you feel butterflies as a performer. I’ve never been nervous as a performer — performing anything, anywhere, for any number of people — and yet the national anthem gives you a rush that’s quite unlike anything else.”

By Nick Patch – The Canadian Press

http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/entertainment/article/565273–o-canada-a-pain-pleasure-to-perform–page0

Last Friday night I had the opportunity to check out The Trews at the Sound of Music Festival in Burlington. Now, I myself have tried to get into this festival, for years, with no luck, considering the amount of local success my band has in our scene and in Burlington alone…..that’s another story altogether.

However, I did happen to notice that The Trews had “Big” Ben Richardson (well-known Canadian bass player, currently playing with GRADY) playing bass. Immediately I wondered if he had been hired as the new bass player for The Trews. It turns out the band’s actual bass player and his wife had a baby the night before and he could not play the gig Friday night.

The Trews lead singer upon the closing of the show announced “Big Ben here learned 16 Trews songs in 24 hours”. Now, understand this. Ben Richardson played the material note for note and didn’t miss a beat. Not only that, but he performed on stage and looked as if he belonged there. He moved around. He wasn’t standing still like he was nervous or struggling to get through the show. He didn’t play in front of a music stand like a typical hired session player. For all intents and purposes he performed that show as if he were a permanent member of the band. A stranger in the audience who’d never seen the band before would’ve assumed that he was a member of The Trews.

Now that’s professionalism, and it was great to see it right before my eyes. Any real musician will tell you it isn’t easy to memorize completely unfamiliar songs from scratch, note for note. But to learn a band’s entire set list? Overnight? …and he made it look like he was sailing through it! I can just imagine the telephone conversation. “Oh yeah, by the way Ben, you need to learn all of our set by tomorrow.”

HOLY SHIT!

That impresses me.

cheers,
Johnnymo

http://www.therockeardrum.com/2010/06/true-professional-big-ben-richardson.html

“We did a song a while back called, ‘I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide,’ … it could have very well been about Grady and Big Sugar, especially since Canada is so big.” – Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top

If you love vinyl as much as we do, well you’re in luck! Vinyl copies of “Good As Dead” are now available through our website. Just click on the “Merch” tab. Go and grab a copy, and while you’re at it, snag a few copies for your friends. They’ll love you for it. Nothing says you care as much as vinyl does! What are you waiting for? Go for it!

I had never been to Texas and had little exposure to this band called Grady. I was a Big Sugar fan so I thought they couldn’t be that bad. I saw Grady for the first time in my hometown of Barrie, Ontario, Canada and was hooked from hearing their first notes of “Ride Like Hell”. This band is not for the faint of heart. They have a perfect ass-kicking blend of rock, blues and country that will leave you wanting to take up the guitar. That was it, when they came back to town, I was going again for sure! That spring, Grady rolled through town and again, this band hit me like a freight train. They are like nothing I have heard before. Just when I thought my amazing Grady experience had come to a close, Mr. Gordie Johnson had come out from back stage and decided to mingle a little. A trait I will later learn is commonplace at Grady shows. Gord was chatting with a fan who, by the look on his face, was making him regret coming out at all. Here was my chance. I strolled over and to the surprise of both of them, I immediately start peppering the fan with questions. Gord chuckled while the fan drifted off and Ben came up with beers for the three of us. We toast to him being rescued and this is when my full blown Grady experience begins.

We made introductions and began chatting like a few friends having a beer in a bar. There was a bit of music and tour talk but it was hard as Gord was asking me more questions about me then I was of him which was proof to me that I was dealing with a down to earth Canadian who loved to have a beer and shoot the shit. We got on to the topic of Texas and I was berated by the both of them for never having been. Next stop, Austin Texas!

After some correspondence with the Grady family, myself and a friend made our way down to Austin and into the Austin Motel…..great spot! That night we cruised across the street and into the Continental Club which we learned is the Texas hotspot for amazing live music. We grabbed a beer and were met by Gord as he remembered meeting me many months before. We chatted as they set up and I explained why I would fly from Ontario, Canada to watch a band. Believe me, it was worth it. The show was awesome and the Continental Club did not disappoint. On to the Dead Horse.

We made our way to San Angelo to catch their gig at the Dead Horse Saloon and got our first taste of Texas BBQ. I am in love with Texas BBQ!!! The Dead Horse Saloon was another great show and such a great place to take in a live act. The staff found out from the band that we were from Canada and they treated us like gold. Great people and a great time at the Dead Horse. I got a chance to chat more with Ben and Nina that night who were easy going and happy to answer a few questions over a drink.

The following day and night was spent in Austin where we gorged ourselves with BBQ and Mexican food. We took in more of the live music scene and discovered that Austin truly is a unique and fantastic city.

Cypress was the next and last show for us which was just shy of Houston. We had trouble finding the bar and pulled up to a place that was packed with motorcycles. We got out assuming we were in the wrong place but you could hear “Black or White” blasting from behind the scary looking security. I should remind you that my friend and I are a couple goofy looking Firefighters from Canada who don’t exactly have the look to fit into the biker bar. We walked in and I thought the music was going to stop. We got stared at by everyone but I didn’t care, I was there to soak up Grady and get a taste for “real” Texas. We got it and everyone was very nice. They were very curious as to what we were doing there but were nothing but hospitable. Between sets we chat to the band again who are now comfortable with us to give us some road stories. Nothing too incriminating but funny nonetheless.

It was back to Austin for some other live acts and one last hit of BBQ before we flew home. For those of you who are thinking of checking out Grady or pondering travelling to Texas, DO IT…..they will both blow your mind and leave you wanting more.

Ryan Frechette
Barrie, Ontario, Canada