Metric, The Sheepdogs, and Bazini Concert in Ottawa

Artist

I have visited the Metric, The Sheepdogs, and Bazini concert in Ottawa recently. All these performers are known as professional bands and artists who are popular in different states of the world. Despite the fact that both bands and Bazini have Canadian origins, their popularity in various parts of the world continues to grow. Metric is a Canadian rock band founded in 1998 in Toronto. It consists of Emily Haines, James Shaw, Joshua Winstead, and Joules Scott Key¹. Haines was born in India; however, the band considers itself a Canadian one. The Sheepdogs is another popular Canadian rock-and-roll band formed in Saskatoon Saskatchewan in 2006. The group consists of its leader Ewan Currie, bass guitarist Ryan Gullen, drummer Sam Corbett, guitarist Jimmy Bowskill, and Shamus Currie, who plays trombone². The group is popular in Canada and United States. Finally, Bobby Bazini is a folk singer and writer, whose songs are at the moment popular in Canada³.

Style

Considering the peculiarities of the above-mentioned groups, the audience was able to listen to a great variety of genres. Metric plays indie rock, new wave rock, and synthpop. The diversity of genres is preconditioned by the unique interests of the bands members and their origins. The Sheepdogs are known for their adherence to rock and its numerous alternatives like blues rock, southern rock, boogie rock, and retro rock when Bazini is a famous folk singer who also writes his songs by himself. Despite significant differences in the above-mentioned genres, the concert sounded harmonious, and the audience was able to enjoy the perfect sound, heavy accords, and folk motifs.

Venue

Therefore, the concert took place at the Canadian Tire Center on 17 March 2017. The given building is a great multi-purpose indoor arena in Ottawa where numerous events take place. Previously it was known as Corel Centre and Scotiabank Palace. It is a modern well-equipped area where the most prominent performers might have their concerts. It is also characterized by great capacity which could also be considered a great advantage of the Tire Center. At the moment, it could provide the place for 20000 spectators during any concert. The number is rather high and has a certain impact on the character of bands that want to have their concerts here.

The fact is that any performer who chooses Tier Center should be popular enough to attract the attention of 20000 people and be able to perform here. Moreover, a specific physical layout of the given place obviously impacts the artist/audience interaction by providing numerous opportunities for their communication. The seats and the stage are oriented in the way guaranteeing outstanding acoustics and performers (as well as sportsmen during games which are also held here) have a unique opportunity to hear a roar that comes from 20000 people. It obviously inspires them and makes do their best to affect the audience and return all feelings and emotions. For this reason, Metric, Sheepdogs, and Bazini found a perfect place for their concert (the digital advertisement could be found in the Appendix).

Set Description

As stated above, the concert was organized by two bands and one performer. A person who was going to visit it perfectly realized the fact that he/she would hear different songs and kinds of music. However, I think it was a great advantage of the given event as the audience was not able to get tired of monotonous sounds. Altogether, the set was comprised mainly of the original songs. Metric, The Sheepdogs, and Bazini performed their own compositions which are now rather popular here in Canada and in the USA. However, as Bazini is known for his adherence to folk motifs, we were also able to listen to several folk songs. I think they contributed to the unique sounding and made people listen to all performers more attentively. I should also say that I was completely satisfied with the way the set was arranged. Every song perfectly fit the context. I am sure that performers have a great experience and they know when the audience starts to get tired. They rotated their songs starting with fast and energetic ending with slow and even cradling ones. Moreover, I am sure that the given combination of artists is perfect. Lyric folk songs were changed by indie rock motifs, which were also replaced by blues-rock. For this reason, I am perfectly sure that the set was simply ideal and I enjoyed it greatly.

Instrumentation

The diversity of genres and motifs also preconditioned the usage of a number of various instruments during the concert. First of all, as it was mainly rock concert, electro guitars were used. James Shaw in Metric did his best when playing solo parties. In this regard, we were able to listen to live music and enjoy the sound of a guitar. Additionally, bass guitar was also used. I am sure that it is a unique instrument that introduces specific sounds to any song or music theme. Sometimes sounds produced by it are so low that we could hardly hear them; however, they obviously impact our conscience and feelings. During the concert bass guitar was one of the main instruments and players, both Winstead and Gullen, played good. They deployed traditional techniques, though I am sure that the quality of songs did not suffer from it. Drums were also used, and they set the pace for all songs. Many underestimate the power of this musical instrument, but I am sure that its unique sound appeals to some primeval feelings peculiar to every human being. Players were good, and drums supported other instruments creating an outstanding sounding and harmony⁴. Piano, acoustic guitar, and harmonica were also used during the concert. I am not a professional player or musical critique, though I did not notice any false notes. I believe that instrumentation was perfect and all performers could be considered outstanding professionals.

Artist/Audience Interaction

Another aspect I would like to touch upon is the artist/audience interaction. I think that TV translations or video recordings could not replace live shows. Only sitting in the same room where performers play, a person could enjoy the music and a unique atmosphere. However, it is possible only in case performers are able to interact with the audience and share their emotions with it⁵. We all know the effect groups like Queen, Beatles, or Iron Maiden had on thousands of people who came to listen to their live shows. For this reason, I am sure that it is an important part of music culture. Speaking about the given concert in the Canadian Tire Center, I should also say that performers managed to align interaction with the audience. First of all, they communicated with people who came to the concert. Performers greeted us, asked questions starting from rhetorical ones like “Do you hear me?” and ending with “Guess what song we are going to play now!?”. Moreover, they let the audience sing with them and enjoy the songs. As stated above, all performers are Canadians, and, for this reason, they had no difficulties in communicating with people who came to the concert. They were dressed in traditional T-shirts, shirts, and loose clothes. The given dress code underlined the informal character of this meeting. I think that the interaction with the audience was at a high level.

Audience/Artist Interaction

The audience also willingly responded to all questions and appeals that came from the performers. I noticed that the majority of people in the hall were dressed in the same casual style peculiar to all artists. I saw many loose clothes, T-shirts, frontlets, etc. It could be considered a certain code that came from the specific bond between these bands and their admirers⁶. Moreover, people in the hall were waiting for any reaction or question that came from the stage and answered it in the chorus. I think it is good evidence of the great mutual understanding between the bands, and individuals who came there to hear to their music⁷. If to speak about the structure of the audience, it was comparatively homogeneous. I was able to notice representatives of a certain age group: mainly people from 25- to 35 were presented at the concert. It could be easily explained by the target audience of the performers and the structure of their admirers⁸. Moreover, both females and males could be seen there. It was difficult to compare their percentage; however, I think that their number was almost equal. Finally, as for ethnicity, it is also difficult to analyze this aspect. Thus, the bigger part of the audience were whites, and people who sit next to me were Canadians. Besides, I think that the audience responded to all stimuli and was active which indicates the high level of involvement.

Promotion

I should also say that I was not planning to visit the given event in advance. However, I came across the digital advertising accidentally. I know these bands and I like their music. However, I would hardly look at their schedule to prepare for the concert and buy tickets. Moreover, I should also say that promotion was organized in the poor way as neither my friends nor I had heard about it. Thus, considering the popularity of the given bands and performers, I could state that it is an outstanding event that should attract specific attention. I visited ConcertFix.com to find the information about the given event and discovered an advertisement (see Appendix) and a brief description of the concert, including the date, main performers, the venue, etc.⁹ I think that the usage of the Internet as the main source to provide information about the concert is good evidence of the peculiarities of the target audience. It is obvious that mainly young people use the Internet to find the information about the closest events and book tickets in advance. Moreover, the comparatively low price for tickets and peculiarities of the language and choice of place show that a specific age group (25-35 years) will comprise the main audience. This fact was proven in the course of the concert. I did not find any information about the main sponsors of the given event which means that it was not considered to be a unique and extremely important.

Experience

Altogether, I should say that I enjoyed the concert. I am not a great admirer of Metric, The Sheepdogs, and Bazini, but they managed to impress me. The quality of music, organization, performance and other factors were at the high level. I should also say that since the first sounds I felt the unique atmosphere peculiar to this very event. I am sure that it is a great performers merit. They were able to inspire people and give them what they wanted. I should also admit a great job of all musicians. They did their best I and did not hear any false note. Bass guitar, drums, harmonica, and other instruments sounded perfect, and I was able to enjoy it. Moreover, as I have already stated, the choice of songs, their duration, and tempo contributed to the creation of the positive impression. I was not tired of loud sounds or fast motifs during the concert. On the contrary, I enjoyed every new theme and listened to it attentively. I am sure that the given effect was achieved due to the wise usage of various melodies, sounds, rhythms, etc. Moreover, I felt my belonging to the audience, and I was also able to feel emotions that came from the scene. I am sure it is a unique experience that was acquired due to the high quality of the show I had visited recently.

Genre

The concert I attended was devoted mainly to rock music with its numerous genres. The given kind of music appeared in the middle of the 20th century. It originated from rock and roll and took many unique features after it. The blistering rise of the given genre could be observed in the 50s and 60s when rock and roll obtained the new stimulus for its development¹⁰. Thus, many people wanted more rhythmic, energetic, and unusual music. Rock and roll was dominating at that period of time; however, it became something usual when masses needed new sounding. That is why rock music appeared. It was focused on the exploration of the unique combination of electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums. These instruments were able to create unique motifs that inspired people and made them follow a new wave. Traditionally, 1960 is considered the golden age of classic rock and many popular rock bands appeared at that period of time. However, human beings are characterized by the thirst for something new, and subgenres started to appear. At the moment, we could observe glam rock, punk rock, heavy metal, etc. All these genres originated from classic rock, and their appearance was preconditioned by the attempts to find a new sounding and impress people. As for the folk motifs that were also presented, they have an ancient history as they appeal to our past and try to show people their roots and unique cultural heritage.

Historical account

To be more specific, Metric and The Sheepdogs played not pure rock music. As for Metric, they are known as an indie rock band. This subgenre of alternative rock appeared in the USA and UK in the 1980s¹¹. At the first stages of its evolution, the term was used to refer to independent record labels that appeared because of the unique popularity or rock music¹². However, later on, the music produced by these very bands became associated with this very term. Finally, in the 1990s the new meaning to the term indie rock was introduced. At the moment, it is used to describe bands that follow their own sounding, remain outsiders, and represent underground perspective. Indie rock might combine such genres as punk, post-punk, slowcore, math rock, etc. At the beginning of the 21st century, the genre became popular again, and bands who played indie rock turned into popular performers. As for Metric, the group belongs to the new wave of indie rock and tries to add something new to its appearance. If to speak about the historical context, its members will obviously contribute to the evolution of this genre and popularize it.

Revolving around The Sheepdogs and blues rock, this genre combines the basic elements of blues and rock. We could describe it as a specific style of music with the instrumentation similar both to blues and rock. It appeared in the 1960s when blues admirers wanted to make their favorite genre more innovative¹³. They were inspired by hard rock and even heavy metal motifs and tried to combine them with Chicago style blues songs. The results achieved during these attempts gave rise to a new genre known as blues rock.

Major figures

Thus, both blues rock and indie rock originated from the classic one which became extremely popular in the 60s. For this reason, we could say that there are several bands that had an overwhelming impact on the appearance and evolution of these subgenres. First of all, we should obviously mention The Beatles. The band became a unique cultural phenomenon that impacted the further evolution of the whole rock music. Moreover, they established the format of the rock band that became an example for numerous generations of people. Their sounding, the manner of behavior, and the approach to songs introduced the vector of the evolution of the music of the 20th century. It is also crucial to mention other two outstanding bands that affected the development of the style greatly. The first one is The Rolling Stones, the British rock band which was created in 1962. The managed to create a great number of hits which introduced new sounding and impacted peoples taste and preferences in rock music greatly. Thus, they still remain popular and attract thousands of people. The second one is Led Zeppelin, another famous band founded in 1968. Both these groups belong to the golden age of rock and have numerous admirers that try to follow their style. Thus, these groups also impacted Metric and The Sheepdogs. They tend to describe their music to be between Led Zeppelin and Crosby¹⁴ which proves the great impact of these performers.

Innovations

Continuing the investigation of the peculiarities of music played by Metrics, The Sheepdogs, or Bazini, I should say that they could hardly be called innovators. It does not mean that they simply copy famous performers and produce similar sounding. The quality of their music is high, and it is completely original. However, they perform it in terms of the chosen genre. Both Metric and The Sheepdogs follow the traditional structure outlined in the 20th century. They use electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums. It is the traditional instruments that could be found in any rock band. Thus, the try to diversify the sounding by using harmonica, synth, and other instruments; however, they are not beyond indie or blues rock. As for Bazini, he could also be hardly called an innovator as folk motifs created by him are rather traditional. Nevertheless, all performers produce high-quality music that could inspire people and make them feel unique emotions.

Roots

We have already provided the fact that all above-mentioned performers come from Canada and they emphasize this fact. These Canadian rock bands arise from the local area. For this reason, we could admit that their style is similar to those of other performers who also consider themselves Canadian bands. We could state that all performers united by this feature contribute to the evolution of local music culture and create a specific environment characterized by the increased attention given to different genres of music. It is mainly due to bands like the above-mentioned ones, Canada is known for its alternative rock performers.

Conclusion

Altogether, I should say that the given concert was a good experience for me. I was able to listen to live music and, which is even more important, analyze the most important aspects different genres, performance, etc. Besides, Metric, The Sheepdogs, and Bazini are popular artists who have their unique sounding and attract the attention of thousands of people in different states. That is why the investigation of their concert was very informative.

Appendix

Digital Advertisement

Canadian Tire Centre is going to be hosting Metric. ConcertFix has a great selection of seats starting at $33.00 for the 201 section and range up to the most expensive at $100.00 for the FLOOR B section. The concert will be held on March 17, 2017 and is the only Metric concert scheduled at Canadian Tire Centre as of today. We only have 30 tickets left in stock, so get them as soon as you can before they completely sell out. Purchased tickets come with a 100% moneyback guarantee so you know your order is safe. Give us a shout at 855-428-3860 if you have any questions about this exciting event in Ottawa on March 17¹⁵.

Bibliography

“Bobby Bazini – Bio.” SonicBids. 2017. Web.

Cross, Ian. “Music and Communication in Music Psychology.” Psychology of Music 42, no.6 (2014): 809-819. Web.

Fiveash, Anna, and Kristen Pammer. “Music and Language: Do They Draw on Similar Syntactic Working Memory Resources?” Psychology of Music 42, no. 2 (2012):190-209. Web.

“Metric.” Billboard. 2017. Web.

“Metric Canadian Tire Centre Ottawa Tickets.” Concertfix. 2017. Web.

Power, Kevin. “On the Primordial Origins of Group Analysis and their Relation to the Creative Nature of Humanity.” Group Analysis 50, no. 1 (2017): 91-103. Web.

Ramirez, Michael. “‘You Start Feeling Old’. Rock Musicians Reconciling the Dilemmas of Adulthood.” Journal of Adolescent Research 28, no. 3 (2013): 299-324. Web.

Shaw, Samuel. “Art Crawls: Locating Artists and Audiences in the Creative City.” Ethnography 16, no. 1 (2015): 51-73. Web.

“The History of Indie Rock.” InkWizarder. 2017. Web.

“The Sheepdogs.” Billboard. 2017. Web.

Footnotes

1. “Metric,” Billboard, Web.
2. The Sheepdogs,” Billboard, Web.
3. “Bobby Bazini – Bio,” SonicBids, Web.
4. Samuel Shaw, “Art Crawls: Locating Artists and Audiences in the Creative City,” Ethnography 16, no. 1 (2015): 63, Web.
5. Ian Cross, “Music and Communication in Music Psychology,” Psychology of Music 42, no.6 (2014): 811, Web.
6. Kevin Power, “On the Primordial Origins of Group Analysis and their Relation to the Creative Nature of Humanity,” Group Analysis 50, no. 1 (2017): 99, Web.
7. Anna Fiveash and Kristen Pammer, “Music and Language: Do They Draw on Similar Syntactic Working Memory Resources?” Psychology of Music 42, no. 2 (2012):199, Web.
8. Michael Ramirez, “‘You Start Feeling Old’. Rock Musicians Reconciling the Dilemmas of Adulthood,” Journal of Adolescent Research 28, no. 3 (2013): 311, Web.
9. “Metric Canadian Tire Centre Ottawa Tickets,” Concertfix, Web.
10. Anna Fiveash and Kristen Pammer, “Music and Language: Do They Draw on Similar Syntactic Working Memory Resources?” Psychology of Music 42, no. 2 (2012):195, Web.
11. “The History of Indie Rock,” InkWizarder, Web.
12. Ibid., para. 5
13. Kevin Power, “On the Primordial Origins of Group Analysis and their Relation to the Creative Nature of Humanity,” Group Analysis 50, no. 1 (2017): 99. Web.
14. “The Sheepdogs,” Billboard, Web.
15. “Metric Canadian Tire Centre Ottawa Tickets,” Concertfix, Web.