Sheepdogs review
Original article: Three weeks ago when I interviewed The Sheepdogs’ front man Ewan Currie my excitement for their tour had been briefly doused. They were still coming west, but the personality I keenly questioned was hardly reflective of the “feel good, home grown vibes” that he referenced. He sounded - for lack of a better description - like a cocky rockstar who’s band was quickly gaining momentum. But on Friday, February 20 at Sugar, The Sheepdogs put on a show worth every bit of bragging rights. The place was completely packed. Shoulder to shoulder every face was turned to the stage with unwavering focus where, I believe, music history was being laid down. These guys are extremely talented. All of them. When I showed up they were part way through a track from their 2010 album Learn & Burn, but at 5’3 I was intently navigating the crowd to get a better look. Luckily I got perched on some steps with a clear view.
The guitarist featured on their album Future Nostalgia is not currently touring with them, instead a new character was pouring over a pedal steel guitar. He carried the chords up and over the accompaniment of the four solid members. Until summer of 2014 that line-up encompassed their original guitarist, Leot Hansen, but now it includes Ewan Currie’s younger brother Shamus. And boy is he ever proving his essential role on this tour. Not only from behind the keyboard on their biggest new tracks like “Downtown” but with killer trombone solos, such as during the chilling “Help Us All”. When Shamus took up his horn Ewan dropped behind the keyboard while the band’s accompanying guitarist traded his pedal steel for some proper slide. It was amazing. Their spectrum of instruments has grown alongside their evolving talent and the Currie brothers do nothing but justice to their expanding title. In 2011 when splashed across the cover of Rolling Stone magazine The Sheepdogs were an up and coming mesh of untamed manes. Almost indicative of their freshly polished sound, Ewan’s long locks have been replaced by a short and tidy side-swoop. Though Ryan Gullen on bass has got the ultimate mop for head-banging which he showcased, grooving on stage left while walking the beat back and forth as it rose and fell. Behind the drumkit Sam Corbett was constantly bopping, as drummers do, carrying the songs not only with his drumsticks but his entire body. Front and centre, the Currie brothers exchanged microphones more than once, sharing the duties on keyboard although that is where Shamus fully flourished. I can’t get over this guy. A spotlight descended around him at the end of Learn & Burn and you could see that he is exactly where he’s meant to be. Amid the hushed crowd and heightened tinkling of the keys I couldn’t help but acknowledge the ghost of similarity between the Currie brothers and the Allman brothers. I would never say Ewan’s guitar even comes close to touching Duane’s, but from halfway through the pulsing crowd Shamus kind of looked like him. And at times, Ewan like Gregory. You could see the passion of true expression on Shamus’ brow and Ewan’s voice is as much a staple of this band as Gregory’s is for the Allman Brothers. Their aligned musicianship is incredible. You wouldn’t believe the roar of the crowd as they said goodbye and exited stage right. The audience howled and chanted and went nuts when the guitar caddy appeared to tidy the set. Moments later, The Sheepdogs returned. Now I’m dead serious here, I was entertaining the sheen of comparisons before their encore, and then they once more took up their spots and Ewan said “We’re gonna cover a little tune for ya by The Allman Brothers Band”. I hit the floor. Well, my jaw did. Gullen laid down the bass line and they rocketed into the widely acclaimed Allman Brothers track: Whipping Post. I couldn’t believe it. What a song to choose! Ewan mounted the ledge of speakers and stood blaring the lead guitar riffs as the stick lights shot up behind his silhouette. The boys adapted this song like the pinnacle of live Allman Brothers tunes that it is. They poured themselves into it. Not the 23 minute jam from Fillmore East, but the studio version from the Allman’s first album. As The Sheepdogs extended their encore Corbett pulled Ewan down from the speakers with a light and jazzy drum roll and the band spilled into their final, final string of songs that closes their album Learn & Burn. Baby, I Won’t Do You No Harm rolls into We’ll Get There and finally I Should Know. And with that, they exited the stage for good, leaving the audience in the wake of a show so complexly colossal. As lead singer, guitarist, keyboard player and producer Ewan Currie has been the face of the Sheepdogs since the get-go, but I believe with the release of Future Nostalgia and the current tours, “The Currie Brothers” are going to become a cornerstone in modern day rock and roll. ~ a link to the edited article printed in the Nexus Newspaper: http://www.nexusnewspaper.com/2016/02/21/the-sheepdogs-bring-classic-southern-rock-to-town/
