By Jon Roe
Do you ever need a good excuse to sport an awesome ‘stache? The answer should be no, but if you’re searching for one, Broken City promoter Craig Evans has got it for you.
Broken City will be hosting Beija Flor, the Ramblin’ Ambassadors, Cripple Creek Fairies, Woodpigeon, some combination of the Dudes- currently listed as Danny Vee and the Fellas- and other local bands playing covers of their favourite classic rock tunes for an event called Moustache Rock, which started at the Night Gallery in 1997.
“At the time, it was the height of indie shoe-gaze rock and it seemed like a lot of people were taking their music very seriously,” Evans says. “In order to be very serious, they also had to look like they weren’t having any fun. I knew a lot of the people who were playing in these bands and it all came off sort of, to me, somewhat insincere because all these people bought the same records I did and started playing guitar for the same reasons I did, i.e. learning a KISS or an ACDC riff, so I kind of gave them a way out to kind of shed their serious indie rock costume for a bit.”
The charitable event ran every May long weekend until the Night Gallery closed in the summer of 2005. Evans transformed it for Broken City into Solid Gold Beaver, an annual Canada Day event along the same lines, which featured local bands playing Canadian cover songs. Two successful years of Sled Island stole Solid Gold Beaver’s thunder, though, making it hard to book bands busy preparing for, and enjoying, Sled Island.
“Once Sled Island is over, we’re just kind of burnt out for at least that week,” he says. “It didn’t really work in that regard.”
Evans is reviving Moustache Rock for the first time since its glory days at the Night Gallery for May long weekend this year. He says it will be a test to see if the idea is still popular. During its initial run in the mid-to-late ’90s, ’70s music was a part of most band members’ childhoods, which isn’t necessarily the case with the younger generation of musicians. But Evans notes that the music doesn’t really go away thanks to classic rock radio.
“One thing I’ve noticed about the younger generation of kids is [that] they’re omnivores- they eat everything,” he says. “At least the smart ones do. They’re going to be very familiar with everything from ’70s rock to ’60s proto-punk.”
Evans adds the charity has yet to be finalized for the two-day event, but entry will be $10.
For those who hadn’t heard of this event yet and are worried they won’t have enough time to grow a piece of bushy face art, don’t worry- you’re not alone. Evans describes his crumb-catcher as “the worst 13-year-old, pot-dealing” moustache.
“It’s sparse and horrible.”