Pick of the Day: The Trews

This gig by the Trews at the Drink Nightclub tonight is billed as a special acoustic show. Acoustic is a relative term, I suppose. At the very least, it means that bands don't resort to electric guitars and generally tone down the intensity of their sound. In front of the right audience, that can be an intriguing musical experiment. In front of the wrong audience, though, it can be a recipe for disaster.

Maybe seven years ago, I remember Feist playing a Wednesday night show at what is now the Distrikt. She hadn't hit it big yet, but she was definitely a name artist. Had she played the club on another night, I likely would have gone. But back then, Wednesday was cheap draft night, and with a bunch of people stumbling around guzzling watery beer, I knew the gig would be a joke. A subsequent conversation with a filmmaker of my acquaintence who did attend confirmed my suspicion. If memory serves, I believe Feist even cut her set short and stormed off the stage, so inattentive was the majority of the crowd.


On the other hand, I caught that legendary Supersuckers show at the same club in 2004 where their drummer got hung up at the border and Eddie Spaghetti and the boys sat down on stools and played an acoustic set that was pure magic. Then at the end, an audience member familiar with the band's then-current release The Evil Powers of Rock 'n' Roll stepped forward with an offer to sit in on drums, and the band plugged in and ripped through a six-song electric set (including the title track) to close out the show. Good times! (YouTube)


How this gig will turn out is anybody's guess. If the audience is attentive, it could be great. But if they're a bunch of loud mouth drunks, it could suck big-time. Just so you know what to expect, here's video of the Trews performing an acoustic version of "So She's Leaving" on MuchOnDemand. (YouTube)