United Steel Workers of Montreal + Dirt Cheap Winos Show Review
Posted by Jonathan on August 24 2011, at 17:35 Print
On Friday August 19th the United Steel Workers of Montreal put on a last minute free show at the terrasse St-Ambroise in Montreal’s St-Henri borough. The opening act was a Montreal band called Dirt Cheap Winos who set the mood with a folk / country driven set that won me over instantly . The singer was cool and calm the entire set switching between mandolin, ukelele and tambourine singing songs about whiskey drinking and heartache. The rest of the band (upright bass, drums and acoustic guitar) complemented each other nicely with tight bass licks, shuffle beat drums and tasteful acoustic guitar.
The United Steel Workers of Montreal hit the stage as the sun was setting over the Lachine canal with one of my personal favorites “Three Hard Knocks“. Each member of the USWM brings a unique twist to the band that collectively create a sound that is upbeat, dirty and just plain good. Led by singer / guitar player Gern F. who turns out to be quite the story teller introduces each song in detail while the band members take turns singing. The USWM don’t hide the fact that they’re from the south-west of Montreal and the song “Emile Bertrand“ is a true testament to their ties to the city.
This was my fourth time seeing the USWM and each time I see them it just keeps getting better. Click here to watch a video of “Small Town Banks” from the St-Ambroise performance.
All-in-all if you haven’t had the chance to see a United Steel Workers of Montreal show then I strongly advise you to do so. To find out where they’ll be performing next check out their website uswm.ca