The Trews @ Artpark, Lewiston, NY
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
By: J. Ritz
When most people think of Canada, they think of hockey, beer, & curling. What they fail to realize is that Canada has churned out a lot of musical talent over the years. Most recently bands like The Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, and Nickleback have made an impact on the industry. The Trews however, are one of those "best bands you never heard of." Consisting of lead singer Colin MacDonald, his brother John-Angus MacDonald on guitar, Jack Syperek on Bass, Sean Dalton on Drums, & Jeff Heisholt on keyboard, they took the stage shortly after 8:00. The rain soaked crowd at Artpark greeted them a thunderous applause and they got right to work with their 2004 hit "Fleeting Trust" off the album 'House of Ill Fame.' Flooding the stage with smoke machines, they continued their set with the crowd singing along to every song. Colin kept them involved by getting them to clap along with the rhythm, and encouraging them to sing by holding the mic out over them while they belted out two verses of "Poor Ole Broken Hearted Me" which ended with a Jeff Heisholt keyboard solo that he pounded out so hard he broke a leg on his keyboard stand.
Colin told the crowd that although he was from Nova Scotia, he loved upstate New York, and always felt welcome in the Buffalo are because his father was from Ithaca, NY. He also told the story of Capt Nichola Goddard, whom he referred to as a young girl who went off to Afghanistan and never came home. This inspired their latest single "Highway Of Heroes"
The band took a break and slowed things down with an acoustic performance "Sing Your Heart Out" from their second live album released in 2009. Showcasing their musical talent, as well as the great voice that Colin has. They left the stage to Sean Dalton, who got things back up to speed with a blistering drum solo. He got the crowd back into it, showering them with a forest of drumsticks. As he continued on, the boys came back out one by one, with Colin joining him on the drums, pounding away up to the intro of "Tired Of Waiting." They finished up their set with the 2007 hit "Hold Me (In Your Arms)" that had the crowd re-energized and primed for their encore which they concluded with "Stray."
After the show, they stuck around to meet their fans, sign autographs, and pose for pictures. They seem genuinely gracious and appreciative of the success they have attained.
After seeing The Trews live, I would have to say they sound even better than on the radio, throw in their showmanship and appreciation, and you have an act you have to put on your "must do list." I am definitely not missing their next performance, I can't wait...
Set List:
Fleeting Trust
She's So Leaving
Not Ready To Go
I Can't Stop Laughing
Yearning
World I know
Highway Of Heroes
Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me
Ishmael & Maggie
Sing Your Heart Out
You're So Sober
Drum Solo
Tired Of Waiting
Hold Me In Your Arms
Encore:
Man Of Two Minds
Love Is The Real Thing
Stray
We would like to thank Maria Costello from Artpark for helping Backstageaxxess in reviewing the shows from the 2010 season.
