tim’s thought property

This was a show that you had to see to believe.
No, there weren’t lasers or smoke machines; fireworks or even crazy stage performances; there were children. And pink balloons.
The Inservice (the temporary name of the band), consisting of Marc Willerton on guitars and vocals, Jeremy Dell on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Sturby on bass and Adam Klassen on the drums; played their first official gig this evening. And oh how I wish I could have captured it on film!

To set the scene, Tim [Penner] and I were driving down to find the Robert A. Steen Community Centre with the combined and lacking memories we had of the directions. We traversed up and down Portage Avenue four times before turning on the appropriate street. We were told to go down Banning, which (on the south side of Portage) happens to be called Ruby St. Go figure. Not only that, there was a very large and obstructive truck blocking the sign from sight. Only at the fourth time around, did we finally make a valiant, albeit dangerous, sharp turn to get on to Ruby nee Banning. As we drove down, we saw that the building at the end of the curving road was the community centre, which was a old converted church. What do you get for a venue in Wolesly?
As Tim and I approached the community centre, there were about eight or so kids running around outside of it, playing games. With quizzical looks on our faces, we met up with Nick, Breanna and Naomi. We asked them if this was some kind of a birthday party or something, but none of us really knew. It turns out it was a family social….. That served beer….. And pink martinis.
But this was no ordinary family social, it was a Breast Cancer fundraiser. A place to bring the kiddies for a night with the neighbours in the confines of a sanctuary-turned-gymnasium, for some four dollar alcohol and free party snacks. As the five of us entered and looked around, we found that we were the only ones really, in our age demographic. We basically formed a wall of age between the “bar” and the gym’s centre, wherein all the children played in stocking feet.
By “played”, I really mean cashed one another and hit each other with bundles of pink balloons. It was remarkable how many of them had continued to hit each other in the face or back of the head with their balloons, and then proceed to chase each other around the gym and the tables set up. But more predictable was the number of kids with their hands over their ears to drown out the noise of the band.
I think that the guys did a fine job, playing the covers and few originals. The crowd was polite, clapping after each song, and the kids seemed not to hate it…they just rather would have gone on with their balloons, and the co-ordination it took to pick them up and throw them. The guys played Coldplay’s Politik and U2’s In God’s Country off the start. They also had done the now standard Don’t Walk Away Eileen, by Canada’s iconic Sam Roberts. They ended off the show with their three originals, but due to bad hearing I do not know the titles. But I can assure you that they were very well played. If one thing has helped for certain (aside from each member’s specific dedication to their instrument; or the years they practiced and learned to play; or even the joy they had in playing), it was that Adam works at Qwest Musique and had access to the company van. Yep. Every good band needs a good machine to carry equipment.
It was a great show. I’ve never been in a venue that didn’t I.D. at the door, yet still served outrageously expensive alcohol, while catering to the supervised childcare needs of young families, at the same time as providing contemporary and talented live performance to such a kind audience. Only in Wolesly…