MUST. RESIST. URGE. NOW. TO. TYPE. “OLDIES BUT GOODIES”.

Damn.

But it’s true. If you count the early-1990s as a period of time that could be considered “oldie” (shudder), then The Grapes of Wrath played plenty of goodies at their first big-time reunion show in Vancouver on October 29.

And that was all the locals wanted, really. The oldies.

They wanted to hear “Backward Town” and “All the Things I Wasn’t” and “Do You Want to Tell Me?” and “Peace of Mind” (Though I wanted to hear the more new wave-y first-album tracks “Misunderstanding” and “A Dream (About You)”, which I did, thanks. See the rest of the set list below.)

The audience wanted to sing along and smile. They wanted to gaze upon the curls of the seemingly cryogenically preserved Kane, bassist Tom Hooper and drummer Chris Hooper (plus added musical youth Rob Watt on guitar/keyboards) and imagine their jangly Canuck folk rock heroes from yesterday as their boyfriends or drinkin’ buddies.

Because in the 90s, The Grapes of Wrath were hot shit in Canada and even some points beyond. It was a good time to be a Grapes fan…I know, because I also imagined them as my boyfriends AND I was one of their drinking buddies.

Which is why it sucked when the band threw in the sweaty towels, drumsticks and guitar picks in 1992. Sure, the Hoopers went on to form Ginger, but it was never really quiiiiite the same.

But nevermind! Time heals all wounds (let’s see how many crap idioms I can insert into this review), and 17 years or so later, the Grapes are back, playing their lovely, nice songs to lovely, nice people, calling everybody “folks” again, and signing autographs on original Nettwerk-released vinyl.

“I can die now” one woman proclaimed after chatting with Tom and the lads after the show.

See? Sweet! Just like the old days….

…only the next day, I will awake from a night of drinking with Chris Hooper, Rob Watt (with a surprise appearance by Kane wearing Hallowe’en cat ears) and friends at a downtown bar and every bone in my body will ache in a way it never did in 1992 and I will curse and shake my fist at nostalgia. But it will have been worth it. I gots me some original vinyl. \m/

The Grapes of Wrath’s low-key reunion tour will try to get to a town near you soon. Check out the Ontario dates and info on Facebook, or their official site.

GRAPES OF WRATH SETLIST, Vancouver, October 29

• Peace of Mind
• Stay
• Backward Town
• The Time is Here
• Away
• A Dream (About You)
• Misunderstanding
• You May Be Right
• All the Things I Wasn’t
• What Was Going Through My Head
• O Lucky Man
• Do You Want to Tell Me?
• I Am Here
• The Most
• Fishing

—–

• If I Needed Someone
• A Very Special Day

I started out as a fan. That’s me with the band, above, in 1990. Cute, no?

Then I became a friend. There was the time when drummer Chris Hooper and I got drunk together at the 1990 Much Music Video Awards. There was the time when I sat in a bar at Ontario Place in Toronto with Chris, his brother/bassist Tom Hooper, singer/guitarist Kevin Kane and friends, after a huge gig, singing “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce as we polished off pitchers and cried with laughter. There was the time when I smuggled Chris – my closest friend to this day – past the waiting girl gaggle into Massey Hall in Toronto after we’d done some post-soundcheck, pre-gig drinking at McVeigh’s Irish pub down the street. There was the time we sang “Corn Circles” by the Waterboys and songs by Pansy Division in the back of a van. There were times at bars, hotels, clubs and backstage.

There were so many times with the Grapes of Wrath.

For me, and for probably a lot of people of my generation in Canada, the 1990s belonged to these Kelowna, BC boys. It belonged to their Beatles-y songs, their impeccable harmonies and guitar rock, and their amazingly curly hair. It belonged to tracks Peace of Mind, Backward Town, I Am Here and All The Things I Wasn’t.

But in 1999 the band more or less dis-banded and after a fight about the name, continued on as Ginger, minus Kevin Kane. It’s been about 11 years since the original trio played together. But they’ve buried the bullshit. On July 17 in Surrey (a Vancouver suburb), Hooper-Hooper-Kane reformed for a summer festival.

15 songs. And for a lot of us, so many memories. Click on each photo to embiggen. And scroll down for the set list. For more information on the Grapes of Wrath or to get in contact and book them for a giant, well-paying show, visit their Facebook page.\m/

July 17 Set List:

• Peace of Mind
• Stay
• Backward Town
• The Time is Here
• Traveling
• Away
• A Dream About You
• Misunderstanding
• You May Be Right
• All The Things I Wasn’t
• What Was Going Through My Head
• O Lucky Man
• Do You Want to Tell Me
• I am Here
• Lucifer Sam (Pink Floyd cover)

One of the stops was in Vancouver at the now-defunct Richards on Richards, where I interviewed the overly earnest Charles Cave and then sent the band off to one of my fave Vancouver diners, The Templeton where Jack and Charles later told me they’d utterly stuffed themselves and could barely stand up straight.

The BackstageRider caught up with the lads just after the holidays and asked them for a list…

….because in rock, when you’re on ten on your guitar, where can you go from there? Where? OUR LIST GOES TO ELEVEN.

White Lies Top 11 Things We Like About Canada

1. Maple Syrup
2. Niagara Falls (Canadian side is better)
3. The Stills (first album)
4. Insane Chinese Dancing Man (who was at The Mod Club in Toronto when we DJ’d)
5. Crystal Castles when they take us for Mexican food.
6. Nardwuar
7. Winter Olympics
8. ‘It’s Christmas In Canada’ (South Park Episode)
9. Big lakes and forests
10. McVeigh’s Irish Pub in Toronto
11. Richards On Richards (R.I.P.)

I love McVeigh’s Irish Pub too – I remember wiling away hours with Chris Hooper from the Grapes of Wrath there in the very early 90s, before smuggling him past fans at the backstage door of Massey Hall. Good times.

White Lies begin a tour of Russia and Europe in February if you happen to be in either. Check out their wunnerful, moody nu-wave on Myspace. Album To Lose My Life is out now, and is rather quite excellent. \m/

White Lies photos by Brittney Kwasney.