Review: The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol (TBWNIAS) - Live 2010 Dominion Tavern

They breed 'em tough in Canada. Dunno whether it's the arctic climes, the proximity to the upstarts down south or the beer (any country that brews beers called 'Korrupter' or 'Critical Mass' is gonna have some balls!). The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol (TBWNIAS) are the musical embodiment of the national psyche; no nonsense, hard as bedrock and ego-free (the fact that a band of TBWNIAS's quality remain a well kept secret is testament to the band's 'the music is the thing' attitude.). Following on from the superb 'Masters of the Mole Hill', released on Cardinal Fuzz the end of last year, comes a vinyl document of a 2010 gig held in benefit of one of Ottawa's 3 community radio stations – CHUO-FM. This time round it is Drone Rock Records spreading the TBWNIAS love, a coup for this new, but rather ace, label and an ideal outlet for this epic live performance. Originally a four piece, TBWNIAS morphed into a six piece, but this performance saw them invite fellow musical improvisers onboard and so on this night the band comprised John Westhaver, Mark McIntyre, Bill Guerrero, Nathaniel Hurlow, Dave Reford, Jan Lis, Eric Larock and Will Desjardins (with sound recording by the late Mark Valcour.)

Side one starts with 'Sour Kraut', preceded by the intro and tuning up, before a relentless motorik beat overlaid with some fine fuzzy guitar kicks in. One can almost feel the atmosphere already; the crowd's movement from anticipation to immersion is palpable. As with most live performances, especially from a band of TBWNIAS's quality, improvisation is the key, and the band, in this performance, are already in total synch with each other like a well-oiled machine. 'Lonesome Cowgirl Jill' has a bucolic, homegrown feel with a fiddle adding a whole new dimension to the guitar driven psychedelia. With the tempo driven by the rock solid drums, the guitars are given room and time to roam and drench the crowd in reverb. The first side is closed by 'Sunburst Finish', a relatively sedate number for these guys but still retains the trademark guitar and drums onslaught, but with some lush spacey effects part Hawkwind and part Tangerine Dream.

Side two opens with the obligatory band intros (with skinsman John Westhaver coming over like a musical Bill Hicks) the band launch into 'Raga Quotation', rich with middle eastern inflections and grooves - a truly psychedelic melding of form and function. 'NST' is a garage/punk roustabout of a track. As we're told, this was originally only found on a compilation album. The track mutates into 'Fender Bender'. The album is brought to a close by 'Blues In Goddamn'...blues, but not as we know it...a discordant jam of guitar, violin and drums that would have Robert Johnson shaking is head with disbelief, but leaves us nodding our heads in appreciation and awe.

Live albums are notoriously hit and miss; there are some legendary live discs, and this should be up there with those. The recording is raw enough to convey the atmosphere (you can almost smell the crowd!) but good enough to capture this band in their full glory, and glory is the word. For lovers of all things psych/kraut a performance like this is the holy grail. The musicianship and art of TBWNIAS should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard them, but this gives a true indication of them live.....monumental, carved from Canadian bedrock. Pre-orders are available from Drone Rock records (strictly limited vinyl - on Grey (100 copies) or Purple/ Green/ Orange on Grey Spatter (150 copies). Release date is late March/early April. Get in quick 'cos they are going to fly!