Show Report
Show Report: The Railway Club, Vancouver
March 15, 2001
Special guest review submitted by Gid & Deb
Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails gave an amazing display of their
talent at the Railway Club on March 15 in Vancouver. The band
exhibited great stage presence, thus I had to buy the cd on the spot to get a glance at the lyrics.
I loved the sound and humour of these guys in a cozy club setting, and I'd
have to say their cd recording is equal to their live preformance. Hawkins
lyrics are spirited,youthfully punk-ish, and cleaverly original beyond the
safe and sophomoric chants of the ordinary back-street boy bands. Hawkins vocal
style and lyrical talent is reminiscent of the legendary Elvis Costello, but his
seductive, rebelious declarations beat at your brain like a jackhammer defacing
a whitewashed institution. This is real rock, and Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails
seem to have put a huge chunk of themselves into this beautiful compilation of music.
Their cd is filled with depth and the heavy stepping tracks of an almost assaulting
baritone sax section 'Que Bombala!', to the sensative acoustic hymns like 'Small Victories'
and 'Roja' which has a tinkling of piano, and the harmonic, soulful, lyrical bliss of
'Rumours and Whispers'. This is a real band of masterful musicians, with a message
('Beat me Senseless') which helps me feel free and liberated from the pain and restraint
of being a socialized human. 'Crackstatic' speaks with an honesty and darkness, yet I
want to laugh out loud because these guys have creatively found a voice for the complex
angst that rides just under the surface of our twenty-first century urban culture.
This band is a progressive, positive force and an inspiration to the tongue tied and
confused who just want to jump around.
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