One of Australia's hottest music acts is coming to Prince George.
When you're a band breaking ground in a new market, you play the entry level gigs, even if you're big back home. And The Lazys are big back home. Imagine you're a Canadian walking around with a bunch of Aussie friends you met at the beach, you're sucking back a Fosters or two, it's late at night in a suburb near downtown Toowoomba or Rockhampton, it's a hot Saturday, the streetlife is just picking up steam, it's 1992, and you spot a poster on a ratty brick wall that says "Tonight, $10, The Tragically Hip at the Pub On the Corner!"
You'd freak out, your friends would wonder what your fuss was about, but they'd go along with you on this one, and by the end of the night you'd be the sharpest tourist in Australia.
Reverse the scenario and fast-forward to now. The poster would read "Tuesday Night, $10, The Lazys at the Westwood Pub."
This band is over in Canada to make friends, because a lot of their best musical buddies are Canadian. Their album was produced by Garth Richardson (the Vancouverite behind the dials for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nickelback, Rage Against The Machine and many more), they just toured with Danko Jones, and their first single ever released in Canada was written by award-winning Canuck rocker Ian D'Sa of the band Billy Talent.
That song, Shake It Like You Mean It, hit No. 2 on the CBC Rock Chart in December. Their Canadian co-writer loved what the band was doing with the song.
"The Lazys may just be the new saviours of Rock 'n' Roll. Hands down they are the best new live band I've seen all year," said D'Sa.
Rolling Stone magazine stretched the praise even further. "If Shake It Like You Mean It was on AC/DC's latest album, it would be hailed as a late career classic."
It's been building. They've been pounding out EPs and albums since 2007. In 2008 they won the Jack Daniels Set, a national music competition to find Australia's best live band. From there, their single Hey Man charted high on Triple M's Best Aussie Songs 2009 list and their tune Sunshine City was adopted as the FOX Sports theme song.
Last year The Lazys trekked around the U.S. and Canada opening for bands like The Trews, One Bad Son and Big Wreck (yup, more Canadians). When they got in position to headline their own tour, they took aim at starting out where every domestic Canadian act must. On this leg, that means Kamloops, Kelowna, Grand Prairie, Red Deer, Lethbridge and P.G.
At The Westwood on Tuesday, their guest act will be Mathias Rock, a crunchy Prince George rock unit that has a couple of albums and momentum of their own (they opened for Deveined along with Red7 for a Halloween hellya, and they headlined their own slot at Cariboo House during the Canada Winter Games).
Before we can close out our story, we mustn't forget that we left The Tragically Hip on a poster in Queensland. To find out how they are faring these days, you don't actually have to go to Toowoomba or Rockhampton, and you don't have to go back in time. The Tragically Hip will also be here in Prince George, playing at the CN Centre on Sept. 26.
