CMW 2013: Bend Sinister @ Cherry Cola's Rock N Roll Cabaret and Lounge by Stephanie Cloutier

THURSDAY — These guys never seem to have any lack of energy. The Vancouver foursome have been busy touring Western Canada and the U.S. for the past couple of weeks, while making an all-important pit stop at this year’s SXSW. And because they love our fair city so much, Bend Sinister have graced us with an appearance at CMW, and we, the fans, love them for it.

To someone who isn’t familiar with Bend Sinister: their music is a throwback to classic prog rock — but with a sound that's way fresher than that. It’s fun, high energy music; epic tunes that make you want to jump and sing at the very top of your lungs.

They kicked off their set with songs from their latest album, Small Fame: “Don’t You Know”, “One Shot” and “Man of Faith and Virtue”. They also treated us to three new songs and some old favourites including “Things Will Get Better”, a song that might not change your life, but will absolutely renew your love for it.

Their shows never lack excitement because these guys give it their all — it is a rock show, after all. Lead singer Daniel Moxon belts out his vocals while slamming on the keys; guitarist Joseph Blood maintains his cool and collected self, while bassist Matt Rhode prefers to unleash his energy through high kicks. Jason Dana is a ridiculously skilled drummer and is fascinating to watch.

I always feel the sets at music festivals are way too short, and last night, with the band exuding the kind of good vibes Bend Sinister do, I wanted to scream out, “One more song!"

But this time, we're lucky LRU readers: Bend Sinister will be playing a second CMW set at the Hideout tonight (Friday, March 22 at 2 a.m.). Be prepared to witness a fantastic rock show.

MP3: "Leroy Browns" by Bend Sinister

 

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Find all of our coverage of Canadian Music Week 2013 here. 

 Photos by Stephanie Cloutier.

Stephanie Cloutier is a photographer, writer, and a wannabe lady of leisure. Her work has appeared in NOW Magazine, blogTO and SoundProof Magazine. You can find her posts here, find more of her work on her website here, follow her on Twitter (@stephcloutier) and e-mail her at steph@littleredumbrella.com