It's not often you go to a show to see the headliner and realize the opening bands might be worth the price of admission alone. I went to see the Bonaduces at the WECC two weeks ago, a local band I enjoy a lot, but I went more out of nostalgia (the only time I saw them live was in 1998), so I bought a ticket at the door. I usually try to avoid the openers, but for $30 I thought I should try to get my moneys worth.
The first band was Greg Rekus And The Inside Job, who were intriguing to say the least. Greg played an electrified acoustic guitar and jumped and thrashed upon a small wooden platform (Stompin' Tom-style) in such a frenzy, he was quite entertaining. His delivery and singing style reminded me a bit of Jeffrey Lewis, except the secondary focus was the guy center stage wailing away on the saxophone. Actually, they had an unique enough sound and stage presence, they held my attention through most of the set. Watch out for this guy!
I remember hearing the hype surrounding Mise En Scene several years ago and I meant to see the group perform, but I kind of forgot about it. Alas, the band has a new album, Drive-Thru Confessional, that was released a couple months ago and then they were a late addition to the Bonaduces show line-up. Fortunately, I recorded their set which proved to be well worth it and I was impressed with, not only the strength of their songs, but also with their performance. They are hard not to like, front-woman, singer/guitarist, Stefanie Blondal Johnson is a joy to watch and the confidence and energy she has on stage is infectious. Since the show, I've listened to the new record multiple times and I must say it's a really great album and I regret not buying it at the show (though $40 is a bit much for vinyl). You must hear it! (and watch their music videos). They're a band that will go on to greater successes and I'm telling you now, they'll be winning a Juno for Drive-Thru next year. (note: I still despise the Junos, but it would be a tremendous achievement regardless, right?)
As I said earlier, I recorded Mise En Scene's set, but I had a "mishap", so the first song and half the second song is missing. Every tapers nightmare happened while I was checking the levels and I dropped the recorder on the ground. No damage to the machine, but the mic jack pulled out so the recording stopped and it wasn't saved properly, so everything I had recorded up to that point was lost. Oh well, it could have been worse and happened later in the set. What I did capture sounds good, though I wasn't too impressed with the sound at the West End despite being in an optimal position, so the vocals are difficult to make out at times.
Enjoy!
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MISE EN SCENE
West End Cultural Centre
Winnipeg, MB
May 8, 2026
Audience Master
Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar
01. Angel (...in progress) *
02. Dollar Dreams
03. Leftovers
04. Unsolicited Advice
05. Creature Of Comfort
06. Days Of Our Lives
07. Love And War
08. Beige Corolla
09. Nicer
10. Super Bowl Sunday
*missed first song and first half of track 1 (second song)
-Opened for The Bonaduces
West End Cultural Centre
Winnipeg, MB
May 8, 2026
Audience Master
Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar
01. Angel (...in progress) *
02. Dollar Dreams
03. Leftovers
04. Unsolicited Advice
05. Creature Of Comfort
06. Days Of Our Lives
07. Love And War
08. Beige Corolla
09. Nicer
10. Super Bowl Sunday
*missed first song and first half of track 1 (second song)
-Opened for The Bonaduces
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