Grapes Of Wrath- Acoustic Duo, Live In Winnipeg: March 26, 2026

 

Sometimes the lure of nostalgia is a powerful incentive of expectations of what once was and the hope that you won't be disappointed. The Grapes of Wrath was a Canadian band that had a respectable run of some really fine albums in the late 80's and early 90's. Led by singer/guitarist, Kevin Kane and the Hooper brothers, Tom (bass) and Chris (drums), the band produced a satisfying jangly, folk-rock sound that was commercial enough to get some radio play (CBC...), yet not too popular to be annoying and they were one of the few Canadian bands I liked at the time. I saw them once in 1989, but for some reason missed them the other times they toured through town. 

 

 

On this recent Grapes of Wrath tour, the principle singer/songwriters Tom Hooper and Kane traveled light, bringing only acoustic guitars (along with a harmonica for Hooper) for stripped down versions of their best known songs. It was a pretty mellow show, with lots of interesting storytelling, even if it wasn't about the song at hand and the duo's harmonies were still bang on. Here are some notes:

•  The show at the Park Theatre was sold out. It was a seated event, rush seating which I always dislike because you have to arrive early when the doors open to get a decent seat. I don't like being too close to the front, so I chose to sit maybe 3 or 4 rows from the back in front of the soundboard and dead centre, so the stereo sound is balanced.
• The setlist touched on all their studio albums and performed two new songs. I Live For You (Hooper) and Blanket In The Sun (Kane). They played a request, which meant they bumped a "well-known popular song". I'm guessing it must have been, O Lucky Man, one of their best songs. The first encore song, You And Your Sister, is a Chris Bell (Big Star) cover. During the song I was thinking about how much they remind me of the Posies, or at least when Ken and Jon perform duo acoustic sets (the Posies play a lot of Big Star covers and played in the "reunited" version of Big Star). Both groups key strengths are their harmonies, though the Posies can rock a lot harder.
• The recording sounds really great! The sound at the Park Theatre is always good, at least when I've been there and the vocals and guitars are crystal clear. I wish I set the levels a bit higher, as it's quiet at times so you have to turn the volume up, but be forewarned the applause is loud! The good thing about seated, acoustic concerts is that people don't talk during the songs, but people still shout out stupid stuff between. 
• Overall, I wasn't disappointed. Acoustic shows are okay, though I prefer the full band performances, but as a performer it must be nice to connect with your audience and not have your ears blasted night after night. With a majority of the crowd around my age or older and lots of white hair around, at least I didn't feel like I was the oldest in the room. Yikes!

Enjoy! 

 

  

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

Grapes Of Wrath
Park Theatre
Winnipeg, MB
March 26, 2026

Audience Master
Acoustic Duo

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card> 24 bit wav> 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC

SET 1
01. Intro.
02. Do You Want To Tell Me
03. You May Be Right
04. Misunderstanding
05. I Live For You
06. A Dream
07. Mexico
08. Blind
09. I Can't Find My Home
10. Backward Town
11. What Was Going Through My Head

SET 2
12. Good To See You
13. Isn't There
14. Stay
15. Blanket In The Sun
16. Like A Fool
17. Peace Of Mind
18. I Am Here
19. All The Things I Wasn't
ENCORE
20. You And Your Sister
21. A Very Special Day

Kevin Kane- vocals, guitar
Tom Hooper- vocals, guitar, harmonica

 

GRAPES OF WRATH- 2026-03-26, Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar

 

Cheekface- Live at The Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, January 23, 2025

 

So, I went to my first concert of 2025! In recent years, I've reduced the amount of live shows I've attended, not necessarily by choice, more that there hasn't been a lot of acts I'm excited to see. At the risk of sounding like an old fart, most of the artists I've seen have been around my age or older, which means I seem to be the median age or target audience of these dinosaur performers. So it's refreshing to see a band that was formed within the last decade with more energy on stage than I've seen in a very long time! 

On a cold, winter night in January I saw, America's Local Band, Cheekface, a band from L.A. who braved the chilly weather to take part in the Winterruption 2025 mini-music fest in Winnipeg. I listen to a lot music, but not much new music, so when I discovered Cheekface, they instantly became a new favourite. I first heard the band at the beginning of the pandemic when I was at home 24/7 making art and streaming music all the time and the talk-sing vocals, dry humour and super catchy songs hit the spot, made me laugh and now follow the band.

 

As I said earlier, it was a change of pace to see a younger band which in effect attracts a younger audience. I was definitely in the upper age range in the crowd, but this band seemed to attract a wide range of fans, maybe an equal male/female ratio. A lot of the fans knew the songs enough to either sing along or chant at appropriate times and the connection between the performers and audience was quite strong. In some ways, Cheekface reminded me a bit of the Descendents. Apart from the obvious coffee reference (see photos for "coffee cup" stage backdrop), their music is infectious and easily relatable delivered in a similar nerdy pop-punk style. The song "Noodles", a short, one line song, repeated over and over (12x?) was performed four times (three in a row and once during the "encore), each time with the introduction, "the next song is an original Cheekface composition" was haha funny the first couple of times, but will get tiresome if you see the band more than once. Front-guy, Greg Katz's sing/speak vocal style is often compared to Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman and Stephen Malkmus, but after seeing him live, I would add one of the John's from They Might Be Giants too. Katz was upfront and in the centre, but it was hard not to keep an eye on bass player, Amanda (Mandy) Tannen, whose energy is a much needed stage presence. 

 

 

It's been awhile since I've recorded a show and this one turned great. The floor was crowded with standing fans, but it wasn't too crammed so the sound was clear and bright. I must say the Park Theatre is one of the better venues in Winnipeg to see a live band, not only are the sight lines really good (the floor is slanted and elevated towards the back), but the sound system and whoever works the sounds did an excellent job. For the recording, it was relatively hassle-free, not bullshit searches, metal detectors or over-enthusiastic security personnel. As with most modern concerts, phones are always actively recording videos, snapping photos (yeah, me too) or turning on the flashlight to stupidly wave around. It's part of the concert experience I suppose and I'll hold back my rant about not allowing audio sound recorders. Anyways, fun show and you can experience it too, at least audibly with the download link below.

Enjoy!

 

Additional link:

Exclaim- Cheekface Winnipeg concert review 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

CHEEKFACE
The Park Theatre
Winnipeg, MB
January 23, 2025
Audience Master

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD card > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC

01. Next To Me (Yo Guy Version)
02. Popular 2
03. When Life Hands You Problems
04. Plastic
05. Hard Mode
06. Life In A Bag
07. Featured Singer/Cha Cha Slide
08. Best Life
09. Pledge Drive
10. Growth Sux
11. I Only Say I'm Sorry When I'm Wrong Now
12. Flies
13. You Always Want To Bomb The Middle East
14. Dry Heat/Nice Town
15. Noodles
      Noodles
      Noodles
16. The Fringe
17. "Listen To Your Heart". "No"
18. Noodles
19. We Need A Bigger Dumpster
20. Eternity Leave

 

CHEEKFACE- 2025-01-23 Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar