Jun. 27, 2012 - Issue #871: Edmonton 2012
The Belushis
The world of the Belushis is inhabited by a unique cast of characters who come together in a brash, in-your-face, sweat-drenched brand of rock 'n' roll.
Guitar player and vocalist Kirk Macdonald, also known as Mr Magic Chords, is the moody asshole who keeps everyone in line, joined by Triple X Shock Rock (guitar player Gerry Clipperton), the absent-minded stoner; Evil Drizzle (drummer Jason Kennedy), the forlorn, Eeyore-type who doesn't get too excited about anything and Dirty Ferdy (bass player Ferdy Belland), the drunken loud-mouth party guy.
Together, they craft lyrics driven by inside jokes that Macdonald says are fueled by three general themes: drinking, sex and partying.
"The whole idea of the band from the beginning was kind of just a party band. It was music to party to; it was never supposed to be that serious," Macdonald says, adding that the name comes from John Belushi and his Animal House persona, which seemed fitting for a band all about having a good time.
This riotous party feeling has been captured once again in the Belushis third album Shaker, which stands up to its reputation as a party starter and prolonger through a blistering lineup of tracks that run on high from start to finish. This style has earned the band the label of sweat rock, but it's one the Belushis don't shy away from.
While the sounds are far from similar, the Belushis take an approach similar to the Ramones, where as soon as one song ends, the next begins. Macdonald says the band tries to pack as much as they can into the live shows to keep the momentum consistent.
"It gets a little frantic because you're constantly moving. You don't even have time to splash some beer down your throat a lot of the time, so naturally we all start to get kind of sweaty up there, some of us more than others," Macdonald notes, adding he likes to think of himself as the least sweaty of the bunch. "It really comes out of the fact that we don't get up there to strum our guitars and stare at our shoes. We're there to have fun and put on a show."
Fri, Jun 29 (8 pm)
With Black Earth
DV8 Tavern
Privacy Policy:
Vue respects your privacy. We will not forward your personal information to any other organization except as required by law, and will use your e-mail address only to respond to your comments. We reserve the right to edit and remove comments for length, clarity and/or if they are illegal or inappropriate. Your email address is never shown to visitors to vueweekly.com. Read the whole policy at: http://vueweekly.com/privacy
Comments policy
Comments go online directly without first being seen or reviewed by editors at Vue. Don't personally attack people, don't be defamatory, don't be spam-atory, don't hawk your band, don't pretend to be someone else, be clear, be on topic, be nice. Read our extended comments policy here. »
We use Disqus for our comments system. What's that all about?
We found that managing the comment community at Vue was easier to do with a system like Disqus. If this isn't straightforward to you, get help here.