Tuesday, February 6, 2001

Almost grownups

Moffatts try too hard to change their image

CALGARY -- Growing pains.

If there's one phrase that sums up last night's show by The Moffatts and Wide Mouth Mason at the Jubilee Auditorium, that's it.

Growing pains because both Canadian bands are in the midst of major musical and image overhauls, and in front of an overwhelmingly young female audience, the show proved they both have a long way to go before the transformation is complete.

On the strength of their latest CD Stew, openers Wide Mouth Mason are attempting to move beyond their blues-based rock band persona into a younger, hipper, funkier market.

Supplementing their sound with a DJ was a step in the right direction. Utilizing the services of the king of Canadian blues-rock, Big Sugar's Gordie Johnson, was not.

The 45-minute set by the Saskatoon band was an ear-splitting powerbomb. Thanks, I'm sure, to Johnson, it was probably the loudest, most rockin'-est that I've ever seen them. Whether it endeared them to the youngsters on hand ... well, they are fairly cute.

Headliners The Moffatts, on the other hand, are trying to assert that they are, in fact, a credible rock band and not just scream-fodder for the little girls.

Last night, their set -- full mainly of material from their newest CD, Submodalities -- was a good argument.

Kicking things off with an electric version of the disc's infectious first single, Bang Bang Boom, the brothers sounded great. Close your eyes, and musically, they're one of the better acts in national mainstream pop music.

Eldest brother Scott bounded about the stage with incredible energy while bassist Clint and keyboardist Dave did their best to work the room.

The main problem is that they still look like they're trying to be rock stars. At this early stage in their transformation, there is still an air of self-consciousness to them that -- like their facial hair -- stops just short of passable.