The Geomatic Attic began a busy couple months by bringing in Toronto roots rock supergroup MOONRiivR and Peter Dreams aka July Talk’s Peter Dreimanis to play for a packed house, Friday, Feb. 16.
MOONRiiVR, featuring core members multi-instrumentalists, frontman Gavin Gardiner and Champagne James Robertson plus a hot rhythm section of bassist Jenni Roberts and drummer Stefan Schneider, who were also backing Peter Dreams.
MOONRiivR played an eclectic and mellow set of indie rock music with smatterings of alternative country and a touch of Portishead.
Gavin Gardiner playing keyboards, adding extra percussion with a triangle for the first song he crooned.
Their next song had a Caribbean/ calypso feel.
He crooned his way through a laid back set of calming music and layers of different sounds.
Robertson played guitar and ukulele, adding tasteful solos and noise when necessary.
Gardiner gave the band a break and noted he and Champagne James Robertson were experimenting with drum machines and played a couple brand new songs featuring them.
They wound up the set on an upbeat note with a new song“ You Get By.”
While they have a new record out, most of their set was brand new music that hasn’t been released.
After a brief break, Gardiner relocated his keyboards to the back of the stage Peter Dreams, hunched onto stage clutching a bottle of wine which he placed next to the drums and proceeded to tear the roof off the place with an intense set.
The Edmonton born/ Toronto based musician apologized for the fact that his band July Talk hasn’t played Lethbridge for a couple years and observed he had relatives in the audience.
This set was poetic, His voice had elements of Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen and covered a range of emotions ranging from depressed and intense vulnerability to rage as he added a few July Talk songs including “ Summer Dress.”
He joined Gardiner on keyboards, early in the set, picked up a guitar later, and wandered to the end of the stage to get the crowd to sing along with some of the July Talk songs.
He sang abut depression, one of his friends who died too young and laid his soul bare a s he mourned his sister‘s miscarriage, he cracked a smile and said that he was sleep deprived as a new parent.
“Is That Just Me,” and“ Time To Go” were highlight. He thanked Gavin Gardiner and James Robertson for helping record his solo record, noting they made him feel so comfortable in the studio that he couldn’t have done it without them.
The band took a quick break as he played a couple brand new songs, playing Gardiner’s keyboards.
Another highlight was an older song about living by the river in Edmonton, which he wrote just before moving to Toronto.
He was called back for an encore for which he played July Talk’s “The Garden” solo on guitar
— By Richard Amery, L.A.Beat Editor
