Misc. Gig Recap - Illuminaut at Blunt Bros.

I suppose it’s fitting that my memory of the exact date of my first gig at Blunt Bros is a bit hazy. I’m sure it was sometime in the summer or so of 2000.

We were Illuminaut; myself, Mule Hughes and Smash. Blunt Bros. was located down on Hastings St., across from Victory Square along a kind of 420 row; the Amsterdamn Cafe was next door, I think. Not being 420 friendly, I knew essentially nothing of the venue. (Not that I’m particularly 420 unfriendly, although it irks me that pot smokers seem to have convinced themselves that they don’t fall into the broad ‘smoker’ category, and therefore disdain basic rules of politeness regarding their habit. They’re making a political statement, dude, and thus the rest of us must sacrifice our clean air space for the greater good.)

 Ironically, the air quality in Blunt Bros. was impeccable. There was a little smoking room in the back, but the main seating area was very pleasant. In those days these types of venues would induce all sorts of angst in places like City Hall, and yet to me they seemed like model citizens compared to the kind of miscreant-catering nightspots you’d get out in the straightlaced suburbs.

 I don’t remember much about the setlist. Some instrumental stuff, and some heavier numbers later to appear on the first Stoke album. I think we did well. The sound was especially good, and there was an interested little audience (including a lithe California blonde). For me it was a nice little show. I felt great up on stage; I saw it (and still do) as a modest but genuinely satisfying moment of self-realization, but Mule confessed later in the evening that he’d hated the gig, and had been uncomfortable throughout.

 Afterward, having a chat with some folks, I looked back to the stage to find a small coterie of musical types inspecting the back of my Marshall JCM 800 2 X 12.

 It had just been modified by Mr. Ho of East Vancouver, and it was serving up a very nice shade of overdrive. I’ve never been a purist when it comes to modifying gear. To me, the history of rock is the history of gear mods, with amp makers like Jim Marshall, Paul Rivera, Randall Smith and, yes, Mr. Ho playing the role of invaluable Dr. Frankensteins.