Lemon Bucket Orkestra performed in concert at the Stratford Perth Museum July 19. Photo by Galen Simmons
By Galen Simmons
At first, there was only one person willing to get up and dance, but by the end of their show at the Stratford Perth Museum July 19, Toronto’s Lemon Bucket Orkestra (LBO) had everyone up on their feet rocking out to their fast-paced beat.
LBO puts on a show like I’ve never seen before. Self described as a guerilla-folk-punk band, those three words don’t really paint the full picture. Comprising 10 very talented musicians playing everything from trombone and violin to the rarely seen flugelhorn, sousaphone and sopilka – a kind of Ukrainian woodwind instrument belonging to the flute family – this band works harder onstage than any other band I know.
A little hoarse from the band’s latest tour and dressed in a skirt – perhaps in homage to Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain – frontman James McKie (vocals, violin) told the crowd gathered in front of the museum’s outdoor Player’s Backstage for the Sunday evening concert that the band would perform two sets, neither of which had been planned out ahead of time. He explained LBO likes to improvise its lineup of songs live onstage based on audience requests and the overall vibe at each of their shows.
And while that was an impressive claim, it was quickly overshadowed by the clear effort and musical talent of each of the performers onstage. From their wild dancing and Os Kar’s (drums and vocals) primal screams to the sheer speed at which they performed their unique blend of Ukrainian polyphony and driving Balkan rhythms filtered through hip hop, punk, jazz and a whole range of global influences collected both at home in Toronto and around the world, LBO puts on one hell of a good show.
Though these musicians are all very obviously talented in their own right, McKie said the band is like a family and the connection they have with each other – poking fun at one another and having a blast onstage – spread quickly to those of us seated in the crowd. It really didn’t take much for McKie to convince us concertgoers to stand up, clap and dance to LBO’s take on a traditional Ukrainian toast song in what the band calls the Lemon Bucket Workout.
Throughout the concert, many of the musicians had the opportunity to take the spotlight for some truly incredible solo work, including McKie on violin, Nathan Dell-Vandenberg on trombone, Max Forster and Michael Louis Johnson on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Conrad Gluch on clarinet and sopilka. I still can’t get over how fast these musicians can play, their hands and fingers a blur as they demonstrate their considerable skill.
As the concert reached its final number, the musicians jumped off the stage, instruments and bullhorns in hand, climbed onto picnic tables and played amidst the crowd, making the show feel more like a Ukrainian backyard party than a concert at a museum.
As an encore, LBO performed a high-energy rendition of a Ukrainian birthday song in honour of dancer, percussionist and vocalist Stephania Woloshyn, inviting everyone in attendance to sing along.
When I left the museum grounds Sunday night, my head was buzzing and my ears were ringing in the best way possible. Seeing LBO perform live in Stratford is one of those shows I couldn’t forget, even if I wanted to.
For more information on LBO and their upcoming shows, as well as news about their new album recorded live in Bogotá, Colombia, visit http://www.lemonbucket.com.
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