Drunk Mom Does NSMW 2014 - Part 1

Well, as is sadly typical for Drunk Mom, my Nova Scotia Music Week didn’t start as planned. My day got off to a rocky start when, instead of heading to the hotel to suck down whiskey sours and flirt with cute musicians, I spent most of my afternoon in Truro’s (admittedly pretty nice) Emergency Room. Surprisingly, it was an unfortunately-timed bout of strep throat, rather than a booze related catastrophe that landed me there. So instead of a wild night of drunken venue-hopping, I settled into the Holiday Inn with my ice water and penicillin. Lucky for me, the ballrooms were full of good friends, and the stages were stacked with some killer Nova Scotia talent.

When I stumbled into Cam Smith’s show, it was already packed. The crowd was jumping, Cam was sweating and smiling, and the band was killing it. We busted a collective gut when he asked the (largely white) crowd to sing along, but replace a “certain word” with “Ninja”; we happily complied. The smallish Holiday Inn stage was swiftly packed when Cam called folks up on stage to sing along and show off their moves. I’m pretty new to Cam’s music, but I gotta say, it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t help but get instantly drawn into his charming, old school-meets-modern dancey hip-hop, and looking around the room, I clearly wasn’t alone.


As soon Asia and NuGruv took the stage, before they even started playing, I fell in love. Lead singer Asia was clad in my dream outfit, from her gorgeous necklace to the glittery silver platforms. I just about forgot about how dreamy she looked, though, when the band started playing and Asia started singing. If Janet Jackson and Brandy had baby in their 90s prime, she still wouldn’t hold a candle to this phenomenal talent. You can’t beat a band with a keyboard and two horn players, and Asia’s powerful yet sweetly soulful voice is the icing on the cake. Treating the enthusiastic crowd to a mix of classic covers and dynamic originals, the band had us in the palm of their hands in seconds. As soon as I got a few good shots, I had to out the camera away so I could get down and start dancing.

Roxy & The Underground Soul Sound was so infectiously good, I had to see them twice last night! Drunk Mom is a sucker for big voices, saxophone solos, and a well-dressed band, and this talented bunch did not disappoint. When I stumbled (okay, maybe I didn’t stick to water the whole night) into their first set, I heard Giverny ‘Roxy’ Mercier before I could see her. The pint-sized powerhouse was down on the floor, belting it out to the back of the room. A pit stop at a friend’s hotel room meant I only caught the last song, but my heartbreak was short lived when she told us that the band would be back for the late-night show. I returned just in time for Andrew MacKelvie’s first blistering sax solo. It’s no wonder this talented six-piece won this year’s Galaxie Rising Star award; if I had $5000 in my purse I would have handed it over in a second. 

Dreamy, dancey Monomyth were the perfect way to end the first part of my night. They’re funny and tight and each member has the time to shine as they wind through their set. Years of creeping around Halifax’s pubs and house shows means I’ve probably seen each of guitar player Josh Salter’s ten thousand bands about ten thousand times; I think this quartet is my favourite. The receptive crowd, made up of diehards and newly won fans, surged toward the stage as if in a dream, and suddenly I didn’t mind so much my (relative) sobriety. Watching this band, and the spell they cast, reminds me of my favourite trips. I just want to pop these cuties in my pocket and keep them singing in my ear forever.

Stay tuned for more from Drunk Mom!