Mike O'Neill, the bass-playing half of The Inbreds, is back with a new band called The Beginners (see Chart Attack for a refresher on what he's been up to in recent years). The band played as part of the Over the Top Fest last month. The set was a little loose but fun all the same and peppered with songs from O'Neill's solo albums, like Are We Waiting and Camera Shy from 2000's What Happens Now?. Additionally, I can report that I've now seen a band begged for an encore but lacking enough material to comply. They tried valiantly though, botching at least one song part way through, so credit for effort.
Opening acts Laura Peek and Will Currie & the Country French both delivered entertaining sets. Peek played solo, commenting that she'd left her band, the Winning Hearts, in Halifax due to financial constraints (the life of an independent musician isn't so glamorous). To like - her shy but friendly interaction with the crowd between songs and her discerning musical taste in choosing to cover The Magnetic Fields' I Don't Really Love You Anymore. A bright future for Peek may well be in store.
Will Currie & the Country French were a big ball of fun musically (think of the energy of Ben Folds Five), but Currie's between songs banter needs a bit of fine-tuning. The Country French's piano-centric tunes were super-catchy and the whole band, particularly Aaron Mariash who drummed with panache, seemed to be having a great time (visit their youtube channel for behind the scenes tour shenangians). Locals would be wise to see them soon, before their album, A Great Stage, blows up and tickets are hard to come by. They play tonight at NXNE.
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