MISS QUINCY at the Byng Roadhouse, Wednesday March 6, 2013, 8pm. Heather Gemmell and the Peaks opened for Miss Quincy.

         I have an aversion to loud drummers and, for me, the drummer for Miss Quincy was too loud. As a result any review by me of Miss Quincy will lack objectivity. On the other hand Brian Noer of the The Peaks is into really, really loud music so he is right at home in reviewing Miss Quicy. To use his words – “I love hearing music that wouldn’t be out of place in a Tarantino or David Lynch film set in some sleazy, smoky bar in a small town in Mexico, with slow droning, reverb drenched guitars, a walking bass, sultry vocals and plenty of tequila shots. I thought Miss Quincy pulled off the vibe they were going for, and I bought one of their CDs. My barometer for what kind of music captures the attention of “normal” people (as opposed to opinionated musicians like me) is women and children. Once in a while, I’ll put on a CD and someone in my family will ask me who that is (it doesn’t happen too often given the heavier music that I prefer). I was playing the Miss Quincy CD in my studio the other day and my wife poked her head in and said, “Wow, I like that; who is it?” Maybe she was just happy I wasn’t playing Slayer. Never-the-less as a barometer I think it works”.

The opening act of the evening was Heather Gemmell and The Peaks (Heather – guitars and vocals , Podier Atto – drums and Brian Noer – bass) and they were at the top of their game on Wednesday night. So much so I think they upstaged the headliners (Miss Quincy). Heather’s choice of solid body guitars sounded great and the little bit of slide guitar towards the end of their set was the icing on the cake. Podier Atto abandoned his “rubber” electronic drum kit  (Ferdy’s words) and made use of Miss Quincy’s acoustic set. He had the right amount of volume, sizzle and sparkle on the acoustic set and there is no doubt metal cymbals have a bit more “zing” than their electronic cousins.  Brian Noer did not look as cute as the “dreaded” girl on the upright bass in Miss Quincy’s band  but then again we were not there for his looks. Brian, in his own defence said “we have yet to see him in his little black dress” . Now that would be worth the price of admission.

– Rod Wilson and Brian Noer.

More images from the evening (click on the images for a larger view):

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