Crash Test Dummies

Tickets:
View website for more details
Venue:
Club Regent Casino
Address:
1425 Regent Ave W, Winnipeg, MB R2C 3B2
Tel: 204 957 2500 x. 3947
URL: Visit Website

There is no mistaking Brad Roberts' voice. He may look like an average guy, now in his mid- 40s, but then he opens his mouth and his majestic baritone voice immediately conjures fond memories of such Crash Test Dummies hits at "Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm" and "Superman." Perhaps best remembered for the acerbic folk rock sound of 1991's The Ghosts That Haunt Me and 1993's God Shuffled His Feet, there have nonetheless been enough hits for the band over the years to merit a couple of greatest hits packages. Through it all, the band with Roberts at the helm has touched on funk and soul, folk, electronic music and even Christmas tunes. Yet it is Roberts' voice and offbeat lyrical sensibility that have been this beloved band's calling cards since their founding twenty years ago. 

Roberts has come a long way from 2004's dark Songs of the Unforgiven, as a listener will pretty easily hear in "Now You See Her," a song that Roberts proudly calls "Light and cheeky." A happily married man who blogs at www.crashtestdummies.com about, among other things, the wonders of his wife, Roberts just seems happier and more balanced than he has been in the past. The image of a happy artist may be antithetical to the "great art demands suffering" mentality, but in the case of Brad Roberts it's a welcome change of pace that has left him invigorated. 

Roberts has been so revitalized by the making of the new record that the band will tour this summer for the first time since 2004. Crash Test Dummies will perform as an acoustic trio with Ellen and Brad singing and old friend and tour partner Stuart Cameron playing acoustic guitar, much in the spirit of album closer "Put a Face." Rather than try to recreate music that was created with some rather cranky toy instruments never meant for the rigors of a tour, Roberts has opted to present these songs in a straightforward, stripped-down manner. It's a curveball, but the test of a great song is its ability to work in different formats, and these songs, along with classic CTD hits, undoubtedly pass this test. 

"I think that when you are dealing with popular music, unless you have a strong melody, sympathetic chords, and a good set of lyrics you ain't got nothing," Roberts points out. Foreshadowing the highly entertaining shows for which he is so well known, Roberts adds "I want to have a little room to digress into an anecdote while Stuart strums the guitar, if that's what I feel like doing."

LikeThis

Visitor Information

21 Forks Market Road
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R3C 4T7
1 855 PEG CITY (734-2489)

Newsletter Sign-up
Visitor Guide

Visitor Guide

Request our Winnipeg Visitor's Guide. It's FREE!

Order