7 REASONS THE EARDRUMS ARE WINNIPEG'S BEST LIVE BAND

I'm gonna share a secret with you. I'm gonna introduce you to the best live band in Winnipeg. No, it's not one of our grizzled veteran groups with a couple U.S. chart hits. Nor is it those indie darlings of the month that you heard on Radio 3. In fact, the best live show for your buck is that of a lesser-known Winnipeg trio called The Eardrums.

Tim (vox, guitars, drums), G (vox, drums, guitars, keys) and James (vox, guitars, keys) have been at it for a few years now, and their gigs leave Peg city tongues wagging every time they play, a jagged kaleidoscope of noise, attitude and fun.

I've boiled the pot down to seven main reasons the Eardrums are a must-see.

1. Completely Un-Everything
This is one band that exists entirely outside of any trends, whether current or fading. You can spot elements of punk, blues, new wave and college rock in their songs, but the Eardrums have never made a single compromise for the sake of categorization. The same goes for their stage attire: nary a hipster V-neck, desperate bowtie or ironic muttonchop to be found. In addition to being a refreshing change from the flash-in-the-pan crap the assholes at Pitchfork write about, their absolute independence from trends gives the Eardrums a timeless feel, and inspires confidence in their shelf life.

2. They're Not Great Musicians
The Eardrums aren't technically perfect on their instruments; indeed, far from it. But this apparent weakness is actually one of their biggest strengths. These guys have something more important to do than to nail every note or drum like soulless metronomes: they are putting on a capital-s Show, and one you won't soon forget. Their mistakes are usually incorporated somehow into the performance, either as comedic fodder for the (occasionally vicious) banter between band members, or as an opportunity to turn the affected song onto its head for one night, with new riffs, instruments, even somebody else singing lead.

3. Chaos
As cliché as it sounds, you truly never know what's going to happen when the Eardrums hit the stage. Every show teeters on the very edge between controlled chaos and the Eardrums' own brand of rock 'n roll shambles. Just counting the shows I've been to, I've seen the band invent songs on the spot, a snare drum collapse mid-song (yes, they kept playing), the entire stage covered in juggled drumsticks, spontaneous singalongs with the opening act, and several octaves of F-bombs.

4. Fascinating Genetics
Those interested in just how incredibly different one set of twins can be will marvel at the case study on display here: born only minutes apart in 1983, the Partridge brothers are walking contradictions of each other. Tim is the tall and lean one, jetblack-haired and simmering with cool confidence and rock swagger. Marginally shorter and blond-mopped, G is both the self-deprecating "band fat guy," and the spastic, sneering heart of the Eardrums' punk energy. Watching these two play off each other is something to behold.

5. There Will Be Blood
Sweat in rock music is elementary: any band will sweat for you. Yeah, sweat is almost expected as part of your ticket price. But James (as close as you'll find to a "lead guitarist" in the nebulous terms by which the Eardrums can be defined) will actually bleed for the music. At one legendary show last winter, he dropped his guitar pick during a particularly savage performance of "Shot Down Babe," but so great is his commitment to the rock that he would not stop fiercely strumming to retrieve the pick. Soon enough his fingers split open, and the audience saw his pale guitar slowly being splattered with bright red rock and effing roll, as the song blazed on. \m/

6. Songs In Flux
You really shouldn't skip an Eardrums show, because you never know what step you might miss in a particular song's constant metamorphosis. In short, their tunes will rarely sound the same twice. The band is fond of recontextualizing their songs in different genres, arrangements, even different languages from one gig to the next. Trying to pin down a definitive version of crowd favourites like "Idiot Convention" or "Saturated Matches" is futile, and by the time you chose one, they'd probably be doing it as a razor-edged distorto-polka anyway.

7. Rock Lobster
Quite simply, they do the best B-52's cover you are ever likely to hear.