PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Eveniko Presents The Damn Truth – Now Or Nowhere Worldwide Record Release Experiment Livestream concert from a church in Montreal, Canada on Wednesday, June 9th
Montreal’s The Damn Truth delivers a truly memorable concert showcasing their new album Now Or Nowhere. Filmed in a church in Montreal. The band was enthusiastic to get back up on the stage and show the world what it’s been missing.
The concert begins with the focus on an empty table with four chairs. Then as the camera rolls, it hones in on the band in conversation. The spotlight of which centres around past stage appearances, band rehearsals and videos. And the bands working with Grammy Award-winning producer Bob Rock.
This short prelude brings the viewer up to date from where the band was, to where they are now. As drummer Dave Traina recalls Bob Rock telling the band ‘This song, is who you are now!’
A clever lead into their opener as the flamboyant 70s quartet leave the table and make their way to the stage to deliver a killer set of their new album ‘Now Or Nowhere‘.
Stepping back to the 60s singer/guitarist Lee-la is dressed in a short mini dress, shorts and cowboy boots. As she bursts into the opening bars of their thunderous current single This Is Who We Are Now. The eagle-eyed will spot it’s the same outfit she wore for the making of the video for this song. Not to be outdone. The guys in the band don a mass of hippie jewellery, velvet flares, leather trousers and eye-catching shirts. Put together it makes a striking onstage ensemble.
Shooting stars in the making, The Damn Truth is a modern virtuoso with a psychedelic soul. The sound is big, bold and powerful. They have been circulating the orbit for the last decade, playing their own brand of blues-inspired rock and roll.
You get an inside edge from the band and the damn truth about the making of ‘Now or Nowhere’.
After their first song, the camera pans from the stage back to the table setting with the band. There isn’t an apparent interviewer but before each of the nine album tracks is played you get an inside edge from the band and the damn truth about the making of ‘Now or Nowhere’.
The rockumentary style pre-song album discussion added an interesting aspect to their 90-minute set but it distracted you from the live performance. With plenty of stage banter and stories from the band throughout, adding the conversation at the end of the set would’ve made for a good fan bonus.
Frontwoman Lee-la is brimming with joy on stage ‘welcoming and thanking all the beautiful people for joining them tonight, so they can play their new songs live. There’s a pulsating vibe and you can feel it coming at you through the screen, if it was live, live, it would be electrifying.
Melodic country grass blues, riffing solos and pounding drums makeup Tomorrow with added backing vox from both guitarist Tom Shemer and bassist PY as they join forces, playing back to back, instruments in the air for extra impact.
The Damn Truth does cross overs damn well!
Lee-La effortlessly eases between velvety smooth high octaves and gritty, husky vocals. Whilst the band deliver a classic rock opus song after song. Tinged with glorious ’70s sounding deep basslines and smouldering guitar solo’s, even drummer Dave Traina gets his spotlight moment on Get With You
‘Mmmmmm’s and seductive whispering entice you on the familiar song Lonely. To add oomph two additional backing singers, one with an acoustic guitar make their appearance on the stage. There’s no bullshit as this lonely montage justifies itself with tub-thumping beats and melding guitars. It’s great to see the band losing themselves in their music as they pile in for a good old stage jam!
Bursting in to bloom for a Bob Dylan-esque style, romp. Lee-la swaps her electric guitar for acoustic on Everything Fades it’s the only acoustic song on the set and the last one chosen by The Damn Truth to be added to the album Now or Nowhere.
Taking up the pace with a heavy dose of drum and baselines, Lee-la’s bewitching presence and raw sounding vocals are mesmerising on The Fire. The deep rock vibes keep growing and as the band gathers momentum you can really feel their passion for getting back on the stage. From full-on guitars to some spectacular shape throwing by the axemen that leads to a few stage slides bringing you that rock and roll pizzaz.
A hefty dose of duelling guitars from Lee-La and Tom as they open up album closer Shot Em. Baum’s unfaltering vocals bring this almost ballad-like pièce de résistance to an explosive finale.
Now the truth is coming out to play
As The Damn Truth blaze through the remainder of their set without the interruption of the backstage rockumentary. This is when you start to get a real feel for the band’s lustre on stage.
The band can’t wait to bring their show on the road. Launching into Pirates and Politicians it’s explosive drumbeat march, has more swagger than Jagger.
Encouraged by their own enthusiasm, and raucousness TDT are just damn proud of what they have achieved and that’s evident in their performance tonight.
If Metallica did the blues this would be the sound!
Taking the opportunity to enhance the raunchiness of Get With You Lee-la shakes her maracas like a woman possessed by the music they are making. Keeping the shaking going on, Broken Blues is dark and heavy and edgier, perhaps the influence of Bob Rock has inspired this arrangement – If Metallica did the blues this would be the sound!
I did pick up from the backstage chat that guitarist Shemar would love to write a Kinks song. Well, I think they do have that essence on Devilish Folk, the styling is akin to Sunny Afternoon by the Kinks. The backing singers reappear for this penultimate song of the set. Like a set of scales, they balance the harmonies against the bluster and reverb.
Thanking the crowd for ‘hanging out with them tonight’ Lee-La expresses her love at what’s being a tumultuous couple of years for the band and everyone.
Encore
There wasn’t an encore as such just the stage lights being dimmed as the big beats of Heart is Cold pounds and fills the air. The performance reminds me of a mix between Juliette Lewis and the Licks meets Mott The Hoople.
Ending with Lee-la laying flat-out on stage, this would be the part where the audience would be screaming for an encore.
The album Now or Nowhere was produced by legendary Grammy Award-winning record producer, Bob Rock, and is available from www.thedamntruth.com.
Setlist – * Denotes songs from their new album “Now Or Nowhere” (2021) / / ^Denotes songs from their 2016 sophomore album “Devilish Folk” // $ Denotes songs from their 2012 debut album “Dear In The Headlights”
- This Is Who We Are Now
- Tomorrow
- Only Love
- Lonely
- Everything Fades
- The Fire
- Look Innocent
- Full on You
- Shot Em
^ Pirates and Politicians
^ Get With You
$ Too Late
^ Broken Blues
$ Kinda Awkward
^ Devilish Folk
^ Heart is Cold
The Damn Truth is:
LEE-LA BAUM – VOCALS, GUITAR, TAMBOURINE
TOM SHEMER – GUITARS, KEYBOARDS, MANDOLIN, TAMBOURINE, VOCALS
PY LETELLIER – BASS GUITAR, TAMBOURINE, VOCALS
DAVE TRAINA – DRUMS, VOCALS
