OLD JOE AND THE TRUTH HURTS

From 'The Sheaf':

Old Joe doesn’t hurt

Crystal Clarke

I was surprised to find Louis’ packed when I arrived at the Old Joe and the Truth Hurts show. Maybe Smith had just finished their set and Eliza and Melissa, from the local band The Cracker Cats, were getting ready for their part of the opening set. The Cracker Cats have a reputation as being a lively dancing country band and they got many people from the crowd on their feet. The crowd was more than warmed up for more dancing by the time they were finished their short set, and dance they did.
Old Joe and the Truth Hurts started playing shows last February, with their CD Release show being their tenth show together. Due to the somewhat annoying all-ages status of the show, many people obviously had a good time, including the over twenty musicians that took part in the show with the band. The band played a mosaic of music from country with a stand-up bass to some experimental rock. They played covers, they played originals, they had lots of help with horns, whistling, and drumming.
Lead singer, Joe, played an array of instruments from acoustic guitar to mandolin to the keyboard. According to their website, www.truthhurts.ca, Joe is an instrument collector. He also happens to play stand-up bass for the Cracker Cats. The other band members also switched up their instruments among each other throughout the show. A common question of the night was, “Do they all play twelve instruments or what?” It was definitely an amazing show, even if their style wasn’t your thing.
As Joe said, to introduce one of their songs, “This song is a little different from our other songs, but then all of our songs are different from all of our songs.” This definitely proved true throughout the show, as Colin from Maybe Smith, an electronic band, played with the band on one song and then Melissa from the Cracker Cats, a high-energy country band, played on another song. The big finale came at the end of the show when all the musicians got on stage to play the final song, before the encore.
The musical mosaic portrayed seemed to reach out to all audience members, young and old. I very much enjoyed the show, even though not all the songs tickled my fancy. One could not help but appreciate the music diversity within the band itself as well as the accompanying musicians. Not only that, the band seemed to have an endless amount of energy throughout the show.

Epic guitar rippery and relentless marimba

Old Joe and the Truth Hurts
Album: Book of Old Joe
Label: Independent
Released: 2004
Rating: 4 dirty hippies outa 5

Jeff MacDonald

Every once in a while a new album comes out, or a band surfaces on the local music scene that gets everyone talking. Adjectives, nouns, verbs and whatever else the aficionados (or elitists) seem to think apply get thrown around (hopefully not verbs), and a group just might be called “the best band in the city.” Groans, grumbles, and now more verbs come up, and debate necessarily ensues. Eventually the criteria for “best band” are questioned, and things fall apart. The one criterion that should never be questioned is “lack of suck.” A band certainly must not suck to be called the best band in the city.
Now a debut album is being released by Old Joe and the Truth Hurts, called “The Book of Old Joe,” which follows up from an earlier solo album called A Romantic Evening with Old Joe, and this album could certainly launch the band into the field of contention for the aforementioned title. These guys have been playing together for close to a year now, and do a lot more than simply not suck.
In order to avoid the criterion of locality being debated, it will only be said that they hail from the ‘nether-regions’ of Saskatchewan. However, it is worth noting that their musical talents have in the past been displayed with such bands as Pangaea, Chesterfield, The New Jacobin Club, John Howard and the Fine Options, and too many more to list. This list should suggest to you that they are experienced, and have a heck of a variety of material behind them. Both factors contribute greatly to the greatness of the band and their first album as a group.
The album opens up with ‘Going to Arizona’, which really makes you want to stop listening to it in your cold basement, and follow the guidance of Old Joe’s lyrics. After that, local whistling great, Neil Fink, performs the heck out of what might have been just a background part if not for his passion. Whistling and great horns aside, Old Joe also makes sure that the nigh-epic guitar rippery, and relentless marimba are not forgotten, and accompany the listener on a “journey o’ Joe”, if you will, that can never be returned from.
If you want blues, eastern-European Gypsy rock, speed metal, funk, or brilliant and sometimes euphoric guest appearances by members of bands ranging from The Plan to the Cracker Cats, you will likely find it either at their CD release party at Louis’ on Friday night or by picking up their CD at your neighbourhood music store.

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