Jr. Pantherz CD/LP Release Party - October 27, 2007

I got to Amigo's late as I was hanging out with some new amigos earlier in the night. However, I definitely wanted to go because I knew the Junior Pantherz (JPZ) would not disappoint... and they didn't!

The opening band was a local Saskatoon band called Golden Smoke. This band is a montage of Saskatoon indie rockers and play quite a few shows around these parts. I wasn't super impressed with their show, but I think they have potential. They might just not be my cup of tea.

The JPZ show started out with the first song off of the new album, revoice.remain called "On and Off" and they continued from there. They played every song on the album from start to back. If their goal was to inspire people to buy their album, it was a great effort. I went home with the new album, a favorite song off the album ("Least Favorite View"), and their new vinyl album Discover Vinyl, which is a compilation of songs off of previous albums. The JPZ have a great rapport on stage and are a very tight band. S.J. (bass and backing vocals) and Maygen Kardash (keys and backing vocals) must get along as siblings if they can get along in a band. Arnold Van Lambalgen II (drums) keeps a good rhythm as he closes his eyes, bows his head, and tries to disappear behind the front line. Tonight JPZ had lots of help from other local artists on violin and horns. It really shows how Saskatoon's musicians are interconnected and help each other to fill out a concert.

During the show, I moved to the back of the room and watched from afar to get a different perspective other than standing at the front of the stage. I witnessed something that I haven't seen much of in my years of going to shows at Amigo's - a band doing some crowd control. There was a guy wigging out in the front of the stage and the crowd had moved away from him. He must have hit Terry Mattson's (lead guitarist and vocalist) guitar. Mattson told the guy through the microphone not to "touch [his] fucking guitar," which surprised me because Mattson always seems like a laid-back guy. After a few more moments, he got the guy kicked out. I respect him for that because it takes a good band leader to notice crowd dynamics and see that someone is disrupting the flow and enjoyment of the crowd.

The sound at the beginning of the show wasn't great, but it definitely got better as the show went on. Ryan Drabble definitely works hard, though, to keep the bands and the crowd happy with his constant adjusting of the levels. As much as I love Amigo's, I think this town needs a venue that starts early and has a high stage. After going to The Distrikt in Regina to see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (although the sound there wasn't great either), I feel like we don't have a venue like that. There is definitely enough demand for another mid-sized venue.

All-in-all, the show was good. JPZ definitely delivered once again! As we knew they would.

Crystal's rating: 7/10