I started this BYD blog a few weeks ago. The intent is to share music that we love with our fans. For the first real post though, I thought I'd share my thoughts with my favorite place in Moncton - Plan B!. I look forward to posting some good tunage for everybody!
Erik
I should warn you that I'm not a writer or blogger......but I thought I needed to write this for everyone who loves Plan B as much as I do.
How you've come a long way my friends! I woke up much earlier then I usually do today. My brother needed a babysitter this morning while he ran errands. So while I was driving to his house I was listening to CBC Radio and a song came on. I swear Music is the closest thing mankind has to a time machine. The song took me back to a cold evening at Plan B almost 2 years ago. But before I tell what song that was, I want to tell you about my first time.......at Plan B!
When I came home from Alberta, starting a band was my first priority. But I had also promised myself that I would make music a much bigger part of my life. I arrived back in Moncton in October 2008. When I arrived I had a number of things to do. Find a job, find a place to stay, reconnect with old friends.......come March 2009 I had found all those things and more. I met Celine. We fell in love instantly and It only took two weeks before we decided to move in together. We found a really nice apartment at the corner of St George & Robinson. Right around the corner from Plan B. We were there for maybe a couple of weeks when I caught wind that an alt-country band from Toronto would be playing at the still named ''Five Points Lounge''. I always thought 5 Points Lounge was some sketchy St George bar where I wouldn't even dare set foot in. I might have been wrong about the place but I don't think I was the only person to think that. Anyway, Celine & I decided that we would walk the 30 seconds and check out this band. We walked in the place and I only saw one familiar face; Brock Gallant. He was kind of running around everywhere and I never really had a chance to say ''Hi Brock, remember me? We met at The Canmore Hotel when The Divorcees played there once'' There were only a few other people there. I think half of those people were in the band. I still remember that big chandelier hanging off the ceiling to the left of the stage. If you were about 6 feet tall, you had to either duck or risk knocking your forehead real good on the damn thing! The band walked on stage.......the lights never went dim, Brock kinda looked nervous tinkering with the PA. Then the band started to play and FLOORED me. The band is called One Hundred Dollars and I think it's the first touring band Brock booked at the bar. Their performance was absolutely fantastic. They were returning from a gig in New York City and two of their members had quit on the way to Moncton. So the band played with 2 people missing from the roster. On top of that, I found out later when I chatted with them that their guitar player had leukemia and was taking his treatments ON TOUR! Everything about this band inspired me. I bought a 7'' from them at double their price and still spin it to this day. I knew from then on that there was something about this bar and that we were only witnessing the beginning
Plan B has come a long way since that night. The chandelier is gone. The stage is bigger. You can find great live music there almost every night of the week. From country to metal. The bar has an amazing clientele of music fans, artists, boozers and everything in between. I've watched the progression happen right from the sidelines and loved every minute of it. While Moncton has recently lost one of it's beloved venues I've been fortunate to never actually feel that loss because you've always been THE venue for me these last 2 years. And in my opinion you've changed the musical landscape in Moncton. Everyone knows that Moncton is known for it's punk & metal scenes but suddenly it doesn't seem that way anymore. I've watched people rocking out to country & bluegrass from both on & off the stage. I've seen singer-songwriters sing to a bar full of people and I could swear I heard a pin drop.
So back to my morning commute. My eyes are heavy and my cigarette taste like shit. The DJ at CBC introduces the next song but I'm not even listening. Then the music plays.. ..''Good time Charlie was alive in 1969...'' I met Ryan Boldt from The Deep Dark Woods at Plan B right before they graced the stage. He was a really mellow guy and didn't really say much. But he was very nice and once you got the conversation going he opened up quite a bit. I asked him how the tour was going. He said really well. I asked him where the next stop was and he said in Halifax. ''we're in Halifax tomorrow actually. He were chosen to write a song about Saskatchewan for the CBC Song Quest and we have to record it tomorrow'' Ryan told me he wasn't really sure about the song and that the band still hadn't heard it. He explained that he wrote the song about a bar in I think Regina. He said it used to be this dive bar that for some reason people loved going to. It was a rough kind of place and that it had recently closed it's doors and lots of people were saddened with the whole thing. I had never heard of The Deep Dark Woods but when they took the stage I was immediately hooked. A really great Canadian band that should go a long way. I think everyone in the audience felt really privileged to see such a great band in such an intimate venue. A few months later I finally heard the song they recorded. It's called ''Good Time Charlie's'' and I think it's one of the best Canadian songs written. You can agree or disagree with that but you have to admit, it's a really great song.
So the music time machine took me back to Plan B this morning when ''Good Time Charlie's'' came on. I started thinking of all the good time's I've had a Plan B and I hope to have many more. Happy birthday Plan B! You've always been there for me and I love you for that! Thanks Tracy, Brock, Meadow and all of the staff there yesterday, today & tomorrow!
