There were a room full of people who braved the rainy, stormy Ottawa weather on Monday night and gathered to Maverick's to see the infamous Supersuckers, and mesmerizing The BellRays, who haven't performed in Ottawa since 2009.
Arizona's Supersuckers, who have branded themselves as the best rock 'n' roll band in the world, were expected to live up to the hype when they got on stage in front of an excited crowd, and got on stage on time as a trio with front man Eddie Spaghetti, guitarist Marty Chandler and drummer Chris Von Streicher.
It was great to see Spaghetti, who less that two years ago had received a devastating stage 3 throat cancer diagnosis, was looking well and healthy after winning his battle! From the band's early days' punk rock tunes to Evil Powers of RocknRoll to Fisticuffs, the band delivered an hour of badass, middle fingers up in the air rock 'n' roll to satisfy the hungriest rock fans at the venue.
By the time The BellRays climbed on stage, the crowd was warmed up and ready for more.
The dynamics between the front woman Lisa Kekaula, guitarist Bob Vennum and the rest of the band is evident and with Kekaula's lead, the atmosphere at Maverick's was bound to go through the roof.
The BellRays, who combine garage rock with punk and throws in soul influences through Kekaula's amazingly powerful voice, gave their all to the ecstatic audience. Kekaula kept moving across the stage with her tambourine and microphone, making sure the audience knew this was indeed "a REAL rock show", and encouraging the crowd to get wild.
The band started with On Top and Mine All Mine, threw in solid rock pieces such as Power To Burn and Living A Lie, and covered some Led Zeppelin towards the end of their set with Whole Lotta Love.
The absolute hero of the show was the drummer Craig Waters, who brought such intense energy on stage and was undeniably entertaining to watch.
We hope both of these kickass bands will come back to Ottawa to make us sweat again sooner rather than later!
Supersuckers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Bellrays on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
