Panic
at the Reading Well January 24.07
The
One Day Late show on January 4th, 2007 was the first really loud
show to be held at the Reading Well Bookstore. In all of the shows
previous to this one it had been predominantly acoustic or at
the most minimalist electric. When we decided to get loud, we
really went for it. I booked Cape Breton pop punk band, One Day
Late, alongside local screamo acts Enraged Entity and Saint Jean.
The Barnkats had been pretty much a staple of almost all of the
Reading Well Shows, and their quirky folk-pop stylings could not
be denied, so they were included on the bill as well.
My
friend Janette was in the neighbourhood and decided to bring along
The Wrath Anarchist Zine Distro to setup at the show. The Wrath
had been very active in the Charlottetown music community for
years previous with anarchist/feminist literature and even setting
up Food Not Bombs related events. The collective had been inactive
for some time as the members had moved off-Island, but Janette
had recently decided to resurrect the collective out of Victoria,
BC. Needless to say, I was very excited to hear that the collective
was active again after it had been such a positive force in Charlottetown.
On
this night The Reading Well was packed with show goers and literature
enthusiasts. The show itself almost didn't survive after a misfire
on the sound equipment; PA's can be such a hassle. Leading up
to the show we couldn't find a single PA to use, so I approached
One Day Late who offered to bring a mixer with them. I procured
speakers and anxiously awaited the arrival of the band and mixer.
As soon as they arrived we rushed the mixer in, plugged it in,
and turned it on... nothing. It turned out that we required a
power-mixer, and they had only brought a regular mixer. Disaster!
The
Barnkats were forced to play without a PA (which had been the
norm at previous Reading Well shows), but we all knew that without
a PA and with such loud bands to follow, the show would be doomed
if we couldn't find a power mixer. I dragged Connor St Jean out
of the venue and we raced around Charlottetown in search for a
damned power mixer. The music stores were closed for the day so
renting was not an option, we made our way to the House of Rock
but had no luck in tracking down what we needed. Connor came up
with the idea of trying his friend Derrick's place. We rushed
over unnannounced and subsequently woke him up. He delievered
an old busted up power mixer with a glorious wood casing. We had
been saved.
We
rushed back to the Reading Well just as the Barnkats were finishing
their last chorus. We fired the old mixer up and heard a glorious
hum coming through the speakers; the show had been saved. Days
later the mixer ultimately died, but on this night it had one
last hurrah.
Photos
Courtesy of Ian Fildes
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