It's every Canadian band's worst nightmare: On the way to KEXP in Seattle, the Toronto trio Elliott Brood got stuck at the border. It took the group two and a half hours to travel a quarter of a mile into the U.S. Everyone at the station let out a big sigh of relief when its van pulled into the parking lot, and the guys wasted no time getting set up in our performance space.
Maybe it was the pent-up energy of being trapped in the van for so long, or the adrenaline rush of hurrying to the station, but Elliott Brood kicked out an incredibly rousing performance that Monday afternoon. It was great hearing live versions of tracks from the recent Mountain Meadows, and band even treated us to a couple of older tracks.
The sound was huge for just three guys, and host Stevie Zoom told me later that each member was using every limb to play a different instrument. They joked that band member Casey Laforet played the "pian-toe," using his feet to play a keyboard while also playing bass.
Elliott Brood describes its music as "death country," and as its members explained to Stevie, there's a macabre story behind the new album. But in person, its members were just as nice as could be, joking around and in great spirits. Frontman Mark Sasso even dedicated a song to his mom.
Once it was over, they piled back into the van, heading out to what we hoped were much smoother travels.
Originally recorded Sept. 22, 2008.
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