Live To Air/Heir To Live
by Trevor Kealey

November 8th, 2004

In an attempt to clean up the sometimes crass writing that plagues The Setback's website, I am going to recount the events of two days last week in a more concise manner. Read on:

LIVE TO AIR

On Thursday evening past, The Setbacks were invited to join the ever cordial Charles Anthony live on the airwaves of Ottawa’s local radio station CKCU. Because it is a community radio station, a pre determined amount of the required operational budget must be obtained through donations by listeners, loyal and casual alike. The occasion of our live performance would fall within the weeks known as the “funding drive” and as a result, we were to attempt to glean money from said listeners.

The hour of our performance was to be from midnight to 2am, and as such, we were expected at the studio at 11pm. Due to scheduling conflicts, Steve would meet us at the studio, Chet and I would fetch the equipment, and Chris had arranged yet again to avoid any, and all, exercise which required lifting our gear by claiming he would be downtown already. Somehow, this excuse worked despite the fact that we would all be downtown already.

Chet and I arrived at the studio on time, and began setting up our gear in a room not much bigger than the average household washroom. Studio B, as it is known, was where we would play, and Charles would broadcast from the next room over, which one could assume was Studio A. As we set up the gear and Charles and the ever efficient Chris Ikonomopolous (forgive me if this is incorrect spelling) prepped the sound equipment, a disturbing phone message arrived. Steve’s vehicle had suffered a flat tire in the City of Hull, and Chris was picking him up. As a result, they would be late. Though we managed to quell the rising panic, the tension in the studio was high.

Thankfully, as zero hour approached, a second phone call advised us as to their arrival, though they were slightly lost in the building, attempting unsuccessfully to reach the 5th floor. After sorting that detail out, we did a quick sound check and were prepared for our first on air performance. At precisely midnight, Charles queued up the theme music and we were off. For two hours we poured our hearts and souls across the airwaves into the homes of millions of music fans, insomniacs, and alcoholics. Playing both new songs and old, we managed to fill the two hours with sweet, sleak rock and roll and idle, idiotic chit chat.

As the evening wore on, the temperature in the tiny, airtight Studio we were playing in began to rise substantially. Towards the end of the 2 hours, it was a legitimate concern that Chris had lost upwards of 15 pounds in sweat. Thankfully he survived because he was wearing Umbro shorts, designed by Italians, for Italians.

Much to the surprise of Charles Anthony, many listeners called in and donated money to the station, surpassing his goal of $200 in two hours. In fact doubling it, thereby “warming his heart”. Big thanks to Ingrid and friends for a huge donation, Maritia for calling from Edmonton, a fellow named Larry, and Jimmy's Garage for pitching in, as well as the many other callers and donaters.

Highlights of the show include a stellar version of our new song The Music is the Medicine, and closing out the show with unrecorded classic Can’t Ride These Trails. Lowlights included butchering two AC/DC songs for a caller named Alan who would only pledge money on that condition. We only hope that listeners did not form a negative opinion of the Setbacks based on those songs.

After our performance, Chet and I returned to our respective homes while Steve and Chris went back to Hull to retrieve Steve’s abandoned vehicle. Not an envious task.

HEIR TO LIVE

The following night we had been invited to participate in the CKCU Funding Drive Wrap Up party, sharing the stage with the Double Pumpers, South of 78, and the Banditas. We arrived at Babylon, a lovely club that would be hosting the evening’s goings on, only slightly behind schedule. We were given opportunity to check our sound, as is customary at these types of events, before the general public were given access to the venue.

During this closed-door session, we met a few of the CKCU dj’s, many of whom had been spinning our tunes over the last few years. It was an exciting opportunity to put faces to the voices, some of whom had lavished wonderful praises upon us. Chris Ikonomopolous was again on hand, and presented us with a double cd copy of our on air performance from the previous night.

We retreated to Quiznos for a quick repast, dining on delicious toasted sandwiches and fountain colas. The sustenance would serve us well later in the evening. After our meal, we popped into the Aloha Room for an ale or two to pass the time until the general public were allowed into Babylon. Steve spent an exorbitant amount of time using the bar’s facilities, perhaps battling with the aforementioned Quizno’s delicacies.

Near the hour of nine, we returned to Babylon to prepare for the performance. We sipped on some Steamwhistle beer, which is the choice beer for giving away to bands for free due to its inability to sell. In the backstage area, we were regaled with stories by Brian Curry of South of 78, telling tales of his time with local pop/punk outfit Punhcbuggy, who had achieved mild fame in the 90’s. On the other side of the room, sound man Justin was recounting an event featuring his band to some other listeners, including Heather Osborne of CKCU. I was content to sit in the middle, quietly slipping from one conversation to the next, soaking in the ambiance and centering myself for our set.

The Banditas went on first, and Chris was quit interested in the stand-up drummer, comparing him to Jian Gomeshi of Moxy Fruvous, as he does with any drummer. We went on second and attempted to demolish the club with rock. Drawing on songs predominantly from our newest Extended Play CD entitled One Track Mind, we successfully invigorated the crowd, and vanquished all impure souls. South of 78 wowed the crowed with their twangy rock, showcasing Brian Curry’s chops. The Double Pumpers finished off the night with their bluesy garage sound, tighter than ever. It was a perfect finish to a beautiful evening.

In all, a successful, sleep deprived two days for the Setbacks. We will now retreat to the rehearsal space for some songwriting and emerge in January ready to destroy again.