1 of 4 2 of 4 There was much delight in last Saturday (June 15)’s first show of the Rickshaw’s four 15th anniversary celebrations , but one performer was paying a higher price than others to celebrate the venue and proprietor Mo Tarmohamed: that being Emilor Jayne, vocalist of Pet Blessings and guest bassist for Rong, both of whom played that evening. See, she was playing bass with a broken finger. Headliners Bison were wonderful, as always, playing emotive and passionate sludge, including Dan And’s epic “Wendigo”, a song that had been (mostly) off their setlist for years.
Bison’s James Farwell gave one of the most powerful land acknowledgments this city has seen—yes, there are metal bands that give land acknowledgements—and led the band through a few new songs. (Digression: Bison is at Rain City Recorders with Jesse Gender this month, working on a new album!) There was much talk between songs about loving the Rickshaw, lovingTarmohamed, loving the audience. Cans, glasses, and goats were raised; cheers poured forth from the packed house.
Prior to Bison, New West’s Black Wizard , dormant for some years and sharing a drummer with the night’s shaggier headliners, offered a powerhouse set of stoner metal with a hint of Allman Brothers’ Southern spice—maybe slightly less steeped in pathos than Bison, but equally transcendent, especially when the solos came. Bison. Allan MacInnis But for audience members who’d had a peek behind the scenes, the night’s dr.