The Middle Coast, a Winnipeg-based band, performed a high-energy concert at the Prince of Wales Complex auditorium on March 3. The event was part of the Stars for Saskatchewan series organized by the Assiniboia and District Arts Council and the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils.
Despite their youth, the band members, Liam Duncan, Dylan MacDonald and Roman Clarke, are seasoned musicians playing and performing since childhood in their native Brandon. The Middle Coast is a fairly new band for the trio, having been together for about a year. While they don’t have their first album yet, they have been racking up the kilometres touring and playing in various venues.
The band’s own compositions were performed with simple lyrics but strong resonant melodies. Surprisingly, many of the group’s song like “Paycheck” were melancholic and sorrowful, in contrast to the easy-going cheerfulness of the group members’ stage presence. MacDonald tried to explain this disparity by joking with the audience that the band’s songwriter “got a lot of mileage from breaking up with a girlfriend.”
Before the break, the trio surprised the audience with a sweet-sounding a capella piece underscoring the trio’s singing abilities. Based on the audience’s head-bobbing reaction, the favourite of the night was the three-song mash up of Elvis Presley’s biggest hits.
They did justice to the King of Rock ‘n Roll with featured instrument solos by each of the band members. The audience was wowed by Duncan’s keyboard rift in “I’m All Shook Up”, MacDonald’s guitar in “Hound Dog” and Clarke’s expert drumming in “Blue Suede Shoes.”
The Middle Coast gave a refreshing and energetic stage performance and took care to connect with the audience by telling their story between songs. If the Assiniboia performance was anything to go by, the group has “more than a middle” bright road ahead.
