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Is holding a party for yourself and inviting people to literally sing your praises cool?
Or just kind of sad?
When you're as under-appreciated and unsung as Canadian veterans The Rheostatics it's merely necessary.
Band member Dave Bidini says it's part of the reason for their annual December stand at the famous T.O. watering hole The Horseshoe Tavern, which sees them perform all of the material from their rich 25-year career, as well as a show which features them backing other vocalists interpreting their work.
"In a weird way, after the first time we did it, five years ago, we thought, 'Isn't this a little like staging a mini tribute to ourselves?' and we felt a little guilty," Bidini laughs.
"And really because we've been so, by the industry and stuff, under-recognized in a way -- we've never been asked to play the Junos or anything like that -- we kind of thought 'Well, we sort of have to start doing our own thing, we have to start recognizing ourselves to get any kind of profile in terms of that sense.'
"But part of it, too, is some people look at us and go, 'They've been around for that long, have they ever really been that good to sustain this middle line for so long.' One of the reason for doing these stands is to flex our muscles just a little bit."
Vocal visitors
Next week, Tuesday to Jan. 14 at the Big Secret Theatre, they'll bring the idea and their legacy to the High Performance Rodeo, with Friday night featuring a best of show with Calgary artists taking turn on vocals, including Falconhawk's Kara Keith, Kris Demeanor, Chris Vail, Chantal Vitalis and Lorrie Matheson, who assembled the local talent.
Bidini admits having others, including people you're unfamiliar with, sing your material while you play it is like "rolling the dice," but it's also, again, a nice tribute to the lasting power of The Rheostatics and their material.
As for the rest of the week, that, too, should give a good indication of why they're still around, featuring as it will, The Rheostatics performing five of their albums in their entirety and in order, with Tuesday featuring Whale Music, Wednesday Melville, Thursday Group of Seven and Jan. 14 2067.
The fifth show is a matinee on Jan. 14 featuring the band performing their wonderful musical children's story Harmelodia, which, Bidini jokes, audiences of "kids and stoners" will love because of the songs, narration and other surprises. "All those Yellow Rabbit guys are around, too, so maybe they can come do a little something in there as well," he says.
"I haven't broken the news to them that they'll be deployed somehow, so we'll see."
Actually, it's being billed as a kids' show and knowing the troupe's penchant for dropping trou and flashing boob maybe Harmelodia isn't the best use of the Rabbits.
But, not to worry, Bidini, author of a number of books including a couple on hockey, has another project in the works.
"I wrote these five erotic hockey stories and they were actually looking for a home of some sort, and the One Yellow Rabbit guys have glommed onto them. They want to develop them into these five little pieces that I think they're planning on staging a year from now."
Ah, a marriage made in heaven. "And," Bidini says with a cackle, "a little bit of hell."