  The Sadies |
Just think of The Sadies as the band with 1,000 faces.
Over the course of their career -- between drawing on roots, surf, and garage rock influences for a series of well-received alt-country albums -- they've teamed with a Who's Who of collaborators, among them Neko Case, R&B legend Andre Williams, and Mekons frontman Jon Langford.
Their latest album -- a live double-disc recorded over two nights at Lee's Palace last winter -- features cameos from all of the above, as well as Jon Spencer, Garth Hudson and Gary Louris of The Jayhawks. And when they hit the Pyramid tonight, they'll share the stage with Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor, whose new solo record they also grace.
"There are a lot of different elements to The Sadies besides just being The Sadies," says drummer Mike Belitsky from his home in Toronto. "It broadens our horizons as songwriters or performers ... Sometimes it's really challenging, but other times it's like you've just come through the fire."
Speaking of challenging, Belitsky says the logistics behind The Sadies In Concert shows were taxing but resulted in a pretty transcendent live disc on which the party atmosphere is more than apparent.
"We just have really cool friends and fans. The friends who were performing all stepped up to the plate, and in the end it was infectious how excited we were, and that spread to the crowd."
The band (Belitsky, bassist Sean Dean and guitar-slinger brothers Dallas and Travis Good) toned down the antics a bit for Aphrodite Rose, the third solo outing from Keelor. The disc follows on the heels of two "diary records" from Keelor; the first about his search for his biological mother, the second a response to his father's death.
"Yeah, the first record was my searching record, and the second was like a map of my mourning," Keelor says. "The only real subtext to this one was that I wanted to do it all myself ... but I only got about halfway through, then I called in my friends The Sadies."
Keelor credits them with reviving his interest in the music biz after it flagged.
"You can get into a rut for a few years, and not even know it," he says. "The Sadies happened on to the scene , and I was in that rut, and they reminded me of what music was capable of. They just have this sound -- a certain sound."
Though Keelor's spot with Blue Rodeo is still secure (the band plans to start work on a new album soon), he also counts himself a fan of playing outside his comfort zone.
"It's nice to stumble along and just see what emerges," he says. "To move into that territory where you're just giving yourself over."
Tickets to tonight's show are $25 through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.ca or 780-3333) or the Pyramid.
