NO CRABS IN THIS BUCKET: K-Os brings joyful rebellion to Homecoming weekend

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The Ontarion
Arts & Culture
October 6, 2005
NO CRABS IN THIS BUCKET: K-Os brings joyful rebellion to Homecoming weekend.
Written by Meghan Moloney

The first time I saw Kevin Brereton perform in concert, it was April, 2002. My friends and I had been waiting outside Ottawa's Congress Centre for eight hours, in the freezing wind, to see Swollen Members open for Nelly Furtado. But when the first opening act came on stage, all we saw was a guy sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar. At 17, I knew next to nothing about the indie hip-hop scene that was slowly emerging from Toronto. But by the end of that short opening set, I was a huge fan of the man now known as k-os.

A lot has changed since then. The success of his 2002 album, Exit, garnered widespread media attention, and his follow-up--Joyful Rebellion, released last year--has brought k-os even more acclaim from fans and music critics nationwide. This is an accomplishment that many artists never experience with their second album. Even if you don't own Joyful Rebellion, you've almost certainly heard a couple of the singles. k-os is rising, and fast.

With this in mind, the excitement in the air on Saturday night came as no surprise. Peter Clark Hall was full of fans of all ages, dressed funky and ready to dance. The concert billing had us all expecting to see Kyle Riabko as the opening act, but due to some unexplained mishap, he was replaced by newcomers Shawn Hewitt and Aidan Campbell--two of the three members of Shawn Hewitt and the National Strikes.

Hewitt is from Toronto and has been performing for the last two and a half years. Their set clearly impressed the audience, and got a great response despite being relatively unknown. Hewitt went back and forth between the keyboard and electric guitar. His vocals defied categorization, a trait he shares with k-os. His voice was sweet and musical, but flexible and even raspy at times. He could switch range or tonality several times in one song and not miss a beat, while dancing so hard his entire face shook.

Campbell, as only a truly talented drummer could, knew when to take it down a notch, and when to let all hell break loose in a frantic Dave Grohl style. They also knew exactly how to work the crowd. It was hard to say which moment inspired louder cheering--when Hewitt changed a lyric in one of his songs to "down with George Bush," or when he referred to k-os as "the saviour of Canadian hip-hop."

Iconic comparisons aside, that's exactly the kind of reaction k-os got from the crowd that night. The anticipation was high by 9:45, when guitarist Russ Klyne, bongo player Santosh Naidu, drummer Ray Garraway, DJ Jasper Gahunia, and bassist Toby Peter finally took the stage. A loud robotic voice started a countdown and k-os hit the stage, wearing a hooded windbreaker and sunglasses.

The band launched into B-Boy Stance, a quintessential k-os song mixing hip-hop beats, special sound effects from the DJ, guitar riffs, electric piano, and fast-flowing lyrics. The lyrics were hard to follow at times because of their complexity, especially with that pure wall of sound. k-os often let the crown take over on vocals, resulting in songs that were less polished than the album versions, but more of an interactive experience.

k-os's politics came through loud and clear. The first line of B-Boy proclaimed, "It's so hard to remain authentic"--a testament to his choice to remain true to his creative vision and to his commitment to social awareness. Emcee Murdah was another song that referred to the corruption of musicians for the sake of mainstream success, and the disappearance of old-school MCs within hip-hop's recent focus on money, sex, and macho competition.

At several points, k-os showcased his bandmates by asking to have the lights dimmed and a spotlight shone on each one while they performed unbelievable solos. Klyne's guitar solo and Naidu's bongo rendition were particularly crowd-pleasing,
inspiring break-dancing around the hall.

When k-os took the mic again, he told the audience that this would be his last show in Canada until 2008, which gave the night a special meaning. Each song got a better response tahn the last, from his classic Superstarr, combining swing music with a hip-hop beat, to Crabbukkit and Man I Used To Be. He also performed an homage to Michael Jackson and covers of Pink Floyd, Sting, and Wheatus.

After crowd-surfing for several minutes, k-os returned to the stage to wrap up the show. He re-introduced and thanked each member of the band and road crew. Then came the highlight of the show for me--the first verse of the Beatles' classic Yesterday, which segued into his own philosophical Heaven Only Knows. k-os closed it down with the reggae beats of Crucial, which encourages Canadians to open their eyes to social issues.

The band then left the stage to the sound of deafening screams and applause. The crowd started chanting "encore," but sadly there was none. It was a memorable night of Canadian music. I can't wait to see how it changes between now and 2008.