Quick Hitters:: The Dojo Workhorse

The Dojo Workhorse is the solo project of Dan Vacon, frontman of Calgary rock & roll heroes The Dudes. Now my feelings on The Dudes are well-documented: I like them. You might have your own feelings about The Dudes, but cast those aside because we're talking about The Dojo Workhorse here. Specifically we're talking about Weapons Grade Romantic, the DW's debut album, which I think you should listen to. I have five reasons for this, and they are as follows:

1. The Name. Dojo Workhorse is simply a great name, and I will ruthlessly sweep the leg of anyone who disagrees.

2. These things have happened to Dan:

Two days before heading out on tour lead singer/guitarist Dan Vacon’s white BMX took him down the highway of hurt resulting in 12 staples to the head and a broken collarbone.

Most recently Vacon crashed into a tree skiing at Lake Louise and broke the other side of his collarbone. Again two days before leaving out on tour.

So yeah, short of buying him a new, non-cursed BMX or paying for a skiing safety course, it's the least you can do for him.

3. The lyrical excellence:

"Nobody cry, and nobody get hurt, except me, and possibly her"

"Oh girl let's misbehave, fuck what your girlfriends say, let them pay for tomorrow,
their time is borrowed give me today"

"And kindness she's a two-way street, now don't it feel good not to be a total asshole"

"Oh my sweet angel, if you're near me, spread your wings and get us the F out of here...and take me to Cleveland, I hear it's lovely"

"I'll not blame my heart, he is my partner and he's smarter than I am. Sometimes we disagree, on what to do with our body"

4. It's perfect as a Christmas gift (there's even a song called New Years Eve!). It is described as the "emotional counterpoint to Vacon's work in the dudes", which sounds fancy-dan, but one must remember that the Dudes write songs about: drinking, ladies who ruin an intimate liason by talking too much, getting busted by their girlfriends when drinking with their buddies, chicks, and drinking. As such, this album is chock-a-block full of similar songs, albeit of a much softer bent, and therefore it's a perfect gift for that boyfriend who would never listen to wussy love songs, or that girlfriend who busted you when you were out drinking with your buddies.

5. The whole thing really sounds quite good. I've always enjoyed Dan's soul-influenced vocal stylings, and musically the album is really very impressive - I guess 50-some folks involved in the Calgary music scene have lent their time to the Dojo Workhorse at some point, and it shows. Lovely picked guitar, vocal harmonies, horns, strings are an unlikely match for Vacon's roguish charm, but the pairing works and is also a lot of fun in my humble.

MP3:: Dojo Workhorse - I Got Life
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/dojoworkhorse

Labels: Calgary, Dojo Workhorse, Quick Hitters, The Dudes