Date: Feb. 15, 2008
Venue: The Cameron House

The bad news about Friday night was that I couldn’t fit in shows by both Kate Maki and The Boy from ET (next time!). The good news was that once Kate Maki and the gang got going all my thoughts of other shows immediately dissipated.

Celebrating the vinyl release of her third album, On High, Maki was in infectiously high spirits throughout the evening. This was evident from the get-go, as she gleefully heckled both Nathan Lawr and Ryan Bishops during their respective opening sets. Of course, it was all in good fun, as just about everyone in attendance was a friend, relative, or frequent well-wisher, which made for an amicable atmosphere upon which to deliver an evening of inviting folk.

Comedic highlights included repeated quips about Lawr’s parents arguing about directions and getting lost on their way downtown—they never actually made it to the show—as well as the high-octane, snow-shoveling lifestyle in Sudbury, Ontario (where Lawr and Maki call home).

Focusing most of the set on tracks from On High (released last week), the show was warm, relaxed and humble. In fact, Maki was surprised by the request for an encore, stating “that never happens in Sudbury.” Of course, encores are something she might want to get used to, as albums like On High combined with performances like this really ought to keep the favourable attention coming her way.
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Here are a few shots from the show:

And you can check out a track from On High below (right-click, “Save Link As” to download):

Kate Maki - Highway

Hear more at Kate Maki’s Myspace page or buy a digital copy of the album here.