You Say Party!... we say no

By Eric Scharf

scha0120@algonquincollege.com

Beast and You Say Party! We Say Die! played to an almost empty Observatory on Oct. 15.

A free show must still be too expensive to attract a decent crowd at The Observatory this year.

“They might not all be great shows, but they are all fun,” said Devon Clifford, drummer of Vancouver’s You Say Party! We Say Die!, regarding low attendance at college shows. “At least we were playing a short set, a full one would have been demoralizing.”

This did not slow them down at all.  Lead singer Becky Ninkovic and guitarist Derek Adam took full advantage of the free space to dance and rock out off stage during their set.

Ninkovic took it to a whole new level, leaving the stage to go jump on a couch as her band tuned between songs.

“We are punk rock in feeling,” said bassist Stephen O’Shea.  “But we are all about having a good time.”

You Say Party! We Say Die! played a short set which was follow by a DJ session by O’Shea.  This concert and DJ event is an experiment for the band, and this was only the second or third time they have done it.

“DJing and live music have often been at odds with each other, but we are meshing it together,” said O’Shea.  “We are a live band that likes to get people dancing, so it just makes sense.”

It is important for the band to tour and play smaller venue shows like Algonquin.

“Every campus has a bar which has a controlled group of people,” said O’Shea.  “We are using music to build community.”

You Say Party! We Say Die! are currently on a cross-Canada tour and have their hopes set on Australia in the spring.  “We have played China and Japan, we are hoping for Australia next,” said O’Shea.

Opening the night was Montreal’s Beast.

Beast,  a self-described  “trip-hop” band, started the night of with some great tunes.

Lead singer, Betty Bonifassi enjoys playing college shows because they are “eclectic, you never know what you are going to get.”

 “Shows can be warm and cold all at the same time at a college,” she added.

The band had great energy, despite the small crowd.  The drummer, Jean-Phi Goncalves, pulled out all the stops to impress the crowd.  He even sang through a megaphone during the song Ash Tray.