Grand Analog brings 'heart and soul'

By Quinn Damery

dame0013@algonquincollege.com

It may not have been a full room, but Grand Analog packed the Observatory with beats during their show on Oct. 1.

Taking the stage a little after 10 p.m., the Winnipeg-based hip hop collective dropped a dub-style jam to get the crowd swivelling in their seats. Soon enough, front man Odario Williams took to the mic and began an hour-long set that saw the three-piece act swerve from reggae to spoken-word, rock and a Stevie Wonder breakdown, making every stop along the way.

Musicians who take an “everything goes” approach to their music often run the risk of not having enough focus to their sound. This was not so with Grand Analog. By building their songs around infectious grooves first, Williams and Co. add a multitude of musical styles to push their hip hop into new territory.

If proof was needed that Grand Analog’s eclectic style would work on a crowd, the party on the dance floor could surely attest to that. The pack may have barely broken the double digits, but nobody seemed to notice as Williams, DJ Catalist and bass player Warren Bray made sure the floor vibrated the dancers’ feet to movement.

“They brought heart and soul to Ottawa,” said Sarah Hubbard, a first-year pre-media and communications student.

“It’s nice to meet expectations,” said Williams.

Grand Analog’s set included cuts from their debut album, Calligraffiti. Among them was the nostalgia trip “Mixed Tape”, the funk-rocker “Touch Your Toes” and Williams’ ode to Winnipeg , “Around This Town.”

The crowd would not let the show end without a fight, trying to coax the band into a second encore, but to no avail.

“I’m out! I’ve only got one CD!” Williams told the crowd.

Grand Analog will return to Ottawa on Nov.  14, performing at Babylon as openers for London, England’s The Herbaliser.

Despite a sparse crowd, opening act Atherton took to the stage for a good-humoured and entertaining set that quickly won the audience over.

The Ottawa-born hip hop MC, real name Devin Atherton, thanked the staff at The Ob before he and his DJ, DJ Bernie, launched into a set that balanced attacks on student loans, the media and sweatshops with wry observations and self-deprecating humour.

His banter had the crowd howling and gave a taste of the entertainment he provides for larger crowds. Atherton’s impressive stage presence wasn’t enough to get the crowd out of their seats but they clearly enjoyed themselves, supplying handclaps to a beat-less song and screeching whistles at the close of his all-too-brief set.

Atherton returns to Ottawa Oct. 14 at Babylon.