It was a great night for some fine live music on Thursday night at Live On Elgin. The night’s bill featured Nick Posthumus and the Soft Maybes, and opener J3M, both acts currently based out of Toronto, but with Ottawa roots.
J3M got the night started, acting as a one man band, singing/playing to accompanying tracks, and alternating between keyboards and keytar. The set was fun and light, and had the crowd up on their feet on more than one occasion, clapping and singing along to originals such as “Space and Time”, and the newest single “G.Y.S.T” as well as a bangin’ cover of Cheryl Lynn’s disco classic “Make It Real”.
Nick Postumus and the Soft Maybes had previously made their Ottawa debut at the Ice Dragonboat Festival back in February, and made quite an impression on me that night; I was eager to see them again. The band’s unique name comes from the fact that they often have a rotating cast of characters filling out the ranks based on who’s available. So the joke is that the band members are often “soft maybes” instead of a hard yes. Thursday’s show was proof of this, as keys/vocals were filled out by J3M, replacing Chris Blades, who was under the weather. Nick Posthumus joked that there was no need to worry, and that Blades was just fine, and probably sitting at home with a baby on his lap. When I first saw Posthumus et al in February, I immediately loved the easy, conversational nature of the songs, the interesting chord progressions and arrangements, and the gorgeous vocal harmonies and interaction between Posthumus and vocalist, Shannon Dooks. Add in some witty stage banter among the band, and I’ve got all the ingredients I need for a good show.
Their set included songs like “Winter Rain”, “Dovercourt” and their most recent single, “The Muse”, which is a total stunner with its multi-part harmony breakdown towards the end. Some of the songs played are as of now, unreleased, and I certainly can’t wait to get my hands on them. One of these songs was introduced when Nick asked if anyone in the crowd had been married for a long time, like 50 years, to which one gentleman raised his hand. Nick dedicated “Marry You (Again)” to this man and his wife, and the song is such a beautiful tribute to long term love, that you’d be hard pressed not to get at least some goosebumps when you hear it. The song was originally written as a commissioned piece for a wedding, and I can only assume that the recipients must have been thrilled.
And so, it was a very satisfying night at Live on Elgin. Super talented musicians, doing what they do best, reminding everyone of the joys of supporting local venues and supporting the wealth of talented artists out their hustling to bring their magic to the world.
J3M and Nick Poshtumus and the Soft Maybes have music available wherever you buy/stream music.
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