BA Johnston, Hamilton’s equivalent to Weird Al Yankovic, made a triumphant return to the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Sept. 25. He was in fine form in all of his smart assed, strip-teasing, staff wielding glory for a packed house.
He opened his set, sporting his trademark sailor’s hat and a multi-coloured sweater, one of several layers he was wearing and which he proceeded to strip off as the stage got hotter while the audience crowded around the stage.
He began by cracking several off colour jokes about Regina — no one was immune to his good natured jabs, many of which he aimed at himself in his self deprecating way.
He got everybody warmed up with a couple of songs about stealing Rogers cable and shoplifting steaks and sang a new one about not liking to eat in Tim Hortons from his brand new CD ‘Mission Accomplished.’
He jumped into the audience and stirred an audience members’ beer with his staff (which is not a euphemism, he was actually carrying a staff).
He got the crowd singing along immediately with popular standards including ‘Deep Fryer in My Bedroom’ and ‘Jesus Lives in Hamilton,’ and rolled around the floor, chortling “don’t laugh at this, have some standards.”
He alternated between singing along to beats he played on a Discman, played one o
f his keyboards with his nose, switched to a beat to hell acoustic guitar which he had repaired with a piece of tin.
He jumped on a chair, leaped off of it and into the audience again, caressed a girl’s mohawk and rolled around on the floor as he sang about getting his GST cheque and how much he loves McDonald’s coupon’s day.
His ‘Your Room Mate is a Couche-tard’ song was a highlight as was his new song ‘I Want to Drink in a Bar with with Aliens.’
He finished his set by playing a request for ‘Eye of the Douche-Storm’ which drew the biggest cheers of the night before he lead the crowd into the men’s bathroom for the “bathroom encore.”
An opening set by Scallywags guitarist Bob Scallywag was well received.
Fist City also returned to play an opening set of upbeat surf tinged garage rock. They had their original line up of Kier and Brittany Fist on guitar and bass plus guitarist Evan Van Reekum and drummer Ryan Grieve. They had a different bassist the last time I saw them. They played a tight and ear-bleeding set of catchy rock, featuring much of their most recent record
