A revamped Calgary based rock and roll band Peter and the Wolves showed a new side to their sound at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Friday, July 7, not to mention a new line up.
Frontman Peter Cormier stretched his fingers of some finger bleeding piano instead of his usual Gretsch. They also had a new drummer as well as special guest in Mercury Audio’s Dylan Sadlier-Brown on upright bass.
Instead of their usual upbeat rockabilly sound, this show showed more of the piano powered rock and roll of the ’50s and ’60s.
Cormier proved to be equally adept on keyboard as he is on guitar as the trio played plenty of Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles and even Hank Williams’ “You Win Again” on piano. They got an enthusiastic crowd’s toes tapping. They even had a pair of swing dancers working up a sweat in front of the stage, who were just as entertaining as the jaw dropping piano based rock and roll of the band.
Cormier switched back to guitar in the middle of a song for the last few songs of the set and put on a show there as well. He added a few originals , “and ended with “Jailbird Johnny” and a hot cover of the Stray Cats “Rock This Town,” followed it up with blues classic “St. James Infirmary,” and ending Buddy Holly’s “ All my Love, All My Kissin’ (Oh Boy) punctuating the hyperactive set by leaping high in the air off Sadlier-Brown’s bass.