Tom Wilson in high spirits with Lee Harvey Osmond

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If there was an award for most F-bombs dropped during the course of a single show, Lee Harvey Osmond would probably win it for his sold out show at the Geomatic Attic, Sept. 30.Tom Wilson of Lee Harvey Osmond. Photo by Richard Amery


 But first, the  crowd got a special surprise- Yukon based singer songwriter Sarah MacDougall opened the show by playing  beautiful guitar and writhed in place as she sang original music beautifully. She played peppy fingerpicking licks on the guitar soloing while playing rhythm. She got the audience to sing along with her last song “It’s a Storm.”


The main event was next.
Tom Wilson, Lee Harvey Osmond‘s  frontman sang songs from throughout his career, soloing beautifully on a battered acoustic  guitar autographed by Robbie Robertson of the Band among others. He had a little tremolo and some chorus effects on the guitar, which gave him a Willie P. Bennett guitar/ mandolin sound.


The big, plain spoken, affable frontman for Lee Harvey Osmond as well as Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and ’90s rockers Junkhouse was in a great mood as he brushed a mop of long, tangled hair away from his face and cracked jokes about being middle aged, being a grandfather twice, and told stories about touring Europe with Junkhouse and being interviewed by the Rolling Stone about getting the band’s clothes at a Lethbridge work clothes store called Progress, which everybody in the audience knew and shouted out when he blanked on the name.

He joked “we’re going to go there and get Johnny (Diamond) bassist, who was wearing a fancy black cowboy shirt.) new shirt.”


 Diamond, who plays with kd lang as well as Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, supplied the promised bottom end to the music. He played a lot of intricate and melodic bass lines.Lee Harvey Osmond with Sarah MacDougall. Photo by Richard Amery
 “I’m not really here right now,” Wilson rumbled as he noted he’d been clean and sober for 14 years.

They played a strong set which started off slow, but picked up the pace with “Devil’s Load,” one of the highlights of Lee Harvey Osmond’s latest CD “The Folk Sinner.”
 He talked a lot about Gordon Lightfoot and played an upbeat version of Lightfoot’s song“Oh Linda.”


“This is like Andy Warhol’s Factory of Lethbridge,” he joked about the Geomatic Attic. After that, they played “Shine,” one of Junkhouse’s big hits as Junkhouse /  Blackie and the Rodeo Kings drummer Ray Farrujia beamed as he smacked the skins.


“He’s married to Neil Young’s sister. He never has to work again,  so I don’t even know why he’s here,” Wilson chuckled. He played a song, “Big Chief” written by his son who is in “Neil Young’s favourite band,” Harlan Pepper and noted he did a little bit of voice over work, which lead him to perform song of the commercials he voiced, then fit in When I Leave This House I Ain’t Coming Back,” which Billy Ray Cyrus recorded. He followed it up with the hit he wrote for Colin James, “Freedom.”


 “Honey Running” was a highlight he played after telling several jokes  and stories about ex-wives
He invited Sarah MacDougall on stage to sing a lovely duet “ I’m Still Loving You.”

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 October 2013 13:01 )