CONNECTING THE COSMIC DOTS

“I'm connected to the universe, and the universe is connected to me.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson

It truly is amazing how time and space work in the continuum that we call life. As we all run about doing our daily routines on this giant rock floating in space, we can easily forget just how magnificent the cosmos is and how little we actually understand any of it. Oh sure, there are people like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Cox (the English physicist, not the English actor or former NFL linebacker) who know more than most (right now is not the time to talk about Terrence Howard’s theories, that would require much more energy than I have at the moment) some science other PhDs and the sort know a thing or two about the cosmos, but even they will admit, if pushed hard enough, most of that is theoretical (at least I think it is, since I never study anything further than Grade 10 Science, and that was the actual name of the class. No specifics like Chemistry or Physics, just Science). The point I’m trying to make is that sometimes things happen and they happen for reasons that we can not quite understand and those reasons may not reveal themselves for quite some time. Take for example the story of introducing poutine to some rock ‘n’ rollers from the deep American South in the first decade of the 21st century. A night that was fun and created lasting memories, however one that I wouldn’t imagine would have an impact on the third week of July nearly two decades later, but as I’ve been trying to say, the cosmos is a strange and beautiful force. Read any of the world’s cultural mythologies and you’ll see it right there in black and white. It’s not so much to be understood but experienced. That’s why we end up with so many interpretations of the same stories. Anyway, let me jump to the reason for this long rambling introduction.

A little over 15 years ago, Huntsville, Alabama’s Thomas Function blazed across our radar with their debut album, Celebration! The album was a blast of rock ‘n’ roll fury and would go into heavy rotation on The Go-Go Radio Magic Show. When it was announced that they would be playing the 7th edition of POP Montréal we were ecstatic and quickly made contact with the band and set up a phone interview. By the time the night of Sunday Oct 5, 2008, we had made plans to meet up with them once they arrived in town, and as per usual for bands making their first visit to La Belle Province, we would take them for poutine at La Banquise. 

As we all enjoyed our Québécois delicacy, they told us that they had been bumped from their original slot to play another club the same night. This change might not seem like much of a big deal, but it was one that would have a catastrophic effect on the band's impact at this festival. Had they not been bumped from the original showcase at Divan Orange, one which would have had them share the stage with kindred spirit bands Vivian Girls, Tyvek, Demon’s Claw and TV Ghost, whose fans would have lapped up everything that Thomas Function had to offer, they would have most definitely left their mark on the city and the festival. Instead they were unceremoniously shipped up Blvd St-Laurent to Club Lambi, which was a great room and set to host the closing night party later that night, but when the band was playing it was virtually empty. Although they killed it that night, with a ferocity and snarl that should have made them POP Montréal legends, it was not to be. The few who saw it, and loved it, were not enough to overcome the tragic sliding doors moment that happened when they were removed from the Divan Orange showcase. The band would release a follow up album in 2009, but would never return to play Montréal again. I’m sure in a parallel universe they didn’t get bumped and did become the 2008 POP Montréal breakout stars, but as I’ve explained, I don’t really understand how that stuff works. Which brings me to the reason that I keep rambling on about cosmic forces and infinite story lines of the grand multiverse. 

In the decade and a half since that fateful Autumn night, we have tried to keep in touch with Josh Macero, Thomas Function’s charismatic lead singer, through the wonder of social media. It was never any kind of constant contact, but every few years something would pop up and remind us of that night and that excellent band. Then a few weeks back, Tino Newman, a Northern Alabama native, now based in Gainesville, Florida, who fronts the garage-punk band TVA, contacted The Go-Go Radio Magic Show because his buddy Josh told him about us. Tino wanted to let us know that he is playing a show at Barfly and to inquire if we would be interested in helping him promote it a little. So that brings us here, to this juncture on this particular timeline. The sliding doors seem to be opening once more and who are we to ignore it? So if you’d like to play a part in this epic tale that started back in 2008 over four plates of French fries covered in cheese curds and gravy, then make sure you get down to Barfly (4062 Blvd St-Laurent) tonight at 8:00 to see Ottawa’s Slow Dawn and Gainesville’s TVA tempt fate and set the controls for the heart of the Sun.