David
      Usher
      and
      the
      Mudmen
      Play
      the
     
     
      New
      Student
      Centre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Brodie
      MacRAE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      Student
      Centre
      already
      infested
      with
      Rock
      stars
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      David
      Usher.
      Always
      waiting
      for
      the
      camera.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      |
      Rock
      Out
      With
      Your
      Cock
      Out!*
      (“Actual
      backstage
      quote
      of
      a
      member
      of
      Usher's
      band,
      directed
      toward
      the
      Mudmen)
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      the
      evening
      of
      —
     
     
      Thursday
      the
      fifth
      of
     
     
      September,
      the
      new
      UPEI
     
     
      Student
      Centre
      welcomed
      the
     
     
      Mudmen
      and
      David
      Usher
      to
      ~
     
     
      play
      the
      stage
      at
      its
      opening
     
     
      official
      pub.
      Relatively
      new
      to
     
     
      the
      Canadian
      music
      scene,
      the
     
     
      Mudmen
      have
      been
      steadily
     
     
      growing
      in
      popularity
      across
      the
     
     
      country
      since
      the
      release
      of
     
     
      their
      self-titled
      debut
      last
      year.
     
     
      David
      Usher,
      on
      the
      other
      hand,
     
     
      is
      well-known
      to
      Canadians
      as
     
     
      the
      former
      front
      man
      of
      Moist
     
     
      and
      as
      the
      recent
      recipient
      of
     
     
      two
      Muchmusic
      Video
      awards
     
     
      for
      his
      popular
      single
      "Black
     
     
      Black
      Heart."
     
    

    
     
      The
      Mudmen
      are
      a
     
     
      Toronto-based
      rock
      band
      whose
     
     
      music
      is
      driven
      by
      Celtic
      bag-
     
     
      pipes
      (no,
      no,
      I'm
      quite
      seri-
     
     
      ous).
      The
      band
      features
      the
     
     
      ‘Campbell
      brothers,
      Rob
      and
     
     
      Sandy,
      two
      of
      the
      country's
     
     
      most
      talented
      bagpipers
      who
     
    
   
   
    
     
      decided
      many
      years
      ago
      that
     
     
      they
      wanted
      to
      do
      for
      the
      pipes
     
     
      what
      Ashley
      Maclssac
      did
      for
     
     
      the
      fiddle.
      Both
      their
      skill
      on
      the
     
     
      instrument
      and
      their
      energy
     
     
      onstage
      is
      impressive,
      consid-
     
     
      ering
      the
      power
      required
      to
      play
     
     
      their
      instruments.
      Of
      course,
      it
     
     
      helps
      that
      Rob
      and
      Sandy
      were
     
     
      both
      former
      strongmen
      competi-
     
     
      tors
      and
      are
      really,
      really
      big.
     
     
      The
      band's
      tough
      and
      energetic
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘sound
      is
      also
      derived
      from
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      raspy
      vocals
      of
      Zoy
      Nicholes,
     
     
      whose
      lyrics
      such
      as
      "drink
      and
     
     
      fight,
      drink
      and
      fight"
      ends
      any
     
    
   
   
    
     
      prospects
      of
      serious
      music.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Despite
      the
      animated
     
     
      performance
      of
      the
      Mudmen,
     
     
      the
      crowd
      wasn't
      terribly
     
     
      responsive
      towards
      the
      band.
      A
     
     
      number
      of
      things
      could
      have
     
     
      been
      responsible.
      The
      incredi-
     
     
      ble
      loudness
      of
      the
      band
      was
     
     
      imposing
      to
      some.
      As
      Scott
     
     
      Robinson
      noted,
      "When
      you
     
     
      have
      trouble
      hearing
      two
      bag-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pipes
      with
      microphones
      in
      an
     
     
      enclosed
      space
      over
      the
      rest
      of
     
     
      the
      band,
      something
      is
      wrong."
     
     
      More
      than
      likely,
      though,
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘reason
      was
      the
      crowd
      was
      wait-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      to
      hear
      David
      Usher.
      Both
     
     
      the
      audience
      and
      the
      band
     
     
      knew
      it,
      resulting
      in
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      good
      humored
      comments
      on
     
     
      the
      fact
      by
      the
      lead
      singer.
     
     
      (Nicholes
      even
      suggested
      at
     
     
      one
      point
      that
      UPEI
      should
     
     
      name
      a
      residence
      after
      Usher.)
     
     
      After
      40
      minutes
      of
      the
     
     
      Mudmen,
      David
      Usher
      took
      to
     
     
      the
      stage.
      Initially,
      he
      seemed
     
     
      awkward
      and
      nervous,
      but
     
     
      became
      much
      more
      comfort-
     
     
      able
      as
      the
      night
      went
      on.
      The
     
     
      crowd
      seemed
      to
      double
      in
      size
     
     
      for
      Usher,
      nearly
      filling
      the
      room
     
     
      and
      even
      engaging
      in
      some
     
     
      drunken
      crowd
      surfing
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
      time
      to
      time.
      The
      band
      played
     
    
   
   
    
     
      an
      number
      of
      favorites,
      from
      old
     
     
      Moist
      hits
      to
      recent
      tunes
      like
     
     
      "Black,
      Black
      Heart"
      and
      even
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cover
      of
      Pink's
      "Get
      This
      Party
     
     
      Started."
      Despite
      Usher's
      occa-
     
     
      sional
      bad
      pitch,
      the
      set
      went
     
     
      smoothly
      and
      was
      fairly
      well
     
     
      received.
     
    

    
     
      The
      night
      received
      mixed
     
     
      reviews
      from
      audience
      mem-
     
     
      bers.
      Some
      were
      pleased
      with
     
     
      the
      performances,
      reacting
      with
     
     
      responses
      such
      as
      "It's
      super"
     
     
      and
      "He's
      good."
      Others,
      how-
     
     
      ever,
      were
      annoyed
      by
      the
     
     
      loudness
      of
      the
      Mudmen
      and
     
     
      the
      fact
      that
      Usher
      only
      played
     
     
      for
      one
      hour.
      David
      Usher's
      via-
     
     
      bility
      as
      a
      rock-star
      was
      also
     
     
      commented
      upon,
      some
      stating
     
     
      that
      Usher
      is
      nothing
      special
      as
     
     
      far
      as
      rock
      musicians
      are
      con-
     
     
      cerned
      and
      that
      perhaps
      leav-
     
     
      ing
      Moist
      was
      bad
      for
      his
     
     
      image.
      As
      Tammie
      Rose
     
     
      relates,
      "Five
      years
      ago
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _thought
      he
      was
      super
      sexy,
      but
     
    
   
   
    
     
      now,
      he's
      just
      not
      as
      sexy."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [5]