football

REVIEW: Arkells – “Ticats are Hummin'” (2012 iTunes single)

ARKELLS – “Ticats are Hummin'” (2012 iTunes single)

Disclaimer #1:  I hate all sports.

Disclaimer #2:  Of all the sports, I hate football the most.

I do love the Arkells, and for them, I’ll download a song about football, and dang it, I’ll even enjoy it.

“Ticats are Hummin'” is a tribute to the Arkells home team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  They have a rivalry with the Toronto Argonauts.  And that’s about all I can tell you about the Ticats.  I do like this song.  Alot!  It is a bright, boppy and upbeat tune with a guitar and piano delivering the main musical hooks.  Of course, there are plenty of those patented “woah, oh oh!” vocals that Arkells fans adore.

Saw some old friends,
From down in T.O.,
But old Queen Lizzy,
Will take them back home!

They look so sad,
At the end of the night,
Blown out like Pink Floyd back in ’75!

“Queen Lizzy” refers to the Q.E.W. – the Queen Elizabeth Way, a major highway connecting Toronto and Hamilton.  I sometimes wonder if the Arkells staunch commitment to local references in their lyrics has held them back from international success.  I think these references only enrich the music and add to their down-home vibe.

“Ticats are Hummin'” would have been one of the band’s first recordings with new keyboardist Anthony Carone.  It preceded their excellent High Noon album by a couple years, but you can hear elements of where they were going, with the indelible pop melodies.

This track was released to iTunes with proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton.  It also received a physical release, on a rare 2 CD compilation called Everybody Dance Now – Songs From Hamilton, Volume 8.  Be on the hunt.

5/5 stars

VHS Archives #34: Iron Maiden FC vs Glass Tiger, MuchMusic & Music Express (1988)

“I had to mark the singer from a band called Glass Tiger who was quite useful. Sadly for him the pitch was in poor condition and after I chased him round for 45 minutes, he twisted his ankle and was stretchered off. I never touched him ref — honest!’ Stretchered off with ‘undisclosed injuries to his testicles’ was I believe the newspaper quotation that tells you all you need to know about the match.” — Bruce Dickinson*

This video clip of a football match between Iron Maiden FC and Toronto’s finest singers and media is surely a rarity.  It’s a shame that more wasn’t broadcast.  On a personal level, this match meant to lot to me.  My heroes (Iron Maiden) were facing off against my sister’s (Glass Tiger).  And of course Glass Tiger and Co. were pummelled.  I loved holding that over her head!

Look for Frew and MuchMusic alumni including Master T (Tony Young) and Kim Clark Champniss in this fun clip.

It must have been cool to be at this game.  I wonder what it was like?  Wait it a minute — why don’t I just ask a guy who was there?

“I was at that game. Covered it for the newspaper at U of T [that] I wrote for.  Keith Sharp (then of Music Express magazine, later my boss at ACCESS) was friendly with the band. As a kid he was a goalkeeper for the Manchester City youth squad, so he had some skills, and he’d organize a match with the Maidens, who were all soccer fiends, whenever they were in town.  Alan Frew (Glass Tiger) went down with a knee injury during the match… Others on the Music Express squad that I can recall were Mark Holmes (Platinum Blonde) and Maria Del Mar (National Velvet).  I even got some Maiden sideline quotes for my story… And it was the first time I met Keith.” — Jamie Morrison, friend and former journalist

Check it out below!

 

* Thanks Deke at Arena Rock for providing the Bruce quote!