A
      small
      but
     
     
      appreciative
     
     
      audience
     
     
      was
      on
      hand
      last
      Monday
      night
     
     
      at
      The
      Wave
      to
      see
      Matthew
     
     
      Barber
      and
      the
      Union
      Dues.
      It
     
     
      sucks
      that
      one
      of
      the
      best
      nights
     
     
      of
      rock
      music
      the
      Wave
      will
      host
     
     
      this
      year
      went
      largely
      unattended
     
     
      by
      our
      student
      body.
      Not
      to
      say
     
     
      that
      this
      wasn't
      expected.
      Barber
     
     
      is
      still
      more
      or
      less
      unknown
      in
     
     
      these
      parts.
      He
      plays
      to
      enthusi-
     
     
      astic
      crowds
      in
      Toronto,
      but
     
     
      without
      steady
      radio
      play
      and
     
     
      videos
      on
      MuchMusic
      it
      is
      diffi-
     
     
      cult
      to
      cause
      a
      stir
      on
      PEI.
     
     
      (Oddly
      enough,
      his
      single
      "We're
     
     
      Gonna
      Play"
      which
      received
      air-
     
     
      play
      on
      Big
      Dog
      for
      most
      of
      the
     
     
      summer
      was
      left
      off
      Monday
     
     
      night's
      setlist).
      Despite
      the
      low
     
     
      numbers,
      Barber
      and
      his
      band
     
     
      mates
      seemed
      to
      be
      in
      good
      spir-
     
     
      its.
      The
      performance
      was
      excel-
     
     
      lent
      and
      there
      was
      good
      interac-
     
     
      tion
      between
      the
      crowd
      and
      the
     
     
      stage.
      Matthew
      may
      be
      the
      front-
     
     
      man
      and
      songwriter,
      but
      you
      get
     
     
      the
      feeling
      that
      you
      are
      watching
     
     
      a
      real
      band
      rather
      than
      a
      solo
     
     
      artist
      with
      a
      cast
      of
      hired
      musi-
     
     
      cians.(Bassist
      Julian
      Brown,
     
     
      drummer
      Joel
      Stouffer
      and
      gui-
     
     
      tarist
      Paul
      Kolinski
      have
      been
     
     
      backing
      Barber
      since
      2002).
     
     
      Barber's
      brand
      of
      rock
      n
      roll
      is
     
     
      inspired
      by
      the
      classics
      and
      pre-
     
     
      sented
      with
      a
      modern
      bite.
      As
     
     
      you
      listen,
      it
      is
      easy
      to
      hear
      the
     
     
      influence
      of
      Bob
      Dylan,
      Neil
     
     
      Young
      and
      Jeff
      Buckley.
      His
     
     
      voice
      is
      sweet
      enough
      to
      carry
      a
     
     
      mid-tempo
      ballad
      and
      strong
     
     
      enough
      to
      bang
      out
      a
      rocker.
     
     
      Lyrically,
      Barber's
      songs
      have
      a
     
     
      consistent
      young-boy-in-love
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      theme,
      and
      he
      pulls
      this
      off
      with
     
     
      class.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      debut
      album
      from
      Barber
     
     
      was
      entitled
      "Means
      And
      Ends".
     
     
      It
      received
      considerable
      critical
     
     
      attention
      and
      gave
      him
      the
      confi-
     
     
      dence
      to
      relocate
      to
      Toronto
     
     
      from
      Kingston.
      Shortly
      after
      his
     
     
      move,
      Barber
      formed
      the
      Union
     
     
      Dues.
      With
      his
      band
      in
      tow,
     
     
      Barber
      quickly
      gained
      attention
     
     
      throughout
      his
      home
      province.
     
     
      In
      2003,
      a
      new
      album
      was
     
     
      recorded.
      For
      this
      venture,
      Ian
     
     
      McGettigan
      was
      signed
      on
      as
     
     
      producer.
      McGettigan,
      formerly
     
     
      of
      Thrush
      Hermit,
      was
      a
      valu-
     
     
      able
      addition,
      having
      already
     
     
      produced
      for
      Canadian
      indie
     
     
      favorites
      such
      as
      Joel
      Plaskett,
     
     
      The
      Flashing
      Lights
      and
     
     
      Superfriendz.
      The
      result
      of
      this
     
     
      project
      was
      "The
      Story
      Of
      Your
     
     
      Life".
      This
      six-song
      EP
      has
     
     
      received
      even
      more
      attention
     
     
      than
      his
      debut
      and
      has
      led
      to
     
     
      cross-Canada
      touring
      and
      a
     
     
      respectable
      buzz
      (Barber
      and
      the
     
     
      Dues
      were
      one
      of
      the
      most
     
     
      talked
      about
      acts
      at
      this
      past
     
     
      summer's
      North
      by
      Northeast
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘festival
      in
      Toronto).
      Watch
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      video
      to
      the
      brand
      new
      single
     
     
      "Little
      Love"
      and
      also
      keep
      an
     
     
      eye
      out
      for
      Barber's
      kid
      sister
     
     
      Jill,
      who
      just
      happens
      to
      be
      an
     
     
      excellent
      singer/songwriter
      as
     
     
      well.
      Her
      debut
      EP
      "Oh
      Heart"
     
     
      along
      with
      "The
      Story
      of
      Your
     
     
      Life"
      can
      be
      picked
      up
      at
      most
     
     
      record
      stores.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      Septem
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Guns
      N'
      Roses.
      were
      at
      the
      forefront
      of
      hard
      rock
      in
      the
      late
     
     
      eighties
      and
      early
      nineties.
      Songs
      like
      “November
      Rain’
     
     
      ‘Welcome
      To
      The
      Jungle,’
      ‘Sweet
      Child
      of
      Mine'
      and
     
     
      ‘Patience’
      showcased
      the
      band's
      versatility
      as
      a
      unit
      that
     
     
      could
      write
      songs
      with
      hooks,
      but
      still
      make
      them
      accessible
     
     
      to
      a
      mainstream
      rock
      audience.
      However,
      the
      good
      times
     
     
      couldn't
      last
      forever
      and
      the
      band
      fell
      apart
      in
      1996
      when
     
     
      singer
      Axl
      Rose
      became
      a
      pain
      in
      the
      ass
      to
      work
      with;
      as
      a
     
     
      result
      original
      ‘Gunners—
      Slash,
      Matt
      Sorum,
      and
      Duff
     
     
      Mckagan
      left
      for
      greener
      pastures,
      leaving
      Axl
      to
      work
      on
     
     
      the
      long
      delayed
      Chinese
      Democracy
      album.
      In
      2003,
      Matt,
     
     
      Duff
      and
      Slash
      recruited
      Suicidal
      Tendencies’
      guitarist
      Dave
     
     
      Kushner
      and
      began
      to
      write
      songs
      under
      the
      name
      “The
     
     
      Project.”
      The
      only
      problem?
      No
      lead
      singer.
      Enter
      Scott
     
     
      Weiland,
      troubled
      vocalist
      of
      Stone
      Temple
      Pilots.
      Weiland
     
     
      seemed
      a
      liability
      having
      gone
      through
      severe
      drug
      and
      alco-
     
     
      hol
      problems
      in
      the
      past,
      but
      the
      group
      took
      a
      chance
      on
     
     
      him—
      and
      now
      Velvet
      Revolver
      drops
      their
      debut
      album,
     
     
      ‘Contraband;'
      the
      question
      is,
      can
      these
      guys
      come
      together
     
     
      and
      make
      a
      good
      album?
      The
      answer
      is
      a
      surprising
      ‘yes.'
     
     
      Often
      super-groups
      who
      form
      do
      not
      meet
      fan's
      growing:
     
     
      expectations,
      but
      ‘Contraband’
      is
      (cont.)
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      STUDENT
      SAVER
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      when
      you
     
    
   
   
    
     
      present
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      large
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      ber
      28,
      2004
      page
      6