Rich Aucoin + superfossilpower @ Petit Campus

Prior to his show, I had heard very little of, and knew even less about, Rich Aucoin. His visit to Montreal’s Petit Campus on Thursday, February 3^rd provided an extraordinarily satisfying evening, to say the least. Rich Aucoin, a Halifax, Nova Scotia native, is no stranger to Montreal. He lit up the dark venue with glow sticks and a projection of feel-good messages; they addressed certain people in attendance, superfossilpower, Petit Campus and Montreal. It really made the audience feel welcome. He won me over right from the start by displaying “Mason Windels Is Like A Nice Wind” on the propped-up screen. He soon came out offering 3D glasses, which allow the audience to enjoy the homemade 3D film that he synced to his set.

In my experience, artists who set up to play among their crowd are a sure bet for an amazing show, and Rich Aucoin was no exception. He started his set with YouTube clips of goats screaming like men played by his companion Jimmy, and followed with a crowd-countdown and confetti shower while playing “More Than A One Night Stand”. The excitement created by his introduction did not let up as he moved into “At War With The Cynics (An Opening)” from his 2007 EP Personal Publication. He kept up this energetic pace throughout the night.

I had previously been introduced to Rich Aucoin by searching through the greatness of www.weirdcanada.com, that’s where I first heard my two favourite songs of the evening: “PUSH” and “Brian Wilson is A.L.I.V.E.” Between songs the audience was given a chance to catch their breath and cool down while he taught them the chorus chants for the next song.  He also took the time to upload a series of viral videos, like “G.I. Joe PSA Spoofs” and “Double Rainbow”, which would lead into the song’s beat.

He displays a lot of dedication for both musical and visual art. At one point he asked the crowd whether anyone was familiar with The Dark Side of Oz (a synchronization of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz) and proceeded to sync his music to a compilation film he made; it featured clips from classic films like How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Superman, It’s A Wonderful Life, and several more. On top of the visuals, his supply of props and endless amount of energy and excitement made for a creative and memorable show. He ended it with an unexpected, but well-deserved, encore cover of Daft Punk’s “Human After All."

I could go on forever about this night, so I will stop now. Luckily for Montreal, Thursday, February the 3^rd was not Rich Aucoin’s last visit. He will be back in Montreal on Thursday, February 17^th at Il Motore with the Pop Winds (Arbutus Records), which shouldn’t be missed. Do not worry about this review spoiling anything, he promises to deliver a new experience every time.

-Mason W hosts Midnight Love Affair every Sunday night from 11pm-12am

-Photo taken by Kang Min Lee