Long before Steve and I knew each other, while I was at the University of Ottawa, Steve was living and studying in Toronto. Many, many years later, when we first started dating, he told me a funny story about a friend of his from Residence during their first year...
Apparently, his friend was a big fan of this relatively unknown rock band named the Rainbow Butt Monkeys. As chance would have it, this group was going to be playing at their campus bar and his friend was planning on being the first in line to be there. Well, fortunately for him, the line wasn't very long as there turned out to be more people in the band than there was in the bar! Poor Rainbow Butt Monkeys! But that's what die hard fans do, right? For better or for worse...they stand in line when no one else does!
Last summer, Steve and I were driving to Tilbury for Heather and Roberta's wedding. Any time we pass through Toronto, we take the opportunity to listen to 102.1 The Edge...one of our country's very best radio stations (in my humble opinion!). Not only do they play great music but they have some of the best radio shows I've ever heard, one of which being The Ongoing History of New Music. I believe that this show used to originally be aired only on The Edge but has since been syndicated nationwide. It's just that great!
Anyways, on this particular occassion, when we were driving through Toronto, they were airing a little segment on {wait for it...} the Rainbow Butt Monkeys!! Steve and I couldn't believe our ears and found ourselves completely enthralled in the apparent legacy that they seemed to have left behind. We heard all about their two albums that were released in 1992 and 1995 but the real surprise came when they were finishing up the segment and mentioned "for those of you who aren't really familiar with the Rainbow Butt Monkeys, maybe you'll be more familiar with their new name...Finger Eleven"
Steve and I sat there as astonished as two people driving on the 401 could possibly be to have just found out that the Rainbow Butt Monkeys were in fact, one of our most favourite Canadian rock bands EVER (their songs are numerous and plenty on my running playlist!)! Our 2008 Juno Award Winners for Best Rock Album of the year had to endure a time when their band members outnumbered their fans?!?! Where is that friend of Steve's now?? He deserves a medal!!!!!
Now armed with our new knowledge regarding their complete devotion and patience towards their love of music, our affinity for Finger Eleven has grown exponentially! Really, how could you not love a story like that?!?! So, to show our appreciation in return, we braved the cold Ottawa night in -29 degrees Celcius to ring in the New Year with one of our favourite bands! After they watched Canada beat the U.S. in the World Junior Hockey Championships (apparently they were treated like rock stars or something!!) and we watched on the big screen downtown...we all joined forces on the canal to hear them play some of their greatest songs and warm up the night! As midnight approached, we all counted down, watched the cold night sky light up with fireworks and sporting Team Canada jerseys a plenty, Finger Eleven belted out their famous song Paralyzer (with a little Pink Floyd in the mix!)...and we showed the rest of the country how New Year's Eve should really be done; with great Canadian hockey, great Canadian rock music and great Canadian frostbite!!!!!
Apparently, his friend was a big fan of this relatively unknown rock band named the Rainbow Butt Monkeys. As chance would have it, this group was going to be playing at their campus bar and his friend was planning on being the first in line to be there. Well, fortunately for him, the line wasn't very long as there turned out to be more people in the band than there was in the bar! Poor Rainbow Butt Monkeys! But that's what die hard fans do, right? For better or for worse...they stand in line when no one else does!
Last summer, Steve and I were driving to Tilbury for Heather and Roberta's wedding. Any time we pass through Toronto, we take the opportunity to listen to 102.1 The Edge...one of our country's very best radio stations (in my humble opinion!). Not only do they play great music but they have some of the best radio shows I've ever heard, one of which being The Ongoing History of New Music. I believe that this show used to originally be aired only on The Edge but has since been syndicated nationwide. It's just that great!
Anyways, on this particular occassion, when we were driving through Toronto, they were airing a little segment on {wait for it...} the Rainbow Butt Monkeys!! Steve and I couldn't believe our ears and found ourselves completely enthralled in the apparent legacy that they seemed to have left behind. We heard all about their two albums that were released in 1992 and 1995 but the real surprise came when they were finishing up the segment and mentioned "for those of you who aren't really familiar with the Rainbow Butt Monkeys, maybe you'll be more familiar with their new name...Finger Eleven"
Steve and I sat there as astonished as two people driving on the 401 could possibly be to have just found out that the Rainbow Butt Monkeys were in fact, one of our most favourite Canadian rock bands EVER (their songs are numerous and plenty on my running playlist!)! Our 2008 Juno Award Winners for Best Rock Album of the year had to endure a time when their band members outnumbered their fans?!?! Where is that friend of Steve's now?? He deserves a medal!!!!!
Now armed with our new knowledge regarding their complete devotion and patience towards their love of music, our affinity for Finger Eleven has grown exponentially! Really, how could you not love a story like that?!?! So, to show our appreciation in return, we braved the cold Ottawa night in -29 degrees Celcius to ring in the New Year with one of our favourite bands! After they watched Canada beat the U.S. in the World Junior Hockey Championships (apparently they were treated like rock stars or something!!) and we watched on the big screen downtown...we all joined forces on the canal to hear them play some of their greatest songs and warm up the night! As midnight approached, we all counted down, watched the cold night sky light up with fireworks and sporting Team Canada jerseys a plenty, Finger Eleven belted out their famous song Paralyzer (with a little Pink Floyd in the mix!)...and we showed the rest of the country how New Year's Eve should really be done; with great Canadian hockey, great Canadian rock music and great Canadian frostbite!!!!!
2 comments:
The things we never knew keep amazing us
Yeah! I too saw Finger Eleven when they were still Rainbow Butt Monkeys...and then again during their first year under their new alias and once more since. It's amazing how they've evolved (and I was probably the youngest person at the Rainbow Butt Monkeys Concert) and I'm certainly proud they're Canadian!
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