The Sin Sisters Charity Benefit – A First Person Account
The Elmdale Tavern was buzzing on Wednesday December 16th.
The luscious ladies of Ottawa’s very own burlesque troupe, the Sin Sisters, were putting on their first annual holiday bash in support of Toy Mountain. The feeling in the air before a burlesque show, (and a Christmas burlesque show at that!) is similar to that of the illustrious third date. There’s anticipation, the apparent effort put into choosing outfits and the not-so-discreet signals that there’s much unwrapping to be done later on.
The show opened up with Patsy Clash and Lefty McRighty of local alt-country band Ninety Pounds of Ugly, whose debut album, Richmond Motel Room 3, was voted Best Country Album of 2009 in the Ottawa Xpress reader’s poll. Replete with hideous holiday sweaters and an ever so endearing veneer of cheer, the duo did away with their usual racy content about shooting people who drive too slowly and tongue in cheek sexual references to offer heartfelt holiday carols.
After years of performing together, Patsy and Lefty have developed a precise sense of harmony that injected new life into the cannon of Christmas classics. Their cheeseball grins and corny banter easily won over the slightly soused audience. They even had this practicing Satanist singing along to Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer – hey, I’ll take any opportunity to shout in the middle of a song. A new sense of sweetness and vulnerability radiated from these two old friends of mine; Patsy shared stories about warming her feet on the dash of her mom’s old Honda and Lefty showed true jubilation at locating a misplaced guitar capo. It was a Christmas miracle!
I quite enjoyed the exposed inner-workings of this pair, who have only been playing together for two years. Since they were performing songs they’d only recently arranged and prepared, they publicly asked each other when to end the tunes and who should sing which part. Their ongoing communication, while seemingly amateurish, was always enjoyed by the audience and their on-the-fly decisions resulted in clean playing with tight changes and crisp endings. It was the sign of a collaboration that has evolved into a cohesive unit. They’re reaching the point where they almost know what each other is thinking. I predict great things ahead for Ninety Pounds of Ugly. Good luck in the new year.
After a quick break, yours truly took the stage. I took the opportunity to explain that the celebration of winter solstice is a Pagan tradition that preceded Christianity and Judaism by thousands of years. The evergreen that we all seem to worship this time of year is the perfect symbol of Mother Earth’s consistent vitality. Someone shouted out, “Just like the Yule Log!”, which apparently has its tradition in Germanic Pageantry. These days, light is scarce, so it’s important to come together at events like this, to share warmth, good will, and of course, drink.
The audience agreed.
I performed my standard fare of blues, rockabilly, swing, country and jazz, throwing in Auld Lang Syne and Jingle Bells in for good measure. The Elmdale is one of my favorite venues in the city as a performer and observer. The acoustics and sound system are top notch, the staff is friendly and when I’m there, I feel like I’ve traveled back in time to a genuine 50′s tavern (except that they now allow women in, which I whole-heartedly approve of). I got a great reaction from the crowd when I performed an instrumental piece called Miss Maggie Sue Shuffle. As usual, they went pretty wild at my rendition of I Wanna be Like You, of Jungle Book fame. The crowd grew more and more excited, despite the fact that I didn’t take my clothes off this time around. I’m afraid my lack of undressing may have let some people down. I found out later that one of the nicknames for me floating around the city is “Naked Max”. Hmmm….maybe I’m getting older?
After my set, I was approached by a number of well-wishers with kind words. One gentleman asked about purchasing the rights so my songs can be used in movies that he works on. This opportunity could garner exposure for me and finance future recording projects. The music business has many intricate tenents. I look forward to exploring them all.
Finally came the main attraction.
The Sin Sisters have come a long way since their lewd dancing days with my psychobilly band the Sick Sick Sicks about a year and a half ago. Since then, the troupe has expanded to some seven or so members, performing all types of on-stage artistry. A large pile of presents was stacked on stage while a Betty Page look-alike in red pajamas carefully examined each package. The boxes were opened with joy, revealing lustful clothing. The girls went on to perform classic seduction, teasing and talent; Santa outfits, Hawaiian grass skirts and balloon popping were all captivating and enticing elements of this illicit pageant. A risqué holiday poem and some musical numbers offered variety to this mischievous and delightful evening.
Ladies, thanks for putting on such an awesome night and reminding everyone that getting naked in public can be, under the right circumstances, a class act.
- Maxim
Tags: Maxim Cossette, Music, ottawatonite, Sin Sisters, The Elmdale House Tavern, Toy Mountain
