Artsculture

The Truth About American Beer!

And it took Canadian country boy Kent McAlister to say it

By Ron Coldham, 10 Sep 2009, TheTyee.ca

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According to D-Listed, Kent McAlister isn't wearing pants in this picture

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Kent McAlister needs to buy a gun and then shoot it in public. Or maybe he can just assault a hotel concierge with the lobby courtesy phone. A DUI might also work, particularly if he gets caught in a school zone during recess. Or there's always the option of a good, old-fashioned sex scandal, perhaps involving a couple of lightly drugged co-eds. That kind of thing usually piques people's interest.

The bottom line is whatever Kent McAlister is doing to get noticed these days, it's not working. These are different times, and simply touring your ass off back-and-forth across the nation while recording three albums of country rock genius isn't enough to turn heads anymore. The insatiable masses require a little dirt in their collective eye to make them blink.

But it appears McAlister won't travel such a sullied path. As his third release with the Iron Choir, How I'll Remain, gets set to hit the streets next week, Canada's unsung troubadour of twang is just going to keep on pluckin', as it were. There will be no chance of gimmick-laden promotions, gratuitous headlines or salacious scandals to help generate some much-deserved interest for the Calgary born-and-bred singer-songwriter's latest collection of 'spaghetti western meets Leonard Cohen' brilliance. McAlister foolishly chooses to let his abundant talent, unmatched stage presence and enduring work ethic do his talking for him.

Where does this guy think he is? 1973?

Before we paint him as the poster boy of artistic purity however, it should be noted that McAlister has made one slightly unorthodox (though still exceedingly understated) attempt to bring to the attention of the Kenny Chesney-distracted, Keith Urban-absorbed masses that which they should have noticed the first time around: the re-release of a fantastic single called "Memory Replacer". The title track off of his outstanding 2005 debut, the hook-filled "Memory Replacer" offers the metaphor of a hurtful lover as American beer:

You were like an American beer/You looked fine from the outside, my dear/But when I opened you up the trouble poured out/You left a bad taste in my mouth/Now I need a chaser/An image eraser/A memory replacer

Listen to this:

Listen to this: Kent McAlister – "Memory Eraser"

And while it could be argued that any anti-American sentiment -- particularly in the country music realm -- is about as controversial as it gets, even the biggest flag-waver south of the 49th would never debate over which nation has the better beer.

So it would appear, even with the re-release of the "controversial" "Memory Replacer" on the forthcoming How I'll Remain, McAlister will continue to linger in undeserved obscurity until he comes to his senses and marries an Australian albino starlet or overdoses while backstage on Breakfast Television. But alas, some musicians appear destined to never quite understand that music is about more than great songs, memorable performances and hard work. And thank God for that. [Tyee]

Ron Coldham has been a Vancouver-based music writer since before Nickelback moved to town.

11 Comments:

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  • Just me

    2 years ago

    Delete bin?

    Will Tyee editors delete this comment if I call this piece a blowjob?

    My guess is that "Canadian country boy" [as if Calgary were rural] Kent McAlister is a talent. I'm guessing also that he is smart enough to be embarrassed by a one-note review that doesn't actually describe or analyze his music with any nuance. In short, it ain't a review at all. So, maybe it's an artist profile. Oops, not one quote from the guy, not even from the press release.

    The state of pop music criticism is dismal and not made better when the Tyee surrenders to the kind of fan-written advertorial that already plagues The Georgia Straight and other mainstream media. (Hint, Straight readers: look at the biggest ads, look who's being written about.) This piece is so bad I'm wondering whether Ron Coldham is a pseudonym for a moonlighting Mike Usinger.

    I wouldn't bother to gripe except that I value the Tyee for its more-often-than-not excellent journalism and commentary. This piece ain't that.

  • Blue Camas

    2 years ago

    American beer

    Only an oblivious moron could write a song which included the old cliche about American beer. Any body else noticed that Budweiser seems to get the most space at the beer store these days?
    Music sucks too.
    Thanks at least for pointing me to the free download so I didn't have to pay for it.
    Have a nice day.

  • driftwolf

    2 years ago

    beer

    Actually, the USA has a much healthier microbrewery culture than we have here in Canada. Yes, their factory beers suck, but then again so do Canadian factory beers.

    Thank you BC Liquor Stores, OLCB, and all the other remnants of puritan prohibition in between for making good beer so unprofitable and hard to make here in Canada.

    A special thank you to those Canadians who think "cheap" means "good", keep buying factory made swill, and therefore don't give beer that is actually good a chance. You're the reason our liquor stores are filled with Bud Light rather than real beer, and the reason our local microbreweries struggle as much as they do.

  • Blue Camas

    2 years ago

    bitter about beer

    Here, here driftwolf!

    I get so angry about mindless idiots bragging about ancient times when even plain old, "regular price" Canadian factory beer was unique, distinctive, flavourful and amongst the best in the world (yes, young fellas, this cranky old man is telling you that it was once that way). Today, these no-mind idiots drink corn flavoured Molson Budweiser.

    I guess... http://www.andreamandelcampbell.com/book.htm ...describes us pretty well. Molson is run by the Coors boys in Colorado, Labatts by the Belgians and even the micros seem to sell out as soon as they can. Sleeman buys up everyone else just so they can better sell out to the Japanese.

    There is still hope - as far as I know, Big Rock is still good Canadian Beer made by Canadians - but I haven't noticed any of their products advertizing their "Canadian style".
    Granville Island sold out to Americans as soon as they could but - God bless 'em - they still make some fine beers. Once again though, it's all about their "German" Brewmaster and recipes (good ones!) from all over the world.

    Apparently there isn't a Canadian Beer recipe worth celebrating any more. Canadians made great beers for hundreds of years but today we don't know a thing about brewing it would seem.

    Have we lost this because of Government Liquor Stores?

    It seems to me that we threw away our Canadian brewing heritage with the stubbies. The old government stores were not glamourous shoppers boutiques by any means, and they tended to sell in units of 12 or 24, but darn it, the beer was good and reasonably priced.

    Yes I suppose we didn't have the choices we have today, but everyone got to have good quality beer at a reasonable cost.

    Sigh. End of Rant.

    A plague on all the beer marketers! West Coast U-Brew gets better every year.

  • The DH

    2 years ago

    advice and thanks...

    Hey Just Me,

    Lighten up a little. I thought the Ron Coldham piece on Kent McAlister was pretty well written and definitely entertaining. In the words of Eddie Vedder, "It's just music, man. It's just music."

    So relax. And when you've come down off your soap box, do me a favour: Thank your mom for that wicked "Ron Coldham article" she gave me last night.

    Yee haw?

    ps - beer guys: no one cares.

  • Blue Camas

    2 years ago

    beer and music

    It takes effort to find anything "truly Canadian" these days, even just a simple beer. The wound is salted with musicians so ignorant that the best lyrics they can dream up belabour the delusion that good distinctly Canadian beer still exists.

    And as you say DH, no one cares. Most don't even know.

    But, small beer. Just another tiny bit of Canadian cultural heritage obliterated under the American avalanche.

    It's no accident that the musician you quote is American - similiar Canadian quotes come to mind but what is the point of quoting what nobody recognizes!

    And no one cares. Not a lot of comments here are there? Seems like no one cares about Kent McAlister either - except possibly me, who wishes that we had at least a few truly Canadian artists who are capable of speaking meaningfully about this place.

    But these things are vanishingly subtle - so - if you should have a few Buds at the next Kent McAlister show, and if you should be so inclined, feel free to raise up your Molson Budweiser, put your hand on your heart and shout out "God bless Canadian beer!!"

    Nobody will care.

  • The DH

    2 years ago

    You are a national(istic) treasure, Blue Camas...

    I must be Canadian, 'cause I couldn't care less about any of this. Besides, I usually drink gin at shows, eh.

    Talk to you later. Off to watch the second half of the USC/Ohio State game. God bless American college football. (Enjoy your lacrosse match, Blue Camas.)

  • Blue Camas

    2 years ago

    I AM... treasure!

    "Nationalism is the last refuge of scoundrels" seems to be the Canadian mantra, and certainly nationalism has been abused by many, beer marketers among them.

    And there is truly something worth aspiring to in the ideas of rejecting narrow nationalistic myopia and embracing acceptance, tolerance and openness to all the people ideas and culture of the world.

    But does that mean it is a good thing to ignore, discard and forget Canadian accomplishments in the process? If we don't preserve them nobody else will.

    You keep saying you don't care but I appreciate your "interest" anyway, DH. "This note's for you."

    (hope you enjoyed the Condoms/Redeyes game - too bad you missed the final of the Mann Cup... short handed game winning goal in overtime! yee haa!! oh well Salmonbellies, there's always next year...)

  • The DH

    2 years ago

    I'm starting to contradict my "don't care" statement...

    Condoms/Redeyes. Solid gold, BC. The spirit of Henny Youngman lives on. (Or, perhaps more appropriately, Wayne and Schuster.)

    I politely concede. (As any good Canadian would.) Have a nice life.

  • driftwolf

    2 years ago

    For me beer isn't about

    For me beer isn't about "Canadian" vs "American". It's about "good quality" vs "swill". BC Liquor Stores are hand-in-hand with the factory beer makers, and it's still hard as hell to find local microbrewery beers there, let alone stuff from the USA or elsewhere in Canada.

    It's time to get rid of the BC Liquor Stores. Time to completely dismantle the remnants of the Canadian Prohibition, and time to stop BCLS charging $15 tax on a $10 bottle of wine.

  • Blue Camas

    2 years ago

    Quality and Swill

    The private store that replaced my local BCLS has higher prices and poorer selection.

    As far as I know, the best selection in town is the BCLS at Cambie and 41st.

    And why would you expect private beer stores to be any different from private health care or anything else? Private enterprise is naturally going to focus on whatever has the highest profit margin, whether it is maternity wards or the beer they can buy the cheapest and sell for the most.

    You will only get your Yorkshire Oatmeal Stout if it's at least as profitable to sell as Molson Budweiser.

    On the other hand, you'd probably hate a return to my good old days of Socialist Beer Stores as well. Not a lot of selection, both ales and lagers served frosty cold. All I can say that the beer had a flavourful hoppy bite you won't find today, and in fact, it is from those beers that the legend of Great Canadian Beer descends to us today.

    Alas, only a legend. Cynically deployed as required by marketing geniuses.

    I was backpacking through Europe in the '80's, and spent a couple of happy weeks with some German students"researching" German beers. Awesome. Wonderful. I remember how stunned and delighted I was when they made some knowledgable (and complimentary) comments about Canadian beer.

    Today it would be absurd to imagine Germans making such a comment because there simply is no longer such a thing as a distinctly Canadian style beer.

    Does it matter? Well, not to DH. (sorry about the low brow on your team names, DH - just a weak joke)

    But for you and I, it is a sad loss to the wonderful delight of the diversity of beer.

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