A few weeks ago, The Mip Power Trio was setting up a show at the Dakota Tavern with Saltwater Hank, who was coming in from Prince Rupert B.C.

The Dakota shut down due to an ownership transfer and the show was cancelled. What are we going to do about Saltwater Hank?

Well, Mip got onto social media and pleaded with everyone to find her a new spot. Well, the Linsmore Tavern came in for the save! They opened their doors on a Wednesday night to host this double bill. Well, it is a Wednesday, and the new problem is not many people go out on a Wednesday night. This still could be a bust, as the anxious Mip and the bands wondered if anyone would show up.

Blast Toronto walked into a sparse bar at 8pm but was relieved to see the place filling up pretty quickly after that.

Mip power Trio hit the stage and told us the story of how she grew up a Country Girl from Smithers, B.C. and now is feeling Urban. She hit her first few power chords, and you could feel the quirky Rock and Roll that makes this band stand out.

In fact, by the second song, I felt that was inside a joyful Ramones song tap dancing on cockroaches. This band is out to rock out and have fun doing it. The audience seemed to get that.

Mip herself stands out. She looks like a Truck Driver with Glam pants who wants to travel the world. She just needs a bigger audience so she can fulfill her dream.

In fact, I can confidently say this is a very tight band with a very loose attitude. Tonight’s theme was a little more on the Punk side, but apparently there are Rock elements and even folk elements to their sound.

My favourite moment was when she asked the audience to guess the song from one of the great Cult films of all time. I won’t give away the movie, but the song is called, “The Hell of it”.

In my opinion this band is like a Kinder Surprise. You know what you are walking into, but you don’t know what the prize is going to be until you bite into its chocolate experience.

Here is Mip and her band:

Hailing all the way from Prince Rupert B.C. is Saltwater Hank. The band opened the show with what felt like a traditional native chant, and then pounded into a psychedelic version of the classic, “Rumble”.

In fact, their sound comes straight out of the 70’s like a ghost riding a blazing horse holding its banner strong and proud. I could hear moments of Mahogany Rush, Jimi Hendrix, Bad Company, and all the great Rock bands from that era.

The singer let us know he was going to do the classic Howlin’ Wolf song, “Killing Floor”, but his version was totally original. This band seemed to be a sonic weaver of mystic energy. The reality is that the singer sings in his language of Sm’alyax. This really helped the audience to indulge into the entire sound they were producing.

He described one of his songs about the strength of his ancestors, and when he played it, you could feel the power of Led Zeppelin coming though. His next song had a powerful grunge quality to it. And that song was about fishing!

My favourite moment came when he described his most explicit song. It came from an 87-year-old elder speaking about making love to a woman. His description was long, but I assure it was a very tasty tale.

Yes, this was a show that was on the verge of never happening, but thanks to social media and the Linsmore Tavern for saving the day, Mip Power Trio and Saltwater Hank had their moment to open up and rock out to a new crowd in the east end of Toronto.

If you are a lover of 70’s Rock, don’t miss Saltwater Hank when he breezes through our dusty town again.

Here is Saltwater Hank in their glory:

For you believers in social media here are a couple of links for you,

Mip Power Trio- Caught in Between | Mip & the Mip Power Trio (bandcamp.com)

Saltwater Hank- Facebook