By Matt Fisher

On Saturday, February thir- teenth, the Commodore Ballroom played host to the Finals of the Labatt’s Blue Live Spotlight *88 series. Competing for the fame and fortune of being declared "The Best Unsigned Band in BC" were two Vancouver-based bands, Innocent Ill-and The Shape. | Attribute to the design of such an F event. the bands exemplified the twq distinct genres of “seeking-commer- cial-success-via- accessible-music” groups which aré currently dominat- ing Vancouver's club scene.

The Shape was the more typical of the pair - slick and polished two- guitar rock’n‘roll - a kind of Bon Jovi meets Glass Tiger. And herein lay their shortcoming - this tried- and-true formula has been abused of late. Perhaps the judges of Spotlight realised that “the market" has reached its saturation point with bands of this soft mettle...

Perhaps this had something to do with Innocent III winning Spotlight “88...

Then again. Innocent II] could have upstaged a good many bands on Saturday night, for their delivery was exciting and refreshing: the vo- cals were nothing short of amazing. Guitarist/songwriter Dave Best plays with a reckless abandon reminiscent of a young Pete Townshend (minus the stage an- lics...) Bassist Paul Stewart and drummer Bruce Shipley provide funky rhythms and tight backing. Singer Kelly Brock has a beautiful voice with incredible range - and she can really growl. too. ‘

Miss Brock’s talents become

more evident at every gig. as she be- comes surer and surer onstage. She is bareiy twenty years old. and al- ready must be considered one of the finest female vocalists in the city.

Performing songs with such un- abashedly idealistic titles like "Sweet Sometimes.” “Real to Me.” and “Celebration Day.” Brock and the boys come across as having a guilt-free good time in performance - and wanting to share the feeling. Responding to the cheers, Brock ex- claimed three or four times, “this is great! ] can’t believe you guys!”

If audience response was a part of the judges’ criteria. The Shape’s warm reception cannot be compared to the ovations Innocent III received.

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The judges chosen for the even. included Bruce Allen, Province Rock Critic Tom Harrison. Lou Blair, Jeff Rechner of CFOX (now LG73) Ross Winters and Charlee Morgan of LG73. (thanks for the

tour of the station, Charlee!) and the ‘

managers of local stars Colin James 54/40, and Paul Janz. ; Besides the "Best Band" - a label criticised by Harrison because "I don’t believe in there being “bests*

in music..." - prizes were awarded _

for best guitarist. bassist. keyboar- dist, drummer and vocalist. Eligible

for these awards were all eighteen |

bands who participated in the “playoffs” and the “semi-finals” of Spotlight “88.

Over two hundred bands sub- mitted demo tapes this year, and so congratulations are in order to all those who made Spotlight “88 an en- during success. And. of course. the legacy of Spotlight “88 shall once again be in the form of pressed vinyl... "Vancouver Seeds IV" should be hitting the record stores some time this summer. The album will feature two songs from both The Shape and Innocent III, plus selec- tions from the four other “semi- finalists.”

To Innocent III go the further spoils of a CBS released single with national distribution and the film- ing of a video (an Eclipse/Shane Lunny/Gastown Post/Transfer production) with guaranteed high- rotation on Much Music. Record- ing space’will be -spead among: local studios Blue Wave. Mush- room, Ocean and Inside Trak.

Spotlight "88 was sponsored by CFOX,. LG73. The Province, and Labatt’s Blue Live, while prizes were supplied by Paul's Music. The Annex, and Drums Only.

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Guadalcanal Diary wrapped up their west coast tour at the 86th Street Music Hall last Sunday, put- ting on an unforgettable perfor- mance. Hometown favorites Grapes of Wrath were replaced by The Waterwalk as openers on this last date. The two bands provided a su- perb showcase of the style of guitar rock constantly growing in popularity. The Waterwalk opened the show with a highly danceable set of newsongs, keeping the college oriented crowd on their feet for the duration. They combine rhythmic guitar and bass with the highlight of electric violin. This combination al- lows the Waterwalk to put on a ter- rific live show. | believe they have a strong future in the Vancouver music scene.The gang from Georgia, Guadalcanal Diary then took to the stage.They started cranking out song after song at a breathtaking pace. Vocalist-guitarist Murray At- taway. is a gracious andenergetic frontman, thanking the crowd profusely after eachnumber. His great style, along with the

By Graham Esplen

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apes

thunderous drums and driving guitars kept those daring enough to mob the stage in a nonstop slam- dance. The band played many selec- tions from their previous two albums but focused mainly on their new album, "2x4." Highlights included old favorites “Stop Me Before | Kill Again” and “| See Moe” and new selections “Litany” and "Little Birds.” Closing the set with a raucous ver- sion of “Watusi Rodeo,” they returned for an encore which opened with "Dead Eyes” and ended with a singalong version of "Kumbayah." In the middle of the last song, the band cut into a song by a band who ‘they termed “their long time idols,""Stayin’ Alive" by the Bee Gees. Talk about a class act. Despite the overall high cost of an evening at 86th St., these two bands made it more than worth the price. The Waterwalk have a great sound and are destined for stardom in the future. Much in the same way, Guadalcanal Diary are the next great ‘band to comeout of Georgia, follow- ing in the footsteps of their pals, REM.Truly a memorable perfor- mance.

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