I’m sure the generators dying as the lead singer from USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) started to play his guitar wasn’t part of the plan. I stood there in shock. The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project concert with USS isn’t starting off on the right foot. I felt terrible for the band but being professionals he sat down on the edge of the stage, gathered everyone closer and began an acoustic set. It seems he was just pulling songs out of the air to keep the crowd entertained. It was great to see them making the most out of a horrible situation.
I felt bad for the band but I got a kick out of the Techs freaking the hell out. This type of thing can’t be good for business. They were running around doing their best to get things started again. After five minutes of darkness I wondered if they would be able to get things going again. It wasn’t looking good until the 20 minute mark when the roar of the generator filled the quiet area behind the Bell Lightbox. The show would go on. USS opened with a ballad but there was no sign of the DJ. A man in a Jeremy Scott x Adidas tracksuit came out on the stage. It was blue and covered in stars.
As the music started to get heavy, the large crane lifted a crate high above the stage. On top of this crate were dancers who danced on the mid-air dance floor. I was a little surprised the that I didn’t see individual harness. Then I got frightened and wondered if the crane techs were the same as the power ones. It was scary until I heard that they were restrained up there. They did a good job of hiding them.
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker is Toronto based and the members are Ashley Boo-Shultz and Jay Parsons (Human Kebab). The music is eclectic; a mashup of grunge, jungle and hip hop. Ashley has a great voice that sounds almost identical to Kirk Cobain. It’s really kinda of eerie. Ashley and Jay meet in 2004 but didn’t start the band until 2007. They had some early success with their 2008 EP, Welding the C:/. Questamation, their first full length album dropped on Mar 9, 2009.
The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project involves 14 countries (Canada, USA, Great Britain, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Poland, South Africa, Thailand and Venezuela) and their respected nightlife figures. The idea is to put promote the best elements of a country’s nightlife free of charge. to discover and celebrate the best elements of their country’s nightlife. Each country has a Cultural Curator to fill the crate with representative items of their country’s nightlife. USS is the Canadian representative. Canadians can contribute their ideas to add to the crate on the Smirnoff Canada facebook page. USS will choose the best ideas and place them in the The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project crate. The items added to the crate will be unveiled on October 22, 2010. All the countries will exchange a crate with another country for this cultural nightlife exchange. Of course Smirnoff will be capturing these events online to share with the 14 countries and the world. On November 27, 2010 each country will receive the crate and a party to celebrate will be held.
USS put on a fun show. They are very energetic and sometimes the show felt like performance art. I didn’t understand the objective of The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project when I was watching USS play. It was only when I was doing research for this post did I see the scope and size of it. I’m curious what Canadians will select for the crate and I wonder which country’s crate Canada will open.
Disclosure: This a post about The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. Smrinoff hired me to share my experiences at the USS show and talk about the The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project with you. Watch for the big exchange party on November 27, 2010.
images courtesy of HighRoad Communications