by: Michelle Shi
McGill’s very own nine-piece electrofunk band, Busty and the Bass won the Rock Your Campus contest by CBC and TD. The top bands were determined by public voting and from that, the winner was chosen by a panel of celebrity judges. Busty and the Bass received a $10 000 cash prize, a concert performance for McGill Universty students, and the opportunity for a one-year contract to join a YouTube multi-channel network for management. In addition, Busty’s big win made McGill students and the city of Montreal extremely proud! Also shout-out to Maja and Devona for some of the pictures below!
Members of the band include: Scott Bevins and Mike McCann on trumpet; Chris Vincent on trombone; Nick Ferraro on alto saxophone and vocals; Lous Stein on guitar; Milo Johnson on bass; Julian Trivers on drums; Eric Haynes on piano and keyboard; Evan Crofton on keyboard, synths, and vocals. The members met at McGill University and have since developed into a tight funk/soul band playing original songs and innovative covers. Their newest music video “Tryna Find Myself” even features Suzanne Fortier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University.
On Monday November 24th, Busty and the Bass had the unique opportunity to open for Arkells at Corona Theatre. This was a FREE concert for all McGill students, thanks to the “Rock Your Campus” contest. Weeks earlier, a secret location was announced half an hour before the tickets were being given away. Hundreds of students lined up from McTavish gates to Leacock building just to grab a free Busty ticket. The line up was long, but it was well worth the wait!
Busty and the Bass commanded the stage with their powerful sound and unique style. They played many original songs off their new EP Bustified, including “Johnny Afrobeat,” “Mmmhhmmm,” and of course their hit, “Tryna Find Myself.” They also played a cover of “Latch,” originally by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith, but of course, Busty put their unique electrofunk twist to the song. There were also some amazing solos by most of the band members, proving to the audience that they are an amazing group, but also, brilliant individual musicians. One soloist stood out to me, and that was Nick Ferroro. Although he is most well known for being the vocalist of the band, Ferroro flaunted his chops with an amazing alto sax solo.
Near the end of their show, Busty told the audience to get down to the floor. Everyone followed, and together, we slowly rose from the ground. Busty thanked their fans for “building them up,” and then everyone started to jump! It was a heartfelt and energetic end to the show.
However, the audience wasn’t ready for the end just yet. The harmonious chants of “Bus-ty! Bus-ty! Bus-ty!” from the audience quickly brought the band back on stage for their encore. For their encore, Busty chose to play a variety of Disney covers such as “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King and “I’ll Make a Man Out Of You” from Mulan.
Next up on stage was Arkells. At first, the audience was unaccepting of this second band because most of them came to support Busty and the Bass. But, Arkells did not let this bother them, and they delivered a killer performance that did not disappoint the Busty fans.
Most of the songs played by Arkells were off their new album, “High Noon.” Some songs they played include: “Never Thought That This Would Happen,” “Leather Jacket” and “11:11.” They also played a cover of “Blitzkreig Bop” by The Ramones with the participation of the audience on the lyrics “Hey ho, let’s go!” Max Kerman, lead singer and guitarist, was eager to cater to his Montreal audience by making references to the St. Lawrence River, Osheaga, and testing out his French.
Anthony Carone, keyboardist of Arkells played an unforgettable keyboard solo. Most likely improvised, the solo was jam-packed with syncopation, complicated chords, and fast glissandos. You don’t see many keyboard solos at concerts, and after hearing Carone’s solo, you are left to wonder why.
For the encore, Arkells invited Busty and the Bass back onstage and the two bands played a few songs collaboratively. Kerman let Louis Stein take his guitar for the last song of the night: a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight.”
Concertgoers received free soft drinks, CDs, T-shirts, lanyards, posters, and earphones, courtesy of TD. But all those free gifts were incomparable to the amazing concert by Busty and the Bass and Arkells! McGill and Montreal are very proud to have such amazing talent. Look out for Busty and the Bass in the near future!
