There’s a saying in Calgary: “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” Not true this week, but normally it is. People in other places claim the statement belongs there, but Calgarians will tell you they are wrong.
Well, that was my thought on seeing The Treasures Thursday night at the Dakota Tavern. If you don’t like the song, or the lead singer, or the instrumentation, wait five minutes, because it will change. In other words, a Treasures show will confound your expectations no matter what.
Plunk a fedora-and-glasses-clad singer with an indie pop voice in front of a bunch of guys who look like they belong in the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd circa 1972 but sing like The Eagles circa 1974, and you’ve got The Treasures. Am I not supposed to reference The Eagles? Whatever. The Treasures’s primary strength is their multi-part harmonies that undoubtedly recall Bernie Leadon-era Eagles arrangements. But not to worry if that’s not your thing: they’ll go from covering Grateful Dead tunes to evoking Waylon Jennings country rock quickly, punctuating the variety with tightly woven arrangements and concise solos.
I’m partial to steel player Michael Eckhert, and drummer/singer Galen Pelley, particularly for his vocals, but I really dig Duncan Davies’s voice too. Davies adds some gravity when the singing gets a bit precious and threatens to float away from the rest of the band’s edgier approach. It’s far too easy for bands like this to mine the well-trodden surface of Gram Parsons’s or The Band’s catalogues; The Treasures are able to not only push into the depths of such repertoire but also create their own solid tunes because they’re such exceptional players.
Check them out below, and for downloads and tour dates, visit their website. They’re definitely a band worth seeing live.
