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When I really stop to think about it, I may have seen Toronto’s favorite son Andrew Vincent play live more than any other musical act. ‘Tis true, from the heady days of our early 20s in Kitchener/Waterloo coffee-shops and DIYs to the cozy confines of Montreal’s hipster hole Casa Del Popolo, I’ve checked in on AV throughout his career. What keeps me coming back, like most of his small flock of devotees, is a humbly understated virtuosity of lyric and totally engaging delivery over always ragged but comfortable rock n’ folk earworms. His songs are subjective, self-aware capsules that narrate life and it’s small and large trials, whether it be the delicacy of odd-couple friendships (“Keep It That Way”) or the hilarious and rocking tale of border-crossing to play shows in the USA (“Ambassador Bridge”). AV’s depth and abilities shine in his terrific skill as a storyteller, deftly narrating each song with painterly and poetic little darts of lyric, floated lazily over easy-going and purposefully rough-hewn rock melodies.
The 4-song 7-inch is a perfect distillation of AV’s mastery of songwriting, adorned and held up with some kick ass playing by friends and Ottawa-scene contemporaries like Jim Bryson , Andy Swan and Kelp Records’ big daddy Jon Bartlett . Each 7” or CD EP comes with a unique hand-drawn cover, that personal touch being a trademark of AV’s releases over the last decade or so. Vincent’s Keep It That Way EP is another jewel from one of our country’s best songwriters and a must-have for fans of ballsy Canadian lit-rock.
