Musical Banter is an Art Form

While many musicians could stand to learn a lesson or two from Tegan and Sara, An Horse, and Astronautalis, the greatest is the art of on-stage banter.

Although Astronautalis is a one-man (plus his laptop) show, Andy Bothwell of Seattle made the crowd at the Orpheum Theatre on Jan. 6th laugh like the best of them. When a blonde in the front row flipped him off during a song, he sat himself down right in front of her and announced that it was question and answer time.

“So, which Urban Outfitters did you buy your outfit from?” he asked her seriously. He pressed on to find out how much she paid for her front-row-centre ticket, saying, “[I'm] paid to be here, so enjoy the show and this song is for you.” Sure, these laughs came at a girl’s expense, but most agreed that she had it coming. The flipper of the proverbial bird was not available for comment.

He also taught the audience that the best way to survive the recession is to steal; not from strangers (they’re too suspicious), but from “friends and family members who are richer than you.” This act may be young yet, but Andy has enough talent and personality to carry him far.

An Horse, made up of Kate Cooper on guitar and Damon Cox banging the skins - both from Australia - are storytelling types.

Kate regaled us with a tale from her day about being interrupted in a bathroom with a broken door, although thanks to Damon, the details were a touch cruder. Nevertheless, these two were the essence of charming. No, really.

The night’s headliner, Tegan and Sara, are known for their banter. “We are really, really funny. And witty,” said Tegan Quin, who resides in Vancouver. She told a long story (for reasons we all forget) about a girl who somehow acquired her cellphone number, and texted her dirty pictures of herself. Tegan mimed and gave us an unabridged version of the text she sent to the (likely teenage) girl, including tidbits such as, “I really don’t want to go to jail. My mom would be heartbroken and I don’t think I’d do well, I’m really short” and “Please don’t give people my number, I hate changing it because I have a bad memory.”

The reply? “No problem.”

Part of these twin's charm is the way they poke fun and play off of each other. Sara Quin was the object of the teasing that night, for her “objectification of women.” Tegan claimed that her sister sounded like a teenage boy while looking at Rihanna’s centrefold for GQ Magazine. Reportedly it is now taped to the ceiling above Sara’s bunk on their small tour bus. “A girl can dream,” Sara commented.

Most pop-tarts completely exhaust their repertoires with “How’re y'all doin’ tonight?” and “I love (insert name of city here)!” They may not be super famous, but Tegan and Sara and their friends are worth listening to, for more than just their music.