Prolific. Dynamic. Witty. Charming. Talented. Generous. Breathtaking. A great poet. A gifted showman. A solid dancer. Often baseball-capped. All ways in which someone might describe the legendary Buck 65, who’s on deck for the Summerworks Performance Festival in Toronto, playing a special show on Wednesday, Aug. 15, at the Theatre Centre.
According to Summerworks, “This will be unlike any show Buck 65 has ever done or will ever do again. A show of lost songs that can only happen here.” Hmmm, intriguing, right? Here’s what Buck 65 had to say about all of this.
What are you doing at Summerworks this year?
I'm playing a show that's been put together with the help of [interdisciplinary dancer/performance artist] Ame Henderson. I'll be playing 100 per cent songs I've never performed live before. There will also be an elaborate visual spectacle to accompany the performance. All kinds of stuff. Silly things. Pretty things. Technological things.
How did this collaboration come about and why were you keen to take it on?
Someone from the festival contacted me. I always like to have the chance to try something different and play in new spaces. Some creative people made a pitch to me over dinner one night and it sounded exciting.
So, what have you got in store for old fans and new?
Some of the songs are pretty old. There will be a bunch of material from the Dirtbike albums. In a way, it will be the kind of show I wish I could do every night. Most nights, I tailor my set around external factors like alcohol and people's expectations. I guess what I'm saying is that this will be a fairly self-indulgent show. I hope people go for it. I think the environment – not playing in a bar – will help make it work.
See Buck 65 with Ame Henderson at Toronto's Theatre Centre on Wednesday Aug. 15.
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