I don�??t know where it comes from, but lately I�??ve been obsessed with late 19th, early 20th century America. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I�??ve spent the last two months immersed in Thomas Pynchon�??s ode to that period, �??Against the Day�?�, or maybe (and I am more inclined to believe this one) I feel as if our own time, with its moral, cultural, and economic ambiguities, more closely reflects the last fin de siecle then it does the last 20 years.

When The Band sang �??Virgil Cane is the name, and I worked on the Danville Train�?� on The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, it recognized that cultural indicators, like fine wine, had to be aged before they could be properly enjoyed. The civil war was one hundred years in America�??s past at that point, and it has been a long time since a band went that far back for inspiration.

When Midlake sings �??Whenever I was a child I wondered what if my name had changed into something more productive like Roscoe been born in 1891�?� on Roscoe, their quarry is also about 100 years old, and like �??Dixie�?� it points to a time similar to our own. It is an interesting thing when a band can remind you that cultural parallels exist 100 years apart from each other, but Midlake does it. Although they enjoy glowing comparisons to Fleetwood Mac�??s golden seventies rock, Midlake�??s real influences come from The Band�??s abilities to recreate heartfelt narratives from the 19th century.

Dear Midnight Poutine,
I am what appears to be a regular Montreal guy with a fair amount of friends, and one pretty big secret. You see, I�??m actually American and I am afraid if my friends find out they won�??t like me anymore. What should I do? Should I continue with the charade, or come clean and own up to being a yank?
Yours,
Secretly American

Now I know this is going to sound controversial, and I�??m not one to stir up the muck, but boy oh boy, if this balmy weather is any indicator of global warming, well by gosh, just count me on board for the global warming train. Toot! Toot!

I mean, my goodness, who could complain about green grass in December, and 18 holes in January? Certainly not me, that�??s for darn sure. I mean, a fella sure could get used to this sort of thing.

There�??s just something about old fashioned spirituals. Maybe it�??s mankind�??s deep seated belief in a higher power, or maybe it�??s just that spirituals have the ability to rise above the fray of standard indie-rock fare, but whatever the case, they definitely have a hold on me, and Jon Rae and The River exploited that hold to its fullest potential last Friday at Club Lambi. A full blown gospel band masquerading as indie rock, Toronto�??s Jon Rae knows how to hit those emotional buttons we all want hit so dearly when we go to see live music.

Watching Nashville�??s Lambchop last night, just one thing kept popping into my mind, and it was this: If me (at age 15) saw me (age, presently, 26) attending a concert as calm and adult-oriented as this one, he would be sooooo disappointed in me. It�??s not to say that the show was bad or uninteresting. Hell, a few times it was downright awesome! It�??s just that at a certain point, when someone who grew up listening to Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys finds himself in the audience for a band that could be best described by comparing them to the Pat Metheny Group, or The Moody Blues, stock should be taken.

(Editor: Longtime NoMeansNo fan Matt Silver asks the band a bunch of nerdy questions, and John Wright answers them in impressively curt form, demonstrating how accustomed he is, apparently, to nerdy questions. The band plays Sala Rossa on Sept. 26.)

1. You guys have been going so hard for so long, is there a band motto that keeps you in top shape? Some sort of driving idea behind the music that keeps you coming back for more?

No, just enjoying what we're doing and having many fans that continue to enjoy the things we do making it possible to do the things we do.