Ian Blurton + Huron = Happy Endings

While slugging back a Corona at La Hacienda back in August, Ian Blurton stopped by my table and plunked down a dog-eared CD-R envelope with "Thin Lizzy 1971-1982" written on the flap. 
"It's just some stuff I've been working on," he shrugged. "Check it out, lemme know what you think." As he walked out the door, I flipped it over and noticed the words "Happy Endings" were inked on the disc with a familiar scrawl not unlike the scribbling I remember seeing on those early Change of Heart demo cassettes and posters.
Listening to Blurton's disc later that night, I was immediately struck by the diversity of sounds, grooves, textures and of course, riffs – it wouldn't be an Ian Blurton project without some big bold ones. There were enough solid ideas for at least three completely different albums and not one of which would sound it came from C'mon, Blurtonia, Bionic, Scott B. Sympathy, Change of Heart, A Neon Rome or even Jolly Tambourine Man. The enjoyably stoned opener Out There In The Light sets you up for a trippy Floydian flight but as soon as the purple smoke clears, you're into the hand-clapping and hip-shaking getdown Get Right By Me and then straight through to the strummy acoustic choogle of Crows Crow before taking a left turn into the Tortoise-esque post rock rumbling of Folded Plastic Remix only to launch back into interstellar overdrive for Four AM Highway.
If you think that sounds crazy, wait till you hear the Stones-meets-Bolan jam Billboard of Stars. Oh yeah, I just about forgot there's a full-on disco jam too. The amazing thing about Happy Endings is that for all the jarring stylistic shifts and celebrity guests (including Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew, Stars' Amy Millan and Raising The Fawn's Scott Remila), it all somehow still feels like Blurton's handiwork. But how could he pull it off on stage? That's what I asked the man when I ran into him at the Roky Erickson show. Blurton replied, "I've been working on it with the guys in this Hamilton group Huron. We're gonna be playing every Wednesday night in November at the Dakota. We're calling it Ian Blurton + Huron = Happy Endings."
Naturally, I had to check it out for myself and what an ass-kicking display it was last Wednesday. The diversity of Blurton's new material clearly poses no problems whatsoever for the appropriately bearded Huron crew who've comfortably fit right into the role of Sir Ian's own personal Crazy Horse. While the blazing three-guitar frontline brought the album's rockers to wall-shaking life, I still had my doubts that these bruisers could roll with the dubwise bump of Folded Plastic. But the wonderfully woozy 20-minute breakdown led by a seated Blurton thumping on a Rickenbacker bass (fitted with a red, gold and green striped strap!) proved to be the highlight of the night.
They'll be back with freshly manufactured copies of the Happy Endings CD at the Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington at Dundas) tonight (Wednesday, November 11) and again November 18 and November 25. Well worth investigating.