Do you believe in magic, parachutes and modern day fun? How about smiles and happiness? I do. I believe and practice all those things everyday (okay, maybe not the parachute part, but for sure the fun and magic). If you’re still a little hesitant or a non-believer about (or just a negative Nancy) pure joy, then you need some Rich Aucoin in your life.
Last Saturday night, October 16, at Belmont, I slid down a rainbow (no, I was not doing drugs), I slid down a musical rainbow that Rich Aucoin built for all of us with his colourful and fun, fun, fun performance. This is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen to date (dude, seriously, I’m pretty sure he even put a pot of gold at the bottom). So, how did this rainbow sliding feel? It felt like Funcore or the core of fun.
Rich Aucoin’s Funcore genre, puts music back in the bottom of your soul. His innovative, exciting and supernatural, colourful performance is originally designed to make you remember happiness is a quality that can be shared and should be shared more often. It’s a show and a style of music you’ve never seen/heard before. If you combined skittles with St.Patrick Day activities and the most memorable Christmas morning, you know the one where you got your first IPOD (or the Barbie house that was taller than you with an elevator…) and you’ve got yourself a Rich Aucoin experience and there’s nothing like it.
Rich is the kind of guy all your friends would fall in love with, the nice guy at the outrageous party who doesn’t mind talking to the quiet kid who doesn’t really know anyone and he’d probably be the guy to stick around, help you clean up afterwards, collecting all the empties while having a normal conversation about that really drunk person who kept debating about Star Trek being better than Star Wars (which we all know is a straight out lie!). Wonderful right? So, so wonderful. But! Let’s get to the goods…
Throughout the entire show Rich was dressed in white from head to toe (just like he does in the videos on his MySpace), with glow sticks fastened tightly to his arms like a fantasy-created, wild, living skeleton (It’s gotta be the evolve effect). At one point he released numerous amounts of white balloons that floated throughout the crowd, having us all play music-crowd-balloon-polo (of course, all while dancing our hearts out!). We were jumping, singing and living out that experience like it was the first day you realized you could ride a bike, without the training wheels.
In the middle of the Rich Aucoin experience (aka. his sweet, sweet show) he pulled out a parachute, encouraged the crowd to hide under it with him (like you’re in elementary gym class again, remember those days? Best day of my childhood!) and invited us all into his unique and electrifying world we were all smiling. It is something inside his music that sinks to the bottom of your ultimate happiness, awakens your inner desire for true, genuine fun and sends all these feelings exploding throughout your bones (Dance! Dance! Dance!).
It’s not only his music that makes him stand out like a wonderful unicorn in a Chronicles of Narnia novel, it’s also his calm, collected and joyful personality. His enthusiastic performance is contagious and his love of his work is as admirable as the very first Valentine you ever received in grade two (ah, the good ol’ days of classroom Valentine making)…And he probably was that really nice kid who spent hours working on that pretty, red, white laced-sparkle-loaded Valentine that you’ve kept in your scrapbook for years (he just wants to make you smile and he will make you smile…the ear to ear kind of smile).
If that hasn’t gotten you addicted to this wonderful performer (seriously, he’s doesn’t have a show, he gives you an experience that you’ll be talking about for the next ten years) then it’s going to be his commitment to creating awareness for charitable organizations and continuous growth as a person, a film producer and musician.
In the next two weeks Rich will be touring the United States (share the love!) on a tour named Fuck You, Depression! to help raise awareness about mental health organizations and people who suffer from mental health disorders (seriously, where did this dude come from? He’s like a reincarnation of Pope John Paul II, combined with John Lennon and James Brown). I say, fuck you depression too, Rich. Not that I have depression, but I’m pretty sure Rich Aucoin’s music is organic-musical-Prozac we all need to feel better again. I don’t think anyone who listens or has seen this guy perform could ever fall victim to such a terrible disorder (Maybe doctors should just start prescribing Rich Aucoin EP’s).
Not only is he touring, helping the universe realize wonderful human beings still exist (giving us all bonus points for Karma), he’s also working on a self-produced film entitled We’re All Dying to Live, which is comprised of over 50 different films and a new EP (as part of the film release) named, Public Publication, which includes over 500 artists from all over Canada (we’re talking BC to NFLD…on a bike). Both the film and the EP are intended to be released this winter (and I thought I was busy). Not to mention his song Push is #12 on this week’s CBC, radio3, R3-30 countdown…and I’m sure it will soon be #1 (cross your fingers!).
If you missed last Saturday don’t fret, Rich will be back again and again to help inspire and kick-start your soul to believe in magic. Of course, you should be creeping the hell out of his MySpace right now, liking him on Facebook and watching every video he’s ever made. Oh, and following him on Twitter…and the interview that will follow this article in the next day or two!
Cool Beans dudes, love life and believe that good people still exist (thank-you Rich Aucoin). Growing up physically maybe necessary, but mentally is optional…don’t stop the Fun-in-your-core.
Rich Aucoin preformed at Belmont in Montreal, October 16th, 2010. The show also included performances by Hot Hot Heat and Hey Rosetta!. We all danced.
