Black Mountain has been nominated for the Canada’s Polaris Music Prize (along with Caribou, Kathleen Edwards, Holy Fuck and The Weakerthans, among others).

When I heard the news, I started to reminisce about those canucks. Before I knew it, I was instantly transported back to Aug. 12, 2005, and reminded why I wasn’t too fond of Black Mountain for some time. FYI, it has nothing to do with the band’s music.

I was just checking into a hotel around Indianapolis in the middle of the night (long story), when I happened to spy some folks who looked/were talking like they were in a band. Two dudes jabbering about backline stuff, and they had bushy beards. Dead giveaway, right?

So then my Sherlock Holmesian powers of deduction kicked in. I knew it had to be a fairly notable band, or they wouldn’t be able to stay in a nicer establishment. Then, I ran through a list of important/semi-important shows going on that night. The only one in the database that fit was Coldplay, whose opening act was none other than Black Mountain.

Since these dudes didn’t have British accents — and weren’t staying in much swankier digs — I knew I’d found my band. However, just to hedge my bets (I certainly didn’t want to look like an idiot just in case my logic was faulty), I approached Stephen McBean cautiously, asking “did you guys play around here tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“What band are you in?”

“You wouldn’t know who we are.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you definitely wouldn’t.”

Then he promptly turned around and walked away. Never bothered to tell me the name of his band. As the dude was walking away, though, I saw the Coldplay backstage pass deal hanging from his carabiner. So I definitely knew who it was at that point.

I know the dude could have been tired, or something along those lines. He might not be a bad guy. But he certainly thought I was. Or at least that I wasn’t cool/important enough to even know what band he was in. I had on some band-related shirt (possibly Pedro The Lion or Anathallo), boot-cut jeans and Chuck Taylors, with a big beard of my own. I was practically the 2005 indie-kid stereotype. That certainly doesn’t guarantee that I’m hip or in the know, but it’s not like I was wearing a basketball jersey, khaki cargo shorts and white baseball cap. And, as it just so happened, I had half of their self-titled album on my iPod at that time. It was certainly a blow to my 20-year-old hipster ego.

So now it’s kind of odd that a band who apparently doesn’t want anyone to know who they are (or at least doesn’t want me to know who they are), is getting this kind of recognition.

All that said, here’s a decent track. It’s the B-side from Black Mountain’s Suicide Squeeze seven-inch.

Black Mountain – Voices

2 Responses to “Black Mountain Nominated For Polaris Prize, Might Be Nicer Now”

1. 

   On 12/18/08 12:17 PM, BUZZGRINDER » Sean’s Top 10 Album List of 2008 said:

   [...] 10. Black Mountain – In The Future These rock-and-rolling stoner rock-and-rollers deserved the Polaris Prize more than anyone else ever. And they’re super nice people. [...]

3. 

   On 09/11/10 7:05 PM, Jonathan said:

   what if they hated opening for coldplay?

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