While they hung out upstairs at the Rock and Roll Hotel and waited for fans to arrive, the Toronto-based Constantines prepared for Monday night's show the way any good Canadian band would: by watching the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins on the bar's television.
The band is on tour to celebrate and promote its latest album, "Kensington Heights," which it released on the Arts & Crafts label April 15. The label is home to notable Canadian names like Broken Social Scene and Stars.
"Kensington Heights" is a tribute to the band members vibrant and eclectic stomping grounds in Toronto, Kensington Market. Bassist Dallas Wehrle works at his favorite bar in Kensington Market, and it was also the location of their rehearsal space, drummer Doug MacGregor said in an interview with The Eagle.
The area is laid-back hippie center, free of car traffic.
"When you take a break to eat you can get anything from Viet-Thai to Spanish for cheap; you walk outside and you don't know what you're going to see," MacGregor said.
"There are a lot of good distractions," Wehrle said.
Ultimately, however, their atmosphere is not the Constantines' only influence.
"I doubt it would change if we were in Rosedale," MacGregor said, referring to a gated community in downtown Toronto.
While recording the album, the band had one particularly memorable evening:
"We had our friend from the Toronto Maple Leafs [hockey team] over and we got him to play keyboards," MacGregor said. "It was like 40 minutes after the game, and he was ignoring calls from his coach so he could play on our record."
For a rainy, late-Monday-night show, a respectable number of fans showed up. The venue's acoustics were off and the band had to deal with a great deal of mic feedback. Even though the concert space did not do the Constantines justice, the gig was still an ideal intimate rock concert. It was slightly unpolished and a little grungy, but it had a whole lot of soul.
Performing a good mix of new and old, the audience loved the band's newest hits "Hard Feelings" and "Trans Canada."
"I like 'Trans Canada' because we made it last, and I always like the last song [on the album]," multi-instrumentalist Will Kidman said. "And, it's really fun to play," Wehrle added.
Besides watching hockey, the Constantines have a grounded approach to getting through a long tour: They play bocce ball and read books, Wehrle said. Currently, he is reading "The Possibility of an Island" by Michel Houellebecq and "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. There is something charming about a bearded Canadian reading Tolstoy while watching hockey and waiting to rock out in a dirty D.C. club.
Regardless of their approachability, the Constantines are no small-time band. In 2005, they toured with the Foo Fighters and have played venues ranging from one-room nightclubs to hockey arenas. Kidman said he enjoys playing in both settings.
"You can't compare the two, but it's great to play in an arena when you were raised to be a hockey star and never made it," Kidman said. "But, I've 'played' on the ice in Edmonton [Alberta]."
Monday night's show was a success. The Constantines have heart, ear-opening vocals and a cohesive style that makes new and old fans alike alight with glee. Music is clearly their favorite thing to do - they surely won't be stopping anytime soon.
"I've been doing it for so many years that I don't know if I would be good at anything else," MacGregor said.
And with little doubt, these boys from Toronto will be playing for many years to come.
