NNSL Photo/Graphic

Sam Roberts curse lifted

Mike W. Bryant
Staff columnist
Wednesday, July 22, 2009

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Well, a curse was lifted last Friday, and I'm always glad to be around for that, especially those piscatorial in nature.

James Hall, Sam Roberts Band bassist and unfulfilled burbot tempter, hadn't landed a fish in 15 years. And not from a lack of effort. The boys have been known to cast a line from time to time, and to even carry a slurry bucket with their stage gear to chum the seas while visiting motley ports-of-call, but until Freya, the Norse goddess of beauty and love chose her namesake day to smile on this poor, tight-panted wretch, Mr. Hall was without fortune, without hope and definitely without mackerel.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

"The curse is over!" Sam Roberts bassist James Hall, second from left, is relieved after catching a 38-inch pike at the Mink Farm on Friday, ending a 15-year drought in the fish department. With him is sound dude Phil Hornung, left, keyboardist Eric Fares, drummer Josh Trager and tour manager Denton Fraser. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

"Everybody on the boat caught multiple fish except for me, which is ridiculous," James lamented, recalling an outing in Alberta just two weeks ago to the lesser of the Slave lakes. "I've probably been on 15 or 20 fishing trips and I never caught anything."

James has a hazy memory of a long ago visit to Yellowknife as a mere babe, where a friend of his father had taken a job. A photograph exists of him standing next to an enormous pike landed during a half-forgotten canoe trip.

And now here he was, a grown man with a six or seven o'clock shadow across his face, throwing shiny trinkets into weed-choked waters at the Mink Farm, where not even a knocker-weasel slough shark bothered to show its scaly hide.

The day had begun ominously enough. I had pulled into the checkout lane in front of the Explorer Hotel with my boat in tow, which deeply annoyed the cab drivers and various bellhops and porters trying to negotiate the narrow entrance on a particularly busy morning.

And morning it was as band members and stage crew trickled into the lobby. Drummer Josh Trager was looking for breakfast, which was hurriedly stuffed into a Styrofoam box. Alas, it was a futile effort eating it as my boat rounded Kam Point with Josh in front. The vessel skipped atop the three-foot waves with the peckish drummer hanging onto the bowline for dear life while sausages and ham cakes erupted from his container and onto the deck like candies from a pinata.

"Ow!" he screamed, as the rest of us laughed, seated safely in midship. In truth, I felt a little bad. As I predicted, Josh was feeling pretty tender before hitting the stage for his midnight set at Folk on the Rocks Saturday night. I was glad to see him rock out nonetheless but it couldn't have been easy - not without a few tabs of Robaxacet anyway.

Personally, despite the injuries suffered by their drummer, I think the Sam Roberts Band should hop back into the boat for their next music video. I'm sure everybody by now has seen their vid for Brother Down, the colossal hit that launched the band into the stratosphere back in 2002.

The video is mainly of the band all crammed into a rowboat like a bunch of castaways ready to cannibalize each other.

Keyboardist Eric Fares says their leader didn't have any sea legs back then and still doesn't today.

"Sam still talks about it. He gets super seasick," said Eric. "We brought in a make-up lady to make us look haggard but Sam didn't need it at all."

Alas, Sam didn't make it into my boat Friday but when I caught up with him the next night, he told me he wished he could've been there - if only to see his long-suffering bandmate bag his bass. Nicest guy by the way, as must be said for the rest of the group.

Really, the unburdening of James Hall was quite an emotional scene. I can only compare it to the feeling a person might have while witnessing a mother give birth.

It was crunch time and I had to get back to town. Only a couple of dinky little fartknockers made into the boat, and James was desperately casting line to beat the clock.

"Oh man, I'm snagged!" I heard him cry suddenly from up front. But then the snag splashed back and started taking out line. After a heart-pounding tussle, we cradled a 38-inch pike at the side of the boat. Not a true giant, but for a guy who has spent most of life with limp line in his hands you gotta think he'd be pretty pleased.

"Yes, yes, the curse is over!" James shouted out over the bay. "I've been given the gift of a giant sea monster."

Well, cheers to that. I'm happy to help lift that weight James. And cheers to the Sam Roberts Band. They rock. They really do.

- Mike W. Bryant is assignment editor for Yellowknifer. Contact him at 766-8236 or by e-mail at minder@nnsl.com