Sloan Still Rocking the Stage After 20 Years

There are at least three things in life that any Canadian rock fan can count on: death, taxes and Sloan.

On Friday night the band showed why they've been one of the country's most beloved bands for nearly 20 years, turning out a seemingly bottomless set of hits at Yonge-Dundas Square during their headlining gig for NXNE.

Sloan are undoubtedly unique in that all members are contributing songwriters and are happy to share the spotlight when the band performs. It's hard to argue that bassist/singer/sometimes drummer Chris Murphy is the face of the band -- his goofy charisma is impossible to ignore even when one of his bandmates is leading a song -- but he traded places with usual drummer Andrew Scott for a few songs, giving the drummer a chance to stretch his legs and sing a few tunes.

They may be sporting a few more grey hairs these days -- particularly Scott, who from a distance could be mistaken for Stewart Copeland of the Police -- but they sure haven't lost a step. No one exemplifies the band's seemingly eternal youth more than Murphy, though -- who arrived on stage with his backpack, looking like a teenager headed to English class. Any time he wasn't at the microphone he was grinning and mugging and posing for his adoring fans.

The band broke out of the Halifax scene in the early '90s with radio hits like 'Coax Me' and 'Underwhelmed,' but in the years since then they've unassumingly built a catalogue of power pop hits to rival the output of any of their contemporaries. What's most remarkable, though, is the band has never forgotten how much fun rock and roll can be.

When you go to see a Sloan show there's no doubt you'll have a good time. And these days, it's nice to know there's at least one good thing you can count on.