If you are of a certain age—probably somewhere between about 35 and 40, maybe a little older—The Lowest of the Low might mean a lot to you.  Even if you weren’t a huge fan, you remember that there was a window in the early 1990s where this little three-piece was rocking the socks off the cool kids from downtown Toronto to the tough streets of Buffalo.  The band was a nasty melting pot of late 1980s college jangle and rough-hewn garage, carving out a sound that people really loved—well, loved if you lived on the shores of the easternmost Great Lakes, anyway.  Huge from Queen Street West to the Queen City, large-scale success eluded The Lowest of the Low.  The band splintered in 1994.

But hey!  Don’t be sad.  Singer / guitarist Ron Hawkins has been a mainstay on the local music scene.  Hell, when I went to Fredonia State, it seemed like the guy played BJs twice a semester.  The Low have also reunited on occasion to play satisfyingly successful shows on both sides of the border.  The band is currently in the final four of Toronto.com’s “The Best Toronto Band.  Ever” competition and will also have the honor of initiating the waterfront portion of the 2011 Thursday at the Square concert series—that’s right, the shows officially move from Lafayette Square down to the Erie Canal Harbor Wharf tonight.  Know who’s opening?  Hawkins and his current band, the Do-Good Assassins and fellow Canadians Hey Rosetta! (there’s a pretty decent buzz around these guys, too). 

The show starts at 5 PM.  Admission is a big fat ZERO dollars.  Beer is relatively cheap—$3 for a cup of Labatt’s.  If you remember those heady days of 1992, you’ll feel like you’re golden, invincible and ready to celebrate the opening of Eurodisney all over again.  If you are one of the young people, you may gain new respect for your elders.  It’ll be a good show.