Sound Salvation Army

Quick hit today!

We’ll have a lot more coming in the next few weeks about the Wheat Pool as they bring forth their latest album, the interestingly-titled Hauntario. Expect a full review before its October 6th release date, but here’s a hint: it’s pretty awesome. The track “Right Arm” is a great window into their sound and aesthetic: coming off far less twangy than their name might suggest, the band presents a break-up song that’s a lot more realistic than pretty much any you’re heard before, combining rock elements and cursing with lap steel and acoustic guitars. Its very affecting and personal and genuine. It aches.

The reason for this post is not only to give you a little tease, but also let you know you can get the jump on the release by hitting up the band’s tour dates in the next month, starting here in Regina.

 

 the Wheat Pool - Right Arm [4:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Live shows:
31 Aug - Regina, SK @ The Exchange
1 Sept - Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s
3 Sept - Edmonton, AB @ The Empress Ale House
4 Sept - Grande Prairie, AB @ Better Than Fred’s
8 Sept - Vancouver, BC @ The Railway Club
9 Sept. - Victoria, BC @ Logans Pub
11 Sept. - Kelowna, BC @ The Habitat
12 Sept. - Calgary, AB @ The Palomino
14 Sept. - Winnipeg, MB @ Hi Lo Pub
Previous album available through CD Baby and iTunes.

Pat entries Canadian content, country, indie rock, live music, the Wheat Pool

awesome photo shamefully pilfered from Ross Costigan Photography

Some super exciting news that I have yet to address here: new Strike Anywhere this year! Squeeee!

The VA punks are moving from Fat Wreck Chords (can we stop calling it that yet?) to hardcore staple Bridge 9 after releasing the catchy-as-heck Dead FM. I love that album for a lot of reasons, but you needn’t go further than the first track to really get the gist of what the band and their appeal are all about.

Frontman Thomas Barnett writes songs based on the politics of everyday life, informed by their pro-labour, pro-human rights, anti-government ideology. They write about the broken treaties that have nearly killed off American Indians, the abuses of power perpetrated by police, and the religious and political hypocrisy, deceit, and oppression that continues to harm average people despite centuries of seeing what evil they have wrought. But “Sedition” takes their already-personal songwriting to another level.

As Barnett revealed in interviews at the time of the album’s release, his grandfather was a pipefitter in Tennessee, one of thousands of average working men, tradespeople, involved in a secretive government project in 1942. They were not given the details of what they were working on, not told that they were indirectly involved in a project designed to enrich uranium. They had no idea their contributions to the Manhattan Project would eventually be responsible for killing thousands of people, helping create the building blocks of atomic weaponry. No one bothered to tell them.

They also weren’t told there was radiation emanating from the project. Its likely that radiation was responsible for the cleft lip and palate both Barnett and his father were eventually born with. Numerous surgeries later Barnett became the enraged punk rocker he is today; he credits the U.S. government’s deceit and callous disregard for the well-being of their own countrymen and those that technology would eventually be used on for fostering the political discontent that drives him today.

The lasting memories also made “Sedition” a difficult song for him to write. It’s nearly impossible not to swell up with emotion at the song’s conclusion when Barnett insists the legacy unknowingly foisted upon his family must end with him. Is it a plea for fate to spare his own progeny from similar physical and spiritual challenges or is it a promise to avoid procreation altogether in order to ensure it doesn’t happen? Given the anguish so plain in his voice I’m inclined to think even he doesn’t really know for sure.

Iron Front is due out October 6th.

 

 Strike Anywhere - Sedition [2:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Earlier albums are available through their Merch site and Fat’s webstore. Shit’s pretty cheap.

Pat entries Bridge 9, Fat Wreck Chords, melodic hardcore, politics, punk rock, Strike Anywhere

This record had so much promise.

The second collaboration between Saskatoon, Saskatchewan’s Factor and L.A.’s Awol One, this album is a crystal-clear example of why I’m simultaneously hopeful and yet totally disillusioned with modern rap music.

Most of the good will engendered on Owl Hours comes courtesy of Factor’s beat-making prowess. He’s a capable producer, able to deftly swing from blissful, synth-heavy arrangements to crafting tracks that combine the talents of an assembled group of live musicians and subtly-programmed drum loops. The first track is the former, a tight drum loop guiding a series of distorted synth-runs for a spare musical bed augmented by his own scratching on the song’s back end. Other cuts (like “Celebrate,” “Back Then”) boast minor key synths and softer sounds, one number late in the album coming across like a lost Postal Service number crafted with 808 snares. It’s a sophisticated, at times understated, palate that shows why rappers from xzibit to Busdriver have tapped Factor for tracks. Hell, one of the drum loops on “Official” sounds like it could’ve been pulled off one of Trent Reznor’s most industrial tracks (”Gave Up” from the Broken EP specifically).

Now: while the album’s two principle performers have a good chemistry and seem to be on the same page on most of these songs, that doesn’t mean this album is all highs. Trust me, there are lows.

I don’t want to take too much away from Awol based solely on these songs. He seems like a perfectly capable lyricist for the most part, but there’s something about his performance that makes it seem like he has something better to do than putting vocals down on tape. His raspy voice sounds almost detached, almost preoccupied on most of these songs. I don’t want to say bored, but I feel compelled to. Even when trying to explain his passion for music with a line like, “You don’t know what the rap life costs,” he comes off flat. The few moments where his voice really seems to fit are on “Brains Out,” a cast-off capital-h Hard Rapping track filled with braggadocio and misogynist posturing, and “Back Then,” which is an honest and relatable tale of love gone wrong. A sentiment that may be rote in rock music is far from it in rap and the tenuous singing voice displayed at the song’s beginning (which I’m assuming is Awol) perfectly displays how genuine the emotion of the tune is, how he wants to make his feelings known to this former lover even though it may be difficult. Its nice to see that vulnerability, especially because it keeps Factor in the spotlight. Unfortunately he gets overshadowed on several of the songs with guest vocalists, due simply to the fact that they seem to have a stronger vocal presence.

There are other tracks where the vocals and lyrics work a lot better, where they’re paired very well with Factor’s tracks (”Celebrate,” “Destination,” “Sunset Sandwich”). But I’m afraid there are a couple of moments that are too depressing for me to overcome.

First and foremost: I expect more from indie rappers than tracks like “Brains Out” and “Waste The Wine.” Maybe we’re on a different page but I feel like there are more than enough (re: any) songs in mainstream rap music that advocate slapping “bitches” on the ass, girls with big asses, fucking in a Mercedes, girls with big titties, girls with big-ass titties, ladies “juggling these motherfucking nuts” in their mouths, messing with groupies, being “hard” and shooting guns. That ground has been covered. I always hope that independent rappers will bring something new to the party, but these songs are awful retreads of “gangster” posturing that have no redemptive value. There’s simply no need for these staid themes of misogyny and violence. Thankfully Awol seems to stay away from those tropes for the most part, leaving them to unnecessary guest spots. But its kind of sad to see that element creep into the songs if that isn’t the featured rapper’s MO.

Also, can we just put a blanket ban on rappers saying, “Check the flow,” or any such derivative entreaty to listen to what they’re saying? It’s a fucking rap song; the “flow” is why people are listening. Asking is redundant.

In summation: this would be an interesting and thoughtful rap record with genuinely engaging beats if it didn’t devolve into stereotypical thuggisms and purposefully offensive, cartoonish sexism. Hopefully Awol and Factor get it right on their next venture and leave out the guest vocalists and unfortunate posturing.

 

 Awol One & Factor - Back Then (with Gregory Pepper & Ceschi) [3:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Awol One & Factor - Stand Up (with Myka & Aesop Rock) [3:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pat entries Awol One, Factor, hip hop, Owl Hours, rap

Guess what? No, not chicken butt. No, also not chicken thigh. Look, you are really bad at this game. Tell you what, I will just tell you instead of having you guess. To save time. I’m sure you would’ve gotten it eventually.

Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle are putting out an album together! I KNOW! They’re two of the best country/roots artists in a country that is full of amazing country/roots artists. Also, they employed a lot of amazing country/roots artists to come in and play on the album! It’s set for release Oct. 13 on Mint. Yipee kiyay!

I’ve been listening to the most recent albums by both Ms. Mark and NQ and I’m impressed all over again. Normally, I like my country rootsy and rockin’. The more banjo pickin’ and mandolin-strummin’ and standup basses being slapped around, the better. If I absolutely HAVE to listen to a country ballad, I want it to be mellow, not whiney and twangy. Basically, I want it to sound like it’s been soaking in an oak barrel with a bunch of whisky for at least three years.

Mission accomplished, guys.

I feel quite comfortable saying “The Business End” is easily the best song on Carolyn Mark’s last album, Nothing is Free. It has the kind of slow, torturous burn you get from falling asleep in the sun. You shut your eyes for a few minutes cuz it’s so warm and nice, and when you wake up an hour later, your skin is so hot that if you hold your hand close, you can feel the heat radiate like you’re some kind of fragile, white-flaked coal.

NQ Arbuckle’s “I Liked You Right From The Start” is a drunken serenade from a decent guy who’s downed a few too many. He’s not quite sloppy drunk, but he wants to let you know that he’s had his eye on you all night and he thinks you’re sumpthin’ awright *hic* and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be charmed enough by his drunken honesty to let him take you home. And you’ll think about it. Flattery, even drunken flattery, gets you everywhere, after all. Besides, you had a few yourself. This will be a mistake of epic proportions, but it might be a mistake that results in a meaningful relationship. And when the grandkids come along years down the road and ask how gammy and pop-pop met, you will look into the eyes of your beloved and say “online dating site” because it is less embarrassing than revealing that you drunkenly went home with a dude and ended up cleaning up his puke.

If you live in Guelph, you can see Carolyn Mark live TONIGHT at Van Gogh’s Ear! That’s just down the street from me! (Don’t come over. My apartment is such a mess.) She’s playing with Sunbear and one of my favourite Ontario bands, $100.

You want to talk about heart-breakingly sad country ballads, these guys do that. They do that soooo well. They’re achingly good. Singer Simone Fornow’s voice is not pretty, but it is real and raw. It’s Marianne Faithfull meets Maybelle Carter. Her croaky, haunting cry of “I never come but it don’t matter” on “Careless Love” is the resigned suffering of every woman left unsatisfied (or worse) by a brutal man. You would do well to buy their album, Forest of Tears.

I saw them earlier this summer at Wally’s with Deep Dark Woods. That was an amazing show and tonight’s do at Van Gogh’s sounds like it’s also going to be a hot time in the ol’ town as well! So go see it and don’t be dumb like I was last time: Buy your merch early or $100 will disappear into the night and take their albums with them.

Carolyn Mark’s music can be found on Mint Records, NQ Arbuckle calls Six Shooter Records home. You can get $100 stuff at Sonic Unyon and check out all three at Zunior and yes, iTunes.

 

 Carolyn Mark - The Business End: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 NQ Arbuckle - I Liked You Right From The Start: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 $100 - Careless Love: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries $100, Canadian content, Carolyn Mark, country, live music, Mint Records, mp3, NQ Arbuckle, roots, Six Shooter Records, Sunbear

No, I’m not a big AC/DC fan.

Its not that I totally dislike them or anything; I respect their ability to write the same song over and over and over and over again.

 

 It's a joke! [0:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I keed, I keed. But seriously, AC/DC is going to be performing at Mosaic Stadium here in Regina on Monday night, an event that people are either really excited about or an event people in the media think people are really excited about. I’m honestly not sure which.

I had a conversation with a reporter in our Saskatoon newsroom on Friday in which I expressed the total disdain I feel for the band. He was incredulous. “What about Back in Black?” No, no Back in Black, thank you. I’ve honestly never felt compelled to either purchase or even listen to AC/DC of my own volition. I’ve heard all the hits more times than I’d care to count and yes, there is a sameness to them that I just don’t see the appeal of. I get why people think its fun or enjoyable or whatever. It just isn’t for me.

But I also don’t listen to a lot of “classic rock.” Like hardly any. I have always had a soft spot for Hendrix though; his consistently wanton disregard for expectation and refusal to accept the norms of his time are so completely ingrained in his music it is impossible not to get swept up in it.

Those qualities are most evident on the 1999 sort-of re-release of his Band of Gypsys live stand at the Fillmore East. It expands on the initial self-titled 1970 release, which culled just six songs from a three-night stand at the legendary venue. Having recently disbanded the Experience, he called up the incredibly-talented Billy Cox and Buddy Miles to help him fulfill a contractual obligation to provide a new album to his label.

In my opinion he could’ve done so much better. I’m guessing he chose to give some of the lesser tracks to Capitol as a bit of a kiss-off, saving the real fireworks for re-workings of traditional songs and some
Experience cuts. The Live at the Fillmore East 2-CD set released in 1999 aims to fix that.

It starts off with the cream of the crop: a jaw-dropping take on “Stone Free,” a tune originally put out as the b-side of the Experience’s Hey Joe single in the UK. The live cut is not only about three times faster than the original track but it’s also three or four times longer, transformed into a breakneck extended jam session that goes and goes for nearly 13 minutes. Utilizing custom pedals and his other-wordly abilities Hendrix improvises about eight minutes of it, serving as band leader as well as soloist. This is the sound of an audience’s expectations being fiercely shattered.

Anyway, check out this lovely link for one of the most face-meltingly amazing recordings of life. If I didn’t have to be at the AC/DC show for work I’d be at home listening to Live at the Fillmore East and ignoring the sound wafting across the train tracks from the stadium to my house.

Pat entries AC/DC, Band of Gypsys, classic rock, Jimi Hendrix, live music, stadiums

I don’t even know what’s going on here.

When this record first came on my iTunes without my knowledge (after sitting there since April without a single spin) I had to check and see who it was. I had no idea it was arguably Canada’s most iconic, instantly-recognizable rock band. Normally we likely wouldn’t be writing about the Tragically Hip on this website, but the fact that someone has been able to take a band with a signature sound that is ingrained in the very fabric of an entire nation and render them alien is a feat worth noting.

To Americans: I honestly don’t think there is a band that hews as closely for you as the Hip do to we Canadians. Its like AC/DC is to Australia, only not as meat-headed, generally less offensive to the senses and more polite. The very essence of Canadian. They’ve been around more than twenty years, issuing a series of albums that are generally hard to find fault in. A few of them achieve greatness, the majority are at the very least good. Their singles are staples of rock radio across the nation, but they’re rarely as annoying a Can/Con presence as Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, or Bryan Adams. One might say they were innocuous if they weren’t so widely adored: they are members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and have the record for most number one debuts on the Canadian Albums Chart.

But on this album things are different. Their constant double-guitar, meat and potatoes rock has never been as universally muted across a set of songs; singer Gord Downie’s outpatient-off-his-meds wailing has never been so missing-in-action; the mood has never been so gently self-reflective.

It all starts with the deliciously understated “Morning Moon,” an alt-country tinged number soaked in harmonies and backing vocals, an equally harmonious mix of slide guitar leads and acoustic rhythm, and a vocal performance that pulls back hard on the reigns. Downie sounds like he’s staring off into a sunrise, gently relating a tale of days gone by. One of my favourite tracks follows: “Honey, Please” has a bit of adult-contempo sheen to the production, but some light piano and organ serves as a reminder that things are a little different here. The vocal melody soars into a delightful falsetto I didn’t even know Downie possessed. “The Last Recluse” uses the Canada Goose as a lyrical touch-point, and the marvelous “Coffee Girl” is a revelatory number that almost sounds like an old Beck number (he and Cat Power are referenced in the song). It sounds a little odd to hear dudes that must be approaching their late 40’s (at least) sing about making mix tapes for baristas, but the shuffling beat and muted trumpet solo in the bridge should make you swoon long enough to forget the source. Early on in “Now The Struggle Has A Name” you’ll swear someone entirely different is singing.

The sequencing of the album really serves to push the difference in sound. The further in you get the more familiar the elements and songs become. Downie really doesn’t even sound that much like Downie until the nine-minute “The Depression Suite,” where he reaches the full heights of his tenor in the pleading tone we’ve grown so accustomed to over the decades. From there “Queen of the Furrows” sees the Big Rock Guitars making their first real return, but they sound lower, almost dull in comparison to other Hip records. Its hard not to think producer Bob Rock is intentionally cutting the band’s machismo a bit (Metallica fans are already familiar with that procedure). Single “Love Is A First” has Downie returning to some of his more clipped, bombastic vocal tones as the electric guitars continue to try and reassert themselves. In the old days this song likely would’ve lead-off the album, waving the anthemic rock flag as proudly as in decades past. “Country Day” plays the band out with an amalgamation of the disparate halves, with processed strings and nearly-choral backing vocals swelling beneath a perfectly Hip-ish mid-tempo rock tune.

This will no doubt be a divisive release. On one side, Coke Machine Glow and its band of merry Hip-sters. They eschew anything so corporate and mainstream as a Bob Rock-produced album and are calling this the only truly awful Hip album ever, lamenting the fact that guitars are muted while cheesy strings are pushed to the top of the mix on a handful of songs. On the other, old people who are aging right alongside the band members and are really enjoying the softer take. They first heard of Feist in a Starbucks or an iPod commercial and they insist this is the bold new direction of a band reinventing themselves (though they still think the rock songs are back-loaded on the album and really, there should probably be more of them).

The Bob Rock angle is intriguing. I think I can genuinely say this album would be very different if it wasn’t for his influence, but I’m not sure how far from their comfort zone the band would’ve strayed with someone else behind the board. Its clear they went into the recording session with a strong focus on approaching the songs from a different direction, but I wonder what might have happened if, say, We Are The Same had been self-produced.

Listening to this album without prejudice is nearly impossible for any good Canadian, but for one that hasn’t listened to a Hip album all the way through since 1998’s Phantom Power its a welcome and intriguing break from the storied/staid idea of the Hip as Canuck Rock Gods. This is a band I would listen to on a Sunday morning while cleaning up from the night before, the soundtrack to contemplative moments of isolation and self-reflection.

 

 the Tragically Hip - Honey, Please: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Tragically Hip - Coffee Girl: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Hip have a ludicrous amount of merchandise available through the Maple Music site, including hockey jerseys. iTunes can also help.

Pat entries Bob Rock, Canadian content, mainstream, pop, rock, the Tragically Hip

Kids in Regina could eat this album up.

I say that because Paper Cranes’ songwriting team has penned one song in particular that eloquently portrays two of the most dominant complaints made by young Saskatchewan residents: everyone knows everyone else and everyone insists their city sucks and they want to get out. That lyrical theme also pops up again in the following track, “Occidental Accidents,” with its refrain of, “The wrong city in the wrong state.” The sentiment is interesting, considering the band doesn’t hail from Regina, nor does it hail from the inner prairies. They’re based out of Victoria, BC, which is somewhat ironic as a lot of disaffected Saskatchewan youth would hold up that city as their ideal hometown due to their prominent art and music scene (as well as the sun-soaked, no-snow lifestyle).

But geographical disaffection aside, “Black Centipedes” serves as a pretty strong example of the archetypal sound Paper Cranes are striving for on Chivalry’s Dead. It boasts a popping bassline, skronking alto saxophone (complete with solo), and some jazzy cowbell in the chorus. Like the album as a whole it has a very strong 80’s vibe, combining the dance and rock elements of the coke-and-parties decade into a fusion that hipsters are sure to love. There are undercurrents of old Cure and Elvis Costello LPs in play as well. The Costello comparison manifests in lead singer Ryan McCullagh’s voice on some tracks (especially “Telephone”); its not quite the smoothest set of pipes you’ll ever hear, but he sings with plenty of conviction and has a great grasp on melodic twists and turns. There’s a Costellian musical arrangement here and there as well (”Occidental Accidents”).

Quite a number of tracks utilize dance elements to give the songs a propulsive energy. Opener “Chivalry’s Dead” almost sounds like Depeche Mode at times, especially in the chorus’ vocal melody. A slinky bass line and chiming guitar chords give the tune a sludgy feel, but some soaring vocals and glitchy keys serve as a strong counterpoint at the end of the track. “Thorazine Shuffle” opens with a bouncy piano line that continues throughout. Its also one of several songs that features some classic horn refrains to punch up the chorus. The horns are a repeating presence on a number of songs, lending what once was a standard trope of AOR tunes a new relevancy in an indie rock context. Lead singer Ryan McCullagh also lends his smooth alto sax sounds to another solo on “the Cavalier,” a loping track that sees him employing a keen falsetto during the chorus as well. The multi-instrumentalist also flexes his pipes on “Telephone,” which features a harmonica solo that is downright sassy.

The album ends as strong as it began with “Solid Clouds” and “Ice Burgs.” The former is a solid waltz with a gentle strain of piano, strings, and glockenspiel that float in and out of the mix with a surfeit of cumulousness. Running only 3:19, it features a powerful build in the last minute or so that comes to a head in a dizzying fog of gypsy sounds that make the transition to the next track all the more impressive. “Ice Burgs” begins almost like an old Modest Mouse track, a measured kick drum and airy, cresting strings accompanying an finger-picked electric guitar figure while McCullagh sings of a cold, distant landscape of feelings that could be plucked from the Moon and Antarctica.

I am mighty impressed with this little record, and the fact that it comes so closely on the heels of last year’s Halcyon Days makes it even more impressive. Paper Cranes manage to find an admirable cohesiveness throughout, which is no small feat considering the avalanche of ideas, textures, and sounds crammed into just eight songs and 30 minutes. Perhaps the isolation of living on an island has helped the band avoid most of the modern memes currently consuming North America’s indie rockers. Regardless, this is an album that is conscious of rock music’s past even as it pushes it into the future. Highly recommended.

 

 Paper Cranes - Black Centipedes [3:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Paper Cranes - Chivalry's Dead [3:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The album drops this Tuesday (Aug 18th) from Unfamiliar Records. Presumably you’ll be able to order it through the Sonic Unyon webstore, but if that doesn’t work they’re still carrying the bands first full-length. The awesome Zunior has it too, hopefully the new one will be added.

Pat entries Canadian content, indie rock, Paper Cranes, rock

So I’ve been filling my unemployed hours this summer and releasing some of my pent up rage by roller skating in circles and hitting other women. Yes. I am a roller girl!

When I was 12, my mom refused to buy me rollerblades because they “looked too dangerous.” Instead, I went home with a pair of boot roller skates with hot pink wheels and laces. I was mortified. I imagine, if my mom had known I was going to use those same skates to learn a body contact sport that requires both a mouth guard and insurance, I would’ve been the proud owner of a harmless hacky sack.

Instead, after many punishing practices, I have traded my old boot skates for derby skates and I’m scrimmaging as a fresh meat skater with the Tri-City Roller Girls. Not only is it a super workout, it’s a blast hanging out with these talented, athletic dames! We work hard and we play to win and entertain our fans! If you have a derby team in your area, you should check out a bout or two, maybe strap on some skates, volunteer or try some stripes on for size as a ref! Fishnets optional.

Derby has evolved since the ’70s when bouts were staged and women regularly went over the rails. We don’t punch each other in the face, but we do hit hard and skate fast. We kept the hot pants and the attitude, but ditched the fakery. All spills, crashes and takedowns you see on the track are real and unstaged. We’ve got the bruises to prove it! Another thing that has sort of evolved is the way the leagues are run. We’re a collective of volunteers and nobody owns us. There’s a DIY feel to almost everything we do. It’s way indie, so you hipsters should appreciate that. I know I do!

Plus, if you get involved with derby now, you’ll beat the rush of people who will no doubt flood leagues once Drew Barrymore’s Whip It! hits theatres in October. The roller derby movie is Drew’s directorial debut. She also stars as Bashely Simpson, a member of the Hurl Scouts, the roller derby team that recruits Ellen Page (Juno) to skate as Babe Ruthless. SNL favourite Kristen Wiig, rapper Eve, stunt woman and all around awesome chick Zoe Bell, and official weirdo Juliette Lewis also star.

But I digress. Tomorrow our TCRG team the Venus Fly Tramps take on Toronto’s Derby Debutantes in a Tiki Throwdown! I’ll be there cheering them on and you should be, too!

The Trampede starts at the Activa Sportsplex in Kitchener on Lennox Lewis Way tomorrow! Doors are at 6 p.m., whistle blows at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door, online, or at Encore Records, Wordsworth Books, Delirium Clothing and Upper Case Books. After the bout, come hang with us at The Heuther Hotel in Waterloo at 9:30 p.m.

Like Uncle Leon and the Alibis say, there ain’t nothin’ so sweet as a girl on skates whoopin’ other girls’ asses all night! GET ON IT, PEOPLE!

 

 Uncle Leon and the Alibis - Roller Derby Saved My Soul: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Mohawks - The Champ (Tramps): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 MC5 - Kick Out the Jams: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries roller derby, Tri-City Roller Girls, Uncle Leon and the Alibis

Regardless of your opinion on the line-up this year (and it was a good one), the 40th edition of the Regina Folk Festival will go down in history as the most successful edition of Western Canada’s longest-running music festival yet.

The first inklings came in right away. The much-adored-by-us Ontario singer/songwriter Basia Bulat was the weekend’s first headlining act and her performance hinted at the brilliance that was to come. She’s a tiny, charming woman and her personality was on full display as she took the stage without any accompaniment, leaving her band at home for this trek. She opened with an acoustic guitar that was nearly the same size as her, playing the title track from her forthcoming brand new album (!), Heart Of My Own (out October 6th). The tone of the song fit seamlessly with the cuts from her debut, a wounded but optimistic, folky number that pushed her vocals to the fore.

She played some of the highlights from her first record, including “In The Night” and the proper full-length version of “Before I Knew.” Those songs featured the autoharp, an unusual instrument that is just one of her trademarks. While the cross between an accordion and a harp looks somewhat awkward to play, it was an interesting element that the audience embraced. I’ll admit to an embarrassing act of fandom during “Before I Knew”; given that she didn’t bring a band with her, I decided that someone should provide the syncopated handclaps that are so prominent on the sparse album version of the tune. My brother and several others in the area immediately in front of the stage and Bulat seemed genuinely tickled by the enthusiasm from a crowd that was still trickling into the park.

In all she played three new songs during a set that seemed entirely too short, 45 minutes passing in what seemed like 25. It left me with high hopes; not only for the forthcoming new album but also for the tour date she promised to return to Regina for this fall. I’ll give you three guesses as to who will be the bald guy standing at the front of the stage clapping his hands.

Immediately after her set concluded, the evening’s MC announced that the night’s passes were officially sold out. A cheer went through the crowd, one that would be repeated the following night as well when the same announcement was made. This is noteworthy, as the festival has apparently never sold out two nights in the same weekend. There have been rumblings that Sunday eventually sold out as well, but there’s been no mention of that on the festival’s website.

After a bite to eat (and some drinks to drank) at my current favourite Regina eatery/drinkery we ventured back to the park as the strains of http://www.plantsandanimals.ca/current/?p=5Montreal’s Plants and Animals. They seemed to be extremely well-received by the now-bustling audience, one of the more rock and roll acts tossed into the mix amidst more acoustic/folk performers. They sounded extremely tight over the course of the few songs I caught and definitely lived up to the expectations created by their excellent album Parc Avenue.

Iron & Wine co-headlined Friday night and got a huge response from the capacity crowd, enjoying a cooler summer evening after the sun’s retreat. Sam Beam also wandered out onto the stage with nothing and no one but his acoustic guitar, playing his entire set solo. He seemed to be in good spirits as he opened with the Postal Service cover he’s best known for. He seemed mildly surprised more people weren’t singing along, although a slight call to action took care of that problem very quickly. From where I stood it looked like people were too busy being in awe of him to sing.

His set was lengthy, made more so by the fact that he truncated a lot of the songs, eschewing intros or lengthy bridges and focusing on the lyrics and vocals. He seemed to drift in and out of a constant tempo on several numbers, especially the lengthy “the Trapeze Swinger.” That might’ve been the track I was anticipating most and it didn’t disappoint, Beam’s voice and tempo swelling and contracting to build up the tension provided by the extensive backing band found on the studio version. It was a spare and haunting performance amplified by the smoke/steam/whatever drifting across the stage from its rear. It also showcased one of the most surprising elements of his set: the dude can sing. I’ve always retained my perception from his earliest four-track recordings, that he half-whispers all his songs because he can’t belt it out. That’s decidedly untrue; the guy has a beautiful voice when he sings out and he has even better control over it.

Like most “big” artists that pass through our city, Beam commented on having never been to Regina before. During one of his many tuning breaks between songs, he talked about walking around the city during the day. Heading into one track he stopped abruptly, looked up, and said, “I smell funnel cake.” As the crowd laughed, he seemed genuinely tickled by the development, commenting that usually he only smells pot coming from his audiences.

He played a lot of songs from all aspects of his catalogue in his hour, including “Sodom South Georgia,” “Upward Over The Mountain,” “Woman King” and “Cinder and Smoke.” A sudden decision to play “Radio War” came at the behest of a fan up front, but another call for “Resurrection Fern” fell by the wayside (much to my dismay). He wrapped up with an extremely wonderful take on “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” (my personal favourite), strumming his guitar only occasionally and letting his glorious falsetto ring out over the city’s downtown. It was a powerfully intimate set, the only misstep being a hookless new song that stuck out like a sore thumb.

Sadly, that was pretty much the bulk of my Folk Festival experience. I did manage to catch a few tunes from the Deep Dark Woods after my work shift Saturday. They played one of the free “stages” to a crowd I can only describe as huge. Compared to last year’s free performance on the same day by Old Man Luedecke where there was 30 people, the couple of hundred that jammed in between the trees in Vic Park’s north-east section seemed like a veritable ocean of humanity. It was nice to see; those guys deserve it.

For perspectives on the rest of the festival, you can check out the local paper, the Prairie Dog (though a proper review will likely appear in their print version), and CBC3’s coverage. If you catch any other reviews out there, be sure to let us know in the comments.

 

 K-Os - I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman [3:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Plants & Animals - Bye Bye Be [3:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Iron & Wine - Upward Over The Mountain [4:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Once again, click the link that is the specific artist’s name for purchasing links. Also, visit the Folk Festival’s website for more on the best weekend of the year every year.

Pat entries Basia Bulat, Canadian content, Iron and Wine, K-Os, Plants and Animals, Regina Folk Festival, Socalled, Volcanoless in Canada

While recently cruising through the back end and stats rundowns for the site, I discovered that people on the internet are damned perverted.

One of the searches that brings people here the most often is “pink eyes fucked up naked.” There’s really only one thing that search would lead you to (I HOPE) and its the image you see above: Damian Abraham, the lead singer of Fucked Up, one of my favourite bands. I shudder to think about the alternatives people might be looking for.

Or at least that’s what I thought until I realized that if those words weren’t in a post that I had already written then that search wouldn’t point here.

A Folk Festival review(s) should be coming in a day or two. I got a second job and its eating up my evenings like crazy.

 

 Fucked Up - David Comes To Life: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Google safely, friends.

Pat entries Canadian content, Fucked Up, gross people, the interwubs