Brooooooooce
Ontario-based mega choir-group Bruce Peninsula have their work cut out for them Saturday at Hillside Festival. They’re performing on the island stage at the same time that indie darling Julie Doiron is on the lake stage and guitarist Kristin Sweetland plays the main stage.
If quantity of people is any indication of a good show, BP’s set in the steamy, revival tent-setting of the island stage will be a barn-burner. Tent burner? Whatevs. We be worshippin’ music, so you best get to prayin’.
Bruce Peninsula’s large choir-like group has a bit of a rotating membership, but the grounding basis of gospel, blues and folk remains solid as a rock. What they do, they do well; that is, sing traditional American folk songs with a hollered spiritual bent. Neil Haverty’s gravelly voice inquires, the heaven-sent female choir responds. Of the female chorus (which consists of Misha Bower, Katie Stelmanis, Kari Peddle, Ohbijou’s Casey Mecijah and others on occasion), Misha Bower’s deep, dark voice stands out.
She is expressive and wounded on “Weave Myself a Dress,” moving from a slight warble to a full-blown wail that flows perfectly into the call and response gospel asthetic of “Crabapples,” my favourite song from their full-length album, A Mountain is a Mouth.
The album made the long list for the 2009 Polaris Prize, but was unfortunately edged out of short list competition. It’s too bad, because the final group of artists up for consideration this year is kind of repetitive. Many have been nominated before and while I don’t doubt that Joel Plaskett deserves to be there, I don’t want the Polaris Prize to start to be like the Oscars, where artists who should’ve won in previous years are awarded for efforts that are passable, but not amazing. I wish there’d been room for Bruce Peninsula.
When I was a grade-schooler, I had this amazing music teacher, Mrs. Weimer. She taught me that the human voice is the most powerful instrument. Bruce Peninsula reinforces that, and then some. Their set at Hillside, in a hot, crowded tent will no doubt be intense (get it? In tents? Get it? Awwww, nevermind) and worthy of your applause. Especially if they play “Lift ‘Em Up/Jack Can I Ride” the best, wildest traditional songs they sing on their 2008 7″ release, which, incidentally, has some of the most beautiful design I’ve ever seen.
Their albums are available on Zunior and iTunes. Check them out!
