Sound Salvation Army

During the 42nd annual Regina Folk Festival CJTR, Regina’s community radio station, hosted a four hour live program from the heart of Victoria Park. The session included numerous interviews with various performers at the RFF, conducted by myself, Beth Currie (on Twitter @bedheadradio), and Rhonda Nye (who blogs at Indie Insider). We present that audio to you here for posterity and your perusal. Keep checking back, this is just one of many similar features.
Dan Mangan is a very lovely man.

He came over to our tent between playing a workshop at one of the free tents in Victoria Park during our broadcast on the Saturday of the Folk Festival. We were in the midst of an interview and he wandered off, coming back later on and apologizing for being late. What a sweetheart he is!

Mangan comes across as a genuine, relaxed Vancouverite, which I expect is exactly what he is at his core. He leaned casually against our table while spending a good 10 to 12 minutes chatting with our Rhonda Nye, who really could not have been more excited to talk to Mangan (he was one of the acts she was most thrilled to see this year). He has a very unassuming manner in conversation, making easy eye contact and laughing without reluctance.

It matches the tone of his work to date as well. His breakthrough album Nice, Nice, Very Nice is a collection of acoustic songs that have a unique energy, sometimes rocketing along at a high pace and sometimes moving as slowly as Slow Down, Molasses. His singing voice is acres away from his speaking voice, low and gravelly without sacrificing melody. His songs retain a sense of humour as well; you can hear him grinning as he sings a fanciful tune like “Robots” and the songs are that much better for it.

But all that seems to be set to change on his new record, Oh Fortune, which is released this week. The three tracks that have been released early are all rock and roll, make no mistake about it; electric guitars, heavy drums, aggressive tempos, group vocals, and amps-to-11 solos run throughout these three cuts. It’s not a wholesale change of direction but it stands out in a big way. It should be interesting to see if that scope follows through the entire running time.

You can hear Mangan discuss Oh Fortune, his touring schedule, and a road regret or two in the interview below.

Mangan’s new album drops tomorrow on Arts & Crafts Records. Pick it up through his own web site, the A&C store, or the iTunes machine.

Pat entries #RFF11, Canadian content, CJTR, Dan Mangan, festivals, interviews, live music, Regina Folk Festival

~ photo courtesy of Rhonda Nye
During the 42nd annual Regina Folk Festival CJTR, Regina’s community radio station, hosted a four hour live program from the heart of Victoria Park. The session included numerous interviews with various performers at the RFF, conducted by myself, Beth Currie (on Twitter @bedheadradio), and Rhonda Nye (who blogs at Indie Insider). We present that audio to you here for posterity and your perusal. Keep checking back, this is just one of many similar features.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reviewing the excellent new album from Saskatoon’s Slow Down, Molasses. It was, and is, a giant step forward for the group, which has evolved into a nearly-uncategorizable (no, that’s not a word) genre of it’s own devising that combines shoegazing rock music, roots elements, atmospherics, and everything from trumpets to typewriters. It deserves every accolade it got.

The band’s appearance at the Regina Folk Festival last month saw them on the cusp of some very big developments. It wasn’t more than a week or two later that the band made the trip across the pond for their first tour of Europe, which culminated in an appearance at the prestigious End Of The Road Festival near Dorset. The show has a crazy legacy of booking amazing acts and this year was no exception, as Slow Down, Molasses appeared alongside Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Deer Tick, Wolf Parade, Iron & Wine, The Mountain Goats, The New Pornographers, Caribou, and many, many more (fellow RFF performer Dan Mangan was also invited, as well). The story of how they got there is amazing in it’s own right; one night on tour, despite only about four people in attendance at a particular bar in a particular part of Canada, the band played their hearts out. One of the few people watching just happened to have an in with the festival and the rest is history.

You can hear band member Jeanette Stewart talk more about that in the following interview, conducted by Beth.

You can get Slow Down, Molasses music — digitally AND physically — via their bandcamp page. You can also fetch Jeanette’s solo/faux-lo nom de plume Jeans Boots on bandcamp as well.

Jeans Boots is performing in Saskatoon this Friday with buzz band PS I Love You. Check more details here.

Pat entries #RFF11, Canadian content, CJTR, festivals, interviews, Jeans Boots, live music, Regina Folk Festival, Slow Down Molasses

~ photo by Brandi Book
Main stage proceedings on the second day of the Regina Folk Festival began with a downpour. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.

After four hours broadcasting live with my CJTR cohorts, I went home to nap. I was exhausted. My tired brain also managed to transpose the hours that shows were starting with the hours from the night before. Assuming Vancouver’s Dan Mangan didn’t go on until 7:00 pm, I slept until 6:30. Damn it.

It’s a shame. It’s a cryyyyyyying shame, but them’s the breaks. I was really looking forward to Mangan’s set. During our CJTR interview the singer/songwriter admitted that his set would feature a lot of new material, maybe too much in his estimation. He exuded a quiet confidence about the new material, insisting that he’s always had more song ideas in his head than he was able to get out at one time and stressing his opinion that this album is a more important record than his break-out album Nice, Nice, Very Nice. Moreover, he told us that it’s a flat-out better album. That’s saying an awful lot, considering his last record boasts several perfect songs with dense hooks and a playful sense of humour. The implication of a greater sense of maturity is interesting, but all I have to go on is the song included below because I MISSED THE G-D SET!

My cohort Rhonda, host of the illustrious Campus Countdown program, informed me that the rain hit hard during the hour, leading to the cancellation of local piano hero Jeffery Straker’s set. During an interview earlier in the day Straker showed the endless enthusiasm that has driven him to record three releases in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Toronto in the last two years. Check out his web store and get some of his music, the guy deserves some attention!

I arrived at the beginning of Quebec-based Italian band leader Marco Calliari’s set. The charming, well-dressed folk festival newbie provided one of our best interviews of the day, revealing how he dealt with his first foray into workshops involving other artists and his history in thrash metal. On the festival’s main stage he and his six-piece band fulfilled his promise to bring a more festive atmosphere to Regina’s festival, constantly exhorting the audience to clap along with every song, to get up and dance, to jump as high as they can, and to spin in circles.

The group utilizes trumpet, accordion, and electric and acoustic guitars to create upbeat songs that bridge the gap between rock and roll, cabaret, and folk music. Elements of reggae, Italian balladry, and more are woven into songs that are entirely sung in Italian. The language barrier was nonexistent, as the crowd was easily coerced into singing along when prompted as well. Calliari also helped by giving some of the background on songs like “L’Americano,” which he explained was about the obsession of Tuscan teenagers in the late 1950’s with American movie stars like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. The high-energy number was one of many in a set that passed all too quickly.

The RFF’s closest thing to beach bums hit the main stage next for a short teaser set. Hey Ocean! are a group of three young Vancouverites that seem to be obsessed with the vast expanse of water with which they share their name. Pared down to acoustic guitars and vocals for the brief set, the three found a typically warm reception for their breezy pop tunes, their easy harmonies and gentle rhythms washing over the crowd as a light rain fell on the park.

A major highlight on a night filled with highlights was Toronto’s Shakura S’Aida. She had a tumultuous journey just getting to Regina; after missing a morning flight, her afternoon flight was delayed as well. A slight hitch in travel plans didn’t stop the downright fierce performer from absolutely bowling over the entire audience. S’Aida is a 20 year veteran with a range of jazz, blues, and R&B experience. Her singing is effortless and immensely powerful, switching from gentle cooing to sultry growling in the same breath. A consummate performer, S’Aida’s charisma is overpowering. In a precipitously short dress, she prowled back and forth across the stage, singing a range of powerful songs about women done wrong and teaching men how to be the right kind of lover.

S’Aida interacted continuously with the audience, especially during the lead-off track to her 2010 album Brown Sugar. Teasing the audience and eliciting numerous call-and-responses about whether or not the ladies/fellows want a “Mr. Right”/”Mrs. Right” and how they might go about finding one. The song also served as an opportunity to highlight members of her backing band, including incredible lead guitarist Donna Grantis. S’Aida’s writing partner up the backbone of her sound, wielding a thickly-distorted guitar tone that drives home every bluesy lick. Grantis is an incredibly gifted guitarist and soloist that absolutely electrified the audience over and over again. The entire set was powerful and an unexpected delight.

The next teaser group is probably the single most frequently-seen act of the weekend. Between a Friday set on the Scarth Street Mall, a full set Saturday, numerous workshop appearances, and a teaser set on the main stage Vancouver’s ESL has played more times than I can count. The four ladies in the group create a magnetic combination of pop, rock, and energy that features trumpet, keyboards, drums and cello. Whether it was playing their originals or an unexpected set of covers by the likes of the Velvet Underground, Beastie Boys, and Neil Young the group was turning heads at every corner of the park and managed to win a whole new slew of fans.

~ photo courtesy of Brandi Book

But the evening (up until KD Lang’s closing set) belonged to Taj Mahal. While we at CJTR couldn’t secure an interview with him, Folk festival staff insisted that meeting the icon was a very sobering experience. He apparently spent much of the day just hanging out backstage, meeting and chatting with anyone who happened to stop by. He brought the same loose attitude to the stage. Introduced with his bassist and drummer as The Taj Mahal Trio, the stately blues legend approached the mic with a relaxed confidence that carried throughout the set.

His time-weathered voice was as commanding as S’Aida’s in an entirely different way. Despite it’s gruffness Mahal is playful and charismatic, alternately purring, growling, squealing, and shouting to the crowd. He had the audience deep in the palm of his hand, exhorting them to respond over and over whenever he shouted, “Commence the boogie!” And he did, over and over again, a massive smile on his mustachioed face. He appealed to the older crowd by praising the ladies among them, saying he wanted to celebrate “the first generation of grandmothers to wear mini-skirts.” He occasionally broke into a light falsetto made all the more entertaining by it’s broken, gruff underpinnings. With 40 years in music he’s clearly got an incomparable confidence in his sound.

Despite his advanced age his hands are as lively as ever, his expressive fingering and picking creating an absurdly forceful and percussive blues sound. As a group the trio is incredibly intuitive to each other’s playing, whether Mahal is playing his guitar, keyboard, or banjo. His multi-note finger-picking and lyrical poetry made “Queen Bee” one of the most purely enjoyable moments of live music I’ve ever experienced. It was amazing to see the amount of people that were unabashedly boogieing in the crowd.

You couldn’t ask for a better lead-in to KD Lang’s headlining set.

More still to come, including a run-down on Sunday’s main stage acts and artist spotlights from CJTR’s four hour live broadcast!

Pat entries #RFF11, Canadian content, Dan Mangan, ESL, festivals, Hey Ocean!, Jeffrey Straker, live music, Marco Calliari, Regina Folk Festival, Shakura S'Aida, Taj Mahal, Taj Mahal Trio, The Secret Sisters

~ photo by Colleen Fraser

That’s one night in the books!

The Regina Folk Festival’s 2011 edition is in the books and it was a hell of a start. After opening it’s gates to an honest-to-goodness line-up at 6:00 pm the show got underway promptly at 7:00. Evening host Grant Lawrence (CBC Radio 3 host and Adventures In Solitude author) gave a pretty heart-felt welcome, extolling on the virtues of the Regina festival in his fifth year as a host (I’m pretty sure that’s what he said, anyway).

The park space is in fine form, the audience area quite visibly larger than in previous years. The beer garden area seems to be expanded as well, providing some tables and chairs for those not looking to spend their time directly in front of the stage.

~ photo by Colleen Fraser
The sun was still up when the gentleman Fred Penner and his electric guitarist/bassist took the stage, the first act to open up the weekend. Penner was a treat, as jubilant and effervescent in his presentation as I can remember him being on television as a youngster. The songs were pretty evenly split in terms of ones I recognized and ones I didn’t. Memory is a funny thing, though; for instance, I don’t remember a mouth-fart noise being planted right in the middle of the wonderful “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More.”

While his oeuvre remains firmly ensconced in children’s songs Penner clearly recognizes the maturity of his audience, the ones who grew up with his songs and TV show and are now fully grown. “Where In The World Are You?” featured a spoken word break in which Penner asked the crowd if they’d seen the Holy Grail recently (he asked the show’s artistic director if they had any left, only to be told that they gave the last one away ten minutes earlier). He sang a song about garbage as well that was downright apocalyptic in it’s thoroughness as a cautionary tale. “We’re filling up the water with garbage,” he sang, continuing, “soon there will be nothing left but garbage.” Penner and his axeman also showed their age by performing a brief snippet of “Ghost Riders (In The Sky)” and “Stairway To Heaven,” the latter of which resulted in a short staged argument between the two.

~ photo by Colleen Fraser
Penner is also keenly aware of his biggest hits, saving “Sandwiches” and “The Cat Came Back” for his closing numbers, a one-two punch that is guaranteed to go over big. The cadre of kids and toddlers at the front of the audience area dancing along throughout the set were more than happy to indulge Penner when he called out for them to make their best cat noise…repeatedly.

The man Grant Lawrence insisted in his introduction is a Canadian legend was an inspired choice to open up three days of chaos and wonderment. Shotgun Jimmie is about the only other performer that could’ve had a snowball’s chance in hell of following him.

Jimmie was the first of what will be a lot of “teaser” performances, the brief three song/15 minute (or often less) sets that keep the audience busy while stage crews set up for the next major act. The host of Saturday’s main stage (and a Saturday Sunlit Stage performer) showed off his charisma by playing a kid’s song of his own after Penner wrapped up, singing a very passable song about breakfast. Performing solo with just an acoustic guitar, Jimmie followed that number up with two about drinking booze. Running far less than 15 minutes, his three songs passed all too quickly, but the “teaser” set served it’s purpose; the growing audience got a great view of his charm and sense of humour.

Montreal’s indie rock band of the moment, Braids, took the stage next. Having only a passing familiarity with their debut album, Native Speaker, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. They’re more than capable in a live setting, considering the relatively complex structures of their songs and their young age. Their pop side came out in spades, their hooks sounding enormous in the park setting. Their structured songs were immensely enjoyable, but from a personal standpoint I felt like their drawn-out psychedelic moments were a somewhat jarring transition from Penner’s (and Jimmie’s) acoustic playfulness. Still, singer Katie Lee rose above the din with her sweet, cooing vocals, her soaring falsetto almost-but-not-quite reaching a yodel, creating an unmistakable entrance to the group’s sophisticated sound. A great choice for the festival’s first big rock moment.

Earlier in the day the festival launched with a performance by B.C.’s ESL on the nearby Scarth Street stage. The all-girl rock band features cello, keyboards, drums, and a trumpet. Cellist Cris Derksen provided the second “teaser” set, taking the big main stage by herself. Her solo material is world’s away from ESL’s energetic, upbeat pop. Carried by her moodily-bowed instrument, Derksen utilized pre-recorded and looped electronic elements to create a foreboding soundscape that falls somewhere between Owen Pallet’s work and Halifax’s bombastic It Kills. She played two longer, fairly ambient songs that were punctuated be her (literally) howling vocals. It was equal parts chilling and exciting. Considering the breadth of her work on Friday Derksen is clearly a multi-talented artist that we’ll all want to keep our eyes on.

~ photo by Colleen Fraser
Nigerian group Etran Finatawa captured the audience’s attention in a big way as the sun set and the stage lights came up. The six-piece is comprised of members of two warring tribes, come together in a show of unity between people. They also unify musical styles and instruments, using traditional percussion instruments as well as acoustic and electric guitars. Taking stage in full robes and face paint (depending on each member’s specific tribal affiliation), their brand of “nomad blues” was an engaging mix of familiar, almost Western-sounding song structures and completely foreign sounds. Though the language was completely unfamiliar the group’s vocal harmonies were deft, also seeming somehow familiar. Heck, one song almost sounded like country music. An extremely warm response from the audience elicited a few words of English, as the group gave an equally-enthusiastic “Thank you, Canada,” at a few points.

~ photo by Colleen Fraser
Showing his affinity for the underground, Lawrence provided an effusive introduction for Saskatoon’s terrific Slow Down, Molasses, calling them the best band in Saskatoon. You really can’t disagree with that assertion right now; Lawrence related the band’s story of how they managed to book a spot on the lucrative End Of The Road festival in the UK, a testament to their pluck and determination to play the best they can, even if it’s to fewer people than make up the band.

What is normally a seven-piece group was shrunk to just three members for the band’s teaser set. Band leader Tyson McShane and Jeanette Stewart handled vocals on three songs, all of which were stripped of the electronic guitars that have become a more prevalent presence on their latest record. Broken down to acoustic guitar, banjo, and tambourine their songs weren’t exactly hushed or fragile but also weren’t bombastic. They were earnest and filled the space in their recorded arrangements with focused energy. Nature itself was even on their side, as the goddamn Northern Lights made a brief appearance during their set (during the song “Lights” no less). If you didn’t look up you might have missed it. Thankfully members of the audience began calling out “northern lights,” as though it was a song request the band could never have honoured.

~ photo by Colleen Fraser
The real break-out set of the night, however, belonged to Andrew Bird. During an interview Friday afternoon headliner KT Tunstall tipped the Chicagoan as the act she was most looking forward to this weekend and he definitely won over several thousand audience members with an incredible performance. Reminiscent of Owen Pallett’s jaw-dropping set back in 2009, Bird performed solo with only a violin and occasional electric guitar parts. Much of his time was spent looping violin parts, building up layered performance tracks as he went (much like Pallett). His first few songs were instrumental, aside from his prolific whistling. The intricate stacking of plucked notes and strumming on the violin seemed to transform people’s expectations of the instrument and Bird even seemed to be throwing some improvised elements into some tracks as well, a practice he’s more than used to. The crowd responded powerfully to his efforts, which is probably good because he essentially avoided banter with the audience altogether. The longer set lengths given to the latter performers worked out well for him; as his set seemed to go and go he only picked up more steam and the audience was wowed.

Calgary’s Michael Bernard Fitzgerald came the closest of anyone to late-night content, slipping portions of Sir Mix-A-Lot and Sisquo songs into his acoustic love balladry. The guy is beyond talented, his voice a powerful and perfectly-controlled counterpoint to his guitarwork. His entire teaser set seemed to flow by very quickly with the crowd adoring his efforts to lighten and brighten the mood.

Scottish singer KT Tunstall provided a number of electric moments in her headlining set as well, to the surprise of many (on Twitter, at least). Plenty of audience members could be heard to remark how varied and dynamic her set was. Opening with several newer numbers and a more rock and roll sound (characteristic of her most recent full-length album), Tunstall even knocked some socks off with an unexpected cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” — complete with some powerful kazoo playing. How can you respond to that?

So much more to come tomorrow. Click here to see Saturday’s main stage and free day stage schedules.

Pat entries #RFF11, Andrew Bird, Braids, Canadian content, Cris Derksen, Etran Finatawa, festivals, Fred Penner, KT Tunstall, live music, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Regina Folk Festival, Shotgun Jimmie, Slow Down Molasses

Isn’t that a great title? I mean, you’re probably like “What the hell?” Well I’ll tell you what: Bocce is a band and Kazoo is a festival.

More specifically, Bocce is a band I have written about before here. I’ve never been a huge fan of synthesizers, but I’m coming around. Because this Waterloo quartet rocks harder than any band with three keyboards has any right to. Especially live.

And that’s why I’m giving you a heads up about their upcoming performance at Guelph’s Kazoo Festival, which is currently going on in the Royal City. A boatload of fantastic Canadian bands and musicians are taking part and if you can manage to get out to see at least some of them, you should.

I love Guelph’s continual reinvention of the indie music scene. Hillside Festival is famous because despite its size, organizers still manage to make it feel intimate and neighbourly. But let’s face it, it can still be slightly unwieldy. Often, you have to pick between two or three artists you want to see. And for the bands, getting a spot on that roster is tough. At Kazoo, you can catch smaller groups who might be overlooked at Hillside and watch them find an audience in the city at a variety of venues. (Check out Bruce Peninsula at Dublin St. United Church tonight!)

The Bocce CD release show at the Albion Saturday is my personal pick for best show of Kazoo. They’re set to perform with Guelph rapper Noah 23, Toronto rapper Miles Jones and Guelph’s Green Go.

I’ve been listening to the new album for the last couple of weeks. I’m charmed. Charmed and a little bit in love. This is a group I’ve been listening to for a few years now via local shows and various EPs and singles and they’ve really come into their own.

This is one of my favourite new Canadian albums of the year thus far. From the rollicking groove of “Wheel of Fortune Cookie (Before and After)” (and its fantastic trumpet solo) to the bombastic, wild rumpus of “Louis Sojo (Baseball Player)”, this album is Bocce fully realized. Standout tracks include “Bachelor (Satisfied Fool)”, which reminds me of the best of The Go! Team, and “Highlighter (Reverse Video)”, which combines the best of their keyboard triumvirate with some percussive brilliance.

You can download Disambiguation at Bocce’s website for free or pay-what-you-can. OR, you can buy a physical disc at the CD release show Saturday! Win-win!

Green Go will have some new material to showcase at Saturday’s show, too. They recently released the second volume of their famed remix project, where they give their take on songs by their favourite artists. This time they remixed Gregory Pepper and His Problems, Diamond Rings (D’Urbervilles frontman John O’Regan’s side project), Montreal’s Think About Life, Woodhands and themselves. Yep. Sometimes, you just want a second chance with your own songs.

I have to go to Montreal this weekend to hit some girls on roller skates. Not a lot of things could make me want to miss that. This concert is one of them. Hit. It. Up.

Tanis entries Bocce, Canadian content, festivals, Green Go, Guelph, Kazoo, mp3 live music

I teared up a little this morning listening to Hot Water Music. It wasn’t the first time.

Since seeing them at Warped Tour in 1999 I’ve had a deep connection with this band and the unwavering passion with which they create music. It reached a head in 2003 when they released what I consider one of my favourite albums of all-time, Caution. While fans of the band are often deeply divided between their older, more intricate and challenging records and the more immediate, hooky, perhaps even poppy Epitaph-era output I celebrate their entire catalog (that might be evident in the amount of times I have referenced them on this site in the past).

They’ve been dormant for years now, at least as far as recorded output goes. After a while on hiatus they reformed to start performing reunion shows all over the U.S. and Europe. I think they’ve stopped in Toronto or Montreal at one point, but that doesn’t really fit into my budget.

I’m still working on a means to procure a physical copy of this baby, but they also put out a very limited Record Store Day exclusive 7″ single with four live tracks recorded in Chicago at the vaunted Metro Theatre. Thank Al Gore for the internets, because it only took a couple of days for the tracks (which sound entirely digital, not like a vinyl rip at all) to hit the interweb. And I couldn’t be more excited that they have.

From the intro to the first track I was transported back to Winnipeg’s Pyramid Lounge in 2004. HWM was touring with the Bouncing Souls on the punnily-titled “True Bromance” tour (I’m pretty sure they invented that phrase) and I was frothing at the chance to finally see them again. Caution had, in the six months since its release, become one of my most beloved recordings ever. It’s urgency, emotional depth, and message of perseverance and prospering in the face of immense challenges all resonated with where I was in my life then. Seeing their furious live show only cemented that adoration. I wept just a little bit that night, possibly more than once, perched directly in front of Chuck Ragan as he and the band growled their way through a set that still stands as one of the greatest I’ve ever witnessed.

The brief collection of live cuts on this 7″ single are absolutely representative of that experience. The performances are virtually flawless, the energy is infectious, and the vocals are unrelenting. The song selection is brilliant as well. With only a few minutes to relay that experience I don’t think you could ask for more appropriate songs.

That passion is something I’m hoping to witness again. Despite the very shaky financial ground I find myself on these days, I fully intend on heading to Calgary in a couple of months to take in the Sled Island Festival. I’ll admit Sled Island hasn’t really been on my radar before but with a line up like they have booked this year I would be kicking myself for years to come if I missed it. And it isn’t because personal favourites like Austin Lucas, Les Savy Fav, the Thermals, Fucked Up, Ted Leo, the Bronx (and Mariachi el Bronx), Why?, Greg MacPherson, Nomeansno, Northcote, Bison BC, Chuck Ragan, and more are included. It’s because fucking Hot Water Music is one of the headliners.

So it should be the summer of road trips and sweet jams, hopefully for this reason and many more. Feel free to donate gas money!

Buy every fucking thing you see here: No Idea Records’ HWM site. In honour of Record Store Day no digital links will be provided. That works, right?

Pat entries festivals, happenings, Hot Water Music, live music, punk rock, road trips, Sled Island

Sage words, Madonna. Especially since I’m just heading out the door to Guelph’s second favourite hippie love-fest.

The first is Hillside Festival in the summer. But last year, the organizers decided to put on a show in February at the local hockey arena and call it Hillside Inside.

Last year, it unintentionally set the tone for a ton of good shows I saw. This year’s lineup is leaner and meaner and I’m totally pumped to see Thunderheist, Sam Roberts Band and Stars, but my early picks for absolutely, positively do not miss no matter what performances are the show openers, Guelph band The D’Urbervilles and Somalie rapper K’NAAN.

I’ve been absent around here lately due to a projet at work. It’s not likely to wrap up anytime soon. Sorry about that, but to make up for it, I’m sharing a couple tracks from the above artists. Enjoy! I know I will!

K’naan’s upcoming album can be pre-orered from InSound or get some stuff from iTunes.

The D’Urbervilles are available from Sonic Unyon and digitally through Zunior too.

Tanis entries Canadian content, festivals, K'naan, live music, the D'urbervilles

This weekend was the 39th annual Regina Folk Festival. Like most of the big folk festivals in major Canadian cities, “folk” is a very loose term, as most of the headliners wouldn’t typically be lumped into that genre. Still, it’s a relatively small, very well-organized and well-attended festival that is continually drawing “bigger” acts every year, thanks I’m sure to a brilliant artistic director.

Finances restricted myself, my lady Jenny, her sister and her little boy to one day’s worth of paid attendance. We chose Friday, which saw main stage acts including: Final Fantasy, the Weakerthans, and closer Broken Social Scene.

Final Fantasy’s Owen Pallett is a bit of an anomaly at the best of times and I think live performance reinforces that. It takes a lot of guts to put on the show that he does; a single, small man occupying a large stage with nothing but a violin, two microphones, and a couple of keyboards constructing intricate songs out of numerous (recorded live) loops and live playing and singing. Not easy to pull off, as evidenced by a couple of occasions where his foot-tapping got a bit out of control and accidentally stopped entire songs in the middle of a verse or chorus, only to have them awkwardly re-started again. He’s a consummate professional, though, and aside from those odd missteps the performances were flawless and filled with heart.

The Weakerthans offered little that wasn’t seen a few months ago in their latest touring performance here. Granted, for the constantly-growing crowd that’s all they needed to do. They’ve played the festival numerous times and they seemed to genuinely enjoy their set.

With the protection of the above-pictured sound dampening headphones, Solan was able to watch both Final Fantasy and the Weakerthans, although by the middle of the latter he started to get pretty tired and cranky.

After fetching a few blankets from home (the perks of attending a festival two blocks from your apartment) and standing in an interminably long line at the beer gardens, we settled into a nice spot for Broken Social Scene. While much of their set was spent drinking beer and enjoying each others company without having to worry about the boy (he’d fallen asleep between sets), I was still very impressed with the show the Scenesters put on. Only seven or eight band members made the trip, and perhaps the neatest aspect of their performance was their willingness to open up the stage. Members of local acts and other performers with lower profiles at the festival were brought on to fill in missing components (female vocals, horn section, etc), to a very nice effect. They played an energetic set with a fairly representative mixture of their work, promising to come back soon to do a real show.

My personal highlight, however, came the next day when we didn’t actually have passes to the main stage events. We took Solan to play in the park after breakfast and were in an ideal position to take in a set by Old Man Luedecke. As I mentioned in a previous post, Luedecke is a very lively, spirited songwriter who pens very real, touching, and relatable songs about things like napping and breakfast. He expressed some mild concern at the beginning of the set (when only about five or six people including us were watching) about being relegated to the Children’s Stage, saying he wasn’t sure if that meant he was supposed to play kids songs. Thankfully he stuck to original material, beautiful songs about kissing at the airport and a woeful character named Monsanto Jones whose parents brought the ire of the GMF grain giant just by naming him. Between songs he proved just as entertaining, relating stories and inspiration in a very loose, comical fashion. Ironically, despite his reticence, I’d find it hard to imagine he’d perform anywhere else; banjo music is apparently the perfect soundtrack to the innocent twirling, running, and frog-jumping that mark the dancing of toddlers and infants. By the end of the set, his crowd had grown to probably about 100, each of them grinning and singing along when prompted.

The free performances on three stages throughout the park (centrally located in “lovely” downtown Regina) are a brilliant idea. National bands just gaining renown (Woodpigeon) and local acts doing the same on a smaller scale (Library Voices, Rah Rah) got a showcase that ensured maximum possible attendance, due to their freeness. It’s a great idea that really speaks to the character of the festival itself. All in all, a great couple of days.

Old Man Luedecke: Zunior and physical albums
Broken Social Scene: Zunior and physical albums
Library Voices: physical albums are available through Young Soul Records, but good luck finding them.
Final Fantasy: Zunior and physical albums
the Weakerthans: iTunes and physical albums

Pat entries banjo music, Broken Social Scene, Canadian content, festivals, Final Fantasy, indie rock, live music, local music, Old Man Luedecke, pop rock, rock, the Weakerthans

Hey readers! I’m back from my self-imposed exile.

Sorry about that. I had, uh… let’s say Ebola. But I’m better now! I’m good enough that two weeks ago, I attended a massive concert here in Guelph. In the summer, hippies, neo-hippies, hipsters and other hip-related people gather at Guelph Lake for the annual Hillside Festival. This is all well and good, except it takes place in the summer and how you gonna play February? It’s the month everyone looks forward to cuz it’s not January, it’s generally short, and it contains one chocolate related holiday, one groundhog related holiday (You don’t take groundhog’s day off? Why ever not!?) and now, Hillside Inside. It’s like Hillside except, you know, inside. They rented out the hockey arena, brought in some dumplings and $2 reusable beer mugs and volunteers to wash dishes (no paper plates for hillside hippies) and invited a totally awesome buncha bands.

The “big name” guests included The Weakerthans, Cuff the Duke, Tokyo Police Club, Shout Out Out Out Out, Attack In Black, Wintersleep and Xavier Rudd. I happen to appreciate everybody on the above list, especially Shout Out Out Out Out, who put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen them do, considering they hopped a plane from Edmonton at 6 a.m. and were pounding out the awesome of Dude You Feel Electrical and Nobody Calls Me Unless They Want Something on their famous two drum kits by mid-afternoon.

The other bands were also at the top of their game, even if it felt like The Weakerthans suffered a little for opening the show. The harmonies seemed a little off, but otherwise, they impressed enough that I bought a faux curling sweater with the band’s curling broom logo on it. What can I say? I’m weak. I’m weakerthan. Cuff the Duke’s set made me wonder why they are not incredibly famous. Their latest album, Sidelines of the City, is available on vinyl, which means you should get it, ’cause it comes with a CD, too. Big art, big music, awesome tunes in various formats. What more could you want? If I Live or If I Die is the wintertime jam of ‘08. And Wintersleep. This band has played Guelph many times in the last year or so. Every time I see a poster or a flyer, I think “I should go see them.” And then I remember that I work nights and have no social life to speak of. I was getting tired by the time they took the stage. I was prepared to go into whining mode. And then, they launched into Weighty Ghost and all my troubles were forgotten. It’s such a great song, I’m glad it’s getting radio play. It deserves it. They deserve it. All these bands deserve your attention, so seek them out.

Ultimately, I was hoping Hillside would introduce me to some new artists, which is why I am so glad I caught Kitchener-Waterloo based group, Bocce. Infectious beats? Don’t even get me started! The vibe at Hillside has a reputation for being relaxed and enthusiastic, but I love it when lesser-known bands have the confidence, stage prescence and sense of humour enough to play to a hockey arena full of potential fans like we already know them. They came down from the stage to dance, invited a trumpet player up for a solo and wielded hockey sticks as though they were swords. They were the kings of the Island Stage. They had us singing along to Disco Juan, and when you hear it, you’ll want to sing along, too. Bocce has a lot of keyboards and a lot of keyboard players. And they headbang. While playing the keyboards. And I think that’s fucking awesome. Check ‘em out on myspace and dadmobile records. I guarantee they’re worth your time.

Before I go, I wanted to post my Valentine’s Day present to you all. Are you ready? Okay. Here you go:

This is how it is, America: All the Republicans can think of to diss Obama about is that he’s only got three years senate experience. Can you believe that? He’s totally going to be the next president. By extension, that means he’s going to be a PILF. Come on. Admit it. You’d tap that presidential ass. As for his three years experience, I don’t know about the White House, but it certainly qualifies him to get into my pants. Alright. I think I’m done making sex jokes about Obama, so feel free to send this out as your Valentine’s card. If you don’t do it for the nookie, do it for the LULZ.

As far as Valentine’s Day music goes, I wanted to give you some Al Green, but Wordpress thinks the five minute song I picked was too long. So you don’t get Love and Happiness from the good reverend, you get Marvin Gaye’s bouncy love song, Too Busy Thinking About My Baby. It puts me in a happy mood. Much like cheap chocolate on sale February 15 and the realization I’m still single and don’t have to buy anything for anybody except me. The Canadian single girl’s dream lives on.

 

 Cuff the Duke - If I Live or If I Die: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Wintersleep - Weighty Ghost: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bocce - Disco Juan: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Marvin Gaye - Too Busy Thinking About My Baby: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Barack Obama, beer, Bocce, Canadian content, electronic, festivals, indie rock, live music, Marvin Gaye, politics, Valentine's Day, Wintersleep