Music Review

ArtsMusic

When you consider his internet celebrity and sizeable back catalog, Kaytranada’s debut LP 99.9% (XL Recordings) almost feels overdue. He’s been a household name on Soundcloud since his 2009 remix of Janet Jackson’s “If” and has continued to put out quality flips of songs both old and new since. His talent is undeniable, and his newest collection of songs is an opportunity to display it alongside a plethora of other artists.

In listening to 99.9%, some obvious influences float to the surface – its music is full of the synthetic jazz chords of the Neptunes and the drunken drums of J Dilla (former Dilla collaborator Kareem Riggins plays on “Bus Ride”). However, it never feels imitative. Kaytranada is one of many producers who can claim these artists as touchstones, but one of the few that can also lay claim to a distinctive sound. This distinctiveness is made all the more impressive given the diversity of samples and guests on 99.9%. You can safely bet that this will be the only album ever made with both Craig David and Little Dragon as featured artists, but Kaytranada’s production allows it to flow seamlessly. It’s a remarkably strong debut, and a timely release – tracks like “Glowed Up” and “Got it Good” are guaranteed to be rattling trunks all summer long.

The question Thursday night, however, was how well this new album would translate to a crowded venue. Kaytra rocks the club with his hip hop sets, and any remix of his is perfect driving or bedroom jamming material. But in the traditional DJ setup of screen, table, and pit, the rhythmic intricacies of 99.9% were at risk of getting lost on the moshing crowds.

Fortunately, while Kaytranada tracks may be more complex than the typical club fare, his set at Metropolis was evidence of their adaptability to a live setting. Kaytra modulated the energy of the sold out venue with ease, opening with some bangers like “Drive Me Crazy” that got the room bouncing. The set came in peaks and valleys; after a few high-energy tracks, Kaytra would slow the tempo with some mellow instrumentals that kept the crowd vibing. “Got it Good” and “One Too Many,” set against .gifs of pot leaves and waves crashing against the shoreline, went over especially well, lending a hazy, blissful atmosphere to the evening. Of course, just as the room was settling down, another high energy track, like his flip of Missy Elliott’s “Sock it to Me,” would bring the energy back up again.

The two-hour set closed with an extended play of Kaytra’s now-classic take on Janet Jackson’s “If,” picking up the crowd and setting it back down one last time. After a quick encore consisting of album cuts and a new Chance the Rapper song, he departed to rabid applause. If there was any doubt about Kaytranada’s appeal to a larger audience, it was unwarranted – it is now abundantly clear that he’s ready for the big time, and thankfully, he’s taken his idiosyncrasies with him.

Featured image by Ralph Haddad.

ArtsFestivalsMusic

Here we go again. NXNE starts this Monday, June 10 in Toronto. After sifting through numerous bands listed on the NXNE site (there are over 1000 musicians performing) and my own personal collection here are my top five suggestions. Mostly Toronto based, we’ve also got a little side of Mexico, a dash of Montreal and some west coast love.

The BB Guns
Saturday, June 15 @ 9pm, Lee’s Palace
Toronto based riot girl-esk The BB Guns are one of my favourite bands in the city right now. (And I’m not alone in this statement.) Fast, fun with a side of indie dance rock. The BB Guns are a must see for NXNE. Grab a Mill Street Organic and rock out.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/91121855″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Los Oxidados
Wednesday, June 12 @ 1am, The Hideout
Saturday, June 15 @ 11pm, Cherry Cola
Los Oxidados are Mexican surf rockers whose music feels like it should have been included on the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack. They even wear Zorro-like masks. No lyrics just straight up instrumental. Take a whiskey on the rocks or a gin martini with lots of olives, and then twist and turn baby. Twist and turn.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/85209637″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Moon King 
Friday, June 14 @ 11pm, Wrongbar
Toronto based Moon King reminds me of a mix between The Cure and a chocolate sundae with lots of sprinkles. Their dark base is consistent but their music is layered with sweet dreamy feelings and bursts of sweet dance, and colour. Goes good with a vodka soda and three limes.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/53826463″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Young Lungs
Saturday, June 15 @ 12am, May
Montreal based Young Lungs are no wave indie post punk with some surf and power pop influence. They’re a Converse wearing, no shower, dark basement with red lighting type of band. There may be blood. Straight dirty cheap beer drinking for this show. Pabst is probably your best choice.

SATURNS
Wednesday, June 12 @ 1am, Rivoli
Saturday, June 15 @ 1am, Sidedoor
Toronto based SATURNS make futuristic, space-like sounds from broken synthesizers and dysfunctional laptops. (That’s how they made their EP). It’s the kind of music that makes your shoulders and body sway from front and back while making a duck face. Unpredictable lyrics and consistent beats. Gin is the perfect partner in crime for this band.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/66096048″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Other bands to see: Ca.iro, Nightmare Air, Miesha & The Sparks, Sex with Strangers, Our Friend & The Spiders and South of France.

Check out the full schedule and download the NXNE App to help easily guide you from show to show. Awesome. Well, see you around town. Follow me on Twitter for inside show deets and Instagram (@doublecass) for random, ridiculous photos

ArtsMusic

 Elder Sister Plum – A Taste of Plum (Released April 7th, 2013)

FOLK / COUNTRY

Vancouver native Tanya Semple of Elder Sister Plum delivers a heartwarming folk reverie with her newly released EP ‘A Taste of Plum’. Akin to the imagery of early Laura Veirs, Elder Sister Plum thaws hibernating hearts with her tracks ‘Colour Blind ‘and ‘Northern Bound/Take Me’. Vernacular dances from her lips to our ears, beckoning listeners into the song paintings she reveals where kisses are stolen, journeys are taken, and treasures are reconsidered.

eldersisterplum.bandcamp.com 

light-companyLight Company – The Boy Who Sat on Ocean Floors (April 16, 2013)

ALTERNATIVE ROCK / POST-ROCK

Fresh on the scene, Light Company emerges with a strong debut firmly rooted in alternative rock with a definite post-rock feel. Listening to their debut, I was transported back to the music of my CEGEP years; bands like Thrice’s Vheissu, which is also about being at the bottom of the sea, and some elements from bands like Mogwai. That’s not a bad thing. On the contrary, listening to The Boy Who Sat on Ocean Floors reignited my passion for this kind of music. I just pulled out my old CDs. Light Company’s drums and emotional songwriting are a highlight of their debut. Favourite tracks on the short EP are “The Cellist of Sarajevo” and “Echoes of Home”. I’d love to see what these guys do live.

lightcompany.bandcamp.com

Annette’s Beach Party – Demo 2012 (Released January 14, 2013)Annettes Beach Party

INDIE / POP / SURF

Couldn’t resist lending an ear to Annette’s Beach Party after hearing their name around the circuit. I was pleasantly surprised by their fairly recent cassette demo. This kind of rock isn’t something I’ve heard before, especially not ‘round Montreal. ‘Natalie’s Delight’ and ‘Acid Holiday’ are the strongest of the bunch. Annette’s Beach Party is chock full of raw energy and has a rock ‘a billy tinge to its grungy surf rock. Kinda feels like a musical energy drink with a calming after shock. Looking forward to an EP from these folks.

annettesbeachparty.bandcamp.com

cafe racerCafe Racer – Apollo (Released March 28, 2013)

Alt Rock / Classic Rock

I was listening to Myles From Home (Acoustic/Folk) and fell upon the recent release of a band he’s part of. So here’s one for rock fans. The vocals remind me of the lead singer of a band called Rubberman from Montreal (later on Jonas & The Massive Attraction) and something I can’t quite put my finger on from my teenage years. Sprinkle some grunge and some distinctly classic rock elements and there you have it. It’s all rock, with some brit pop influence and an interesting diversity that manages to remain cohesive. Our favourite is “Molly Doesn’t Move Anymore” and “No Time”.

caferacer.bandcamp.com

ArtsArts & Theatrics

November 26, 2012.
A night I can promise you I won’t ever forget- and neither will the other thousands of Beliebers in the Bell Centre that night. For those of you who don’t know, that was the night that Justin Bieber was in Montreal to preform his show on the Believe tour.

I am just an average teenage girl, I go to high school, I play sports, I listen to music, but not just any music, Justin Bieber music. I am in love with Justin, he is my idol for so many reasons. Most people hate him for his hit song released in early 2010 called Baby. I’m sure most of you have heard it, and if not, people mocking it and the lyrics. But he’s definitely changed since then.

So November 26th, was my first concert. The only word I could use to describe it is; perfect. I got there around 5 pm and waited at the doors, I was one of the first ones in with my friend and we bought our shirts and then got our seats. We didn’t have the best seats, but I wasn’t about to complain, I mean I was about to see my idol. The show opened with The Wanted and they sang some of their songs and then Carly Rae Jepson came and performed her songs.

After they left there was nothing happening on the stage for at lest an hour, but being a crowd of thousands of teenagers we sang all of Justin’s songs together. After that hour of nothing all the lights turned off in the arena. About a second or two later a screen turned on signifying that there was 10 minutes until Justin came on stage. The screaming began once again as we were dying to see him. Once the clock hit 10 seconds and as it was going down everybody was screaming and yelling. I had never heard anything so loud.

When the clock hit zero it went silent and Justin came in hanging from the ceiling with a pair of wings, he stood still, we screamed and cried. Most people wonder why we cry when we see our favorite people in person, we should be happy shouldn’t we? So why cry? Well we cry because we are happy beyond words. I was crying because I never thought that I would ever get to see him in person.

I have been a Belieber since 2009, and this was really a dream come true. After he landed on the end of the cat walk, he smiled and sang All Around The World followed by Take You, then Catching Feelings. After that he sang one of my favorite songs from him- One Time. I love that he sang his old songs and mixed it with the new ones.

It was amazing and the only thing I could have had to make it better would be either better seats or Meet&Greet passes. I am already saving up for the next concert, I can’t wait. This boy is amazing.

Uncategorized

Last friday, Hello Darlin’ Productions presented the launch of The Custom Outfit’s first full length album at the Mainline Theatre on St. Laurent. The Mainline Theatre is a lovely black-box theater venue that lends itself well to intimate shows and events. The lobby is decorated with many a Fringe Festival poster.

I arrived early and had the opportunity to sit down with The Custom Outfit and chat with them before the show. The Custom Outfit is Russell Simco (Fiddle), Derek Harrison (Mandolin, Vox), Kevin Moquin (Guitar, Steel), Dave Dickson (Upright Bass), and Derek Williams (Vox, Guitar).

The name for the band comes from the tradition in Chicago of calling gangs Outfits and so, Derek W. explained, since the group has changed in membership in the vein of customizing sound, The Custom Outfit was thus dubbed. They cite amongst their influences rockabilly, hillbilly, bluegrass and the likes of Steve Earls, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, The Pogues and east coast sounding tunes. Watching them perform was a real treat and these guys pack a talented punch: Kevin Moquin delivers some sweet guitar skills evoking old time rock, Russell “Rusty”’s performance has a touch of jubilance befitting of the fiddle, Derek W.’s suspenders and “this is how it is” vocals deliver just the right amount of grit. Derek H’s tie and mandolin skills are quite colorful, whilst Dave’s black upright bass and smooth rhythms create an air of mystery.

During the show, they played most songs from their debut album “The Dark Side of Town”. Amongst them my favorites were “Goodbye to the Moonshine”, “Bad Chemicals”, and “Hookers and Thieves.” When asked if this album has a theme, Derek W. explained that it was “informed by drinking” and the track titles corroborate this. In terms of getting a good brew (for inspiration), The Custom Outfit name Honey Martins, Barfly and Grumpy’s as their go-to drinking holes. When it comes to rockin’, they name Quais des Brumes, Divan Orange, Grumpy’s and Casa Del Popolo amongst their favorite venues in Montreal.

But they’ve played beyond the Island having recently toured Europe for twenty one days, mostly in Belgium and the Netherlands. During this tour, they played shows at a couple of prisons – a venue one rarely thinks about in terms of touring stops. When asked what the experience was like, Russell wittingly answered: “It’s really a captive audience.” More seriously, Derek W. added that playing shows for prisoners is a strange experience and hard to know what to expect. Dave explained that there was a notable difference between the audiences at maximum security prisons and minimum security prisons: “The minimum security prisoners were acting like punks, they didn’t want to be there. The maximum security prison was just off the wall and every one of those guys thanked us and wished us good luck. That was a good feeling.” Most recently, The Custom Outfit played a show in New York, barely missing Hurricane Sandy, at Trash Bar in Brooklyn: “It was a complete hole, it was great,” said Dave.

Along with being very stylish, these guys were overall a wonderful treat for ears that had longed for some whiskey soaked rockabilly. However, the picture of this lovely evening would not be complete without mentioning the opening act: Sarah Jane Scouten and Her Brilliant String Band. The Custom Outift had personally asked Sarah Jane to open their show and it was a very wise decision indeed. Having just come back from a tour, Sarah Jane was all smiles and stories and her and Her Brilliant String Bad (Sarah Frank on fiddle and vox, Mathieu Lacombe on double bass, and Luke Fraser on mandolin) delivered some fun charming southern vibes. Amongst the most noteworthy were the tunes “Ballad of a Southern Midwife”, “Poverty Wind”, and “My Country”. Hearing these melodies live was a warm delight on a cold fall evening.

*Photos by Pascale Yensen

Music

I was smoking a joint and weight lifting while listening to the new Wölfcästle album when it hit me: these are good fucking activites to do while playing their newly released EP.

I have had a few encounters with Wölfcästle, and for the most part, they have been positive, amicable experiences involving very few broken bottles and intoxicated threats.

But the saying is as true today as it ever was; what happens at a Wölfcästle concert, stays at a Wölfcästle concert.

I really don’t want to go into the details, but if you must know, at their last show someone did throw pink panties at the stage, unfortunately it turned out it was a middle aged out of work actor–but still, I though it was pretty cool.

Then there was an incident involving blood, sweat and tears (that may have in fact been beer) in front of the stage that caused a few longhairs to slip, knocking over a waitress carrying a tray of drinks.

Yes, it is true, this band is calamitous–but, they are also damn good.

After that show, walking home with a feedback ringing sound –I realized the songs had burrowed their way into my head and I wanted to hear more.

;

Now with their new album released on bandcamp I am very excited to give you a details of my very stoned analysis of each song… and no, I will not be making Simpsons references–deal with it!

Okay, the album begins:

After releasing the wolves in the introduction, wolves are running rampant in the opening track, howling in the darkness…I’m a little scared..but then the opening notes of White Russian kicks in and I feel safe, well, sort of.

White Russian

One night while on highway 66 you’ll end up in a bar by the side of a roadside and you’ll need to drink a White Russian, Screwdriver, Johnny Walker, Jack and Coke to save your life.

So you better do it!

My kinda woman

The riff in this song is positively awesome: how can you not dance?

Will belts out sweet lyrics about the bewitching quality of the woman he loves, that might turn out bad for his health. Some guys are attracted to the dangerous girls…but will they break them in the end? Stay tuned and find out.

King of diamonds

Listen up, listen up, this song is going to rock! If this a testament to treating a woman like a queen, then it makes it case by rocking hard. The songs frenetic ending makes me bow my head in supplication!

Radio Frequency
The commercial radio industry is ripped apart in this song and I think it’s great. How the slow fattening of our head space is brought about by the bloated radio industry. But if you can reveal some truth about the corporate music industry-radio cartel and have a good time while doing it, why not?

Malibu Stacy

Malibu Stacy is really a response to My kind of woman. Where at least the woman in the first song wants to be with you, Malibu Stacy wants to play games. Why won`t she answer the damn phone! Nobody knows?

Teenage Runaway

If anyone going to write a song about accidentally picking up an underage girls let it be Wölfcästle…but let’s be honest about this song–it’s seriously offensive and over the top, but it only reflects the reality of a modern situation, think Don’t stand so close to me by the Police when listening to this track.

Holy roller

Do you have a gambling problem? Some of the greatest songs ever written deal with gambling and I think I may just have found another. When I hear this song I can’t help but think about Motörhead`s Ace of Spades and Chris de Burg`s Spanish Train on a collision course. Could this be the next great gambling song?

(I Just Want to)Rock and Roll

The old glam rock opening is genius. This song lead to some inevitable rock and roll consequences about not getting what you want. With a powerful lead riff and solo, I just want to Rock and Roll but no one wants to join me!

Hatin’ on me

This is a great ending for this album, if you’re going to hate then you’re e going to hate it, do so and get it over with! But I won’t, because this album is impressive.

Each track impressed me even more than the last. If anything this album is going to rock Montreal, and, maybe even the world.

With their disc for sale this album just keeps giving and will save you money in the long run!

Listen kids, you ain’t gonna find this album at Walmart. But it’s okay Wölfcästle’s EP is available on BandCamp.

Young Lungs
ArtsCityMusic

Young Lungs
Young Lungs – Photo by Chris Zacchia

I am presently writing from Hamburg, Germany where I’m spending my holidays discovering bands and venues and drinking a whole lotta beer. Right before leaving on a jet plane (more like 3 planes with a helluva long layover), I got the chance to catch one of my new favourite Montreal bands: Young Lungs. That night the St. Ambroise Center was host to four bands who delivered rockin’ tunes on a hot summer’s night: ELK, Kurvi Tasch, Young Lungs, and Year of Glad.

The St. Ambroise Center is a nice cozy venue where I’d seen songwriter circles and workshops in the past. Given the difference in decibel levels,  I was worried that these bands might find their sound drowned out or distorted like crazy by the dimensions of the space. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Center was rad for bands with a complex sound and actually gave some songs an interesting texture. The delicious McAuslan brews were also a great part of the evening and I treated myself to a few. The lighting, which was great for concealing my awkward dance moves, was not great for photographs and so apologies for the lack of photos.

The first band to play was Elk, a four piece from Toronto and the Niagara Region. They are Michael Price (guitar, vox), Kyle Connolly (guitar vox), Benjamin Pokol (bass, vox), and Josh Korody (drums, vox).  As they began to play, projections of random and out of context clips were projected behind the band (and on the drummer). These dudes delivered what can be described as a spin on a 60’s garage band. Their set was quite fun and had me up and dancing despite my exhaustion and emo predisposition: they got a smile on my face and a twist in my hips. It’s hard to find comparisons for their sound but I’d say a hodge-podge of The Kinks, The Who, and some new spin on the Mod sound.

Kurvi Tasch was up next and they are a three piece who refer to their music as ”rock pop post-apocalyptic sludge”. This totally fits with the bizarre video projections accompanying their tunes. These projections, which were trippy and great for creating a dystopian mood, were also kinda distracting from the music at times – especially when a naked woman shot fireworks out of her boobs.

Back to the band: From what I heard of their set, which was all of it, I got the impression they were going for some sort of retro vibe, not a very difficult observation but nonetheless. From their Facebook page, I’d refine that statement to ‘post-retro’. I’m not sure what post-retro is, but whatever it is it sounds good. Kudos. Their set wasn’t as conducive to dancing as Elk but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Their sound got tighter with each song and I’d definitely like to see where it goes in the next few years.

Young Lungs-
Young Lungs- photo Chris Zacchia

This was my second time hearing Young Lungs rock out and I was not disappointed in the least. Young Lungs were by far my favourite part of the night, making me wanna pick up my brand new electric guitar and jam till dawn. For a three piece, their sound is full and contagious. Gervais Robinson (drums, vox), Guillaume Carroll (bass, vox), and Justin Ross (guitar, vox) delivered a high energy, no-holds-barred set. Their three voices, performance style, and ‘power through’ percussions give them that sumthin’ sumthin’.

Watch for a video interview with these crazy dudes coming out in the next few days on FTB.

Full disclosure, I didn’t stay till the end of the show. I know, I know, very unprofessional. But I had some goodbyes to give to some loved ones and was all rocked out for the evening. Not a good enough excuse, I know. Year of Glad, I.O.U. You can check out their stuff at http://yearofglad.bandcamp.com/

Yuksek at Sala Rosa - Photo Pascale Yensen
ArtsCityMusic

Yuksek at Sala Rosa - Photo Pascale Yensen
Yuksek at Sala Rossa – Photo Pascale Yensen

Though our bodies were warmed by the heat of the night and the heat of other people packed into Sala Rossa, we all needed a good opener to warm up our booties. Local act DJ Cherry Cola, who has a long history of working alongside big names, did the job for us nicely, spinning originals and remixes with a good sense of timing. His peaks were always satisfying, his bass was heavy, and he left the crowd bouncing and smiling, ready for the night’s headliner. Sweat was already pouring down the foreheads and the backs of most of the crowd, at it was about to get a lot worse. Or better, depending on how you look at it.

Yuksek at Sala Rosa - Photo Pascale Yensen
Yuksek at Sala Rossa – Photo Pascale Yensen

For almost as long as he’s been known as Yuksek, Rime’s Pierre-Alexandre Bousson has been a solo act producing glam-tinged electronic tracks that often become classic club bangers. His hooks are catchy, and always laid over clean house beats. He has earned quite a bit of renown in the electronic scene, and even handled the production of Birdy Nam Nam’s second album—except for the one track produced by Justice, of course.

On this night of July 6th, Yuksek was celebrating the release of his new album, “Living on the Edge of Time”, an album which has added even more of a shiny pop direction to Yuksek’s usual clean house style. He took the stage slightly before midnight, joined by the two artists that have been backing him on the tour for this newest album. The added members gave Yuksek’s performance some depth and interest, the live drum kit especially. With the shiny production and electro-pop feeling of his recorded tracks, the depth that a real drum kit added is priceless, and largely contributes to their live show feeling much more rock ‘n roll than their recordings suggest.

The second keyboardist is a multi-instrumentalist, sometimes whipping out a bass to add even more warmth and depth to Yuksek’s largely digital sound. The three artists also pull off some impressive vocal harmonies, which the boys will sometimes hold while the drummer lets lose with a few verses of straight-up hip hop.

Yuksek at Sala Rosa - Photo Pascale Yensen
Yuksek at Sala Rossa – Photo Pascale Yensen

The crowd was tightly packed, mostly made up of young, well-dressed people you’d find in expensive clubs late at night. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, with people even at the back of the room rocking out in full force. Sweat was pouring off of the artists and the crowd, splashing off of flying arms and clapping hands. The heat didn’t discourage anyone from packing against the stage, or from allowing themselves to be driven by Yuksek’s sound, which, in this live show, was much more driving and far less lofty than what their recordings had me believe.

If you missed him at Sala and want to take in just how thumping Yuksek’s new trio can be, consider catching him on the 14th of July at the Festival d’été de Québec, in Québec city.

 

ArtsMusic

Despite the downpour, Said The Whale fans braved the stormy weather last Tuesday night and nearly filled Club Lambi. The air thickened with moisture and chatter as the last of the damp-looking latecomers trickled in from St. Laurent. The band opened with the fitting “This City is a Mess” and had the crowd re-energized and singing every word by the end of the cathartic Canadian tune. The fact that we could all hear the words was a refreshing change from the wall of sound that a lot of bands seem to create when attempting to fill out a small space or overcompensate for a sparse audience.

Although Said The Whale’s music is complete with drums, guitar, bass and keyboard, it mostly serves as well-structured support for harmonized vocals that have the range and confidence to stand on their own. They bordered on an acoustic show for most of the evening until they cut the mics and closed with “Curse of the Currents”, a tragic ballad that was drawn out with a lingering sing-a-long. The stripped-down version of the song fully exposed the emotional element that is usually lightened with subtle cymbols and twinkling piano. Ben Worcester modestly admitted that he made two mistakes during the song, but the overall effect was not lost on the audience who listened to the simply beautiful melody in stunned appreciation.

An impromptu a capella wasn’t the only risk the band took that night. Between all of the familiar favourites, the band played new songs from their upcoming EP, which was a bold move “especially in Montreal”, an audience member noted. Tyler Bancroft agreed, “Cracking a new city is difficult, but in the middle of a song sometimes I’ll forget about where I am and it feels like we’re just playing a show in one of our friend’s basements.” On that note they started into a set of new songs that eased everyone out of their nostalgic folk tunes towards more upbeat indie rock sounds. While the newer songs are becoming more complex as the group experiments with different arrangements, their light-hearted nature is a constant that reassures devoted fans that they won’t forget where they came from.

The group showed their appreciation for their supportive audience with “The Light is You” and “Camilo (The Magician)”, which combines catchy choruses, ukeleles and clapping in an ultimate Said The Whale thank you.

Speaking of thank-you’s we’d like to thank Jon from IndieMontreal for the tickets he provided us with for our ticket give away! We’d also like to tell you that Jon will be running two showcase evenings this coming week with POP Montreal and you should be sure to check them out!

ArtsCityMusic

Surprise Me Mr. Davis played their first show in Montreal last Tuesday to a crowded Sala Rossa. Mixing blues, bluegrass, country licks and rock, the band is a washing machine of style that comes together beautifully because of   talented musicians that make the band feel flawlessly good.

Founded in 2003, Surprise Me Mr. Davis is a collection of musicians that played together in the Boston area; Andrew and Brad Barr on guitar and drums (from The Barr Brothers), Marc Friedman on bass (The Slip), keyboardist Marco Benevento, and troubadour Nathan Moore on guitar and vocals.

In 2005, Nathan had a run-in with California State Troopers while en route to the High Sierra Music Festival. During the show, he pinched his fingers to show the crowd the amount of mushroom stem it took to get busted and detained.

Because of this, he wasn’t allowed to enter Canada, complicating the band’s That Man Eats Morning For Breakfast tour. But after Nathan handed over fingerprints, scans and documents, he was finally able to petition the government to allow him to sing and entertain us Canadians.

On Tuesday they played a full set – what felt like a good two hours of music – mixing complicated country riffs with dusty electronic feedback folk, poppy rhythms and blues, which made me feel like I was in some futurist western dream.

I really appreciate Nathan Moore’s deep voice and raspy quality, its confessional twang and its sweet harmonies with Brad Barr’s pipes.

One of the songs that stood out at the show was “Sissyfuss.” It had a great rhythm and got the crowd moving. It is a song that tells us about the reasons why you don’t commit to something, you may want it, but you don’t want the burden.

But there was even more heartbreak later on when they played “Joelle” and my heart sank during “Home Away From Home,” a song that can make you homesick, even while you listen to it at home.

But not everything they played was sad and bluesy. There was also compositions that were pretty busy with fun riffs that make your body sway to the music like “Emily Green.” With this little pop number how can you not get into the groove?

Andrew Barr’s drumming was hard, tight and played with the command of experienced precision. His style really defines the music, I find. Of course, if you have seen him play before, with the Barr Brothers, you won’t be surprised by his talent with a kick drum.

The show was great, thank you government of Canada for letting these young men entertain us. Let’s hope they make it back to Montreal in the near future.

If you want one really good driving album when you run away from home I recommend that you listen to a few tracks of their last album, check out their website. here

* photos by Chris Zacchia

ArtsCityMusic

Last week saw the arrival of Naked and Famous, a band that has generated a lot of buzz and a large following in Montreal and everywhere traveled since the release of   Passive me, Aggressive you. Playing with Winter Gloves at Sala Rossa, the show sold out  in a matter of days.

Naked and Famous  is one of the hottest bands of the summer, with their hit Young Blood  reaching the top of the charts back home in their native New Zealand. The swarm of fans packing Sala Rossa is a  testament  to the popularity of this band globally.

But would their live performance meet expectations? Or were they a great “studio band” but unable to break hearts and pound ear drums under the pressure of a live performance?

Sala Rossa was packed and hot, but when the music started the bothersome humid atmosphere caused by a thundershower a few hours earlier was cooled down by the cool mustached dudes on stage — the members of Winter Gloves.

Winter Gloves came on and treated the hometown crowd to an energetic, lively, and heavily electronic performance, doing it all with a hint of tambourine in the background and giving city dwellers a wild head-trip.

Playing high octane material from their newly released EP Heart Out and their prior album About a Girl  for over an hour, they got the crowd ecstatic and ready for the electricity that is Naked and Famous.

If the summer is about having a good time with friends, then Naked and Famous brought out the necessary tunes, like   their top little ditty Young Blood. The show was highly anticipated, selling out days in advance. Along with their hit single, highlights were All of This,  Girls Like You  and  Spank, all  found on their  album.

Alisa Xayalith was near perfection, and all the tracks were clear, concise and tight.  Guitarist Thom Powers even said during the set, “Don’t worry- we plan to play everything.” And they they did, playing almost everything off their new release.

A few weeks ago,  Forget The Box interviewed the band to see how their year-long tour is going. They seemed pretty laid back, even through a very long list of performances.  Did they miss home? Probably. Were they happy to perform for all their fans? You bet your life!

It was another great show brought in by  Indie Montreal, which has really been making a name in the music scene over the past year.  The show proved   to be a great way celebrate the summer dusk.

It’s good to be Naked and Famous in the summer, especially when you’ve got fans.

Photos Chris Zacchia  for more Naked and Famous pictures check out our Facebook page!

Here’s a Naked and Famous video of their Montreal show:

ArtsCityMusic

The day started out with our intrepid Creative Director/photog extraordinaire Chris Zacchia arriving at my house holding a very large sausage and wearing two pairs of sunglasses on his head. It only got more Fucked Up from there.

A quick swing by the SAQ and a short metro hop later we were on the island just in time for the end of Midway State‘s set, a pity since from what I’ve heard they’re a good band.

Oh Land

From there we trekked back into the woods to the speaker company stage, where we caught Oh Land‘s set. This ethereal Danish beauty teetered briefly on the precipice of political incorrectness with a feather headdress that looked like it came from the dollar store, but pulled the crowd in with a peppy variety of synth pop that had heads bopping and feet tapping while she gyrated rhythmically around the stage in a flowing white onesy.

Next we made our way to the Scene des Arbres for Montreal natives the High Dials. This six piece band have a beautiful, smooth sound and were right at home among the trees at this prettiest of Osheaga stages.

We swung out early to catch a bit of Mother Mother‘s set. The indie five-piece from Quadra Island (and how often do you get to say that?) featured not one but two female keyboard players, along with three gentlemen on the standard Bass, Guitar and Drums and, according to my slightly less than lucid notes, “rocked out with their cocks out”.

Tokyo Police Club

Sadly we had to bolt to make it back to the main stage area for Tokyo Police Club. As I mentioned to Chris, I’d forgotten just how much I love this Newmarket three piece. They had a huge crowd moving to the music as beach balls drifted across the audience and smoke wafted by their feet. They played a nice selection of new and old songs and lived up to their billing as a great live act. I remember mentioning that I missed mosh pits, which seemed to have disappeared. Little did I know what I was in for later!

After this we wandered back into the woods, feeling slightly less than steady from our diet of free soft drinks (and nothing at all added to them!)

On our way there was a giant pool set up (which you may remember from Friday’s recap) to promote a massive corporate entity best known for complicity in the murder of Colombian union leaders and draining the drinking water out from under entire villages on more than a few continents. I’ll give you a hint, we were drinking one of their products with our libations.

Anyway, the idea was to have two people square off on a spinning log above the pool to see who could knock the other person in. I made an alliance with a girl there who was equally disinterested in the fighting part, and more interested in the going in the water part, and so I stripped to my boxers and prepared for a refreshing dip under the watchful eye of Mr. Zacchia, who had apparently had his fill of the pool the previous day.

Your intrepid reporter…

As I was waiting I made some crack about the evil nature of our corporate overlord and was promptly told I could “fuck off” if I was going to criticize the “corporate brand” by an overzealous employee who proceeded to try to kick me out until I pointed out that I was wearing a media wristband and his bosses probably wouldn’t appreciate the bad press.

So with slightly soggy underwear on my part, we made our way back to the media area near the main stages. I promptly took a nap on a picnik table, which had absolutely nothing to do with excessive and early drinking! I’m pretty sure we saw Twin Shadow somewhere in there, but I have zero recollection of them. My notes don’t lie though, and they are apparently purveyors of “heppy cat music”.

Waking refreshed and sans photog, I made my way to the main stage for Death From Above 1979 and was promptly and rudely reacquainted with the mosh pits of my youth. Seriously heavy and energetic music to move to, it’s kind of hard to believe that two guys make so much damn noise! Wikipedia describes them as a “dance-punk/noise rock duo” and this recently reunited Toronto twosome really did move me, even though I’m not usually a noise rock kinda guy. Word to the wise though, flip flops are really, really poor footwear for a mosh pit, not that that isn’t obvious.

Somewhere in there I saw Sam Roberts, whose left wing politics and retro sound always go down well with me. Say it with me people “S-O-C-I-A-L-I-S-M is the only way” that’s the Canadian Dream and Mr. Roberts played it to perfection. All around a great set.

Connor Oberst and Bright Eyes

I think there was a time when I was young enough I still believed in war, as Connor Oberst croons in Poison Oak, and his band Bright Eyes were by far one of the highlights of the day for me. Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, I was most familiar with their melodic, somewhat depressing oeuvre before catching them at Osheaga. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the smooth voiced slow dance to oblivion side of this indie trio+, but Osheaga exposed me to a much harder edge than I was used to from these folks. Using two drum kits for some songs, they slid effortlessly from soft ballads to hard rocking anthems and brought the largest crowd of the day along with them for every damn minute.   I really can’t say enough good things about their delightfully long set and I recommend them highly if you get the chance to catch them live.

Elvis Costello and his dancing girl…

Meanwhile my flip flopped feet were still sore from DFA1979 so Chris and I retreated to the VIP bleachers for the larger part of Elvis Costello‘s headlining set. I’ve been a fan of the Elvister for some time, more so his older stuff than his newer songs, but I find his renewed hipster cred really funny. There isn’t a musician of his vintage alive who could hold a crowd like Osheaga’s in rapt attention while he poured sweat and preened around the stage. Although the dancing girl in the tasselled cage probably didn’t hurt.

Frankly I thought his set was hit and miss, but for the most part he delighted and the elaborate set design, including bringing a variety of concertgoers onstage, was a welcome diversion.

Oddly enough, although he was the headliner, Costello was not the last act of the night. That honour was reserved for Toronto hardcore punk band Fucked Up. These guys won the 2009 Polaris Music Prize for their album The Chemistry of Common Life and were at the centre of yet another assault on Canadian artists by our Glorious Leader (The Harpsicle!), who objected to the name of the band. Their woodland set, in the garden grove of the Scene des Arbres, was epic, but you’ll have to wait to hear about that, and the controversy surrounding the band, in another article which will appear early next week.

It may be overpriced as all hell, but Osheaga was quite a trip on Saturday! And me, well I passed out like a lamb the minute I dragged my weary feet through the door at 11:45. I think I may be getting old.

Pink Eyes (AKA Damian Abraham) of Fucked Up takes flight…

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ArtsCityMusic

Montreal Music festival Osheaga is coming to town this weekend and with it a plethora of bands for you to lush over. This year the festival has expanded to a three day bonanza featuring five outdoor stages and a ton of Musicians! This is gonna be a hell of a trip, I hope you’re ready!

As with any good outdoor music festival worth its spit, Osheaga is gonna have a bunch of great bands all playing at the same time. And it’s going to take a well weathered and speedy heel to catch all the good stuff when it goes on and not to miss any of the hidden gems. A good look at the schedule and a solid plan would be our first suggestion. Osheaga’s website actually provides a handy schedule creator that comes in quite useful when trying to plan your day. If you’re gonna be on the go all weekend, outside and away from your computer (what are the chances of that at an outdoor festival?), then you might want to download the Osheaga app for (iphone & android). The app will let you select all the bands you want to see and give you a little summary of all the bands you didn’t know you wanted to see.

Going through the list of bands, I realized there was so much I wanted to check out, but you can only be in one place at a time, right? Well prepare to defy the laws of physics as we suggest everything you should check out! Here is a chronological list of what we’re planning on seeing and think you should too.

Friday things kick off in the afternoon (to skip to Saturday click here).

4:00 – Charles Bradley – A masterful Jazz Musician, Charles Bradley is a great way to ease your way into the on coming tornado of music for the weekend. Sit back and let his soulful wailing and brass sound penetrate you.

4:20 – Lights – OK so after a 20 minute warm get ready to get your dance on with Intergalactic Indie Electro starlet Valerie Anne Poxleitner. This Canadian Gal from Toronto is a rising star on the Canadian and international scene, making people dance to her high energy and fun beats. She won a Juno in 2009 as Best New Artist and is just climbing and climbing.

5:00 – Uncle Bad Touch – This guys are gonna blow your mind and kick your ass. This side project of Priestess Singer Mikey Heppner is raw and aggressive garage rock at its finest. And they’re from Montreal, how can you go wrong!?

5:20 – Bran Van 3000 – Ok, not gonna lie, these guys are hella talented and you never know who’s gonna show up on stage but I feel these guys are a little passed their prime hits territory. Their last album Rose was melodic and nice but they no longer bring with them the fun party lovin’ guys of the 90’s… and that’s ok! James Disalvio has transformed this musical collective into much more then a buddies drinkin in LA, to a full on celebration of music and awesome groves.

5:45 – Glass Candy – These guys bring some healthy synthy Electro beats to the stage. The band is fronted by female lead vocalist Ida No, who brings a sultry voice to the heavy bass sound. I don’t know much about these guys yet but from what I’ve heard, I like! And I’m quite excited to see these guys; as soon as I heard their first track my interest had been peaked.

6:10 – Broken Social Scene – Affectionately know as Toronto’s answer to the Arcade Fire, I’ve been meaning to see these guys for ever. A music collective of great musical minds these guys have been staples on the Canadian music scene for a while. (Why did I wait so long?) This 8 piece group (sometimes more) is sure to please.

7:05 – Kid Cudi – Call this one of my dirty pleasures… but I like Kid Cudi. I’m not much for hip hop rhythms but there is something about his music that really gets me in the mood. He’s definitely got some songs that have graced a sexy playlist or two in their day. Maybe its the mix of Electro beats, or the way his silky voice rhymes?

8:00 – The Rural Alberta Advantage – Guess where these guys are from? Yup, Toronto. The Rural Alberta Advantage bring that Indie Folk-pop sound that I’ve been loving these days and that I can’t stop playing on my ipod.

8:45 – Timbre Timbre – These guys bring a dark brooding Indie sound to the stage. Melodic and creepy, these are another group that I’ve been meaning to check out for a while but haven’t had the chance to.

9:10 – The Barr Brothers – These guys sound beautiful. I had the pleasure of first being introduced to this group during CMW in Toronto. The group fronted by brothers Brad and Andrew are joined by the majestic sounds of Sarah Page on Harp (the thing is huge) and multi-instrumentalist Andres Vial. Formed in Montreal these guys were recently signed to Secret City records and are gearing up for a new Album launch in September. Lots of great new songs!

Ok, so if your not exhausted after this whirlwind of musical sensory overload, you get to do it again for two more days; that is if you can keep up. And for all those of you wondering how it’s even possible to see all these acts (as some do overlap and some of them are across the island from each other) I guess you’re not yet familiar with Zacchia time. For anyone who’s been to this time zone you understand! 🙂

On to Saturday: more bands, more music, and more fun then you can shake a stick at.

1:10 – JesusLesFilles – This french band from Montreal has a raw garage type sound. A great opener to the day, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.

2:00 – Oh Land – This is fun sounding upbeat electo pop. She actually reminds me of one of my favorite groups The Bird and The Bee. From Copenhagen, Denmark she sure to impress this Montreal crowd.

2:10 – The High Dials – You might have to pic between Oh Land and the High Dials here as they are playing simultaneously. The High Dials are more of a rock n roll style with character. These guys recently partnered with War Child to help raise funds for children in war torn countries.

3:10 – Mother Mother – An Indie rock band from Vancouver, these guys are currently touring the States to adoring audiences. They will also be busking for War Child throughout the weekend, so keep an eye out for them and toss some change in the cup.

3:20 – Tokyo Police Club – These guys are one of my favorite bands! I listen to them every where I go and can’t stop kicking myself that I was too hung over to catch their show when they were in town playing with another of my favorite bands Two Door Cinema Club. They are fantastic!

4:15 – The Mountain Goats -These guys have been around for a long time, like 20 years long. The band, John Danielle and a revolving door of talented musicians has been bringing an Indie sound to stages for a while. At Osheaga they will be playing as a 3 piece.

5:35 – Sia – I liked some of Sia’s earlier music but haven’t heard anything from her in years. Well she’s back and her sound has evolved. Formerly her music had somewhat of a melancholy feel to it with wispy and foggy sounds. Her new music is much more upbeat and is somewhat of a throw back to some of her influences including Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.

6:30 – PS I Love You – These guys are one of the hottest groups on the Canadian music scene right now. A two piece their sound will surprise you. Recently praised by Pitchfork as being some of the “best new music” around, I can’t wait to see them again!

7:25 – Death From Above 1979 – Are you ready to Rock out with our c*ck out! These guys need little introduction, a powerful rock sound with electro influences these guys set their speakers to 11.

8:15 – Ratatat – These guys are NY electric music awesomeness. They make awesome tunes and they remix the tunes they love! They released both original and remix albums since their debut in 2004 and are probably the best raw sounding electric guys in the US of A.

9:50 – Bass Nectar – I had never heard of these guys till I was looking at the Osheaga line up but I’ve been blown away. These guys are heavy and melodic with a mix of… everything. I was really surprised by the wide range of this group from turntable beats to pounding bass lines they sound like the real deal.

10:10 – Fucked Up – Last but not least prepare to get Fucked Up! From what I hear these guys are heavy and put on one Hell of a show! I super stoked. Get ready to grind it up in the mosh pit!

So if your not exhausted yet, and I am just from writing this, then we have one more day in store for you. To check out all the goings on on Sunday tune back here for our preview of the last day of Osheaga.

 

ArtsCityMusic

Usually when I go to 3 Minots it’s to visit a good friend of mine who works there, and I pay little attention to the bands on stage. On Wednesday June 29th I made a specific effort to attend the St-Laurent venue when I heard that Toronto’s Little City would be playing a show. As you can read by Cassie’s review of the band’s EP The Going and Gone in March, we here at Forget the Box are big fans of the band and wanted to make sure we came out and gave our support.

Little City is a Folk/Pop band that immediately grabs your attention with the soulful voice of lead singer Frances Miller and music/lyrics of Shaun Axani. The lyrics to Little City’s songs are in my opinion one of the band’s greatest strengths, and after a few beers on Wednesday I was more than happy to share with a modest Axani. My favourite song is Lincoln Learning French– how could any of us who live in this fair city not love a song about someone’s desire to escape to Montreal! (You can’t just go/get up, and leave/your hands remain/engrained in your history…we’ll learn French/and escape to Montreal in the dark)

While loving Little City was no surprise for this reviewer, I was pleasantly surprised with the rest of the line up that night as well. As soon as they came onstage in full sixties get ups I knew I was going to like Photoroman, a French garage rock band from Sherbrooke.

Listening to this band I was immediately reminded of the 5.6.7.8’s and how when done right, simple garage rock can be one hell of a good time. Their sound was completely infectious and before I knew it I was hitting the dance floor doing the twist with Trevor Boucher, the lead singer of the headlining band of the night: Montreal’s Belgrave.

As the last band of the indie pop band  Belgrave kept the good vibes and high energy of the night going until the very end. Trevor was especially skilled at keeping the audience engaged and in between joking around with spectators, friends, and even members of Photoroman (who stuck around to catch the set and who he was playing with the following night in Sorel), he encouraged us to sing along with them as they played. For a gal who can’t get enough of a good sing along, I loved every moment of it.

Photos by Chris Zacchia

For more photos of the show check out ForgetTheBox’s Facebook page

CityMusic

Another year, another Festival International de Jazz de Montreal experience. Thankfully this year I spent less time being detained by security for smuggling in contraband beer and more time listening to some really good tunes – but seriously, I have to ask this question every year: where is all the jazz?

Every year, I expect to hear some bebop or post-ragtime jazz – it is the type of jazz I play all the time in my head, the kind of jazz played on vinyl (with cracks, pops, imperfections and all) – but mostly I really appreciate music that makes me feel like I am marching in a New Orleans funeral procession. Is that so wrong?

I know that jazz aficionados, academia and enthusiasts think that all types of music can trace their historical origins back to jazz but, excuse me, when I think of jazz I usually think of Charlie “Bird” Parker or Thelonius Monk, and I also like to visualize 1920 Model-Ts moving in fast forward down black and white city streets captured on old footage.

If all modern music can trace its origin from jazz, what the hell doesn’t fit into the category?

Well, on Monday at the Jazz fest I didn’t even hear any smooth jazz, if you can believe it! I did see a hip hop dance troupe, a blues band and two swing marching bands. I suppose all these types of music are jazz derivatives – but I wouldn’t call them “jazz” per se.

On Monday night, the crowd relaxed around the park that encompasses the perimeter of the “Loto Quebec Presents” stage. It is, hands down, one of the best stages, with a large open green area for people to sit and relax, (some even happily in the dancing vapour that spouts out from a concrete passage); it is a great place to just hang out with friends and cool off on a humid summer evening. Happy children danced in the park across from UQAM (Beware: children are attracted to spewing geysers, so when near the water vapours watch out for small wet children running around!).

Blues musicians were out to make a blue Monday night, Raoul and the Big Time took the Loto Quebec stage. Canadian actor Raoul Bhaneja’s career in the blues scene is really starting to roll. He starts his set with an oi poloi chant with the crowd, asking the working audience to unite with a “you are my kind of people!” He then got the crowd to shout out loud with him. The band played an impressive set. Made up of legendary bass players, saxophone and drums, they kept the spectators on their feet with one lively performance.

Paying homage to Bad News Brown, the famous harmonica/hip hop artist from Little Burgundy, whose body was retrieved by the Lachine Canal, Raoul played some more heavy harmonica-based blues and got low, low down.

Most of these cool cat blues acts can be a downer. But not these guys, I enjoyed every moment of their ripe blues, tempered only by their extraordinary talent.

On the main (TD) stage, the Don Berner Sextet played. The sextet was composed of some spectacular horn players. The songs were mellow but lively and caused sporadic dancing in the crowd. It made me want to smoke a joint. They were a very enjoyable group of Edmonton-based professional musicians.

Swing Tonique Jazz band vs. Streetnix was pretty impressive as they moved toward each other to compete in a brass battle of the bands. And I got my marching orders, following them until they finally met for the final battle, “fight”… er, I mean brass off!

Afterwards, I saw the Argentinean power vocalist Alejandra Ribera, one of the most atypical singers you will ever hear. She has a very unique semi-baritone voice and is making her mark on the Canadian music scene by her eclectic choices of music; from Spanish classic rock to folk, her concerts are one strange roller coaster ride.

When you stroll with your cool jazz strut to the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal you will be inundated with advertisers: Rio Tinto Alcan, Bell and such. Each stage is well tagged with sponsorship logos. But look beyond the corporate shell and there is some really great music to listen to at its core, this year at the jazz fest.

Photos by Jerry Gabriel

ArtsMusic

As we drove away from our loyal campsite and back onto the cross-state highway, my last glimpse of the Gorge reminded me of Sasquatch’s isolation. Surrounded by the Columbia River, amongst wine fields and thousands of untapped acres, exists an annual festival bringing together music fans of all walks of life.

From the endless Canadians taking the weekend off to head south, to the Midwesterners travelling multiple states only to reach the nearest major summer festival, to the local Washingtonians road tripping to the other side of the mountains in their Subaru Outbacks, the long journey creates an atmosphere of collective celebration.

Since 2011 represents my first (and hopefully not last) year as a member of the press for Sasquatch, my experience naturally differed from years in the past. Re-entry, free snacks and Red Bull, no lines, and the opportunity to mull around in the photo pit for the first three songs of most acts, all culminated in a strong feeling of gratitude for such an amazing privilege.

Most of the journalists and photographers seemed to have business on their minds, thinking only about how to capture every little incident just right, so that maybe they could have something to attach to their portfolio to help snag the next gig on the ladder to Rolling Stone. But Matt (friend, photographer) and I saw things differently; we approached Sasquatch the way it deserved: as fans.

Not much could have been altered to make me more content with my Sasquatch adventure ” and that’s the sign of a festival that is doing something right. The lineup is not composed of aging rock stars and Teen Choice Awards winners. Instead, Sasquatch boasts local artists, cult legends from the 90’s, and groups worth a listen because of their music, not their publicists.

When I break down my favourite acts of the weekend, they all fit within the latter category, probably the highlight of the entire festival, put on a performance I won’t forget next time they swing through town. Washed Out, Gold Panda, and Flying Lotus all put on inspiring shows in the dance tent, formally known as the Banana Shack. And Aloe Blacc, along with Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, whipped out high energy, attention-commanding old-school soul revues. If any of those names are new to you, I highly recommend you give them a listen” or better yet, attend one of their shows.

Oddest of all, the three groups that I felt left the most to be desired had the fest’s most fervent fans. Hundreds of cars made the trek to the Gorge only to witness Sasquatch’s closing-night headliner, Wilco, and when Jeff Tweedy took the stage, all the fans looked like the kids from Jesus Camp. Same with Trailer Park Boys ” the crowd was yelling in adoration so loudly that all the members’ banter was nearly inaudible. And Guided by Voices came off poorly from up on the nearly empty hill overlooking the main stage, but apparently were amazing when wedged between the diehards in the pit.

But those three just go to show the inherent subjectivity of music. And really, three unexceptional performances out of the roughly one hundred or so that I could choose between are not bad odds.

Sasquatch offers such a diverse selection of talent in the unrivaled king of festival venues, that I cannot imagine any attendees walking away unsatisfied. I caught more than a handful of memorable shows, spent solid time with good company, and got a tank-top sunburn in the process; all of which are must-haves at any festival worth its salt” and I fully expect all the same next year.

See more photos by Matt Shanafelt from Sasquatch! 2011 via facebook.