Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival @ Deer Lake Park -- 08/09/14

While lots of other festivals this summer have been riding the hype train so hard it's about to derail, the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival relatively quietly took over Deer Lake Park this weekend -- Saturday, to be exact -- for its 15th year. Somehow, I had missed the festival every year up until now, but with a headliner like Big Sugar, and some other strong blues and roots acts this year, I decided it couldn't be missed.

I got to Deer Lake Park just in time to make a tough decision: Rich Hope & His Evil Doers or Miss Quincy & The Showdown. Seeing in that I haven't seen Rich Hope in quite some time, I chose his set. Joined by just his drummer, he kicked off the set by proclaiming this was "music for having the sex to" and ripped into some dirty bluesy rock 'n' roll riffs. A little bit of technical difficulties didn't throw him off his game as he ripped around the stage with songs like "I See Trouble" and "Let's Jump Around Some" as well as a few covers of songs by The Sparkles and Jimmy Reid. He had a great stage presence, chatting with the crowd a little between songs, and he even hopped off the stage and onto the grass to urge people to sing and clap along with the last song of his set, "When My Light Comes Shining"

From there it was immediately over to the main stage for The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer. I have had bad luck with the Vancouver duo's live shows, missing every once since I first saw them two years ago, so I was very much looking forward to their set. They started off just the two of them -- Shawn "The Harpoonist" Hall on vocals and harmonica, as well as percussion with his feet, and Matthew "The Axe Murderer" Rogers on guitar and a drum pedal for each foot -- but they soon brought out some help; an organist, and trio of ladies on backup vocals (including Miss Quincy herself). Hall joked that it took them from HAM 2.0 to HAM 5.1 as it really fleshed out their sound.
Highlights of their set included the rockin' "Don't Make 'em Like They Used To" from the new album, as well as a song about how Vancouver's music scene was (and, frankly, can still be) a little sleepy, "Wake Up". They ended off with the stomping (or, clapping since we were on the grass) number "Get Out", as they likely made more than a few fans that'll be there at the November 8th Commodore show they announced on stage.

Back over on the (thankfully tented and shady) Westwood Stage, the Winnipeg/Montreal Chic Gamine was hitting the stage. I had heard of them for a while, but for some reason had never heard their stuff, which I now feel silly about.
Led by Andrina Turenne, Alexa Dirks, and Annick Brémault, their three voices blended for amazing and soulful harmonies, as they also traded off on keys, snare drum and guitar. Their set started with a more soulful, almost R&B sound, including a song called "Girlfiiend" with the haunting and accusatory chorus of "does your girlfriend know?", but as the set went on they got progressively more upbeat and rockin'. With a mix of blues and soul and rock, they had a great flow to the entire set, and they teased an upcoming album with a few songs (as well as a Christmas album, but no songs from that). It's definitely something I'll have to keep an ear out for.

I took a bit of a break to grab some food while Irish Imelda May played the main stage, who sounded good from the food cart section, before it was back to see the headliner of the Westwood Stage, Wide Mouth Mason. With Gordie Johnson pulling double duty on bass, the trio immediately launched into an older tune "Why", stirring up some nostalgia in the crowd before shuffling between old and newer songs. The highlight, as with most every WMM show, was Shaun Verreault's incredible guitar playing, as he effortlessly shredded through the 45 minute set, from some of their oldest material "This Mourning" to their newer, "Go Tell It To The Waterfall" -- which Shaun also slipped in the chorus from another famous song about Waterfalls.
After a set that seemed way too short, they ended with "Midnight Rain", but the crowd was not having it and demanded one more. I didn't think it would happen as Bettye LaVette had already started on the main stage, but I was pleasantly surprised when they were back out for "Change" before thanking everyone and closing down the stage in style.

For the next couple acts I lounged in the back of the park (hiding in the sweet, cool shade) taking in the festival. First was Bettye LaVette, celebrating 50 years making music. And she definitely had both the voice and the stage presence of someone with that much experience. Her set featured many covers; Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" as well as some Tom Waits, and an absolutely soul-shattering version of "Love Reign O'er Me" originally by The Who. Her own "Close As I'll Get To Heaven" was another highlight, her 70-year-old voice brimming with soul and passion and heartbreak.
Second was Matt Andersen, filling the stage with nearly a dozen performers as he was joined by The Mellotones. He was a great guitarist and good performer, and the giant band filled out for a rich sound, but for whatever reason his style of blues just didn't resonate with me. At one point in the set he was on stage alone for a very low down deep blues song, and he dug into the Canadian Songbook for The Band's "Ophelia", and they wrapped up the set with another cover, "Get By With A Little Help From My Friends". It was certainly a good set, but for whatever reason I just wasn't into it.

And finally, just after the sun went down, the stage was set for Big Sugar. Joined by Shaun and Saf from Wide Mouth Mason on backing vocals, guitar and percussion, as well as Rich Hope for a handful of songs, the Toronto blues rockers started off with "Roads Ahead" from their newer album Revolutions Per Minute
before pulling out some old favourites, "Open Up Baby", "Diggin' A Hole", and one of my favourites, their version of "Dear Mr. Fantasy". Unfortunately, Gordie's vocals were buried during the latter, as there seemed to be some technical issues plaguing the start of the set (if the stage techs running around adjusting things were any indication).
But it soon levelled out and most of the set went off without a hitch. A lot of the songs in the set flowed into each other, either with a reggae-influenced verse from the deadlock'd keyboardist Friendlyness or seamlessly transitioning musically, and Gordie had fans joining along (or "jamming with Big Sugar" as he called it) for songs like "If I Had My Way" and the newer "Eliminate Ya". Other highlights included "Ride Like Hell" where Gordie literally turned his guitar into a revving engine and the more funky, hip shaking groove of "Little Bit A All Right", another one from their comeback album.
As their set drew to a close, they played a few more of my favourites; the second most Canadian song of the entire day, "All Hell For A Basement" and the insanely raucous "The Scene", both of which which had more jamming from the crowd. And the night was brought to an end with the Big Sugar tradition of an instrumental version of "O Canada", the crowd patriotically singing along, as Johnson finishing off by hoisting his double guitar behind his head to show off the maple leaf painted on the back.

Aside from a few technical issues on stage, most of the day went off without a hitch. The three stages staggered in time and were setup so there was almost no sound bleed, and near constant music. I would have maybe put on another act or two on the side stages, or even "tweeners", as the last three acts on the main stage had nothing during the breaks, but aside from that minor quibble, it was a great day of blues and roots.

CBC Music Festival @ Deer Lake Park -- 06/14/14

Last year the inaugural CBC Music Festival took place at Echo Beach far away in time in Toronto, but this year they decided to take the show to Vancouver -- or more specifically, Burnaby's Deer Lake Park. And a little bit of rain couldn't keep people away for a day included dozens of musicians and CBC personalities, from Radio 3's Grant Lawrence, to Radio 2's Tom Power and Rich Terfry (aka Buck 65, who also performed a DJ set), Radio 1's Jian Ghomeshi, and more.
The Irrelevant Show was also there to do a live taping, and the music was spread across two stages, the main stage by the lake and a smaller "garden" stage off to the side.


Some of the early music in the day included local up & coming Wake Owl and the winner of the CBC Music Searchlight competition for "best new band", Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk, but the first act that I caught was Vancouver's own Hannah Georgas on the main stage. The half-hour set ranged from "Shortie" which got people moving in the misty rain (one girl in the audience loudly proclaiming it was her jam) to the other end of the spectrum, the softer and touching "Ode to Mom". And as the set came to a close with "Waiting Game", Hannah's voice single-handedly beat back the clouds, and held off the precipitation for the majority of the day.


Next up on the main stage was the pride of Hamilton, with the well-earned reputation as one of the countries best live band, Arkells.
They teased their upcoming new album by leading off with a brand new song, "Come To Light", but aside from that and the slow-burning jam "Never Thought That This Would Happen" they stuck to older material.
"Oh, The Boss is Coming" had Max whip the crowd up with a singalong, and "Pulling Punches" featured an aces piano solo from Anthony Carone on keys.
And as is Arkells way, they slipped in some brief covers; a dash of Al Green in "Michigan Left", and part of Shad's "Rose Garden" during "Book Club" (specifically, the hook reminded Max of the weekend's weather: "There's gotta be some rain sometimes"). They invited a special guest on stage for a full-blown cover, Talking Head's "Psycho Killer" with Arkells fronted by Jian Ghomeshi.
Early on, lead singer Max Kerman mentioned it was their job, as an opening band, to pump the crowd up and that is exactly what they did, ending their explosive set with "Whistleblower"


The festival ran like clockwork, and almost immediately after Arkells ended, The Belle Game started on the Garden Stage. It was a change of pace from Arkells' high-tilt rock to their darker and moodier indiepop, but they still got people moving, starting off with the groovin' "Wasted Light".
The all-too short set included a new song, possibly called "Mess Around", which they have played a few times before and it has always amazed me, and of course Andrea Lo's powerful voice filled the park on songs like "River". They ended off as they usually do, getting people dancing with "Wait Up For You" building into a fantastic ending of duelling guitars.


Back again on the main stage, Searchlight winner Lauren Mann (who had "never played for this many people") was briefly out to perform her Searchlight winning song "I Lost Myself", before what was was essentially the debut of Dan Mangan + Blacksmith. Aside from a small UBC show, Dan hadn't played in his hometown in about a year and a half, and this was the unveiling of his new band, Blacksmith. The members were largely the same; the usual faces of Gord Grdina, Kenton Loewen, John Walsh, among others, but the new name signalled a new direction in his music, with the writing process being more collaborative.
And based on the new songs -- "Mouthpiece" and one I didn't catch the name of -- it is a great new direction. Both new songs were very intense, dense and layered, but still felt very "Mangan". It seemed like the natural progression for Dan, judging by the last couple albums.
While there were only couple brand new songs, the "new sound" was very much spread across their entire set, through the older songs. "Post-War Blues" started with a swell of instruments before the passionate song swelled to its explosive climax, and "Sold" was slowed to a calmer pace.
Part way through the set the band took a break for Dan to perform the heartbreaking "Basket" alone, and during the usual massive singalong to "Robots", he spotted a couple of girls with cardboard robot heads in the crowd and invited them on stage.
They wrapped up the set with "Rows of Houses" which built to a chaotic display that, once again, got me really excited about the sum of Dan Mangan + Blacksmith.


As his set wrapped up, Dan urged everyone to head over and see Chad VanGaalen, who was headlining the Garden Stage for the day. Of all the bands playing, I was most excited to see CVG, as I hadn't seen him live in a couple of years (and also I was interested to see how he would be in a big festival setting).
As Rich Terfry made his introduction, Chad played drums behind him before being joined by his two bandmates for the first song of the set, "Cut Off Your Hands" -- also the lead-off track to his new album Shrink Dust. "Where Are You?" was a little more bass-y than the album, and ended with CVG pulling out his saxophone for a jazz-influenced jam ending, before picking things up with a couple of more punk-ish songs. "Poisonous Heads" ending with Chad shushing the crowd and indicating for a bass solo... only for his bass player to decline and Chad take the bass and perform the solo himself.
Once again feeling way too short, he came to a close with "Hangman's Son" for yet another excellent set.


I could have left right there and it would have been a day to remember, but there were still a couple acts left. While I have have never really gotten in to Spoon, I had heard nothing but good things, so I made sure to stick around for them. And despite only knowing a couple songs -- "Don't You Evah" and the fun and bouncy "Underdog" -- they put on a very enjoyable set. Lead singer Britt Daniel had a great presence, and the whole band was incredibly tight. It definitely made me want to delve into their six-album history.

After a DJ set from Buck 65, Tegan & Sara took the stage, but I've never been much of a fan, and the rain had come back with a vengeance, so I decided to beat the inevitable rush of leaving traffic and take off early.

In all it was a fantastic festival -- I can't remember the last time I saw so many excellent sets in a row -- and I really hope CBC gets enough support to continue the festival every year, be it in Toronto, Vancouver, or if they decide to move it around the country.


setlists

Hannah Georgas
Robotic, Somebody, Shortie, Enemies, The Deep End, Ode To Mom, Waiting Game. 

Arkells
Come To Light; Ballad of Hugo Chavez; Michigan Left; Never Thought That This Would Happen; Book Club; Oh, The Boss is Coming!; Kiss Cam; Pulling Punches; Psycho Killer [Talking Heads cover]; Whistleblower.

The Belle Game
Wasted Light, Keeps Me Up At Night, Little Wars (Causing Your Trouble), [new song], River, Wait Up For You. 

Dan Mangan
Oh Fortune; About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All; Mouthpiece; [new song]; Post-War Blues; Basket; Leaves, Trees, Forest; Robots; Sold; Rows of Houses.

Chad VanGaalen
Cut Off My Hands, Where Are You?, Burning Photographs, Poisonous Heads, Peace on the Rise, Hangman's Son.

Sigur Rós @ Deer Lake Park -- 05/27/13

A little over a year ago, the prospects of any new Sigur Rós seemed slim. The band was on hiatus and Jónsi had a few solo projects under his belt; his own album and collaborations with his partner Alex Somer. But not only did we get Valtari almost exactly a year ago, the band is already about to release another new album, Kveikur. Impressive, considering most previous albums have 3 or 4 years between them.
And not only do we get the albums, but the band has embarked on a world tour, stopping by Burnaby's picturesque Deer Lake Park*, fresh off the Sasquatch Festival.
*when it's not raining, that is.

Opening the night was Julianna Barwick, whose most recent album Nepenthe was produced by Alex Somer. I arrived about mid way through her set, not actually sure if she had started; there was pleasant, ambient music wafting from the stage, but it wasn't until you got closer that you spotted Barwick, alone on stage with just her looping station. Her haunting voice added to the samples and loops coming from the laptop, and while the music was well crafted and soothing -- and a great choice to set the mood for the show -- it wasn't much to watch.

It had been raining on and off all day, but the rain eased off for the most part in time for the show, and was only at a faint sprinkling when the members of Iceland's Sigur Rós took the stage. The band is now down to a three piece -- Jónsi Birgisson on vocals & guitar, Georg Hólm on bass, and Orri Páll Dýrason on drums -- but they were backed by eight others, including a hefty strings and horn section to fill out their sound with a magnificent eleven-piece band.

All clad in black, they started the show with a new song "Yfirborð", which consistently bubbled up, threatening to burst, but never quite getting there -- a good opener to a night of songs that would erupt with energy and joy.

The video screen behind them going from ambient images to videos for the songs, fitting the mood perfectly. And while the group isn't known for their talkativeness, their stage presence had the audience entranced. Especially Jónsi who was everywhere between gently caressing to violently sawing away at his guitar with his signature bow, with his angelic voice transfixing the crowd, whether he sung in Icelandic or his made-up "Vonlenska" (or Hopelandic).

Many of the songs got recognition applause based on a single note, like the absolutely heartwrenching "Vaka", or the beautiful "Sæglópur"; "Svefn-g-englar" saw the dozens of light bulbs on stage twinkling like stars with every note (and a flock of geese soaring over the stage with perfect timing at the end of the song); and the appropriate titled "Hoppípolla", which translates to "Jumping Into Puddles", gave me chills that had nothing to do with the weather and lit up the stage with both the lights and the LED screen sparkling to life like fireflies.

The set ended beautifully with a trio of songs; another new one, the title track "Kveikur", which was absolutely apocalyptic in scope; a brief respite with the beginning of "Festival", and Jónsi holding a single note longer than anyone I have seen, before the skies part and the rain fell right as the song started to rise to its gorgeous and soaring ending; and finally "Brennisteinn", a heavy and distorted new track, with the PA system almost unable to handle the driving bass.

But of course, they were back out for a couple more, first the uplifting "Glósóli" before ending the show with "Popplagið", as they are wont to do. The song is one of my absolute favourites, that builds and builds, layer upon layer, and every time you think they can't push it further, it explodes into another climax, until you are almost physically spent from the sheer intensity.

Corny as it may sound, seeing them live is a magical and transcendent experience. The songs leave you full of hope, full of sorrow, full of joy -- sometimes all at once -- without the band singing a single word of English.

setlist (can not verify this is 100% correct; found it independently after the show, but it looks about right)
Yfirborð, Ný Batterí, Vaka, Hrafntinna, Sæglópur, Svefn-g-englar, Varúð, Hoppípolla, Með Blóðnasir, Olsen Olsen, Kveikur, Festival, Brennisteinn.
(encore) Glósóli, Popplagið.

Sam Roberts Band @ Deer Lake Park -- 08/03/09

What better way to spend BC day than at the beautiful Deer Lake Park with some terrific music? I certainly can't think of anything better.

This was the third time seeing Hamilton Ontario's Arkells live, and they just keep getting better every time. Starting off with the albums lead track, Deadlines, their all-too-short set consisted mostly of songs from their debut album, Jackson Square. They did, however, throw in one song which I think was new, and probably called something like Strong Country Boy, if the chorus is to be believed. Songs like The Ballad of Hugo Chavez and No Champagne Socialist sounded awesome like, but one of the highlights of the set would have to be John Lennon, which is one of my favourite song of theirs. It was phenomenal, with a fantastic instrumental interlude, of sorts, mid-song, and the band going nuts. They closed the set with their first single, Oh, The Boss Is Coming which would have brought the roof down, had it not been an outdoor venue. Through their whole set they managed to keep up an incredibly high energy, with it only building in enthusiasm until the end.
I managed to keep track of the setlist, which was:
Deadlines, Pullin' Punches, The Ballad of Hugo Chavez, No Champagne Socialist, Strong Country Boy(?), John Lennon, Blueprints, Oh, the Boss is Coming!

Next up was Vancouver's own Mother Mother. I admit, while I like their singles (some more than others), I am don't know if I would consider myself a fan of the band. They're good, for sure, but they seem to be a little, I dunno... over hyped? That being said, I did enjoy their set. With infectious chords and near-perfectly harmonized melodies, a great stage presence and a knack for catchy indie-folk-pop, they put on a damn good show. Singles like Body of Years were pulled off flawlessly, but it was songs like Wrecking Ball and O My Heart, the ones that are a little more... harsh and raw, that I liked better. I don't think the set made me want to run out and get their new album, as it was pretty much what I expected it to be, but I am definitely interested in seeing how the band progresses and wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Then finally, straight out of Montreal, Sam Roberts Band. Compared to the show earlier this year, I think I liked the setlist for that one better, but overall this was a much better show. Possibly due to the setting, as Deer Lake park is a beautiful venue. He kicked off with Detroit '67, which got everyone into it, but it wasn't til a few songs in that everyone really got jumping with Sam leading everyone in a chorus sing-along of Where Have All The Good People Gone?, which had a really awesome extended intro and ending. Most of the set was focused on his more energetic material, with the majority being from the new album (which is to be expected) Though he did break out the odd mellower song, like Lions of the Kalahari & Uprising Down Under (a song that, I still maintain, will never be as good live as the album version, if only for the lack of Matt Mays) and -- aside from the obvious singles -- he did delve as far back as his first EP, The Inhuman Condition, for This is How I Live.
Brother Down was another massive sing-alone which had everyone yelling out the chorus before the set "ended" With A Bullet.
When they came back out, they kept up the same zeal as the rest of the set, playing the last two singles they hadn't played, Them Kids & Don't Walk Away Eileen. Those were followed by the last song of the night, the same one he closed the show earlier this year with. Mind Flood. The song, perhaps my favourite Sam Roberts song, runs about 8 minutes on the album, but was stretched into almost 16 minutes of insanity, swirling, psychedelic sounds, and, well, there is no better way to describe the song as a Mind Flood. It was quite the spectacular display and, again, heightened by the beauty of the venue.
I was also able to keep tabs on their setlist, and so:
Detroit '67, Love at the End of the World, The Resistance, Where Have All the Good People Gone, Lions of the Kalahari, Fixed to Ruin, This is How I Live, Hard Road, Up Sister, Bridge to Nowhere, Uprising Down Under, Brother Down, With a Bullet.
(encore) Them Kids, Don't Walk Away Eileen, Mind Flood.

I kind of wished they had swapped Arkells & Mother Mother, as I like the former better than the latter and would have liked them to have a longer set... but that minor complaint aside, it was a superb night of music. And what is it with Sam Roberts and his knack for choosing awesome tour mates. Of the three times I've seen him (not counting arts crappy fair), he has played with the following bands: Jets Overhead, The Stills and Broken Social Scene; The Stills again; and now Arkells & Mother Mother. I can't wait to see him again, if only to see who else he brings.