Neko Case @ Vogue Theatre -- June 15, 2022

Hot off the heels of releasing Wild Creatures, a career spanning retrospective, Neko Case returned to the Vogue Theatre (where I had seen her about six months prior alongside The New Pornographers).

To kick off her set, Neko Case (and her signature skeleton pants) took the stage with only a couple band members for the stripped down "A Widow's Toast" before being joined by the rest of the band, which consisted of some familiar faces and long-time collaborators, including Paul Rigby, Carl Newman, Joe Seiders, and Nora O'Connell, who all provided some incredible harmonies throughout the night.

Case joked around and interjected a few times between songs -- expressing how much she loves playing in Canada -- but for the most part let the music speak for itself as she played a night that spanned her career, with songs about love, animals, loving animals -- and animals maybe not quite loving us, judging by the vicious "People Got A Lotta Nerve".

Classics like the soaring "Hold On, Hold On" and "Margaret vs Pauline" joined newer favourites like the haunting "Last Lion of Albion", and other highlights including a rollicking version of "Man", the tempestuous "This Tornado Loves You", and "The Pharaohs", which Case joked was about her first boyfriend... who never knew he was her boyfriend (and, to this day, somehow still doesn't).

After just over an hour, she capped off the main set beautifully with "Maybe Sparrow", before only Case and Rigby returned, for what was maybe the night's best highlight of Neko's incredible voice, "Vengeance is Sleeping". After another "Hex", she finished everything off with "Halls of Sarah", a the heartbreaking song that’s one of my favourites off her most recent album, Hell-On.

The last time I saw Case perform live (aside from the aforementioned New Pornos shows) was back in 2018 at the Vancouver Folk Fest, so I was happy to see her to return, especially to a venue like the Vogue. Her voice is still unparalleled — especially live — and she always puts on a great show.

setlist
A Widow's Toast
People Got a Lotta Nerve
This Tornado Loves You
Hell-On
Man
I'm an Animal
Last Lion of Albion
Hold On, Hold On
Calling Cards
Margaret vs Pauline
Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
The Devil's Eye [The Go‐Betweens cover]
Lady Pilot
Favorite
Oracle of the Maritimes
Outro With Bees
The Pharaohs
Oh, Shadowless
Maybe Sparrow
(encore)
Vengeance is Sleeping
Hex
Halls of Sarah

Vancouver Folk Music Festival @ Jericho Beach Park -- 07/13-15/18

The 41st Annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival returned to the shores of Jericho Beach this weekend, with dozens of bands from all around the world, playing three days of workshops and concerts.

Instead of breaking it down by day like I've done previous years, I think I'll split the workshops and sets I only caught bits & pieces of, from the "full concerts" or solo sets.

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First, the workshops, which are some of my favourite parts of the weekend. Seeing bands share the stage & occasionally collaborating on the fly is always fun, and more than a few times I've discovered someone new because I was at a workshop to see a different band.

Saturday I arrived just in time for Dirty Windshields, which as you may be able to guess by the name, was Grant Lawrence and friends. Grant introduced the show, which was less "workshop" and more "variety show", and then was out between each of the acts to read stories from his books. Musicians included Dustin Bentall & Kendel Carson, Dawn Pemberton, Little Miss Higgins, and Donovan Woods, and they each played a couple songs, with a focus on the road or travelling. I would have liked to see a little bit of collaboration, or interaction, from the artists, even just everyone out for a song at the end (a Smugglers song, perhaps?) but I also understand that would have been tough to coordinate for a one-off workshop like this, and with so much talent on stage, it was still very enjoyable. Especially when Little Miss Higgins got the crowd to sing along to "Bargain Shop Panties" which was... equal parts awkward and hilarious.

From there, I caught a little bit of Gord Grdina's Haram next, the large band playing kind of a world fusion jazz vibe. Gord went from playing guitar to kneeling at the front of the stage, facing the band, basically conducting everyone. After that I watched some of Small Glories, the duo of Cara Luft and JD Edwards. They were fun storytellers -- in song and with their banter -- with a bit of a country-twang.

After that was a whiskey-soaked workshop featuring Petunia & The Vipers and Little Miss Higgins. Both had an upbeat and rocking vibe, which complimented each other perfectly. They frequently jammed with each other, especially the rhythm section and trumpet, joining in on most of the songs.

The first workshop for me on Sunday was Carole Pope, Skye Wallace, and Wallis Bird. Or, it was supposed to be, but Pope was unable to make it to the festival in the morning. Because of this, Wallace and Wallis ended up trade off a few songs each, going back and forth. Skye played some of her folkier material, armed with her acoustic guitar, but with no less ferocity than normal, as seen in her new song "Swing Batter" about a woman who murdered her abusive husband with an axe.
Wallis confirmed the ‘rumour’ Skye heard about her ripping the strings off her guitar the previous day, and ended up doing the same after her first song before jumping on the piano, and later playing one of my favourites from the workshop, an amazing one called "Deep Reveal", looping just her voice and thumps on the microphone for percussion.
 There wasn’t too much musical interaction between the two (just some banter back and forth) until about with 10 minutes left, when they decided to do an impromptu song together, getting some requests from the crowd before settling on "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". I was already a big fan of Skye, and after the workshop I was sure to keep an eye (ear?) out for Wallis Bird in the future.

Following that was a workshop featuring Iskwé, Art Bergmann, Guy Davis, and Just Duets, but unfortunately I wasn’t close enough to the stage, so the quieter/stripped down/acoustic show was drowned out by some a nearby stage’s more bombastic sound. But while I didn’t catch much, but I did manage to hear a great rendition of "Soldier" by Iskwé, where many of the musicians on stage joined in, including some strings, for a beautiful version of the song.

Luckily, Iskwé was playing a workshop later that afternoon, with Quantum Tangle, which I made sure to see as my last thing on Sunday. Iskwé and the duo of Tiffany Ayalik and Grey Gritt mentioned being friends, but rarely having the chance to play or jam together, so both bands were quick to join in with the other, from the very first song where Ayalik provided some throat-singing for Iswke’s "Healers".
The name of the workshop was "Love is Love" which was fitting when Quantum Tangle played their song of the same name (after a brief demonstration on throat singing). Iskwé lead the crowd in a singalong for her song "The Unforgotten", and Quantum Tangle finished everything off with their single "Freeze, Melt, Boil".
It was probably the best and most "workshop-y" of the weekend, with nearly everyone on stage playing for all of the songs throughout, and the perfect way to end off Sunday, and the entire weekend.  

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But of course, the weekend wasn’t all workshops. When it came to full concert sets, there were three people I most wanted to see: Neko Case, Iskwé, and Skye Wallace. I was fortunate enough that the timing worked out and was able to see all three, each on a different day.

Neko Case headlined the main stage on Friday night, hitting the stage on a windy night with the sun just dipping behind the mountains (at one point Case joked she forgot to start singing because of the view from the stage).
She focused mostly on the new album, Hell-On, starting with the soft opening to "Pitch and Honey" before it burst forth with energy, as she went through songs like the fierce "Bad Luck", the anthemic "Winnie", and perhaps my favourite from the new album, the heartbreaking "Halls of Sarah". Her incredible voice carried through the park, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it drifted across the Burrard Inlet as well.
Case also dipped back into her back catalogue, with "Hold On, Hold On" and the tempestuous "This Tornado Loves You", finally ending off the show with "Man", going out with a bang on the first night of the festival.

From the shade beside Stage 3 on Saturday, I caught the full set from Iskwé, who I hadn't seen perform live before so was looking forward to it.
The first thing I noticed was not only how animated and confident she was on stage, but how she played to the entire crowd; not just everyone sitting out front, but the people gathering at the sides as well.
Iskwé went through songs from her album The Fight Within, influenced by her Cree and Métis background, many of serious nature -- the powerful "Nobody Knows" about missing and murdered Indigenous women and "Safe" about the #MeToo movement, featuring just her & her guitarist. But even with the subject matter, the set never felt dour, thanks to the electro-pop vibe of the songs, and also her lighter demeanor while chatting between each.
After a fun cover of "You Oughta Know", she ended the set with "The Unforgotten", which featured a call-and-response in Ojibwe (I think) that she taught the crowd, meant to call in the spirits to come sing with us, and was given a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the set.
I knew nothing else happening Saturday was going to top that, so that’s where I left for the day.

And finally, in the middle of the day on Sunday, in the least shady stage beneath the death sun, Skye Wallace played her own solo set. Joined by a full band this time, her set was more high energy than the workshop a couple hours earlier, playing some favourites, but also spotlighting some new songs from her upcoming album, which I am very much looking forward to if the songs were any indication; she seems to have turned the ‘rock’ and maybe even ‘punk’ dials up a little for the new stuff.
Familiar favourites included dark and haunting songs like "Rumbling Soul" and "Dead Things Part 2", her voice soaring for "Klondike", and the more raucous "Scarlet Fever" and "Blood Moon", an excellent one-two punch to finish off the set.
Skye told the story of her and her mother coming to the folk fest years earlier, leaving her very first EP around under trees -- "planting seeds" as her mom said -- so was very grateful to be finally playing the festival herself (with her mother in the audience, no less!).

All in all, it was another fun folk fest weekend (even if I did get a little crispy in the sun) and already looking forward to see who they bring in next year.

Neko Case @ Vogue Theatre -- 04/15/15

About a year and a half after the last time she was here, Neko Case kicking off a spring tour in Vancouver, returning to the Vogue Theatre.


Due to a bit of a slow moving line outside the Vogue, I got in the theatre a few songs into the opener, Alialujah Choir. I immediately -- and correctly -- guessed that the sharp-dressed, six piece band was from Portland; their rich, folk-rock sounds, bolstered by a whole compliment of instruments ranging from keys to stand up bass to slide guitar. They even utilized a theremin for a small section on of the the standout songs, "Hell of a Trick". Frontman (more or less) Adam Shearer chatted between songs, quick with stories about a song, their hometown, or crossing the border (and mentioned they even had their own coffee at the merch table).
After a couple songs they ended their set off microphone, each member standing in a row at the very front of the stage for a completely unamplified song, even though they were battling with the chatter filtering in from the lobby. They put on a really enjoyable set, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won over more than a few new fans that night.


After a little bit of My Morning Jacket between sets (the person responsible for the between-set-music just put on their album Evil Urges and I was more than okay with that) Neko Case came out and immediately sent chills throughout the sold-out theatre with her unparalleled voice. She opened with the almost entirely a capella "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu", joined on backup vocals by Kelly Hogan, the first show back with Case since touring with The Decemberists, apparently.

From there, the whole band burst forth on the intense "Bracing for Sunday" as the show went on to spotlight Case's entire career, going all the way back to her debut album Blacklisted, and showcasing her range from the slowed down alt-country jams of songs like "The Pharaohs" to the more rocking and fiery "Man", and everywhere in between. Other highlights included the aptly-named, frantically swirling "This Tornado Loves You", the heartbreaking "Margaret vs. Pauline", and one of my favourite Neko tunes, "Hold On, Hold On".

Aside from the vast amount of musical talent on stage, the other great part of seeing Neko Case live is her banter; amusing one-offs between songs, like why one tambourine is better than the other, but especially the back and forth between her and Hogan, who definitely share the same (sometimes sick) sense of humour.

After over an hour of music, Neko & the band wrapped up the night with a few older songs in the encore, "Outro With Bees" and "I Wish I Was the Moon", before sending everyone off perfectly with "Ragtime", the final song off the latest album The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You.


Be it on her own, or with The New Pornographers, it is always a pleasure seeing Neko Case play live, and this show was no different.


setlsit
Nearly Midnight, Honolulu; Bracing for Sunday; Where Did I Leave That Fire; This Tornado Loves You; That Teenage Feeling; If You Knew; Local Girl; Nothing To Remember; Margaret vs. Pauline; City Swans; The Pharaohs; The Tigers Have Spoken; Hex; Deep Red Bells; Red Tide; Wild Creatures; Calling Cards; Hold On, Hold On; Night Still Comes; Man.
(encore) Outro With Bees; I Wish I Was the Moon; Ragtime.

Neko Case @ Orpheum -- 09/20/13

It's been some time since the last time Neko Case was in Vancouver, and even longer since there was a new album. But it was a sort-of-homecoming for the Virginia singer -- who got her start in Tacoma before moving up to Vancouver -- as she came through promoting her new album The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. (Which is my favourite album title of the year, so far)
The gorgeous Orpheum Theatre was packed for the show, her New Pornographer bandmates spotted in the crowd, and I can't think of a venue that would be better suited for someone like Neko Case.

Opening the show was Vancouver's own Wake Owl. The band sounded good, but sadly most of Colyn Cameron's vocals were nearly indistinguishable; they were drenched in reverb, which may have sounded great in a smaller venue, but in a large room like the Orpheum, they were muted and not at all clear.
They also only seemed to play new material, not dipping in to the Wild Country EP. A strange decision, as I am sure a hometown crowd may have recognised a song or two from rotation on The Peak and CBC Radio 3.
That being said, it was still an enjoyable set; the new songs sounded good -- laid back, but with an underlying intensity -- and I hope to catch them again sometime soon, at a venue where I can actually hear Colyn's lyrics.

It wasn't long after that Neko Case took the stage, with a giant painting (similar to the album art) hung behind her. Starting off with "Where Did I Leave That Fire" off the new album, the set featured a good mix of new and old songs; and for the entire show, Case's absolutely phenomenal voice had the crowd captivated, despite her warning earlier in the night that the entire crew had a touch of tour-sickness. From her voice soaring in "Night Still Comes" to the soft and beautiful "Calling Cards", there was not a single song where her voice was less than impressive. And that's to say nothing about her backing band; Kelly Hogan on backup vocals matched her intensity (and her dirty sense of humour between songs), guitarist Eric Bachmann held his own, and Jon Rauhouse held the whole show together on guitar, pedal steel, and for one song, trombone.
Other highlights included older songs like "This Tornado Loves You" and "Hold On, Hold On", the intense "Bracing For Sunday", and a cover of Mike O'Neill's "Andy".
The set came to a conclusion with the fiery "Man", but of course they were back out for an encore. First, performing "Nearly Midnight, Honolulu" off the new album, an a capella song that showed the true power of Case's voice, and may have caused chills and a little bit of tears. After a couple more songs, including the heartbreaking "Margaret vs Pauline", she ended with the dark and foreboding "Red Tide", and once more genuinely thanking everyone for coming.

Case is one of my favourite musicians -- certainly my favourite female singer -- and this show absolutely reinforced that. No doubt it will end up as one of the best I've seen this year.

setlist
Where Did I Leave That Fire; This Tornado Loves You; Bracing For Sunday; Lion's Jaw; That Teenage Feeling; Set Out Running; The Pharoahs; City Swans; Ragtime; Andy [Mike O'Neill cover]; In California; Deep Red Bells; Calling Cards; Hold On, Hold On; Night Still Comes; Man. 
(encore) Nearly Midnight, Honolulu; Local Girl; Margaret vs Pauline; Red Tide.

Summer Live w/ The New Pornographers, Neko Case & Hannah Georgas @ Stanley Park -- 07/09/11

All year the city of Vancouver has been celebrating its 125th year, and this weekend is one of the events I have been looking forward to most: Summer Live; a weekend of free shows in Stanley Park, showcasing Vancouver talent. The first night, which I had to miss, had Mother Mother headlining, but with the lineup they had for the second night, I knew nothing was going to keep me from it.

There was music happening nearly all day, but I showed up at 6, just in time to see the gorgeous Hannah Georgas. The sound for the whole event wasn't really that great, but Hannah seemed to have the worst least good sound. The drums especially seemed a little loud throughout the set, but that aside, it was quite enjoyable. Joined, as usual, by Andrew Braun & Johnny Andrews of Rococode and Robbie Driscoll of everyone (seriously, if I had a nickel for every time I've seen him play with a different band...), she started off with “Chit Chat”, and a few more from This Is Good before a couple new songs, mentioning a new album in the works, which I am eagerly anticipating. “Your Ghost” and "All I Need", off The Beat Stuff EP, were definite highlights of the set, and she ended, after wishing Vancouver a happy birthday, with "The Deep End".

setlist
Chit Chat, Bang Bang You're Dead!, Lovers Breakdown, Thick Skin, Dancefloor, [new song], [new song], The Beat Stuff, Let's Talk, Your Ghost, The National, All I Need, The Deep End.

Next up was the person I was most anticipating for the day, Neko Case. It had been over two years since I last saw her live (not counting shows with The New Pornographers), so saying I was just a little excited is an understatement. She started, and ended, for that matter, with songs I didn't recognize, but the bulk of her set was off her last two albums Middle Cyclone and Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, with a few new ones thrown in. The new songs sounded great, and her voice was, as usual, simply amazing. From lulling the crowd with the softer songs like "That Teenage Feeling" to knocking people over with sheer power on songs like "People Got A Lotta Nerve", her voice in unparalleled. Another thing that makes Case so enjoyable live is her great banter and sense of humour on stage, especially between her and backup vocalist Kelly Hogan.
They, too, had some technical difficulties, but it is always incredible seeing Neko Case live, and I just hope it's not another two years before I get to see her again.

setlist
[mystery song], Maybe Sparrow, People Got A Lotta Nerve, Fever, The Pharaohs, Hold On Hold On, That Teenage Feeling, Middle Cyclone, [new song], Margaret vs. Pauline, [new song], Vengeance is Sleeping, I'm An Animal, I Wish I Was The Moon, Red Tide, [new song], This Tornado Loves You, [mystery song].

After Case I rushed over to the second stage to catch the last bit of The Zolas. As I got closer, I could hear the shrieks of the crowd, and Zach introduce a song as “about sex... or the lack thereof...” and I rounded the corner just in time for “Body Ash”. I only caught four songs, but they were as good as I've seen them; Zach especially seemed to have more energy than usual, bounding around stage. They “ended” with “Pyramid Scheme” -- which I don't think I had ever seen live, so I was happy to hear it -- before coming back (they acknowledged the faux pas of doing an encore while not the headliner, saying Said The Whale insisted) with “You're Too Cool”, which ended with a crowd sing-a-long.

(partial) setlist
Body Ash, These Days, Pyramid Scheme.
(encore) You're Too Cool.

At that point I made the executive decision to head back over to the main stage for The New Pornographers, and miss Said The Whale. Even though I have had bad luck with STW shows this year, I had still seen them thrice since I last saw The New Pornos. Plus... it's The New Pornographers!
They kicked off the set mentioning that Kathryn Calder was running late -- Case threatened to ground her, “With [her] grounding stick” -- so they started off with a couple older ones until Calder arrived. (To be fair, it was kind of insane getting to Stanley Park). From there they played for over an hour, hitting songs from all their albums, with loads of singing along.
Highlights of the set were "Adventures In Solitude" (despite the crowd's terrible offbeat clapping) and especially “Testament To Youth In Verse”, one of my favourites; though it just wasn't the same without Dan Bejar. In fact, I was a little disappointed that Bejar wasn't there at all, but of course it was still a great show regardless. They ended with one of my favourite songs of ever, “The Bleeding Heart Show”, which was an absolutely perfect way to cap off the day.

setlist
The Slow Descent into Alcoholism, All For Swinging You Around, Challengers, Moves, Sweet Talk Sweet Talk, Use It, Adventures in Solitude, Crash Years, All The Old Showstoppers, What Turns Up In The Dark, The Laws Have Changed, Testament to Youth in Verse, Your Hands (Together), Mass Romantic, Sing Me Spanish Techno, The Bleeding Heart Show.

It was a fantastic day of music, and I am now convinced that Hannah Georgas and Neko Case need to tour together... but I have to admit, it did end on a little bit of a sour note. During The New Pornographers final song, I could see something thrown on stage – looked like a water bottle – which just reminded me of the video of Case snapping when a CD was thrown on stage at a show.
After the song the set was done and nothing was said, but after the usual cheering, there ended up being no encore. I chalked it up to curfew, but according to Chris Coburn of The Peak, who was emceeing, there was no encore because Case did not want to go back out due to the thrown object. Which, good. Artists should not have to deal with that kind of crap, and as much as I wanted an encore, I fully support them in not going back out.