Vancouver Folk Music Festival: Day Three -- 07/17/11

Well, Sunday was the final day of the 34th Vancouver Folk Music Festival (see days one and two here).
Luckily the weather decided to be somewhat cooperative, and the rain held off for most of the day. I've heard it was the first VFMF in 15 years that it wasn't a scorching hot weekend, though to be honest I would prefer a little overcast and rain to that -- though I am sure I'm the only one.
But enough about the weather, and on to the music. Sunday was filled with workshops, which are bands/artists sharing the stage to jam together, and a few shows in the evening.

The day started with an 11am workshop called "Independently Minded", with Kathryn Calder, Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans Band and Imaginary Cities, which was without a doubt the best workshop I had seen all weekend. There was lots of jamming and collaboration between the musicians on stage, with the members of The Weakerthans basically playing backup for both Bryson (obviously) but also Imaginary Cities. Calder also jumped in often, at the very least on a tambourine.
Each band played three songs; Kathryn threw in a new song, Jim Bryson's "Decidedly" sounded great, and everyone pitched in to help Imaginary Cities end the workshop with "Hummingbird", which was spectacular.

The next workshop was also up there, in terms of collaboration and sheer fun. "All Fired Up" consisted of Danny Michel, The Burning Hell, Imaginary Cities (again) and Jason Wilson Band. I wasn't too hyped on Jason Wilson Band, they had a bit too much of a Dave Matthews vibe, but the others were pretty great, with members of The Burning Hell being really good about jumping in, much like yesterday. Again, "Hummingbird" was a highlight, and even though it was the fourth time I had heard it that weekend, it didn't get old. The Burning Hell ended their last song with a little bit of "In The Air Tonight" slipped in, and the group finished off the workshop with a pair of covers. First Jason Wilson Band with  "54-46 Was My Number" by Toots & the Maytals and then Danny Michel with Los Lobos' "Life Is Good". Both had near everyone on stage join in, and the ending of "Life Is Good" had the crowd join in on clapping and "Ooh la la", with everyone leaving the stage, resulting in the crowd keeping the song going strong for a couple minutes after they were done.

The third workshop of the day was a "secret" one, in that it wasn't listed in the program, but was on the online schedule. It featured Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, Wendy McNeill and Elliott BROOD, and seemed a bit shorter than the others, with each band only playing a couple songs. LaFarge was pretty fun, with a crazy washboard player, and McNeill was good as well, but the best part of the set was everyone joining Elliott BROOD for "Miss You Now".

It wasn't long after that that the evening shows started, with Kathryn Calder kicking off the night on Stage 3. Even though I'd seen her a couple months ago (and that morning at a workshop, for that matter) I was still excited to see her play a full set with her band, and she did not disappoint. Even after she mentioned it not raining, only for a trickle to start, as if on cue.
But despite the sogginess, her set was really fun, especially with such energetic and upbeat songs as "A Day Long Past Its Prime" and "Follow Me Into The Hills", and one of my favourites of hers, "Castor and Pollux", which ended the set.
There were also a couple new songs, "Turn A Light On" and "City of Sounds", teasing a new album out in October, which I am eagerly anticipating.

setlist
All It Is, Down the River, Slip Away, A Day Long Past Its Prime, If You Only Knew, Turn A Light On, Follow Me Into the Hills, City of Sounds, Arrow, Castor and Pollux.

Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans Band was up next, staying on Stage 3. They had a bit of an awkward introduction, and at one point there was a holler for "Tournament of Hearts", so I don't think some people (including the emcee) really "got" the concept behind members of The Weakerthans as Jim Bryson's backing band, but that didn't diminish from being a fantastic set. As well as The Weakerthans, Rusty Matyas from Imaginary Cities was also playing with the band, on keys, guitar and trumpet.
I had seen hints of it during the workshops, but the full set proved what a great storyteller Bryson is, and what an engaging frontman he is, especially when backed by a group of musicians that talented.
A few of the highlights from the set were "Decidedly" and "Up All Night", both really fun songs, as well as "Freeways In The Front Yard", which had Jenny Whiteley out for vocals. The last song of the night, "Wild Love", was probably the most energetic of the set, (finally) getting people to their feet and ended with a bit of CCR's "Proud Mary", getting the crowd to sing along. As it came to a close, members of the band left the stage one by one, with Bryson "firing" them, leaving just him.

There were a few more acts after, on both Stage 3 and the main stage, but at this point everyone was pretty beat, and we figured there wouldn't be a better way to end both the day and the festival than with Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans Band.

So overall, I would say the weekend was an incredible success; I am so glad I got the chance to finally go to the Folk Fest, weather be damned. I wish it had been scheduled a little differently; there were times where three things I wanted to see happened at once and times where there was nothing I wanted to see for a couple hours... But I think there was only one person that I completely missed, everyone else I was able to catch in some form or another, either a full set, a workshop or a tweener.

Now, who's ready for next year?

Kathryn Calder @ Biltmore -- 05/20/11

It seems like it's been forever since I had seen a show (two weeks!) and especially one at the Biltmore (two months!!) so I was excited to be able to see Kathryn Calder again, and was interested to see Louise Burns for the first time.

It was an early show, so Louise Burns hit the stage just after 8 with a backing band -- dubbed The Moonshiners -- that included Jody Glenham, Debra Jean Creelman and a couple members of The Raccoons.
Sadly, since no one in this city ever shows up on time, the crowd was still pretty sparse, which is a shame because it was quite a fun set. She played from her debut album Mellow Drama, and while some of the songs had the same kind of sound to them, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing as they were all pretty upbeat and catchy, with a good energy from the band.
The last couple songs were the highlight for me, the single "What Do You Wanna Do" and "Street Walking" which, like the whole set, were driven by Burns' strong voice; and it definitely didn't hurt having pipes like Jody and Debra Jean on backing vocals.

Next was Himalayan Bear, the solo project of Ryan Beattie, guitarist for Frog Eyes. He was joined by Frog Eyes bandmate Megan Boddy on violin and Marek Tyler of Meatdraw on drums (both of which also play with Calder), but the small band belied a much more intricate sound; one that I almost want to call "prog folk". With any more members, it could have turned into a sprawling mess of noise, but the minimalistic nature helped give it a focus. It probably also helped that all three were damn good musicians.
There wasn't much by way of banter though the set, with the band just letting the music speak for itself -- like the five minute plus "Man of Fire", which had just Beattie on guitar and vocals and was incredibly captivating. I will definitely be interested in seeing him live again, and am looking forward to the new album out later this year.

And finally was former Immaculate Machine and current The New Pornographer, Kathryn Calder. She also, of course, released her first solo album almost a year ago, Are You My Mother?, which I really liked, so I was looking forward to seeing her live again.
With Calder switching from acoustic & electric guitars and the keyboard throughout the night, she & her backing band played mostly off the solo album, but also threw in a few new songs, which were quite good. Especially "One Two Three" (if my ability to read an upside down setlist from afar can be trusted) which was a little harder with more of an edge. Made me very interested in hearing more of her new material.
Throughout the set, they went seamlessly from fast and upbeat songs like "A Day Long Past Its Prime" to the slow and beautiful "So Easily"; sometimes even, as with "Slip Away", within the same song. The band had a great energy and stage presence, and Calder had the best charmingly-awkward banter I've seen since Aidan Knight.
They ended the set with another highlight, the fantastically energetic "Castor and Pollux", preceding it by saying it was the last song of the set, and the last of the songs they knew, so that would be it. Which made me and my anti-faux-encore stance happy that they just played right up until curfew.

The night was a really fun trio of bands, and I will definitely be catching any of them live next time I have the chance.

setlist
All It Is, Follow Me into the Hills, If You Only Knew, Turn A Light On, [new song], Slip Away, A Day Long Past Its Prime, Down the River, Arrow, So Easily, One Two Three[?], Castor and Pollux.

Funderwear Benefit w/ Meatdraw, Kathryn Calder, David Vertesi & Rococode @ Biltmore -- 12/17/10

Last night the Biltmore hosted the 5th annual Funderwear Benefit, to help raise money, and also socks & underwear, for the Salvation Army Harbour Light Vancouver. It was also a stellar lineup of local talent (if "local" includes the island), with a couple of the acts being responsible for two of my favourite albums this year.

Starting the night off was a new band with some familiar musicians, Rococode. The new project from Laura Smith and Andrew Braun also included Ryan Guldemond (Mother Mother), Shaun Huberts and Johnny Andrews (both of Tegan & Sara) helping out. It was their first show in Vancouver, and I was quite impressed with what I heard. They had a really upbeat, indie-pop sound, that vaguely reminded me of Mother Mother, especially with Smith's strong voice. She and Braun shared vocal duties, as well as keys for a set of really catchy songs. They teased an album coming out early next year, and I am looking forward to checking it out, and seeing them play again.

Next was David Vertesi. When I first saw him live, I wrote "I would be really interested to hear them with a backing band", and each time I saw him since, it was more or less an acoustic set. Well, this time I got my wish. He was joined again by David Joseph on bass, but also had Cayne & Andy from We Are The City helping on keys & drums. As much as I liked his acoustic sets, I think I liked the full band a bit better; The core of the songs were still the same, none were radically different, but they were just much richer (as you would expect) and allowed Vertesi -- and the rest -- to rock out on a couple occasions. "Soft Skin" and "Broadcasting" especially benefited from the full band sound. He brought the set to an end with "Hearts Don't Break, People Do", which I think has become one of my favourite songs of the year. While I am sure that this incarnation of a band may not be seen again - with Andy & Cayne busy with their own upcoming EP -- I hope to be able to see Vertesi with a full band next time he plays.

Kathryn Calder, who I was very much looking forward to seeing, was up third. Last time I saw her performing her own material was at last years Mint Records X-Mas party, well before the album came out.
After being used to seeing her behind a keyboard for a few years now, it was a bit odd to see her playing a guitar, but she was back and forth between that and the keys throughout the set, and with her backing band -- which included a couple members of MeatDraw --she definitely captured the energy of the album. There was one new song, but the rest were from the album -- most of which were insanely upbeat and catchy, but she also brought the tempo down a couple times with some of her slower ones. "A Day Long Past It's Prime" and "So Easily" were on either end of the spectrum, and both were highlights of the set. I know she has been busy with her New Pornographers duties the last while, but hopefully she'll be touring on her own soon enough, and back here with another show of her ow.

And finally was MeatDraw, who I had also not seen live in some time. I had kind of forgotten how fun the band is to watch live, even with the occasionally dark lyrics hidden by the bombastically upbeat songs. The enthusiasm for being on stage definitely bled through, not just in their joking around between songs, but in their playing, too. Their almost folky pop sound was rounded out by a small, two person horn section -- and even a saw for a couple of songs. Despite it being well past midnight by the time they went on, they definitely had enough energy to spare, and had the remaining crowd into it. The only downside was that the set seemed to be a bit short, but they mentioned a few new songs thrown into the set, so I am hoping that means a new album soon, as well as a tour to go along with it. Like Calder, I don't want to have to wait another year before seeing them play again.

I should also mention that the night was presented by File Under: Music, who put out Cardiography and Are You My Mother?, Vertesi and Calder's albums -- the aforementioned favourites of the year. They also released a few albums for a guy you may have heard of... Dan Mangan?

Mint Records Ridiculously Early X-Mas Party @ The Biltmore -- 12/04/09

Last night was Mint Records annual Ridiculously Early X-Mas Party and my second year going. I think I liked the overall lineup a little better last year, but it was definitely a better venue this time. And, I managed to be one of the first 75 people in, so got a free gift! $20 gift certificates for Black Dog Video (any relation to Red Cat Records?). Though they had some other cool gifts, like $50 for Zulu Records, gift packs, giant pocky sticks and more. And best of all, free pocky sticks!
Like other years, they had a whole host of bands playing, and they somehow fit in eight bands in their 7-or-so-hour window. They all got about 30-40 minutes and the show, surprisingly, ran more or less on time! I'll try to only say a few lines about each set, so as not to go on forever, so here we go!

Aunts & Uncles: As a band, I really liked them... up until the lead singer started in. The music was really nice and almost symphonic -- they included a cello & violin, among others -- but the lead singer was really nasal-y, and a little whiny. Though, as it went on he either got better, or I just got used to it... but it was still quite the contrast.

Kathryn Calder: She was one of the two main acts I wanted to see, being a fan of Immaculate Machine (and New Pornos, of course). It was her first show with the backing band she had collected, and her first show playing guitar as well as keyboard, but it didn't show at all. It was a pretty good set, and got me excited for whatever solo material she plans to release.

Fanshaw: Mint's newest acquisition put on a pretty darn good set. With an almost jazzy or lounge feel to them, they kind of reminded me of a more minimalistic Jane Vain & The Dark Matter. I really dug them, and as I understand there is an album out in February with a CD release party at the Railway on Feb 4th. I think I might just have to check that out.

Kellarissa: Comprised solely (I think) of Larissa Loyva, formerly of The Choir Practice and p:ano. The set seemed a little shorter than the rest, and almost seemed to end abruptly, but she was pretty good. It also seemed really... subtle. Like, no one realized when she started, and there seemed to be more chatter during her set than all others. But with haunting vocals and looping -- which I am always intrigued by -- and I wouldn't mind hearing/seeing more, but it's nothing that I am going to rush out and get.

Hot Panda: I have seem them a few times before, even at last years Mint party, and while they're certainly not bad, I've just never been able to get into them all that much. They just don't do anything for me. That being said, they do have a great energy on stage and they still do put on an enjoyable live show.

Vancougar: I feel like I could copy & paste what I said about Hot Panda here, and it would be just as apt. I do like their song Obvious, but some of the stuff is a little.... same-y. But, much like hot Panda, they too put on a pretty damn good live show, and while I don't think I would go to a show just to see them, I have enjoyed seeing them the last couple years for the Mint X-Mas party.

Carolyn Mark: The second of the two acts I wanted to see. I've liked Mark for a while, but for whatever reason have never really picked anything of hers up; usually just hearing her on CBCR3. Her set, however, changed my mind for sure. Her voice is quite amazing, up there with Neko Case (which is appropriate, since the two of them put out an album under The Corn Sisters). The highlight of the set was definitely when all the members (save drummer, of course) put their instruments behind their head to play... even they keyboardist.

The Pack A.D.: Capped off the night and flat out admitted that since they were the last ones, they had the longest time to drink. And were, to put it generously, a little tipsy. Though, of all the bands to play, they would probably be the least conspicuous when drunk. Not to mean that as an insult, but they already have a pretty loose and raw style anyway. When I saw them earlier in the year opening for Pink Mountaintops, I said "boy, do they know how to put on a fucking rock show", and that was the same for tonight. They rocked out pretty damn hard, and had some hilarious banter between songs... mostly revolving around and due to alcohol.

Even though eight bands in one night did seem to drag on a couple times, it was still a great night of music and I can't wait for next years party. And it was pretty cool to meet some other R3 listeners, or people I only knew via the interwebs, at the show!