Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Sound of Music - Burlington (June 15/14)

The festival this year had a serious case of Dad-rock which was fitting for it was Father's Day.

Flash Lightnin'
Perhaps the least dad-rocking this young Toronto three-piece has been rawking out for a few years now with the guitar chops to show for it. Arriving partway through I was pleased to catch their eponymous cut although it didn't have quite as much growl as I've seen, and loved, in the past. Despite that it was a solid outing and I had myself scratching my head why I haven't caught them more often in their regular digs at The Dakota Tavern - a perfect place for this scruffy rock'n'roll.

The Stampeders
These guys had good humour and good cheer, playing through some of their own familiar tunes and some classic covers. It wasn't outstanding but it was a solid start.

Fred Penner
My sister and I both stopped at the same time - "that sounds familiar." No doubt it was for it was the soundtrack of our childhood in Fred Penner. From afar he remixed The Cat Came Back into Crabbuckit as a lesson in chords to the kids, wound in another track or two, then brought it all back around.

Ashley MacIsaac
What good timing to catch that one tune from the street. When it was popular, when I was a child, I felt like it was the butt of the joke more often than respected as a song but it really wasn't too bad.

Chilliwack
There are some bands that just keep ticking and then there are others that should know when to call it quits. Some parts of this were cringeworthy, primarily when the singer just could not get near where he needed to on his vocals. Aside from that it was fine but really nothing to make it standout (I only half recognized a couple near the end.)

Trooper
On the way back from the pier the signature Here for a Good Time could be heard ringing out over the water - a fitting way to start a show, of course, but disappointing to miss. Especially as the core of the set seemed to lull along in standard rock. The band did seem to have some swagger (and not just for their age) but it was hard to see with all the people jamming the grounds. Rather than stick it out, plus I may have forgotten about Raise a Little Hell, we up and left in favour of a vegan ice cream sandwich.

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