Rural Alberta Advantage, Great Lake Swimmers - Massey Hall (July 7/14)

RAA

It seemed a toss up double bill but the Rural Alberta Advantage were up first and were understandably psyched to be playing at the historic Massey Hall. They made the most of it too with a solid set of favourites from their first two Alberta-entrenched records plus a smattering of cuts from the upcoming autumn release. Muscle Relaxants struck early but there were plenty more; Drain the Blood, Tornado '87, Barnes Yard, Four Night Rider to name but a few. Amy had plenty of room to wander around the stage when not perched on one foot playing her synths, xylo and drum, or complementing Nils' distinct voice with her soft coo. That is excepting the rendition of Two Lovers that he laid down solo mid-set. After their return Paul laid down a wicked new drumline on the second of three new songs - the first being the released-that-day Terrified. Of course the songs aren't a huge departure from their signature style but it's always nice to hear new material.

Naturally they played Summertime to a nice response but it was actually a technical malfunction that roused the biggest reaction. Despite his best efforts during a song to rectify his cut-out guitar amp Nils was unable to get it going - rather than crash and burn he just started clapping and yelling out the chorus over and over. Realising his conundrum the crowd joined right along and when it wrapped we organically stood to applaud - which he didn't even notice for a full minute as he was so engrossed with fixing the problem. As he mentioned this could have been a closer but who wants to rush off the Massey stage? They finished off the set as planned and left us all happy by closing with the single, Stamp.

Great Lake Swimmers

First from the darkness appear four clad all in black - alongside Tony and the gang would be a four-piece string section (three violins and a cello). This group who were on and off stage throughout the set helped to fill out the already layered song and brought that extra something to the large, lovely space. The Great Lake Swimmers for their part broke right into song and in many cases jammed right through from song to song with incredibly dense instrumental breakdowns before clearing up into the recognizable melody of the next song. This definitely was a positive and moved the set right along from tunes like Pulling on a Line to Easy Come and Changing Colours, Put There by the Land. As always the break out of the banjo for Your Rocky Spine was a standout (while Moving Pictures didn't play this time around.) Being in the acoustic haven of Massey they trooped out to a solitary freestanding microphone at the front of the stage to close their set by harmonizing into it and even dropping a banjo and fiddle single. That is before they returned from a short pause for a one-song encore recalling their long travels together. Though the upper balcony may not have been completely full some 2,400 people stood to show their appreciation at the end of the night.

Whitehorse - Hillside 2013 (Sun Night)

Admittedly I have been a doubter of this duo from the get-go. Not that there's a problem with either of their solo projects but more that based on their Whitehorse albums solely I couldn't quite understand the attention being showered upon them. (I mean a sold out Massey Hall, really?) Then I witnessed the show and now I'm starting to get it..

Just a pair with a unique setup of an old-time shared mic up front and centre, with a pair of rerouted telephone receivers acting as mics behind that surrounded by an assortment of percussion instruments and litter of guitars rested nearby. They proceeded to make compelling, fleshed out songs from this array by running around and singing this piece here, looping that sound there, feeding back over here and then coming together as a dynamic duo in front of it all to bring it home. Opener Killing Time is Murder laid its hooks and they dug deeper with each passing track.

To add another family dimension to it all Luke Doucet paused to describe the little girl in her bathing suit who had run up from the beach to clamber over the stage and sing along some 8 years previous. Then proceeded to introduce this little lady as his now 17 year old daughter whose musical talents were obviously inherited from her father as she controlled the mic with ease on an excellent Tom Waits cover that all three coordinated on while Luke simply played the acoustic.

This couple's attractiveness runs much deeper than the skin, penetrating to their vocal cords and musical souls. I'd love to see what their home jam space looks like, or be around during for Christmas carols.

Usually special guests are not kept under wraps at Hillside for the mere fact that there are 3000 talkative volunteers milling about backstage with open ears. (Stuart McLean comes to mind.) However despite "..with special guests for the finale" being in the program there was much talk and few possibilities floated. (Win and Regine joining the already present Richard Reed Parry and Sarah Neufeld as an incarnation of The Arcade Fire wasn't really feasible as a finale to overshadow Whitehorse was it?) After their curtain call the couple were enticed back onto the stage and Luke took to the mic to introduce Ruth Moody, Brenda McMorrow, and Tony Dekker (GLS) plus the return of his daughter, Chloe. In recognition of the recently passed JJ Cale they performed his song, Crazy Mama, with Brenda on violin and all else acting as new backing vocals. Following this they tore it all down with I'm On Fire. A splendid Springsteen song, they really brought it home by bringing it down to crowd fueled finger snaps and sing-out as the band backed away slowly and disappeared, leaving us singing ourselves out into the night with another amazing Hillside wrapped up.

Hillside Sunday Morning - Wooden Sky, Ohbijou, Memoryhouse+ (July 29/12)

Yes it was the Gospel Hour first thing Sunday at Hillside but many people found themselves in the school of The Wooden Sky, perennial workshop favourites, who were blessed with the angelic presence of Ohbijou. A workshop should be fun and interactive and that's exactly what was delivered as both bands collaborated, mixing the cut-off shirted guitars and banjo of The Wooden Sky with the female cello, violin (and trumpet) of Ohbijou. What beaver-loving Canadian doesn't love The Hip? Little Bobcaygeon got things going and rolled onwards with You've Really Got A Hold on Me (Smokey Robinson). The epic height difference between the bands was rather amusing yet their musical styles lined up well enough for a very appropriate '60s feel on Carole King's Will You Love Me Tomorrow. Now the Wooden Sky did indulge in a song of their own - however it was the first time they'd ever played it for an audience so still a proper use of a workshop. Future Hillside bands, please take note - this is how to throw a workshop!

Following that uplifting beginning to the day the true Gospel Hour beckoned just in time to catch a tune
that had most on stage (Be Good Tanyas, Birds of Chicago, Elephant Revival), as well as most in the bursting Island tent, "wade into the water". The hatted ladies in the front of the crowd first started getting into it and then everyone joined in. There were even solos; trumpet, keyboard and a washboard solo. Raise your voice!

Having toured together one would hope that the Great Lake Swimmers and Cold Specks would have enough familiarity with each other's material to collaborate on it. Unfortunately this did not seem to be the case as the few songs from both that were caught during their workshop saw them simply swapping back and for. Cold Specks did perform When the City Lights Dim which saw the GLS crew backing her up.

Memoryhouse and Imaginary Cities both make some very pretty music but there was no synergy here. Even worse than the track for track stylings of most poor workshops they simply split the timeslot in half with Memoryhouse checking in first used a drum board to play a few tunes including a cover. The male member understandable stayed seated to play his acoustic guitar as he'd have worked up a sweat moving around in that heavy sweater in the July heat. The drummer's percussion was subdued by his soft tipped sticks and also employed a shaker. Taking over Imaginary Cities played three songs of their own, nice but not even reaching heights from their full set on Saturday, leaving not much new to remark.

Hillside Sunday Eve - Cold Specks, Joel Plaskett+ (July 29/12)

I Predict a Graceful Expulsion is a beautiful record based primarily on the lovely voice of the young Al Spx. Performing under the Cold Specks moniker she put that voice on display as she opened a Capella, but for much of the rest of the set was backed by a couple of competent Englishmen and a Winnipegger (electric guitar, keyboard and drum, plus her own electric). There had been some well-deserved buzz about this artist and this was reflected in the tent turnout. Unfortunately for any fans not yet indoctrinated to the church of Specks it must not have been quite as captivating and resulted in an audible buzz of conversation overtop of some of the quieter songs (a pity). Naturally drawing much of her material from the debut album she did it justice and even included a few non-album cuts as well. With about two minutes to spare at the end of the set Al delivered an astounding unaccompanied old standard that just about floored me. Raw talent was on display.

A surprisingly small crowd greeted Memoryhouse considering they are locals AND they had a positive review on Pitchfork. Perhaps that's the snapback from not touring locally or being overtly involved in the Guelph scene? Regardless the two primary members persisted, Denise on keys and obviously lead vocals, and Evan seated with his acoustic, accompanied by a live drummer. Akin to Beach House, the music (especially that from the early EPs) is more suited to headphones in a lonely bedroom than being played live, especially at a festival. Not varying much from their workshop earlier in the day they played a couple of the same songs, even the same obscure cover that is a sonic departure for them, and didn't really make a connection either way with the audience.

Half Moon Run were slightly better dressed than the schmucks they looked like last time around, they wore simple jeans and tees while engaging the crowd. Their show works in part because of its dynamism as they are constantly swapping instruments in and out and between each other on nearly every song. The group featured as many as three drummers during their set this Hillside. Even the sound varies, including a supreme R&B groove on one of the newer songs that really hit the spot. Reception was solid and it's great to see this band continue on their upward trajectory.

Having seen Great Lake Swimmers a number of times, even on this very stage, it wasn't that high on the objective list to spend another few sleepy songs in the grass. That being said Your Rocky Spine is a stellar tune, especially keying on the lyrics, and it's always a treat to catch that, even in passing.

Having built and built their reputation from exceptional performances in their workshops over the weekend it was finally time for the Birds of Chicago to showcase their wares all on their own. Playing to a tent full of mostly new converts this part primarily American (Chicago) band, with ties to Canada, put on a show living up to the bar that they had set for themselves. From the few songs that I did catch it seemed that they were putting a lot into it and getting a lot back from the crowd, even on their non-English language track. It wouldn't be a surprise to see this band returning in the coming years as audience and band alike seemed to thoroughly enjoy the interaction.

The Slakadeliqs came in with some hype behind their recent release having garnered all sorts of accolades for its genre busting sounds despite consisting of a fairly standard four piece configuration, drum, acoustic, electric and bass. The crowd was fairly meager being up against some strong names on the other stages but they did their best to amp it up in the Island Tent regardless. There's a definite groove to their music that carries them along.

As disappointing as it was for Joel Plaskett to miss a couple of workshops earlier in the weekend (imagine the songwriting ability coupled with Tony Dekker and Bry Webb??) it was worth it as the extra couple of days of rest allowed Joel to come out very strong for the main stage weekend ending set. Not only was his definitive voice there and strong but he was his engaging self, putting on a show like the showman he is, including a moonwalk-like slide to cover the stage. Opening with classic Down at the Khyber he mixed old with new, slow (particularly Heartless, Heartless, Heartless) while putting some emphasis on the surprisingly strong recent release, Scrappy Happiness, considering the self-imposed song per week time constraints put on the writing and recording. Lightning Bolt seemed particularly appropriate not only because of the threatening thunderstorm but also the lyric "I was sick but now I'm cured". Following a set that met and exceeded Joel Plaskett set requirements he settled in and had some fun with us. There was the singsong of "Rain, rain go away", a little April Wine, and then some doo-a-ditty into Work Out Fine. This last one saw him dancing himself to the ground only to catch a glimpse and be mesmerized by the moon for a minute or so (from his back, on the stage). A consummate professional he knew how to close a set with the the Joel Plaskett song in many people's minds - Nowhere with You - and finally his eccentric live rendition of Exraordinary. Encore! Encore! And so he did, persisting with Harbour Boys with just our clapping as he dealt with a broken string only to come back strong and rock out the ending. Putting a nice cap on the evening, the weekend and another fabulous Hillside was Come on Teacher, complete with a Hillside referencing freestyle. Oh Joel.

The Burning Hell, Tony Dekker, The Pining (Tranzac, July 29, 2011)

The Burning Hell
Mathias Kom was back with a decent sized Burning Hell composed of Toronto and St. John's (his new home) musicians, including three women holding down violin, sax and clarinet. All told the sound was rather full as they opened with the straightforward My Name is Mathias and kept it going with a number of new Flux Capacitor songs. During a song about pirates (Pirates) band introductions were made, giving ample opportunity to showcase each instrument with a solo.


A slightly sad, slower song about pets still showcased the quirky but amusing wit of Mathias' lyrics. Our moods rebounded with some more familiar songs such as the trumpeting Everybody Needs A Body and a faux-jazzy intro to Last Will and Testament.

Working toward climax they launched into The Things That People Make 1 and 2, with a hilarious In the Air Tonight intro. For the Dance, Dance, Dance finale they upped audience participation with an on-stage then in-crowd limbo contest below the bass neck.

We roared for more and they gave it to us in the form of a medley of sorts. Okay it was more like the first half of absolute fave It Happens in Florida with a drawn out singalong to the word Loooove each time it came around, meshed clumsily into Bretton Woods. What a celebration it seems to be whenever Mathias and friends play a show - now that he's moved base from Peterborough to St. John's the shows become more and more special.


Tony Dekker
Tony Dekker took to the stage without the Great Lake Swimmers. Instead he simply had his guitar in hand as he opened by plucking through a rendition of Moving Pictures, Silent Films. However being a large Tranzac room on a Friday night the place was a little chatty for the core of the set with either less recognizable or new GLS/T. Dekker tunes. He did play the wonderfully worded Your Rocky Spine and closed with an earlier Swimmers fave in Imaginary Bars.



The Pining
The Pining were a group of women playing country music. The vocals were sometimes unexpected but sounded solid even if I wasn't a huge fan of the genre. A small number of tracks were recognizable from Radio3 listening and the familiarity improved enjoyment.