Skye Wallace @ Fox Cabaret -- November 09, 2022

Skye Wallace made her long-awaited return to Vancouver last night, on the heels of her latest album, Terribly Good. In the midst of a cross-Canada tour, the Toronto singer came back to the city that was once her home, with a stop at the Fox Cabaret.

Unfortunately I missed the first opener, Nonarchy, arriving to the venue part way through Zoey Leven's set. I caught the last bit of her breezy, indie-pop sound on songs like “Closer” and “Gatekeeper”, an upbeat, jangly tune off their 2019 debut EP, Messy. The few songs I heard definitely made me want to keep an ear out for more in the future.

Not long after, Skye Wallace took the stage joined by her band; Devon Lougheed (guitar), Gina Kennedy (keys), Jenna Strautman (bass), and Chris Dimas (drums). She kicked off the hour-long set with a couple of older tunes, the darker "There is a Wall" and the raucous "Mean Song 2" before launching into new material off Terribly Good.

Highlights included "Everything is Fine", the self-convincing anthemic answer when asked how you’re doing; the gritty "Tooth and Nail", which slipped into a fun cover of The Watchmen's 90s hit "Stereo"; and "Keeper", a bittersweet number which she admitted was almost her first love song... until they broke up some time between writing and recording the song.

Part way through the night, Devon and Chris took a break while Skye introduced a song written about Angelina Napolitano, "Swing Batter". With just her playing electric guitar and Geena & Jenna on backing vocals, the song’s intensity, combined with Skye's incredibly powerful voice, sent chills & goosebumps throughout the room.

The set came to a close with the raw "Tear A Piece (Bite Me)" before finishing off with another cover, Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time". But after a moment the band was out for one last song, a favourite of Skye's dad (who was in attendance) "Reaper", an absolute banger which saw Skye hop off the stage and onto the floor to shred on guitar, while a portion of the crowd lost it in a mosh pit (which Skye had half-jokingly requested earlier in the evening).

As Skye Wallace mentioned a couple times during the show, she was incredibly excited to be back onstage, especially back in Vancouver, and especially at the Fox. But even if she hadn’t said anything, that excitement and energy was radiating off stage and through the crowd, for a great night of dark-folk-rock.

setlist
There is a Wall
Mean Song 2
Truth Be Told
The Doubt
Everything is Fine
Phantom Limb
Swing Batter
Keeper
You Left
Coal In Your Window
Tooth and Nail [w/ Stereo by The Watchmen]
Tear A Piece (Bite Me)
If I Could Turn Back Time [Cher cover]
(encore)
Reaper

Matt Mays w/ Skye Wallace @ Vogue Theatre -- 10/23/19

Continuing the 2019 trend of ‘put some rad bands together on the same bill’, last night was the Vancouver stop on Matt Mays current Howl At The Night tour, with Skye Wallace as support. The cross-Canada tour kicked off a few days earlier on the island, so they were still on the first leg of it as they hit the Vogue Theatre.

To start off the night, Skye Wallace came out swinging with the soaring "Always Sleep With A Knife" from her latest, self-titled album, her powerful voiced filled the theatre.

Her all-too-short set ranged from the gritty and raucous "Coal In Your Window"; to "Iced In", which saw Skye enlisting in the help of the audience to clap while she sang unaccompanied; to the darker and more personal "Midnight", introduced by mentioning a charity she was working with, CAMH, or The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Throughout the set, Skye was visibly thrilled to not only be back in Vancouver, but gracing the stage of the Vogue, reminiscing about some of the shows she had seen there. And judging by the reaction of the crowd, she not only (deservedly) made at least a few new fans, but I bet there was at least one person in the audience who saw Skye and inherited her hope of one day being in her place.

Not long after, Matt Mays came out alone at first, sitting behind the "space keyboard" (as he put it) for the titular tour song "Howl At The Night". From there, he was joined one by one by members of the band, literally a new person joining each song until the full 8-piece band was onstage.

The set started with some slower or more acoustic songs, ranging from "Downtown" off his first ever release, to "The Past" from the faux soundtrack to the never-made movie …When The Angels Make Contact, and the more recent "Ola Volo", about the local Vancouver artist whose work Mays say and he immediately had to write a song about her -- "Not in a weird way", Mays joked when recounting the story about meeting the artist for the first time, after writing the song.

At about the half-way mark of the set, once everyone was onstage, they launched into "Travellin'", starting off mellow but halfway through the song, shooting out of their chairs & kicking them back, exploding into the full-on rock and roll finish to both the song, and rest of the set.

From there they cranked out bangers like "Building a Boat" and the brand new, bouncy "Let There Be Love". There was a huge sing-along for the nostalgic "City of Lakes", and the set came to a finish with one of my all-time favourite songs, an absolute emotional rollercoaster, "Terminal Romance". Mays stalked the stage, going right up to the edge (literally and figuratively), pouring everything into the heart wrenching song, and even picking up one of the spotlights at the foot of the stage, shining it into the crowd and on himself.

If they had not come back, I would have been more than satisfied with the show ending there. But of course, the encore was yet to come. When the band returned, they first wen into a fun, bluegrass version of "Tall Trees" that Mays said they started playing as a joke before it worked its way into the actual show. And then, capping off the night, Mays invited Skye Wallace and her band back out for a big group jam of "On The Hood", that included almost the entire theatre singing along as well.

I’ve always thought encores should NOT just be 'and now here’s our hit' but rather bands having fun, playing around with their songs, doing covers, jamming with the openers, that kinda thing. And this was a perfect example. In fact, my favourite live sets are always ones that build, seem to have a progression to them rather than just 'a bunch of songs', so combined with the encore, this was quite possibly the most perfectly structured set I could imagine. Starting soft and slower and acoustic, building to the big rock-shift, and finally the explosive emotional climax. That, along with Skye’s killer opening set, means this show is already taking its place among my favourites of the year.

Skye Wallace setlist
Always Sleep With A Knife
Stronghold
Mean Song 2
Scarlet Fever
Iced In
Coal in your Window
Midnight
Death of Me
There Is A Wall

Matt Mays setlist
Howl At The Night
Drive On
Dark Promises
Downtown
Ola Volo
Ain't That The Truth
The Past
Spoonful of Sugar
Travellin'
Building A Boat
Indio
Station Out of Range
City of Lakes
Take It On Faith
Let There Be Love
Terminal Romance
(encore)
Tall Trees
On The Hood

Skye Wallace @ Wise Hall -- 07/09/19

With her new self-titled album released last month (and newly on vinyl, too!) Skye Wallace returned to Vancouver to show off her new songs in front of a Tuesday-night crowd at the WISE Hall.

Opening the night was BB, a band I had been hearing about for a while, but hadn't had the chance to see perform yet, so I was glad they were supporting. The duo of Bella Bébé and Megan Magdalena took the stage in matching white gowns & boots, and launched into a highly energetic and rocking set. From chill, surf-rock vibes to venue-rattling screams, they drew the crowd in with songs like "Nu Blu" and "Drowning", both from their recently-released 7”. The pair also bantered between songs, more often than not seeming like they were just trying to make each other laugh, giving it a loose & comfortable feel.
Part way through the set they mentioned it was their last show for a while, as they'll be recording for the summer, so I am looking forward to hearing more from them in the future.

It wasn't long before Skye Wallace hit the stage, joined by some familiar faces in her backing band, including Jasper Sloan Yip. With a fan directly below her, blowing her hair wildly throughout the set, Skye & the band started off with, ironically, the last song on the album, the dark and moody "Suffering For You".
From there, the set ranged from the haunting "Stand Back" to the soaring "Death of Me", as Wallace spun stories based on Canadian history, including the powerful intensity of "Swing Batter" -- written about the 1911 trail of Angelina Napolitano. And while Skye focused on the recent release, she also slipped in some older tunes, like "Mean Song 2" and the burning hot "Scarlet Fever".
With a knowing wink, she "ended" the set with the frenetic "Coal In My Window" before returning moments later, alone at first, to play a band new song which she introduced as "almost" the first love song she's written. From there the band rejoined her for a couple more, ending the night in the most raucous way possible, with the frenzied "Blood Moon".

I’ve seen Skye Wallace play many times over the past six years or so, and I can easily say this was the best she’s ever been. That, combined with the strong new album, leave no doubt that she’s at the top of her game right now, and I’m already looking forward to hearing what’s next.

setlist
Suffering For You
There Is A Wall
Death of Me
Mean Song 2
Stronghold
Scarlet Fever
Swing Batter
Always Sleep With A Knife
Body Lights The Way
Coal in my Window
(encore)
[New Song]
Stand Back
Blood Moon

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.

---

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.  

---

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.