#SingItFwdFinale @ Vogue Theatre -- 01/14/16 & 01/15/16

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This is it. The end of an era. Since 2011, David and Ambrosia Vertesi have been organizing the annual #SingItFwd event, with proceeds going to the St. James Music Academy, a music school for underprivileged children in the Downtown East Side. 
But this year, the shows came to an end with a giant, star-studded two night finale at the Vogue Theatre. They brought back old favourites, and new voices, for two completely different lineups to say goodbye. 

Each artist got a short, 3-song set (usually) and while in past shows they had been more acoustical, this year saw a mix of stripped-down and full-band sets.  Hosted by Tamara Stanners (of The Peak) and Cory Ashworth (formerly of The Peak), the night also included interstitial videos of various bands with the SJMA kids. 

Both nights are covered in this post, so click through to see everyone that played, the surprise (and not-so-surprise) guests, and who covered which David Bowie songs! 

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North by North East: Wednesday

My first time ever at North By North East started off last night, and it began with the ending of Tracks on Tracks. For those who haven't been following along, Tracks on Tracks is a project put together by Vancouver's Green Couch, with some help from CBC Radio 3 and VIA Rail. The event took ten bands from Vancouver to Toronto by train, with bands playing every night, some acoustic sets throughout the day, and even a few shows at stops along the way.

All the bands that were on the train -- save the duo of Zach Gray and Adrian Glynn, who were last minute additions, played about a half hour each for a long, but amazing, night of spotlighting BC's finest music.

Chris Ho started off the night, and was a good choice to open, easing the gathering crowd into the night with his upbeat, folk rock. His catchy songs had people stomping and clapping along, and while I wasn't as wowed by his stuff as some other bands on the train, I think he definitely has a great potential as he grows as an artist. (But that isn't to diminish Chris in any way, but rather a note on the sheer talent the Tracks on Tracks train held)

I hadn't heard much of Shred Kelly before the train trip, and they definitely won me over on the train with their self-described "Stoke Folk". And which I got a sense of it from their shows on the train, I didn't get the full scope of how amazing Sage McBride's voice is until seeing them in a proper venue. They've got a great energy, especially Tim Newton, whose fingers are a blur when playing the banjo, and had everyone singing along to the all-too-relatable "I Hate Work" and ended off with "Tornado Alley", which sweeps up into an intense ending.

Portage & Main kept the folk/roots rock going, backed by The Matinee's Peter Lemon and Mike Young on drums & bass. John Sponarski and Harold Donnelly, both on guitar and vocals, mesh together so well, and even though they've only been a band for a year, the fact that they've played together on and off for years is a definite credit. Their train themed, absolute rocking "Sweet Darling" filled the room with energy and they ended, as they usually do, with the giant sing along "Oh Carolina" -- even pulling Grant Lawrence on stage with them to belt out the chorus.

And it would only make sense for the folk rocking The Matinee to be up next. The first time I saw them, I was impressed and an instant fan, and they have somehow managed to get even better; with an unparalleled energy and amazing charisma from the whole band, especially frontman Matt Layzell, and the brilliant guitar work from Matt Rose, I think this show may have been the best I've seen them play. They were on top of their game with new song "Young and Lazy" - and if this song doesn't become a huge hit for them, something is wrong in the world -- and ended off with "The Road", that at one point had each member surrounding Peter Lemon on the drum kit for a great drum breakdown.

That could have already been a stellar show, but we were not even half way done, with Maurice up next. He brought the mood down a little, but not in a bad way, with his alt-pop singer/songwriter vibe. In the spirit of Tracks on Tracks collaboration, Maurice had Marcus from the Belle Game on bass and TLGLTP's drummer filling out his lineup. The set was full of JP Maurice's heartfelt songs, as he oozed raw emotion, with songs like "All I Ever Wanted" and the undeniably catchy "Mistake".

Next we transitioned to the "dancey" part of the night, with the electro-pop of Adaline. The driving beat of "Wasted Time" got everyone moving, as did her amazing and seductive voice. Her set seemed a little short, as she got the five minute warning only three songs in, but managed to fit in a couple more; "Stereo" and ended off with "Rebels of Love"

Then was time for the grand sounds of The Belle Game. Their set also felt a bit short, but they still filled the room with their orchestral pop. The set featured mostly new songs from the band, which sounded amazing, and they also brought up Zach from The Zolas to help out on vocals for a song. They ended with the majestic "Sleep to Grow" building to a huge, climactic ending.

Sidney York almost wasn't going to be able to play the showcase, due to another show that night, but they were able to come back for a quick set. They always put on a fun show, and even with only three songs they packed them with enough energy for a full set. Getting people to sing along to "Roll With Me" and the insanely catchy "Mile High Love" ended off the set.
And it should be noted that Mike Young from The Matinee was filling in for their sick bass player, so in one night he ended up playing fours sets with three bands in two venues.

And then, it was a Topless Gay Love Tekno Party. Dressed up in giant silver shoulderpads and covered head to toe in glitter, the band made their way through the crowd, glittering people as they went by, throwing handfuls in the air. They took the stage and launched into their brand of insanely fun, self-deprecating tongue in cheek dance pop. With songs that had ridiculously catchy and easily sing-along-able songs, the entire crowd was singing along -- even those hiding from the glitter in the back. They had balloons and glitter flying through the air the entire set, as well as a large inflatable... phallus... that was kept up through half the set, and they ended off with the self titled "Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party", again getting the whole crowd to sing along.

And yet again, that would be a great ending, but there was still one more band to go, side project from TLGLTP's bass player Ian Bevis, Bear Mountain. The trio was joined by Luke Cyca on drums, and keep the dance party going with some synth looping and catchy beats. At this point half the crowd was filtering out, as it was around 2am, and half the crowd still dancing, as well as some heartfelt goodbyes from all the people on the train saying goodbye. Since Friday night, it felt like the party would never end, but this was the last hurrah.

And what a hurrah it was.

Tracks on Tracks: The Second Day

Day two began somewhere in the middle of BC, with some people decorating the Green Couch car and interviews aplenty as the Green Couch people and Grant Lawrence from CBC Radio 3 talked to a few of the bands.

The first performance of the day was in the afternoon,

Chris Ho

in one of the train cars as we were pulling in to Jasper. Chris was joined by Kiana Brasset and a couple other bandmates for a stripped down, but upbeat folksy set. After a few catchy songs, he wrapped up with an appropriate cover of a certain Aidan Knight song as the train pulled into the station.

The stop in Jasper featured a couple more platform shows as they got the green couch off the train for The Matinee and Sidney York to play a pair of acoustic songs each in the rain.

The Matinee

went with “L'Absinthe “ and “Sweet Water”, getting a lot of the passengers in the station stomping, and

Sidney York

got people bopping along to “Mile High Love” and “Dick & Jane”

Back on the train, car shows started back up with

Adaline

. Due to some technical problems, she didn't have a keyboard this time, but an acoustic guitar. She was a little nervous to just be playing on guitar, but soldiered on like a pro. Part way through her first song, a voice from the back of the car joined in, a voice belonging to

Adrian Glynn

, who joined her for the rest of the set. They harmonized on some of the songs they had worked on in the past, some of Adaline's and even one of Glynn's, and for “Whiter/Straighter” they went a capella and got those with rhythm in the car to snap and clap along.

With the intimate space of the last car on the train, and the beautiful scenery disappearing into the distance right behind them, it was a pretty amazing set, and definitely one of my favourites so far.

After some (delicious) dinner, Sidney York and The Belle Game were playing in a different car – they had four cars total set up for live shows; three smaller and more acoustic and one main Green Couch Car.

Sidney York

had the full band set up, and a lot of the folks who were on the train not knowing about the project happened by, and it seemed like a good number of them were won over by their enthusiastic and infectious indie pop. Even in a confined space, Brandi was bouncing up and down behind her keyboard and the band was rocking the train.

The Belle Game

was next, but as they were literally two notes in they blew the fuse, rendering half their equipment powerless. But they rolled with the punches and played an

entirely

stripped down set instead. “Sleep To Grow” started the set, and they were joined by the lovely ladies of Sidney York to add bassoon, oboe and french horn to the grandiose ending of the song. They were only able to play a few songs, due to the power issue taking up most of their time, but it was really cool to see them that basic. So far two of the best performances were born from equipment failures.

Later on in the night was a full set from

Maurice

 in the Green Couch car. People packed in, sitting on the floor for more of a rocking set from JP and his band, as opposed to the platform show from the day before. He played for about a half hour and ended with his cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams", slipping in a couple fun top 40 songs; "Teenage Dream" and "Moves Like Jagger", all of which had everyone singing along as the train pulled into Edmonton and picked up the last of the bands, Shred Kelly.

And the day wrapped up, music-wise, in the best way it could have; a

Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party

. It's nearly impossible to describe the events of the set, but the Green Couch car was absolutely packed with people -- many of which were, in fact, topless by the end of the set -- and everyone jumping and dancing, shaking the car to the bands incredibly fun dancey pop sounds. There was a lot of singing and clapping along to songs, like their self titled "Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party", and they were even called back for one more song, a slower, quieter one to wrap up the night.

Tomorrow is another packed day with shows on the train from Shred Kelly, The Matinee, Portage and Main, a stop in Melville, SK and the big free show tonight at Winnipeg at the Forks; the only actual-venue show of the trip!

Live at Squamish: Day One -- 08/20/11

Yeah, I guess the view is pretty good. (Haines & Shaw)
What a weekend. For a second year, Squamish was filled with music and love for the Live at Squamish music festival. Last year was incredible, and it would be hard to top, but the weather held and the gorgeous backdrop of the mountains made it a perfect setting for a festival.

The weekend started for me with a surprise Hey Ocean! set at the Green Couch Sessions stage. They played a few songs that would not be in their set on the main stage later, including a cover of "Be My Baby". After them was Top Less Gay Love Tekno Party, who are always a lot of fun. They ended their quick set with their eponymous song that had singer/guitarist Michael Shindler out in the crowd and playing on a picnic table.
I wish I had caught more of the Green Couch stage, as they brought up some other great local acts, like Redbird, Portage & Main, Rococode and The Matinee, but there was just too much going on. It was a great addition to the festival, though, and I hope they can do it again next year.

Hey Ocean! makes me want to make a new dance up.
From there it was to the Girabaldi Stage, the second stage, for a little acoustic Metric with Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw. I am not sure the reasoning behind the last minute lineup shuffle -- Metric was supposed to headline the first night, but got moved to Sunday and the acoustic set added -- but more Metric is always welcome. They played a few Metric songs, but also threw in some covers; The Strokes, Buffalo Springfield, Shaw taking over vocals on a Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain". The set was good, but I think their acoustic show works better in a smaller, intimate setting as opposed to a big outdoor stage.

At the main stage, the Stawamus Stage, was Hey Ocean!, who always put on a fun show that is insanely upbeat and filled with catchy. Plus, Ashleigh Ball is just adorable. The set included old favourites like "Fish", which had bubbles being blown into the crowd and the set-ending "Song About California" as well as some new ones, like "Make A New Dance Up", which is one of the catchiest songs I had heard all weekend. With a great energy, you could tell each and every member of the band loved being up there and getting to play for everyone.

Stars Take Squamish to the Riot.
Following them was Stars, which was my favourite set of the day. Hitting the stage with their usual incredible energy and musicianship, they played a good mix of old and new, with highlights being "We Don't Want Your Body", the anthemic "Take Me To The Riot", and "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead", which Torquil prefaced by saying asking us to "take a minute to think of the ones we hate most" -- but was also sure to point out the breathtaking scenery and setting sun, too. They closed out the set with their hit "Elevator Love Letter" to a captivated crowd, and even though I have seen them live, multiple times and I am never disappointed and will never tire of seeing them play.

It was back to the Giribaldi stage where the plan was to catch the tail end of Shad, who was scheduled to start shortly after Stars. But the stage had been running late all day, so I got there at the second song -- which was "Rose Garden" with Ashleigh Ball from Hey Ocean! helping out on vocals. To be honest, I have never been that huge fan of Shad's music, but I absolutely respect what he does, and he puts on a hell of a live show. "Ya, I Get It" and "The Old Prince Still Lives at Home" were a couple of the highlights, the latter finished with him rapping just to everyone clapping out a beat.

I caught some of John Butler Trio next, listening from the media tent. What I heard sounded great, with amazing guitar playing skills throughout the set, and while I hadn't really heard too much of their music before the weekend, I was going to have to change that.

Explosive dancing and confetti for Girl Talk
And finally, closing out the night on the Stawamus Stage was Girl Talk, who threw one hell of a dance party. I am not sure if he was mixing live or just hit "play" on his laptop, but the entire field was turned into a huge dancing throng -- even those that don't normally dance (read: me). With a stage full of dancers (not professional dancers mind you, but people pulled up from the crowd), balloons, confetti and streaming toilet paper, and music ranging from Lady Gaga to Radiohead, he wrapped up the first night with a bang.
I am not normally a fan of dance music, but his mashups were tight and I liked that he used an eclectic selection of songs. Where else would you be able to hear Nirvana, Modest Mouse and Modern English mashed up with Kylie Minogue, Tag Team and Blackstreet?

Stay tuned (or, the interwebs equivalent of "tuned") for day two of the festival, which was stacked with the mysterious Panda Watch, more Metric and the face melting epicness of Black Mountain, among others.