Minto with White Ash Falls @ Biltmore -- 08/10/11

I have to admit, this show wasn't on my radar at all. But when I found out a bit about White Ash Falls, and that it was only $2. why not, right?

The aforementioned White Ash Falls was up first. It's the solo project of Red Cedar's Andy Bishop, but "solo" was a little misleading, as there was seven other people up on stage with him, including Brendan Scott & Graham Jones from Yukon Blonde on guitar & drums, respectively, and Matt Kelly from Treelines on slide guitar, as well as some keys and even a violin. The band had an alt-country sound going, but weren't afraid to rock out once in a while. And even though there was a staged packed with musicians, they still had somewhat of a simple sound,
They were really fun to watch, and I would definitely think of catching them next time they play.

Library was up next -- also joined by Brendan Scott and another Yukon Blonde member, Jeff Innes on bass -- and they were pretty middle of the road rock. They didn't have too much by way of energy or stage presence either, and were just pretty generic all around. Nothing terrible, but nothing all that good or memorable.

Wrapping up the night was Minto, who had almost a prog/folk sound, they had an awesome energy and were incredibly fun to watch. With smoke filling the stage throughout the set, they combined gang-vocal harmonies and tight musicianship to put on a heck of a good show.

I'm glad I ended up going, because I ended up really enjoying both White Ash Falls and Minto. All in all, two dollars very well spent.

ShoreFest: Steph Macpherson & Sumner Brothers @ Kits Beach -- 08/06/11

The last night of the Symphony of Fire Celebration of Lights also means the last night of the Shore104's annual ShoreFest. Aside from their usual stage at English Bay, this year they also had one in Vanier Park and one at Kits Beach -- spotlighting the Song Search top 10. And yesterday, not only were the last three of the top ten playing, they would also be announcing the winner of the competition.

But first, The Sumner Brothers were up, who were one of the bands I was pulling for in the Song Search. It was just the two brothers, Bob and Brian up on stage with a more stripped down set, and I am not sure if it was that, but the set seemed a bit more low key than the last few times I had seem them. It could have also been they were playing a few slow, sombre songs about death on the beach on a crisp sunny afternoon. But they picked up steam again at the end of the set, with a cover of a Stompin' Tom song, "Luke's Guitar", and a traditional song that is a staple of their show, "Pay Me My Money Down". I still enjoyed their set, but perhaps they're just better suited to venues where the whiskey flows.

Next up was another of my favourite in the top ten, Steph Macpherson. She had a backing band full of familiar faces -- Mike Edel, Shaun Huberts & Jason Cook -- making sure the stage was full of top notch musicians. She kicked off with "Best Of Us" and played a few off her EP To You, as well as a couple new songs.
Even though the sound mix was a little off, it was quite a good set, with highlights being "Something In You" and one of the new ones that I didn't happen catch the name of. Her set wrapped up with the song that, had I any say in the matter, would have been the winner of the Song Search, "Summer Salute", getting some of the gathering crowd on the beach clapping along.

The final band before the announcement of the winner was Freeflow, who had more of a reggae-ish feel to them. They had a pretty decent energy -- especially the guitarist who broke multiple strings throughout the set -- but their songs were lacking in variation and sounded quite similar to each other; even the few covers they threw in throughout the set -- "My Girl" by The Temptations, The Police's "So Lonely", ABC by the Jackson 5.

At then it was time for the announcement, after playing a medley of all the songs in contention, the golden guitar was awarded to Randy Ponzio of Quest Poetics. Which... well, let's just say I respectfully disagree with that outcome.
(Attempting to link to the YouTube video he uploaded for the contest gives a private video error, so... yeah.)

ShoreFest: Wide Mouth Mason & Jeremy Fisher @ English Bay -- 08/03/11

It's that time of year again, time for the Symphony of Fire Celebration of Lights. Which also means it's time for Shore104 to put on their annual ShoreFest. This year they have three stages, one in Vanier Park, one on Kits Beach -- spotlighting the Song Search top 10 -- and the usual stage at English Bay, where the setup was a little different than the last couple years. Two years ago it was on the roof of the bathhouse facing the beach, and last year there was a stage set up on the beach, but this year it was on the bathhouse roof, facing toward the VIP area, so the people on the beach could hear the music, but not see the band. It was a bit of a strange setup, but luckily I was in the prestigious VIP area (where there were also appetizers from The Keg circulating) to catch the bands.

First up was Jeremy Fisher, who I had somehow never seen live on his own, just for the Malahat Revue. He took the stage with just his acoustic guitar (and an assortment of harmonicas) starting off with "Shine A Light" and "Cigarette", playing a good mix of old and new songs. The songs sounded great, and Fisher was also pretty funny, with great banter between songs; playing with the fact that the people on the beach below couldn't really see, like joking that Paul Simon had joined him when he slipped in a cover of "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard". There was another cover near the end of the set, when he mentioned that Prince wanted a ban on people covering his songs, so he had to do this while he still could, playing "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" -- and pausing mid-song to wonder about the lyrical content.

setlist
Shine A Little Light, Cigarette, Ain't Got Nothing but Plenty of Time, Scar That Never Heals (with Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard [Paul Simon cover]), Nothing To Lose, Left Behind, Singing On The Sidewalk, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man [Prince cover], Come Fly Away, High School.

There was only a brief break before Wide Mouth Mason, with their new permanent bassist Gordie Johnson (who you may should know from Grady and Big Sugar). They kicked off the set with "Why", before concentrating on their new album, No Bad Days. I had heard a lot of the songs live at their show back in January, but it was great to hear them again, being more familiar with the album. The funk-infused "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and the bluesy "Sweet Little Thing" were both definite highlights, and it was cool to see how well Johnson meshed with the always awesome Shaun Verreault and Safwan Javed, like they had been playing together for years.
They paused mid-set for the stunt plane that was doing tricks in the bay, and finished off their set with a few more -- including Verreault's amazing guitar playing showcased on "More Of It" -- ending with an old favourite, "Change".

There's one mire night of the fireworks and ShoreFest to go, and on Saturday I plan on checking out the Kits Beach stage which will feature, among others, Steph Macpherson, The Sumner Brothers, and the unveiling of the winner for this year's Song Search.

setlist
Why, Listen Sister, Get A Hold Of You, Go Tell It To The Waterfall, Shut Up And Kiss Me, Sweet Little Thing, Only A Secret If You Keep It, Only The Young Die Good.
Midnight Rain, More Of It, Change.

Dan Moxon @ CBC Vancouver -- 07/29/11

The Musical Nooner free concert series at CBC Vancouver is back. Well, it's been back for a while now, but despite wanting to see a few of the previous acts, today was the first day I was able to go check it out.

And it was a good day to do so, to see Dan Moxon (of Bend Sinister) fame with a baby grand piano on the outdoor stage, backed by drums & bass. On his own, he was much more mellow -- and a bit more folky -- than the intense energy of Bend Sinister, which gave a great spotlight to his talent on the piano and incredible voice. The set consisted of a good mix of his own songs, some covers, and a couple Bend Sinister songs. Paul McCartney's "Every Night" was covered early in the set, and there was also a slowed down and much more calm version "Julianna", which is one of my favourite BS songs, which was really cool.

Part way through they took a short break for Radio 3 host Lisa Christiansen to interview Dan, before he was back into it with David Bowie's "Starman", "Long As I Can See The Light" by CCR and a few more original., including a couple I really liked, "You Remind Me Of A Girls I Once Knew" and "New Year's Day".

The set came to an end with "All The Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople, then another Bend Sinister tune, "Don't Let Us Bring You Down". It was actually the second time for that song, since the show was being recorded and fire trucks went by when he played it earlier -- but, of course since the universe has a sense of humour, at almost the same point in the song, police went by, sirens blaring.

It was a really cool show, and I love the concept of the free outdoor nooner shows, so I will definitely have to be back for another. And with upcoming acts like Louise Burns, Sun Wizard, Kathryn Calder & The Crackling... how could you stay away?

Khatsahlano! The West 4th Music + Art Street Festival -- 07/23/11

Another weekend full of music, this time a day of free shows thanks to Khatsahlano! The West 4th Music + Art Street Festival, with West 4th Ave being closed off for several blocks, and five stages of music with dozens of bands throughout the day.

The day started at 11:30 with Kingdom Cloud, and even before noon all three members of the band -- in their uniform white jeans, blue shirts and neckerchiefs -- were full of energy; especially Evan, who was bouncing around the stage, hardly staying still for a moment. Blasting through insanely catchy power-pop songs, with awesome titles like "Love Goblin", "Turbo Ranger" and "Rainbow Road", they were incredibly fun to watch and a good start to the day.

The next act I wanted to catch was Ma Petite, even though I had seen them the night before. The set itself was similar, with charming songs like "I Like That You Like Books" and singer Indiana Avent's nice voice and great sense of storytelling.

From there it was a rush to The Peak sponsored stage where David Vertesi had just started. Most of the sets were only a half hour long that day, so Vertesi only had a handful of songs, which included his awesome cover of "Say You'll Be There" by Spice Girls, which seems to have become a staple of his repertoire, and the infectious "Mountainside" to wrap up his set.

After that there was a bit of a break in the action where we visited a "side party" put on by Zach Gray from The Zolas, on his front lawn. There were just a couple short sets with Hannah Epperson and her amazing violin looping first, then Zach playing a few songs solo. It wasn't too long, but gathered a pretty decent sized group of passer-by's and neighbours, and was a really fun and cool idea.

Then it was quickly back to the Peak stage on 4th for Aidan Knight. He announced it was going to be his last show of the summer, and he'll be back in the studio with his Friendly Friends soon to record a new album.
Started with "Friendly Fires", his set consisted of old and new songs, and of course Knight's great awkwardly charming banter. After the beautiful "Margaret Downe" alone, Aidan called not only his Friendly Friends back out, but also the members of Said The Whale and David Vertesi & Ashleigh Ball of Hey Ocean! to join him for the last couple songs. It was a really cool group jam, culminating in "Jasper", an incredible sight with everyone, on stage and in the street, dancing and singing along.

And finally, to wrap up the day, it was Yukon Blonde. Kicking off with "Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore", their tight sound and great energy as good as ever. Highlights were the rockin' "Bride's Song" and the always great harmonies of "Wind Blows", as well as a few new songs throughout the set. One had Kingdom Cloud and Spencer from Said The Whale on stage to help out, and another -- possibly called "Radio" -- which is hands down my favourite Yukon Blonde song, even though I've only heard it twice, live. They ended the set after a nice cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" and another new one.

and the incredible day of music.