Rifflandia Recap in Pictures : Friday Night

Aidan Knight

Tegan and Sara

Zeus

The Most Serene Republic

Click here for the complete set of photos, as well as Thursday night's set on my Flickr.

Rifflandia 2009 – Day Two

After a dinner involving raw oysters (maybe not best thought out pre-concert dining choice), we headed over to the Alix Goolden hall as I already saw line forming before 5pm and Aidan Knight didn't even go on till 7:30p. We got there just as Aidan was in the midst of his first song. Luckily there were some seats left at the front to the side of the stage, well, only somewhat luckily, as my view was blocked a bit by a speaker although I could still see Aidan and he was playing solo. Aidan's songs are a nice, mellow singer-songwriter style but with some really fun and quirky lyrics. His personality really comes through in his songs as is easy to tell from the banter with the crowd in between songs. They may have come for Tegan & Sara but they were definitely charmed by the “Old Heartbreaker” to quote Aidan. His Michael Cera-esque mannerisms were hilarious in that slightly awkward way but he was very self-assured and that was really present in his playing. I'm sure Aidan gained a fair number of fans last night even if they were disappointed to hear that he's already taken (sorry ladies).
After he finished his set, we were greeted by a friend and fellow music lover by the name of Michelle Edwards whom we knew from commenting on the CBC Radio 3 blog. An Horse then took the stage and the crowd couldn't be happier. I'd never heard the Brisbane duo before but they seemed like a perfect match for a bill with Tegan and Sara. They had an awesome rock/folk styling a little in the same vein but not really, they have their own thing going on. We lucked out even more as Michelle texted us into the first song that she had room for us up in the front row on the balcony and as I couldn't even see the drummer, Damon, this was a welcome upgrade. There was a lot of banter with the crowd who was just buzzing with excitement and love for the performers. At one point a girl shouted out “Jesus loves you” and Kate yelled back “I'm sure he loves you too”. These guys had a great time playing and you could tell it, I thoroughly enjoyed their type of rock/pop/folk but how could one not for as their MySpace says, they sound like true love. I think both bands just fed off the massive energy in the room, which just made for a magnificent showcase even before Tegan or Sara took the stage. We could even see them watching An Horse's set from the sidelines and were really getting into it.
Finally came the moment everyone was waiting for, Tegan and Sara were about to take the stage. The stereo started blaring (Your love keeps lifting me) Higher and Higher which makes me think Ghostbusters II and then the lights went out and the crowd lost it, the screams and cheers were deafening, you could tell this crowd was dying to see Tegan & Sara. When the lights came back on there was some endearing banter with the crowd and some sibling rivalry before they tore into hit after hit such as the Con and Walking with the Ghost. Later in the set they asked if it was alright to play some new stuff as they always like to try new stuff in Victoria first, roars of approval from the crowd gave them their answer and they started up Hell. I really liked this new song, it was a heavier rock than a lot of their older stuff. They played a few more new songs like I'm Directing and Red Belt. Red Belt was little lighter and felt like a love ballad and rightfully so. Tegan had explained that it was a long song for the neighbourhood she lives in. Vancouver's eight blocks of hell as the The Province calls it but to us it's just the downtown East Side, an area that definitely needs a little love. From these new songs I can tell that the new album is going to be big. This is the first time I've gotten to see Tegan & Sara and not only was it a fantastic mix of new songs coupled with the ones I know and love but the banter is the part that really makes it a show. It's at times hilarious, cute and even a little bearing. Tegan says that Sara's only nice on stage but I find that somewhat hard to believe. These guys and their backing band really are doing something great and you should make sure you take part if you're given the opportunity. I will admit though, I ducked out near the end because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss music worthy of the gods, Zeus!

So, nary a minutes to spare before Zeus' 10:15p start we left the Alix Goolden Hall to get down the street to Sugar Nightclub. We got in without any hassle and could hear music filling the stairs to the second story so I assumed we had just missed the start of Zeus but when we got to the stage Library Voices were still playing. Looking at the crowd and the band who was especially drenched in sweat, we'd been missing on hell of an energetic and dance inducing performance. I wouldn't expect any less from theses guys and I was glad to catch the last two songs. The crowd hadn't gotten too big yet as I'm sure there was going to be lots of people pouring out of Tegan & Sara and funneling either to the already packed Market Square or Sugar. Myself, I was where I wanted to be and danced away to Library Voices. Once as they finished I got to take in the venue a little better and I will say that after two nights of starting in the Alix Goolden Hall, it was nice to have a beer when out at a show again. It seemed that the sets and the breaks in between were made longer to compensate for Cuff the Duke moving to the Market Square. As much as I would have loved to see Cuff the Duke, the elongated sets were fine with me especially after Zeus took the stage.
Zeus is a band that'd I'd been hearing a lot of buzz about, especially after their tour with Jason Collett. I heard something that they even did the backing playing for him too, but maybe that's just an un-instantiated rumour. I can easily see why people have been talking, their style of pop and roll must only come from living off the manna of the gods. If the above picture of guitar pile-drive tells you anything, it's that this band knows how to put on an awesome show and they just blasted into their set. They were constantly switching up instruments for songs, the poor Wurlitzer keyboard was balancing on the other keyboard. It only had the one tumble to the floor near the start but it's still kicking. The raw energy coming off the stage just electrified the crowd and got their asses moving, mine included. I was already familiar with a few Zeus songs like How Does It Feel and Marching Through Your Head but it was amazing to hear them live with a crowd that was just as excited as I was. Zeus built on that excitement with every song, they were unstoppable up there. Being the merch fiend that I am, I got a shirt immediately after the set, an awesome design of the god himself, Zeus. I hope when Zeus comes to your town, you're there to witness it because someday they'll be filling up huge venues and you might not be able to get in. By the time Zeus ended Sugar was getting really full and the crowd seemed to be descending into their alcoholism. I think there were a lot of people who got turned away from Mother Mother & The Dudes at the Market Square so they piled in here to drink away their dreams of beautifully harmonized vocals and graduating from Dudeversity. Still, if they made it for Zeus I'm sure those dreams were forgotten quickly in the waves of godly music.
After Zeus, The Most Serene Republic took the stage. These Milton based rockers came out to a sweaty crowd that was ready to party. The crowd was really getting into what TMSR was dishing out. They played some familiar songs, which were good, but it seemed that someone had decided that the drunks couldn't hear so they pumped up the volume, which was a shame. I saw instruments go up on stage such as the banjo and violin that I just couldn't make out in the distortion, even when I tried moving farther from the speakers. Still, this didn't deter the crowd at all as they started throwing their arms up and Adrian Jewett threatened to crowd surf even if it meant breaking his spine on the barricade. Don't worry, no Adrian's were actually hurt. They let loose a lot of energy, which is just what the crowd wanted, so much so that they even managed to call TMSR back for an encore. If I knew we could get encores at the festival still, I would have loved to try and get Zeus back up there.

Now that we're all up to speed on Friday night, lets look forward and onwards to tonight! Seems to me there are two really big acts vying over the late night spot, Buck 65 and Pink Mountaintops. Seeing Buck 65 do his thing would be pretty cool but I think I'm going to try and catch Pink Mountaintops. Buck 65 is playing the Market Square, playing before him are Hey Rosetta!, Jets Overhead, Jordan Klassen, Jon and Roy, Penderecki Quartet and Caracol. I'm not that familiar with anyone but Hey Rosetta! who are amazing and if you haven't seen them then this might be the spot for you, but be warned, I think the Market Square is going to fill up again tonight. Especially since the only other all ages venue is the Metro Theatre and it's probably going to be done around 10:30pm. Pink Mountaintops have a more familiar line-up to me with Vancouver rockers The Pack A.D. and local Victorians Hank & Lily. Colourbook and Mexican Power Authority are also on the bill, these guys are some other new ones for me.

Over at Element Nightclub playing at the same time as Hank & Lily (8:30p) is the electronic dance dynamos Holy Fuck. I've never had the pleasure of seeing Holy Fuck so I'm thinking I'll check this show out then head over to Sugar, sadly to miss Hank & Lily who are really amazing. I hope you guys go catch their show, I'm really sad to miss it but I don't think I can pass up Holy Fuck. Something that really caught my eye was the Metro theatre's bands for the night, we've got Laura Smith at 8pm then Char2D2 at 8:45pm and finally at 9:45pm there's Jon-Rae and THE RIVER!? I thought they haven't played together for ages, am I behind the times? I'm inclined to think the guy writing up the printed festival schedules made an error as the site says Jon-Rae Fletcher (although, here's the link: http://www.rifflandia.com/#/line-up/post/103/jon-rae-and-the-river) and same goes Jon-Rae's MySpace. Still, It'd like to see him again and Metro is practically a block from Sugar so we'll see if I can do all the running around to make I happen.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on Saturday night. I'm curious also as to what Brendan Canning's DJ set will be like but it's way out at UVic, I salute those who make the journey for it.

Having a great time here on the Island, hope you are too where ever you are!
- AlexOfAnders

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @AlexOfAnders, ask if you want pictures or anything. I'll do my best to provide. Speaking of providing, here for your entertainment is R3-TV's Dudeversity

Rifflandia 2009 – Day One

So, after an extended bus & ferry ride we headed straight to the Rifflandia festival HQ in downtown Victoria. I was glad to see signs everywhere saying the festival has sold out, which is awesome but with the line-up of bands they've got, it’s no surprise. After signing in and getting a wristband, I picked up an official festival booklet and man, these things are pro-star, they’re nicer than most magazines. A lot of the write-ups and interviews are really good too, I hope they make them available online but I haven’t been able to find them yet. Actually, so far everything I’ve seen in terms of festival coordination and setup has really impressed me with how well these guys seem to be doing and they’re only on in their second year. Now, enough talk about festival logistics, let’s get to why you’re really reading this, the bands!
I mentioned here that my anchor of the night was Final Fantasy and true to my word, I showed up at the Alix Goolden Hall. Sadly, after the transit, getting settled in my lodgings and scaring up some food, I got there just after Christopher Smith had finished. I was looking forward to seeing what this guy was about since I hadn’t heard of him before but I guess it was not meant to be. Sorry Chris, some other time I guess. Still, at least I was in good time for Timber Timbre. I’d only heard a few of their songs on CBC Radio 3 and I liked what I'd heard. The recordings of these guys may be good, but it just doesn’t come close to capturing the live performance. There’s the sense of depth and richness that come off their instruments, it really grabs you. Their songs feel like they have this depressed, almost lonely feel in both the melody and the lyrics, it made me think of country soul for a neo-cowboy who’s down on his luck. It really pulled at my heartstrings and was a wholly absorbing experience. Especially when Taylor Kirk brought out a myriad of noise making things from flutes, bird calls and what seemed to be a screw squeaking into something, to create a background of forest sounds by looping each sound to build upon every sound, really cool use of a looping pedal. Also, I really must say, the Alix Goolden Hall makes for a magnificent venue and the acoustics were amazing. Especially when the lit the organ pipes behind the band, talk about giving a sense of grandeur. For how great it is, the only thing it’s really missing is beer…wait, is it sacrilegious to drink in a church?

Sadly, after Timber Timbre finished up we were greeted by a Rifflandia producer who informed us that Owen Pallet was too ill to play. Now, I wouldn’t want him playing sick so I understand but still disappointing and it effectively left me anchorless. I hope he’s well enough to play his Vancouver show tonight but for now, he’ll remain one of my unicorn bands (unicorn as in the term of something you want to catch, but somehow never manage to). Luckily, backup plans had already been thought of, I knew that there was a great showcase going on at the Market Square. The stage was an awesome setup at the square, big stage surrounded by second story walkways with a large dance area in front and a beer garden in the back.
I made it in time for most of The Racoons set, it was already pretty packed in there but I found a sweet spot right in front to the left of the stage that was still open. The Racoons really feel like a band that’s just waiting to explode and have everyone bopping and dancing across the country and even into those foreign areas that aren’t Canada. The crowd was just eating up what The Racoons were dishing out and they thrived off the energy the crowd was giving them. They’re electrifying pop-rock tunes make you want to get up and move, these guys are ones to look out for.

After the Racoons finished up, there was a short moment of silence. I spotted the Old Price himself on side stage but then in the middle of the crowd came a cacophony of eastern European sounding music. It almost looked like a crazed gypsy umpa band had pushed their way into the crowd to hijack the showcase but then I realized it was Victoria band Bucan Bucan. Decked out in hilariously hyperbolic attire that suited their sound and a megaphone they proceed to play and try to get the crowd to jump, clap and dance with them. People seemed just awestruck at first, like they didn’t know what to make of it but then slowly, some people started getting into it. I was definitely one of those people, these guys are doing something I’ve never seen before and I wanted more. I kept hoping they’d get to go up on stage for at least a song but it seems like they were billed as something of a tweener between the Racoons and Shad. There’s always a special place in my heart for a band that has a real sense of showmanship and made me think that they’d go great on a bill with Hank Pine & Lily Fawn. That's why I took video instead of a picture, words just don't do these guys justice. Hopefully, we'll see these guys out more.
Now we come to the man himself, Shad, and my first hip-hop show. It’s true, I’ve never been out to a hip-hip show before, I’m admitting it, and I can’t think of anyone better to see. Shad’s raps just flow great, are smart, witty and often throw down hilarious references like name-dropping George Lucas. You can tell that Shad’s no slouch when it comes to lyrics and his back up is just as strong. DJ Tito treating the crowd to one solo song in the middle of the set with his scribble DJing style. If anyone was going to sell me on hip-hop, Shad and his crew would be the ones. Feel free to correct me if I got his DJs name wrong or anything, I'm going off what I heard on stage as I can't find him online. If you have any info on him, I'd love to have it!
At this point, I’d been up for a really long time so a ditched the crowd for DJ Champion and his G-Strings and watched on from the sidelines. For anyone who like myself, has not had the pleasure of seeing these DJ Champion, his G-Strings consist of 5 guitarists and Champion on his laptop orchestrating the guitars. It’s really a sight to behold, Champion waving his hands at the guitars like a conductor as he dances and produces his beats. The crowd just went nuts for it, arms were in the air, person after person popped up onto the sea of hands and Champion just kept stirring them up into a bigger and bigger frenzy. This has to have been the biggest and sweatiest dance party the Market Square has ever seen. Being in that crowd must have be a blast, but even if the mind was willing, my body was just done for the night and needed some sleep. All in all, this was one hell of a good night and I can’t wait for tonight.

As for what to see tonight you ask? The Market Square again has a pretty awesome line-up, I’m unfamiliar with Our Book & The Authors and Brandi Disterheft but it ends with The Dudes and Mother Mother. They're are going to knock the socks off that square tonight, wonder if they'll give DJ Champion's crowd a run for their money. It’s a real shame that Fritz Helder and the Phantoms aren’t playing anymore as I would have loved to catch them, I’ve been really addicted to Punch Me in the Neck lately. Still, there’s Aidan Knight and Tegan & Sara at the Alix Goolden Hall and right beside it at the same time is Woodpigeon in the Metro Theatre. Still, I think I’m gonna situate myself in Sugar Nightclub for what was a quadrapack of Canadian indie rock with The Library Voices, Zeus, Cuff The Duke and The Most Serene Republic. Turns out Cuff the Duke has moved to the Market Square to take the place of Fritz Helder and the Phantoms. I think I’m still going to stick with Sugar as I want catch Zeus but the show starts at 9:30p so I’ll be able to catch someone beforehand, possible Aidan Knight but maybe I’ll try Vince Vaccaro and the Victoria band Maurice. We’ll see what happens tonight!

Hope I see you out there and have fun.
- AlexOfAnders

Char2d2 Small Vampires EP and Concert Review

Char2d2, consisting of Charla McCutcheon (Bella) on guitar and Eric Breitenbach (Lefinn, Heatwave) on drums, opened for Victoria band Immaculate Machine Saturday, September 12 at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver. I was truly blown away by their set, as I had gone in with no expectations and very little knowledge beyond name recognition.
For this reviewer, there are a few things you need to check off in order to deem a set truly excellent.
As for them?
- Packed dance floor after only a few songs: check
- Responsive crowd: check
- Band members sincerely enjoying their time playing together: check (big grins all around)
- Presence of other musicians: check (rumors have it that Tegan of Tegan and Sara was around)
- Positive audience bathroom reviews: check

What truly caught me off guard was the ability of this duo to fill up the lounge with more energy and sonic presence than many considerably larger bands I've seen. Charla's guitars did not seem sparse even without the presence of bass, and Eric kept the rhythm driving and pounding throughout their much-too-short set.

Below is the set list of songs that they played, mostly off their Small Vampires EP (except for the starred ones):

Only Man For Me
You Are A Small Vampire
Don't Want To
I Am Safe
B-Day Girl**
Some Will Have To Go
Torn Apart**
Take and Send

Since grabbing a copy of it at the show, I've been listening to Char2d2's debut EP Small Vampires (what is it with vampires anyway?) on repeat. It's a disc full of lovely romantic pop ditties that are guaranteed to stick in your head.

I cursed myself for not putting the album on my iPod as I was humming You Are A Small Vampire the entire commute to school and back. And why not? Charla has an excellent sense of melody, which is combined with a lovely girlish voice, bright melodies and sweet choruses such as,

can I be the one that you wake up at 6am?
and we talk to the clouds till we fall back asleep again

The result is an uplifting album which will make you vow to love your cherished ones just a little bit more. 

The Small Vampires EP, like their set at the Biltmore, is short and sweet, and ends much too quickly. It leaves you smiling but wanting more, like a single forkful of cake. Hurry up with the full length please!

Small Vampires was written and co-produced by Charla McCutcheon, with the other half of that producing team being Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara. 

Char2d2 will be playing at Victoria's Rifflandia Music Festival on Saturday Sept. 26 at the Metro Theatre. Make sure you catch them; you will not regret it!

You can buy Small Vampires at Maple Music or on iTunes.
You can find Charla of Char2d2 on MySpace and Twitter.

Rifflandia adds wristband connect to sweeten the pot

You may already be aware, but coming up in less than a month is Rifflandia in Victoria, BC. I thought this would be a good time to remind people to get things setup to attend what is looking to be one amazing festival. The full line-up is here and it’s looking intense from great local bands like Hank & Lily, the Raccoons and the Pack AD to bigger Canadian acts such as Holy Fuck, Pink Mountaintops and Tegan & Sara, Brendan Canning will even be doing a DJ set. With a line-up like this wristbands are a bargain at $62.50 but not only do these wristbands get you great music, they’ll grab you a bunch of savings all over Victoria with the Wristband Connect deals Rifflandia has set up. This is especially sweet for those of you living in Victoria as the deals are good till the end of September, sounds like you can take advantage of them the minute you get your wristband. To me, this is an awesome bonus as food, drink & accommodation bills can really stack up at a festival so any relief to the wallet is welcome.

Anyways, get your wristbands (seriously, click here and get them now) and I hope we see you there!

Tegan and Sara announce Sainthood

No point in my saying much - here they are announcing it. Sainthood is Due Oct. 27 (Wiccan rockers like Halloweenish releases.)

Sainthood (not Thainthood) from Tegan and Sara on Vimeo.

Rifflandia Music Fest Earlybird Wristbands and Lineup Announced!

So last year Victoria got a new music festival, it went by the name of Rifflandia and it rocked. I unfortunately did not get to go as I decided to enjoy the Yukon for a few extra days before it was back to school. This year however I fully intend on enjoying what will no doubt be a stellar festival full of fantastic talent. The festival will run September 24 - 27th and will feature the mad skillz of Tegan & Sara, Holy Fuck, Buck 65, Mother Mother, Champion, Final Fantasy, Beach House, Shad, Pink Mountaintops, and Mt. Saint Helens Vietnam Band(I hope all those links work, they took way too long to do) with more names to be announced on July 15th. Right now a limited quantity of earlybird wristbands have been released and will be available till July 14th. Wristbands will run you about 50 bucks including fees and are totally worth it. They'll get you into every venue as well as some bonus perks. Also Rifflandabrau will be brewed once again for your enjoyment and some special "twists" like the Rifflandia Drama Club and as well as an official festival magazine/guide book to be released in mid August.

And that's not all, Rifflandia is being held as a sister event to Transmission, an international music conference for all the movers and shakers of the industry. It looks to be pretty interesting and hopefully I'll be able to grab an invite for that so I can let you know what its all about.

All in all it looks like a pretty darn exciting weekend in Victoria. For more info you can check out the Rifflandia site here and the Transmission site here.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

T.O. Snobs Music likes Dog is Blue, alot.

Tegan and Sara have a new web site.

the Rural Alberta Advantage is trying to raise funds for a new limited edition 7" final with Kickstarter.com.

Lonely Vagabond talks about the Cheap Speakers.

Painting Over Silence talks about the Dears at the new 'West End Cultural Centre' in Winnipeg.

Chartattack has info on the upcoming Tokyo Police Club album

Indie Rockers and Others Fill Cameras for Charity

Some of your favorite Canadian indie rockers and other celebrities have filled disposable cameras to support DOXA. DOXA is a documentary festival presented by the Documentary Media Society of Vancouver. To raise funds the festival (who's 2009 fest. launched on Friday) is auctioning off some used single use cameras. Those cameras were filled by Jason Collett, Bob Wiseman, the Weakerthans, Ladyhawk, Tegan Quinn, Stars, Nardwuar the Human Serviette, Great Lake Swimmers, Veda Hille and even CBC folk like Peter Mansbridge, Mary Walsh, George Stromboulopoulos, Colin Mocherie, Brent Bambury and Ian Hanomansing.

So what's on the cameras? What did they take pictures of? They're not saying but bidding on all the Cameras opened on Friday and will continue until Sunday May 31, 2009.