Montreal’s Under The Snow music festival was created by Jeff Rioux back in 2005 as a way to make up for the fact that not a whole lot goes on in terms of cultural activities at this time of year. While originally intended as a one-time event, the festival was successful and has since gone on to attract bigger crowds and better-known artists. This year, folk staple Julie Doiron drove in from Sackville, N.B. to revisit her second solo album, Loneliest in the Morning.
The bands that played Under The Snow this year were generally unknown, perhaps making the festival’s name all the more adequate. Now in its eighth year, Under The Snow continues to fly relatively under the radar, much like the bands it puts on the bill. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the whole affair was lacking a festival vibe. However, none of that really mattered, having had the opportunity to see two great, and fittingly low-key, performances. Here are the highlights:
Montreal-based experimental folk outfit Elfin Saddle launched their third album, Devastates, at La Sala Rossa on Thursday night.
The band uses a truly unconventional approach to sound, applying bows to cymbals and saws while simultaneously jingling bells with their feet and creating enchanting vocal harmonies.
In this candid performance, Julie Doiron played her 1997 album, Loneliest in the Morning, from start to finish.
The former Eric’s Trip bassist ended her set with an Eric’s Trip song, as well as some more recent solo material.
While rumoured to be the highlight of this year’s festival lineup, Pat Jordache paled in comparison to the previous nights’ performances.
Opening act Mac DeMarco didn’t take the stage until 10:30 p.m., pushing Jordache’s set very late. As it turns out, the band’s unoriginal sound wasn’t worth the wait.
