Category: Music

TORONTO (CUP) — What if your favourite literary characters were real, and they started a rock band? Well, for Harry Potter fans wondering where they can get their next fix of Hogwarts-related goodness, the answer could lie in a little-known craze that has been going on under our noses for some time now: wizard rock.
Yes, it’s true. The phenomenon that started with J.K. Rowling’s series of books, and moved on to include a matching set of movies, now boasts a range of independently formed rock bands based on characters from the Harry Potter series.
The biggest name in wizard rock, not surprisingly, are Harry and the Potters. The band consists of two brothers, Joe and Paul DeGeorge, who take the on-stage personas of Harry from year four and Harry from year seven.
“We didn’t want to fight over who got to be Harry,” joked Joe. “So we figured we could both be Harry from different points in time.”
Although it started off as a last-minute backyard show for friends, the brothers from Boston soon found themselves booking shows in local libraries and increasingly larger venues. Many of the audience members are young fans of the series, and the DeGeorges embraced the idea of using their music to promote literacy.
“[Harry Potter has] gotten a lot of kids-and adults-really interested in literature and reading,” said Joe. “We’ve heard so many stories about kids who didn’t read at all, then picked up the books and they’ve been the gateway books to the world of literature for them. And I think we have to emphasize that aspect of the phenomenon: get kids involved, get kids going to the library for a rock show, and maybe [they will] read a couple of books at the same time.”
At their Toronto show in August however, it was clear that their act has managed to reach an audience of not just the young, but the young at heart. The small downtown venue, the Whippersnapper Gallery, was teeming with university-aged, music-loving bookworms who shared the Potter love and weren’t ashamed to show it.
Harry and the Potters showed an uncanny ability to engage the audience, entering the thick of the crowd for one song and offering high fives all around for the next. Part of the audience joined the two Harrys in a rousing chorus of “Voldemort can’t stop the rock”, and “We’ve got to save Ginny Weasley from the Basilisk”. By the end of the show, spirits were high; everyone in attendance was dripping with sweat and smiling from ear to ear.
Since they started playing five years ago, the band has inspired a whole slew of wizard-rock bands, including The Parselmouths, The Whomping Willows and onstage rivals Draco and the Malfoys. The latter has opened several shows on the Harry and the Potters tour, and the back-and-forth quasi-bitter banter between the two bands is truly a thing of beauty.
Decked out faithfully in Slytherin colours, half-brothers Brian Ross and Bradley Mehlenbacher encouraged the crowd to “party like you’re evil,” and surprised the audience with an energetic cover song, “99 Death Eaters Go By”.
Of course, now that the seventh and final book has been released, these wizard-rock bands face an uncertain future. How long can this phenomenon last? Can wizard rock live on if the books do not survive?
Draco and the Malfoys are optimistic. “This is the best job we’ve ever had in our lives, so we’re going to keep doing it until people stop showing up,” says Ross.
“There’s also a [Harry Potter] theme park coming in 2010, and the fact that they’re going to invest millions of dollars in a theme park – which is not a temporary establishment – means that people are going to be interested in these stories forever,” said Ross. “At least the rest of our lifetime.”

For more information on these bands, visit
eskimolabs.com/hp or evilwizardrock.com.

Music is the art of thinking with sounds.
-Jules Combarieu

Tuesday, October 2
-Dirty on Purpose,
Fujiya & Miyagi @ Lambi
-Gary Husband and guests
@ Theatre Maisonneuve

Wednesday, October 3
-Lily Frost @ Main Hall
-Thunderheist @ Coda Club
-Magnolia Electric Co.
w/ Watson Twins
@ Sala Rossa
-Caribou w/ Born Ruffians
@ La Tulipe
-Pere Ubu w/ Simply Saucer @ Le National

Thursday, October 4
-Fool’s Gold @ Club Soda
-DJ Sasha @ Club Tribe
-Man Man @ Sala Rossa
-Final Fantasy, Ohbijou, Basia Bulat @ Ukrainian Federation

Friday, October 5
-Pride Tiger
@ Bar St-Laurent II
-Apollo Sunshine, Dr. Dog, The High Strung @ Caf

Jessie Baylin isn’t like other girls. She isn’t singing about the club scene, being sexy or the thrills and skills she may have to yank a guy’s crank. The early twenty something songstress has an old heart, smoky vocals and a rich soulful folk rock sound to match. She sounds like a legend waiting to start. Think Stevie Nicks at 24.
Baylin may already be famous by association, opening for the likes of Dolores O’Riordan, James Morrison and being best friends with Scarlet Johansson. But this young lady is making a name for herself and one that will be heard a lot more often. Jessie Baylin is leaving a mark.

Your first festival tour was the Montreal International Jazz Festival with Dolores O’Riordan. That is impressive.

I was so thrilled and beyond excited! It was incredible.

You called your debut album You. Why is that?

The title song was a poem I had written and the title just felt right. Of all the songs on the record it felt like the title song. Then you have my EP of five songs which is called Part of You. It all fits and just sums up the record.

What is your song “Contradicting Words” about?

It’s actually one of the first songs I’ve ever written. There was a moment in my life where I noticed that everything I did seemed to contradict itself. Every want was with some big fear.

What is the first contradicting thing about you that comes to mind?

I golf! There is nothing more that I hate than collared shirts, yet at least once a week I’m putting on khaki shorts and a collared shirt to play golf. I just love it because it’s a very focused game.

Can you break down your song “Leave Your Mark”?

“Leave Your Mark” is about someone that I dated and he was leaving. It’s about the way I’ve been in relationships, like that moment when you realize, “Oh my God, this is very real” but you’re afraid to commit. I was “wanting to love” but feared that.

Do you tell a person that you’re writing a song about them?

Oh, I don’t tell them but they usually figure it out. For a lot of older songs I wrote the person figured out quite often that it was about them.

You were just in Paris. Do you believe the city is as romantic and inspirational as it is made out to be?

Yes! Especially when you’re with your fianc

SASKATOON (CUP) — If you ask the average music-listener what they think of country music, you’ll get a handful of fairly standard responses: “It all sounds the same: whiney, uneducated, cheesy, depressing, twang-y.”
Everyone knows what they hate about country music, but what is it about the genre that draws in millions of people across North America?
Dawn Worniuk, country music fan and program director of Saskatoon’s FM country station Hot 93 thinks she has an idea.
“The majority of the music, people can relate to. Everyone’s been in love once. People laugh at how they write about pick-up trucks, but everybody’s had a vehicle one time they absolutely loved and hated to part with. If they haven’t dealt with divorce themselves, they’ve had a friend who was divorced. Look at Rascal Flatt’s song ‘Skin’, which deals with a teenage girl who has cancer. Who hasn’t been affected by cancer somehow?”
Country music is uniquely North American. North America is often described as a melting pot or mosaic, and ends up being a mishmash of many different cultures. Country music was born of that mishmash, and is therefore one of a very few arts that truly belongs to us.
It is often forgotten that the king of rock music, Elvis Presley, was a country-music artist. To think of rock and metal fans listening to country is almost laughable, but if you unplug those electric guitars, many rock songs have an undeniably country sound.
Guitarist Ryan Boldt of Saskatoon’s alt-country group The Deep Dark Woods pointed out that indie and alternative rock bands are a little bit country.
“Any indie band – even like the Arcade Fire, or the Shins, or anything like that – if you actually listen to the melodies and chord changes, and if you played that on an acoustic guitar, it would sound like a folk song or country song.”
Maybe the whole ‘I hate country’ attitude is more a problem of open-mindedness. Maybe it has something to do with today’s ultra-competitive society, but many fans of certain genres have a hard time opening their ears to anything other than what they already know.
Even within the country-music community, there is a rift between those who support traditional country, and those who support contemporary country. Boldt is one of the former.
“People associate country music with Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill, and Shania Twain, and that is not country at all. It’s manufactured garbage.”
He also thinks popular country is the reason there are so many haters out there.
“Too many people just write it off as pop-country, and you’ve got to really find out what it’s about before you bash it. It’s the white man’s soul music. It’s been going on forever. If you say it sucks, then you’re just a foolish person.”
At one point in the interview, Boldt directly pointed a blaming finger at loca radio station Hot 93, but Worniuk has a different idea.
“I don’t think people really realize what country is. When people hear ‘country’, they think of their grandparents, and I think that’s a misconception. These artists are hot. They are good-looking, the guys are beautiful, the women are beautiful, they’re young,” she said.
“Country has changed. It’s more contemporary sounding. It’s hitting a demographic of a younger generation, and they don’t want to hear that twang.”
Which leads us to one of the most interesting aspects of country: its ability to change. Technically, “country” is an umbrella term that encompasses a huge variety of sub-genres. Part of the reason this has happened is because country music is very basic.
To say it’s basic makes it sound bland, but this attribute is exactly what makes it sound so good live.
Country is probably the only genre of music that almost always sounds better live. Both Boldt and Worniuk agree on this point.
Worniuk says, “What you hear on a country artist’s CD, you’ll hear when they perform live. It’s not so overproduced that they can’t bring that performance onto a live stage.”
In Boldt’s case, actions speak louder than words: the Deep Dark Woods’ first album was recorded live in a studio during a twelve-hour period and sounds like a rockin’ good time.
As for the future direction of country music, the playing field is wide open, and change is in the air. Worniuk thinks country is constantly changing and evolving, like any other genre.
“You say it’s country, but country has changed. Think of some of the earlier Micheal Jackson stuff, like ‘Billie Jean’. That was really poppy, but that’s not anything like what Justin Timberlake is releasing now. Country still falls into the best category, but country as a whole has changed.”
Although country may have been unpopular for the past ten years, Worniuk is sure it will have a chance to shine again.
Music is cyclical, and every genre has its chance to showcase their talent. Country music is on the rise, so expect to hear more country-influenced tunes in the next few years.

“I’ve never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down” -Virgil Thompson

Tuesday, September 25
-This Quiet Army, Milimetrik, Ulrich Schnauss @ Sala Rossa
-Suzanne Vega,
Richard Julian @ La Tulipe
-Longwave, Robbers on
High Street @ Lambi
-Ben Harper @ St-Denis
Theatre

Wednesday, September 26
-Iron & Wine @ Metropolis
-Andrew Bird @ La Tulipe
-Pierre Bensusan @ Lambi

Thursday, September 27
-Fionn Regan @ Cabaret
-Thomas Dolby & The Jazz
Mafia Horns @ Petit Campus
-Soulive @ La Tulipe
-Roz Bell @ Metropolis

Friday, September 28
-Hot Springs, Miracle Fortress
@ Le National

September 28 (cont’d)
-Portugal, The Man @ Lambi
-Jordan Dare, Sinden @ S.A.T.
-Ashes of Eden, Horfixion
@ Theatre Plaza

Saturday, September 29
-The Royal Mountain Band
@ Divan Orange
-The Black Tyranny,
Arch Enemy, Machine Head
& more @ Le Medley
-Bat For Lashes, The Brunettes @ Petit Campus

Sunday, September 30
-Beirut @ Sala Rossa
-The Electrocutionerdz
@ Bar St-Laurent

Tuesday, October 2
-Dirty on Purpose, Fujiya
& Miyagi @ Lambi
-Gary Husband & guests
@ Theatre Maisonneuve

This Week’s Pick:

Iron and Wine is the stage name for musician Sam Beam, who often wrote, recorded and produced his music in his home studio. His debut The Creek Drank the Cradle features acoustic guitars, banjos and slide guitar; the whole often said to be along the lines of Nick Drake, Elliott Smith and Simon & Garfunkel. His cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” was used in a commercial for M&Ms, as well as in the soundtrack for Garden State. Beam was previously a professor of Film & Cinematography.

Runner-Up:

Montreal’s own Miracle Fortress.

Wait! False alarm. Rogers Wireless did revoke its sponsorship of Our Lady Peace drummer Jeremy Taggart’s podcast/radio show but the corporation is back on board. It seems that business executives can take a joke after all.
The drummer beat on the craze surrounding the Toronto International Film Festival creating unexpected noise and controversy. Taggart’s humoristic comment was oddly interpreted as offensive. The infamous rant can be heard at myspace.com/taggartstake.

Jeremy, Jeremy, you’ve been a bad boy!

(Laughs) Oh, I don’t think so. It turns out that I’m not so bad after all. Rogers came back onboard.

Did you think your rant would cause so much hype?

I didn’t find it to be offensive unless you’re a cokehead! (Laughs) All I did was basically talk about the mania surrounding the Toronto Film Festival. I also can’t stand people whose jobs are to track who’s in town, what they’re wearing and what they did.
How can you have pride? You don’t even talk to them. Don’t they know this is Canada? The cool thing about Canada is we don’t give a s— about celebrities.

Is it surprising that people pay that close attention to the things you say?

I hope people pay attention in terms of listening. But reading into it? There is just a lot of humour attached to it. I’m just trying to do a podcast/radio show that’s different. There are a lot of elements. I’m not just speaking to celebrities, athletes and politicians. I want to create something that people can laugh with.

Can you clear up the chain of events?

I did the piece, put it out and I believe an executive from Rogers heard it and found it to be offensive. They had a meeting and completely revoked their sponsorship. A couple days later I spoke with someone at Rogers who actually thought it was funny and helped shed some light on the issue. At the end of the day I think they understood me more and the situation. So they took me back. It happened very fast.

Tell us about being a jack of all trades. How do you find the time?

It works out fine. I’m married, I have a son and another son coming in a few weeks. Nothing has really changed in terms of schedules and time. It’s nice that I can be doing something with my spare time. We’re not touring 12 months a year like we did 10 years ago.

Looking back 14 years ago, wasn’t there an issue when you first joined Our Lady Peace in 1993?

I was 17 and I couldn’t get into the bars that we played! (Laughs) I was actually just talking about it with the guys yesterday. Half of my life has been in this band. I was 17 when I joined and it’s coming up on 14-15 years. It’s pretty interesting to grow up not just in a band, but on the road and flying around. It was like my university.

Can you tell us about the rumours of a new album?

I’m in LA working with the band right now. We’re almost half way through the record. We’re making an honest sounding album. We’re not trying to over think and over produce anything. I’m really enjoying it because it’s very cohesive and the bass, the drums and the guitars all have an organic sound.

Do you find yourself reinventing your sound or trying to keep up as time and trends change?

We’re not in a race to stay valid; we’re just trying to make music that we enjoy. At this point it’s easier because we’re trying to enjoy ourselves and push our own bar up as opposed to trying to sound like other bands on the radio.

Looking at your radio show, who were some memorable guests?

Jack Layton. Politicians tend to be long winded. I don’t know if your average modern rock radio kid can handle that so I tried to keep people listening by adding sound effects around the interview. Like bowling alley sounds and pretending that we were in a strip bar. Sam Sullivan, the mayor of Vancouver was a very inspiring interview. I like it when I talk to someone and I learn something. Ben from Billy Talent and Wade from Alexis on Fire were also great interviews. They’re in bands that I respect.

Is it odd being on the other end of the mic interviewing your peers?

Actually it makes sense. When you’ve been doing interviews for 14 years you know what people want to hear and what they don’t. I want to push people, make them feel that they have to watch their back a little bit and have them feel slightly uncomfortable. I’m not afraid to have somebody hate me by the end of the interview.

Who have you duked it out with?

I interviewed Matthew Good and that was great! We were both in an element of nervousness. We didn’t want to piss each other off but at the same time we said whatever we wanted to. There was a nice feel to it. But Matt Good isn’t stupid and he knew what he was doing when he said that stuff.

What was this feud between Matthew Good and Our Lady Peace?

The press started a feud. We talked about how ridiculous that was in the interview.
We laughed and talked about what he said. He wasn’t a big Frozen Ghost fan and he didn’t like Arnold Lanni our producer. We laughed it off now, but at the time both of us were pretty hot about it.

What do you think about the Avril Lavigne vs. Chantal Kreviazuk feud that heated up?

I don’t know how it started. Something about previous songs and opinions. It’s the same as every other one. Someone says something to somebody else and it totally gets twisted. To be honest, I couldn’t give a s—! (Laughs)

What’s Taggart’s take on the young women of Hollywood?

It’s typical. From the beginning of time that person, that role of the paparazzi victim hasn’t really changed from Marilyn Monroe to Britney Spears. Now we have Britney Spears being an absolute loser. Give someone that much money, take pictures of them and you’re going to see that they’re a loser under a microscope. What do you expect? Britney will not instantly do a Pulitzer Prize winning book. Give me break! She grew up in the freaking Mickey Mouse Club! And Lindsay Lohan? These girls are smoking heroine and going on three day benders. Paris Hilton doing rails all over the place! Are they all going to get together and O.D.? It’s out of control in terms of their obsession with escape. I don’t understand how they have so much but they want to get away from everything.

Who have you not had the chance to have on the show?

I wanted to get David Suzuki but he’s a douche and said no! (Laughs) I was a big fan of his work and watched the Nature of Things growing up. I contacted his people last June and they said, ‘We’re sorry but he won’t be able to do any interviews until a year from September.’ For a five minute interview? Rudy Giuliani would be easier than that! Who says they’re gone for a year? And starting in September? What the hell is he doing? I don’t know anybody who can be that busy! I lost a lot of respect for him.

What do you hope listeners will take from your takes?

At the end of the day I don’t want to piss anyone off. I want to try to inspire people, make them laugh, or even turn them onto a band that they haven’t heard. I don’t think I do typical interviews, they are more like conversations. If it’s a good conversation then it’s a good interview. The line I walk can go from serious to absurd. Sometimes I push left field and I take it as far as I can. I like having a forum and understanding that it could be taken away from me at any second.

WINNIPEG (CUP)–Record labels, especially indie record labels, are going digital, producing digital albums that would not be available in CD format in an attempt to avoid the high costs of manufacturing.
It’s a positive step for struggling indie bands eager to find greater audiences for their music — regardless of the fact that it could be dangerous economically given the popularity of file-sharing programs such as Limewire.
“No CDs means less ending up in a landfill, which is where the majority of CDs ever made will go. No CDs means no ridiculously large investment in stock that sits on a shelf for years, hurting one’s eyes and feelings,” says Chris Hannah, co-founder of Winnipeg’s G7 Welcoming Committee indie record label.
Hannah hopes the decision will attract more bands to their label and give them an advantage over other indie labels that have resisted the change to digital in fear that it would only make it easier for fans to share files online without paying for it. Hannah knows the risk, but is undeterred.
“For independent artists it’s great,” says Grant Paley of local indie group Moses Mayes, which has just made its latest album, Second Ring, available online. “The savings after you eliminate manufacturing, shipping and middle men make it cheaper to release a record, especially for independent acts.”
Online albums cost the buyer slightly less, as there are no manufacturing fees to consider, possibly provoking more fans to open their wallets.
Though Paley sounds confident, the popularity of the iTunes store among musicians shows that many still want to control access to their music with digital rights management (DRM) protection, the cost of which is prohibitive for indie bands.
“It’s all about getting the music out there to as many ears as possible,” Paley says. “I understand that for major artists [access control] is a concern because of what’s at stake. Overall, we’d like to think that people would contribute [money] if they like us.”
His band downloads music on a regular basis and would consider releasing digital-only albums in the near future.
The music is one thing, but managing artwork and album information is another hurdle for the digital store. The recording industry hasn’t quite figured that one out yet. Paley believes having merchandise tables at live events is the best way to go.
“Live shows and record launches are the best way to combine these two [artwork and downloading]. I think The Arcade Fire have done an awesome job with their new record, but they have a lot of money and people working for them.”
The Arcade Fire announced that fans who purchase the vinyl edition of their latest album, Neon Bible, will receive a free download of the entire album online.
The thing is, once bands are making serious money they’re more likely to care about where it goes and why they aren’t making more of it. Before that point, bands are making their music simply because it’s what they love to do. Nevertheless, digital online albums seem to be the way of the future for the industry, especially with indie bands looking for new listeners.
“DRM-free, subscription-based and levy-charged music stores are the next transition,” Paley said.
CDs aren’t going to die out anytime soon, he imagines, but neither would he consider them the most viable format anymore. Recent events support that opinion: In February, Canadian-owned Sam the Record Man closed its original Halifax location, leaving just three stores open across the country, down from over 100 just a few years ago.
In January, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry issued a report stating that digital sales made up roughly 10 per cent of the global total in 2006. It also stated that CD sales continued to decline, and music sales as a whole fell three per cent last year.

TORONTO (CUP) —

“Times they are a-changing.”
-Bob Dylan
As these words cut through the roughly tuned voice of one of the 20th century’s most prolific political songwriters, the impact of current mainstream political protest music enters my mind. While the lyrical weight expressed by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez registered with the anti-war, peace-impassioned masses of the 60s and 70s, one must wonder: As we venture further into the 21st century, have these messages lost their capacity for change?
The vocalized battle against a particular condition, government or action is nearly universal in scope. Whether the issue is war, poverty, crime, apathy or oppression, the didactic nature of political anthems have stirred passions and encouraged mild social revolutions.
Poignant pieces such as the anti-lynching song ‘Strange Fruit’ sung by Billie Holiday presented disturbingly lurid images decrying the oppression etched in 1930s American society. The civil rights and anti-war movements of the 60s and 70s were underscored by Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” The anti-establishment sentiment raged with the emergence of punk artists such as The Clash and the Dead Kennedys.
Each segment has drawn from the one before, proliferating into new genres while generating larger audiences. Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five slammed the frustrations and realities of ghetto life into the public consciousness with “The Message” while Rage Against the Machine drew the masses with their fierce leftist ideologies.
Today the anti-political fervour is still blazing with each genre getting a piece of the action. Presently, it appears as though a significant amount of the music championing the causes of the day are products of intricate marketing campaigns, rather than the driving force of traditional grassroots movements. As we further become desensitized by the perpetual rotation of graphic images and stories flooding our space, songs that could potentially emerge as anthems for mobilization fade into the playlists of edgy beats to download, then erase, when the next new hook is picked up the following day.
I have listened and watched the videos by Green Day dramatizing the tragedies of war, and attended the Live 8 concert as people around the world participated in the elevation of poverty awareness. The path ends there. At what point does the anger turn into action?
The same issues are being played out while the problems remain. Current urban and rap music, although not always overtly political, serve as a bleak reminder that while the vehicle of oppression has transformed from the times of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”, discontent with government policy towards poverty and minority groups is very much pulsing through our society.
Green Day’s staunchly anti-war release Bullet In A Bible has not veered from the anti-Vietnam war sentiments of the 1960s, only perhaps with the exception of added wailing guitars. Current political songs are only as strong as the media buzz and record company promotion surrounding them. Indeed, the idea of music as a catalyst for change amidst endless advertising chatter and spin is increasingly discomforting.
Perhaps in the end, the passion incited by songs of political protest, current and past, is all we can reasonably expect to attain. The rest must come from within.

“If I can’t sing jazz, then I’d rather not sing!” exclaimed jazz sensation Sophie Milman over the phone lines from Toronto, a place that she calls home. Milman need not explain herself. Her passion for jazz is evident on her album Make Someone Happy.
The 24-year-old Russian-born beauty’s talent shines on this 13-track CD. Full of youth and soul, Make Someone Happy pays tribute to some of history’s greatest legends, covering classics like Stevie Wonder’s “Rocket Love”, Fiddler on the Roof’s “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “(It’s Not Easy) Bein’ Green”, the children’s ballad originally sung by Kermit the Frog.
Impressively, Milman’s cover of The Guess Who’s “Undun” features the band’s original guitarist Randy Bachman. Each track is a gem, wrapped in a contemporary sound laced with maturity and control. “I was always 14 going on 40,” said Milman on her style.
Make Someone Happy is Milman’s follow-up to her self-titled debut, which sold 100,000 copies and hit the Canadian Top 5 in 2004. Milman credits many artists and inspirations; however, she strives to create a sound of her own, as heard in Milman’s burning reinvention of Ella Fitzgerald’s classic, “Fever”. “I have too much respect for music to go out there trying to sound like Ella,” Milman explained. “I have to find my own way. People go for the sex in “Fever.” We went for the daydream.” Breaking through the cover-clich

If you’re anything like me, you might be more than a little disappointed by the start of the new school year, that all-too-familiar feeling of responsibility that signals the end of everything summer. The Gillette Entertainment Group however, offered us the opportunity to enjoy one last chance at prolonging those summer days of mirth and music in the form of 2007’s Osheaga Music and Arts Festival this past weekend.
Saturday and Sunday Sept. 8 and 9 saw our Parc Jean Drapeau packed to the brim with echoes of music from every which way, art displays and merch tents, port-o-potties and promo booths and of course, tons of keen, energized concert-goers of literally all ages. At 79$ plus tax a day (150$ for a weekend pass), it’s not exactly inexpensive, yet the 2nd annual Montreal festival pulled in a total of about 29,000 spectators.
Despite last-minute drop-outs of Amy Winehouse, Placebo and several others, there were still five stages playing host to over 60+ bands in an atmosphere of beautiful weather, wide open spaces and nearly non-stop music; the rain held out on us and everyone was in high spirits.
Here are a few footnotes & highlights:

The Veils: These hard rockers from New Zealand play rock so riveting and full of conviction that you’d be nuts to walk away from them. Singer Finn Andrews, wearing a large black cowboy hat, commands stage presence as he belts out raspy, emotional vocals akin to Jeff Buckley. What they do is loud, often noisy and mesmerizing. One of the best shows of the festival.

Blonde Redhead: As usual, an extremely tight band who are excellent in a live setting. Featuring Kazu Makino in her tiny little dresses (as usual) on bass & keyboard and twins Amadeo and Simon Pace on drums and guitar. Fitting seven songs into 45 minutes, the band whirled through their set like true pros, only pausing to give a modest ‘thanks’.

Pony Up: The buzz around these Montreal gals has been around for awhile and if you managed to catch their show on Sunday you’d understand why. Their ethereal, noisy pop rock will convert even the most reluctant dancer to at least some modest foot tapping. The praise is well-deserved.

You Say Party, We Say Die!: Incredibly tight and prone to inducing fanatical dancing, this group of Vancouverites combine disco beats with fun riffs and emit a serious amount of high octane energy. Their songs may come in short bursts, but that doesn’t mean that there is anything lacking here.

Interpol: Interpol are excellent at setting a mood which either makes us collectively gloomy or, well, a little less gloomy. They came on-stage with a mission, dressed like businessmen and pretty much motionless, but jumped right into their latest album’s opener “Pioneer to the Falls”. Revisiting several crowd-pleasers from their debut “Turn on the Bright Lights” and playing only a select few tracks from their latest, Interpol managed to rile up the audience enough to crown themselves a band that at least knows what its fans want.

Bloc Party: Bloc Party far surpassed, I think, many people’s expectations. Then again, maybe not: earlier this year, their show sold out, so someone’s spreading the word. After a long, chilly day of incessant running back and forth across the grounds, Bloc Party put on an exceptional performance to re-awaken all of our tired souls. Singer Kele Okereke was busting at the seams with enthusiasm and his dynamic stage presence, in combination with the stellar performance of the band, awarded them many fans new and old alike. A fantastic end-note to the festival.

The Smashing Pumpkins: No one really knew what to expect at this show, but not a single person wanted to miss it. Despite the hype and rumors of a set list heavy on older, classic Pumpkins songs, the band’s performance was for the most part, lackluster. After a lengthy intro of new material (and an instrumental “Star-Spangled Banner”, followed by “O Canada”), they blew through an uninspired version of “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”. Billy Corgan, wearing a peculiar white outfit, led the band into old favorites such as “Hummer”, “1979” and “Tonight, Tonight” and saved a rendition of “Today” as the encore. Surprisingly however, somewhere mid-set the band broke into an airy, jazzy, instrumental number that was quite interesting. In the end, fans gave The Pumpkins a variety of mixed reviews, but most could confess that at least the nostalgic element of it felt kind of nice.

Canada’s largest music festival came back for a second round this year with over 60 musical acts packed up on ferries to Toronto Island Park and delivered electrically surged performances to 40,000 fans.
Nearly a mirror image of Montreal’s Osheaga, the Virgin Festival featured headliners such as Paolo Nutini, k-os, M.I.A., Arctic Monkeys, Interpol, Bj

Successful Canadian foursome Metric graced the Toronto’s Virgin Festival, reigning on the main stage days before making their way to Montreal.
Amist their hectic touring schedule, bassist Josh Winstead was free for a little chit-chat about solo projects, new songs and losing his virginity way back when.

The band has been going strong since your debut in 2003. Some lead singers embark on solo projects and then don’t go back. When Emily launched her solo project was this ever an issue that crossed your mind?

No. We knew exactly what was going on. There was never a moment of fear about that. We knew that these were things that she needed to do so she could continue doing Metric. Which was the same thing with me.

You also stepped away from the band with Joules Scott-Key and produced Best Friends In Love.

Joules and I recorded a two week rock session in Oakland, California. It’s me on guitar and vocals and Joules on drums. We wanted to make a hard hitting short rock album.

How much of a departure from Metric was this project?

It is more blues and guitar based with male vocals. We tried to keep our pop sensibilities about it. We wanted it to be danceable rock music. Sometimes you have other music in you and it just really needs to get out. If you don’t take the opportunity to express that then you will start to resent the thing that is keeping you from it. Those channels allow us to put more energy back into Metric.

Does performing on the main stage at the Virgin Music Festival, performing four nights of sold out shows in Toronto and then offering a free concert on a street corner in Montreal create balance and keep you grounded?

It does in a sense. It’s a mental gain to be able to play big shows and be around famous people then go to places that are more laid back. It makes you appreciate the humble beginnings. The ability to have that translate to people is really important.

Your music reached a larger audience when it appeared on the television hit series Grey’s Anatomy and CSI: Miami. How does it feel selling your music to TV?

You have to know that it’s commercial and it helps your career. I don’t really watch TV myself so it doesn’t excite me that my music is on television. You have to do certain things to continue your career or you will disappear. You have to realize that you are in a business and you have to make some money and support yourself and maybe eventually a family. I just try to maintain my love for the music and that I’m doing it for the right reasons. Sometimes there are necessary evils and to me that’s one of them.

Were you aware that being on board Toronto’s Virgin Festival you are required to share how you lost our virginity?

(Laughs) OK! It was with a female swimmer who I had a huge crush on. She was bigger than me and stronger than me. It happened in a closet in a room while two of our friends made sure her little brother didn’t come in. It was actually beautiful and silly. It wasn’t a high pressure moment because she is an awesome woman. We’re still friends.

(Laughs) I can’t believe I told you that!
Now with such blissful thoughts on your mind, what are your favourite songs to play live?

One of my favourite ones to play live is “Ending Start”. We don’t play it as much because it’s a bit mellow but I really like playing that one live. “Dead Disco” is a fun song to play live especially when Jules and I do a solo break down. I’m never sad to see it on the set list.

Your set lists seem extra fresh these days.

Yeah! The reason why we’re doing this tour is because we finally have the opportunity to take a little time between recording our next album. There’s enough awareness of the band and we didn’t feel like we needed to rush out there and release an album so people would remember who we are. I think we’ve established ourselves enough to give ourselves some time to be able to work on the tunes and take them out to people and get a response from them.

Is fan feedback that essential?

You need to have a conversation. If you’re making obscure music that no one understand it’s like you’re having a one-sided conversation. It’s like a dialogue. We’re asking, “What do you think about this? Do you want us to play this for you? Will this be something you’ll enjoy and dance to?”

Should fans expect a lot of new material at your shows now?

On the tour so far we’ve played seven or eight new songs each time. We’re playing more new stuff than old. Anybody coming to a show should expect to hear a lot of new Metric. One thing to do at our shows is relax, have a good time, cheer if you like it and boo if you don’t.