Carmanah
By Will McGuirk
So yeah - no pop but that’s Hillside - challenging sure but they hold your hand while you explore - somehow year after year after yer they know what will work, what will be needed, what the medicine is - Will you trust, well trust is passed hand to hand so I trust and if your hand is in mind then come dig deep, listen to these here, listen to them live. . . and always remember art > fascists.
By Will McGuirk
If you are wondering about that multicoloured skull sitting in the Kops Records shop in Oshawa, well, it is the skull of Halifax-based musician Rich Aucoin. It appears on his new album, Release, available on Dine Alone and of course for sale vis Kops.
We asked Rich . . . The Story Behind. .
”The record was originally going to be titled Death. I wanted a image that represented death while being colourful and joyful. I got Makerwiz to 3D print a life-size version of my skull and got artist Laura Dawe to paint it all the colours of the rainbow. The spectrum of colour represents a celebratory and joyous experience of life while the skull is both our unifier image as well as representing our unifying destination,” he says in an email.
Aucoin says he built the album around syncing up with Walt Disney’s classic animated feature ‘Alice in Wonderland’ - it covers the first two thirds of the film. The music and lyrics were created to reflect what is happening on screen.
For me the story of Alice is the metaphor for the world we live in right now, we have stepped through the looking glass (aka our phones) and are now trying to navigate this wonderland of volatile leaders and cats. We need a soundtrack and we need a release.
By Will McGuirk
I have been going to Hillside for a couple of years and hanging with Oshawa ex-pat Steve De Taeye. He resides in Guelph now with his partner in art, poet Candace, as well as two boys and other creatures. He works in a record shop, The Beat Goes On, DJs on CFRU93.3 FM and he is a musician so when we compare schedules, his ‘to see’ acts are chalk and cheese to mine. But his are always spot on. He has become a guide for me so I asked him if he could guide the slowcity.ca readers to some interesting picks. De Taeye has his own interesting musical project, Hymns 57 . He has released several cassettes and will be playing Hillside on Saturday. Hymns57 is not on his list but will be on mine.
So Steve, what do you recommend?
“As far as recommendations on who to see at Hillside, Joyful Joyful. Without a doubt I feel in my heart they will be the highlight of the entire weekend. People will be absolutely floored by the sheer emotional power this duo is capable of projecting. Between David's sonic bed that he creates for Cormac's vocal to lay upon to the overall dynamic of their output. . . if you're not sold by then than Cormac's vocal delivery and lyrical prowess will curl up inside your emotional guts and your eyes will leak and the corners of your lips will curl upwards towards the sunny sky. Joyful Joyful is an experience that will stay with you for a very long time. You will be different than before, I promise. “
“There's still a slew of other artists I'm super stoked to see, Yonatan Gat & The Eastern Medicine Singers. I first discovered Yonatan a little over a decade ago when he was wielding his Hendrix style guitar playing in a trio called The Monotonix. This trio of garage punk, fuzzed out anthems. Just a guitarist a drummer and a vocalist. I saw them a few times in a short window of time. Pure volume, wreckless abandon steeped in euphoria. So needless to say I'm keen to experience what Yonatan is up to with this new outfit. I haven't even checked it out so the surprise is as vibrant as possible. “
“The Burning Hell never disappoints and I feel they're really on the come up in a big way, so a Hillside set will be a great addition to their trajectory. Anna Wiebe is a ridiculous talent from town (Guelph) and beyond underrated. However easy and simple her songs may seem, from a musician stand point, they're extremely articulate and full of subtle intricacies. It doesn't hurt that she has the voice you want to hear while sipping wine in a meadow, ya know ?!!
To my knowledge this is the first time another Guelph hometown hero gets to France the stage also, Bird City. This is the project of local Jenny Mitchell. Formerly Jenny Omnichord for those in the know. So it's nice to see her get the recognition. She had a great album last year that did super well on campus radio across the country. She’s a super hard working musician and also a vibrant community member shining a light on the seniors in our community through her CFRU93.3FM mobile unit. Where she goes to senior homes and collects the stories of those who have the most stories to tell us.”
“Again, because shining a light on your own backyard is crucial and overlooked. The sister project that is Bonnie Trash. Uber noir pysche rock. Very much so a fan fav in this town. Big respect and love for having the opportunity to see them do their brand of rock at Hillside.
I'm a product of the 90's so it goes without saying that I was a big fan of early 90's Cancon rockers Change Of Heart and I've always loved Ian Blurton's guitar playing. I've seen this cat in many different projects, so it's awesome to have him featured this year. Orville Peck is gonna be highlight, Fucked Up will get folks kicking up some dust. I've seen Steve Earle before but only once so I'm chuffed to see him again.
I'm hoping Hillside paid Bruce Cockburn enough to just play Lovers In A Dangerous Time over and over... but the Barenaked Ladies version.”
“For the folks w kids, make use of the child care centre area. I believe you can drop your wee ones off for 2 or 3 hrs so the parents can hit up the beer tents lol But the kids every year have a craft they do plus activities Theres also a good amount of kid themed planning for some of the stages. So I'm def looking forward to abandoning my children with a licensed E.C.E at some point in the drop off area.
As for food at Hillside. ALL OF IT IS GOOD. if you're there for the wknd, try as much as you can. There’s annual veterans in the food pavilion that you can always count on and they're local too, so that's a huge win and super conscientious In the past year or 2 some food trucks have popped up on the Lake and Island stages also. But as a family we're always looking forward to the dumplings and the wood oven pizza. My eldest Roenigk and I are also gonna get in on the hot dog grill a few times.”
Rhiannon Giddens - photo by Ebru Yildiz
By Will McGuirk
Hillside Fest, Guelph Lake Island; its the queen of the summer festivals. Its where you go to recharge, to draw on the energy of the place and the performers, to start again, to resist and reaffirm the commitment to the fight. I have been fortunate to have been invited as media for some years but I can’t think of anytime prior when the values of Hillside matter more. Friday it kicks off. Rhiannon Giddens is top of my list to see and hear. Her most recent album features Francesco Turrisi, Italian multi-instrumentalist who is based in Dublin, yes that Dublin.
Sunday morning coming down - photo by Adam Till
The Doozies aprés fest
By Will McGuirk
Now it could have just been the crowd I was hanging with but it did seem like The Doozies had the 59th edition of the Grand Old Dame of folk festivals lit as the kids say. My media access was restricted for some reason so I spent most of my time Saturday and Sunday with the three piece and I thank them for their generosity. They even provided me with a bed for the night. Great lads, The Doozies, Josh Kvasnak (singer/strummer), Jonathan Sloan (standup bass) and Sean Battams ( fiddle and trouble).
As I was with the crew quite a lot I was witness to the many, many folks who stopped them randomly to say how much they enjoyed their sets; They played the downtown Orillia stage on Friday; at the Pub Stage in a Saturday workshop with Danny Michel, Deeps and The LYNNes as well as in a workshop on Sunday with rising star and heir to Wilf Carter old timey country, Colter Wall, and the precious voice of Courtney Marie Andrews. No less than Fred Penner asked Battams to join him on the main stage. Unfortunately Penner’s set was shortened so the duet didn’t happen but sometimes its in the asking. And I would imagine those guys will be asked back.
Prior to the Doozies workshop, Ralph, Shakura S’Aida, The Sorority took part in the Voices For Good workshop. They were joined by the Snotty Nose Rez Kids and they funkified that tent. Powerful and entertaining.
I hung around to see Stars and Tom Cochrane & Red Rider on the main stage and both were enthusiastic about being at the festival. Cochrane said two places were inspirational to his development as an artist, Massy Hall and Mariposa. My fave track “Human Race” was just as enthusiastically performed by the Red.
Stars set was cut short to allow for a surprise appearance by Gordon Lightfoot; he sang '“If You Could Read My Mind.” And yes although frail he still has it.
Sunday I took time to see Jim Bryson. More talking than singing maybe but yes worth it. Hashtag no filter as the kids say. He was joined by Caroline Brooks of the Good Lovelies.
Thanks to the generosity of The Doozies, their manager and some mutual pals for stepping up, fab weekend. Much love.
American superstar Brandy has released her new single, “Love Again”. Its a duet with Canadian superstar Daniel Caesar who also includes the song on his recently released album, ‘Case Study 01.' The track will be on Brandy’s forthcoming album, no release date. In the meantime Caesar’s album is doing well as they say and he has a gig at the Budweiser in TO Saturday Sept 28.
After much anticipation and some nerves we finally get to see the details of Oshawa’s independent music festival, Crossing Point. The 2019 edition will take place in Memorial Park Friday July 26 and Saturday 27 and some of the acts have been announced; EDITH, Weapons, Vs The Borg, Cale Crow, Wooly and Native Other are on the line-up. There will be more announcements coming including the headliners.
Last year’s festival took place at Brick by Brick Park in Oshawa and featured Skydiggers, Emmanuel Jal, Crown Lands, Ammoye, SATE and Annie Sumi.
Tickets for this year’s event are offered now as an early bird special price of $25. See the website for details.
Mariposa Sundays - the joys of the two previous days enhanced by the opportunity to, yes, to do it all again. Sunday is for the hardcore, the determined, the stayers, the believers, the actors who know action speaks loudest of all, well at least as loud as the music. The bucket list is complete, now, Sunday, the day is to rest and relax and revisit old sites and sit and let the festival wash over you with even more beauty. Sunday is the day for those who are in the know of saying yes to another of living life with art and music and friendships. Monday can wait.
By Will McGuirk
Morning in Tudhope, on Lake Couchiching, is just a beauty. Every time I go to Mariposa and stay over and wake up and step out on the Lightfoot Trail I envy those for whom this is their every day routine. The Tilly Hatted walkers and fanny packed runners, strollers and cyclists, watching the rise and swell of the waves on that rocky shore. Its just about perfect and to see the tarps come down and the tents open up, the merch coming out and the coffee in hands. There really is nothing like a festival stirring to life after the night before. It is in one word, present.
By Will McGuirk
They are not brothers and neither is called North but they are brothers of the north in a Games of Thronesian kind of way. Dan Liscio and Norm Reynolds, two serial and serious entrepreneurs from the D-Rock, recently launched their own broadcasting and media production company, The North Brothers, and the results are in. They have managed to set up a cottage on the digital landscape, filled with the woodsy, natural vibes ingrained in this area, mixing country with industry, hard work and hard playing - grits and grains with a smooth finish. They may well be the Black Grass of film. They have produced videos for the house party that is The Doozies and The House Call as well as the EPK for Say Ritual. They also do weddings, parties, anything. If you are in the D-Rock you will see a lot of familiar faces in these videos and if you don’t, well, you will just have to ask yourself why - why are you not part of this collaborative creative community?
By Will McGuirk
With Summer officially unsealed with parties and fireworks we can look forward to three weeks of the best festivals. Coming up Friday, Saturday and Sunday is Mariposa in Orillia, the first of the summer and the longest running as well being close enough for a day drive from Durham Region (of course staying over is an option). Friday’s line-up and schedule on the Main Stage is nicely paced. Our own The Doozies of Oshawa are on the Downtown Stage in the afternoon so pay some attention to those three kats too.
By Will McGuirk
Our pals Wildlife have a new track, “ Wasted” The track from Wildlife is their first in a couple of years, so happy to have them back. There’s a Strumbellas/ Wintersleep/ Arkells vide to it all. Dig in.
By Will McGuirk
Our pal Meghan Patrick has a new video out for the track “Wild As Me.” Its a Bonnie & Clyde style romp and last week Meghan posted on social media this about the track.
“I’ve always struggled with writing love songs. I’ve written songs about love that were good songs, but they just didn’t feel 100% like “me”, and the lyrics didn’t feel as real as the songs I’d written about heartbreak. I never felt like I could quite nail down what a true “Meghan Patrick love song” would sound like musically either...until I found someone who knew exactly how to love me. Someone as Wild As Me. Someone who made the words and the notes come together as easy as breathing, and with the help of two my of best friends Jordan Rager and Michael Whitworth we wrote a song that is 100% me, and 100% honest. So here it is... the musical expression of my softer side, that gets to stay wild, my love song.”