Sounds of Old Strathcona Fest, Edmonton, Part 3
Sounds of Old Strathcona Fest, Edmonton, Part 3
Saturday morning I awoke to thunder. Not again I thought to myself. I left Vancouver expecting to come to Edmonton, and have two weeks without fucking rain. I guess it’s just too much to ask for. I was a little apprehensive about leaving the house, I know I had shows to see, and photos to take, I just didn’t want to deal with another torrential downpour like the day previous, but the clouds burned off and there was a return of those blue Alberta skies. After a hearty Alberta breakfast consisting of two pounds of bacon, a dozen eggs, and two pints of lager I made my way down to the south side to once more indulge in an exploration of rock and roll. The venue this time was Megatunes. A recently failed record store. When it first opened on Whyte ave it was often shunned as being too corporate, selling mostly mainstream records, though as it is about to disappear from the landscape forever people now seem to be lamenting it’s passing. After a 75% off sale, most of the shelves were now sitting empty, with a few people in the store picking through what remained of the stock. The bands were setting up in the basement, a strangely carpeted empty room, a drum kit and speakers in one corner along with a Megatunes banner, promoting a store that wouldn’t exist a month from show time.
The band taking the basement floor was called Radians. A band whose very existence itself seems questionable. It’s myspace page gone, and only a couple links to music online. A mystery. They began to play with great zeal and determination, starting with, as the frontman described them, their hits. Radians were a fantastic change from the rootsy, folksy pace of the night before, a loud hit of a post-punk style, with quick change ups, and strong melodic sensibilities, with a pop foundation lurking behind the layers of rock and roll. Radians were a fun band, and after I finished taking my photos I stole myself away to a corner and did a little dance. It was also nice to see people out at a show like this that wouldn’t normally come out, using their $30 weekend pass to take in as much as they could, and most people enjoyed the exploration of music. People brought their kids out, decked out in the latest fashion in hearing protection, and that was good to see, because the show in such a small space ear melting loud, maxing out my decibel-o-meter, and that was good too.
Following the show I met up with an old friend Bill, who introduced me to two members of another Edmonton band that was not playing the festival, Krang. We got some food, some beer, and enhanced our permeability. We discussed music, what we’d seen, what we’d liked and we all generally agreed there was nothing to dislike about the festival, then Bill said he was going to leave, that there was a show he wanted to see, and that I should join him, and I did. We parted company with the other two members of our little party and headed down to the Black Dog Freehouse.
The Black Dog, is the place I go to in Edmonton when I want to run into people. There is almost always someone I know drinking or working there, and it is like that for most people who have ties to Whyte Ave and Old Strathcona. It has always been a laid back place, to drink, run into crippled girls who forgot to lock the door to the bathroom, and on the right night take in some good tunes, and this night was one of those nights. Manraygun is what you get when you take a couple of old guys, a couple of not so old guys, a punk rock drummer, and a few bottles of whiskey. I don’t know whether it was the drugs, or the booze, but I felt very confused during this show. After the first song, the guitarist put down his guitar, shook hands with some guy at the door and then walked off, and he didn’t come back. The band asked if anyone could fill in, and their sound guy came on stage and started to play. Bill sitting next to me decided this would be a good opportunity for him to get involved, jumped on the sound mixer and started doing the sound. I figured at this point it was best to just go with it. I ordered another beer, got uncomfortably casual with the strangers at our table, and had a damn good time.
Perhaps a little too intoxicated I left Bill behind at the sound board and headed over to my next scheduled stop at the Pawn Shop, and I can admit to being nostalgic upon entering the venue. I along with many of my friends used to be a regular here back in the mid to the late 90’s when it still used to be called re-bar. Many nights of a misspent youth were had in this building, too much drink and too many drugs, dancing till the wee hours where our hunger became too much and we would duck downstairs and order a donair at Queen. Fewer booths, a bigger bar, and the addition of some diamond plate seem to be the only differences when I finally got upstairs, even the stall doors in the bathroom were still missing, it was like a crazy trip back in time. I killed some time, drank more beer and reminisced about the good times I had here so many years ago.
This was the saturday show I was most looking forward to. It was dubbed as the generations show, each act seemed to have a connection to the rest of the acts playing that evening. First act to take the stage was Wilfred N and the Grown Men, a strange name and a strange looking band I didn’t really know what to think. First up front were two mature men, greying hair and not looking the type to be playing in a line up such as this. On the back end, two young guys, bass and drums, yes I was apprehensive, but all that was put aside when they started playing. Obviously influenced by the late 70’s and early 80’s, post-punk and new wave sounds, or given their history, helped influence that sound in Edmonton. They wouldn’t be out of place playing next to Devo, or Joy Division and maybe A Certain Ratio. They had good pop hooks, and a beach boys warmth, they came to have some fun. My only hope after watching these guys is that I get the chance to see them again, they played a style that was very much in the genre that I like, but so often when you have a band with some age is that they don’t tour, and thats fair, there are obligations, jobs, and families that should come first, and in the case of Wilfred N, thats a shame, because they would do so very well playing in Vancouver. They represent a healthy blend of age and experience combined with youth and determination in the back. The drummer is in my opinion one of the best drummers I have ever seen. If you have an opportunity to pick up their album Stop Go Romeo, do so, I had spent all my money through the course of the day and left empty handed, and am now disappointed.
Following the Grown Men was an electronic act, the Paronomasiac, which as it turns out was the bass player from the Grown men. After consuming as much booze as I had at this point there was only one thought that came to my head. Lasers are cool, and it simply can’t be denied. I’ve tried to think of a situation of where lasers aren’t and I can’t. Lasers are cool, and during the Paronomasiacs set there were lasers galore. My retinas still burn. Aside from the light show, the Paronomasiac was another phenomenal performance by an Edmonton artist. Keyboards, knobs, foot-pedals, and various buttons had the Parnomasiac bouncing around his little cage of electronics, and had everyone on the dance floor moving and dancing around. I can honestly say that I expect big things, be it behind a bass guitar, or working over some buttons and knobs, the talent is there, all he needs is some exposure.
Following the superb electronic sounds of the Paronomasiac were the funky sounds of Brett Miles and the Magilla Funk Conduit. They were described to me as “if the p-funk were from Edmonton, except not the p-funk, just start there”. They are a blending of styles from a difficult to approach nearly free jazz, to a more tropical danceable rhythmic sound. MFC are good fun, a party band if there ever was one, and Brett Miles is a charismatic front man, with tight dreads, and a soft and gentle voice when he speaks. He has a love for jazz, and funk, and it shows when he sings, or plays his sax, and as Brett Miles said “Sometimes you have a bad day, but when you’re a musician you can write a song about it.” MFC played a great set, that saw the dance floor packed to its fullest, complete with Brett Miles mom, and a conga line, but thats easy to understand, because anyone who couldn’t find themselves moving to the MFC has no soul, and then why are they out listening to live music? This set also saw Brett Miles bring Cadence Weapon on stage to help out on a couple of songs much to the pleasure of the audience, Cadence Weapon as it turns out is Miles’ nephew, and along with the guitarist from the Grown Men, completes the generations, or connections that were happening through out the evening.
So far the night had turned out great performance after great performance, and with one set left on the day I was feeling pretty confident that I had just witnessed one of the best days Edmonton had to offer.
Following a brief intermission, and a cute server bringing me a refill on my beverage of choice, it was time for the main event of the day, and the show I was most interested in at the outset of the festival. Rolland Pemberton, or Cadence Weapon as he is known on stage is a star on the rise. He has been nominated to the Polaris Music prize twice, and in 2009 was selected by the city of Edmonton as their poet laureate, but some people don’t think he’s all that great. They say he doesn’t represent, and that he remains outside the Edmonton Hip Hop Community, but I disagree with this. My impressions of him are that he is massively talented, unpretentious and humble. Not often do you see the headline act dancing with everyone else on the while the other acts played. To me he came off as seeming dedicated, and connected to his community, to Edmonton, to the people and places in it. He has a love for home that everyone from Edmonton seem to have, and I think it’s narrow to say he doesn’t support the local hip hop community. Cadence Weapon is out there promoting and supporting so much more than one genre of music. He’s promoting all music from Edmonton, and Edmonton as a community. To me that speaks volumes of his character.
On stage, Cadence Weapon delivers a strong performance, half the show backed by the Magilla Funk Conduit, the other half by DJ Co-op from Winnipeg, and was somewhere between a hip-hop and metal show, with Cadence Weapon taking time from rapping to just shout, and it was great. Several times he jumped off the stage into the crowded dance floor and worked the room, knowing it was his, and with the skill of someone who’s been doing it far longer than he has. It seems instinctual, and he has a comfort on stage that most don’t. It was by far the best performance of the weekend and I have the photos to prove it. Just look for him next time he is in Vancouver to see for yourself. It’ll be a show not to be missed.
After a long day of music, and drink It was time to head off, find a bed, and sleep like the dead, and to get myself ready for one last day of the festival.
