With three minutes to showtime, a gaggle of instrument-toting musicians walked through the crowd to the Island Stage early Saturday morning. The Cliff Hangars workshop was titled "Bruce Peninsula meets The Rural Alberta Advantage" and it was quite literal as they met mere minutes before the show began. This was slightly unfortunate as they weren't able to plan the collaborations all too well and therefore swapped songs for at least the first few tracks (after a lengthy Rock-Paper-Scissors duel to see who would go first). Of these there was a notable RAA track, North Star, which is an apparently still unwritten (or at least incomplete) new tune. The bands finally meshed when they performed Fleetwood Mac's The Chain led by the BP females, and some slide guitar (while the bass solo was done by voice since they were lacking in an actual bass). On another track there was an attempt to record and sample the entire crowd humming a note. However this failed so instead the members of both groups crowded around the tiny keyboard and were able to lay it down. This was subsequently used on a track that only employed keys, percussion and vocals. In finale they attempted to teach us a song written by a preacher that asks "What are they doing in heaven today?" The lessons didn't stick all too well, but boy did we nail the count-it-in "bum-bum-bum"! As a nice touch, the closing chorus was sung completely a capella.
Emma-Lee
Emma-Lee sang That Sinking Feeling on the Main Stage in a colourful summer dress playing an acoustic guitar. Lovely as it was I was off to wake up with Green Go!
After Green Go, since Julie Doiron was late to the Lake Stage I snuck over for literally a glimpse of Kristin Sweetland. The tall lady was telling stories and I just couldn't wait around for the song to begin so I jetted back to Julie Doiron who still hadn't begun. Eventually she took to the stage and I caught a fast, extra-rocking version of a song I enjoy, No More. However with the full 4-piece band playing, Julie didn't seem to be focusing on the vocals and they became unemphasized and lost in the mix, to my disappointment. I decided to cut it off then and jet to the Island Stage.
Bruce Peninsula
Just an hour after finishing up their collaboration, Bruce Peninsula were back at it. The nine-piece nearing-gospel group filled the stage with four lovely females, leaving five equally as lovely males. Introducing the song as a "lung-collapser" due to the exhausting vocal harmonies they belted out Shutters and by the end I could understand the descriptor. The male lead vocalist has a very distinct and somewhat gruff voice, but when offset by the angelic singing of his female companions it melds into glory. For the final number Casey of Ohbijou joined them on-stage for a rousing rendition of Crabapples, perhaps the best track off A Mountain is a Mouth. It was mindblowing, with drumming on everything from the metal tent poles to the stage itself, along with tambos galore as the aforementioned male lead walked throughout the crowd. Do we want this set to end? "Oh Hell No"!
Bahamas
During Bruce Peninsula's set it had begun to rain heavily (though enthralled by the set I hadn't noticed) and it sealed my decision to stay at the Island Tent and give Bahamas another shot. Afie took to the stage with an electric guitar (no, not a Pink Strat) alongside a drummer. He ran through a number of songs from that album before excusing the drummer and playing a couple more solo. Unfortunately I'd decided that despite my efforts to get into it, Bahamas just weren't the thing for me, which meant that I left the tent before Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers) and Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) joined Afie for a cover of Purple Rain. Dang.
I did catch some of Treasa Levasseur and her upbeat, jazzy music on the Lake Stage, filled out with a guitar, couple of saxophones and drums.
The Tallboys comprised of Kevin Breit, Matt Brubeck and Jesse Stewart played some great freewheeling music together as the accomplished musicians collaborated on the Lake Stage. Obvious professionals their timing was impeccable and the songs themselves great. All of this emphasized considering Jesse Stewart removed a boot cast from his broken foot before beginning the set.
While passing by David Martel at the Main Stage I was forced to stick around as he was playing The Good Lord which then morphed into most of John Wayne Gacy, Jr from Sufjan Stevens' fantastic Illinois before returning to a strong ending of the original track. This delayed my arrival to Ohbijou who had packed the Island Stage. With streamers streaming from their mic stands Casey sang, with her sis Jennifer on violin and the band also playing xylophone and cello on tracks such as Steep. It was the final song that came across best though. Just as Bruce Peninsula had included Casey on their last song earlier in the day, most (if not all) of Bruce Peninsula clamoured onstage for a singalong that brought out the sunshine once again!
After a refreshing swim I waited for Mishka's reggae to finish before the haunting Timber Timbre set.
On the way to eat lunch provided for volunteers I heard some familiar strings and followed my ears to the Sun Stage. Am I glad I did, as Owen Pallett was partway through a favourite Final Fantasy song, This Is the Dream of Win and Regine. (He should have saved that song with the verse "I tried, and tried to keep the clouds away!" for his stormy main stage set!) I would have liked to stay for more as Owen noted later that sharing the stage with Buffy Sainte-Marie was a highlight of his life, but I was called away by dogged hunger.
Attack in Black disappointed me once again live. Perhaps I should just accept that I'm only a fairweather fan - enjoying a handful of their singles but never loving their full catalogue and usually finding myself bored by the live shows that insist on playing the deeper album cuts. I did catch one of their more straight-ahead rock songs, You're Such an Only Child, which I did enjoy though.
Eccodek
My only other option was Eccodek on the Main Stage, who as I noted before play music that isn't within my regular scope of music, but watching them I could feel the energy they were pumping out nonetheless.
Though I would have liked to have seen Silver Starling debut some of their material, or to have accompanied my girlfriend to her fave Dala, or catch up with my hometown-heroes Tokyo Police Club (Newmarket is close enough to Bradford right?) I played it safe by staying put in the Island Tent and not braving the possibility of a giant line to get back in. Overall I think it was a wise decision based on what I heard (or didn't hear in the case of Silver Starling) from others who had attempted it. Based on experience I'm sure the Sunparlour Players would have been great as well. However I was more than happy with the sets from Hey Rosetta, Library Voices, Woodhands and The Arkells!
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