kung Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 OMIGOD! So I spent nearly the whole the day yesterday scrubbing the hippy smell off my skin and scraping the mucous off my brain but I'm still stunned from Hillside this weekend. The music was definitely better than ever. Luckily for me, my prayers were answered and the Hillside heavens opened up and spat out Metric and the Broken Social Scene (yes Kitty, your mother was RIGHT!)...sweeter spit I could not ask for. Finally...something different is happening in music. Luckily this happened Saturday night so after a little Tielli-taunting about having a tough act to follow, the Rheostatics played the best show I've ever seen from them. Seriously, METRIC. The wittiest, SEXIEST, freshest band I've seen - ever. You would never know they're Canadian. An absolute must see if you have the chance. The lead singer/keyboardist, Emily Haines..imagine the attitude and cool of early Blondie without any of the flakiness, LEGS that Tina Turner couldn't hold a flame to even in her peak, and the freakiness of David Byrne (Talking Heads). Oh my! I have a major crush on this band. The Broken Social Scene are Gods and you will definitely hear from them soon. I was a bit of a mental/emotional/physical ball of goo by the time we saw them on Saturday but many moments of the show are still etched into my psyche. Lovers' Spit and Anthems for a Seventeen Year-old Girl are performances I will never forget. I actually think this 12-piece band (along with the Polyphonic Spree) mark the beginning of something new and groundbreaking that's happening to music. Big bands comprised of a dozen or more people - all playing frontman. It's really crazy good and makes for an amazing live show. PS - Leslie Feist was captivating with the BSS. What a little rock star! The Rheos were totally spot on. Their Jane Sibbery cover (One More Colour) encore was beautiful and naural. (How can it be that the more pale, bald, and bloated Martin Tielli gets, the more I love him?) Ok, ok, since I know at least Kitty is cringing by now, I will keep it short- ish. CUFF THE DUKE - loved them the last two times - love them more now. Top of my list. Buck 65 - MUCH improved from the last time I saw him at the Khyber (in about '97 or something ridiculous like that!). He was hilarious. Soooo funny. Rich also played in a workshop with Noah 23, the Guelph equivalent of Buck back when he was Stinkin' Rich. (As an interesting side note, I met Rich's lady-friend after the show (I want to say her name was Renee) bore a striking resemblance to Lydia!) Chris Brown and Kate Fenner - I cried for their entire hour-long set. Beautiful. They also played with the BSS and in a ton of workshops (for those of you who haven't been to Hillside they do these workshop sessions where they throw together a bunch of musicians and make them jam it out for an hour, for example, the Rheos played with this African troupe H'Sao - it was AMAZING). Other great workshops with were Krazy Keys (Kevin Hearn, Chris Brown, Veda Hille, etc.), Cold Canadian Burrito (Tim Vesley, FemBots, Cuff the Duke, etc doing a Graham Parsons thing), Close to You (Chris and Kate, with the Dears, Metric, the BSS, etc.), Guitar Warp One (Tielli, Bidini, Andrew Whiteman, etc.). There were lots of others that I didn't see but these few all kicked ass. Sarah Harmer was as sweet as ever - just not as rousing as the aforementioned. The FemBots, Boy, H'Sao, Scott Merritt, Warsawpack, and Jason Collett (from BSS) are also all worth paying to see. I was excited for the Dears but couldn't get into it. Missed Kathleen Edwards and Jeff Lang but I heard they were great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 three reviews of three different shows by three different people in three days!! you'd think this is a music board! good ta hear... I've never heard anything but really good about hillside... someone else was tellin me I better check BSS so I guess I shall... Metric huh? quote: Chris Brown and Kate Fenner - I cried for their entire hour-long set. Beautiful. I've only seen them once since the Bourbon Tabernacle days but even back then they had that special glow about them... are they still livin and workin in NYC? whatever you do, don't ever look into Kate Fenner's eyes... (what happened to the guy singer from the Bourbons with the nose... I liked that guy... he was freaky) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kung Posted August 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 The Shnoz makes Hassidic jewish music and plays at Barmitzvah's and such all over North America- by choice. I have unfortunately looked in Kate's eyes on many occasions. Metric is unbelievable and you will hear alot about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 quote: Hassidic jewish music and plays at Barmitzvah's and such all over North America well, thats still pretty freaky... right on... probably kind of tough to catch one of those gigs you'd figure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MK Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Thanks for starting this one Kung - I didn't feel like posting a review under the 'you are a tool' thread. This was my first Hillside and, if possible, I'll never miss another. I saw a post a week back about it being 'Samside' and how the booking is pretty singular and not open...well, too bad for you cause Sam Baijal did an absolutely brilliant job of booking and arranging all of the patented 'workshops'. Musicians of similar ilk on the same stage just jamming on a moments notice... Hot workshops: 'Dont Funk with the Groove' - members of warsawpack and snack with Noah 23, Buck 65 and a number of hipsters that hopped on to the stage to belt out some freestyle. Hot hot stuff and somethign I've never seen before - straight outta 8 Mile but better...freestylin pros rapping about the moment with an endless dark funky groove and Buck scratching through the whole hour-long jam. Surprised you didn't mention this one Kung - weren't you walking around holding your recorder in the air, freakin out? 'Guitar Warp One' with Jason Fowler, Mark Stuart, Martin Tielli, Andrew Whiteman and a bunch of other serious players - didn't get there until Tielli sulked of the stage because the blues bore him (or something like that) but I saw a rippin' Spanish Moon and some great soloing. There was plenty of Little Feat over the weekend notably in the 'Great 70's Commercial Rock Scare' and by a Guelph band, the Exceptions. 'Close to You' with Chris & Kate and members of the Dears, BSS, snack, and Metric...pretty much a 45 minute vamp on Bacharach with some small-scale BSS and Brown clav thrown in for good measure. Great intro to the characters that would floor me later that night. spoken word on the Sun Stage with Jay Schneider and Dave Bidini - great to see two guys read from books I've read that they wrote. Schneider read the first chapter from a novel he's writing (pretty good tale of a young band who goes on a pilgrimage to Seattle after Cobain burnt away) and a chapter from 'Have not Been the Same' (definitive book on modern Can-Rock). Bidini read from 'On the Cold Road' my fave anecdote about him and Jim Cuddy getting into a hockey brawl... stayed until the night portion of the Island Stage kicked off with: The Miniatures - power-pop rock from K/W. Just signed to Maple Music and rightfully so. Great songs and a glossy radio-friendly feel that manages to maintain creativity and stay miles away from the whole post-grunge sound. Great performance with some added flair and presence that I hadn't seen from them before. Neutron Stars - pretty standard 70esque band. Definitly boosted by Noah 23 riling the crowd up and than vanishing to leave the band trying to maintain the energy with a disco groove and a Prince cover. then METRIC - no way that they can be done justice with words - can't find their CD anywhere...been looking ever since...if you liked any thing from the 80's, Metric has incorporated it into their sound. Groove, pop, sexyness, ultra-clean sound, and a crowd hanging on every beat and bump...standing-O all the way the Dears on the main stage - not really into their radio song but their live show floored me. Massive sound. Synth washes throughout which somehow gave the music a pristine perfect feel. I'd see them anytime but where would they play? Broken Social Scene - introduced by Michael Barclay as the 'new sound of Canada' or something like that. Well, I hope it is because I've heard nothing like it. I've had the CD in my headphones, in my car, at work and anywhere that people would listen to it and I was convinced that their live show would be a letdown (the CD is untouchable). I was wrong. With up to a dozen members on stage, a horn section and some HOT babe singers milling on and off, a smidgen of theatrics and a overdose of cool, BSS is the most original and fresh thing to get the Canuck stamp of authenticity that has happend since I've been aware of contemporary music - and they are soooo contemporary, btw. Up to 5 guitars all using different effects and playing different lines...ambience that you need a machete to cut through, used-CD store variety, poise, professionalism, and that sense of cool that makes you wonder if they actually are Canadian. With the new-age rock thing in full-effect it is quite the surprise that all their songs have a singalongablity that is still humming in the back of my ear. Only a one-hour set though...can't wait to see the real thing. Didn't make it back for the Sunday after sleeping in my car two nights in a row...I certainly had my mind expanded by the brief visit though and couldn't have returned if I had tried. The festival was an organizational triumph. 1200+ volunteers, 4 stages, I'd say 5000-7000 patrons, best fest food I've tasted, a program that could be sold on the mass-market, more lesbians (and consequently more women in general) than I've seen in one place, and simply the best music coming out of the best country in world. With the general leftwingedness and artistic sensibility of the audience it became apparent to me that the Hillside gig would be the most important gig for most every band there - that has got to bring out some seriously ferocious playing...not to mention that the collective conciousness on the island was red-lining with creativity and wide open to anything that artists could provide... Thank you to Kung and Melissa for taking care of me on Friday and thanks to Sam and Hillside for putting me a few steps ahead of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Thanks guys, I definitely feel like a Tool..... Nice to see some people writing some reviews other than me(who 'or is it whom?' cant write worth a dog's snot, and who's even lazier then Jerry was in 85. Me that is, not MrsH), MrsH and BackBacon. If only we could utilize that review section more like the Rhombus does! Always enjoy your reads MK........ Anyways, "12-piece band" BSS? Kung, I recall you playing a couple of their tracks at the Sloth's but I dont remember them sounding like they had that sort of ensemble? None the less, that is interesting..........very interesting. I think I could dig Cold Canadian Burrito. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecowboy Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 i bought the metric cd at hillside just before it sold out. if you want to buy the cd go here paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MK Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Thanks Booche. Thanks Paul - just bought Metric along with the Benevento and Russo CD - crazy site! B&R was the only other thing I had heard of and they must have like a half a million CDs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 I fear that my Hillside review isn't quite as glowing as Kung's, but it's positive all the same. The reason for the hesitation is that the atmosphere at Hillside has changed in the last 4 years I've attended, and this year really undersore the widespread appeal of the festival, now so widespread that the beer bong/GMC Truck/grey t-shirt and jeans crowd is making their way there for the party and disregarding the music. These are the guys who saw me walking and drinking a heineken and said "Hey Buddy, that heiney is going down too slow, wanna dump it in the funnel?" I was talking to one of the parks people and she said that this year, more than any other, there were people paying for overflow camping who didn't have a pass for the festival. This would make some people shout "Lot Scene" but it was a little more Old Milwaukee than anything else. I found that element (and, some peopel) disappointing. Fortunately, the music saved my life and my weekend. Broken Social Scene, there are no words to describe it. They were everything I was hoping for, made me wish I'd seen them at the Black Sheep on the 5th. Holy fuck. By the way if anyone wants a good recipe for fungi sesame balls just message me. (Hmm...should those two thoughts be read together?). Here's some other highlights and sidelights: Buck 65. Wow. Not since the days of Dressup has there been a better storyteller. Simply put, his rhymes and his stories really impressed me. The Barmitzvah Brothers. Guelph Locals, cute and quirky. You could only stand about 15 minutes of their stuff but it's a good 15 minutes. Lots of early casio keyboards and a thoroughly unimpressed blonde in the band (anyone else see the scornful look on Lethargen #1?) Lotus Ensemble: Made everyone sleepy Close to You: A workshop with the Dears, members of broken social scene, Chris Brown and a few others such as Martin Tielli. As Kung mentioned, this basically consisted of a couple of takes on "Close to You", and yet it was so spellbinding and so powerful no one really cared when they walked off after 40 minutes of an hour-long set. Enjoyed. A few others, such as Autorikshaw (which pulled at my tabla-centric heartstring), H'Sao (Boyz 2 Men goes to Chad!) and the Rheos had me captivated. But Buck, BSS and the Close to You workshop were where it's at. I'd recommend Hillside again for next year, just be cautioned about the growing Mullification of the camping scene. Come for the music, the tabla /pianosaurus jams that my friends and I can provide, and the Strawberry Tobacco that is smoked from my newly inherited Lebanese Waterpipe. Oh, and nice to meet you MK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appalachainjane Posted August 2, 2003 Report Share Posted August 2, 2003 I don't know...I know you guys were a little miffed about the scene, but this was my 4th Hillside, and I can't say it's changing all that much. Not that you are off-base about the ricks, they were definitely out in spades, but I think it's always been that way. I think because Hillside is a community festival (sometimes at the expense of the music programming in the past), it draws a bit of a different crowd than we're used to. Did anybody actually have any trouble with the yokels...other than a distaste for their mullets and attire? Not that I'm aware of. I don't think any of us had any trouble with JR's ambition to share his Jager. Maybe I'm just a little more sympathetic to the ricks, having been raised on shot-gunning beer in the cultureless backwoods myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appalachainjane Posted August 2, 2003 Report Share Posted August 2, 2003 quote: How can it be that the more pale, bald, and bloated Martin Tielli gets, the more I love him? Kung - glad to see you're opening up to the man-love Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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