Hillside Inside?

[c-towns]

Haven't seen anyone post much about this...

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:MlheYyMe1qgJ:www.hillsidefestival.ca/+hillside+inside&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=ca

pretty decent lineup.

[NewRider]

Posted it here

I thought the lineup was a little weak for my $50 but it should be a good time.

[phishtaper]

I'll be there. Some really good bands:

City and Colour

Xavier Rudd

The Weakerthans

Tokyo Police Club

Cuff the Duke

Shout Out Out Out Out

Attack in Black

Martyn Joseph

Wintersleep

Les Batinses

The Abrams Brothers

Roxanne Potvin

Zaki Ibrahim

Bocce

Hayley Sales

Im really looking forward to The Weakerthans and Tokyo Police Club. And of course, Shout Out Out Out Out, whose island-blowing Hillside performance this past summer is now legendary, especially because they forgot their sampler at the hotel and actually began their set 10 minutes before the night was scheduled to end.

Only two and a half weeks away. Incredible deal for only 50 bucks too!

[Giggles]

At 14 and 17 yrs young the Abrams brothers are some of the finest bluegrass players on the planet...mark my words these two boys will become legends! John's a little Tony Rice clone and also kicks the shit out of a mandolin and James in my opinion may go down in history as the greatest bluegrass fiddler of all time...at 14 it's mind-boggling the taste and technique this kids got...you just can't teach that kind of mastery...

Gawpo Giggles,

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[c-towns]

I even searched the subject line before I posted it, oh well.

Cuff the Duke is doing some cool stuff these days.

[NewRider]

Cuff the Duke is doing some cool stuff these days.

I think their older material is cooler but it's always neat to hear a band mature.

[Schwa.]

At 14 and 17 yrs young the Abrams brothers are some of the finest bluegrass players on the planet...mark my words these two boys will become legends! John's a little Tony Rice clone and also kicks the shit out of a mandolin and James in my opinion may go down in history as the greatest bluegrass fiddler of all time...at 14 it's mind-boggling the taste and technique this kids got...you just can't teach that kind of mastery...

Gawpo Giggles,

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Have they got anything i can buy or download?

*edit* checked their website, heading to Chapters to pick up the new cd, that's one hell of a recommendation for me not to follow up on.

Abrams Brothers website

Edited January 16, 2008 by Guest

[Giggles]

Schwa,

The albums are good, but really seeing The Abrams live is what it's all about...their "official" touring band is stellar...recently their cousin Elijah (also 17) joined the band and they've hired a 22 yr old kid from W. Virginia to pick banjo thats crazy nuts too...Branden Greene I believe his name is...from all the Merlefest and other great bluegrass events I've ever seen, the song they usually play for an encore (for some reason slipping my mind...an old instrumental) is top 5 bluegrass performances I've ever witnessed...

Gawpo Giggles

[phishtaper]

these guys sound cool. will definately make a point of catching their set. thanks.

altho', to be honest, when i see uber-talented 17 yo's on stage, im never sure whether to be supremely impressed or hate them out of jealousy.

[phishtaper]

... z'on tomorrow.

Happy HillsideInside Everyone.

[Tungsten Gruvsten]

I was just there for sound check - it's a wicked setup, big stage at one end and 'island' stage in the middle - totally open stage, the lights and sound system make it look like the freaking Stones are going to play there....

[NewRider]

Of course, last minute, NewRider wants to go! Anyone got a ticket for $20 or less?

Edited February 2, 2008 by Guest

[Tungsten Gruvsten]

wow that was great - nice surprise that it went off without a hitch - Highlights would be Attack in Black(rocking!) Shoutoutoutout with the beats, Zaki Ibrahim was killer, Xavier was kicking, the lighting was great, lotsa good bands - no hassles to be had. that's a quick braindead afternoon wrapup...

Best part was walking home(9 minutes!) to have a couple beers mid-day, then coming back and only missing 1/2 hour!

[DevO]

That only leaves 12 minutes for drinking the beer!

How were those bluegrass boys Giggles was talking about?

[thomson]

I was really impressed with the Abram Bros.

Going into their set I wasn’t sure if they had gotten a reputation based on their talent alone or a combination of their talent and their age. Are they good young musicians, or good considering they’re young musicians? I feel they deserve all the praise they’ve been getting.

I staked out a spot near the front to get a clear sightline of the finger picking. The sound quality was pretty lousy and throughout the first song all I could think was “this band was not designed to play an arena.†But upon analyzing where I was standing relative to the speakers and relocating accordingly, concerns over sound quality vanished. They played a good variety of styles of roots, country and bluegrass and were excellent performers. They are on the bill to play Hillside this summer.

My only disappointment of the performances was Xavier Rudd. I’d scene him twice before (Ottawa Bluesfest and Hillside ‘outside’) and really enjoyed it both times but this set didn’t do it for me as much. I found it to be particularly redundant (felt like the exact same guitar riff throughout every song). I got my groove on but mainly because it was the last set of the night and I hadn’t used up all my dancing energy, sort of like a final sprint in a running race. I like what he does and the messages of aboriginal solidarity that he brings to the scene but he didn’t knock my socks off last night.

As for value for ticket price I was more than pleased with the amount of good music I got for fifty bones. In fact I would have been willing to pay more. In my mind it is like paying more for organic produce or locally crafted good. As I consumer, I am more than happy to pay more for a concert/festival that is non-profit, not backed by corporate sponsors, prioritizes accessibility and features local food and artisans.

As tungsten said, I was impressed that the logistics of the event went as smoothly as they did considering it was the first time around.

[mark tonin]

Thanks for the reviews ... keep 'em coming. It's nice that Hillside/Guelph could pull off an event of this nature. It's also interesting how different people can be moved or impressed by different performances. I was speaking with a friend who went yesterday and he absolutely loved Xavier's set, except for how short it was. He said it made the show for him. But it was his first time seeing Xavier, and from what I've observed, many people are blown away by him the first time around and are less impressed the more often they see him. He said the crowd energy finally came together for Xavier's set, which made it great.

Nice to read the positive review about Attack in Black, as the two Romano brothers in the band are from Welland (my hometown) and their parents used to be good friends with my in-laws. I haven't seen them since they were kids (10+ years ago), but they were very musical at a young age, and their Dad is a very talented musician.

And hey, after reading this thread again, I now realize that I know this Thomson person ... nice to see you posting here!

Peace, Mark

Edited February 4, 2008 by Guest
recognition light bulb went on

[phishtaper]

I had a great time too. Most impressive was the way it all went down so smoothly. Two alternating stages – the Main Stage and the “Island†Stage - with gaps of no more than 10 to 15 minutes between acts. It literally was a full day of music. Tip of the hat to director Sam Baijal and his hardworking team of hillside wizards for making it happen.

This isn’t Hillside. Its a much more select group of artists. Where you would expect to see several folk artists, a couple of bluegrass, and a ton of world music at the summer weekend event, HillsideInside was limited to one or two of each. But what a great selection! This was a small, but delicious musical buffet.

The Weakerthans started the festival on the Main Stage. Surprising perhaps, since I would perhaps have expected them to actually headline, but they had an evening show booked down the 401, so we were treated to a 1pm set that immediately kicked things into high gear. One of today’s best Canadian Indie bands, no doubt, they gave a rockin’ performance. The only whingy thing I can say is that they didn’t play their hot Rheos cover (Bad Time to be Poor) which I was looking forward to.

After their set, the crowd began its first of many Warner Bros cartoon-like migrations to the mid-arena Island Stage to catch Kitchener’s electronica Bocce. A 4-piece of keys, drums and hockey sticks, they tapped non-stop to create some fun dance tunes. The crowd had come to party. This was going to be a great day.

Back to the Main stage for Cuff the Duke who didn’t disappoint either. Not my cup of tea, but that didn’t matter, those up front were really enjoying it. I was more concerned with one of the Abrams Bros (the 70 year old one) who was suffering from a pinched nerve in his back and having a hard time standing. Quite the trooper, though, he was raring to go when he joined his three grandsons on the Island stage in their sextet and performed some incredible bluegrass and roots tunes on fiddle, banjo, bass and guitar. These guys are great. They lived up to the hype.

A bit of confusion followed since Les Batinses had to cancel their Main stage performance, snowed-in in Quebec. So, everyone got a chance to check out the wonderful hand-painted trees surrounding the arena and grab some Planet Bean java or that delicious guacamole and chips from Meals that Heal. That famous Hillside food vendor selection we’ve all come to look forward to every summer was a bit lacking indoors, but was supplemented by good old arena fare – ubiquitous pizza, hotdogs, and wings up in the bar. Next year it will be better, I hope. Tummies full, every headed back down to the Island stage to listen to some beautifully crafted folk songs by Englishman Martyn Joseph, who was himself rewarded with an after-set chat and kiss from a hot babe groupie.

Tokyo Police Club took the Main Stage next. High energy, frantic guitars and keys, these guys are a just plain fun to watch. Zaki Ibrahim, wearing 80s-rewind leg warmers from Flashdance, along with an urban female DJ, guitarist and some dude sitting on (and playing) god knows what, busted out the Island stage with what’s called “eclecticaâ€. A bit jazz, some R&B and scratch, as well as some soothing soul, she has a voice really well suited to the music. Different, but neat, and the younger element of the crowd really got into them.

Ok, now things got going. “Hello, We’re called Shout Out Out Out Out, and we’re from Edmonton.†These guys were the highlight of the festival for me. Perhaps biased by their blow-out show this past summer, I really liked them. The crowd packed in tight up front and danced out out out of control for the whole set. (Thankfully, they remembered their sampler this year.) Covered in sweat, the crowd again migrated en masse back to the Island stage for an equally high energy set by Attack in Black. Personally, I didn’t like them as much as others, but hey, that’s why it’s called a festival.

Wintersleep shoegazed onto the Main stage next. People had a chance to cool down and breath in a little bit of ambient Indie music. Or wander around to grab some more food. It was 8pm now and those who’d partied away the afternoon without nourishment were in dire need of calories now. We went for wings in the bar where we caught the last half of their set and the beginning of Roxanne Potvin’s on the Island. She’s just cool. Bluesy, jazzy and a little bit of country, she has a wonderful voice and treated one of the smaller crowds to gather there to a low-key, but beautiful performance, and the last one at the Island.

Next up on the Main stage was Juno award winning Dallas Green’s solo project City and Colour. Showing a gentler, kinder side than his usual punk persona fronting Alexisonfire, Green grounded the crowd with some really nice vocals and guitar work. Very impressive.

Now, I wish I could say that Xavier Rudd blew me away, or that I really enjoyed his performance, but truth be told, I didn’t bother sticking around to hear him. Cardinal sin of festival-going, I know, but it had been a long day, and we actually lost power to the recording gear so the gods were telling us to just pack up and go home to feed our hungry doggie.

Overall, a really fun day. And considering that this was the first event of its sort ever run both in this arena and indoors at Hillside, this was an incredible day. Im very much looking forward to next years’ and of course, the upcoming 25th Hillside Festival this summer, featuring some of these same performers.

Guelph Mercury video from the festival