Wolfe Island Music Festival 2010

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Contrary to reports last year, this fest is alive and Virginia has booked another stellar lineup for August 6 and 7 on Wolfe Island. Early bird passes go on sale May 27 for $50. Steal of a deal.

FRIDAY, AUG 6

SWIM DRINK FISH MUSIC presents

The TownHall Concert

with

THE SADIES - NQ ARBUCKLE - DANIEL ROMANO

8:30 pm $20 advance

Flying V Productions showcase

at The General Wolfe Hotel

with

CUFF THE DUKE and KATIE MOORE

10:30 pm $15 advance

SWIM DRINK FISH MUSIC presents

at The Island Grill

with

BIDINIBAND and THE OPEN HEART SOCIETY

10:30 pm $10 advance

SWIM DRINK FISH MUSIC presents

FESTIVAL KICK OFF PARTY

at The Island Grill

with

COLLEEN AND PAUL and THE HARBOUR SHARKS

5-8 pm $10 advance

SATURDAY, AUG 7

at The Wolfe Island Community Centre

MAIN STAGE

with

WEAKERTHANS - SHAD - THINK ABOUT LIFE

BAHAMAS - DIAMOND RINGS - THE ACORN

MEMORYHOUSE - JIM BRYSON - FLOTILLA

JUSTIN BIRD - SANCTUARY

Gates open at noon - $40 advance

[skelter]

Bidiniband was a blast last year ... they also played Friday night at the Island Grill (which, by the way, is tiny).

I had this misfortune of watching Woodenhands at the General Wolfe ... they were awful. Cuff The Duke at the Wolfe will be intense but likely quite awesome.

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This weekend! Anyone else heading to the island?

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Today!! So pumped!!

[Freeker]

Bahamas were great at Osheaga.

Have a blast AD!!

[DevO]

GTs?

[AD]

Excellent times. Friday night was much better than Saturday, but from the lineup that was obvious.

Town Hall - Missed Daniel Romano. NQ Arbuckle is a perfect setup for the Sadies. Sadies played the 2nd best set I've seen them play (the best being one of the live album shows). Wolfe Hotel - Cuff the Duke were the same as always, short and nasal. Island Grill - Bidiniband was a huge surprise - last time I saw them it was terrible and I walked out, this time it was soooo tight and good. Really super impressive.

I should mention the weather was amazing all weekend. Saturday morning spent 4 hours lying on the beach at Big Sandy Bay. Got back to the site in time to see the Jim Bryson Trainwreck Experience. His band was The Weakerthans, (they just recorded Jim's newest album together) but it was obvious that much more rehearsal was needed. They didn't know the changes for the songs they just recorded, and when going back into Jim's catalog was a disaster. Not a great start. Hopefully they can rehearse before FolkFest this weekend.

Memory House was sleepy chill music, nothing great but definitely not bad.

The Acorn put on a great set, short, punchy, a nice Bruce Cockburn cover, good banter, a typical Acorn show.

Skipped Diamond Rings for reasons obvious if you've ever heard Diamond Rings. Had a nap during Bahamas.

Think About Life RULED, best show I've seen them play to date. The crowd was super into it, the band was super into it, they got an encore - I don't think the crowd would have let the stage manager leave the site if he didn't let them go back on.

Missed Shad, went back to the Grill for some much needed dinner (food on-site was either gross veggie stuff or gross hotdogs or sausage). Got back for the last two verses of his encore and the crowd was going even more insane for him. Good to see, sorry I missed this set in hindsight. But i needed food.

The Weakerthans put on a typical Weakerthans set. At least they know their songs well. They shouldn't have headlined the show. No doubt they're the biggest name on the bill, but they were almost sleepy compared to the 1-2 punch of Think About Life and Shad. Was funny to see them pull up to the ball diamond in a huge red tour bus.

Then Sunday morning the starter in my car died and I spent an extra, unplanned and super-expensive day in the Kingston area, but made the most of it and had a good time. Probably the worst spot for a car breakdown - Sunday morning on an island with 2 mechanics and 1 tow-truck, with no parts.

All in all, the fest was super well-run, no problems, great weather, great performances, great setting, great price, great friends....... By far my favourite annual festival.

Let me know if the pics don't show up.

[bradm]

The pics show up just fine for me, AD, and thanks for the report!

Aloha,

Brad

Edited August 10, 2010 by Guest

[Jakis]

Nice review AD. I have to make it to this festival next year. Speaking of great run festivals, have you ever been to hillside?

[AD]

I've been to Hillside twice, and it's fine.... But I found it really crowded. And I don't think those tents they use (used?) were all that great for anyone who couldn't fit under them. Love the main stage there though, that's money.

Wolfe Island is waaaaaaaaaaaaay more relaxed, small, and chill than Hillside. Different scales completely. Hillside is on a different level when you look at budget, draw, scale, etc. But yes, aside from the hordes of people Hillside is very well run, in my limited experience.

[zero]

I really think Wolfe Island is the up and coming new festival but this years programming (barring my brohemes the Sadies and are you fucking kidding me you slept through Bahamas - he's probably the rippingest live guitarist in Canada - like a less technical balls out Kevin Breit literally) looked pretty weak sauce on paper. I wasn't making the trip.

[gavinoids]

I don't really agree with anything AD said here.

But that's just me - and maybe if you really knew Bryson's catalogue, you wouldn't have called it a trainwreck.

Think About Life was probably the worst set of the night, in my opinion.

There was a great write up on Thick Specs about it:

http://www.thickspecs.com/my_weblog/2010/08/wolfe-island-festival-welcome-to-paradise.html

[zero]

It shows you where 'truth's debatable not taste' - I likely would have loved Think About Life's set. Still are you fugging kidding me- you missed Bahamas!!!

[AD]

Well, ok. I've been seeing Bryson perform since Punchbuggy but then again maybe so have you. I guarantee that both of us know Bryson's catalog better than the Weakerthans though. That much was pretty obvious. One didn't even have to know anything about the songs to hear the mistakes. Anyways, you picked a silly way to debate the fact.

Bahamas bores me. Just isn't my thing I guess.

[AD]

Gavinoids - I wrote quite a bit; impressive that you don't agree with any if it.

Too bad you didn't enjoy the weekend.

[gavinoids]

Au contraire - I completely enjoyed the weekend. Didn't see Cuff - wish I had.

Aside from Think About Life, everything was awesome. It's too bad you panned Diamond Rings and Bahamas - two of the standouts of the whole day. Were you...watching the same show? :chug:

Why did you go if you didn't like half of the music?

Just curious.

[AD]

Are we reading the same review that I wrote? I enjoyed the vast majority of the festival. I don't like Diamond Rings or Bahamas. Not sure why it bothers you so much.

Ps. Gavinoids = author of thick specs review (MM), true or false?

[zero]

There's a few different 'Bahamas' - Pink Strat is a really limited and breezy insight into what he's on about. On the Bonfire Ball Revue he was like a guitar god- total Crazy Horse styles, I think that's closer to his heart. There's one song he has in his repertoire that only The Golden Dogs, Zeus, Danielle Duval (the Zeus Family Tree), and undoubtedly Feist adore called Traffic Cops- he told me it's going to come out at some point soon. That's how those guys are they largely listen to and play one another's music. Traffic Cops is supposed to be insane, Azzolini ripped off a drum part for one of the Coat of Arms songs from it. Azzolini (who I want to say our own Todd Snelgrove - no slouch on the guitar - describes as at very least a very versatile guitarist) calls Jurvanen one of the 'biggest monsters on the guitar' he's ever heard. He is.