It’s time again for everyone’s favourite festival of LGBT-oriented films. I’m referring, of course, to Fairy Tales Film Festival, the weeklong celebration of everything cinematically queer. This being the festival’s 16th year in existence, organizers have opted to kick the week off in a very traditional manner; making us all watch a movie about a bunch of gay guys performing modern dance numbers and getting AIDS.

Test is a low-budget indie gem set in San Francisco in the year 1985 during the height of the AIDS scare. The opening narrative talks about how very little was known during this time about the threat of the AIDS virus, including how the virus is transmitted or what precautions people could take to ensure that they did not become infected. It was also the height of homophobia with a panicked country drawing uninformed conclusions about the nature of the virus and its connection to the homosexual community. As a result, gay men were routinely being treated as leapers as newspaper headlines pontificated about the possibility of a gay quarantine to keep the population safe from a major threat of outbreak.

The movie centres around our main protagonist, Frankie, a young dancer trying to make his way in the world of modern dance productions and his fellow cohorts facing discrimination and prejudice from the rest of their contemporaries. Against the backdrop of lovely and lively dancers readying themselves for an upcoming stage production, Frankie tries to find love and life while under the constant crushing worry that he, too, may be carrying the deadly and infectious disease. The audience is drawn into the extremely relatable daily situations and realities of a community under siege with even their own ranks turning against each other out of fear.

Being set in 1985, we are taken through the introduction and innovations of now-commonplace things such as condoms and the first available medical test for the AIDS virus. For anyone born after 1985 that are used to safer sex practices, it provides a deeper glimpse into the changing attitudes and circumstances that resulted in routine precautions and culture shifts that affect us to this very day. Much like watching the main character trying to use a landline with its complement of mess of tangled cord, we watch the characters fumble and try to use prophylactics, which were at the time considered to be outdated and old-fashioned.

Entertaining and informative, this film is an important time capsule to the ideas and occurrences that affected an entire generation, and in turn, a ripple effect that continues to affect the way we live, love, and explore human connection and intimacy. Chock full of historical tidbits, this thought-provoking film makes audiences consider the changing values, prejudices and social mores that affected millions of men at the time and that continue to affect a community at large. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll remember to pick up a box of Trojans and schedule your next sexual health check-up.

By Max Maxwell

The Fairy Tales Film Festival is 16 years old and opened to sunny skies and enthusiasm this past weekend. Saturday marked the screening of Sexy Shorts, a collection of shorts promising a sexy edge and an evening promising sexy shorts, as a discount was given to anyone who made it to the theatre, despite the torrential downpour a couple hours previous, in their hottest short shorts.

The most flimsy entry was Scenesters, which was mainly a voyeur’s ticket into the most flamboyant and obvious charades party for gay stereotypes humanly possible. It got some laughs, so maybe I didn’t get it and maybe it wasn’t long enough. But, I found it lazy and charmless.

Out was an extremely cheeky commentary on the idea of coming out in the modern age. A young man who is identified, both by his parents and, despite themselves, the audience, as “obviously” gay takes a girl home for dinner and announces — well, let’s just say the film insinuates that there are some truths in this day and age that are viewed as less horrific than, “Hey mom and dad, I am gay.” Out rides that comedic line well with playful vigour while ultimately suggesting that maybe mom and dad aren’t as square as we think they are. The acting is painfully good during the awkward moments and the punch line is slick and sophisticated.

The animated short, Beyond the Mirror’s Gaze, featured delicate, yet unabashed, imagery to show the very real possibilities that exist within the blissful openness of role ambiguity and experimentation. One thing that can be held true about the LGBT community is the spirit of openness, understanding and exhilaration that exists in finding someone who understands the beauty in not only trust, but the various grey areas that exist within gender role exploration free from binaries.

Don’t Call Me Honey Bunny was a case study in relationship ruts and how they exist, no matter the orientation of those involved. The main characters take on the shape of rabbits, nature’s own sex fiends, confronting the world with their assumption that same sex couplings are all about sex and never falter to the same low points of loss of magic from which hetero relationships stereotypically suffer. It’s a bold story, but one that suffers from an overwrought running length that lasts way past the point.

Last, but definitely not least, was the enchanting Scaffolding, a Spanish film that, all at once, manages to encapsulate the secrecy still required for so many gay relationships to blossom while playing to more familiar (ostensibly hetero) relationship tropes as the couple navigates the difficulties in establishing meaningful, face-to-face contact in the age of digital text buffers. The film shows the gorgeous ballet of human interaction under the almost-mystical cloak of a blue construction tarp when a scaffold is raised outside an apartment building shared by two male neighbours. The metaphor of the tides and the freedom of the sea and vacation brought on by the blue tarp is palpable and lively, and the same tarp emerges as a symbol of what can happen when fantasy and privacy can protect your instincts long enough to bring about honesty at their hands. I was wordless watching the two characters build their union. It was a very human story and beautifully filmed by Juanma Carrillo. It was a treat of real energy amongst a concept-heavy selection of offerings.

By Jennie Orton

BROTHERS IN BLOOD

As side projects usually go, the musicians involved with them tend to steer toward the goal of getting a well-needed break from their bandmates. So, it may seem odd that two members of 3 Inches Of Blood, Justin Hagberg and Ash Pearson, would team up together and start a side project of their own. The fact that they are in the same band together played a major role in this project coming to fold.

“With all of our touring together all we have is time. We had plenty of opportunity to talk about music and how we were going to do it,” Pearson explains. “We had a plan. As soon as we got back home, we set them up and then we knocked them down.”

They call themselves Ritual Dictates and when you analyze them, it actually makes perfect sense. You see, Hagberg and Pearson were thrust abruptly into 3 Inches Of Blood and they both left behind some very well to do bands of their own. Hagberg’s background is that of the guitarist in what many consider to be one of Canada’s finest black metal bands, Allfather, and Pearson, as a young drumming upstart with his own extreme metal band Angel Grinder. Pearson would later go on to fill the heavy ankle weights of the all mighty Gene Hoglan when he replaced him in Just Cause. So you know these cats can swing bricks with the best of them.

It is those abandoned days that Ritual Dictates welcomes with open arms.

“I just asked Ash if he wanted to be involved. I sent him a demo and he was stoked,” Hagberg explains. “I missed playing heavy music. So, I came back into some influences that I played while I was in Allfather. Black, death, and war metal type stuff. My playing has changed. It’s a new project. I also brought in some rock and roll influences as well as punk and grind. Ash was also in some heavy technical death metal bands. So, we’re both thriving from our old bands, but at the same time adding in some new flavour to go with our years of playing.”

So self-releasing demos on cassette makes perfect sense right? Well, that is just what they’ve done. They wrapped up some of their songs and hit the studio with local guru Shawn Barnes. They have a bevy of musical nectar to go around and they are releasing it two songs at a time on cassette!

“It’s cheap. It’s easy to dub. We are a new band and the last new band I started, we started with demo tapes,” Hagberg goes back. “I respect the tradition of a band starting with demo tapes. I like the idea of putting the cover sleeves together. I designed the covers and Ash dubbed the tapes.”

Where can you pick up one these demo tapes? Get them at shows where they play. Ritual Dictates will be popping up here and there around the Vancouver scene and beyond. Their first and only show was opening for Fuck The Facts last month, which was a milestone for this newly embedded attack. But for Hagberg and Pearson personally, it was far away from a first show for them.

“People aren’t stupid. They can tell when you bring the noise,” Pearson says proudly. “It was good!”  Ritual Dictates will be dropping sneak peeks online so take a gander. For now, they remain to be a juicy slice of pie for those in the know and now you know.

Grab a sneak peek of a goood thing to come here: https://www.facebook.com/ritualdictates/app_178091127385

By Heath Fenton
Photo: Shimona Henry

ECLECTIC FOLK OUTFIT WELCOME NEW BEGINNINGS

For Vancouver-based act The Ruffled Feathers, the completion of their third EP Bottom of the Blue is not only a proud accomplishment, but also the beginning of a new era. With previous members leaving the band to pursue other projects and graduate school, the band’s line-up has been completely revolutionized with the addition of pianist Sophia Xiang, classical violinist Molly MacKinnon, and long-time friend Paolo Brian on bass.

“Together, I think we can continue to do much more than we would ever be able to do on an individual basis,” says vocalist and ukulele player Gina Loes.

Already, the band has released their latest single “It Doesn’t Last”, which melds the pseudo-baroque allure of Regina Spektor and the peppy folk vibes of bands like Hey Ocean!. Impressively, the song placed in the CBC Searchlight 2014 contest’s Top 10 for the Vancouver region, and has since hit second spot on their national indie music charts. With a $7,000 grant from Public Records – a networking organization for filmmakers and musicians – the sextet has also successfully created a music video for the single.

“This is by far our biggest video project to date,” says Loes. “We definitely had a lot of help with it. There was a lot of shadow art and full décor: we had nine-foot props, all hand built. It was so exciting.”

The Ruffled Feather’s new four track EP Bottom of The Blue features their aforementioned single and Loes’ personal favourite, the European folk inspired “Siberian Springtime”.

“It’s a song our piano player Charley Wu wrote about his travels in Mongolia and Siberia a couple of summers ago,” says Loes. “’Siberian Springtime’ really showcases what we like to do, which is play around with different genres a bit.”

Instead of touring in support of the album, the band hopes to release new songs and possibly play a summer wedding or two. “I’d definitely want to put out a new recording,” Loes concludes. “We’d really love to do some mini three-day weekend tours in other places around B.C. — maybe Kelowna or Pentiction. We’ll see how it all unfolds.”

The Ruffled Feathers play the Electric Owl on June 6^th.

By Kristina Charnia

THRASH TO KILL

If you are remotely aware of the Bay Area thrash sound revival, then you’ve heard the name Havok. Formed (2,000 kilometres east of San Francisco) in Denver, Colorado in 2004, Havok had the standard small beginnings. Vocalist and guitarist David Sanchez set out to start a killer band. He recruited a drummer and some other fellas who all enjoyed the same style of tuneage and set out to start something. Like most bands, they did some covers of the classics, like Metallica, to get off their feet.

“When I heard ‘Battery’ by Metallica I shit my pants,” exclaims only remaining band member David Sanchez.

Eventually they would put out a demo, called Thrash Can (2004). Soon after, they would pull their socks up and get proper about a release. After a couple more releases, like the Murder by Metal single in 2006 and the Pwn ‘Em All EP in 2007 that was the first demo re-recorded, 2009 came around and they would release their debut album. Burn was released on Candlelight records would come out and start making its rounds in the thrash circles of the world. After a couple more singles and a solid lineup change that would eventually become THE lineup, they would come out with an album that made their name explode. Time Is Up took the thrash scene by storm, appearing in everyone’s download folders. With a strong sound reminiscent of early Metallica and Exodus, these guys wanted to demonstrate that they were the real deal. Thus touring ensued; the band was finally doing what they always dreamed.

“We’ve toured the entire world outside of Africa and Antarctica. It’s a dream come true.” Fast-forward to 2013. Havok was on the prowl, ripping up gigs left, right ‘n’ centre, yet put out another album, entitled Unnatural Selection, on top of recruiting bassist Mike Leon to replace Jesse De Los Santos.

“Riffs are back in style. If you don’t have the riffs, you don’t have a good song,” says Sanchez of the album, which differs from their previous output. Indeed, the slightly different approach to song writing heard on Unnatural Selection threw some long-time fans off.

“We have unquestionably matured since Burn. The evolution of Havok has been very steady and natural.”

Nowadays Havok is touring North America. Still on the diverse label, Candlelight Records (home to the kings of American black metal, Absu, among others), Havok shows no sign of turning down the amps.

“We are really excited to play shows like Farmageddon this year. This is the most dates we’ve ever had in Canada!”

These guys will be playing Calgary, Edmonton, Farmageddon (which is host to killer acts this year, like Sanctuary and Riot City) and many others. Be sure not to miss these guys. If you are into thrash in the vein of early Metallica and revival bands like Warbringer and Bonded By Blood, then check out Havok.

See Havok headline Farmageddon Open Air Metal Fest on Sunday, June 15. The festival runs from Thursday, June 12 until Sunday, June 15 in Edmonton, Alberta and off Highway #14 near Ryley, Alberta. They also play in Calgary on Saturday, June 14 at the Palomino Smokehouse and Bar with Wretched, Doberman, and Shrapnel. 

By Dan Neild
Photo: Ester Segarra

REFLECTIONS ON TWO YEARS AS CALGARY’S POET LAUREATE

This has been a very exciting couple of years of change for Calgary. In addition to being declared one of the cultural capitals for Canada and having our landscape irrevocably changed during massive overland flooding, Calgary was honoured to have installed their first poet laureate, Kris Demeanor.

Calgary’s pick for the first laureate was surrounded by much criticism from the arts community, as some saw him as more of a musician than a poet. Demeanor didn’t pay any mind to his detractors. “I didn’t anoint myself,” he explains. “I could understand the chagrin of page poetry aficionados who felt insulted. It is often an unacknowledged craft that they probably felt should have been celebrated through this position instead of a more overtly performative form of poetry. Having said that, I am a musician AND a poet. To suggest someone can’t be both is absurd. One can be a baker and a poet, or a lawyer and a poet. This is not a newsflash. It’s an ancient literary tradition: song lyric is poetry. Yes, a lot of it sucks, but then so does a lot of page poetry. Music, like the page or the voice, is just a delivery system.”

It can’t be easy to be the first of your kind in a city like Calgary that doesn’t traditionally make a habit out of celebrating its artists. When asked about challenges during his reign, Demeanor lists, “The biggest challenges were in my own head: self consciousness, feeling like a fraud.” But Demeanor is also quick to reference his proudest moments, including his work with youth and producing the poetry anthology, The Calgary Project: A City Map in Verse and Visual, co-edited by Dymphny Dronyk and published by Frontenac House.

So with that, we bid adieu to Kris Demeanor as the city’s poetry potentate and look forward to seeing what the next laureate, Derek Beaulieu, will bring to us.

By Max Maxwell

CALGARY’S NEW POET LAUREATE LOOKS FORWARD TO THE FUTURE

It was a cool spring day, but a gaggle of firemen sat outside the warm cafe with their cups of coffee. Ordered beverages in hand, we headed outside to discuss Derek Beaulieu’s recent appointment to the poet laureate position of Calgary. There were birds landing on the table under the umbrella, whizzing bikes and rumbling dump trucks roared past, and people talking about their lives as we discussed his career, and poetry.

BeatRoute: You got put into the position of the poet laureate of Calgary. How does someone get into that position?

Derek Beaulieu: The process itself was: you were nominated by members of the community and then vetted; they made a short list and you were vetted by a seven-person jury; they interview each one of us; and they chose a new poet laureate, which was then announced at city hall, in council chambers. That was kind of interesting; I got to read in front of the mayor and city council. And now, having occupied the position for a scant two weeks, I’m kinda in the spot of what now? What do I do now? How can I use this position to try and create some change around the city, or how can I use this position to promote the literary scene and see what happens?

BR: Being the poet laureate, you’re the go-to guy for the city, and the business representatives. Do they come to you a lot looking for work to be done, for various organizations?

DB: The poet laureate position is defined by the city. I’m the second poet laureate; the first was Kris Demeanor, and he had the position for two years. Now it’s been passed on to me, and the whole idea of the position is three fold; it’s honorific: it recognizes the work you’ve done to date, that’s one of the ways they choose a candidate; it’s ambassadorial: so you basically promote the literary arts of Calgary to Calgary, provincially, nationally, on your travels you’re being an ambassador; and the last part is facilitator: and that is to set up opportunities for classroom visits, for readings, for Calgarians to interact with the literary arts.

Part of the job is to be open to receiving requests from community organizations, from schools, from businesses, from events, but there’s no obligation that I must take those. I think it’s important to Calgary Arts Development and this program, as well as to all of the people who were nominated, that you still have to work in a way that is aesthetically sound; you have to work in a way that is aligned with your own practice. It’s not like as if businesses [that] you don’t agree with or don’t support ask you for work; you are not at their beck and call. You still have to make sure you’re doing work that is true to form. That said, you still have to be responsive to the community as a whole and have some consideration for what’s going on in terms of the larger communities, not only the arts community, but also the general populace. How do they see writing in their city?

BR: When you’re requested to do a poem for some sort of organization, do they dictate what type of poetry or piece of work, like an epic poem, or do you do what you feel like and what you think it represents?

DB: I think that’s a very important thing to keep in mind around the position is that the nominees were vetted in a way to make sure that none of us wanted to move in a way, or be able to be dictated, to write a certain way. That there was aesthetic veto by CADA [Calgary Arts Development Authority] or by anyone who might come to us to say, “We need you to write in this way and only this way.” Everyone on the jury and everyone in CADA was aware of what my practice is like, just like they were with Kris Demeanor, and the city’s community is varied enough that nobody is expecting me to be Kris Demeanor, or vice-versa. I think that is one of the things that the larger community is aware of, that there are different aspects.

If there is a request to approach the poet laureate position asking me to do a certain type of work and I don’t do that kind of work, I have a couple of options in front of me. I can say, “Yes, that sounds like an interesting challenge, let’s what could happen;” I could say “No,” or “I don’t know about that work, but I know lots of people who do. Why don’t I set you up with somebody and play middleman or facilitator, and set you up with members of Calgary’s larger community of writers who might be able to better suite that?” As I’ve said before, the least interesting possibility for a poet laureate in this city is two years of my writing, two years of me talking to you. That actually sounds exceedingly dull. I’d rather it be two years of getting to know the large community and having opportunities to interact with not just me, but all sorts of writers in all sorts of spaces. There’s no expectation one must write in a certain way, but you still have to be aware of your audience.

From left to right: Mayor Naheed Nenshi, youth poet Emily Xu, Calgary poet laureate Derek Beaulieu and former poet laureate Kris Demeanor.

BR: How do you see the next two years coming out for you?

DB: It’s going to be quite a journey for sure; I am hoping to stretch the borders of how we understand poetry traditionally. I would like to work with some local publishers and some more underground. One of the things I would like to do is a one- or two-day seminar discussion or workshop around independent comic book publishers in the city. I’d like to talk to writers about doing book readings – I mean read the entirety of your book in one go – or marathon readings, or celebrations of Calgary’s literary past, all sorts of events that get beyond the literary salon thing, like the wine and cheese, and while still being aware and engaged with more unusual, experimental, risk taking kind of bent, which is how I approach poetry. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next two years; I have some plans, now we’re going have to see if the city is on board with them as well. Ideally the poet laureate position can be seen as something that facilitates but also leaves a legacy that the city can build upon. I’m being a little cagey about those options right now because I’m still chatting with CADA and chatting with the city, but I think they have the potential to be really great for the city.

BR:  What got you into poetry?

DB: I’ve been writing in Calgary for about 17, 18 years now. I’ve been involved with the local art scene in various ways as an organizer, as a teacher and professor, but also as an editor, writer and publisher. I did a lot of writing and reading as a rather geeky kid. I think that a lot of writers believe that they write in a bubble, that it’s not a social thing. In the mid to late 1990s, I started to get introduced to other writers in the city who were involved with Filling Station magazine, which is a local literary magazine that has been published now since 1994. I got involved with them and started being introduced to the readings that were going on [in Calgary] and people who were my age, maybe a little older, who were also writing and sharing their work. I moved from being in the audience to getting involved and helping out, to eventually editing Filling Station. That led to being introduced to people’s work all over the place and starting up a small press of my own, and having increased confidence in my own work. Since ’96 or ‘97, I’ve now written 16 books. My 16th book comes out this fall – it’s being published in Los Angeles by a press called Le Feig – and it’s called Kern. Kerning is the adjusting of the space between letters. I’ve found that over the entire time, the community in Calgary, through reading series or through bookstores like Pages, or Shelf-Life, or Wordfest, or the flywheel reading series, or the magazines that go on around have all been extremely fruitful and dedicated to helping emerging writers. If there’s kids that that say, “Yea, I kinda write and I just don’t know anyone else who does this,” they start realizing that people are all over the place are feeling the same thing and it’s a social activity. Poets are no longer working in their garrett quietly working alone in sadness; it’s now something more integrated into day-to-day. I think poetry is most exciting when it starts looking at how we write; what would poetry for Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram actually look like? That’s where things start getting exciting, is that it can be responsive to how we live as opposed to this private thing that we do that we’re ashamed of, and I think poetry only benefits being socially engaged.

BR: You talked about confidence and being a young writer, and lacking of said confidence. I’m sure many people share that same experience; do you have any personal stories that you could throw out there for us to give us hope?

DB: Poetry is a really weird form. It’s burgeoning, it continues to be a form that welcomes risk, but there is very little audience. If you are approaching this to be famous, or approaching this to be rich, you know, “I’m going to sell books and be J.K. Rowling,” that ain’t going to happen. What I tell my students and my colleagues is there’s that dictum that you should dance as if nobody’s watching; it allows you this freedom to move however you want and just liberate yourself on the dance floor. I think we should write as if nobody is reading you because effectively nobody is reading you. Once you actually embrace the fact that nobody’s reading you, you can do anything you want: you don’t have to worry about sales; you don’t have to worry about audience; you don’t have to worry about readership; that’s all no longer an issue. Allowing yourself that absolute freedom, I can write as if nobody’s reading me, now what can I do? It means that once you take away the fear of having to appeal to anybody, you are absolutely free to do anything you want, and once you have that freedom why write like everyone else writes? You can do anything you want with this; writing becomes a playground as opposed to an obligation… Here we are in the 21st century, why write like everyone else? If you have an opportunity to write a poem, why would you want to write one that looks like all the others you’ve encountered? Clearly nobody is interested in those so why do it more? Why not do it the way you actually want to, that you wish this art could be like? That’s the great opportunity that lays in the fact that the cultural baggage that poetry once had is no longer there anymore, you only read it if you have to. Poetry is only something forced on high-school students and written in Hallmark cards. Once you have decided that is no longer on your radar anymore, so then what is? It’s a bit of a scolding, bit of a realizing that by choosing to be a poet you’re choosing to be abject and poor and unread and underappreciated, so embrace all of that. Now you can do anything you want, what could you do next? That’s my pep talk. It doesn’t sound like a pep talk, but it’s actually a pep talk.

Also see our chat with past poet laureate Kris Demeanor here.

By Kraig Brachman

BOUND BY TENSION; RELEASED BY PROGRESSION

“We’re nicer to each other onstage than off,” says Joey Ryan of the Milk Carton Kids’ famous squabbling. The Los Angeles folk duo, consisting of Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, are known almost as much for their adversarial banter as their piercing harmonies and swooning melodies. “I wish I could say that more of it is hammed up,” admits Ryan, tabling the notion that their (apparently real) tension is actually what makes the music interesting.

Formed only three short years ago, the Milk Carton Kids’ intellectual rivalry (it’s like a Wes Anderson movie between songs) has become part of their brand. Wearing suits that juxtapose their unkempt hair with awkwardly-worn adulthood, these “kids” tap being square to its full effect. What speaks for itself between the comedy though, is the sheer authenticity and virtuosity of the music — which, to most, harkens the golden age of folk.

Of an aesthetic that invites comparisons to many 1960s legends, Ryan boisterously argues that the Milk Carton Kids aren’t actually old-timey.

“I can understand why people think that,” he says. “People hear two acoustic guitars and harmonies and that’s what they associate it with. But that tradition goes back 100 years and it’ll go forward 100 years. Neither of us [he or Pattengale] looks at it as old-timey. The songwriting is quite contemporary; the melodies and progression, they’re decidedly not old-timey.”

From his Los Angeles home, Ryan is more interested in talking about other bands than his own. It turns out the Saskatchewan folk duo Kacy and Clayton has really been haunting him lately. As the digression passes, his friendliness and charm has instilled an unspoken agreement to put aside references to the 1960s or Greenwich Village. We move on to his and Pattengale’s own shrouded musical pasts instead.

“It’s embarrassing to come of age in the Internet age,” he says candidly. “But the good thing is you can take most of that stuff down.” He and Pattengale each shelved largely unsuccessful solo careers when they met and began playing together in 2011. Since then they’ve gone on to sell out several North American tours and their 2013 record, The Ash & Clay, was nominated for a Grammy for best folk album. As such, it’s easy to wonder where the hell they came from.

“Basically we weren’t finding musical fulfillment on our own,” Ryan explains, adding that he doesn’t think Pattengale had ever not played solo before the Milk Carton Kids. That’s a hard thing to believe given Pattengale’s talent as a lead guitarist, to which Ryan answers, “Kenneth says he never really played the guitar the way he does now until we got together.”

After giving way their first two albums, Ryan and Pattengale are now playing with some of the biggest names in the biz, and reducing them to tears (check out the Coen Brothers film Another Day, Another Time). They’re also enjoying a slackened pace of touring — their first year together alone having taken them around North America four times.

Asked if there’s anywhere that their gut-wrenchingly potent melodies aren’t taking hold, Ryan says that France is still a bit of hard sell. He blames it on the language barrier, noting that all the other places they’ve played people speak English really well. That challenge doesn’t seem to bother him much though, expressing how much he wants to go to Japan despite being unsure of whether they have fans there. Whether they do or not though, they can at least be sure they have ‘em here!

The Milk Carton Kids play back-to-back shows at Saint James Hall on June 12^th and 13^th.

By Matt Coté
Photo: Couresy of The Milk Carton Kids

CREEPIN’ TOWARDS THE WEIRD, WILD WEST

There’s something truly mysterious and captivating about the music that Timber Timbre is creating. Early recordings echoed a haunting take on folk music, which creaked with the floorboards and cabin walls it was created in. Since signing to Arts & Crafts, the band has expanded around Taylor Kirk and flawlessly moved through a trio of recordings that kept those tenets, but added swampy blues and rock elements to the mix. Their most recent release, Hot Dreams, uses an all-star cast and a decidedly Western feel to continue the narrative.

Currently finishing the European leg of the Hot Dreams tour, Taylor Kirk was kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions for BeatRoute before heading back over the Atlantic.

BeatRoute: Your albums always feel very cinematic, even more so with this latest release. Was there an underlying theme to Hot Dreams?

Taylor Kirk: Underlying would be the key word… but I sort of consider previous Timber Timbre recordings to be cinematic music about music. Hot Dreams is more like cinematic music about film music. The true themes with this project, from album to album, normally overlap quite significantly. This time there’s a lot about sex and fantasy, gender and stereotype, cowboys and Indians, revenge and devotion. Also, love.

BR: How personal, both lyrically and musically, is the songwriting process? Do you consider Timber Timbre’s music dark?

TK: It’s certainly dark, even during its most whimsical and humorous moments, but I’ll be drawn to things that lean one way or the other; something quite vapid and saccharine, or something quite dark. On one hand, the process is quite personal. On the other hand, at times, I feel like I am acting out some catharsis, like a collage artist, assembling very affectionate genre studies.

BR: Parts of Hot Dreams were recorded in Banff and the National Music Centre here in Calgary. Was there something that pulled you to these places? Was there a certain atmosphere you were targeting?

TK: It seemed clear that, from a technical standpoint, both of these places seemed to have something very special and unique to offer, as well as being very accommodating and the proficient people working there. The Banff Centre offered us the sort of focused isolation we were looking for, in addition to a state-of-the-art recording studio and an amazing engineer. The National Music Centre is basically a playground of keyed instruments and synthesizers.

BR: Chad VanGaalen animated an amazing video for “Beat the Drum Slowly.” Have you guys worked with Chad before? Are there any future projects to come?

TK: We’ve been great fans of Chad’s music and animation for years now and always fantasized about asking him to do something for one of our songs. We were pretty much over the moon when we saw the final result, having not seen more than a still image or two. No future plans with Chad, as I imagine he’s a very busy guy these days.

BR: What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had on tour or while playing live?

TK: I don’t know if this is really the weirdest, but the other day, we were playing in Berlin, and I turned and saw that our bus driver had actually got onstage with his giant camera and was climbing around taking photos; very strange. At some point I had to ask him to please leave the stage and he basically hated us for the rest of the tour.

BR: If you could revive one artist or musician from the dead and spend the day with them – who would it be?

TK: I’m kind of fascinated by Arthur Russell, not only his music but also his biography. I really appreciate how prolific he was and how diverse his legacy is. I think I’d like to hang out with him for a day.

Timber Timbre will play the Starlite Room (Edmonton) on June 12, Republik (Calgary) on June 13 and Union Hall (Winnipeg) on June 16.

By Cory Jones
Photos: Jean-Baptiste Toussaint 

POST-HARDCORE KINGPINS ON STAYING FOCUSED, GROWING UP AND GIVING BACK

With a cacophony of guitars, crashing drums and screamed, visceral vocals that sound like they are on the constant verge of colliding with chaos, Touché Amoré brings a much welcomed post-hardcore edge to this year’s festival. Comprised of vocalist/chief songwriter, Jeremy Bolm, guitarists Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt, along with bassist Tyler Kirby and drummer Elliot Babin, Touché has become highly regarded for their frenzied live shows and enduring musical compositions. Their debut LP, …To The Beat of a Dead Horse, was released in 2009 amongst what many people called “The Wave” of newfound post-hardcore bands such as Pianos Become The Teeth, La Dispute and Defeater, who regularly tour and release split EPs together. Since their debut, Touché has continuously expanded their musical horizon while still holding on to their roots and perfecting upon the qualities that have won over a large dedicated fan base. Last year saw the release of their most recent album entitled, Is Survived By, which received high praise from critics and set off a familiar onslaught of touring. Bolm took time out of a busy European tour to answer some questions.

BeatRoute: When playing a unique festival like Sled Island, how does it affect you personally knowing that you may be playing to people who’ve never heard you before?

Jeremy Bolm: Different kinds of shows/festivals bring out a different sort of approach for me, personally. If it’s a small venue where you know kids are there specifically to see us, I go into it very excited and ready to feed off the crowd the way they feed off us. But, when it’s a festival where only a select few may know us, you work extra hard to leave an impression. It brings me to an almost primal place where I focus much deeper on the words I’m saying.

BR: With each new album, you stepped it up quite a bit in terms of depth. Your last LP featured a piano ballad and this new one has a lot of post-rock elements with longer, more fleshed out songs. Was this a conscious decision or something that happened organically?

JB: It’s just something that comes with time and growth. You can’t keep writing the same songs. The amount of touring we’ve done and days/nights we’ve spent together have taught us how one another works, so when it comes to writing, everyone knows how to feed off the other. We write the music that we want to write and we’ll continue doing so till we eventually alienate our audience. Half joking.

BR: On your second album,Parting The Sea Between Brightness and Me, the lyrics reflect the increased touring after your debut album and how it affected you personally, Is Survived By‘s lyrics feel existential and deal a lot with morality. What was behind this shift in tone?

JB: I turned 30 and started paying closer attention to how I was living my life. I’m now 31 and still doing my best to get better.

BR: You’re noted for your emotional and honest lyrics, which resonate long after the song is over. Do you write often even when you’re on your off time?

JB: Thank you for that. I only recently tried my hand at other kinds of writing. I released a zine through my label, Secret Voice, called Down Time, which featured all different kinds of writing, from poetry, advice, tour diaries and even an interview I found that I did with Jake Bannon from Converge back when I used to do freelance journalism in the early 2000s.

BR: I really admire your commitment to your local music scene: you still go to shows in your town, you work in a record store and even bring bands to play in-store shows. Touché Amoré, in general, has a reputation of being really down to earth dudes. How important do you think it is for a band such as yourselves who have achieved so much to stay humble?

JB: The way I look at it is that this world has given me so much to be thankful for that the least I could do is give back as much as I can. I’d like to think a lot of our peers have the same attitude. This isn’t exactly the type of music that gets you a big house in the hills, so to abandon your roots would only make you look like an asshole.

BR: What’s one band you’re really excited to check out at this year’s Sled Island? Any major goals or plans coming up the itinerary?

JB: I’m looking forward to seeing Rhye if I can. We finish this tour, then go home for a couple weeks before heading to Sled Island followed by a full US tour with Tigers Jaw and Dads. That’s what the focus is at this point.

See Touché Amoré on Saturday, June 21, at the #1 Legion.    

By Alonso Melgar

SINGER-SONGWRITER WORKS THROUGH THE PAIN ON HER LATEST ALBUM

When it comes to putting on a brave face, Neko Case has the market cornered. Her solo career is one populated by work that celebrates an unabashedly raw sense of honesty delivered by a fearless set of pipes. However, her recent album is notably more vulnerable: from the first listen, an element of struggle is palpable. What could cause the foremost authority on bravado to lose her poker face? According to Case, a depression swept the gates and took her down a peg or two. And the resulting album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, documents the long hard road out of those woods.

“This record was made despite feeling like an ugly, drowned rock,” says Case. “It was definitely not cathartic, but I’m sure on some level it kept the box cars moving just in a purely functional sense.”

Case lost both her parents and her grandmother in fairly close succession and the effect it had on her was profound. Described as a period of “concentrated grieving,” she was forced to meet the emotions head on and find a way through them. The album, her sixth studio release, was a struggle for closure, but it didn’t give her thae direction creative projects usually do.

“Work is usually a coping mechanism, which didn’t work this time. That was scary.”

Nonetheless, it hasn’t stopped the recording from garnering good reviews and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. Along with that, Case started getting over the sadness, was able to enjoy herself more and began move forward.

In an interview with Vice Media’s Noisey, she reveals, “After a while you kind of start, you don’t feel like you’re really making progress, but you kind of start to see the humor in things again and especially in your situation. That’s when I found things got a little different.”

Finding her way clear of the suffering without the help of her creative process brought about a new understanding of not only music’s role in her life but also her personal strength on a whole.

“I’m glad that it worked out the way it did, but I don’t think music saved my life, which is terrifying, because that’s the first time that’s ever happened. It’s a good lesson, though; you can’t rely on one thing,” she relayed to 77 Square, an arts and entertainment website out of Madison, WI.

At the same time, that didn’t stop her from crafting self-aware lyrics during the writing process. In the disarmingly honest “Where Did I Leave That Fire,” she astutely describes what happens to you when you lose yourself to a personal abyss of depression: “A chill ran through me/And I grabbed on tight/That’s when I left my body for good/And I shook off all the strength I’d earned.”

And in the melancholy yet optimistic “Ragtime” that follows closely behind, she promises: “I’ll reveal myself when I’m ready/I’ll reveal myself invincible soon.”

And so the audience follows her through the woods and out the other side. At the end a feeling of defiant empowerment emerges — the kind one can only gain by taking on their own demons and emotions head on, something Case credits as a drag but a necessary one that made her healthier.

Since then, Case has been on the circuit with the album almost non-stop. Though the process has been exhausting and the singer longs for a spot of time off, the songs have enjoyed their time on the road. Case especially likes playing “Man,” the defiant ditty on The Worse Things Get that features that loud, distorted guitar she happens to love.

Her touring band also features four vocalists, making it possible to deliver soaring and complex vocal harmonies that flesh out the music more wholly. A huge part of that sound is collaborator and backing vocalist Kelly Hogan. Hogan and Case have been working together since 1998 and have crafted a big part of what has made Neko Case’s sound evolve in the way it has.

In 2012, Hogan released a solo album, called I Like To Keep Myself In Pain, which featured the famed Booker T. Jones and the eclectic talent of Andrew Bird. It introduced the world to what Hogan’s voice was capable of. Her voice also lent itself dearly to Case, not only for the music but on a personal level, personified perfectly within the lyrics of “Golden” which she wrote with Case in mind during a period of professional doubt: “And I wanna hear you talking to me from a pay phone/telling me that dreams can turn real/‘Cause I been there before/I’ve been knocking at doors/And I know how that burns, I know how it feels.”

With the gentle ear and backing voice of her good friend, Case has been able to bring the emotion of the last few years to the forefront and share her exploration with fans. Her live vocal performances of late have been described as defiant, primal, athletic, emotional and honest, proving it is not just her lyrics that pack a forthright punch.

Despite being weary from the road, Case is happy to be touring Canada.

“I lay back into the fuzzy, maple leaf flag-Snuggie arms of Canada and exhale with joy. I feel at home there and I’m homesick for it quite a lot. A tour in Canada is always too fleeting.”

So, as the Great White North welcomes her with open arms, Neko Case licks her wounds and keeps her eyes on the road to the other side of acceptance and peace. Case has stamps on her passport from all the important stops along the way. If you want a good opportunity to hear about them all, check out her set at Sled Island and follow her story, “Ragtime turning out the sun and moon/Its gravity is soothing/It winds me in a sleek cocoon.”

Neko Case plays Olympic Plaza on Friday, June 20.    

By Jennie Orton

BeatRoute.ca is offering the Sled Island Official Program Guide, featured inside BeatRoute Magazine’s Alberta June edition, on Scribd and as a download (see bottom) for all you Sledders!

Full band bios, show dates, film, all ages, art, comedy schedules and a pass holder discount guide are all inside.

As well, the quick pullout schedule lists events by date, type and venue in a quick-to-digest format.

Lastly, you can always also peek at the schedule on SledIsland.com.

Happy Sledding!

PDF – Sled Island 2014 Official Program Guide (10.1 MB)

PDF – Sled Island 2014 Official Program Guide – Pullout Schedule Only (750 KB)

PDF – Sled Island 2014 Official Program Guide – Pass Holder Discount Guide Only (133 KB)

By Team BeatRoute

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT ONE OF THE NINETIES’ MOST IMPORTANT MUSIC FIGURES

The first question everyone seems to ask about a documentary on feminist activist and well-regarded musician Kathleen Hanna is, “What took so long?”

For years Hanna fronted riot grrrl bands, such as Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and, currently, The Julie Ruin. She was a prolific songwriter and a freight train of strong-willed activism for women’s rights.

She wrote brazenly confrontational lyrics in which took shots at misogyny in all its forms and united a generation of women together to say they want their piece of the pie, as well.

The Punk Singer, a documentary by Sini Anderson, follows Hanna as she transforms from spoken word poet in tiny coffee shops and art galleries in her native Olympia, WA, to punk rocker, to one-woman band, back to band leader to, finally, disappearing act. The documentary discloses why, after the dissolution of Le Tigre in 2011, Hanna vanished from the music scene without another word.

The Punk Singer is about as well-rounded a documentary as we will ever see on Hanna. It features interviews with many of those who knew her throughout her career, as well as meaningful insight from her famous husband, Adam Horovitz of Beastie Boys (yes, she does see the humour in the fact that she married someone who got famous for one of the most sexist anthems in popular music, “Girls”). Combined with her own revelations about the struggles she faced growing up and the health issues that have plagued her adult life, this is a revealing, important document on someone who continues to inspire, excite and enrage.

By Dustin Griffin

THE LAST BASTION FOR MUSICPHILES

The independent record store is one facet of the music business that has somehow managed to be all at once a relic and a viable entity. Record Store Day continues, every year, to be a huge draw for collectors. This year brought in the largest sales since inception. Yet, all over the world, independent record stores are closing every week. What will become of the record store, a place where countless audiophiles garnered their most memorable musical education experiences? Graham Jones spent years of his life investigating and writing about this idea and the documentary based on his findings, entitled Last Shop Standing: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Music Shop, shows that he discovered “the world is full of people just like us who love record shops and feel they are an important part of our music culture.”

The film suggests that the modern record store could survive by keeping its lore but looking forward. Much like music itself, as novelist Nick Hornby described in his book High Fidelity: “Sentimental music has this great way of taking you back somewhere at the same time that it takes you forward, so you feel nostalgic and hopeful all at the same time.” In the name of all the stores still opening their doors, let’s hope so.

By Jennie Orton

A LOOK AT THE RISE OF MODULAR SYNTHESIZERS

Remember when you saw TRON: Legacy and the soundtrack was so good, it made you actually want to watch TRON: Legacy again? You can thank Daft Punk for that, and Daft Punk can thank the modular synthesizer. A 100-module Modcan ​S​ynthesizer, costing close to $50,000, was commissioned and built for the soundtrack and many people believe it is the resurgence of units like this one that have made the art of making music so intricate, exciting and versatile.

Filmmaker Robert Fantinatto chose the modular synthesizer as the topic for his new film, I Dream of Wires. After a short spell of obsolescence, the MS is “no longer an esoteric curiosity or even a mere music instrument — it is an essential tool for radical new sounds and a bona fide subculture.” This film takes viewers on a tour from the historical to the current of all things modular, with loving shout-outs from artists such as Trent Reznor, to manufacturers and builders like the Modcan man himself, Bruce Duncan. The film takes the MS from the realm of pure nerd sorcery and shows it as a musical artistry that can create sound which inspires people to endure repeat viewings of TRON: Legacy. Now, that is one magic music box.

By Claire Miglionico

SEUSS’ MAGICAL DREAM COMES TO LIFE

It’s easy to see why The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T was chosen this year for Sled Island’s film lineup: the film is a playful pastiche of sorts, combining musical whimsy with carefully choreographed dance and eccentric art elements.

Bartholomew Collins is your average 10-year-old American boy who falls asleep at a piano lesson. In his dream, his mother and their plumber, August Zabladowski, are there (think Wizard of Oz) and are all embroiled in a situation involving Bart’s real life tyrannical piano instructor, Dr. Terwilliker. Dr. T. is an evil musical genius who plans to dominate the world through music by conducting 500 boys and their 5,000 fingers on a gigantic, double-tiered piano forever.

Though Roy Rowland directed the film, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is most closely associated with Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss. Geisel wrote the lyrics to the songs, co-wrote the screenplay and his drawings inspired the sets and costumes for the film. The Seussian instruments used during the production were actually patented by Geisel and set designs were based on his sketches. At the time of its release in 1953, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T was a box office flop, but has since developed a cult following. The family-friendly film should draw out a wide array of audiences at the festival to appreciate another peculiar Seussian tale.

By Sheena Manabat

MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL DREAMS IN TECHNICOLOUR

True to its diverse nature of discovery, Sled Island is also sporting a unique film program this year that will be sure to cure you of the shakes and jitters of musical withdrawal while you wait for the next hot show.

Programmer Adele Brunnhofer has years of experience writing about film and has been with Sled Film since 2012. This year, Brunnhofer is eager to show the Sled audience what they have in store for them.

“Honestly, I’m really excited to screen all of it because I think each film and the program in general will appeal to a lot of people, whether they know a lot about the film going into it or not,” she says.

The programming process, Brunnhofer explains, is set by a clear motivation to expose a wide audience to unique and thought-provoking arts, much like the rest of the festival.

“Largely, our programming strives to showcase independent films, emerging talent, a variety of formats and genres and content that’s aligned with the festival’s programming — and I think you’ll find all of that at this year’s festival. We’ve got a lot of memorable films that play into my favourite aspect of Sled Island, which is discovery,” she says.

“Emerging talent is also key,” she adds. “This year, we put a call out for film submissions and the response was overwhelming. This gave us the opportunity to program a variety of shorts from Canadian and international independent filmmakers covering narrative, comedy, animation and documentaries.”

This year’s program plays host to the synthesizer documentary, I Dream of Wires, an insight into the history and status of independent record stores in Last Shop Standing, and guest curator Kathleen Hanna (unfortunately no longer able to appear as scheduled due to health concerns) is the subject of the punkumentary, The Punk Singer, which features interviews and archival footage detailing Hanna’s early beginnings, her contributions to the riot grrrl movement and her struggle with Lyme disease.

On the topic of the amount of documentaries in this year’s lineup, Brunnhofer explains the rationale:

“I think music docs will always be a part of the Sled Island film program, to some degree. This year we just happened to get really excited about so many different documentaries. Teenage, I Dream Of Wires, Last Shop Standing — they’re all premiere status for Sled and are just really well-made docs about topics that I think will appeal to a variety of Sled attendees.”

All the films playing in this year’s festival will take place at The Globe Cinema on Eighth Avenue and the ConocoPhillips Theatre, located at the Glenbow Museum, both in the heart of downtown. The films are also conveniently scheduled so as to not interfere with the late-night shows going on during the week.

“We wanted our program to support the rest of what the festival is programming and so we strategically timed early screenings so that attendees could still make it out to shows after. Film and concerts, best of both worlds you know?

“On Sunday afternoon, we’re screening a matinee package that includes a rare 35 mm screening of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, which is a live action musical from 1953 written by Dr. Seuss. It’s equally trippy and delightful. [It is] great for families and those who partied too hard and need to hide from the sun in a darkened theatre,” she adds.

The price of admission into these rad flicks is already included in your nifty festival wristband (provided you were wise enough to get one). For everyone else, there will be tickets available at the door and a number of the films are all ages so you can bring the whole family down and, together, experience the ever dreamy and dizzying blur of film, music, art, and comedy that Sled Island does all too well.

By Alonso Melgar

DIRECTOR GAETAN LAMARRE ON THE FESTIVAL’S SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING

Last year, Sled Island became Flood Island. The festivities were shut down, which caused all of us to add a few more tears to the already flooded streets of Calgary. At this year’s Calgary Underground Film Festival, Sled Island unveiled their festival teaser short, building on last year’s watershed events. As Gaetan Lamarre, the filmmaker behind the video, tells it, Sled Island has announced to the world that, this time around, nobody will rain on our parade.

BeatRoute: Were you approached by Sled Island or did you enter some sort of contest?

Gaetan Lamarre: The whole project came out of left field for us. ACAD tweeted that Sled Island was having an open call for proposals. I was at the festival last year and we got evacuated, so when the proposal came up, I jumped on it right away and [brainstormed] like I’ve never brainstormed before.

BR: What do you think made your video stand out from other people’s videos? What made it true to Sled Island’s vibe and spirit?

GL: I think our idea stood out because of the way we presented it. We had this crazy, way out of the box idea that fits with the festival. It is an eccentric island of culture bursting from itself that does its own thing without worrying about what anybody else thinks. And I wrote a cover letter to Sled as if the festival was an on-again/off-again girlfriend, instead of a regular cover letter. We took a chance, but the whole concept was far enough out there that the fit with the festival was perfect.

BR: Why the synchro swimmers? Does it tie in with last year’s flood?

GL: In the brainstorming road trip [we took], my original idea was to have a series of shots of downtown Calgary with band name graphics flying over and around the buildings. This year, the city was going to get flooded by music instead of water. We were bouncing ideas back and forth about the flood and how to incorporate it in the trailer when we hit a wall. All was quiet in the car because the ideas weren’t flowing and we really weren’t going anywhere. And then my friend had this amazing idea: synchro swimming. We thought it was just weird enough that it might just work. Our big three pieces to the metaphor are that both the festival and the swimmers work their asses off to show their island to the rest of the world, they want people to discover something new, both the sport and the festival and the sport are relatively unknown and that both have very colourful, eccentric and cultural ways of expressing themselves.

BR: How, when and where was it shot and how did you get people in the video involved?

GL: A friend of mine, Caroline, was a national-level synchro swimmer and we got in touch with her as soon as we had our concept, even before submitting to the festival, to see if she could help us out. She put us in touch with her former coach, who is now coaching an elite-level junior team, Excel Synchro (the one we ended up shooting with) and the U of A synchronized swim team. It was shot at the U of A over two days, during the teams’ training sessions (we owe them big). Before the shoot, we spent two training sessions watching the girls practice with the Wet Secrets blasting in our ears. It was a really cool creative process to see the swimming happening right in front of us while listening to the music and seeing how well the two naturally fit together. We got to hand-pick our moves from what the girls could already do. Between Teresa, the coach, the team and us, we had a custom choreography down. That process was one of the coolest ways I’ve ever been a part of developing ideas for a project. We were shooting those practice sessions and storyboarding on the spot as well.

BR: When you’re not Sled Island’s promo video guy, what other film projects do you do?

GL: For the time being, I’m working full-time as a cameraman in TV, but I’m working on three potential projects that I’ll be planning over the summer to shoot in [the] fall and a bit later on. Right now, my plan is to leave the full-time gig to shoot those three projects. There is a documentary on the Garifuna music scene in Livingston, Guatemala (where I am writing this from), a promo for a ski-touring company in Chile and another promo for a mountain touring company in Morocco. My dream is to travel and work as much as I need to fund my trips.

By Claire Miglionico

A FESTIVAL’S BACKBONE

There are few events that happen in Calgary that are as cherished as Sled Island. The acclaimed arts and entertainment festival has been running since 2007, continually gaining steam and reputation for being one of Western Canada’s premiere artist showcases.

What usually doesn’t get recognition, though, are the hordes of hard-working volunteers that flock to Sled Island’s aid year after year to help make it all happen. From door volunteers, to venue managers, to stage managers, to security and transportation, Sled Island generally has 400-450 people at its beck and call that put in anywhere from 16-40 hours over the course of the festival.

The volunteers are a split mix of loyalists that come back every year to the young kids that turn over the year after, but they all serve a very valuable purpose. Below, we spoke to a few faces among this group that Sled Island would not survive without.

—

Rachelle Quinn, Transport Crew:

Role: I pick up musicians, promoters, and producers from the airport and drop at hotels. I pick up bands from hotels/billets and drive them to gigs.

Volunteering since: 2010

Biggest Job Challenge: Most people that you pick up are excited about the festival and eager to chat, but there are a few awkward rides from time to time.

Most Exciting Experience: Trying to get bands into downtown when the floodwaters were rising and the bridges were closing was probably the most exciting (and frightening). The most rewarding was hosting a band from San Francisco called Sugar and Gold. They were the perfect houseguests and they left me a really lovely note about how great of a time they had in Calgary, and how good hosts are essential to the success of a touring band. It left a lasting impression on me. I’ve since hosted couchsurfers from around the world as well as more bands.

Dale Pidlisny, General Volunteer:

Role: I’m available for whatever role they’re looking to fill.

Volunteering since: 2010

Biggest Job Challenge: I tend to lean towards the easy stuff. Most volunteer roles are fairly stress-free but the show wouldn’t happen without people to fill them.

Most Exciting Experience: I’ve worked the artist’s lounge and welcome desk, which was fun, but the weirdest day was babysitting for Japanese metal trio Boris. I watched their set the night before then saw the two of them as parents the next day. We chatted at the hotel for an hour before their sound check then I basically played video games with their daughter until they came back at 4 a.m.

Dani Ossa, Volunteer Assistant:

Role: To assist the volunteer coordinator in different tasks at the Sled quarters, such as answering phone calls, filling up venue and artists’ packages, and assist people that come into the office.

Volunteering since: 2013

Biggest Job Challenge: The biggest challenge I encountered while volunteering at the Sled quarters was when the volunteer coordinator had to leave me in charge of the volunteer coordination at the office for a few hours due to her help being needed at a different venue. I had little knowledge about her job and that was the most challenging part because for the most part, I didn’t know what I was doing. However, even though other people at the Sled office had their own jobs to work on, they were extremely nice and welcoming. They guided me and helped me complete all my tasks with no problem.

Most Exciting Experience: I think the most rewarding part about the festival is when people randomly come up to you and thank you for supporting the festival and for investing your time into making Sled Island a better experience for everyone.

Trevor D. Smith, General Volunteer:

Role: The last three years I’ve done the artist lounge. So, artist lounge bartender.

Volunteering since: 2010

Biggest Job Challenge: Well, last year, the big challenge would have been dealing with the flood. The artist lounge is located at the top of the Calgary Tower, so, we got the call around four o’ clock last year with regards to the fact the basement offices at Sled Island were being evacuated. Everybody was moving to the Palliser Hotel, which was prior to shutting down all of downtown the next day and the subsequent cancellation of the balance of Sled Island. We all had to pull the same rope and all hands on deck to get the office moved from Fourth Street to Palliser.

Most Exciting Experience: The Thursday before the cancellation. It was a very memorable because we were at the top of the tower, there with two other volunteers who were fairly new to Calgary – I’m a third generation Calgarian – but it was quite an interesting place to be while you were watching the Calgary apocalypse go down.

Lindsay Schonfelder, Venue/Stage Manager:

Role: I started out as a general volunteer, but since then I’ve been a venue manager and stage manager a bunch of times. As a venue manager, you just manage however many volunteers you have at the venue and try to make sure everything is getting done, that the volunteers are happy, the line-ups are OK, the bands are happy and everyone gets their money.

Volunteering since: 2009

Biggest Job Challenge: Well, you just want to make sure that everyone is having a good time. Sometimes you can’t fit as many people into the venue that want to get in, and that’s awful because you know that they just want to get in and see their show, right? But you have to make sure that everyone is going to stay safe.

Most Exciting Experience: Just as a spectator, not as a volunteer at the show, but Andrew W.K two years ago. That was just such a fun and crazy show.

Crystal Gleeson, General Volunteer:

Role: I volunteer for a variety of different things and divisions. So, I’ve done Green Team, and Security, and I’ve done pre-festival events. But I don’t have a specific role.

Volunteering since: 2008

Biggest Job Challenge: I don’t know. I don’t really find it challenging. I don’t really know how to answer that.

Most Exciting Experience: The most memorable thing was last year. I worked the block party when the flood happened, which was the day of. Despite the fact that there was a flood, it was still really fun. I was on the Green Team and was doing bike valet and everybody was still super positive and having a good time.

Matthew Hamel, Venue Manager:

Role: I’ve done comedy for the last four years.

Volunteering since: 2010

Biggest Job Challenge: The first year I did it, somebody from the audience punched a comedian in the face so that was a huge challenge. It wasn’t like a fan; she was offended and punched him, and actually broke a glass as well. I had to separate them and then try to get the show to continue after.

Most Exciting Experience: [The above answer] is the one.

Greg Yu, Transport Coordinator:

Role: Basically my crew has come to call me “the phone guy.”  I’m the guy on the phone that dispatches drivers, coordinates schedules and makes sure we get everyone out to pickup and dropoff artists. I work in the office.

Volunteering since: 2007

Biggest Job Challenge: It’s definitely having the resources to…have one car, have one driver and be in four places at once. Somehow we pull it off. A couple of years ago, we had a deal with the Toyota Scions, and you could fit two guys and a guitar in there, but somehow we managed to fit full bands and all their gear in it.

Mariella Villalobos, Olympic Plaza Volunteer:

Role: Mariella “Will do whatever she is put to, no, REALLY” Villalobos, but seriously, no title.

Volunteering since: 2010

Biggest Job Challenge: All three previous years where Main Stage actually happened (fuck you, flood). I’ve been an Olympic Plaza backstage/hospitality volunteer; the challenge there is being flexible and creative since you never know what you’ll need to make happen ASAP so that everything keeps rolling with no one the wiser. From trying to figure out where close by will let you wash out a dozen wine glasses to finding ways to make signs labeling artist green room tents, to figuring out how to preserve said signs when it starts to rain and refuses to stop, sweeping out the worst of the deep water so that bands and crew can quickly get gear to and from the stage in the middle of a downpour, while being accommodating in whatever way the backstage managers/artists themselves may require. All this without consciously letting yourself acknowledge that some of the artists you admire most in the world are RIGHT OVER THERE. Professionalism is number one.

Most Exciting Experience: That’s a tough one. I always feel a huge sense of gratitude getting to be a part of such an incredible thing happen in the city I love EVERY year… Probably watching The Hold Steady’s amazing set in freezing/wet sneakers, knowing how hard we’d worked to make sure it all happened despite it pissing rain all day. Top personal squee moment would be Gar Wood of Hot Snakes hand me a beer from the stage in the middle of their Dickens set (luckily I was off-shift at that point). Having the guys from Shabazz Palaces ask to take a picture with me is probably a close second.

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One of the questions that the volunteers were asked to answer for this was “why do they keep coming back?” To the outside observer, one might find the gig stressful and hard to balance, but no one on this list said anything of the sort.

Sled Island, while having its perks, has become a beacon for a meeting of the minds;a place where those of a common interest get together every year and develop a strong sense of camaraderie and kinship while expressing themselves and their interests within the realm of arts and entertainment.

Sure, you’ll meet and hang out with your favourite bands, but the experiences and friendships that volunteers come away from are the foundation of what keeps them coming back.

They’ll always have Sled Island.

By Brandon McNeil

FINALLY SHAVES ITS TEEN STACHE

This is the year Music Waste Festival turns 20! Despite being that weird age where most of us are hardly paying rent, Music Waste has truly grown into its own beast. This year, they’ve invited more than 70 bands to play at more than a dozen venues.

One of the most appealing parts of this festival is that passes have always been only $15 and one of the worst parts is that you can’t physically see every show. To help you out, some of our editors at BeatRoute put their heads together and made some choice picks. If we had to throw a perfect party, these are the guys who would be on our guest list. Happy Music Wasting!

Industrial Priest Overcoats

By combining vocal thrash with experimental post punk, Industrial Priest Overcoats channels sounds that mimics their name – a choral, robotic, preacher, hidden behind an older duster. Watching frontman Trevor McEachron flail to his wildly erratic tunes is also an unforgettable experience. (MPY)

IPO play June 7th at They Live Videos (4340 Main St.)

Dead Soft

Like their heroes in Dinosaur Jr, Dead Soft’s most notable ability is to play louder than anyone else. The trio produces a volume that has everyone in the hall reaching for a pair of earplugs, but not in a bad way. It’s a wonder they can even hear each other, much less anything, anymore. (MPY)

Dead Soft play June 6th at Pat’s Pub and Brewhouse (403 E Hastings St.)

lié

They’ll be touring this summer, and likely to bowl over audiences at any stop. Frontwoman Ashlee Luk’s intense performance, mirrored and flipped by groovy bassist Brittany Westgarth, make for the rawest punk performance by anyone in the city. I once saw Ashlee Luk knock every drink off the bar table at a show with 20 people. What happens next? (MPY)

lié play June 6th at the Smiling Buddha Cabaret (109 E Hastings St.)

Woolworm

Are they indie? Are they hardcore? Post-punk? Who cares!? Woolworm defies categorization with their lush melodies, driving rhythms, and vocals that go from Billy Corgan-esque croons to blood-curdling screams without a moment’s notice. To boot, they have an intense live show that’s always guaranteed to get the crowd moving. Oh, and the lead singer wears thick-framed glasses and cardigans. Isn’t that cute? (JE)

Woolworm play June 7th at the Toast Collective (648 Kingsway)

Supermoon (previously movieland)

Supermoon kind of sounds like a dream – except the dream is blurry and you can’t remember the all the details. Their sound is slightly nostalgic, pulling music cues from all over the past and blending it together with a tasteful mix of low-fi fuzz and then drenching it in reverb. The songs are charming, maddeningly catchy, and absolutely delightful. (JE)

Supermoon also play June 7th at the Toast Collective (648 Kingsway)

B-Lines

No Music Waste coverage would be complete without mentioning Vancouver punk mainstays B-Lines. While the band has become known for their absolute mental live shows, thanks to frontman Ryan Dyck’s antics, the real selling point of the band is their minute-long (give or take) songs and the band’s incredibly sharp wit. If you don’t leave this set covered in sweat and beer, you did it wrong. (JE)

B-Lines play June 5th at the Smiling Buddha Cabaret (109 E Hastings St.)

Cool

As Cool, former members of Apollo Ghosts get fonk-ay with help from journeyman dummer Shawn Mrazek, incorporating jangling post-punk and atmospheric guitar loops. They released their debut album, Paint, back in March, and they’ve since issued a digital EP called Best New Music and begun incorporating new material into their sets. Attendees should expect American Bandstand-style dance parties, crowd surfing, and maybe even a conga line. (AH)

Cool play June 7th at the Remington Gallery (108 E Hastings St.)

Tough Age

Last year, Tough Age made a splash in Vancouver by signing to the venerable Mint Records and releasing a self-titled debut album. The four-piece is a garage band in the traditional sense, with two guitars and a rhythm section bashing out punchy, crunchy, catchy ditties. That being said, the material covers a generous amount of stylistic terrain, from doo-wop to hazy dreaminess to 12-bar bluesiness to Guided by Voices-style pop immediacy. We can’t wait to see what other tricks Tough Age has up its sleeves. (AH)

Tough Age play June 6th at the Cobalt (917 Main St.)

For more information and a complete schedule, visit http://www.musicwaste.ca

By Mathieu Pierre Youdan, Joshua Erickson and Alex Hudson
Photos: Katayoon Yousefbigloo
Thumbnail image: Retrieved from MusicWaste.ca