recap day 2: The Mohawk Lodge, Sun Wizard, Bloody Wilma and so much more!

 

taking solace under a tree at bamberton provincial park

 

The final day of the Rock of the Woods festival was a hot one, and as I drove up the roasting Malahat Mountain parkway, I thought about the awesome day ahead. Taking a seat on our colourful Mexican blanket, my co-hort Christine Comrie and I prepared ourselves for the upcoming show: BoneHoof. The Victoria-based band came out in less dapper attire than I had expected, but they put on a slow and relaxing set to match my slow mood to begin the day. Closing out the show with “Peggy Powler” was a perfect way to transition into the next show: Kai Brown, a Sydney, Australia native who drove far and wide to join us in the woods.

via kaibrownmusic.com

 

Singer-songwriter Kai Brown was reminiscent of a once-favorite of mine, Jack Johnson. Brown’s set was carried by his strong, soulful voice and an array of love songs. Though he was missing his backing band, he was still strong and put on a good set before Sun Wizard took the stage.

sun wizard

Vancouver’s own Sun Wizard were lead by vocalists Malcolm Jack and James Younger. The band brought most of the crowd to their feet and had a huge following of folks who knew their lyrics. The colourful crew had playful banter and their set was interesting and diverse.

bloody wilma

Following Sun Wizard was Bloody Wilma, to quote Christine, “Victoria’s answer to F***ed Up”. The duo of drummer and bassist/vocalist are a thoughtful reminder of Queens of the Stone Age, whose strong bass lines and quick and intricate drumming kept the audience captivated throughout the entire set. Even the young boys playing soccer while they were playing were dancing and screaming. I think their parents realized then and there that their sons were inevitably corrupt by the sounds of rock music.

the boys

 

Christine and I skipped Humans to eat dinner, and I think we missed a real treat. We managed to catch their last song, but after a couple of festival days, I was a little too tired to dance (what? I never thought it was possible…). The last act we saw was over an hour late but was worth the wait. The Mohawk Lodge’s set was a six-year reunion between leader sing Ryder Havdale and bass player Samir Mallal. It was a treat for the crowd, who was able to shout out requests and hear all their favorite Mohawk Lodge songs played almost without fail. With a range of slow, fast, thoughtful, dance-y tunes, and the like, the Mohawk Lodge put on an awesome set to end the two-day festival for myself and Christine. We made our way home and immediately I collapsed into bed.

Another successful summer festival! 2011 has been full of great live shows, and hopefully Dave Bain will be able to put on an equally awesome festival next year! But please, next time… I would have loved to have had a smokie and a popsicle.

Recap Day 1: Listening Party, Chad VanGaalen & more!

rock of the woods beer garden

Day 1 of the Rock of the Woods festival was hectic, but a success! Having arrived after a bit of traffic congestion passing Sooke, I made it to the beautiful Bamberton Provincial Park grounds to a small but intimate festival ground. Immediately upon my arrival, Victoria band Himalayan Bear jumped on stage.

himalayan bear on the bamberton provincial park grounds

Leader singer Ryan Beattie (better known as the frontman of Victoria band Chet, and guitarist of Frog Eyes) lead the band well in the small space. His delicate voice reverbed across the small space of grass, and even hidden behind a bush, I could hear his strong vocal and guitar skills. They have a new album coming out, Hard Times, in October 2011 on Absolutely Kosher records.

 

dante decaro of johnny & the moon in august 2009; via flickr

Soon after, came Johnny and the Moon. I didn’t know much about this band, but by the end of their set, I could tell I was ready to start dancing. They got the whole crowd standing near the stage and dancing, and out of character, I stood idly by watching the action. Johnny and the Moon is often mistaken for the solo project of lead singer Dante DeCaro, formerly of Hot Hot Heat and Wolf Parade. They released their debut LP in 2006, and have yet to release anything since. We at CFUV will be looking forward to hearing some new music from Johnny and the Moon as soon as possible!

listening party

 

Arguably one of the best shows of the night came from afro-beat group Listening Party. Hailing from Shawnigan Lake, these four boys were right at home on the patches of Bamberton’s beautiful park. Most of the crowd knew the lyrics to Listening Party’s catchy tunes, and their music was the perfect antidote to my sitting. I was on my feet and dancing with the rest of the crowd before I knew it. Leader singer and drummer Lindy Gerrard connected with the crowd in way I had never seen an artist do; though I do give a little credit to the fact they were playing in their own backyard. They have only begin to experiment with the use of loops, but they have come to make good use of them in almost all of their material. They were the perfect opening band to get the crowd riled for headliner Chad VanGaalen, whom I had been watching out of the corner of my eye the entire night. I, along with the rest of the crowd, was ready to hear what kind of set Chad was going to play.

chad vangaalen

 

Last up was festival headliner Chad VanGaalen. I’ll admit it, what drove me to come to this year’s Rock of the Woods festival was this headliner. I was excited to hear what new material he would be playing, and what old favorites he would fall back on. This Calgary artist attracted an audience of loyal fans as well as some who, I am sure, went home to Torrent all of his albums. He opened with Diaper Island’s closing track, “Shave My Pussy”. The slowness of this opener, with the lone ukelele and simple tracks, indicated just how casual his set was going to be. After what seemed like a five-song warm up, Chad got the crowd going with “Replace Me”, another favorite from his 2011 album Diaper Island. It was one of my personal favorites of the night during a set which continued to get better and better. Other highlights for me included a cover of the Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man”, “Burning Photographs”, and show closer “Rabid Bits of Time”, from his 2008 album Soft Airplane. “No Panic/No Heat” managed to bring me to tears as I stood staring at Chad. His voice was pained in a way that stings your heart, and I couldn’t believe how much emotion he brought to the song. On a lighter note, during their encore, Chad and the band (including Women’s Mathew Flegel) couldn’t decide which cover to do; Red Hot Chili Peppers, or Neil Young?  The discussion ended with a great quote from Chad: “Do you guys wanna hear some Lenny Kravitz?”

 

Day 1 was a blast; I can’t wait to start Day 2 with Partner-in-Crime/fellow CFUV DJ Christine Comrie!

 

 

today is the day…

 

…and I think I’m in the mood to check out some tremendous live acts! for those of you who had the chance to check out Fruit Bats last night in Centennial Square, keep your weekend going with the Rock of the Woods festival, starting at 5pm TONIGHT in Bamberton, BC. I’ll be heading up there this evening, but to build the anticipation, I’ll be hanging out at work until late this afternoon.

Highlights for this evening include: Victoria’s Himalayan Bear, Shawnigan Lake’s Listening Party and Johnny and the Moon, and Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen, plus a lot more! Expect updates later this evening, including photos and interviews with some of today’s great artists!

Rock of the Woods 2011

via rockofthewoods.com

The Rock of the Woods festival is fast approaching, and CFUV is ready to give you all the updates! With the festival a mere one day away, keep checking our blog to stay up-to-date on the staggering performances, awesome interviews, and other awe-inspiring happenings in beautiful Bamberton, BC. If you haven`t bought one already, tickets for the festival are nearly sold out- and if you`re hoping for a camping pass, now is the time to buy it! Check out rockofthewoods.com for more information on local retailers.

Stay tuned to CFUV 101.9FM in Victoria to hear all the latest news, our top artists to see, plus hear about the awesome performances we`ll be checking out this weekend!