Festival Grows and Continues to Cultivate Local Bands
Stacey Aspinall
On Friday, Mar. 7, it was clear that the corner of Macdonell and Wyndham was the place for music fans to be, showing signs of activity hours before the typical crowds took over the sidewalks in downtown Guelph. Music emanated from the exterior of Van Gogh’s Ear, as local bands took over all three levels of the venue for GAIN Music Festival 2014. Doors opened at 8 p.m., and the last band played at 12:30 a.m. This year marked the fourth year of the Guelph & Area Independent & New Music Festival.
GAIN Music is a booking, promotion, and management company located in Guelph, and is focused on serving the local music scene through presenting high-quality live music events at a low cost to fans, helping bands reach wider audiences.
We spoke with Nik Wever, Director of Operations at GAIN Music, about how GAIN Music started and what sets this year apart from previous years of the fest.
Wever has been involved in the Guelph and area music scene since 2000, and GAIN Music was launched in March 2011 with the first annual festival. “The idea evolved from wanting to support this city’s musical community, which has always been amazing and supportive, housing talented and unique bands in a wide variety of genres,” said Wever.
“Guelph has a unique environment for music as everyone always seems to be on board to give each other a hand to enrich our music culture. The festival is sort of our tribute to that.”
While previous fests have been held on Thursday nights, shifting the event to a Friday night provided more freedom with the schedule, and perhaps helped to draw a wider audience.
“It gave us the ability to expand our vision for the festival as well. Each year our festival grows, and we’re always trying to change things up with everything from stage designs to the lineup itself,” said Wever.
The lineup this year aimed to cover a broad array of what the Guelph music community has to offer. The goal, Wever explained, was “to cover a wide variety of genres and musical styles throughout the night on each floor.”
Traditionally, the first floor features folk, indie, and rock acts, and this year’s lineup included Safe as Houses, Ben McKenzie, Common Deer (formerly The Howling, and winner of GAIN Music’s Battle of the Bands), Delhi, and Bowjia. The second floor served as the Main Stage, and provided an open space for crowds to gather. Teenage Kicks kicked off at 9 p.m., followed by Tear Away Tusa, Trouble & Daughter, and Odd Years. The third floor is typically devoted to heavier rock, punk, and metal acts – and this year featured Unbowed, Seas, Great Lakes, and Jeremy & the Pink Band.
Even while GAIN Music organizers are busy at work planning for the most recent festival, they are always keeping an eye on the future and seeking innovative and exciting directions to pursue.
“Lately as the planning for one year’s festival is happening, we’ve been brainstorming how future festivals could be laid out, or which direction we’ll take at some point down the road,” said Wever. “As we’re now heading into year five, the planning is continually and constantly happening.”
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Local Bands Combine To Put On A Spectacular Show
Nick Hegedus
Van Gogh’s Ear played host to the annual GAIN Music Festival on Friday night.
Attendees were treated to a spectacular display of local talent from some of the best Guelph has to offer, with a total of 13 bands playing over the course of the evening.
Kitchener-based Safe as Houses kicked the night off on the first floor. The four-member group, who has been featured on CBC Music, played an interesting brand of folk-tinged rock, incorporating a cello and harmonica amongst their other instruments. Also playing on the first floor was Guelph indie rock band Delhi, and Toronto based folk-punk artist Ben McKenzie, who was playing with his backing band, His Broken Bones.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, duo Teenage Kicks started off the night, followed by Tear Away Tusa, Trouble & Daughter, and indie rock group Odd Years.
On the third floor, Guelph’s Unbowed demonstrated a very different approach from many of the other bands at the festival, employing a brash metal sound while still incorporating melodic elements into their songs. Rounding out the evening were Seas, Great Lakes, and Jeremy and the Pink Band.
Although the venue was still fairly empty by the time the show started at 8:30 p.m., things quickly heated up, and soon all three floors of the venue were completely packed. With bands playing on all three floors simultaneously, it was difficult to see everything.
Common Deer (formerly The Howling) captivated the audience with a bombastic and symphonic demonstration of folk-influenced indie rock. The band won its spot in the festival via GAIN’s 2014 Battle of the Bands contest last month, and their set made the reason for this clear. They alternated between quieter, more reflective tracks and explosive songs utilizing the violin and cello.
Ending the show, electronica duo Bowjia provided an interesting counterpoint to the rest of the evening. Bowjia employed both DJ gear and live instruments, such as keyboards and guitar, in their presentation. The duo’s songs ran the gamut from upbeat and dance-y to quiet and laid back. Their style stood in stark contrast to the earlier indie- and folk-influenced bands, and was quite an enjoyable end to the night.
The festival saw several hundred guests over the course of the night, and was certainly a resounding success for the organization.