HIGHPARK, Hudson Say and Nate Bachynski play for full house
On April 1, 2016, in downtown Guelph, the Jimmy Jazz bar hosted a packed house thanks to a lineup of local acts. Guelph-based acts Hudson Say, HIGHPARK, and Nate Bachynski. The Jazz’s security staff found themselves busy with a line out the door for the majority of the evening, checking IDs of a largely student crowd eager to give the weekend one final hurrah before it comes time to clamp down and study for finals.
After a solid opening set from local singer-songwriter Nate Bachynski, alternative-rock band HIGHPARK really cranked up the intensity level for the night. The band was tight and well-rehearsed, with powerful vocals and soaring guitar solos backed by a solid rhythm section. The band was easily able to get the crowd jumping in sync, yet it was still able to bring things back down to earth when the time was right.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…racked up numerous sing-alongs throughout the night…[/pullquote]
Closing the night was rock-and-soul group Hudson Say. With great energy and groovy rhythms held together by the uplifting vocals of Savannah Stuart, the band racked up numerous sing-alongs throughout the night from a crowd that seemed to just keep pushing closer to the stage. The group played a mix of originals and familiar pop-rock covers. At times, I couldn’t help wondering why they even bothered with the cover tunes, as the originals sounded great and the band really found their stride during these songs. These guys need to keep writing original music.
Guelph is a town where a lot of music can be happening on any specific night. This is great for music lovers, but sometimes, this can have a number of consequences for the bands playing here. It’s hard to pack a venue when the small throng of Guelph indie music fans are spread so thin. Some might even argue there are too many promoters and shows happening on a given night for a town of 120,000 people. Fortnight Music, GAIN Music, FPOP, Kazoo!, Place for Bands, Chums Up, Royal City Music Series, in addition to a handful of independents, are all local promoters vying for a slice of the Guelph indie music scene.
This is why it was great to see a full house at the Jimmy Jazz for a lineup of local bands. It shows that this city supports its musicians first and foremost, and it encourages the local music scene to grow. On the other hand, I’ve seen great lineups at various venues around the city that are barely able to make the place look half full. If this massive list of promoters could find a way to work together rather than compete, a lot of folks could benefit. When it comes to live music options in the Royal City, could there really be too much of a good thing?