What a weekend it was
The small town of Elora was once again blown away by the talents and energies surrounding the ever-growing Riverfest. From the Rural Alberta Advantage’s raw vocals to Chromeo’s late-night, pop-infused rainshower extravaganza, the festival was an astounding success.
Held at Bissell Park from August 19 to 21, the festival boasted three different venues: the main stage, complete with standing and sitting areas; the Koop, a tented stage named after the festival’s late founder, Marilyn Koop; and the Dine Alone Records Wax on Wheels stage, tucked into a meadow corner of the park. Artists from Vancouver to Charlottetown travelled to perform at the three-day festival, which was headlined by Walk Off The Earth on Friday, Chromeo on Saturday, and The Sheepdogs on Sunday night.
Whether folks were long-time locals or just making the weekend festival trek, Riverfest created an ambience that made everyone feel right at home. Complete with an Artisan Alley and a glowing mushroom forest, this year’s Riverfest was one to remember.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of our favourite sets.
FRIDAY
Highs
Hailing from Toronto, this five-piece band rocked the Dine Alone Records stage the opening night of the festival. Their performance was an entanglement of instruments, with the bassist sharing the drums and the keyboardist exuding energy despite her limited movement. This band has just started to gain traction in the Canadian music scene, and the size of the crowd proved that. Although it seemed many were unfamiliar with the band, the audience absorbed all energy the band was giving on stage. Anyone who sees Highs live will keep the band’s tunes in their head long after.
Dear Rouge
Husband-wife duo Dear Rouge shook the main stage Friday evening, with many fans eagerly waiting to see the band perform. Singer Dani McTaggart took the stage as her own and flaunted her incredible vocals. It was clear that the crowd was not shy of their music. Playing hits and even debuting a new song, Dear Rouge did a fantastic job of warming up for Walk Off the Earth, who headlined the first night with a huge party.
SATURDAY
Bruce Peninsula
After taking nearly a five-year hiatus, Toronto cinematic-indie-folk band Bruce Peninsula returned to touring in 2016, making a stop Saturday afternoon at Riverfest. From the sound of their set, the seven-member band barely sounded like they had taken a week off. Featuring a three-piece gospel choir section in their live show, vocals were clearly a centrepiece for the band, with gorgeous harmonies spread over sparse, airy guitar lines; the beautiful often giving way to the mighty as melodies ebbed and flowed like Lake Huron on the shores of the land from which the band takes their name.
The Zolas
The Zolas rocked the main stage mid-afternoon on Saturday, launching into crowd favourites “Molotov Girls” and “The Dark,” which describes a wild night out in Toronto. The group’s singer Zach Gray boasted sweet, earnest vocals backed by hand-clapping, toe-tapping electro-pop. Toward the end of the set, Gray spoke to the crowd about the disparity between youthful nightlife and some of life’s realities we experience secondhand through social media. Following Gray’s speech, the Zolas played “Freida on the Mountain,” a pop ballad about getting caught up in such a lifestyle. They ended with 2016 Swooner album’s title track.
Young Rival
This trio hailing from Hamilton came out shimmering—literally—late Saturday afternoon. Clad in matching gold sequin jackets, the three-piece rock outfit packed the cool shade of The Koop’s tent. Young Rival combines surf, garage, and straight-forward rock with a sprinkle of pop thrown in for good measure. This nearly infallible combination was completely upbeat, with barely a minor or dissonant chord to be heard. Young Rival’s fully developed sound had everyone in a craze by the time they broke into their 2015 hit “Interior Light.”
Kardinal Offishall
Despite the heat and the mid-afternoon time slot, Kardinal Offishall won Riverfest. With his DJ—DJ Foreplay—and stage hand Silver AKA Solitaire, the three worked together to produce the most energetic show Riverfest has ever seen. Kardinal prompted a full crowd clap-along, a side-to-side wave, and even had the sitting area stand and jump along. He played every hit you presently forgot about, but your eighth grade self danced to at your elementary school dances. Hits like “Dangerous,” “Numba 1 (Tide is High),” and “That Chick Right There” increased the energy through the set. Kardinal interacted with the crowd and learned some names, even prompting a “who can jump higher” battle between three sections of the crowd. He ended off his set by preaching, “Canada is the greatest country on the planet when it comes to the greatest music on the planet.” With a festival like Riverfest hosting tons of Canadian content, he was not wrong.
Rural Alberta Advantage
The RAA performed an emotionally charged set on the Riverfest main stage, opening with a tribute to The Tragically Hip, whose show was live-streamed by Riverfest later that evening. The intensity set forth by guitarist and vocalist Nils Edenloff was matched by Amy Cole on keyboard and supporting vocals, particularly in “On The Rocks.” However, it was drummer Paul Banwatt’s energy and technical skill that took their performance to the next level. The ambient, rolling percussion paired with Nils’ strikingly raw vocals in “Tornado ‘87” and “Terrified” had the crowd singing and stomping along. The RRA have played hundreds of shows together and it pays off; the band is incredibly on-point and Edenloff’s stage demeanor leads you to think he’s sung each line 1000 times before while still finding purpose each time in his own words.
Matthew Good
Sat, August 20, 2016 may go down in history as “the night Canada closed down” for the Tragically Hip’s final concert broadcast, but Matthew Good still managed to fill the main stage’s standing area with fans who own a PVR. Good, a Vancouver-area native, is no stranger to touring Canada coast-to-coast, touting some thought-provoking social commentary as well as his music. However, he chose to focus on the music and stay true to his rock roots and sophisticated, poetic lyrics. The set mixed in age-old tracks like “Hello Time Bomb” and “Load Me Up” that had everyone picturing themselves at the MGM Grand. Good’s sinewy vocals, backed by impressive lead guitar and intricate bass, captivated Bissell Park.
SUNDAY
Bry Webb & The Providers
Best known as the frontman of Canadian indie-heroes, the Constantines, Guelph’s unofficial poet laureate Bry Webb proved once again why he’s one of the best songwriters in the country today. Webb and his band The Providers put on an absolute showcase of how to blend rock with soft folk, and were clearly tight after a summer of touring; not that they needed it. The musicians onstage carried combined thousands of hours of touring and performing experience with Nathan Lawr (Royal City, Minotaurs) on drums, the beautiful slide guitar of Elora’s own Rich Burnett, and the steady bass of Anna Ruddick (Randy Bachman, Ladies of the Canyon). On stage, Webb exudes a kind softness, while kicking up the grittiness right when it’s needed. After years of performing with the Constantines, Webb’s latest material is refined and gentler, simply reflecting years of growth as a musician that all musicians strive for, but rarely achieve.
Reuben and The Dark
Reuben and The Dark rarely play shows around Southern Ontario as much as other bands on the festival’s lineup do, so it was a treat to have him and his band play. Opening with “Devil’s Time,” Reuben Bullock’s familiar lyrics and melodic voice filled the crowd. Taking from his home province of Alberta, his songs paint pictures of beautiful landscapes and emotional experiences. He played familiar hits for the crowd, including “Bow & Arrow” and his most recent single, “Heart in Two.” With the light rain, Bullock’s charming lyricism and slow, soothing instrumentals, the whole set felt like a spiritual performance.
Etiquette
Toronto buzz band Etiquette took to the Wax on Wheels stage Sunday afternoon. On a stage meant to showcase up-and-comers, the 5-piece group showed they have the potential to belong with the best. Although a new band, the lineup featured veteran Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck) on bass and synths, visual artist Julie Fader, and a special appearance by Vancouver songstress Hannah Georgas on vocals. The band’s performance fell somewhere in a murky pool of rock and electro-pop with the added bonus of a human drummer. Walsh is a master of unleashed sound creation with Holy Fuck, but with Etiquette he was much more reserved and focused more on groove and space in the music. The group was also refreshingly balanced, with no particular stand-out member. Vocals were generally restrained, building on subtle layers instead of enveloping peaks. At times, the band almost seemed too calm, cool, and collected to even get into their own music, preferring instead to bask in their own cerebral soundscape.
Wintersleep
Walking on stage, Wintersleep was greeted to a large crowd of cheering fans. It’s not often that Elora and its surrounding area are treated to a band like this. Their opening song “Santa Fe” had the crowd moving. Playing a majority of tracks from their newest album, the crowd enjoyed the energy. It seems as most came to see the band perform their beloved song, “Weighty Ghost,” which contrasted with their recent rock-heavy album. Everyone stayed to enjoy the band despite a spurt of rain in the middle of their set.
Yukon Blonde
With a tightly packed crowd under a relatively small tent stage, it was hard finding a decent spot despite coming early. Everyone was anticipating these British Columbia-based indie rockers. Yukon Blonde hit their set off with three songs from their newest album, On Blonde. Although opting to skip “Hannah,” their song about Guelph’s own Hillside Festival, the band still packed the setlist with many songs from their latest album. They managed to sneak in an old favourite, “Wind Blows,” and even prompted a sing-along to the song. While performing “Radio,” they extended the two and a half minute song to nearly six minutes, ripping out an intense guitar lick during the bridge of the song. Despite packing a lot of energy into their performance, the crowd was lacklustre in energy. Only a few fed off the bassist’s on-stage antics, and the band had to ask the crowd to dance along to their closing song. Expecting a crowd favourite, “My Girl,” to close their set, Yukon Blonde chose to instead roll out another old favourite, “Stairwell.”
The Sheepdogs
What more can be said about Canada’s favourite old-school prairie rockers? Hailing from the Paris of the Prairies, Saskatoon’s Sheepdogs have come a long way since gracing the cover of the Rolling Stone five years ago when they hit the big-time. The now international touring act even played at the Brass Taps on U of G campus back in November 2011. The band’s high-energy, straight rock ‘n’ roll set was the perfect way to wrap up Riverfest 2016. The jam-heavy set included about as many guitar solos as could be packed into an hour and twenty minutes, including a 10-minute version of the locale-appropriate “Down By The River” by Neil Young. New-found guitarist Jimmy Bowskill stole the show by adding virtuoso guitar fire to the Sheepies’ undeniably classic sound.