June 2003

Continued from Page 15

larly enlightening address, but maybe I’m just bitter
because he made fun of the Archers of Loaf. Despite
briefly wandering off stage—mic in hand, lounge-act
style—to talk to his friends in the audience about why
they do what they do (for the music man, it’s all about
the music), his discussion remains centred around five
key suggestions for survival and success in the biz
today. 1) Find or create your own opportunities. 2)
Work with other people. 3) Treat people good. 4) Take
risks. 5) Stay proactive. Pretty controversial eh? He
really went out on a limb with this stuff.

2:15p.m. Chad Kroeger Artist Keynote @ The
Commodore Ballroom

“Tt all comes down to song writing...the proof is in

the pudding,” proclaims Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger,
who recently beat the brilliant Ron Sexsmith for best

 

Chad Kroeger making keynote speech

songwriter at this years Juno awards. There's no
accounting for taste these days it seems. The self-pro-
fessed “rock guy” goes on to do a little Can Con bash-
ing and to offer up such pearls of wisdom as “it takes
longer to learn pure talent,” “Jonathon, my Jewish
partner has a huge’ problem with. me spending
money,” and “I’m probably going to get in deep shit
here but I don’t really care, I already have a record
deal.” By the time he launches into his tirade on the
evils of independent radio promotion, I have already
drifted off to sleep in order to prepare myself for the
long night ahead.

7:00p.m. Detachmgnt Kit @ Richard’s on Richards
In true Richards style the doors open late and
Detachment Kit have already launched into their set
as people begin to file into the room. The lanky, loud,
Chicago rockers go to town for an energetic—albeit
brief—performance. Lots of jumping, yelling, and the
requisite “pretty psyched to be in Vancouver” line
quickly endears them to the fast-growing crowd.
8:30p.m. My Morning Jacket @ Richard’s on

 

My Morning Jacket

Richards

From the depths of the
dense hair that shrouds
most of the members of
My Morning Jacket
emerges some of the most
exciting rock and roll of
the festival so far.
Surprisingly loud and
lively in comparison to
what I had expected from
their recordings, this show
has it all—from ferocious
jams to forlorn ballads.
After a long and well-
received set the members
exit the stage one by one
until only the drummer
remains, pumping out a
killer solo that has the
crowd grinning ~ and
screaming for- more.
Singer Jim James returns
to the stage alone, bare-
foot and buried beneath
his unruly hair, to perform a couple of lovely acoustic
numbers before bringing the full band back. James
observes, “It smells like somebody is getting their
weed on” before diving into their final songs.
Naturally the crowd goes wild.

9:45p.m. Mariana’s Trench @ The Royal

Weee! Another line up. Flashing my faithful media
pass, I make my way into the sweltering room. Too
many people...can't breathe. What all the fuss is
about I have no idea, sounds like typical, obnoxious,
loud rock music to me. Must get out of here.

10:15p.m. p:ano @ CBC Studio 1 Hey :

Descending into the depths of the CBC I suid

find myself entering another world. A quiet oasis
amidst the loud, sweaty, overcrowded venues of nmw.
Here p:ano is playing dreamy, slow motion, ethereal
lullabies in front of an enrapt and eerily silent crowd.
A welcome change of pace, this peaceful refuge
replenishes my energies and prompts me to actually
shell out some cash for a CD for the fist time during
the festival.

10:55p.m. Jerk With a Bomb @ CBC Studio 1

As video images of spacemen and the words “LIFE
FUNCTIONS TERMINATED” flicker across the
screens to the right of the stage, Jerk With a Bomb
deliver a stellar set that balances gentle country flavour
with full-on raging art rock. Very orig-
inal, very refreshing, very nice.
12:00a.m. Day Theory @ The
Penthouse

Miss most of their set, but when I
arrive the band is shirtless and a scant-
ily clad woman is precariously

that a good time was had by all.
12:20a.m. Alarmbell @ The
Penthouse

Featuring Ryan Dahle (formerly of
Limblifter and Age of Electric) this is
apparently the highlight of The
Penthouse’s. roster this evening.
Personally I never much cared for
Limblifter or Age of Electric and I see
no reason to break that trend with

http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca_ se

 

 

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Culture

Alarmbell. It decent
enough from what I can
remember, but it was late and
I had already heard a whole
lotta music, so I think I'll
reserve judgement until I hear
them under different circum-
stances.

! Saturday May 24

8:45p.m. Kevin Kane @ The
Royal

I am a sucker for a guy alone
on stage with an acoustic gui-
tar. And if that guy just hap-
pens to have written “All the
Things I Wasn't,” one of the
prettiest songs ever, well that’s
all the better. Looking quite
dapper in a well-worn grey
pinstripe suit and his trade-
mark curls, Kane takes the
stage 45 minutes later than
scheduled—but not surpris-
ingly, he is well worth the
wait. His intelligent brand of
well-executed folk rock is a great way to start off what
is sure to be an action-packed evening.

9:30p.m. Tennessee Twin @ The Railway Club

I am setting up shop in the back smoking pit, watch-
ing the monitor and impatiently waiting for
Tennessee Twin to begin, when I realize that they are
already playing. Apparently the monitor was not on—
oops. Given tight time restrictions I can only try and
listen to them quickly on my way out of the club.

was

Jerk With A Bomb

Photos by Angela Blattman

Kevin Kane

What can I say...uh, I remember a girl singing what
sounded like pretty country-fried songs.

9:50p.m. The Penthouse

Fearing a capacity crowd that even the magical media

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