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This is the big day at SOS Fest. Not that there aren’t great bands on Friday or Sunday, just that this is 12+ hours of music. My feet are tired but my ears want more.
Before I talk about Saturday, I’ve got to ask you to check on my Googling skills. Now, I know it’s a busy weekend, but I actually can’t believe I’m not finding any other Edmonton news coverage, at all, when searching online for SOS Fest stories. Just the “SOS Fest is on this weekend” stories. I’ve seen Vue tweeting about SOS, and spotted Fish Griwkowsky at some venues, so SEE and Vue will probably have something Thursday. But nothing this weekend from anybody? Huh.
Saturday was our first taste of some street music, with busking all around Whyte Avenue. SOS artists were busking during the day to raise money for War Child. While I think there have been more buskers out anyway, it was a neat idea to incorporate that into the festival.
While I returned to some venues I’d already been to (Savoy, Pawn Shop) I was excited to check out music in places that don’t have live shows on a regular basis.
Original Joe’s Varsity isn’t even in Old Strathcona, but wanted to be part of the festival. They hosted a couple of young talents Saturday night. I think it was a good move, since the place was packed and staff were running ragged, having not expected a large crowd. It bodes well for more venues off the beaten path, and not normally music spots, taking part in a future SOS Fest.
Megatunes has hosted bands and artists in their basement before, but it’s still just a little different to check out a show downstairs. It’s pretty much an empty room, with an old couch at the back. Hopefully, when Megatunes calls it quits this summer, someone else takes that space and uses it for music in some capacity.
Earlier in the day, when I wandered back into the Savoy, I started chatting with a couple of volunteers (one of whom I knew already). It’s good to know that volunteer wristbands (and artist ones too) get them into events through the weekend. Sure, they can hear music while helping out at a venue (or playing, if an artists) but the weekend is about experiencing new music and it’s nice to know everyone involved gets that as well.
Also, if SOS Fest is back next year, it would be a good place to volunteer, since you get that wristband of weekend music.
Saturday is when I first heard someone couldn’t get into a bar because it was too full. And we had to wait in line for 10 or 15 minutes to see Cadence Weapon at the Pawn Shop. The guy in front of us left, he didn’t want to wait, and complained that SOS Fest needs to improve this for next year.
It should be noted he thought we were staff of the festival because we have cards hanging around our neck, not wristbands. But hey, we took his comment. It’s not really a festival that lends itself to limiting the number of people that can buy access to an event. And I think that’s part of the fun. You might not get in, you might be the only one of your friends to see a hot new act, you might have to check out a band or venue you didn’t even plan on.
We did encounter one real hiccup Saturday night, one that actually could be improved for next year. We planned to see Plain Clothes rock the Wunderbar at 11pm. But they actually played at 10. It’s one thing to miss a show because you’re late, or you just can’t get in, but to show up early and miss out on a band because the schedule was wrong is just not cool.
All in all, a fantastic day on Whyte Avenue. Most of the tweets I’ve been seeing have been positive. People seem to be enjoying the music, the venues, the whole festival. Sunday’s combination with the street sale, shutting down Whyte between 105 and Gateway (103) will probably just be icing on the cake.
Kelso Sorensen, from Touch It And You Will Say Ow, wanted to get a feel for typing on the iPad.
He wrote:
Dear mom,
Thank you for the kubasa
Love you son,
Kelso
Sweet, smart, fun, beautiful. You need a few words to describe the songs you’ll hear from Lyra Brown. One of Edmonton’s young stars her sharp, piano-accompanied, songs will make you think of Fiona Apple and Jenny Lewis. Don’t let her appearance fool you, she’s got lyrics that speak truths beyond her years, and she can cut right to the point.
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“Come say hi, you don’t have to buy anything, I’m not a car salesman.” — Manuela - asking people to stop by and chat after her set at the Savoy, Friday night at SOS Fest, with no pressure to buy her new album.
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I’ve now had the pleasure of seeing The Joe rap live twice. He keeps getting better.
He’s exciting, he’s energetic, he’s wild, he’s got some of the most thoughtful, poignant and hilarious lyrics you’ll hear. I won’t go into too much detail, because I could be here all day, but I meant it when I earlier said that The Joe, and the Old Ugly Recording Co.’s other rappers, mixed in with our city’s poet laureate, Cadence Weapon, showcase Edmonton as a talent pool of hip-hop.
And I say that not even being a regular listener of the genre.
Samantha Schultz played Original Joe’s Varsity Saturday night, part of a duo of young folk-pop stars. She plays with passion, but she can also sing so softly that you need to lean forward in your seat. And you will, because you want to hear what that lovey voice is saying.
She’s also great on the guitar, fingers flying throughout her songs. She’s folky, with Norah Jones-like qualities to her voice, and really is one to watch. Though, she’s been one to watch for a few years, bursting onto the Edmonton scene in 2005 as a Tweener at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
I was back out on Whyte Avenue, just sort of wondering around, when the sounds of Noel Johnson pulled me back into the Savoy. His poetic songs, full of love and life, drew me in. It’s only after checking his MySpace that I see he writes “memorable and catchy melodies, the kind that make you stop and linger for a moment.”
Well done, sir.