Day 12 - Rifflandia

Rifflandia, you will point out, was three months ago.

Yes it was, but I only tweeted about it, and never wrote any blog updates about it.  And with 24 posts to make, it's going to mean I review some stuff that's well past. Plus, as the super save passes are on sale for 2014 right now, may be this will be useful information for the future.

I got the Night Pass for Rifflandia 2013, as there was nothing on the main stage that was essential to see for me.  I did want to see USS, but that wasn't worth the $80 or so extra to get into Royal Athletic Park.  Instead, I contented myself to various night shows around Victoria.  And hanging out with some awesome friends at the same time as well.

Thursday night I specifically aimed to see the Belle Game in the tiny Metro Theatre.  But before then I just wandered into the Alix Goolden Hall to see Anomie Belle. Just because the name fitted, and she had an interesting right up of mixing up dance music and activism.  I expected nothing much. I was treated to 40 minutes of live sampling and looping and singing and violin playing.  By one small lady left alone on the stage surrounded by a set of key boards and electronic gizmos. I was blown away, and went out and brought her albums, which take a different side of her music. Still shades of Trip Hop and Portishead, with a voice that cuts through to the stories she's trying to tell.

The Belle Game were LOUD. In such a tiny space, I would say far too loud.  The sound engineer seemed to agree, shaking his head as the band seemed to want to go even louder, determined to pin us to our seats.  Still, they put on a great show with great music... a sort of pop music with to many embellishments to hit the charts, but makes you smile and nod along.  They finished with 'I would wait up for you', in which a rare sight was had.  Me dancing.

Friday night was a long haul for me.  Met friends at the Phillips Backyarder for a beverage or three, and sat through a set of some random Victoria rapper shouting.  I was instructed to put my hands in the air. But, I actually didn't care.  So I didn't.  Then we had 45 minutes of mix DJ mash up goodness from Z-Trip.  He mixed in everything... Mario sound tracks, 90's classic Indie, Bon Jovi, and tonne of dance breaks.  Music to make you smile and feel good about the world.  And drink another beer.

We then broke away from the mad party, two friends very merry from their day in the park, and me carrying a light buzz with our non-drinking friend wandering why she was hanging with such louts... Pizza refreshment and back to Alix Goolden for Cold Specks.

The anti-thesis of Anomie Belle.  Minimal production, just her, a guitar and one hell of a voice.  Doom soul she calls it.  Powerful, visceral, rhythmic. Low key and almost shy, she asked for no photography or movement, and put together a set where moving around or otherwise disturbing her felt out right rude.

Then we had Beth Orton.  I love Beth Orton.  I love her fingers down the next vocals that make me shiver.  Her alt-country leanings and songs about love, devotion, loss and forgetting.  She, however, was after midnight in a huge venue that was slowly emptying of tired people.  And she's not the act that brings the energy.  She gets on and plays.  I think she was confused by the people leaving and feeling it was a bad gig.  It wasn't. Just ill-timed.  I enjoyed it, but she wouldn't have won any new fans.

Finally Saturday. I got into the Metro with my friends early, getting a good seat with the aim to be there for the final act, one Hawksley Workman.  Thinking that maybe we could take a break with another show later and come back.

No chance. By the end of the second act it was clear that the line up outside was at least an hour long. With the VIP queue jumper passes, it might be that we'd never get back in.  So we rode it out.  The other act varied. I liked Tyson Motsenbocker's singer songwriter stuff enough to grab a CD.  Which has been played more than once. Himalyan Bear was odd and deep noisey stuff.  The other two acts have slipped from my memory so much that even looking up their names (Steph MacPherson and Vance Joy) hasn't brought them back.

And then, finally, Mr Workman came on.

It was an hour of brilliance.  I grinned from ear to ear. I borrowed other people's ears to grin from.  He played with just a pianist and his range of guitars.  He did some of his hits.  He rambled on about Deezer's really odd logos that were sponsoring the room.  He played the piano in some sort four handed duel.  He strutted and stomped around the stage, banging out his favourite songs. He got his colleagues from 'The Mounties' to do a version of 'This Dance'. He flat out entertained us.  A great intimate setting with a guy who knows how to play and sing and perform.

Was it worth the wait?  Yes.

Was the night pass worth the money? Yes and yes.  I've just been recalling some of the memories from that weekend, and still smiling about it.

Will I go next year? Probably, but I'll wait for the line up to see whose the two or three essential bands for me to go and see, and take pot luck with the others.

The Alix Goolden Hall, Downtown, Victoria

The Alix Goolden Hall is the performance hall for the Victoria Conservatory of Music. It's also the location for several bands to play when they visit Victoria. Seating around 800 people it's a special place to watch live music. It's an old church, that's been converted into a music space. The seating is on two tiers, with bench pews around the top, still well underneath the high vaulted ceiling, and wooden chairs in the large space below. The stage is a about six inches high, and bring the audience and performers really close together. The background to the performance is a large pipe organ, while both walls have huge stained glass windows... the west facing one catching the evening sun just as the evening performances start.

I've seen two concert there. The first was Billy Bragg, Britain's Working Class Hero singer-song writer and socialist agitator. He fitted the venue perfectly. One man, his guitar and his songs front and centre, surrounded by a very appreciative audience. The acoustics are great, and his simple songs of love, loss and struggle of the common man reached out to all. As did his monologues about the songs, his take on the politics of Canada and general observations of being a father with a son whose growing up and playing guitars.

The other concert I saw, much more recently, was the rescheduled Said the Whale show. Very different group for this one. While Billy Bragg's audience tended to be my age and older, Said the Whale have a much younger following. It also being an all-ages show also helped to fill the venue with 15-23 year olds, out to appreciate a local BC band. Not many of the seats on the lower floor had bodies in by half way through the support act (Abbotsford's Oh No! Yoko), standing up to the stage. But very well behaved, no-one jumped on the stage or started a crazy mosh pit (or any sort of overly energetic dancing).

Oh No! kicked things off with a mismash of emo/indie-rock. Lots of jumping around by the guitars, bashing on the drums, but not going anywhere. The energy seemed, wasted. They either want to be a high energy, rock out band, or focus more on the tunes and mellow out. But this sort of half-measure didn't strike me at all.

The main act, however, owned it. Said the Whale mix up a laid back west coast guitar indie with elements of 60's pop and folk roots. Half the songs are observations on the people they've met, and the other half on the places they love across North America. Or are a combination of the two. The two leads complement each other's styles, with very able backing on bass and keyboards. The drummer really ties the band together though, just like the rug in the Big Lebowski. Spot on rhythms, using not just the standard drum kit, but a variety of other percussion. They led of with the excellent "Heavy Ceiling", which didn't quite hit home, but the sound man sorted out the levels, and they just got better. The highlight was probably "Big Sky, Montana", a song about a grandfather's love for his wife, about wandering the mountainsides, a tribute to a man who obviously had a great influence on the singer's life.

The venue really set of this BC band's style as well. Close up and personal with a band who really react to their environment, and to their fans. They got better as the event went on. If your thinking of seeing someone when they come to town, and the venue is the Alix Goolden, it's worth it. I'm guessing a post-hardcore, full-bore mosh out concert wouldn't be so good, but for a more casual band, if they can't work well in there, they probably won't be able to go well anywhere.

Website : http://vcm.bc.ca/venues/alix-goolden-hall/
Location : 907 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, V8V 3N4